Bad Guy NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM GENERALEXOTICS.COM!!!

[MikeCurtin]

@ Eric
Regardless of everything else Id like to compliment you on handling all this criticism and detailed analysis of every facet of your business extremely well. I would bet that half the people dishing it out wouldn't have handled it as graciously as you have. Just my opinion and not meant as a dig to the critics just giving the guy props. A lot of people start swearing and getting personal when their business is under this kind of scrutiny or at least become very defensive.

He has, indeed, approached this thread with dignity, despite his critics. I would venture to say, though, I'm not too sure his critics would have opened themselves to this type of criticism in the first place.

 

[David Reid]

I am surprised people actually buy reptiles sight unseen or from a stock photograph. If shipping Frogs and Salamanders is so dangerous, and most do not make it, why ship them? No matter how much you "trust" your suppliers, if they are shipping the animal straight from their facility to YOUR customer, do you really think they are going to send the fattest, best eating, best looking specimen? I doubt it. I think doing business the way you are is set up for pissed off customers, lost shipments where nobody knows where it is, and nobody will take responsibility for it, and dead animals. There are too many better alternatives and places to buy where they have animals in stock.

 

[Marleysbeard]

He has, indeed, approached this thread with dignity, despite his critics. I would venture to say, though, I'm not too sure his critics would have opened themselves to this type of criticism in the first place.

Thats true they may not have.

But then again it isn't uncommon for the occasional Good Guy to make mistakes. Not knowing the "critics" personally I can't say whether they would or wouldn't end up here at some point. Again though (and I'm assuming here, I know I know) I don't think they would all handle it as well as he has. Thats all. I really don't want to come off as defending him because I don't agree with Brokering, stealing pictures or misleading comments on a breeders page.

 

[kmurphy]

stealing pictures

Did I miss something?

 

[hhmoore]

Did I miss something?

I had forgotten about that...
Initially, some of their "stock" photos included a few images from the websites of well known breeders.
Ouch.

 

[hhmoore]

Still awaiting a response to the questions about the veterinarian and shipping, based upon this passage from your site:

Experienced Care
You can rest assured that we will be selecting the best of the best for you. An exotic animal veterinarian stops by at least once a week for checkups and what he recommends is what is exactly what is done. A healthy diet is provided to each and every animal. The rooms and cages are clean and sanitary environments. We never ever ship pets that we know are not 100% healthy.

Packing and Shipping Expertise
The facility is located just minutes for an International Airport. The packaging exceeds industry standards and has been designed to protect your animals and withstand the stress of ground and air travel.

It would seem that this is untrue, unless your claim is that it refers to your supplier(s)

 

[Lucille]

I had forgotten about that...
Initially, some of their "stock" photos included a few images from the websites of well known breeders.
Ouch.

When they were called on it they apparently simply removed the photos.
If they have been in business this many years, wouldn't they know taking the photos of others without permission was wrong? How much stock have they sold using photos that weren't theirs over the past 15 years? Did they ever offer compensation to the owners of the photos for their use?
It seems like they do take care of issues....when they are caught in public on the BOI.

 

[Lucille]

Still awaiting a response to the questions about the veterinarian and shipping, based upon this passage from your site:


It would seem that this is untrue, unless your claim is that it refers to your supplier(s)

The word used was 'We' which doesn't really sound like a reference to a supplier.
However, if it IS a supplier and the vet care provided is used as a **selling point**, it lends itself to statements that can't be verified, to cloak the identity of that supplier. It still may be untrue that these critters are getting vet care.

 

[clewis53]

When they were called on it they apparently simply removed the photos.
If they have been in business this many years, wouldn't they know taking the photos of others without permission was wrong? How much stock have they sold using photos that weren't theirs over the past 15 years? Did they ever offer compensation to the owners of the photos for their use?
It seems like they do take care of issues....when they are caught in public on the BOI.

And it seems like you are incapable of reading comprehension (as are most of you in this thread apparently, considering how many of you were apparently "confused" by what I thought was very simple wording.) It's already been established that the sentence is saying his wholesale suppliers have been in business for 15 years, not General Exotics.

 

[Lucille]

And it seems like you are incapable of reading comprehension (as are most of you in this thread apparently, considering how many of you were apparently "confused" by what I thought was very simple wording.) It's already been established that the sentence is saying his wholesale suppliers have been in business for 15 years, not General Exotics.

Thank you for clearing that up, again.

So here is a revised opinion: If General Exotics has been in business for more than a very short period of time, it should realize that taking photos of others without permission, and using those photos as advertising for their own benefit, is wrong.
Anyone know exactly how long they HAVE been in business? It wasn't too long ago they ran an ad trying to hire someone to try to build their reputation.

 

[MiamiExotics]

I think die hard by the book hobbyists like alot posting here, claiming to have businesses and such are taking this waaaayyyyyy TO SERIOUSLY. Personally some of YOU would not want to order an animal sight unseen, but how the heck you think this hobby started? Snail mail photos of a green anole? And several at that for you to choose from? Lol. Yes nowadays you can request pictures of a specific redtail boa you might be looking for a certain "look", but 9 out 10 ppl just want a healthy hypo boa.
I do not think general exotics would keep doing business with one of their suppliers if they repeatedly sent out bad animals. Its not good business practice, and from what I have read it is not the norm for ppl to recieve doa animals. Also FROGS are usually not covered by any type of outfit, except a few. That he covers them, AND they are shipped from another source, means alot in my eyes. He has that much faith in his suppliers, which I doubt are joe schmoe on fauna or kingsnake. So in reality, alot of ppl complaining about his way of business is actually kind of a waste of time. His business model is actually a 100% awesome internet business model that works. Ppl shopping ONLINE want a green anole, they get one. They want a baby boa, they get one. Heck they can even pick a sex on his site!
If they wanted a boa with a 1/.3 stripe tail, 2 blue dots on its neck, and a red eye but with pink pupil, they are not the ppl that shop at HIS site.
Look at the bigger picture. He is not selling to YOU, a hard core hobbyist, collector, etc. he is selling PETS. Not collections, not breeding stock, not next new hottest morph, not a certain bloodline. HE IS SELLING PETS TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. Whats wrong with that? I can put money you order a boa from him and request one to be a little lighter, or pinker, hell ask his supplier to ship one like that if available. I can also bet he would let you know if it is available or not the way you want, if you specify a certain look.
We are judging him as we look at all the ppl that sell on fauna and kingsnake. He is not nowhere near that type of business. He is an internet business with PRODUCTS. Ppl want a product, a certain sex of PRODUCT, and he gets it shipped to them. A problem happens, he shows he fixes it.
REMEMBER ppl shopping o his site are not you and me who need specific things or looks. They are ppl who want a generic pet boa/anole/lizard/frog.

 

[chamgirl99471]

The point isn't the fact that he's selling pets to the Public.. It's the miswording on his website and the stolen pictures that people here are concerned about! If someone wants a healthy pet they probably aren't going to get one purchasing from his site. It seems as if his suppliers get in fresh imports and tell him what they have. He advertises them and the supplier ships out a fresh WC import without the customer knowing what they are getting. Those who are new to the hobby or are looking for a nice pet are not going to want to spend a few hundred bucks on an animal because they aren't treated for parasites before they are shipped or get sick a few days down the line or don't feed properly because they are too stressed out and the customer doesn't understand why!

Now... that said.. Eric claims that he is going to change the wording on his site which is a step in the right direction to allow people to know that they will be receiving WC animals but what he hasn't answered are the questions about 1) how long HE'S been in business or 2)about the Vet... These are the answers people are waiting to hear!

Most people who want a healthy pet will want to know when it feeds, what its't feeding on and whether it's aggresive or not. Common sense questions in my book. He can't answer these unless he contacts the supplier and having so many species to sell.. it would be difficult for the supplier to even know the answers to most of these questions.

Just my .02

 

[Lucille]

how the heck you think this hobby started? Snail mail photos of a green anole?

I can still remember ordering a green anole, although it was many decades ago. And I remember that it arrived dead. Things have progressed greatly since then, and the BOI has been important in that change.

He has that much faith in his suppliers, which I doubt are joe schmoe on fauna

We actually have some excellent breeders, no need to dis the producers here.

They are ppl who want a generic pet boa/anole/lizard/frog.

You might be right, that some people might be satisfied with generic. I would be happy if people could come here and see new morphs but I genuinely think that it is fine for people who just want a certain kind of critter to have it. Alive and healthy, and sold by advertisers who use photos they have a right to use.

 

[MiamiExotics]

Aside from photos, I am not dis-ing anyone in particular selling on fauna. I am dis-ing the ones that have bad guy reps that sold on fauna and kingsnake. As we can see by the countless hundreds and hundreds of threads that there are a lot of thieves misrepresenting animals.

I asked around and found a few ppl in my neck of the woods that drop ship for him. 2 of the 3 have a vet come by 1x a week for look overs and to issue health certificates. If your in the "know" of the real reptile industry, not the internet drama/forum gossip, you know who these two suppliers are.

 

[MiamiExotics]

Catharine- besides high-end animals with a price tag over $50 bucks, you think ppl de-worm tokay geckos before they ship them? Green Anoles? Curly tail lizards?
I only know that monitors, uromastyx, tortoises, turtles are de-wormed regularly by importers. Frogs treated with baytril water mix, and thats about it. Green Anoles, tokays, marbled,house geckos, etc are not treated at all by ANYONE. If they tell you they treat them, they are LYING, lol.

 

[chamgirl99471]

Very true... I can see the point there and we were just waiting for GE to come back on here and explain the vet situation to us. His website makes it sound as if he sees the animals that are being shipped to the customers so hopefully when he changes around his site and clears up the wording it will make people feel better! In my opinion (and it's just that) if he wants to do business with the public he should have a section set aside just for public selling to make sure that those that are new to the hobby or inexperienced will get healthy and well feeding animals. Pet Stores will know what to expect but the unknowing new hobbiest may be in for some surprises. That's all I'm concerned about. I can understand that he may have reliable suppliers but does he really know the condition of the animals that he's sending out to the public? It doesn't seem so. THe BOI is here to help with a person's business practices so I hope that Eric can take some of this to heart and understand where we are coming from. That's all I have to say right now and hopefully Eric will come back and let us know what he's going to do.

He has been very professional and that helps the situation a whole lot! I give him kudos for taking the critics the way he has (myself included) and that shows someone who wants to be successful in this industry!

 

[Lucille]

. If your in the "know" of the real reptile industry, not the internet drama/forum gossip, you know who these two suppliers are.

I am only an ordinary person, and do not know who the suppliers are that you mention. But I do think that honesty and transparency are good things, and I don't think I should have to be in a 'in the know' clique in order to be sold good healthy animals.

I read your post to Catharine, and what you seem to be saying is that 2 of the 3 suppliers you mention above will have vets come by, issue health certificates for the animals they see, but not treat certain common critters with parasites.

So what exactly do the certificates mean?

And if one is not privy to the suppliers, the people who order and get critters from the 1 out of 3 that doesn't even get a questionable certificate, are they SOL?

 

[Southern Wolf]

I think die hard by the book hobbyists like alot posting here, claiming to have businesses and such are taking this waaaayyyyyy TO SERIOUSLY. Personally some of YOU would not want to order an animal sight unseen, but how the heck you think this hobby started? Snail mail photos of a green anole? And several at that for you to choose from? Lol. Yes nowadays you can request pictures of a specific redtail boa you might be looking for a certain "look", but 9 out 10 ppl just want a healthy hypo boa.
I do not think general exotics would keep doing business with one of their suppliers if they repeatedly sent out bad animals. Its not good business practice, and from what I have read it is not the norm for ppl to recieve doa animals. Also FROGS are usually not covered by any type of outfit, except a few. That he covers them, AND they are shipped from another source, means alot in my eyes. He has that much faith in his suppliers, which I doubt are joe schmoe on fauna or kingsnake. So in reality, alot of ppl complaining about his way of business is actually kind of a waste of time. His business model is actually a 100% awesome internet business model that works. Ppl shopping ONLINE want a green anole, they get one. They want a baby boa, they get one. Heck they can even pick a sex on his site!
If they wanted a boa with a 1/.3 stripe tail, 2 blue dots on its neck, and a red eye but with pink pupil, they are not the ppl that shop at HIS site.
Look at the bigger picture. He is not selling to YOU, a hard core hobbyist, collector, etc. he is selling PETS. Not collections, not breeding stock, not next new hottest morph, not a certain bloodline. HE IS SELLING PETS TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. Whats wrong with that? I can put money you order a boa from him and request one to be a little lighter, or pinker, hell ask his supplier to ship one like that if available. I can also bet he would let you know if it is available or not the way you want, if you specify a certain look.
We are judging him as we look at all the ppl that sell on fauna and kingsnake. He is not nowhere near that type of business. He is an internet business with PRODUCTS. Ppl want a product, a certain sex of PRODUCT, and he gets it shipped to them. A problem happens, he shows he fixes it.
REMEMBER ppl shopping o his site are not you and me who need specific things or looks. They are ppl who want a generic pet boa/anole/lizard/frog.

IF all you do is think of YOUR animals as PRODUCT... then I wont be buying from you either. PRODUCTS are disposable. Live animals are not. His business mode is perfect for PRODUCTS... it is not pefect for live animals.

But his business model aside. What about his lies, his stealing other peoples photos, and his creative writing tactics to TRY and make himself look larger than he is. Ive only been breeding for 3 years... and Im happy to admit it. Im not trying to make myself look like I have been here for 15 years. His website alone was only put on line last year according to the info I dug up. I had my original site online even before I had my company URL because the ISP I used gave their customers a small amount of hosting space as a perk.

Yes... he made good on the OP's compalint..... but I see a whole lotta things from General Exotics that needs to be addressed. Or at least addressed if he truly wants a good reputation on fauna like his job offer of a thread stated he did.

 

[chamgirl99471]

I agree completely with Kevin! Product selling is a whole different ball game and so is selling to a Pet Store vs. Selling to the Public. Pet Stores are going to be purchasing bulk animals most of the time and are going to expect some not to make it, while those that go to his site and pick out one or two animals are going to expect to get what they pay for and receive Live Healthy animals.

Just my .02

 

[Southern Wolf]

REMEMBER ppl shopping o his site are not you and me who need specific things or looks. They are ppl who want a generic pet boa/anole/lizard/frog.

Forgot to address this in my last post.

People shopping on his site get drawn in by the fancy writing and guarantee's that he can not deliver. You want to boast about "being in the know".... well good for you. I gave up clickish groups back in high school.

I am who I am... and thats all I can be.

I could care less if I am in the "in crowd".... mainly because I produce quality animals. So chance are... I dont know who your talking about... or maybe I do know the name

Either way.... do you honest believe that ALL of his suppliers have their animals checked weekly? If you do.. .then I got some ocean front property here in AR for ya. I'll put my animals up against any out there... and I can promise you... they aint checked weekly by a vet.

The point we are trying to make is.... he is lying on his site to draw in customers. Take the OP for example. She admits that she was drawn in by what appear to be the lies that I quoted from his site. Yes.... she only wanted a representative of that species and not a specific animal. But wouldnt she had been better off going to a place like LLL if you just want a generic pet whatever. At least LLL has them in their possession and can tell you information about an animal... even if you never see it before arrival... you can get info. General Exotics cant give you anything but false truths and stolen photos.

This really has nothing to do with generic pets.... there are alot of companies out there that just offer you a representative photo and a price. This has to do with his lack of business ethics.

from his site

Company Founder Eric Endsley has started up 3 companies now and has never been more excited about a company than he is about General Exotics. He believes all of the key elements are in place to have a successful company that succeeds with good business principles and a mission to take care of the exotic pet enthusiast

From his photo... he looks to be in his late 20's... maybe early 30's. So since he is boasting on his reptile website about 3 compainies.

What were they? Were they reptile related?

And the part in red is just laughable.... good business principals does not include stealing other breeders photos to use as your own.