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Posted 08/15/2025
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Bad Guy Lou Rodrigues, Designer Ball Pythons also on Kingsnake.com
- Thread starter eddieriv
- Start date
StrictlyExotics
New member
Eddie,
Whats going to make you happy, that is reasonable considering the situation, with Lou? If you two cannot seem to talk to each other, I will frickin get this done. Be reasonable here though. Dont expect a seller to just eat it all because of whats been said here. There are tons of holes on BOTH stories and I am almost certain that the seller is a stand up guy and does not want the label of bad guy loom over all of his future transactions because of a 350.00 spider.
Lou,
Are you willing to let me help get some resolve here that is not going to put you out? Let me know sir. You dont need to be public about the answer but lets put our heads together and come up with some sort of resolution that at least you both can walk away from this with a positive outcome. I REALLY want to see this with a label that the seller resolved the situation as best he could and he IS someone to buy from because he will stand behind his shipping practice as well as animals.
Whats going to make you happy, that is reasonable considering the situation, with Lou? If you two cannot seem to talk to each other, I will frickin get this done. Be reasonable here though. Dont expect a seller to just eat it all because of whats been said here. There are tons of holes on BOTH stories and I am almost certain that the seller is a stand up guy and does not want the label of bad guy loom over all of his future transactions because of a 350.00 spider.
Lou,
Are you willing to let me help get some resolve here that is not going to put you out? Let me know sir. You dont need to be public about the answer but lets put our heads together and come up with some sort of resolution that at least you both can walk away from this with a positive outcome. I REALLY want to see this with a label that the seller resolved the situation as best he could and he IS someone to buy from because he will stand behind his shipping practice as well as animals.
eddieriv
Royale with cheese.
You say this as if the package actually was at my door and I just didnt have the time to get it, I said that I never got it because no one knocked rang or even left a note. I could understand if a note had been left on the door but there wasn't a note. I am not hiding anything.
All i'm asking is for a refund or partial refund thats it if he offers me the snake i will take it but im not paying $100 thats that.
Paul Kent
Ephesians 4:1-6
carrienkashe
New member
I am a customer of Lou's. Last month I purchased a male Lesser ball python from him. I didn't have to have my snake shipped, however I did get to see what kind of business man Lou is for several months before I purchased my snake. I sell crested geckos at a show that Lou sells snakes at and my table has been next to Lou's (2 times a month) for several months. During this time while we didn't talk much (I didn't have an interest in snakes then) I witnessed how Lou interacted with his customers. I can't tell you the number of people who stop by his table just to talk snakes and let him know how their snakes from him were doing. I never once heard/saw a dissatisfied customer. Recently at a different show, I saw a snake that I just loved (a lesser). I came home, did some research and decided I wanted to get one. I can't tell you how excited I was when I found out Lou had a lesser for sale. It was reassuring to me to be purchasing from him. Being a first time snake owner I had tons of questions at the show and some I emailed to him later. He was alway prompt at answering my emails, repeatedly offering his phone number so I could call him, as well as going out of his way to check in with me to see how the snake was doing.
Even if I didn't know Lou, I feel that he has tried to work out a solution even with a failed delivery attempt and then not being contacted for 4 hours after the snake arrived. His TOS weren't met but he still offered other snakes that he had available. I know some question why he would ask the guy to pay for shipping, but I know of several big name crested gecko breeders who will not pay shipping for replacement even when the error is completely theirs. I can't honestly say if it is like that with snake breeders.
Even if I didn't know Lou, I feel that he has tried to work out a solution even with a failed delivery attempt and then not being contacted for 4 hours after the snake arrived. His TOS weren't met but he still offered other snakes that he had available. I know some question why he would ask the guy to pay for shipping, but I know of several big name crested gecko breeders who will not pay shipping for replacement even when the error is completely theirs. I can't honestly say if it is like that with snake breeders.
StrictlyExotics
New member
Eddie, if you keep an open mind and stop with the petty issues of paying another 100.00, you might actually get some resolve here. Be smart and realize that he is REALLY meeting you halfway by offering you another spider for 50.00 + shipping.
If you can just talk to me, I can get really get this solved for the both of you. Swallow some pride and just take a moment to think abiout the best possible outcome here. Do you want to lose 350.00 because he will stick to his TOS, or, do you want to get something for your investment?
Lou does not seem unreasonable, as I have opened a channel of communication with him regarding this issue. The more you keep dragging his name in the mud though, the less you should expect him to bend regarding the missed first attempt
chris allen
Well-known member
Very nice of you Dean.
Eddie, listen to Dean, lol. See what you guys can come up with.
Eddie, listen to Dean, lol. See what you guys can come up with.
StrictlyExotics
New member
Thanks Chris. If Eddie is your friend, get him to understand that I have nothing to gain from this and all I want to see is two people get a little satisfaction here.
I am pretty sure Lou is willing to listen to reason, as well as reasonable solutions to the problem. All I need is for Eddie to do the same and we will have, at least, a start to solving the problem.
Suncoast Herpetological
Lurking in the Shadows
And yet, this is a direct quote from your original thread
Kind of a direct contradiction.
If he offers you anything at this point Eddie, take it and consider yourself lucky. I just read the other thread and even without naming the seller, if I had been him, I would have been ticked at several of your comments. I probably would have changed the offer to a partial refund at that point though to avoid future problems with sending you a replacement.
Enough time invested in this one. Good luck to all
garweft
Inventor of the Internets
It is still my opinion that you both messed up. But if your UPS driver didn't attempt the delivery then I commend you for calling and letting it be known. I've never had a DOA, but can guess that it would not be a fun experience.
As a shipper Lou really needed to look at the temps of both locations and take that into consideration when packing to ship. With those temperature extremes it would have been best to put off shipping for a few days until you had more reasonable temps.
I have shipped to Alaska from Ohio and I know that package was in transit longer than this package. 4 hours should never make a difference, but if temps are too high it can make all the difference. And I don't think anyone would argue that knowing the shipping temperatures, deciding if shipping is safe, and packaging the animal for a worst case scenario is the sole responsibility of the shipper.
As a shipper Lou really needed to look at the temps of both locations and take that into consideration when packing to ship. With those temperature extremes it would have been best to put off shipping for a few days until you had more reasonable temps.
I have shipped to Alaska from Ohio and I know that package was in transit longer than this package. 4 hours should never make a difference, but if temps are too high it can make all the difference. And I don't think anyone would argue that knowing the shipping temperatures, deciding if shipping is safe, and packaging the animal for a worst case scenario is the sole responsibility of the shipper.
Paul Kent
Ephesians 4:1-6
Southern Wolf
I don't bite..... HARD!!!
Lou.... talk with Dean and see if you both cant resolve this for a partial refund.
I know there is more details with this story than what is being told. I can see fault on both sides of the fence.
Offer a 50% refund and put this behind you. Trust me, as a business you will be much better off.
Eddie.... If you know there is problems with your UPS driver.... for gods sake... be close enough by the front door to where you can stop him before he gets back in his truck... or at least be able to flag him down. Lou really does have a right to stand behind his TOS and refuse refund due to a missed delivery. HOWEVER I also find fault in that a python if packaged properly, it would have made it till 2pm in your weather conditions.
Utta
HELL is my home
but we don't know where the snake was in the truck. I think if it was closer to the driver under other boxes or someing along those lines, would have kept him alive, yes. But if he was near the roof touching the metal, etc, would raise the temps in the box to near death, and with the heat pack, would push it over the limit of the poor spider. (My .02)rjs73
New member
Four extra hours in a truck with 80 degree temps is more than enough time to kill a snake. If the package was on the floor of the truck, the heat from the exhaust would make the box an oven even without a heat pack included.
A few years ago a friend of mine was driving with a couple of boxes of snakes without a heat pack in an air conditioned van in the summer and cooked about 100k worth of snakes. He posted a thread about it to warn others about putting boxes on the floor of vans without a buffer between them.
A few years ago a friend of mine was driving with a couple of boxes of snakes without a heat pack in an air conditioned van in the summer and cooked about 100k worth of snakes. He posted a thread about it to warn others about putting boxes on the floor of vans without a buffer between them.
Amelanistic Orca
Well-known member
That spider, while horrible to look at, looks pliable.. How much rig had set in Ed?? That original heat pack with the pink stripe on it, looks hard to duplicate, and then the three of them, blew me away.. I don't know anyone, except a first time winger that would do that in that size box... Someone talk to me here... I think three based one those pics, that snake would have asphixiated in a few hours fast!!! I know neither party, Eddie, don't know your experience with dead bodies, snakes, rats, humans, whatever, buuuut, how long was that snake dead?? Don't know if that was asked, may have missed.... I don't think anybody would do three heat packs like that, but that original one on the lid, taped and solid, I dunno.. Where do those heat packs come from?? I have never seen one?? Anyone?? This is a crummy situation, look at the mess a dead snake leave's behind!! He looked great!!
aleria
New member
Most of those questions have already been answered throughout the thread.
I believe it was stated that the snake was still very soft, no rigor had set in yet on arrival.
The heat packs were stated to come from LLL Reptile.
deborahbroadus
HARD CANDY
Dennis Hultman
New member
I have a large case of them here. All of mine have the stripe. 40+ hour heat packs called UniHeat. They are made by American Pioneer International and distributed by Superior, Big Apple, LLL and others, I believe. They are reliable in my opinion and distributed widely in this industry/community, so I don't think it out of the ordinary that many of us would have them on hand.
Amelanistic Orca
Well-known member
I think the seller was fair in the offer of $100 to get another animal of equiv to the buyer!! It costs that to ship anything, that was fair, refunds rarely happen!! A used xbox purchase for the kids this weekend reminded me of that!! Lol.. The mere mentioning of three heat packs blew me away!! Thanks for the clarification on the heat packs Mr. H.. Too common I guess.. I get mine locally, they r the traceable kind!! Lol.. The heatpack questions gotta b answered!! Whatta claim though, three heatpacks, small box, omg, someone should never ship again!! That claim has got to be proven or disproven..
eddieriv
Royale with cheese.
How is a 200 gram spider a replacement for a 800 gram spider? I have stop posting on the thread because someone mentioned earlier that its not going anywhere. I pretty much washed my hands of the situation. Some of you can continue to make up your own stories allegations, accusations whatever you want. Move on from the thread I lost the $350 I have come to terms with it. I feel like a lot of people posting havn't read half of this post because if they did they wouldn't make up outlandish accusations. $100 for a 200 gram spider replacement is not a fair solution idk who disagrees with me thats not what I originally purchased. Like I said its like buying a fridge and it breaking and I get a replacement mini fridge.
I can care less how fast a snake can start breeding whether it be 800 grams or 200 grams point is I didn't get what I paid for and some of you expect me to pay more money for a non equivocal animal.
I messaged Dean and told him my stance now I ask you guys forget about this post because I am done with it. I was home the package never came until I called them and received it for hours later dead. Whether 1 pack or 3 the snake should be alive.