Info LLL Reptile - My experience.

[HiddenHollowHerp]

I can't say my experience with LLL was negative nor positive. I'll merely list the facts, as they are, and the events as they happened.

I found the LLL website via Google, and I was amazed at the amount of different animals they sold. I was on cloud 9 when I saw their prices. And when I saw that they had amelanistic cornsnakes of the exact size I wanted, I immediately added one to my cart. I also purchased a male ghost hatchling. I immediately informed them via the "shipping instructions" thingamabobber at checkout that it was very, very cold here (single digits) and that I'd like extra heatpads. I received a message back from a sales rep stating that heat packs were $1.75 each (or something close to it) and that I wouldn't need more than two. I said okay and that was the last I heard from them until shipping day, when they told me my credit card wasn't working. Turns out I was two dollars over and my address wasn't registered with my credit card, and their sales rep was extremely helpful and patient with me and talked me through the whole thing. I made the shipping deadline by little more than ten minutes, thanks to this sales rep.

They were shipped via FedEx overnight, and I was super anxious/nervous about being home when the box arrived, so I plastered my doors and windows with signs that said "put the box inside, door's unlocked" (and yes, I did get robbed by the neighbors) and when the FedEx guy didn't come at 2:00, I drove into town looking for the van. I drove for ten minutes and decided to head back for home, just incase he left the box on the doorstep, and I met him coming the other way, floored my gas pedal, and sprinted to the door. Box wasn't outside, so then I was scared he took it back to the FedEx office. I went inside, and behold, my reptile treasure chest right where I wanted it!

I opened the box (I was very happy with the packaging) which was lined with thick styrofoam which was very airy and nice. It also had those big.. Air cushion.. Things. You know, the plastic things filled with air. Anywho. The snakes were in delicups with shredded newspaper, which was very clean. The heat packs were taped to the top of the box, and still quite warm. My snakes weren't just alive, they were active!

I immediately started to take them out of their deli cups. I took out the little ghost first, and I must say, I have never seen a more beautiful, perfect representative of the ghost morph in my life. I was so extremely proud of him that I put him around my neck then and there!

Next, I started to unpack the female amel. Before I'd even opened the container, I was like.. "Wha... What on earth is this?" Her tail looked like it had been through a microcrimper, and she had a deep dent near her vent (but on the top side). She's at the vet as we speak, and I'll be picking her up at 2:30 (it's 10:45 now). I did take pictures with my phone, but (for some reason) I was unable to send them to my email address. I got a message back on my phone saying something about "unbearable carrier" or some mumbo jumbo.

I wouldn't mention this at all, other than the fact that the sales rep knew I wanted both snakes for breeding. I will say that the prices on them were unbelievably low, but the fact of the matter is, I wasn't informed about the female's condition, and I definitely won't risk breeding her now. She might not even be capable of defacating for all I know. I won't know until she gets back from the vet, at which time I'll be posting everything the vet has to say.

Since I could not provide photos within the 24 hour time frame required by their TOS, nothing can be done about this, and I'm sure that the temperature will come into play if I do start a big ol' spat about this, so I'll conclude with the following:
Their prices can't be beat.
Their staff are very friendly.
They sell some very gorgeous animals.
They will ship in cold weather.
Their packaging is good.
They posess some less-than-quality animals, as many wholesalers do.
I have heard both good things and bad about them. I will not buy animals from them again (due to my own clinical paranoia), but I will definitely look into purchasing some of their inanimate products.
All in all, they are a nice company with very helpful staff. I think I probably just got unlucky with my female. She is very beautiful, and she will make a lovely, lovely little pet.

 

[Rainbowboaman]

After getting screwed with not getting what you paid for,not to mention a vet bill that you will pay for, you would buy from them again (supplies)?

 

[HiddenHollowHerp]

Considering their positive reputation and good prices, yes, I will most likely buy from them again. Most vivs/dishes/meters don't come with a vet bill. The only problem I had was with one snake. The shipping was fast and affordable, the staff were friendly, and the prices were great. I won't buy live animals from them again because of this experience, but I see no reason why I couldn't buy supplies from them.

I do appreciate your concern though. I don't normally get that.

I should let it be known that on cornsnakes.com I am a notorious jerk, for people here who aren't.. Well, there.

 

[jayefbe]

So if you noticed that the snake had an issue right out of the box, why didn't you immediately inform LLL?

 

[HiddenHollowHerp]

Oh, I tried. I sent them an email via their "Contact Us" linkage, and I received a "Delivery Failure Notification" message back. Could be my cruddy internet. I'll give them a call once Rosie gets back from the vet.

 

[MikeCurtin]

Call them now. I have dealt with them in the past, and will in the future. I have purchased from them and sold to them and have found them excellent on a customer service level. I had a problem w/ some WLP's feeding the vent on one (looked like it was injured when they popped it), and after working with me over the phone for about a month to get them feeding to no avail, the gave me a credit, including return shipping.

We see all the time how it's not the # of good deals, but how the "bad" ones are handled. Well, they handled my dissatisfaction exceptionally. Most would not have been as accomodating.

Again, give them a call....they're good guys in my experience.

 

[HiddenHollowHerp]

I called per your suggestion, Mike, and quoted, word for word, is my conversation with the (male) phone answerer guy. I'm in bold. (I stutter sometimes, I wanted this to be as realistic as possible.)

Hello, this is triple L reptiles.

Hi, I have a question about a snake I received on Tuesday.

Okay.

I ordered an albino juvenile.. Uh, female.. And a male ghost... Hatchling.

Oh.. Cornsnakes? Er..

Yep.

Okay.

The male is a very lovely snake, and I was pretty impressed (with him).. But the female, when I took her out, she had a big dent in her back... Uh, her tail..

(Surprised tone) Oh, really? Usually...

Yeah, but it looks like an old injury from... Uh, a lid... From being closed in a lid or something.

Oh really? Usually we check them over pretty well before sending them out.

Well, I'm just... Uh, the sales rep knew I wanted them for breeding so.. Uh, I just wanted to know if it was an injury or.. Uh, congenital, you know?

Okay. Yeah, it sounds like an injury, but...

Yeah, I thought so. She's at the vet right now, so...

Oh. Okay. Well, if there's any nerve damage, let us know.

Yeah, she doesn't seem to... Uh, it doesn't seem to hinder her much. She likes to climb and stuff.. So..

Okay. That's really good, but be sure to call if there's a problem.

I'm not too worried about it, but I'll let you know how everything.. Uh, how it all goes.

Okay, I'll talk to you soon.

Alrighty. Bye.

Bye.
-------

Sounds like a good guy to me, after all!

 

[hhmoore]

The one thing that stands out, to me, is this statement:

I'm not too worried about it, but I'll let you know how everything.. Uh, how it all goes.

The impression I got from reading your initial post was that you were unhappy with the condition of the female. Maybe you were trying to not to be a jerk, but why say that you aren't too worried about it. Just be honest, and tell them that you are unhappy with one of the animals they sent (and that you would like a replacement, or whatever your preferred resolution would be).

Also, there is no reason for temperature to become a factor in the discussion when the problem is clearly not related to shipping temps. What is more likely to be a factor is that they weren't notified as soon as you opened the box. (I'm not saying it will, I don't think I've ever dealt with LLL directly).

 

[HiddenHollowHerp]

I was trying to be polite, yes, and perhaps I could have been a little more forward about it, but I was a tad bit worried that it would make things worse for me. I'm extremely nervous about ordering from people far away, because I know that if they wanted to, they could hang up on me and I'd never be able to speak to them again. I tried emailing them, and perhaps I should have called instead, but I didn't have any proof aside from pictures on my phone that wouldn't send anyway.

Rose is back from the vet after an X-ray (which, I hear, she did not enjoy) and there is no nerve damage, and her spine is functioning as it should, but it is a bit crooked. The vet informed me that although she couldn't say with 100% certainty, she is sure it is an old injury, and that Rose would be breedable. I don't think I am going to breed her though, as we have no way of determining whether her kinky tail tip is from an injury or a genetic defect. I might do one clutch and see how it goes, but that's a big maybe. No reason this little beauty couldn't be my kinky little pet!

If anyone is interested, I will take pictures (with a suitable camera) and post them here, incase anyone wanted to observe the extent of the damage to her tail. I don't see any scar tissue (but I don't really know what it looks like) and she doesn't appear to be missing any scales. It looks to me like it has healed over quite well.

I'm noticing all of these moderator(?) replies on other threads about personal info, so I'm going to post mine below:

Adam Keith Boots
Hidden Hollow Haven / Herp&Horse Hobbyist.
Shingobee Tri-Town Neighborhood 1 (Walker-LaPorte-Benedict)
North-Central Minnesota.

 

[umop_apisdn]

I've bought some good stuff from them in the past, but one purchase leaves a sour taste. in 2005, I bought a satanic leaftail (U. phantasticus) from them at the NC reptile show in Raleigh for approximately $160-180. It seemed a little dehydrated, but not worse than what I had dealt with before. 2 days later, it died. I called them and talked to the owner. He told me that normally, they have a 1 week health guarantee on their animals, but anything they sell at shows has a 24 hour guarantee. He went on saying that Uroplatus are sensitive animals, etc. I had been breeding phantasticus for approximately 3 years at that time.

In the end, he offered me 20% off my next purchase. I don't know, maybe he thought I was new and didn't know what I was talking about. All the people I talked to about it said it was uncharacteristic for that type of "resolution." Well, given that he made almost $200 for something that soon after died on me, I figured the only real resolution I was going to get from them was to discontinue any business with them.

That being said, I did have 1 purchase before that incident that went well. Adult female crested gecko bought at a separate show, did great. And I do have to hand it to them, they do carry a great variety at the shows, and often some very nice animals. In the end it was the customer service that did them in, for me. I am not a pushy, demanding person. I was being very civil in asking for some more compensation than I was offered, which really did nothing for me anyway since I could pay less than his discount for the same animals elsewhere.

Another expensive lesson learned.

 

[MikeCurtin]

Adam-

The full name rule requires only a signature at the end of the post or in your profile, so either way, you're fine.

Good to hear about the positive vet results, and good luck in the future.

As far as being polite, that's great as long as you're not being dismissive of the problem at the same time. In the future, I have noticed that it is quite effective to be polite, but not dismiss any problems by saying things such as "not too worried about it". Especially when dealing with LLL, if there is a problem, they seem to be willing to make it right...they just need to know about it.

 

[HiddenHollowHerp]

Wow, Michael, that really stinks! It sounds to me like that guy was trying to weasel around his duty big time! I do know that reptiles at shows are often brought there because they've been weeded out (for whatever reason) and they want to sell them quick. On the other hand, shows are a place for breeders to exhibit their best stock to earn a name for themselves. I suppose a purchase could go either way. I'm very sorry about your lizard. I think it would have been common courtesy for him to replace it right away, especially since you contacted him about it promptly. If it wasn't in top condition when you bought it, I would say that makes his 24hr policy void from his end. You deserve another lizard.

I really like the poll option. I think it's interesting to see what sort of different experiences everyone has had, and how their opinions have developed because of it. Maybe it will help someone else decide whether or not they'd like to use that specific company to buy their stuff.

Rose just had her first meal since I got her (yay!) and she wolfed it down like a Holocaust victim. What a trooper!

 

[KNOBTAIL]

This is an old story

as to how to contact by email. They provide no email address other than going to there site where you never know if they receive it or not.. They can very conveniently say that " they never received any complaint by email " and insofar as their sales help, when dealing with a problem, nothing seems to get resolved until you reach a point of a chargeback. Then they will act. Otherwise these are not what I would call honorable people to deal with.

Secondly, if you dont protect your own interests, for sure you will get nothing resolved with LLL.. If you in fact received something that was not or did not meet your expectations, there should be no negotiations other then sending it back and getting a refund...

You seem to be to much of a dilly dally and with that kind of an attitude, your a prime target. Consider yourself lucky that you even got the first snake as asked for..

 

[HiddenHollowHerp]

Hey! I'm not a dilly-dally! (Isn't that a DQ treat of some sort?)

The shipping actually costs more than the snake did, so I'd rather just leave it as it is, even if I can't breed her. All that would happen is that I would be out $40 more, and I'd risk receiving another injured/defective snake, or maybe none at all.

 

[WaRocker]

LLL is nothing more than a middle person who sells over stocked reptiles. I have personally seen sick & injured snakes they were trying to sell. I would not buy from them. Just my 2¢.

 

[HyderHouseHerps]

LLL and business deals

I guess I can understand that. I'm the same way when ordering online, that business could disappear tomorrow and you're screwed. But that's a chance we take sometimes to get what we want (and not have to sign over our first born for it or drive 12 hours each way).
I'm both a business owner and consumer and I feel like both have responsibilities, and rights. A business owner will have to eat some costs somewhere whether its an injured animal, damaged equipment, or even return costs just because a customer isn't happy. If a business owner is not willing to do that then he shouldn't be owning a business, I mean unless he just wants to step on people to make a living. There are people out there that want to make an honest living and have repeat customers though. And those kind of customers make up for all the demanding ones.
As a consumer I realize all that and sometimes I have to face the fact that my expectations are sometimes exceeding the reality of what i get. (If that's the case then I don't bother the seller with it.) As a consumer you also have to be prepared. You need to decide before you even call what you will settle for (and don't back down). Compromise. The business owner shouldn't have to bend over backwards for you, we all make mistakes but he should own up to it, and at least make it fair (like a replacement or offer refund, etc) I've learned the hard way when I try to be nice in a business deal I always get screwed in the end. It's even harder with animals involved because I love them all and once their in your home, you wonder how much trouble its really worth to send them back. That's just my 2 cents. I think about that EVERY time I buy things online that I really really want, reptiles included.
Oh I also wanted to ad that I have dealt with LLL just for supplies because I am way far away and wouldn't feel comfortable having an animal come that far. But they've been great, the products AND the service. I had a regular company I bought from until I had to return something... and they were completely ignorant and difficult to work with. I recently tried out a couple of other reptile supply companies and so far LLL is it! They ship fast, everything is as described. Prices and shipping aren't bad, you can even get bulk stuff now. They also included coupons and stuff in my orders. I really like that extra touch.

 

[T and J's Corns]

Well Adam, you came out of hiding.. Yes, your known on cornsnakes as a smuck, you did recieve a ban from there.. Oddly enough the fellow that owns this site also owns that site, but thats a different story that will catch up to you here soon enough..

However, as I suggested on that other site, if the animal was kinked right out of the deli cup, what was wrong with a photo and phone call within the hour of recieveing the animal, that would have more than likely helped you and LLL get to some resolve in a really quick manner..

Regards... Tim of T and J

 

[T and J's Corns]

Adams post on the subject from 12/30/08 on the cornsnake forum..

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77363

Regards.. Tim of T and J

 

[RJK890]

Nazi

Quote HollowHeadHerpies:
Rose just had her first meal since I got her (yay!) and she wolfed it down like a Holocaust victim. What a trooper!

I am sure that is offensive to any of our Jewish members here on Fauna, but what exactly does it mean?

 

[HiddenHollowHerp]

It means she was really hungry because she hadn't eaten in a while. Probably how the Holocaust survivors felt when they got out of the camps.

I understand the reference, but since it wasn't used as an insult to anyone, I don't see how it'd be offensive. But I'm not known for my good vision.