Heather Stotz- Sandstone Corns

I live in a small town with a post office (most towns have them) along with another shipping location at the UPS Store (which is where I have a box to receive packages so they can stay out of the weather while I am at work) and at both places they have no problem shipping what is allowed to be shipped...

I have brought in printed pages from the USPS website to the PO showing them that they are allowed to ship insects and lizards without an issue...I do use the PO when possible to ship lizards as long as the buyer is okay with this and I get information from the buyer about when the mail is delivered to them...sometime this works out better than something being shipped since they get mail delivery early in the morning...but the buyer is fully aware of this and that difference in the mailing costs are passed on to the buyer...I have never paid over $25 to mail a package overnight through the PO...but you also have to check to make sure the buyer lives in an area that can get overnight, etc...

To bring this more to a point I have also used the UPS ground services when the package is being shipped a short distance and they can tell me up front that is will be delivered next day...normally this is within states that border here but it can be utilized as long as you communicate with them...in this case the buyer also would receive the savings on the shipping...the fine folks at the UPS store have been nothing but nice and accommodating to me in the past...they call me when I get a package in while I am at work to let me know that it is there, they have never had an issue shipping live reptiles and normally are just curious to see what I am shipping or receiving.

Communication is the key with all of this...deal with everyone open and honest and none of this will turn bad on you...if the folks at the UPS store had an issue with what I shipped I would find somewhere else to do it...you can schedule pick ups from any of the carriers there and if I had to drive to the next town over to mail my packages then that is just what you have to do..I would just have to plan that into my routine when mailing stuff out...each one of these outfits are independently owned and operated so they probably do have the right to not serve you but if you lied to them from the start then it is even more of a reason for them not to want your business...

All that being said I think the seller here is full of it...you would have been better just telling them you F'd up in the first place...none of this would have happened...also 2 day USPS with a corn in a box would more than likely ran the seller $10-15 to ship...package materials included...

you would have been better just telling them you F'd up in the first place...none of this would have happened

Agreed, a little personal responsibility goes a long way, and excuses are like...well, we all know what they're like, and they all stink...If you are having personal issues that preclude you from "doing the right thing" just explain to the customer whats going on, and both move on from there...Excuses end up piling up on each other, and you come out looking like a BS'er, which does no one any good and reflects (to some small degree) on the hobby at large...Happy Holidays folks, and peace...Chris

Originally Posted by Wilomn

Is this her first mishap? If it is then perhaps a little slack would be in order. If it's not then full speed ahead.

It was mentioned that she's only 23, just a pup as it were. IF this is her first major screwup then there's a good chance it will be her only major screwup IF we let her catch her breath.

Heather, got anything to say? Was this your first screwup? And I'm not looking for excuses, frankly they don't wash, but I would like to know that you aren't a bad guy in the making and that this little hiccup will be all it takes for you to be honest and do things properly from now on.

Yes this is my first major screw up. That's why i don't have anyone (well there was one on cs) coming to my defense because I haven't done this much. I've sold locally but not much to the online community. Basically it was a crappy well. I have read all the posts but to comment on some...
I'm an animal lover I'm NOT dropping my beloved ferret at the vet to have her put to sleep! I hold her in my lap while they do it. And yes, cancer is common in ferrets, adrenal mostly- you can tell because all their fur falls out. Happy? Its not a fun death. I'm a wreck when one of my pets dies. They are like family to me. I'm sorry that I'm not holding my dying pet in one hand while I mail (sorry *ship*) a package and then go put her to sleep, or have her still warm body in the car while I do it! I just go home and cry alot ok! I'm sorry that some of you don't think of pets that way but I do, and I can't change that. They are like my kids and I get very upset when they are sick. I'll scan her vet appt. thing if it will make you happy.
I'm sorry the snakes got sent through the Post Office, but really- why the hell would I do that on PURPOSE! I could get in Major trouble! The snakes could be confiscated, and truely, I know better than the mess with federal laws. And I have the money to send them Fedex, it isn't about that either. It was just a mixup with my mom. She didn't see the problem with sending them through the post office. I asked her later and she just said it was on her way and no big deal. She didn't know. I didn't think to tell her that doing that is a big no-no. I care about my snakes in a similiar way to my other pets. I care about their well-being. Why would I ship 2nd day through a service that doesn't allow them? That's not what I'm about. I want the best for them.
Have none of you had a week where nothing goes according to plan? Surely I'm not the only one on earth to experience this?

Originally Posted by BezilsGirl

Have none of you had a week where nothing goes according to plan? Surely I'm not the only one on earth to experience this?

You're not the first to have a week like that but you are judged by how you handle situations just like this one...point being you should have called the buyers and told them the truth not attempted to cover it up...

Heather,
I honestly think the appropriate thing to do now is to reimburse your clients the difference in the shipping cost. The next thing is to get fedex certified to ship reptiles,before attempting another sale. I think you could also improve your customer service by providing your customers tracking numbers as soon as you ship.
I personally would not purchase from you after reading all that has transpired.
I sent shipments out while dealing with the passing of my grandmother & the resulting funeral. My customers come first & foremost.
I hope you have learned something out all of this. Best of luck in the future.
Tom Thompson

You don't have to believe it, Heather, but I really was hoping that you'd come here and say the right things, then the whole thing would be over, and you'd be back on track toward building a great reputation by now. But nothing you've posted, even in your most recent post, does anything toward building any confidence in you as a seller (for me, anyway). People have practically handed you the things they'd like to hear, but you fall back on the same old excuses.

Your ferret has NOTHING to do with this. Your emotional hyperbole surrounding that part of the story actually hurts your position. All of this crazy "still warm body" stuff is silly. And you still could have used the phone, or typed one-handed to alert your customers to the transaction complication, even while holding your "dying pet" in the other hand. Or am I just a callous jerk for even proposing such a thing? I think it's pretty callous to expect customers to take time off from work and wait around indefinitely for you to put down the ferret (dying or dead) and fulfill your obligations or at least communicate why you won't be doing so. Maybe you're home every day, so you didn't factor in lost money or time-off when you decided to blow off your customers. If you haven't figured it out already, let me inform you: it's a big deal to us working stiffs.

Do you think you're the only animal lover who has ever lost a pet? You keep asking if we've ever had a bad week. Why don't you ask us if we've ever lost a pet or loved one, dropped all of our commitments to EVERYONE, and suffered no consequences for it. Heck, my company allows time off for bereavement (though not for pets), but even if one of my PARENTS dies, I'd still have to call my management and let them know I won't be there.

And the whole USPS thing was more than just a mix-up with your Mom. Whether or not it was intentional, YOU did not see to it that your own Terms of Service were followed. And even if it was unintentional, you never even bothered to contact your customers when you realized that you had broken your TOS. In fact, after THEY contacted you, you still seemed to be trying to hide the fact that you had screwed up. That "shipping place" talk is highly suspicious. I would think that someone who wanted the best for their sold snakes would alert the customer to the fact that the expected shipping method wasn't being followed, and divulge the alternate method to them. I have a big mailbox, and I don't always get my mail every day. If you had mailed me a snake when I expected (per your TOS) it to be delivered FedEx, I never would have checked the mailbox for the snake. It's very likely that the snake would have died.

I'd say "live and learn", but I don't know how much you've learned.

I've offered both parties compensation. I offered jbekers my 06 blizzard which she accepted and Tom has first pick of whatever I produce in 08. I've stated my side, you don't seem to like what I have to say, but what's done is done. I haven't read through the whole thread (and how it got this big still amazes me) but I'll answer questions as I come across them. I tried to do the right thing, and my customer was unsatisfied. So I've offered compensation, which is the best I can do.

For the Zip and Ship thing- I honest don't know how old the kid was- it is a privately owned shipping place and the owner or manager (i'm not sure which is which) lets her kids play there after school. I think ones about 3rd grade and one is younger. Both boys. I'm sure she's told them not to get into the mail as well, but hey- that's what the employee on the phone told me.
As for the ferret thing (timeline here, ferret dies monday, I get sick tuesday/wednesday) you can go to my ferret website fourcornersferretrescue.com to see pictures of the ferrets I rescue (and please, if you have a problem with me in the snake world, leave it here, I don't need problems in the ferret world ok?) You can see pictures of ferrets that have passed in my care. Angel is the most recent one who died, though I haven't updated her picture yet. You can see a picture of a ferret with cancer (the same type she had) named "Shakespeare" on there to see the symtomes of adrenal cancer. I can also scan my vet bill with charges for her being put to sleep if you feel you need to see that.

Originally Posted by tsthompson

Heather,
I honestly think the appropriate thing to do now is to reimburse your clients the difference in the shipping cost. The next thing is to get fedex certified to ship reptiles,before attempting another sale. I think you could also improve your customer service by providing your customers tracking numbers as soon as you ship.
I personally would not purchase from you after reading all that has transpired.
I sent shipments out while dealing with the passing of my grandmother & the resulting funeral. My customers come first & foremost.
I hope you have learned something out all of this. Best of luck in the future.
Tom Thompson

I agree. Mistakes will happen, but be upfront and honest about them. And in this case, refund the difference in shipping costs.

Originally Posted by BezilsGirl

I've offered both parties compensation. I offered jbekers my 06 blizzard which she accepted and Tom has first pick of whatever I produce in 08. I've stated my side, you don't seem to like what I have to say, but what's done is done. I haven't read through the whole thread (and how it got this big still amazes me) but I'll answer questions as I come across them. I tried to do the right thing, and my customer was unsatisfied. So I've offered compensation, which is the best I can do.

Why should Tom have to wait for you to possibly produce something in 08? One thing you might be well learn real quick is that off spring production in any given season is never guaranteed. You did not spend all of the money he sent you on shipping, you still have it in your possession. Just send it to him and be done with it. Saying you already spent it won't cut it. It was never yours to spend on anything other than shipping.

The other thing you are failing to address although many have already pointed it out, you NEVER contacted Tom when you learned of the snakes being shipped through USPS. You dodged him until after they were delivered and you keep dodging it here. This is not a great way to break into the herp world.