Ben Siegel

[Landon Pollard]

whats this guys rep?

Landon Pollard

 

[Neil Gubitz]

Landon....This is a joke, right?? Ben Siegel is probably the premier wholesaler in this industry....his animals are gorgeous and his customer service is second to none (well, except mine! lol)!!
You'll never have a problem....Neil

 

[Gary Walsch]

Hey Landon,


                     Whatever it is you are considering buying from Ben will be an animal you will be very happy with !!!  Ben is one of the best guys in the industry from his animals to his customer service right up to his personal ethics.  I have purchased animals from Ben many times over and never once been disappointed with any of them.  When you buy from Ben its like money in the bank. No worries.


Gary Walsch
Sunshine State Reptiles

 

[V.J. Harelson]

When you buy from Ben you can count on NO tricks or gimmicks and a healthy animal on top of it !! You have not got to worry about anything dealing with him..........

 

[jbuncc]

like the others have said, i don't think you will ever, EVER have a problem with ben siegel.  he is THE man!  he is THE best!

 

[blkmagic]

<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>  I have bought from Ben and the anamil was second to none

 

[Arboreals of the Rainforest]

2 words, maybe 3.

He's Da Man!!

When he's not cross dressing on the weekends to make ends meat.   <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'>

Sorry Ben couldnt resist, but your secret is out now.

Buy with confidence from him.  I have before and will again.

 

[estamike]

Gee, I guess I must be the only one that has had a problem with Ben Siegal. About 2 years ago I bought a boa from him at a show. I asked for a receipt, and he said he did not have anything to write on, but he would mail me one. None came. After about a week, I called about the receipt. All we got was an answer machine. No call back, so I called again. No call back, so I called back again. I called every day for a week. FINALLY, he called back, cussing us for leaving messages on his machine. Well, DUHHHHH, answer the phone, or call back the first time, and we won't have to call so many times. Another week went by, we got a receipt, but it was not the amount we paid by credit card. By this time the snake had died. (it never did eat). When my husband called about the incorrect amount, we got cussed out again by Ben. My husband figured the only way to get this guy to do it right was to call the credit card co. and request a reversal of the charge. This time Mr. Siegal sent the correct receipt. We called the credit card co. and told them the matter was straightend out, and to put the charge back on our credit card. A couple of weeks later, Mr Siegal called us, cussing as usual, asking why we requested the credit card co. to charge him $25. We had not, so we called the credit card co. to find out about the $25, and they told us that Mr. Siegal had had so many "charge backs" that the $25 was their policy in such a situation. We were one of MANY who had called their credit card co. with a problem with Ben Siegal.
Esta Martin

 

[Tom Burns]

I've bought a bunch of killer snakes from Ben... And I've got the receipts to prove it! <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

Tom Burns

 

[BenSiegelReptiles]

in response to esta martins response---this lady and her husband are complete lunatics-these people bought a perfectly healthy yearling boa at a show--did not get a receipt--did a charge back without notifying me, and then when i said fine, just give me the snake back and keep your charge back, the husband chimed in with we will keep the snake as well---I CALLED the credit card company to complain and after speaking with them, they reversed the charges--the snake did not die--that is an out an out lie. At one point i even asked the husband is the snake healthy and doing well, he replied yes, i replied than you would like to keep the snake and your money. The fact is that they harrased me repeatedly and at one time the crazy old man who she is married to faxed me a flag with a snake across it with the words dont tread on me, i thought that was pretty cool, but weird. These people were absolutely insane. Probably one of the most insane customers i have ever had. Just so this will not get out of hand i will ask the promtoter of the show that she exhibited at to post her response to this blatant slander. She was well aware of this situation and warned me about these nutjobs. They are both older folks and the kind of people that probably complain at every restaraunt they eat at. This happened years ago and i still remember it very well. They also exhibit at some of the local shows and there animals usually look poor, not all of them, but especially there leopard geckos look emmaciated. And just to refresh you memory, it was more like 3 or 4 years ago as i have lived in south florida for almost 2 years and it was at least a year or 2 before that this incident took place.  Thanks to all the positive posts.

 

[BenSiegelReptiles]

oh and by the way--i never cuss at my customers on the phone, no matter how ignorant and moronic they were in this case--just not my style. And i also do not have a list of chargebacks, that is the statement that is going to put the nail in your coffin.

 

[rujonesin]

I think the person being discussed above was Ben's evil twin. That is about as out of character as I have ever heard for Ben  <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'> . I can't help but to think there is just a little more to the story than is being told.

As far as cross dressing on the weekends? Something else to look forward to at Daytona!

Mike Jones

 

[BenSiegelReptiles]

man i am absolutely fuming--so let me get this right--the animal died and then you called you credit card company and told them to put the charde back on??so the animal was dead and you had already done a chargeback, and you called them and said, go ahead, the product i did the chargeback for died within its guarantee period, but go ahead and charge my card for it anyway. Your ingorance speaks through your words loud and clear---the fact is the credit card company did a charge back on you for doing a fraudelent chargeback and they charged you the $25 chargeback fee which is standard-oh boy--you have opened a hell of a can of worms esta, and to think we just went our seperate ways peacefully at laurens show and were pleasant to one another.  YOU KNOW YOU ARE LYING, COME CLEAN NOW--YOU NOW THE BOA DID NOT DIE AND THAT YOU AND HUBBY ARE JUST EXTREMELY CROTCHETY. Come on now---you have just comitted slander or is it lible--never remember--but one of those two.

 

[Tom Burns]

You're absolutely right Ben! Why would they request their card be charged for a dead animal?

Tom Burns

 

[Gary Walsch]

Hey Esta,


                   This whole story of yours sounds like a crock of chit !  It makes no sense that after an animal dies then you say " OK I ill pay for it now that it is dead " Not only that I had a little receipt problem from a bunch of animals I had bought from Ben and never remembered to even get a receipt from him ( my fault , not his )  I went into his store and asked him for a receipt and he made one up for me for the animals I bought on the spot, so your story sounds fishy to me.  Another thing is for as long as I have known Ben and been buying from him he would not sell an animal if it had anything wrong with it.  I sold Ben some animals once and one of the adults had a slight defect in one of its eyes and Ben would not even accept the animal because it was imperfect, even though it was a cb adult and a proven breeder and eating like a champ, so thats another part of your story I think is fabricated.  I think you are one of those people who hates to see anybody do well so you try and cloud their reputation with lies.  Like I said earlier I trhink you are full of chit !!!


Gary Walsch
Sunshine State Reptiles

 

[Ferdinand Topino]

I purchased an animal from Ben and was very pleased.  He was very pleasant on the phone and so was his co-workers.  He's a gentleman, a scholar and a judge of good whiskey! <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

 

[aviculari]

HELLO ,
IT IS SAD BUT TRUE THAT PEOPLE ARE SO QUICK TO COMPLAIN AND SO RELUCTANT TO COMPLIMENT. BEN HAS BEEN A VENDOR AT MY SHOWS SINCE 1995 AND THIS IS THE ONLY COMPLAINT I HAVE HEARD ABOUT HIM. I HAVE KNOWN BEN TO ONLY SELL QUALITY ANIMALS. I HAVE NEVER HAD TO ASK HIM TO REMOVE AN ANIMAL FROM HIS TABLE DUE TO ILL HEALTH. BEN TAKES PRIDE IN HIS ANIMALS AND REPUTATION .THIS MISUNDERSTANDING IS NOT OVER AN ANIMAL ITS OVER A RECEIPT, THAT AT A LATER DATE WAS FURNISHED. SO IN MY HUMBLE OPIONION, THIS SITUATION IS JUST PLAIN SILLY AND FAR TOO OLD TO DISCUSS.
WOULD I BUY AN ANIMAL FROM BEN SIEGEL ? YOU BET I HAVE AND WILL. WOULD I TESTIFY IN A COURT OF LAW TO BEN SIEGELS INTEGRITY ? YOU BETTER BELIEVE I WOULD. WOULD I RECOMMEND YOU TO DO BUSINESS WITH HIM ? YOU'D BE A FOOL NOT TO! BEN SIEGEL HAS WORKED HARD AND EARNED THE IMPECCABLE REPUTATION THAT PROCEEDS HIM . AS A PROMOTER I AM HONORED TO HAVE BEN SIEGEL BE A PART OF THE FLORIDA REPTILE AND ALTERNATIVE PET SHOWS HE IS TRULY AN ASSET TO THE REPTILE INDUSTRY.
         LAUREN JESCHONEK

 

[Blackwater Reptiles]

On January 13, 2001 I was bitten by cobra (This is common knowledge and I'm not bragging or complaining, just a statement of fact). When Ben heard about the incident, he GAVE me a pair of captive bred Russian Ratsnakes, AND he PAID the shipping. This was a gift from Ben, as a "get well" present, and a gesture of friendship.

Unlike many of the folks who have responded, I have not purchased anything from Ben in the past. Ben and I share a friend or two, and I have only met Ben one time in my life. He is an HONEST businessman, and I will always consider Ben a friend.

This may not seem like a big deal to the lady who complained, but I ask you to think about the motivation for the act of kindness. Ben had nothing to gain except the good feeling that comes from giving of self to others. I am and always be a Ben Seigel fan.....

Thank you Ben. Don't let the losers in this world drag you down.

Thomas Townsend

 

[Chris H.]

I have bought my share of animals from Ben, all but two were problem free. The two animals that i had trouble with were 1.1 cbb cave dwelling ratsnakes. I had them for a few weeks before they passed away. The whole time they were alive i did not tell Ben that they were not doing well. i finilly told him after one of them died and told him that i was not going to give up on the other. At that time he told me that he would credit me for BOTH of them even though only one was dead. I have bought animals since and will continue to do so(can't wait to see what he has at daytona).

 

[estamike]

Many of you feel Ben has some good qualities. I am sure he has. But I do not feel all of his qualities are good. Maybe he has changed in the last few years. I hope so. However the facts still remain the facts.

Yes, I did request the credit card co. put the charge back on my card, because the complaint was with the receipt, not the animal. No, Ben, I was not charged the $25 fee, you were. If you remember the incident so well, you should remember calling and cussing us out for getting charged that $25 charge.

Why did I request the price of the animal be put back on my card, even after the animal died? I believe in honesty. My complaint was with the receipt, not the animal. That complaint was finally taken care of. Therefore, honesty dictates that I uphold my end of the purchase agreement and pay for the animal.

Secondly, as we all know, when purchasing animals, it is buyer beware, know your vendor. If there is any kind of problem, it must be reported immediately. I chose not to report the problem of the animal not feeding, feeling that it would just need time to settle in. When it died a few weeks later, I felt that I had let too much time lapse, and therefore voided any guanantee. I also felt that since it was my first boa, maybe I was not taking care of it properly. Again, the problem was not with the animal, but a RECEIPT.

To Gary Walsh, I am glad that you lived close enough to Ben to walk into his store and pick up a receipt. At the time this happened, Ben was in Ocala, approximately 150 miles away from where I live. A little too far to walk into his store to pick up a receipt. HOWEVER, he could have faxed one to us. We did leave our fax number on his answer machine.

Ben, I am glad to see you feel it necessary to resort to name calling. To quote a children's saying "sticks and stones will hurt my bones, but YOUR words will never harm me." That includes your swearing. AND you DID swear at us. What makes you say that we probably complain in every restaurant we go to?<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'> We have never eaten together, and probably do not frequent the same restaurants. If you are implying that we complain about everything, you again are clueless. We don't have the same friends, or associates. I have bought many animals from a lot of reptile vendors, and never complained to, or about anyone else, or had a reason to. I have bought from Rich (SerpenCo), Kathy Love, Fred Spector, Susin at Fancy Pets, Eugene Besset at Ophiological Services, Bob Sligh, Bill Schmiedecke, A.J. Calisi of T & C Terrariums, & Caraway Creek Reptiles, just to name a few. Many are very well known in the business, some not so well known. All of them frequent either Lauren's shows, or the International show in Tampa. I have never had a complaint about any of the animals, or other business practices with any of these people. So, how does one problem with one transaction out of so many others make me a frequent complainer???  

Then you attack my animals. First off, you have never taken the time to actually look at any of my animals. You always avoid my table at all the shows. (Not something I have ever complained about either.) If my animals are so bad, then why am I asked, on a regular basis, to sell my animals to many of our peers??? Are you now saying that many of our peers purchase low quality animals?<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>  Some of the people I sell to read this board. What are you saying to them?? What are you accusing them of???  Think, Ben, what are you saying??
Esta