I guess its time to let this die.......
Well, I guess we have all come full circle with this one, more then once I think. This is most likely the last time I will post a reply on this subject (but no promises!). I have some thoughts about what has transpired between Bobby and myself, and on some of the opinions raised by my peers on this thread. Some will agree with my conclusions about this whole ordeal, some will not. I do my best to make everyone happy, but alas, I learned long ago that it's just not possible. But I keep trying anyway. Pie in the sky and all that.
First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who has expressed their opinions on this thread. You may or may not agree with my final conclusions that I'm about to type, but thanks for the interest just the same. I would also like to thank some of my good friends that have posted here on my behalf, and all my customers that were kind enough to post also. I do value all my friends and customers, past, present, and future. I read this forum almost every day, and have come to respect and admire many of you that take the time to post on important issues.
Ok, here are my thoughts on all of this that has led me to my descision. First and foremost is the packing of the animals. It was shoddy, unproffesional, and fatal. It is obvious to anyone that Las Vegas is one of the hottest places in the country in the summer, that is a no brainer. To send those snakes into this place in that box was wrong, period. It does not matter when they got delivered. If packaged correctly, they would have survived. How can I make such a statement? Because I do it almost every single day! Today it was over 120 degrees at my store location. Nevermind the official temperature at the airport, it is always about 10-15 degrees hotter here in town because of all the cement that radiates the heat. Yesterday was just as hot. Yesterday I sent out 2 Day Geckos, one Ground Boa, one Baby Greek Tortoise, some box turtles, and a 16 ft tiger retic. I have gotten calls or emails from all of the customers these were sent to, all were AOK at the recieving end. I do this almost every single day. For some to suggest that I am neglegent to ship when the weather is hot, let me remind you that I live in Las Vegas. It's over 100 degrees here almost 6 months out of the year. I have a business that I need to run that depends on me being able to ship animals in and out of this city year round. To suggest that I suspend my business for half the year is just not logical. Instead, I make sure that every shipment I send out is well packed, protected from the heat in the summer, and the cold in the winter (as it does get darn cold here too). I can honestly say that in all my years in business, I have lost a total of 3 animals during shipping. I know that even one loss is tragic, but my track record on this in my opinion is not all that bad. And on all three of these animals, I replaced them without hesitation. I'm the shipper, I'm the proffesional that is collecting the money, I'm the one responsible.
Now, to the fact that I was not here well before my posted hours of operation, both on my door, in all my ads, and on my website, I can only give you this reply, as candidly as I possibly can. I do not live in my store. I have other places to be, other things to do, and other people that depend on me. Some have suggested that I be at the store all day long if I'm expecting a live animal shipment. What time frame is being suggested? Should I be there at 7am? Stay until midnight? Or, just in case, should I get up and be at my door at 5am? Can I borrow a cott? Please, I consider myself to be a somewhat reasonable person, but to expect me to be at my store up to 18 hours a day just in case I am going to miss a package is just crazy. My hours of operation are posted. My vendors know what time I am open. So do the delivery personel that bring me my goods. So did the Fedex delivery driver. So does Airborne. Delta does not even bother calling me until after 9am. I don't open until 10am, but the guys at Delta all know me and when I come to work. There is always someone at my store, preparing for the workday at 9am, always. Now, on the other hand, if the driver had been aware of what was in the box, it is easy enough for him to pull out the handy dandy fedex cell phone and call me. Plain and simple. Me not being there at 8:48 is nothing to blame me for. I am never there at 8:48, unless I am aware that I am needed at that time. I was never given any notice that a live animal would arrive that early in the morning. It has never happened before. I was not there. If I was there, would it have made a difference? My conclusion is no. It was over 90 degrees by then. The truck left the ramp at 7am. I talked to the driver, I know the route he took. He attempted delivery at 8:48 am. That is a travel time of one hour and fortyeight minutes in the back of a metal van, with no insulation, no cooling devices, no chance at all. Can I prove that they were dead at 8:48? No. But, in my experience living in this heat, and working with herps for over 30 years, I believe that they were. My opinion is pretty set on this one, and I'm not likely to budge on it.
I have contacted Bobby to try to resolve this issue with him. I offered what I thought was a fair deal to make him happy. I did not have to do this, since I don't believe I am to blame for any of this, but I did it anyway, just out of good will. I believe he rejected my offer, although his response was somewhat cryptic, but I think he said no. I then asked him to propose something of his own. It has been over 24 hours since I emailed him. His website states that he responds to ALL emails within 24 hours. I guess he is not going to send me a return email with any suggestions. Considering that he waited a total of 5 minutes for me to reply to his first email before coming to the BOI and shouting to the world what a bad guy I am, I feel that 24 hours is more then enough time for me to give him in return.
This attempted transaction with Bobby will of course be my last attempted transaction. I am not bitter, and I have nothing personal against the man. I don't like being called "BAD", but then again, who does? All through this whole thing, I have read every post, I have listened to all comments. However, I have never been one to be swayed by public opinion, and this deal is between Bobby and myself. I have always been man enough to admit when I'm wrong, and I have always stood my ground when I thought I was right. I think I am right now. I did not pack the box in a shoddy way. I did not contract with a carrier that has no aircondition vehicles to deliver live ectotherms in oppressive heat. I did not neglect to inform the carrier of what was in the box. I did not neglect to label the box as perishable. I did not neglect to ensure that the animals be delivered during posted operating hours. I did not run to this forum screaming "Bobby Pruit: Snake Killer" in a matter of 5 minutes after contacting him. I do not owe him anything. I did, in my first email to him, ask how he would like me to verify the deaths. I offered to send him a photo, or freeze the bodies and mail them back to him (properly packaged to keep them from thawing, of course). He never responded to my question, except on this forum. It was a somewhat nasty statement, making it look like I never asked him how he wanted verification. My question is in his very first post, please note that there was no reply. However, since I'm here anyway, I will post the pictures here and now.
In conclusion (once again, I'm sorry this is so long), I'm pretty much done. I gave Bobby an offer that was turned down. There will be no more offers forthcoming. I'm sure my decision will not please everyone, but that just can't be helped. It is my decision, and any consequences that come with it will have to just be lived with. If this makes me a bad guy, I'm sorry. If this makes some of you not want to do business with me, that is my loss, and I regret it a great deal. My customers ultimately become my friends.
