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Help need with a customer complaint.

N

Nicole Elliser

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I've never been in this situation before and I need a little advice. Here is the history of the transaction.
I was contacted in the first week of January by a gentlemen interested in purchasing my 2 100% het piebald female ball pythons. Our communications went back and forth and he was very pleasant. He asked if they were feeding on F/T and I told him they were not and that I would try a F/T meal that day and see what happened. Both girls had a great feeding response and fed on the F/T meal with no hesitation. I relayed this information to him and he decided to purchase the snakes on 1/9/11. My customer was very anxious to get them shipped and we wanted me to send them out in temps below 20 degrees. He stated that if I just put 3-4 heat packs in the box the snakes would do just fine. I don't shipping anything in temps below 30 degrees and I told him so and offered to keep the snakes and feed them until a safe shipping day came available. I kept them for a little over a month. For the next 5 weeks they were fed only F/T rats and each week they fed without a problem. Each week I would e-mail him with that weeks temps and explained again and apologized for not being able to ship them because of the weather. He became a little upset after 5 weeks of bad weather and on the first day it was above 30 degrees I received an e-mail demanding that the snakes "be sent out today with no more delays". I felt it was a good day to ship and I really just wanted him to get his snakes and for this transaction to be over. The snakes were shipped out on 2/19/11 and the only response I received from him was to e-mail me a week later asking about their hatch dates. I sent the information he requested and I heard nothing from him since. On 4/21/11 I receive and e-mail form him saying one of the girls has never feed and he wanted me to remedy the situation. I e-mail him back the following e-mail:


I'm sorry to hear that although I wish you would have made me aware of the
problem a little sooner. If I was aware of the problem you were having I
possibly could have helped you figure out what's going on and remedy the
problems months ago.
I don't offer anything but a live arrival guarantee but typically if I'm
made aware of a problem when it first presents I will do what I can to help
remedy the situation. Let me get a little info and I'll see if I can help
you get her feeding.
First I need to know how is she set up? What's her hot spot temps? How often
are you attempting to feed her? How long are you leaving the live pray in
with her for? Does she show any interest or does she hide when you try to
feed her. Is she acting normal and drinking normal? Have you ever tried live
rat crawlers? Do you have access to gerbils?

I'm not sure how many ball pythons you've dealt with but ball breeders know
that sometimes perfectly healthy ball pythons go off food for no apparent
reason. Sometimes its stress or breeding, sometimes if they're uncomfortable
in the enclosure they will be to nervous to feed. She was a great feeder
here so I think the problem may be with her new home and if you work with me
we can figure it out and have her eating in no time.

I have been hosting out of state relatives for the Easter week. I'm like their hotel and I shuttle them around to other relatives in our state and the gulf cost for short visits so I was not here when he call the next day to protest my e-mail. My husband was suffering with a sever migraine and stayed home that day so he intercepted the phone call. They spoke for a short time. My customer told my husband that he moves the snakes to feed them and when my husband mentioned that could be the cause of the refusal to feed he went off on him about his experience and started dropping names saying he speaks to these guys (several very big ball breeders) on a daily basis and they all agreed I should refund his money. I received this e-mail today and I just don't know where to go from here:

I beg to differ! It's going to be like this and no negotiating or you will be receiving a notice in your mail from a very well known Attorney in the Reptile Business that deals with this kind of thing. I have the original emails from you stating that she eats frozen thawed rat pups as well as plenty other emails from you that will be provided as evidence. It was bad buisness on your part.. Paypal will also be notified and you will be black marked as well as on Kingsnakes Board of Inquirys, if this is not takin care of properly. I dont play games with people like you. " I only gaurentee live arrival" is all ? What about a happy customer or a healthy eating snake? I sent you good money, and you sent me a worthless snake that wont eat. It's not my improper way of keeping her, so please stop insulting me and questioning my ability to keep something as simple as a Ball Python... I'm not your little18 year old first time snake owner that you're probably use to dealing with. I don't need tips or advise from you. I've been in this buisness of breeding Ball Pythons for 20 years solid, as well as high end Retics, Burms, Boas and Carpets. I have a very expensive collection of Ball Pythons with the "Het Pieds" being the least valuable Balls I own. I only bought them from you because I wanted new blood in my collection and you had them priced competively. I went against my better judgement and bought them from somebody I've never heard of. Another thing, YOU don't feed Ball Pythons gerbals unless you want to create a bigger problem because that's like feeding crack to a drug addict! Besides why should I offer her a Gerbal when YOU stated that she is eating frozen thawed rat pups to begin with? She is the only snake I own that will not eat! With that being said, it is not the way I'm housing her!!!! I take great care of my snakes, always have and always will. After talking with your husband I am keeping them no different then what you were! The reason I didn't contact you sooner is because I was giving her extra time to adjust to her new surroundings and I know with this particular breed this is a must. I will try one more thing and if that doesn't work then I want her replaced or my money back with the return of your snake.
Thank you,

Any help would be great. I'm at a loss. I would typically refund a customer if I was made aware of a problem when the snake first started to refuse meals. But 2 months later with no word on the problem makes we wonder. If he was in contact with several big breeders daily about the problem he was having with my snake why not call me?
I also took offense to his demands and threats about lawsuits and black balling me. I've been in this business since 1998 and I've tried to operate my business with the best of intentions can 1 angry customer ruin this for me? Should I comply just to avoid the slander?
Any help anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

Nicole Elliser
K&N Reptiles
 
First of all, Nicole you are so right about ball pythons and their odd feeding habits. They can go off feed at the drop of a hat, sometimes for no apparent reason at all. Because of the shipping and the snake being set up (it sounds like) completely different than how she was housed at your place, and also because of the fact that he is taking her out of her enclosure to feed her (never thought experienced herpers did this but to each his own), there is even MORE of a reason that she has stopped feeding.

Secondly, this guy sounds like he us not willing to communicate with you about the issue and instead wants to spout off intimidating words such as "attorney", "pay pal" and "board of inquiry". He is just trying to intimidate you by saying those words so that you will refund his money.

Pay Pal is not going to do anything, because it has been more than the length of time they require in order to file a claim. Also, you shipped the snake and he received the package. You have nothing to worry about as far as Pay Pal goes.

The BOI threats, well, I am sure that most people will be on your side rather than his, so again, nothing to worry about.

The lawsuit threat? He's just throwing that out there to scare you.
 
Thanks Kelli!
I really needed to hear that. I don't get many unhappy customers and I didn't know how to respond to this one. I feel awful for the snake that he described as "worthless". She was such a good feeder from day one I know its just stress from her new home. I wish he was willing to work with me I know I could get her feeding, but he objected to any advice Kevin gave him on the phone and the e-mail is self explanatory.
Thanks again for the positive feed back I feel a little better now.
Nicole Elliser
K&N Reptiles
 
Based on the emails you posted here, he doesn't sound rational in the least and it is unlikely anything you say or do will make him happy. I hope you retained the complete email correspondence in case he does take it to the BOI (though I think he's a little confused, Kingsnake strictly prohibits BOI type posts on their site).
 
Why do people still take there animals out when feeding? I thought that practice was frowned upon even before I was born!

I would no refund him his money. If he has been keeping bp's for twenty years he should know that they are finicky eaters. I call bs on his whole story. I also do not like how he called them worthless. I doubt he has half as good as a collection he does.

The lawyer talk is cheap. Most people that play that card are bluffing.

I would say that he has buyers remorse. Has that thought came into your mind? I would bring that up and see his repsonse.
 
Just my opinion, and how I would handle the situation personally.

First I have no tolerance or patience for people who present themselves the way he has in the emails you quoted.
His communications are little more than poor attempts at intimidation, with a a generous sprinkling of self aggrandizing and a lie or two thrown in for good measure.
I'll do alot to try to make a customer happy, but try to bully me or make threats which obviously carry no substance, and I'll end it right there. The best way to get me not to do something is to threaten me with what will happen if I don't. It's a personality quirk of mine. Give me an ultimatum and I'll force your hand to make good on it or slink away.

To look at his communications, he doesn't have a fraction of the experience he claims to have, but considers himself to be more knowledgeable than most. He may have kept herps for quite a while, but if he has, he has learned little of value during that time.
Calling a species a breed is a good indicator of that, as is the apparent need to brag about and exaggerate the extent of his experience.
Breeding balls for 20 years solid? Twenty years ago almost no one was breeding balls at all. The morph market caused the ball breeding to start with earnest, and it had barely started 20 years ago.

It's going to be like this and no negotiating or you will be receiving a notice in your mail from a very well known Attorney in the Reptile Business that deals with this kind of thing.
Click to expand...

Wow, first I've heard of the existence of such a person. Anyone else know who this very well known attorney is, and why it is that if he handles this kind of thing he's never been mentioned here, with the BOI being the place where "this kind of thing" is hashed out every day?
That aside, any attorney worth anything would charge more just for the time to listen to you tell the story than what the het pied cost.
An entirely empty threat which the sender should feel embarrassed to have even made.

I'm getting carried away, but people like this irritate me to no end.
I would do nothing further for him. No refund, no exchange, no further offers of assistance. He wants to take that stance, he's officially on his own and the deal is done as far as I'm concerned.
 
:iagree:

I would like to go more in depth but I am on my droid and it isnt very type happy.

Very well put.

Oh and I have heard of this lawyer that deals specially with reptiles.His name is santa clause or mybe it was the tooth fairy, it has been so long since I heard it I cant remember.:D
 
Thank you all for the helpful comments.
Clay, what you said is exactly the way I felt when I read the last e-mail. I wanted to wash my hands of the whole mess and be done with it. This guy just made me so angry I didn't want to do anything for him but I also didnt want to do the wrong thingbecause I was pissed off and regret it later.
Thanks again for the input, it makes my decision easier and now that I know other reputable people would do the same thing takes a weight off my shoulders.
Thanks again.
Nicole Elliser
K&N Reptiles
 
haha. I laughed at your customers emails. Like everyone else stated just let him go. Ignore him like a crying child...errr well you know what I mean. lol
 
It would probably be unproffessional to respond with this but I can't help but think something along the lines of "Kingsnake and the BOI hate each other, only idiots stress a non feeding snake out by moving it around that much, and if you want to find an attorney that specializes in the reptile business, go ahead. I'll be hearing from you!"
 
Paul
Maybe I'll send him the link to this post so he can read it himself!
All joking aside I always try to keep my attitude out of these types of situations. I usually write a 1st e-mail and let ever thing I want to say just flow out and hold nothing back :censored:then I delete the 1st e-mail and write what a true professional should respond. Its a great exercise and it really gets you in a better mind set to write the 2nd e-mail. But I have to tell you that with this guy I may just send out my first e-mail. lol
No just joking I always try to be as professional as I can and everybody deserves respect even if they don't give it.
Nicole Elliser
 
The moment he made the threats... I would have told him what he can do with himself. But that's just me. Im all for keeping customers happy, but that would have negated my willingness to do so.
 
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