UPS, FedEx, Airborne Express, USPS - bad guys.

Alvaro,

I have set up Christian's post as a general announcement that shows up at the top of ALL forums here on FaunaClassifieds.

Is that OK?

Great thanks!

Regards.

I hate to be "this guy", but I think this petition has the potential to backfire in a very drastic way.

Let's say we present this to UPS with all the signatures attached. Best case scenario we get aproval to ship snakes as well as other harmless reptiles and amphibians. Worst case UPS decides to get all "brown" and decides to not allow any live animal shipments at all.

Or say that we present this and get blanket approval for all harmless reptiles to be shipped. Personally there are many people that I don't want associated with my name or even my signature. The BOI is full of them. Dealing with the companies on a individual basis may be much better for quality dealers in the long run. One mishap with someone shipping and it hits the news with the backing of all the people who singed this petition. Tell me the USHUS wouldn't love to see that happen.

Not trying to damper anyones efforts, more trying to show a different side to the situation.

I see what your saying, but are we not allready assosiated with theese people when somehting happens as it is.

As for UPS useing this as a means to black ball anyone on the list, that doesnt scare me, as they are close to that locally anyways, even with approval from above. I always have my delta account to fall back on.

Mickey Hinkle
The Lizard King Reptiles

I think a point is being missed... it's a private company, it's their decision to make.

I also totally disagree with the way it is written. It has a tone of whining, and basically implies that we have a right to make someone do business with us, because we want them to. I'd like to be able to make legitimate shipments through these companies, but I won't sign that petition the way it is.

I really don't see how the petition is going to work. To me, this won't be more effective than saying "I'm not going to watch your TV station because I don't like your programming." The TV station doesn't care. They get their money from the sponsors, not from you. Likewise, UPS/FedEx/Airborne isn't going to care about a tiny amount of money... none of this (even all of it combined) is even a drop in the bucket compared to their gross revenues. It would be easier for them to refuse ALL shipments than to go through all this hassle.

I would think a more effective approach would be to make a big stink about boycotting not only these shipping companies, but any company who uses them. Today there are a whole lot of online companies who take orders via the internet and ship everything they sell. If you have a bunch of people telling Amazon.com, 1-800-FLOWERS, and a bunch of other huge companies who deal directly with UPS/FedEx/Airborne that they will be losing a LOT of their business, then something might happen. I'd be glad to sign on to an effort like that.

In some respects, having this backfiring may not be all bad at all. Far too many people are probably just sitting back watching this with lukewarm interest, because they are thinking they already are shipping their animals and have a false sense of confidence that nothing will change that. So they will keep silent rather than run the risk of upsetting their own applecart in the process. They will not be adding their weight to the numbers of people who are actively trying to change this situation for the better of us all. After all, why bother to get involved if there is no direct benefit to doing so?

Unless they get the rug pulled out from under them. Then their voice will certainly be added in here. But perhaps too late at that time.

So yes, this may backfire, but, more likely than not, from a lack of numbers on our part, which would be a direct result of the people not willing to get involved in this. So in effect, the backfiring will be as a direct result of THEM, not US.

So maybe PART 2 of this, after the backfire, will have everyone up in arms over this issue, instead of just us here.

oops, forgot my name... I just followed the link from the email, thought I was on Fauna, not BOI.

Charles Pritzel

Serpwidgets - sorry, but I don't understand. If we don't have enough clout with a petition, then how in the world are we going to be anywhere near effective using a boycott? We can't be too small for one and not the other at the same time.

A boycott used by too small of a group of people simply causes them to have themselves to be self-boycotted instead. Boycotts ONLY work if a substantial number of people are taking part in them. So, again, if we are too small in numbers to hope that a petition will gain attention, then how can these same numbers hope to influence them via a boycott?

As far as a private company is concerned, yes this is true, but even private companies can be legally liable if their actions knowingly does harm to one person, or a group of persons. All that is needed to be shown are damages incurred by their unfair actions.

I do receive. Maybe someday I will. I think that the shipping companies do discriminate because of the product, and when the container is labled."Temp Sensitive" or " Live" They pay no attention. My sister and I just received three hatchlings and the box said " temp Sensitive" So in 29 degrees they set the box on the front porch and just gave a light tap on the door and left. It is a good thing my sister was right there to see him come up. The babies could have set out there for who knows how long.
I hope something can be accomplished.
Thank You
Nancy

I agree with you on # 1 the way it's written and #2 boycotting. Look what happened to the High end clothing company whom targeted teens with an almost porn magazine full of naked kids orgy implications etc. for their Product Line, they told everybody jump int he lake. Until the parents had enough and started a boycott which affected their sales revenue drastically. (They spent tons of money on those catalogs, ads etc) Then they stood up and payed attention. Most companies only understand $$ these days, nothing else seems to matter to them. If they corrupt our kids, our society etc. No big to them, as long as the almight dollar keeps rolling on in. This town had to threaten a boycott of the Cable TV provider with switching to Satellite in order to get Fox News on Cable TV a satellite, led by a local AM talk station. I personally don't have Cable or Satellite TV. No time to watch the mostly garbage on their anyway. don't care much for the Adam and Steve lineup they have these days. I always thought it was Adam and Eve. HUH !! must be something I ate.