Business Ethics or Lack of Them...

There are a lot of days where I feel out of step with the world, like I was born a century or three too late. I'm of the mind that honesty and integrity are infinitely important no matter what the situation is. It just seems like these days integrity is disposable, and some feel that they can bend it around when it suits them, or just completely toss it out the window if the deal is sweet enough. Those of you who entertain feelings similar to mine, I know that those sorts of things are important to you, also. Some of you, I'm proud to call friend, and you're one of the few people I'd stick my neck out for.

It hasn’t been an easy journey this goal to becoming a recognized breeder. I’ve learned the hard way not to take anything for granted, I’ve learned, never to assume anyone is honest. I learned to ask for ALL details up front before the handshake and walk away if those details aren't up to my standards. If breeders, buyers, sellers, traders want to act insulted that I’ve asked…well, that tells me a lot, too. Yep, my circle of people who I'll buy from just got a whole lot smaller recently because I've decided I'd rather pay more and buy from the few folks I know are honest. Animals shipped to in violation of shipping rules, mislabeled animals with stuck shed on them, bite wounds, smoke-reeking snakes - it's disgusting some of the things some "breeders" and "sellers" think is okay not to mention.

If people would stop dealing with those who are doing things the wrong way, they'll either straighten up their acts or bow out of the hobby.

*End Rant

You GO girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And, good for you, for standing up for what is RIGHT!

I am no saint.

I make mistakes, have errors in judgement, all that. We all do, it's a part of the learning process. But the delibrate, continual willingness to continue making the SAME mistakes shows a lack of judgement, not a mistake in judgement and zero growth and maturity, which any business owner/enitity requires.

BTW: I had help formulating this post..I had to get the words just right so no one felt singled out and insulted. LOL

Before I start, I wanna preface this by saying that it wasn't any one recent incident. It's a combination of a lot of thoughts, especially through this last year.

I agree. We need to be setting examples for the new wave of breeders coming in, not teaching them that's it's okay to, for lack of better words, lie about anything. I'm a firm believer that everything be disclosed up front. For good or bad.

As far as shipping, we have legal, approved routes to do things. There's no legitimate excuse for not doing them. And no, to save money or because you're lazy isn't one.

A lot of the black eye this industry has, we've brought on ourselves. I for one am tired of the dishonesty and am going to start being a LOT more selective about who I do business with. Both ways.

You got an honest pal here Deb. Might not always like what I have to say, but you know how that goes.

its hard for a noob to trust. i have so many concerns, issues and questions. at this point i dont know if i can even trust someone to sell me a *real* het animal.

It's not a problem. I would rather have a friend that will tell me when I'm wrong and help me up than one that will lie to me and for me and help me fall.

Originally Posted by MagickalMorphs

Before I start, I wanna preface this by saying that it wasn't any one recent incident. It's a combination of a lot of thoughts, especially through this last year.

I agree. We need to be setting examples for the new wave of breeders coming in, not teaching them that's it's okay to, for lack of better words, lie about anything. I'm a firm believer that everything be disclosed up front. For good or bad.

As far as shipping, we have legal, approved routes to do things. There's no legitimate excuse for not doing them. And no, to save money or because you're lazy isn't one.

A lot of the black eye this industry has, we've brought on ourselves. I for one am tired of the dishonesty and am going to start being a LOT more selective about who I do business with. Both ways.

You got an honest pal here Deb. Might not always like what I have to say, but you know how that goes.

Originally Posted by kellylake0001

its hard for a noob to trust. i have so many concerns, issues and questions. at this point i dont know if i can even trust someone to sell me a *real* het animal.

I'll put it this way, and this is only my opinion. When someone takes the time to build their business UP, get shipping waivers instead of lying, even invest in a business license and pay taxes, they have a hella lot more to lose than the hobbyist, fly-by-night, and backyard breeders or flippers.

A HET is only as good as the name behind it, and judging by some of the posts by/and about more established breeders...not even then. You would be better off investing a bit more and getting a visual.

Hear, hear.

I never thought of myself as "getting older" () until my husband started coming home from work with appalling stories about the kids coming out of college and their stunning lack of work - and other - ethics.

The common M.O. these days seems to be to do as little as necessary to get by. No one thinks anything of lying to save their hides. Yeah, there's a lot of it (sometimes it seems an irrational surplus) in this business, but it's really everywhere.

But you, Deb, are doing everything right. I don't know you personally, but your posts on FC (some of which I occasionally disagree with ), convince me of your unerring integrity and absolute dedication to your animals and their responsible husbandry. I wouldn't hesitate to do business with you, and I am like you - willing to pay more for a quality animal from one of the increasingly few breeders I trust, and unwilling to sell to folks who wouldn't uphold my same standards of care.

Some breeders are stauch supporters of Social Responsiblity in business.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_responsibility

Social responsibility is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. This responsibility can be passive, by avoiding engaging in socially harmful acts, or active, by performing activities that directly advance social goals. Businesses can use ethical decision making to secure their businesses by making decisions that allow for government agencies to minimize their involvement with the corporation. (Kaliski, 2001)

It is too bad that we have strayed so far from what we could have been that the government has seen fit to step in and control an entity that formerly had no controls.

I could tell you some stories about the students in college with me...and those people GRADUATED! They are still expecting free, easy rides.

I am not doing everything right..it's a learning process..but I have only sold to two people that I immediately wanted my animal back from when I saw that they were not following the advice/teaching that I provided on how best to care for those babies. I have stopped selling to a business that put them all in a tank and then complained to me that they weren't eating...Nooooooo, ya' think?(only sold to him ONCE..never again)

There's a thread where I got bashed to heck and back because of my Force feeding method (I have since invested in Nerd's book and have not had any further incidents..all the twins I have produced since then have gone on to thrive) I currently have a set of twins that I held back until I was sure they would continue eating and gaining weight..they are doing great, one is still a mouse eater though..but that's ok.

It's ok not to agree with me, my family has given me plenty of experience dealing with people that don't agree with me. Because they rarely agree with me, I learned not to get angry and hold grudges against anyone that doesn't agree with me...look who my friends are!

Originally Posted by timebider

Hear, hear.

I never thought of myself as "getting older" () until my husband started coming home from work with appalling stories about the kids coming out of college and their stunning lack of work - and other - ethics.

The common M.O. these days seems to be to do as little as necessary to get by. No one thinks anything of lying to save their hides. Yeah, there's a lot of it (sometimes it seems an irrational surplus) in this business, but it's really everywhere.

But you, Deb, are doing everything right. I don't know you personally, but your posts on FC (some of which I occasionally disagree with ), convince me of your unerring integrity and absolute dedication to your animals and their responsible husbandry. I wouldn't hesitate to do business with you, and I am like you - willing to pay more for a quality animal from one of the increasingly few breeders I trust, and unwilling to sell to folks who wouldn't uphold my same standards of care.