Bob on Kingsnake (BAD GUY)

Old BOI
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/inqu...osts/4359.html

Bob EMa1689812@aol.com -rubber boas- GREAT GUY
Author Subject: Bob EMa1689812@aol.com -rubber boas- GREAT GUY
Lucy Howard Posted At 12:33:30 06/10/2001 I can highly recommend Bob, he is great...I got my rubber boas from him. Due to the shipment getting delayed one day, one of the babies arrived weak (hot here) and died a couple days later.
Bob immediately offered a replacement, without questions or hassles...he has been helpful and answered my countless questions...he even helped me out with some questions i had about my ball pythons and other snakes i have...
It is just nice to deal with someone that is honest and helpfull and makes customer service a high priority...
thank you Bob
Mike Theurer Re: Bob EMa1689812@aol.com -rubber boas- GREAT GUY
5674.html Posted At 22:49:52 07/11/2001 Bob is awesome and I would be typing two handed but this awesome little guy is on my other hand.His packaging is truly the best I have seen.I would recomend him to anyone interested in rubber boas!!!!!!!!

Current BOI
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...ad.php?t=77295

Originally Posted by Neil Gubitz

About 2 weeks ago, I had noticed an ad on KS selling LIVE MOSS.... I'm setting up a large enclosure for some Canary Chondros and they like it moist and humid.... The seller is Bob Mackin (EMa1689812@aol.com, (425) 746-9782).... I hadn't heard from him in a week or so, so I just figured he was out of live moss and let it drop, then on Saturday (March 18), I got an email from him saying that a "mini bale" would cost $31 (and change).... I PayPal'd him immediately with my shipping info and left it at that.... Then on Sunday (March 19), he emails me to tell me that the $31 was just for the "mini bale" and that the shipping would cost another $19 for PRIORITY SERVICE via UPS.... I figured, fine, he will ship it on Monday and I will have it by Thursday (at the latest).... Well, Today is now Friday (March 24) and I hadn't received it.... So I sent him an email asking what was up.... He emails me back telling me he just sent it out TODAY (probably because of my email, which WAS to the point), and he gave me a tracking number from UPS.... Well, tonight when I checked the number, I find out that he shipped it GROUND!!.... It won't arrive till NEXT Friday (March 31).... I emailed him immediately upon me finding out this info, and I told him how very disappointed I was, and that I was posting this thread.... I also told him that if he needed the extra shipping money that badly, he could KEEP IT!!....
Needless to say, I will never do business with him again, no matter what his live moss looks like.... Not one word to keep me informed untill I emailed him.... NOT very professional....
This is really not a big deal, but he sure didn't so what he said he would.... Just BE CAREFUL when dealing with him, and MAKE SURE you plan ahead.... you might have a long wait....

Neil

Pets & Things
14310 NE 20th St Ste A
Bellevue, WA 98007
(425) 746-9782

http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3723239354

In reality, doesn't reporting him just give another black eye to the herp hobby as a whole? He didn't rip you off or send you a dead snake.

The entire arachnid community illegally ships their livestock via the USPS and nobody files reports on anyone in that community.

Originally Posted by DavidBeard

In reality, doesn't reporting him just give another black eye to the herp hobby as a whole? He didn't rip you off or send you a dead snake.

The entire arachnid community illegally ships their livestock via the USPS and nobody files reports on anyone in that community.

I guess I just don't cotton to what it sounds like you are saying, David. It sounds like you are saying that because entire communities of people do something illegal, it should be given a pass.
I disagree. I think that turning a blind eye to this sort of behavior is what will give the herp community a black eye. If we all stand together and decide we won't allow it, vendors might not do it.

Yeah, or maybe we should just NARC on everybody who does something out of line and make it look like all herpers are low life criminals.

Its not like he shipped a Mamba via the USPS, it escaped and killed a bunch of Nuns.

People regularly ship the most toxic species of scorpions on the planet via USPS and guess what you don't see concerning arachnids? Bad press in the media about them and proposed bans like we have here in the herp world.

I think theres a lot of grey area that should be payed more attention to (or less, depending on how you see it).

Theres lots of things that are "illegal" that I don't agree with. Spitting on the sidewalk is still illegal, do you call the cops if you see somebody doing that? What good does acting like Benedict Arnold on your fellow herpers do?

I could see if the guy had scammed somebody or done something negligent or dangerous. But a rubber boa? Come on now. The guy got what he paid for, the outcome could have been MUCH worse trust me.

I think the issue here was the consumer could of gotten in trouble himself and didn't want to be involved with something illegal.. Its not about being a narc ....

Originally Posted by jbt123

I just bought a "captive bred" rubber boa from him. A yearling. And as I speak, it is being shipped via USPS.

Yes, I am livid. But what do I do to report this guy to the proper authorities? I only have his e-mail address, no phone number, and hopefully there will be a return address on the package when it arrives.

And I hope the snake arrives alive. I only assumed he would ship either FedEx or UPS, because I TOLD HIM that it gets well over 90 here at 3 in the afternoon, which is when the USPS delivery guy makes his rounds here. I also assumed that like every other person who ships live animals he would KNOW that shipping USPS is illegal.

I feel like an idiot...and I feel horrible because this snake might arrive dead...

Was shipping included in the purchase price or did you pay the costs associated with shipping UPS?

Isn't it also illegal to ship live animals via UPS without denoting "live animals" or something similar on the packaging with a sharpie marker?

I have to agree with the whole "giving the community a bad rep" perspective here. What are the chances the OP would get in trouble for the boa? Slim to nil. I'd be a lil' more apprehensive had the animal have been a hot snake.

Originally Posted by Dennis Hultman

Was shipping included in the purchase price or did you pay the costs associated with shipping UPS?

I was wondering that too. The ad states shipping is additional. He only paid $25 and change to ship. How much did he charge you?

Ok, so shipping snakes via USPS is illegal--but you apparently expected he might ship it via UPS, which is also illegal? (Because contents need to be accurately marked, and UPS will not ship snakes).
You are complaining about what?

It was only 25 dollars to ship the snake, I assumed it was be via UPS (yes, of course a properly marked package, which I've had shipped to me DOZENS of times, which is NOT illegal), or FedEx. I have had a snake shipped to me from Florida via UPS for only 20 dollars one time because this location happened to be only 4 hours from me, so I assumed that he was close. I should not have assumed that he would be a responsible seller and send the snake with a legal carrier.

I am complaining because it is illegal, the package was not properly marked, the snakes life was in jeopardy because of this, and I could have gotten in trouble. By shipping a package without proper marks (at least FRAGILE would have been nice) you are risking the life of that animal. Plus, you don't know how wary I've been today, I feel like a criminal, but I know it's not my fault that he shipped the snake before he told me how he was going to do so. I specifically said "I assume you are shipping UPS or FedEx, right?" and he never answered that question for me.

I am an idiot for not seeing that he's just trying to make a quick buck.

Ship it UPS, FedEx, DHL, or what-have-you, you should properly mark it no matter what.

Two wrongs don't make a right. I wouldn't be making people hate the herp community if I in fact did report him, I would just prevent him from doing it again. BECAUSE I CARE that he shipped illegally shows that I am responsible herp hobbyist and that some of us do care if someone breaks the rules.

And whether it's "wrong" or "right", or you don't think it's a "big deal" to ship snakes via USPS, it doesn't matter: the fact is it's illiegal. End of story.

Okay, I'm sorry guys. Not trying to argue. But seriously, don't say that something that is illegal is "OK" because people do it "all the time". The snake arrived safe, and was packaged well (I will admit) but it was still illegal.

Should I really be explaining myself, and why I'm "complaining"??