I'm having a HORRIBLE day...need more advice...

I sent an animal out yesterday at 6<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'>0 pm via FedEx Priority (Guaranteed by noon) to a gentleman in NC. &nbsp;

FedEx delivered it late...sometime late this afternoon, and the animal apparently overheated in the truck and died. &nbsp;

Now, FedEx is saying that their claims office will not likely honor a claim on a live animal, but they will refund shipping.

I checked online today at 4:30, and it was still 90 degrees in NC. &nbsp;

But, my problem is that the buyer never made any mention of the temperatures being in the 90's.

I am a hobbyist, not a business, and have never once guaranteed live arrival, but of course, I would never purposely send an animal to it's death.

If they do not honor the claim, should I cover the cost of the animal, even though it was the fault of the carrier?

I would like to make it up to him with another animal or something, but I don't feel that I'm solely responsible.

Thanks for any input.

I don't know where that little face came from, but anyway, that was supposed to be 6 pm..actually a little before that.

even though we are just hobbyist...
it is our Responsibility to know what the whether is like.

We might just be "hobbyist" spam_but you still sold a snake and he bought it. spam_Which means he is a customer. spam_A customer who paid money to have live animals. spam_He did not pay for dead animals.

Also fed ex can't be expected to reimburse you...except for the shipping.
I use Airborne express and I know they will NOT reimburse me if an animal dies. spam_All I can get is the shipping charge reversed if the delivery was late. spam_Whenever I deliver....I know there is a chance I will need to refund the animal or replace it.

Breeder / Dealer / Hobbyist - we all have a responsibility to our customers.

If an animal arrives dead at my door....I expect a full refund including shipping OR a replacement animal. spam_I paid for a live animal...do not penalize me because YOUR animal died.


That is the beliefs / thoughts that I go by over here.

I remember LLL reptiles making me pay shipping again on an animal that died 1 day later. &nbsp;At the time I thought it was okay. &nbsp;But now I think differently. &nbsp;It was not my fault their animal died. &nbsp;I should not have paid shipping all over again.


just my 0.02

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Ritchie Luna @ Sep. 04 2002,17:35)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">even though we are just hobbyist...
it is our Responsibility to know what the whether is like.

We might just be "hobbyist" spam_but you still sold a snake and he bought it. spam_Which means he is a customer. spam_A customer who paid money to have live animals. spam_He did not pay for dead animals.

Also fed ex can't be expected to reimburse you...except for the shipping.
I use Airborne express and I know they will NOT reimburse me if an animal dies. spam_All I can get is the shipping charge reversed if the delivery was late. spam_Whenever I deliver....I know there is a chance I will need to refund the animal or replace it.

Breeder / Dealer / Hobbyist - we all have a responsibility to our customers.

If an animal arrives dead at my door....I expect a full refund including shipping OR a replacement animal. spam_I paid for a live animal...do not penalize me because YOUR animal died.


That is the beliefs / thoughts that I go by over here.

I remember LLL reptiles making me pay shipping again on an animal that died 1 day later. spam_At the time I thought it was okay. spam_But now I think differently. spam_It was not my fault their animal died. spam_I should not have paid shipping all over again.


just my 0.02</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
I understand that, but nobody guarantees live arrival in 90+ degree weather, let alone when the FedEx driver doesn't get it there when they are supposed to.

Also, I don't think that it's necessarily my job to know what his weather is like.

But, it's neither one of our faults, so I am starting to think that maybe I should be responsible to refund half of the purchase price.

I am also a hobbyist, and ship out animals infrequently. The times that I have shipped, I made sure of what the weather was in my area and where I am sending them. If the weather in either place dictates, a heat pack or a cold pack is used.
&nbsp;Recently I made a trade with a gentleman from Arizona. I was able to ship my end out before the weather got too hot there, but since then it has been over 100 degrees every day where he is shipping from. I have been in contact with the other person involved, and I don't expect my animals to be shipped until the heat dissapates (hopefully by next week, if you can trust the forecasts&#33<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>. As the shipper, you are responsible for checking the weather in the destination location. You can get weather forecasts via the internet for virtually anywhere. You owe the customer a full refund or another animal, including shipping. To quote Rich "These are only my opinions".

I agree with Ritchie on his assessment. spam_Despite the fact that the carrier (Fed-Ex) may have been to blame, it is still your responsibility, even as a hobbyist, to replace the animal. spam_Just a couple of quick questions for you. spam_ Did you put in a plan B just in case there was a delay ? spam_What I mean is did you first look up the weather highs/lows for the destination, then pack the shipment accordingly. spam_When I see temps may be a little warm/cold when shipping, I'll add either a gel pack/heat pack just in case. spam_Also look at it this way. spam_If you were new to the hobby, and this was your first snake you had ordered online, how would you feel if you received expired animals and then had the breeder/seller state they did not guarantee live arrival so you were out of luck. spam_Just put yourself in your customers shoes, and that should answer your question for you..

Sorry to hear about the bad day,

Stephen Emerick
Napa Valley Snakes

OK,
&nbsp; &nbsp;I do think this is soley on you, to either refund everything including shipping, it lies with you to get the money from FEDEX and good luck with that tell me how that goes. &nbsp;If you can replace the animal then do it, but he is not responsible for shipping.
&nbsp; &nbsp; Nobody likes it when their animal dies during the hours it is in the hands of a shipper, although you say you are only a "hobbyist" you pretty much became a business when you accepted money for a product.
&nbsp; &nbsp; Also, it does not matter if you have a guarantee you provide one once you accept payment for a product. &nbsp;You should always have a guarantee of your own in writing that you have informed the buyer of head of time. He paid for something in the understanding that it would at least arrive alive and on time.
&nbsp; &nbsp; In a quick summary replace the animal at your own shipping expense or refund ALL the money.


Good Luck! <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

I agree with Brian on this one. How hard is it as a seller to go to cnn.com, type weather and type the destination zc? This provides you with a five day forecast. I have yet have to see it fail, give or take a couple of degrees F. We should care about the fate of the animals we ship and it's only a click of the mouse away.

Best regards,

Daniel

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Also, I don't think that it's necessarily my job to know what his weather is like.
</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Since its your animal until it arrives at the customers home, its your responsibility to make plans on all aspects of its shipping, health and care until it gets to its destination.

In short, you are responsible since you shipped it. spam_If the temps are to hot or to cold than its your responsibility to not ship as a responsible dealer. spam_You should have checked before you shipped. spam_Not the customer, but it would have been nice to know from him.
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">But, it's neither one of our faults, so I am starting to think that maybe I should be responsible to refund half of the purchase price.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Nope, its 100% your fault as the shipper to know and care enough about the animal you are selling to check. spam_The refund should be 100% as well. spam_The buyer NEVER received his order, so why should he be responsible because you never cared enough to check the temps prior to shipping?

Sorry but your wrong on this one even though FedEx was delayed.

Right on...I hear what you guys are saying, and agree with 99% of it. &nbsp;

BUT...the only reserve that I have is that even the buyer (customer) said that this is likely due to the package being delivered in the hottest part of the day, and not in the morning. &nbsp; I did purposely ship the animal after it cooled down here in KC, and it was supposed to be delivered "the next business morning" meaning that it should never be on a truck or in that box between the hours of noon and 6PM, when the weather is hot like that. &nbsp;

I shipped several animals yesterday, the exact same way...some to people where it's just as hot, and all of them arrived perfectly healthy, but that was BEFORE noon.

Shipping cost has already been refunded to me, so shipping a replacement at my cost is not a problem. &nbsp;It's just that the delay in shipping, which the buyer and I agree to be the culprit, was not my fault.

I guess it's just the principle that I was trying to figure out...it's one of those things, that you can't just ask the opinion of the guy sitting at the desk next to you. &nbsp;

I will take care of this in one way or another, so that the customer is taken care of. &nbsp;This has been the biggest nightmare of a day, and I'm glad I had somewhere to go for advice. &nbsp;Again, thank you all for your replies.