Cerwyd
New member
As this post only indirectly concerns what I consider to be gross negligence on the part of Nick Mole of First Choice Reptiles, and is primarily a shipping matter, I have also posted it in the shipping forum. My apologies for the double post, but I thought it was important enough to place here as well for the readers of the Fauna Classifieds.
<To all who ship live reptiles:
I ordered a G. validus (Giant Plated Lizard) from First Choice reptiles (Nick Mole). He opted - I assume because that is who he has his shipping account with - to go with DHL. Now, I know many people are tempted to go with DHL, as it is usually quite a bit cheaper than FedEx. And, certainly, FedEx is not perfect, either. But my one and only experience with DHL has been a nightmare...
It was an urgent overnight ship, as usual, sent out from First Choice Reptiles on 1/8/2008 with a GUARANTEED delivery before 10:30 a.m. on the 9th. But DHL "mishandled" the package in Ohio (no other explanation forthcoming). Then, once the package reached Richland in Washington State, it was discovered that the shipper (who will not respond to the my emails or phone calls) had placed the wrong zip code on the package (98907 for 98407), although it is possible this was a misreading on DHL's part and they are pinning the blame on the shipper.
The package was then returned to Ohio for "reprocessing", then sent to Seattle. I live in Tacoma and thus received the package at 2:30 on the 11th of January 2008. I heard a "thmup" at the front door and went out to open it, only to see the DHL driver hastily driving off. He did not even stay to see if someone was home or to have the package signed.
The animal was, of course, dead. All the usual attempts at reviving it failed. I've taken extensice photos of the poor creature, which can be supplied if necessary, and the body of the animal itself has been sealed in plastic bags and placed in a freezer. As the shipper refuses to acknowledge my emails and phone calls, I as the recipient of the package was given permission by DHL to file for the claim.
Now, to begin with, I would never, ever, go with DHL again. The bare summary I've written above doesn't tell have the story, which covers about a dozen emails and a similar number of phone calls to DHL. They were completely uncaring and totally inept. It may well take me a month or more to realize the claim for the dead animal - unless the shipper, who again will not respond to my messages - decides to contest the claim on his own. In which case, I would have to try and get him to refund my money.
Secondly, I've decided that after essentially killing this animal in a very horrible way (it was a very sweet young, supposedly female lizard), probably through a combination of asphyxiation and dehydration, and perhaps cold (the animal and the interior of the box were extremely cold when I received the shipment), that I shall NEVER SHIP ANOTHER LIVE ANIMAL OR CAUSED TO BE SHIPPED ANOTHER LIVE ANIMAL.
Just thought this might be of interest to Kingsnake.com readers.
Daniel Hunt>
<To all who ship live reptiles:
I ordered a G. validus (Giant Plated Lizard) from First Choice reptiles (Nick Mole). He opted - I assume because that is who he has his shipping account with - to go with DHL. Now, I know many people are tempted to go with DHL, as it is usually quite a bit cheaper than FedEx. And, certainly, FedEx is not perfect, either. But my one and only experience with DHL has been a nightmare...
It was an urgent overnight ship, as usual, sent out from First Choice Reptiles on 1/8/2008 with a GUARANTEED delivery before 10:30 a.m. on the 9th. But DHL "mishandled" the package in Ohio (no other explanation forthcoming). Then, once the package reached Richland in Washington State, it was discovered that the shipper (who will not respond to the my emails or phone calls) had placed the wrong zip code on the package (98907 for 98407), although it is possible this was a misreading on DHL's part and they are pinning the blame on the shipper.
The package was then returned to Ohio for "reprocessing", then sent to Seattle. I live in Tacoma and thus received the package at 2:30 on the 11th of January 2008. I heard a "thmup" at the front door and went out to open it, only to see the DHL driver hastily driving off. He did not even stay to see if someone was home or to have the package signed.
The animal was, of course, dead. All the usual attempts at reviving it failed. I've taken extensice photos of the poor creature, which can be supplied if necessary, and the body of the animal itself has been sealed in plastic bags and placed in a freezer. As the shipper refuses to acknowledge my emails and phone calls, I as the recipient of the package was given permission by DHL to file for the claim.
Now, to begin with, I would never, ever, go with DHL again. The bare summary I've written above doesn't tell have the story, which covers about a dozen emails and a similar number of phone calls to DHL. They were completely uncaring and totally inept. It may well take me a month or more to realize the claim for the dead animal - unless the shipper, who again will not respond to my messages - decides to contest the claim on his own. In which case, I would have to try and get him to refund my money.
Secondly, I've decided that after essentially killing this animal in a very horrible way (it was a very sweet young, supposedly female lizard), probably through a combination of asphyxiation and dehydration, and perhaps cold (the animal and the interior of the box were extremely cold when I received the shipment), that I shall NEVER SHIP ANOTHER LIVE ANIMAL OR CAUSED TO BE SHIPPED ANOTHER LIVE ANIMAL.
Just thought this might be of interest to Kingsnake.com readers.
Daniel Hunt>
What I don't get is why people continue to support those that do have bad reps. Must be the cheap prices they offer.
