Hanover Herps were extremely helpful and caring in the beginning. However, 6 months is too long to wait for animals. They had some good excuses for postponing my order, but there is no excuse for this type of behavior in a business. Here it goes...I'll try to keep it somewhat organized:
12-23-02. My payment cleared for $200 to purchase 1 young adult normal female bearded dragon and 1 young adult red sandfire female bearded dragon who was handicapped (missing partial leg/s). We decided to wait to ship until after the holidays.
1-7-03. I asked to ship but only gave 1 day's notice (my fault) and Bob didnt get the email in time. No big deal. Shipment kept getting delayed until...
1-13-03. I asked if he could hold the dragons until the weather warmed up a bit because winter was starting in northern MN (here.) He was very helpful to hold them for me at no cost until shipping was not a big risk anymore.
1-26-03. I emailed the temps here to Bob and he thought we should wait until it got a little warmer to ship. I agreed.
...we had a few emails back and forth discussing shipping and the cold weather and decided to hold...
3-24-03. I asked Bob if he could ship them out but he said he could later this week or early next week because his wife was in the hospital now. Of course that is a valid excuse. He said he would contact me in a day or so...nothing...
4-6-03. I gave up waiting and asked Bob if he could please ship out Wed 4-9-03 and get ahold of me.
4-7-03. I got a response that said he would let me know tomorrow (Tues) if he can ship Wed. If not, he will ship Thurs 4-8-03.
4-9-03. I heard nothing Tues night so I asked if he sent them out today (Wed.) He replied he didnt, and that he couldn't get them out this week. He said he could skimp on shipping and send them out through the post office. I paid for UPS Overnight shipping. It was not my fault he spent the money I paid. I said I didnt want him to send them through usps. He replied this same day that I would get the dragons in the next week or so. "You will get them soon."
4-21-03. I have heard nothing at all, so I email and ask if he can ship this week. He said yes, he could get them out the middle of this week. He said he'd let me know later today.
4-23-03. I had heard nothing from Bob once again, so I emailed him asking if he could ship out Wed 4-24-03. He said no, he ordered some shipping supplies from some idiot on kingsnake and they didnt come. He could ship DEFINITELY Mon 4-28-03.
...in this time I tried several times to get ahold of Bob...I heard nothing and it had been over a month so I threatened to turn him in to paypal...
5-24-03. Bob contacted me and said he had to go out of town last minute. His computer locked and he lost all of my contact information. He also said that when he was gone he took in some rescues and his kids played with them and mine. They may have transmitted a yellow fungus to my dragons. He gave me 3 options: 1) refund my money 2) give me babies in place of the adult females 3) send me the originals and hope they do not have the fungus. I replied asking about the fungus and if it can be detected through laboratory tests. I was wondering if he could get them vet checked for the fungus. I think this should be his responsibility and at his expense. I said I didnt want babies, or I would have bought babies. It is a bad situation, but not MY fault. I have heard nothing in return...
6-18-03. I emailed Bob again and suggested he get ahold of me. I explained my view of the situation. I haven't heard from him since 5-24-03. It is now 6-27-03.
If Bob's excuses are, indeed, true, I am very sorry for his bad luck. However, it is very rare that he lose my contact info once and then lose it again a month later. I dont know about you guys, but I think I'd have learned to write it down or something by now.
I was also very revolted when he told me he could maybe get them out if he "skimped" on shipping and sent them out through the post office. I PAID FOR UPS OVERNIGHT AIR. It should not have even been an option for him to "skimp" when I had paid in full 3 and a half months ago.
Throughout the whole transaction (after I paid him) he never got back to me when he said he would. He always claimed he would email me at blank time or day and let me know what was going on, but he never did. He also promised shipment many times but never got around to that either.
I want from Bob Fisher 2 adult female dragons.
1.) I think most could understand why I dont want babies, because I could have bought babies for a smaller price.
2.) I dont want a refund because I have been keeping my males only until I can breed them to my females, then I am selling the males, and after a few clutches, selling the females as well. I cant afford to keep the dragons and my other herps and decided the dragons to me are the least enjoyable and the most expensive by far. If I were to simply get a refund I would have lost 6 months worth of bearded dragon food (expensive in winter,) space, time, light bulbs, etc that I put into my males. I am not in the reptile business for profit, but I am majorly in the hole with dragons and was hoping to be able to watch some hatch, grow them up a little, and then sell all, except maybe 1 holdback for a pet. Watching them grow and hopefully breeding them eventually was the reason I bought the ones I have as hatchlings. 2 were supposed to be boys and 2 girls. Unfortunately, this didnt turn out to be so as baby dragons cant be accurately sexed easily.
3.) I dont want to get the ones I paid for without a vet check for obvious reasons. No one would. If anyone here would want that, please let me know and I will apologize for speaking for you.
I think he should pay for a vet check for MY dragons (its not THAT expensive) and send me proof. If they are clean, I want them. If they aren't, I think Bob should find me 2 young adult healthy females that are similar to mine. I would love to get mine also if he treated the yellow fungus and sent me proof of another vet check that they are now clean. I am sorry about the yellow fungus but it is not my fault and if they would have been shipped out as promised many times it wouldnt have happened.
If he has a good excuse for why he has failed to communicate I'd like to hear it and maybe I would understand. However, it would have to be a d@*m good excuse to make up for his horrible business practice. A death or hospitalization or so on are good excuses, and I would understand, but it has been over a half a YEAR. That would have to be over 60 deaths giving each one 3 days for him to go to a funeral, etc. Communication is a key to a good business, and I'm afraid Hanover Herps is in need of some badly.
I will post copies of emails from/to Bob Fisher in the next message. (I'm not sure how long this can be.)
Thank you,
Nicole Gustafson
Coal's Cold-Blooded Creations
12-23-02. My payment cleared for $200 to purchase 1 young adult normal female bearded dragon and 1 young adult red sandfire female bearded dragon who was handicapped (missing partial leg/s). We decided to wait to ship until after the holidays.
1-7-03. I asked to ship but only gave 1 day's notice (my fault) and Bob didnt get the email in time. No big deal. Shipment kept getting delayed until...
1-13-03. I asked if he could hold the dragons until the weather warmed up a bit because winter was starting in northern MN (here.) He was very helpful to hold them for me at no cost until shipping was not a big risk anymore.
1-26-03. I emailed the temps here to Bob and he thought we should wait until it got a little warmer to ship. I agreed.
...we had a few emails back and forth discussing shipping and the cold weather and decided to hold...
3-24-03. I asked Bob if he could ship them out but he said he could later this week or early next week because his wife was in the hospital now. Of course that is a valid excuse. He said he would contact me in a day or so...nothing...
4-6-03. I gave up waiting and asked Bob if he could please ship out Wed 4-9-03 and get ahold of me.
4-7-03. I got a response that said he would let me know tomorrow (Tues) if he can ship Wed. If not, he will ship Thurs 4-8-03.
4-9-03. I heard nothing Tues night so I asked if he sent them out today (Wed.) He replied he didnt, and that he couldn't get them out this week. He said he could skimp on shipping and send them out through the post office. I paid for UPS Overnight shipping. It was not my fault he spent the money I paid. I said I didnt want him to send them through usps. He replied this same day that I would get the dragons in the next week or so. "You will get them soon."
4-21-03. I have heard nothing at all, so I email and ask if he can ship this week. He said yes, he could get them out the middle of this week. He said he'd let me know later today.
4-23-03. I had heard nothing from Bob once again, so I emailed him asking if he could ship out Wed 4-24-03. He said no, he ordered some shipping supplies from some idiot on kingsnake and they didnt come. He could ship DEFINITELY Mon 4-28-03.
...in this time I tried several times to get ahold of Bob...I heard nothing and it had been over a month so I threatened to turn him in to paypal...
5-24-03. Bob contacted me and said he had to go out of town last minute. His computer locked and he lost all of my contact information. He also said that when he was gone he took in some rescues and his kids played with them and mine. They may have transmitted a yellow fungus to my dragons. He gave me 3 options: 1) refund my money 2) give me babies in place of the adult females 3) send me the originals and hope they do not have the fungus. I replied asking about the fungus and if it can be detected through laboratory tests. I was wondering if he could get them vet checked for the fungus. I think this should be his responsibility and at his expense. I said I didnt want babies, or I would have bought babies. It is a bad situation, but not MY fault. I have heard nothing in return...
6-18-03. I emailed Bob again and suggested he get ahold of me. I explained my view of the situation. I haven't heard from him since 5-24-03. It is now 6-27-03.
If Bob's excuses are, indeed, true, I am very sorry for his bad luck. However, it is very rare that he lose my contact info once and then lose it again a month later. I dont know about you guys, but I think I'd have learned to write it down or something by now.
I was also very revolted when he told me he could maybe get them out if he "skimped" on shipping and sent them out through the post office. I PAID FOR UPS OVERNIGHT AIR. It should not have even been an option for him to "skimp" when I had paid in full 3 and a half months ago.
Throughout the whole transaction (after I paid him) he never got back to me when he said he would. He always claimed he would email me at blank time or day and let me know what was going on, but he never did. He also promised shipment many times but never got around to that either.
I want from Bob Fisher 2 adult female dragons.
1.) I think most could understand why I dont want babies, because I could have bought babies for a smaller price.
2.) I dont want a refund because I have been keeping my males only until I can breed them to my females, then I am selling the males, and after a few clutches, selling the females as well. I cant afford to keep the dragons and my other herps and decided the dragons to me are the least enjoyable and the most expensive by far. If I were to simply get a refund I would have lost 6 months worth of bearded dragon food (expensive in winter,) space, time, light bulbs, etc that I put into my males. I am not in the reptile business for profit, but I am majorly in the hole with dragons and was hoping to be able to watch some hatch, grow them up a little, and then sell all, except maybe 1 holdback for a pet. Watching them grow and hopefully breeding them eventually was the reason I bought the ones I have as hatchlings. 2 were supposed to be boys and 2 girls. Unfortunately, this didnt turn out to be so as baby dragons cant be accurately sexed easily.
3.) I dont want to get the ones I paid for without a vet check for obvious reasons. No one would. If anyone here would want that, please let me know and I will apologize for speaking for you.
I think he should pay for a vet check for MY dragons (its not THAT expensive) and send me proof. If they are clean, I want them. If they aren't, I think Bob should find me 2 young adult healthy females that are similar to mine. I would love to get mine also if he treated the yellow fungus and sent me proof of another vet check that they are now clean. I am sorry about the yellow fungus but it is not my fault and if they would have been shipped out as promised many times it wouldnt have happened.
If he has a good excuse for why he has failed to communicate I'd like to hear it and maybe I would understand. However, it would have to be a d@*m good excuse to make up for his horrible business practice. A death or hospitalization or so on are good excuses, and I would understand, but it has been over a half a YEAR. That would have to be over 60 deaths giving each one 3 days for him to go to a funeral, etc. Communication is a key to a good business, and I'm afraid Hanover Herps is in need of some badly.
I will post copies of emails from/to Bob Fisher in the next message. (I'm not sure how long this can be.)
Thank you,
Nicole Gustafson
Coal's Cold-Blooded Creations
