Bad Guy Bad experience with Backwater Reptiles

[SophieD]

Ebay has a software that keeps track of multiple identical items from the same seller, one actually cannot buy more than the seller has, if an attempt is made an error message shows up and the transaction is not completed. Other online companies have this as well. I do not know what the software costs but in terms of customer satisfaction, if this is an ongoing issue perhaps Backwater should look into it.
Hopefully this company is not leaving advertisements up for critters they do not have in the hopes that customers will buy something else from them when they find out after payment that the critter they want is not in stock, such bait and switch tactics are not legal in many jurisdictions.
While their TOS does address the possibility of running out of stock and not being able to fill an order, my feeling is that once they realize this has happened, in order for the advertisement to not appear like it might be a bait and switch, it should be removed until new stock arrives.

You are absolutely right, and I don't agree with Dan's comments at all. Backwater Reptiles actually tried to convince me to buy an adult snake from them instead. Of course I refused, because, as I said previously, the whole point was to buy a baby snake so that I could see it grow up.
Backwater Reptiles' TOS are no excuse for their failure to update the site, particularly after noticing that they had run out of Brazilian Rainbow Boas.
Not only should they invest in the software you're talking about, but they should invest in a phone line as well, so that customers could contact them. Keeping down costs should not be a substitute for quality.

 

[SophieD]

For those who keep accusing me of unnecessarily writing this thread, please read on.

The BOI has divided threads into categories such as 'Good guys' and 'Bad guys' for a reason.

In my case, first I deal with Backwater Reptiles. They have dubious terms and conditions, they are a middle man not a breeder, they do not display the actual pictures of their animals on their website, not any info about their origin, they do not update their website in time to reflect when they're out of stock, forcing customers to pay for something that is not there (when in fact they could invest in a software that one member earlier pointed at, which would allow them to keep count of the sold stock), they do not provide a phone number so they cannot be contacted easily, and they try to sell their customers old stock as an alternative, basically trying to get rid of their adult animals that nobody wants to buy (please read other customers' testimonies in this thread). I agree that I didn't do my homework to properly research them, but that's irrelevant. The above is what really matters.

On the other hand, I contact Dave from Rainbows R Us, his website displays the snakes that are actually for sale, and photos/info about their parents, he actually fulfils his 'overnight shipping' policy, meaning that he ships as soon as he receives the payment, he follows up with several emails and phone calls (either contacting the customer or FedEx to make sure that the delivery goes smoothly), he simply bends over backwards to make sure that he pleases the customers. His website reflects the actual stock in real time, and he can be contacted by phone even on Sundays.

I think I am entitled to post a thread on this site and express my concerns about the shady practice of some vendors, without having to be berated for not knowing their terms and conditions (which were, as a matter of fact, written with the vendor's interest in mind, to the great detriment of the customer). Quite a few members expressed that many vendors act like Backwater Reptiles, and I shouldn't complain. I beg to differ. Any respectable company should put their customer first, not their own pockets, insure that communication is readily available, and that they do not mislead their customers about the availability of their products.

 

[Chris Kennard]

For those who keep accusing me of unnecessarily writing this thread, please read on.

The BOI has divided threads into categories such as 'Good guys' and 'Bad guys' for a reason.

In my case, first I deal with Backwater Reptiles. They have dubious terms and conditions, they are a middle man not a breeder, they do not display the actual pictures of their animals on their website, not any info about their origin, they do not update their website in time to reflect when they're out of stock, forcing customers to pay for something that is not there (when in fact they could invest in a software that one member earlier pointed at, which would allow them to keep count of the sold stock), they do not provide a phone number so they cannot be contacted easily, and they try to sell their customers old stock as an alternative, basically trying to get rid of their adult animals that nobody wants to buy (please read other customers' testimonies in this thread). I agree that I didn't do my homework to properly research them, but that's irrelevant. The above is what really matters.

On the other hand, I contact Dave from Rainbows R Us, his website displays the snakes that are actually for sale, and photos/info about their parents, he actually fulfils his 'overnight shipping' policy, meaning that he ships as soon as he receives the payment, he follows up with several emails and phone calls (either contacting the customer or FedEx to make sure that the delivery goes smoothly), he simply bends over backwards to make sure that he pleases the customers. His website reflects the actual stock in real time, and he can be contacted by phone even on Sundays.

I think I am entitled to post a thread on this site and express my concerns about the shady practice of some vendors, without having to be berated for not knowing their terms and conditions (which were, as a matter of fact, written with the vendor's interest in mind, to the great detriment of the customer). Quite a few members expressed that many vendors act like Backwater Reptiles, and I shouldn't complain. I beg to differ. Any respectable company should put their customer first, not their own pockets, insure that communication is readily available, and that they do not mislead their customers about the availability of their products.

"Forcing customers to pay for something" is a bit melodramatic imho. Alleging that a company is not respectable because you were not satisfied is a bit strong as well. You had the option to buy elsewhere from the get go. My first choice would have been a company with a name like RAINBOWS r us. No brainer.

 

[predators]

I have no allegiance or affiliation to Backwater. I just have knowledge of the import, wholesale, and internet business and can see all sides. The buyers and the sellers. I am objective.

This is good press only in the sense that it helps there rating on google. The more times the words backwater reptiles is mentioned anywhere on the internet it helps them. In basic terms it makes them a more popular site in googles eyes

This issue is a mole hill being made into a mountain. Customer made an order animal was out of stock she/he received a refund within a few days and in line with Backwaters T.O.S.
If this constitutes a bad guy post than the bar is set really low for bad guy posts.

Anyway, I have said my peace. Customer posted there feelings, which she/he is entitled to. Time to move on to real issues like the Russia about to invade the Ukraine which will cost lives or the fact that our Country is 500 trillion dollars in debt....

 

[treeboa]

People talking about back in stock and such are missing an important point. Backwater HAS NO STOCK! They take orders then try to fill them from whatever wholesaler might have the animal. We all know there are good and bad wholesalers so you are basically playing Russian roulette. And sometimes they won't be able to fill the order as in this case. They cannot possibly control the health of the animals because they never even see them. And there, also, in other threads have been issues with Backwater not standing behind their guaranty. No thank you!

 

[SophieD]

People talking about back in stock and such are missing an important point. Backwater HAS NO STOCK! They take orders then try to fill them from whatever wholesaler might have the animal. We all know there are good and bad wholesalers so you are basically playing Russian roulette. And sometimes they won't be able to fill the order as in this case. They cannot possibly control the health of the animals because they never even see them. And there, also, in other threads have been issues with Backwater not standing behind their guaranty. No thank you!

Thank you! This thread had over 50 comments, and people seems to be missing the relevant points. You're so right!

 

[Ed Clark]

Where is backwater reptiles? people are speculating answers on their behalf. come on backwater how about you adding your side of the story to this thread.

 

[RubberDuckey273]

I think I am entitled to post a thread on this site and express my concerns about the shady practice of some vendors, without having to be berated for not knowing their terms and conditions (which were, as a matter of fact, written with the vendor's interest in mind, to the great detriment of the customer). Quite a few members expressed that many vendors act like Backwater Reptiles, and I shouldn't complain. I beg to differ. Any respectable company should put their customer first, not their own pockets, insure that communication is readily available, and that they do not mislead their customers about the availability of their products.

I'm going to have to agree. Just because a seller already has a bad reputation, doesn't mean people shouldn't continue to come forward.

The point is not so much that they couldn't provide the animal, because in the end a refund was given, and the terms are on their page. And if that is the case, then a simple, friendly and polite email could direct the customer to the terms of purchase page, apologize for the inconvenience, and offer to help them with any other questions they might have. If you really want to step up your customer service, you can, as a seller, offer to cover the fees incurred because of the mix up, or offer a discount on an animal and guarantee to fill their order first when you can get the animal they want.

Now, if Backwater Reptiles has done this for this person, all they'd need to do is post a copy of that correspondence here. They haven't given their side at all, which to me is usually a sign of sellers just not wanting to deal with an issue, and/or thinking its not worth their time. Working with customers both for someone else and myself, as I know many of you here have, we all know how frustrating it can be to deal with an irritated customer. But most of us know that maintaining a good public image is more than worth it, and pays off in the long run.

I know I personally can forgive a negative situation if the seller just takes the time to explain to me what happened and simply apologize.

To me, I rate sellers both on the quality of the products or animals they offer, as well as their customer service. I think this thread probably could have been posted as an informative thread to alert people of possible issues with their customer service, although Backwater doesn't appear to worry about it anyway.

 

[Pantherchamlover]

More Objective than Subjective Review of Backwater

Just looking at the facts of my experience(s): (Fact)I ordered a Panther Chameleon from Backwater Reptiles and it arrived healthy and active. (Fact) He ate and drank right away and hasn't stopped ever since. (Fact/Opinion) He has beautiful markings. (Fact) All three emails I sent had a reply response time of between 7-9 minutes.

So I see some bad reviews and I'm not saying things didn't happen that did. I don't want to make excuses for anybody. But there are sooo many variables to consider when running a business, even more so when running one that deals with animals. Especially, a fledgling company. I'll stop there. Back to objectivity.(Fact) I myself have only had a positive experience. I will always check with Backwater when looking for a future reptile, although for me I have what I need right now. (Fact) His name is Tron! (Fact/Opinion) Because he's awesome!(Fact) I am a Sheet Metal worker and a little tech illiterate, I have pics of him on my phone, I will try to get them over to my computer, bare with me

 

[jonas24]

Even thought his is kinda old, I guess I'll put my own experience with backwater in here. In about late 2009 I was looking through websites and found backwater. The review were on the site so I really didn't think of looking them up. But anyhow, I bought a female ball python. Relitvely cheap imo. We'll long story short, she came and was pissed off. Which was understandable due to the whole thing of being shipped. After a few weeks of settling in I decided to try to feed her, which ended in complete failure. Then I tried to hold her. And she was still pissed off. But I found ticks all over. And to even add to the fire, mites. So I bought stuff to kill the mites. But the ticks would not go away. I ended up having to pull every single one out with tweezers. Which I'm sure hurt the snake. Long story short, 2 months pass and still she hasn't eaten. This whole time I'm emailing (or attempting to email) backwater about the whole thing. It goes from. She's eating f/t to fresh killed and then live. So after 7 months of no eating. The reptile vet I go to force feeds her. And puts baytril in the mice (due to possible intestinal parasites). After about 8 or so vet trips and a year and some change of not eating on her own. She finally ate. While emailing them they stopped replying. And I would go on chains of 5 emails just talking to myself. And I guess they found it fun to reply a month and a half later. Needless to say, I will never purchase anything from them again.

 

[allreptiles1966]

BBB

They are listed as good standings on the BBB. just go file a complaint. They will lose that advertising privileges if they get enough complaints.

That will hurt them some.


BBB- better business bureau . Make the complaints.

 

[predators]

Even thought his is kinda old, I guess I'll put my own experience with backwater in here. In about late 2009 I was looking through websites and found backwater. The review were on the site so I really didn't think of looking them up. But anyhow, I bought a female ball python. Relitvely cheap imo. We'll long story short, she came and was pissed off. Which was understandable due to the whole thing of being shipped. After a few weeks of settling in I decided to try to feed her, which ended in complete failure. Then I tried to hold her. And she was still pissed off. But I found ticks all over. And to even add to the fire, mites. So I bought stuff to kill the mites. But the ticks would not go away. I ended up having to pull every single one out with tweezers. Which I'm sure hurt the snake. Long story short, 2 months pass and still she hasn't eaten. This whole time I'm emailing (or attempting to email) backwater about the whole thing. It goes from. She's eating f/t to fresh killed and then live. So after 7 months of no eating. The reptile vet I go to force feeds her. And puts baytril in the mice (due to possible intestinal parasites). After about 8 or so vet trips and a year and some change of not eating on her own. She finally ate. While emailing them they stopped replying. And I would go on chains of 5 emails just talking to myself. And I guess they found it fun to reply a month and a half later. Needless to say, I will never purchase anything from them again.

I think you have the wrong company. Im almost certain they have not been in business for 5 years. More like 2 or 3.. Also, it sounds as though you received an adult imported ball python. 5 years ago or so it was common that they came in with ticks. Im not saying you should have received one with ticks but that is not completely surprising. Also, Imported balls can take a while to eat so that is not unusual. In any case, back to my original point it could not have come from backwater because they have only been in business a few years..

 

[jonas24]

I think you have the wrong company. Im almost certain they have not been in business for 5 years. More like 2 or 3.. Also, it sounds as though you received an adult imported ball python. 5 years ago or so it was common that they came in with ticks. Im not saying you should have received one with ticks but that is not completely surprising. Also, Imported balls can take a while to eat so that is not unusual. In any case, back to my original point it could not have come from backwater because they have only been in business a few years..

Oops, meant I bought a snake that was hatched in 2009. My bad.

 

[ksumthing]

This is who I got my Frilled dragon he was perfect had him for 4 years till I got into monitors and will still continue to use back water always been good to me on animals and feeders no problems

 

[guyanabill]

I don't normally post on these types of threads, I just browse them every few days since I deal with lots of different people and occasionally its been really helpful to see a red flag on a name I was considering doing business with.

As far as this thread "setting the bar lower" for bad guy threads I don't thnk that's a fair assessment at all for one very key reason.

If this was the first thread ever made about this company then I would be in complete agreement with that statement. Snake was bought and payed for. Company realizes the particular species is out of stock. Money refunded minus paypal fees. End of story. Kinda crummy experience but not completely nail biting and horrible where money was stolen, or animals were sick or dead or whatever. It's the sorta thing that does happen when dealing with and buying from these sorts of larger companies where high volumes of animals are bought and sold on a daily basis and something any potential buyer should keep in mind when dealing with them. This goes for ALL businesses, not just in the reptile world but retail in general. Sometimes you order something from Wal-Marts website only to get an email a few days later with an apology, that that item was out of stock.

But the particular company in question, Backwater Reptiles, has been the source of multiple bad experiences of all sorts, from ones like this (which I've heard of happening with them numerous times) to sick animals arriving, to dead animals arriving, to even wrong species arriving. That makes any bad experience, however seemingly small and/or insignificant, relevant specifically with this company.

The fact that this company is even still in business baffles me, but like the OP stated, they didn't know of this site till after their experience with Backwater. This site and its BOI arent as widespread as it used to be. The days when fauna was "the" place for anything reptile related are unfortunately over. People are more inclined to look for credible reference posts on facebook these days then here so I guess it's not too too surprising that lots of folks still get caught in these sorts of companies webs of deceit.

Anyway, thankyou for posting your experience here. It adds yet another notch to Backwaters bad guy belt and maybe will be that one that tips the scales for another potential buyer to look elsewhere for their reptile needs.