Quote:
Originally Posted by Herpin Man
I have noticed the same thing.
What you need to realize is that the herp "business" is not like most other businesses. Herp sellers do not necessarily have any background in business, sales, or customer service. Rather, they are hobbyists that decided, to whatever degree, to make a business out of it. Many herp sellers don't necessarily have the same service or communications skills one would expect when purchasing other products. This is especially apparent in the BOI; the way some "business" people talk to their customers when there is a dispute can be truly horrific.
On the other hand, I think that herp sellers can become jaded after a period of time. The daily grind of answering questions for dreamers, tire kickers and others with no intention of buying, scammers, low-ballers, shoplifters etc. probably gets old after a while. I think this is particularly true in the case of retail herp store owners. That is one reason that I have never wanted to own a pet store.
For the buyer, the solution is relatively simple- only buy from sellers that offer good service and treat their customers with respect. There are quite a few of them here.
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HM:
I agree. I spent a good hour talking to the manager of the pet store I purchase my feeders from. He has over 200 breeds of corn snakes. Some of the rarer types that he is charging a few thousand dollars for.
It was nice to see someone enthused and willing to help me by offering information on his background on breeding.
He stated that while someone is purchasing a snake from someone else to save $50-$100; what are they really saving? The breeder's reputation is worth an extra $50-100 if you know you are getting a quality breed with documentation to show such quality.
He told me he has pics of the snakes breeding, clutching eggs, and hatching. Included is all the timestamps of feeding, shedding, and other information. He stated this may be overkill, but you know you are getting a quality snake from him and has the documentation to prove it.