Ben Seigel Reptiles/Auctions

I placed an order with Ben Seigel Auctions on 11/29 for two kingsnakes (L. holbrooki and L. floridana). On 12/2 I called and asked if it was okay to add an additional snake to my order and the guy confirmed yes. I added a Mexican pine snake and left notes on both orders to combine and ship same day. Because of how the BSR website works, shipping was automatically charged for the new order and I assumed it would be refunded when the orders would be combined on their end.

The original ship date for the original order was 12/2, which I forgot was Cyber Monday and they notified me via text to reschedule a ship day, which I was very glad for their proactivity on reaching out to me and set 12/10 for the delivery date. I also asked while setting the new ship date on the double shipping charge and didn't get an answer. I asked once again on 12/9 and still didn't get an answer.

The snakes arrived 12/10 and looked great, but was a little confused as the species listed on the box for the pine snake was P. catenifer, commonly referred to as the Pacific gopher/pine/bull snake, and do not range down to Mexico nor does it or any of its subspecies look very similar (as far I could tell in researching to see if I messed up and ordered the wrong snake). I did call 12/1 (before arrival) asking about the species and the guy on the phone asked to call back the next day as his boss would know more. After doing research and referencing the look of the snake, I was very sure it had to be P. deppei deppei or P. deppei jani, either of which I would be happy with and nothing else was really referred to as a Mexican pine snake. So, I added the snake to my order as mentioned above.

I called them after settling the snakes in to ask about the pine snake species and the guy instructed me to send pictures of the snake/the bag it was in and they would get back to me. I didn't hear back until 12/16 (the date of this post) and asked me if it wasn't the snake I was looking for. I replied yes (paraphrasing here) I did want a Mexican pine snake, but the species name on the box does not match what the snake is. To sum it up, all I got was "they just used a common name" as an attempt at explanation, so I accepted I wasn't getting any clarity to what the snake was for sure. When I also asked a third time on the shipping charge, I was offered credit on my next purchase. This was when I started getting really frustrated, as communicating this whole time has been a chore. I explained I wasn't going to make another purchase any time soon and didn't want store credit.

At this point they have asked for my PayPal address, and I am hoping that means I will get the second shipping charge back. This is mainly an informational post on my experience. The snakes arrive healthy and are doing great, so that's positive, but communication was really awful and I am sure they didn't have a clue on what species the pine snake is. I am no expert on Pituophis, but it looks like P. deppei to me so I got what I wanted, but am not too happy with the amount I paid to not have the seller be able to give me reassurance on my purchase.

Pictures will be posted on all communication and the pine snake in my next post.