Reasonable length of time for a warranty period?

There are quite a few threads on the BOI that are indicating that people have had some problems crop up in animals they have received. In most cases there seems to be a bone of contention over whether the problems were noted before or after the warranty period had elapsed.

So here's the question I have: What is a reasonable amount of time to expect a health problem to show up and be noticeable by ANY purchaser, even a relatively inexperienced one? Is a 24 hour guarantee nothing more than a non-DOA guarantee? If an animal gets sufficiently chilled during shipping in the Winter months, how long will it take for symptoms to become apparent?

In short, what is the MINIMUM amount of time after a person has received their shipment that should elapse before the shipper should relinguish responsibility for the health of the animals?

I think 48 hours in a nice time limit. The buyer is not so frantic to see somthing that might be wrong. It's time enough to warm up and start the acclimation process.

I almost think longer would be better, something around a month, this allows for any type of disease the animal may have caught at the dealers this also allows the buyer to be sure that this anima they recieved sheds and eats well (lives up to what the dealer says it is doing)

just my opinion though...

I chose 7 days. This should give the buyer enough time to monitor their new purchase and notice any issues. But also not enough time for the new owners husbandry to affect the animal too much. We sell a large percentage of our animals online and you need to increase consumer confidence more than in face to face dealings so we take the extra risk of 7 days.

One other thing was that this is a deadline for someone to contact us with an issue. If there is an issue reported in that time frame then our guaranty covers them until that issue is resolved. For example if they contact us upon receipt and say "well, the veiled doesn't look good he's dark and lethargic" then we'll walk them through their set up and make sure he bounces back before we call the transaction complete even if that takes longer than seven days. When you do have a transaction like this you need to be very clear when talking with your customer and confirm they are satisfied. Once they give you a COMPLETE thumbs up then the guaranty ends and the transaction is done. To keep everyone on the up and up this is better done via email so you have a papertrail to back up that the issue was resolved and everything is OK.

I completely agree with what Daniel said.

The time period has to be long enough for anything the animal might be inclined to display that it picked up from the seller...

Short enough to minimize problems that might arise from crummy husbandry by the buyer...

And if ANY problem or concern is voiced during the guarantee period, it needs to be extended until that's cleared up...

Someone notifying you on day one that an animal is lethargic, notifying you on day five that it ate but regurged (But it might be too early to feed from shipping)... Who notifies you day eight that it died doesn't need to be told "tough luck."

The responsibility on the other side is that buyers need to inform sellers of problems or potential problems WHEN THEY HAPPEN... no waiting six months to tell them there was a problem on day two.

I agree with seven days.

As has been stated, it's not long enough for poor husbandry issues to cause problems, but long enough for the animal to get a meal or more into it(depending on the type of animal) and defecate. It also gives the buyer time to get fecals done and the animal checked by a vet if that is something they wish to do.

I too chose 7 days. I believe that a standard health guarantee should not be less than this
It is accepted practice and often stated to not feed or unnecessarily bother a new arrival for a few days after receipt to allow the animal to settle in.
A 24-48 hour guarantee does not allow time for this and can lead to a circumstance resulting in created problems by making the buyer feel he must cover all the bases inside a short time frame.
As stated earlier, should any problems be noted that causes concern during that 7 days, then depending on those circumstances, and whether the two parties feel it is likely that everything will be fine, the guarantee may need to be extended a bit.

Myself, I give a 7 day health guarantee for any animal I sell. However, each situation is always handled independantly, but everyone gets the minimum 7 days.
In my opinion it would take a severe and intentional act to seriously harm the health of a previously healthy reptile in 7 days.
If someone is truly selling a quality animal, and they are honestly willing to stand behind that quality, then the 7 day guarantee should be no problem.
I am immediately hesitant to purchase from people who make it a point to specify live arrival only or a 24 hour guarantee. It makes me wonder if they do not expect problems from a percentage of their animals and therefore limit the return period. This type of guarantee is seen most often from resellers rather than breeders who produced the animal. A breeder is automatically in a better position to know the complete state of the animal than is a reseller that moves a high volume to turn the most profit.

As for the 24 hour guarantee, this is little more than an empty attempt at offering the illusion of a warranty. They may as well guarantee nothing beyond live arrival. They either do not have full confidence in the quality of their animals, or they merely want to have an easy out to avoid having to deal with complaints.

Well, I said 48 hours, looking at both sides the buyer and the seller, if I were just looking at the sellers side, yeah seven days, a month.
I am not a seller but I would imagine that in seven days a lot can go wrong with a animals in the hands of the buyer and that would not be fair either.
I stand by the 48 hours, I would also add that if there is a problem or worry it be brought to the sellers attention immediately, and then you have an extention on the 48 hours.
I think both buyer and seller should take pictures before they send and when they receive.
I have gotten tons of advice from people I have bought from. It puts my mind at ease and lets me know they care about what happens after the sale, I relax and and can take care of my new animal properly with out worry.

I guess I have to agree with the 7 day HEALTH guarantee.... but, that also must come with a MANDATORY Vet report stating in PLAIN ENGLISH what the illness is, and how it was contracted.... 24 hours is for "Buyer's Remorse", the remaining 6 days are for HEALTH ONLY!
I, for one, am going to change my Guarantee on my site to reflect those 7 days.... today!....

....Neil

I chose three (3) days. But I also chose this as my very base guarantee. I always reserve the right to extend my own guarantee to people I know and trust. part of my fine print.

I do not always know what people's husbandry practices are.....
But those people whose husbandry I do know...I extend it to them.