Inquiry "Matt White" in Georgia (Big Reds Reptiles?)

"Matt White" in Georgia (Big Reds Reptiles?)
I did a search through the BOI and could not find anything posted on this individual. Anyone dealt with him before?
Any info would be great!

Thanks!

I have purchased several reptiles from him in the past. I purchased several from him online and also got a chance to purchase form him in person a while back at a show. Very nice guy, a pleasure to do business with. All of the reptiles I have purchased from him have been as described and in perfect health. I would definitely recommend him.

For the record Matt White now goes by VMWREPTILES. After I read Aprylla's less than two month old recommendation I decided to give him a go. Matt had a boa posted at Kingsnake as being 100% het blood a few weeks ago that I inquired about. The price was to good to be true but I contacted Matt anyway for more information. Matt told me it was sold to him by John Martino and that it was 100% het blood as posted. I had seen a 66% het blood at John's website and after checking with John, sure enough, I found out the animal John sold Matt was only a 66% het. John told me he wrote Matt shortly afterwards to clarify the animal was definitely not 100% het blood. A few weeks went by and I saw the animal reposted with the correct het status. Okay, I figured it was just a simple misunderstanding/miscommunication on Matt's part. I decided to take my chances with the 66% het anyway because the price of $250 shipped or best offer was still attractive. I offered $225 shipped and Matt countered at $232 shipped which I promptly paid him via Paypal. This was about one week ago and Matt said he'd ship Monday. I asked him at that time by e-mail to give me the carrier plus tracking number information when he had it. After I hadn't received any shipment/tracking infomation on Monday evening I again wrote Matt requesting same. I was told it was shipped via FedEx but he didn't have the tracking number with him. Fine, at least the animal was said to be on the way but I had no way of knowing the status on line which is a must in my opinion (I've had way to many problems occur over the years to know better).
Tuesday morning came and I was at the door to receive the package on time straight from the driver. When the package was handed to me I could actually feel the heat coming from the box it was that warm.
Upon opening I saw one heat pack stuck on top, three inside the packing material, and one stuck INSIDE the deli cup!!! I could smell a foul odor coming from the deli cup and needless to say the animal was cooked and DOA. I Rayteked it after a few minutes at 91.5 degrees and that was after the heat packs had peaked during the night so there's no doubt it was the cause of death. I was very bummed because it really was a gorgeous animal that was much larger than I anticipated and a shame to meet such a harsh ending after being raised to near breedable size. I notified Matt by e-mail and also by phone of what had happened very shortly afterwards. I was told that he was sorry to have to do this to me but it cost him $75 to ship so he wouldn't be able to refund me the full amount. I realize everyone has their own policy concerning this but in my opinion a seller should eat the cost and refund the full amount when there is no doubt an animal was packed improperly and they caused the death. Today I was refunded $175 of the $232 via Paypal. I received a DOA through absolutely no fault of my own and I'm now out the difference of $57 plus $5 Paypal fee for a total of $62. The amazing thing is I received a general e-mail with a hundred addresses on it listing everything he has for sale. Yeah, right, I think I'll pass and it's safe to say you can take my name off your spam list Matt. If you want to receive an animal that may or may not be a true het (dependent on your ACTUAL knowledge of the animal's genetics), desire little to no tracking or shipment information, and want an animal that looks like the one pictured here, and finally, desire to lose money, then by all means, knock yourself out!

EEESCH, what a horrible way to die.

Greg, I am very sorry to here about what happened to your Boa. I had a very similar situation with Matt.

I purchased 11 Emory's Rat snakes from Matt back in August of 2004. We discussed shipping arrangements numerous times, and when he mentioned Fed Ex, I told him that they do not guarantee delivery to my part of town till 4:30 PM, and that here in the Phoenix, AZ area, it was going to be 110+ degrees on the day they to arrive. I then told him about a a really bad close-call situation that I had just had a couple of weeks earlier with Fed Ex, where an overheated and almost dead snake was delivered to me from Fed Ex at 3:00 PM in 110 degree weather. The late delivery time, and the high heat make for a very bad situation. It was at this time that I told him a cold pack would be absoluetly necessary, and he agreed. He said I need not worry, that he would not ship with Fed Ex if they could not guarantee delivery by 10:00. I voiced my concerns to him again, and he assured me once again that everything would be fine, and that I would have them at my door on Tuesday 7-20-2004 by 10:00. I told him that would be fine if he could do that, but to only do it if they would guarantee delivery by 10:00 AM. This was for two reasons. The first was simply due to the fact that delivery vans can reach temps in excess of 140 degrees on a hot August day in Arizona (baked snake is not on my menu). The second reason was that I had to be at the airport that afternoon to pick up my brother in law from London (I needed to leave around 1:30 PM).

I told him all of these concerns on numerous occasions during our the multiple phone conversations that we had, and I went over them one more time on Sunday 7-18-2004 (the day before he was to ship). He still assured me that things would be OK. He said that if for some unforeseen reason Fed Ex could not guarantee the package for a morning delivery, he would just go with UPS. Well, guess what... Fed Ex did not guarantee delivery by 10:00 AM, and instead guaranteed it by 4:30 PM!!!! (just as I told matt they would), and Matt (knowing this) still went with Fed Ex, completely disregarding my wishes and his promise. When He called me on Monday night (7-19-2004) with the tracking #, I asked him to verify the guaranteed delivery time. He said it was guaranteed by 4:30 PM, but that it would most surely be there in the morning. I asked why he did that, and reminded him where I was supposed to be that afternoon and of the serious risk he put the snakes in. Things then went from bad to worse when he told me that he did not ship with a cold pack. I told him that he just signed their death warrants. He apologized, and called Fed Ex to try to have them hold the package for me at the station (about 35 minutes from my house). On Tuesday morning (7-20-2004) Matt sent me this E-mail in response to our conversation the night before:

James,
First and foremost I would like to apologize. I am
terribly sorry about the outcome and sloppiness of
this shipment. I do not want this to reflect the way
you think conduct business and I definitely do not
want this to affect business that we can do in the
future. I wish we would have communicated a little
better but peoples' life's are complicated and
sometimes get a bit messy.
I do want you to know that I am sorry for putting
this situation upon your shoulders. Sorry again. I
hope this doesnt cause the death of great animals.
Sincerely,
Matt White

However, Before I was able to log on my computer and and read it his e-mail, I was awakened by a phone call from a Homeland Security Federal Officer. He asked my name, and if I was expecting a package. Then He asked me what was in the package. I told him harmless snakes, and I asked if he could instruct the Fed Ex people to hold the animals at the counter (it is air-conditioned there) until I could pick them up. He said sure. When I went out to get the snakes, the Fed Ex people were not pleased at all, and they would not release them to me. They said that Game and Fish had to come later that evening and inspect the snakes in order to verify that they were not in violation of any state regulations. So I had to go home empty handed. I called Matt and voiced my dissatisfaction, and updated him on the situation. He apologized again. Later that evening, I got a call from our local Game and Fish enforcement officer, giving me the green light to pick up the snakes, and that one seemed a bit lethargic when he examined them. When I got there the next morning, I was appalled to see that these 24 to 30 inch snakes were packed into 4 inch deli cups that were only 1.75 inches tall. The snakes were packed (one snake per cup) in these cups so tight that many of them could not move, and appeared dead. These cup were not much bigger than a hockey puck! To give you an Idea, they were packed in a box with the inside dimensions of 10"Long x 8"Wide x 6"High. That is a total of 11 tiny deli-cups containing 11 large sub-adult Emory's Rats packed in this tiny space. The snakes were packed in the containers like sardines, and the containers were in turn packed in the box like sardines. One het for albino female had died from lack of oxygen. It turns out that her deli cup had no holes in it. I learned this a few weeks later, as I saved all of the deli cups and the box to use later with appropriately sized hatchling snakes. There was no doubt as to which deli cup was the death cup, as it (along with the others) had a label detailing its former contents. With no holes in the cup, it was basically a sealed tomb for her. I was actually amazed that any of the snakes lived (even in the air conditioned environment that they were in). Had they left on the truck they all would have parished well before lunch. I called Matt again and gave him an update, and he was apologetic. He promised me that a refund for the one snake would be posted to my paypal account in 6 days, which was the following Monday. This did not happen, and only after numerous (yet still polite) calls and e-mails did I get results, and only after an additional 9 more days after the promised 6 days. Along with the refund Matt posted this nice little gem of a note for me. This is what he had to say:

I am going to be honest, I think it sucks that that animal died but I do not feel that it was my fault. I feed a little shorted because that situation was ot of my control. I ship 7 - 8 packages of reptiles a week through fed ex and never had a problem with them. Matter of fact I sent 4 Monday and ALL of them arrived with no problem.
Any future business that we conduct will be Delta Dash with no Live Arrival. It would have been really bad if all of those snakes would have died due to poor communication on both of our parts.
No hard feelings just small amounts of frustration, Thanks for your business,
Matt White

After reading that I was in shock. Poor communication on both our parts??? I could not have been more clear. and I repeated myself so many times I was on the verge of sounding like a broken record!

My Response:
I am very confused. Let me get this straight. You feel shorted, and you feel the snakes death was not your fault. Wasn't it you who shipped them through Fed Ex (a company that I specifically told you NOT to use numerous times in our communications)? And wasn't it you that did this knowing that delivery was NOT guaranteed until 4:30 PM in 112 degree weather (with no cold packs being provided for the snakes)? Wasn't it you that ignored my request to send for MORNING delivery on that day, and to use a cold pack? Wasn't it you that put each snake in a deli cup that was too small, and then multiplied your error by 11 times, compounding it even further by placing the 11 already cramped snakes in a very small box that did not allow for ventilation? Wasn't it you that chose not to put a cold pack in it even though I specifically requested one? How can you say this occurred due to lack of communication when I told you about the Fed Ex delivery times here??? I specifically told you that they would not guarantee until 4:30 PM, I specifically told you that it was 110+ degrees here, and that they required a cold pack. You knew all of this before you shipped, and you chose to ignore my requests and the information that I gave you! You promised me morning delivery, and then sent with a company that could not guarantee it. You promised me that these snakes were going to be sent to my door in the morning, and instead I had to take time out of my schedule to make, not one, but TWO trips into Tempe to get these snakes on my own time and at my expense. I am the one who got the call form an officer with Homeland Security, and that got questioned. I must tell you that I did not appreciate that at all. Matt, this did not happen because of a lack of communication; it happened out of stubbornness on your part. The fact that you claim no fault is just the last shining example of that stubbornness, and your refusal to learn from a foolish mistake. You have guts though. You sent me the 70.00 two weeks late, with your "slap in the face" note claiming no fault of your own. It must have been my fault... I do not think we will be doing any business in the future. Had you used Delta Dash in the first place I would not have been called by a Homeland Security officer, I would not have had to make the trip twice, the snake would not have died, and we would not be having this conversation. I have considered the possibility that you might doubt my story. I would be more than happy to have Fed Ex, Homeland Security, and Game and Fish all contact you to fill you in on the details. Just say the word.
James

Matt's reply:
First of all.
Dont get a f***ing attitude with me James. I intended
on none of this to happen. All of this happened due
to a lack of communication from the both of us. You
arent better than me so stop acting like it. You got
great animals at hugely discounted. DONT EMAIL ME
BACK FOR I WILL NOT RESPOND JERK.
I was just telling you how I feel...half off that
money went to my dead friends daughter.
I ship off packages all the time and this is the first
time I have ever had a problem.

Nice! This is just one example of why I have sold off my collection.

Horrible! No matter how many packages this guy says he ships per week, he's obviously got a lot to learn, and unfortunately given his "well I don't think it was my fault" attitude, doesn't seem like he'll be willing to learn how to listen to customers and ship appropriately. Those poor snakes... Thank you for letting everyone know. Maybe some publicity will help him change his shipping policies - and at least he refunded most of the money involved. I wouldn't buy from him though.

Ya, he refunded me, but he seemed to do it reluctantly, and tried to cloud the issue and dodge the blame. His left handed apology left me feeling less than happy with him. That being said, I totally understand that things happen during shipping, and that is a totally different thing. This was neglectful on many different levels, and it was all totally unnecessary. This happened 1.5 years ago, and after seeing what Greg just went through, it looks like he is the kind of guy that does not learn very easily. I was pretty bummed out when I say Greg's response. I really hoped he had learned from the experience. Apparently he didn't.

Sorry I haven't had a chance to respond until now. Just drove 1,400 miles to deliver two animals lol. When I called Matt to notify him of what had happened he seemed to be shocked and in denial as well. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind as to what had happened and one of my reasons of contacting Matt was to prevent it from happening again. I tried to be as polite as possible just as you were.
I'm not going to say what his policy should be but if I caused an animal to die I would be embarressed to expect a customer to pay anything, not even shipping. Matt recently sent me an e-mail saying if I wanted to talk about it, to give him a call. I'm not sure what would be accomplished though. The animal's dead and I'm out some cash which he's well aware of. My purpose for posting was so that other's may know what they could expect if there was a problem. It's unfortunate for anyone to lose an animal or money, but even more important is the wellfare of the animal.

I just received this e-mail from Matt last night.

James Wilson, Hello and Hi. This is Matt White AKA BigRedsReptiles
and VMWREPTILES.com. Just wondering how you have been
and what you have been up to. Wondering what you had
for sale and if you wholesale some of your quality
animals. Cant wait to meet you one day. Are you
going to Tampa or Daytona? Question? If I refunded
your money they why are you still bringing this old
situation up???? Do you want more money from me???
Do you think I owe you something??? Tell me what I
need to do to lay this 3 year old CRAP to rest. I
REALLY CANT WAIT TO MEET YOU!!!!!!?????? Have a great
day and Please call ir email me with your availability
list. I have been to your website and found it
outdated and rather empty. Tell you what here is my
pricelist let me know if you would prefer a trade of
somesort.
HAVE A GREAT DAY.
VMWREPTILES PRICE LIST
MINIMAL ORDER IS 100.00 NOT INCLUDING SHIPPING
PETSTORES PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE
THANKS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
CALL ANYTIME
706-888-6287
VMWREPTILES.COM

BOIDS
HYPO HOG ISLAND RED TAILS - 400.00
SUPER HYPOS POS HEAT ALBINO - 750.00
COLUMBIAN PASTEL HYPOS RED TAILS- 250.00
COLUMBIAN HYPO RED TAILS - 150.00
BRAZILIAN COLUMBIAN RAINBOW BOA MALE - 135.00
ARGENTINE RTBS - 150.00
NICARAGUAN BOAS - 50.00
BRAZILIAN RAINBOW BOAS - 125.00
DUMERILS BOAS - 125.00
KENYAN SAND OAS - NORMALS - 30.00
GHOST -
35.00
BIG SUBS ALL ANERY - 50.00

PYTHONS
CB BALLS GUARENTEED TO FEED OR MONEY BACK - 35.00
04' 100% MALE 300
100% MALE BALL - 100.00
ALBINO BURMESE - 125.00 2 @100 each
TIGER RETICS - 150.00 ONLY 3 LEFT

RATS
YELLOW*WHITE OAK - 20.00
BUBBLEGUM ALBINOS - 40.00

CORNS
ZIGZAG SNOWS - 25 EACH
BUTTER CREAMS - AWESOME - 50.00
HUGE OKEETEES - 2 FOOTERS - 40.00
ALBINOS - 20
SNOWS - 25
GHOST - 20
MOTLEY OKEETEES - 20
MOTLEY GHOST - 30

KINGS
THAYERI - 30.00 - 50.00
DESERT KINGS - 35.00
BLACK KINGS - ADULTS - 60.00
BABY BLACKS - 25.00

GARTERS
ALBINO GARTERS
1.1 pair almost breedable - 300 pair

LIZARDS
VIPER GECKOS - 25.00 ADULT MALES
SAVANNAH MONITORS - 25.00
MALI EUROMASTYX - BORN IN FLORIDA - SATISFACTION
GAURANTEED - 40.00 EACH OR 2 FOR 70.00
VEILED CHAMELEONS - 35.00 EACH BIG BABIES >4 @ 30
each 20@25 EACH
BEARDIES - 25 AND UP
JACKSONS CHAMELEONS - Subs - 50 each
ADULTS - 60 each
BABY CRESTEDS - 40 AND UP
BABY LEOPARDS - 10 AND UP
BABY AFRICAN FATTAILS - 25.00

FROGS
OUT

TURTLES
RED EARS - 2.00
MISSISSIPPI MAPS - 5.00
OAUCHITA MAPS - 6.00

INVERTS
CURLY HAIRS - 9.00 1.5"
CURLY HAIRS - 6.00 .5"
VENEZULAN SUN TIGERS - 20.00 ½"
BRAZILLIAN SALMONS - 10.00 3/4"
COSTA RICAN TIGER RUMPS - 20.00 3"
GREEN BOTTLE BLUES - 40 3"
KING BABOONS USAMBARAS - 7.00 1.5"
CAMEROON REDS - 20.00 2.5"
CHACO GOLDEN KNEES - 20.00 2"
BRAZILIAN RED AND WHITES - 5.00 ¼"
BRAZILIAN BLACK AND WHITES - 5.00 ¼"
USAMBARA ADULTS - 15.00
STRIPE KNEES ADULTS - 9.00
FORT HALL BABOON - 10.00 ADULTS
Asian Fawn Ornamentals - 30.00 3"
GIANT BLACK MILLIPEDS - 6.00
Giant COLUMBIAN Red Knee - 100.00 3.5"
Red Claw Scorpions - 6.00
Emperors - 6.00
Asian Fawns - 13.00
Fat tails - 30.00
I have a ton of different types of tarantulas too many
to list ask and I might have it.

Matt White
VMWREPTILES

I have to say, I did find the 100% male ball pythons quite amusing.

My response(s) to him:

Hello and Hi. This is Matt White AKA BigRedsReptiles and VMWREPTILES.com. Just wondering how you have been and what you have been up to.

I am fine, and I have been keeping busy.

Wondering what you had for sale and if you wholesale some of your quality animals.

I have 1.1 adult snow Rosy boas available for $12,5000.00 and
one 05 snow female $4,000.00

Cant wait to meet you one day.

I would not hold your breath waiting. We do not really travel
in the same circles. But, I am flattered nevertheless.

Are you going to Tampa or Daytona?

No.

Question? If I refunded your money they why are you still bringing this old situation up????

So Greg would know he is not alone.

Do you want more money from me???

No, Matt. I do not want money from you. Thanks for the offer,
but no.

Do you think I owe you something???

No,

Tell me what I need to do to lay this 3 year old CRAP to rest.

It has been 1.5 years not 3, and I will tell you what you could
have done. You could have stuck to your word, and then when you chose not
to and things went bad, you could have accepted responsibility instead of
trying to spread the blame my way. You could have sent the refund when you
said instead of making me ask you for it numerous times, and you could have
apologized with some sincerity instead of dishing out insults and defensive
sarcastic remarks. And last but not least, you could have made things right for Greg. Things would have been of benefit to you in the long run.

All of that being said, I did not start this thread. I could have started
one here long ago. I had hoped that you had learned something in regard to
your customer service, but from Greg's experience, it does not look like you
did. I simply added to the thread because Greg's situation had many
similarities, and I thought those similarities deemed my experience with you
relevant to the thread.

I REALLY CANT WAIT TO MEET YOU!!!!!!??????

I have to say you sure seem excited to meet me. Honestly Matt,
don't you think that is a little odd, as I have no desire whatsoever to
waste my time on you.

Have a great day

I will do that.

Please call ir email me with your availability list.

You are kidding, right? But just incase you are not, you can
review my availability list above.

I have been to your website and found it outdated and rather empty.

You are right, I has not been updated in months. And if by
empty, you are referring to my lack of available animals, you are once again
correct, as I have nothing available listed there.

Tell you what here is my pricelist let me know if you would prefer a trade of somesort.

In case you did not figure it out, I have focused my interests
in another direction. I am not buying or selling any new animals. Once my
last couple Rosy Boas and Angle Island Chuckwallas are sold, I will be done
in the animal buiness.

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Thanks.


VMWREPTILES PRICE LIST
MINIMAL ORDER IS 100.00 NOT INCLUDING SHIPPING
PETSTORES PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE
THANKS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
CALL ANYTIME

Again, don't hold your breath...