Info Mike @ Outback Reptiles

[Mike Schultz]

I wonder if you purchased something, had your money accepted by the seller, had a shipping date, took a day off work, waited around all day fruitlessly, and the seller's attitude was "oops", would you be so casual about it?

Yes, because I am a reasonable person and I understand that mistakes can happen, and as long as they are fixed I see no reason to continue to harass them about "what they could have done better." It's pretty clear what i could have done better, and I admitted and apologized for it in my first email to Eyvonne.

 

[Reptar]

I don't know Mike nor have I ever purchased from Mike but I would not hesitate to do business with him after reading this. I know the white plains, NY show was this past Sunday and Outback is located in Manassas VA. We are talking major planning to travel with that many animals for a trip that is between 5 to 7 hours depending on traffic. I can see how this mistake can happen and is ridiculous to expect him to give you a free snake and demand he fix his system after receiving a full refund, an apology, and a discount on anything else you wanted. Mike maybe next time don't offer Papa John's, I know I would feel insulted if you sent me Papa John's with a Bertucci's being so close to me.

 

[TeguBuzz]

What I got out of this?

If I ever do business with Mike and things don't go as planned, at least I'd be getting my money back.

OP, I'm glad you just posted this as an info. thread, otherwise my reaction would have been totally different towards you. While I see the arguments Lucille, yourself and some others have made, I think it's gotten too dragged out and repetitive at 5 pages of the same reading material.

Mike messed up and apologized "several" times as he put it, but his apologies in this thread have reached far past several now. You got your money back and it all was settled.

Missing a day at work on Tuesday? I think that ones on you, you slept Monday without a tracking number - as someone previously said, that's enough for me to assume a package isn't coming. In all the years I've been ordering online, I have never once, not received a tracking number the day prior to arrival.

This issue was settled before this thread. Mike doesn't have a track record of such issues, this thread makes it sound like he does and needs to fix this problem because it has happened countless times (not really though).

Anyways, I hope both of you just put it to rest because there's really nothing left to gain out of this and it seems as though it's just causing headaches for all.

 

[Alexandersalamander]

In my opinion, this whole situation seems to have been blown out of proportion. Mike made what seems to have been an honest mistake, and rectified it once he was aware of the situation. He didn't try to keep the money, nor did he blame the customer for his mistake. I can understand how mix-ups could happen once in a blue moon when in the business of selling reptiles. I don't think Mike's system seems flawed and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase an animal from him. This thread has devolved into a meaningless back-and-forth with both sides simply repeating themselves, and I see no reason for this. The situation has been resolved and this seems like an isolated incident, which shows that Mike's system isn't inherently flawed. Just my $0.02.

 

[Snake-Queen]

Take this simple advice OP: don't order from someone BEFORE they do a show and expect shipping the Monday AFTER. Shows are exhausting, and good business, and most vendors are highly motivated to sell AT the respective shows, in-person. Whatever's left is what you get. Priority is on the show.

I did not see where Mike mentioned that he was vending a show that weekend in the emails between them, so your "advice" is invalid. Mike dropped the ball. He did apologize & refund promptly, which shows he is a good guy. I believe most people are a little put off by his blasé attitude. However, a good point was brought up, she had no tracking number, so it would stand to reason that there was not going to be a shipment.

 

[jusmebabee]

Sometimes you can't satisfy a person no matter what you do.
Anyone who thinks the answer to a hiccup is overhauling the system probably isn't business smart.
Someone suggested hiring a person for the internet. He would have to raise prices to pay for that extra body which makes no sense at all.
The best thing Mike can do is not reply to this thread again.
Every response will bring on another question. Just look at prior threads.

 

[BeauBoi]

Missing a day at work on Tuesday? I think that ones on you, you slept Monday without a tracking number - as someone previously said, that's enough for me to assume a package isn't coming. In all the years I've been ordering online, I have never once, not received a tracking number the day prior to arrival.

Did You even read the email thread?

How did I "sleep" through Monday? I tried calling and texting to find out wether the animal shipped or not. The last time I spoke to Mike, he said it would arrive Tuesday. Nor did he or his business answer either of their numbers on Monday or Tuesday. Nor did they answer text messages or emails. It must be nice that you work in a job where you can come and go as you like, but I don't. Since I asked a co-worker to cover for me Tuesday, I couldn't just up and decided I wanted to go in after all.

How was I to know if he forgot to ship, or if he shipped and forgot to send the tracking number? I live in South Carolina, if he had "slipped up" and "forgotten" to send the tracking number and I just went to work, then I would have come home to a dead snake.

Finally, I NEVER expected Mike to send me a free animal! Mike made it clear from the start that he was willing to make this right....as long as it involved absolutely no effort on his part. The ONLY reason I said that, I would PAY for another snake if he would find me one, is because he kept on saying that it was impossible to make me happy-- it isn't impossible to make me happy, but a 10% discount on a $55 snake DOSNT make it "right" by me.

I didn't post this thread because I expected Mike to make any meaningful effort. I knew when I posted that he had no intention by the time he sent me pictures of himself eating pizza. I posted it for the same reason I have posted other BOIs-- to let other people know how the transaction went.

Again, to be clear: I dont expect Mike to do anything. He has been pretty clear from the begining that he isn't going to do anything if it requires effort in his part.

~Beau

 

[senusenu]

Someone suggested hiring a person for the internet. He would have to raise prices to pay for that extra body which makes no sense at all.

He doesn't need to hire someone else. He already has staff. Just train them to take stock off the website if it's no longer available, or whatever is necessary to prevent it happening again.

It doesn't take an "overhaul" to have someone actually check if an animal's been sold online before selling in store, or to mark something out of stock on the website.

Y'all are acting like it's some massive, inconceivable thing to simply look at the available stock levels.

 

[senusenu]

How was I to know if he forgot to ship, or if he shipped and forgot to send the tracking number? I live in South Carolina, if he had "slipped up" and "forgotten" to send the tracking number and I just went to work, then I would have come home to a dead snake.

Exactly. This line of thought is absolutely baffling. Suppose you had just assumed that the snake hadn't been shipped and left the house- lo and behold, it arrives while you're out for a few hours. You've blown your live arrival guarantee because you weren't there to accept the shipment, and the innocent animal could have suffered and died in the heat of summer. Then, it would be you, Eyvonne, in the chair for not assuming he DID ship the snake but that the email saying so simply got "lost"(forgotten). In such a situation, who would support you when, "well, Mike SAID he was shipping for Tuesday delivery, you couldn't just believe him and be there for it? How is that his fault?"

You, as the customer, will never win with some people.

 

[Craig Wyatt]

What is the point of this thread? Are you trying to drive business away from outback? I personally think this will help bring in new sales and I hope it does. As humans we are naturally flawed and we all screw up. But what measures a man is how he handles his screw ups. Mike immediately refunded. What's the problem. I understand you were looking forward to getting your animal but another cool one will turn up again. I promise you that. This is so so so so not a big deal and certainly was not worth posting. Being disappointed always sucks atleast a little but COME ON this sotuation is pretty much nothing.
So what have we learned here. Well if you do business with outback reptiles sounds like your in guaranteed good hands. If there is a problem it will get fixed. And fixed FAST!! Mike is a good dude. And the owner Ian runs a tidy ship. There is a good reason outback has been around since the 90s. Flat out great business all the way around.
If you never want to deal with them again it will be your loss.

 

[DollysMom]

I guess what I hoped to see was just an assurance that there was going to be a change in the system to minimize this happening again. I was done with this thread but am now seeing it turn on Eyvonne, the OP, so I'll say it one more time.

The OP repeatedly tried to make contact Monday and was ignored.

The fact that only 1 in 29 orders went wrong is not reassuring to me. I'd love it if I had a 1 in 29 chance of winning the lottery. A 1 in 29 chance of not getting my order AND not being notified in a timely manner, not so much.

Again I will say, this is NOT a bad guy thread. The OP/buyer has been made whole. But to lay this mistake and its consequences at the feet of the OP/buyer is plain wrong. She contacted several times Monday and was not responded to in a timely manner. I don't see Mike's screenshots of any calls to the OP where he tried to reach her on Monday or where she was unavailable or didn't return his calls. He simply didn't follow through. Not a crime for sure, but not good business practice either.

 

[hhmoore]

Odds are that - after doing a busy two day show, traveling home, and dealing with the immediate needs of the returning animals - Mike may not have been there on Monday when she was calling. Nobody is business 24/7, if they have any sense. That doesn't explain why NOBODY responded to her, or why she took a day off from work without confirmed shipping.
As far as worries about the health of the animal, I can't take people seriously when they say that while having the animal shipped to their door during the summer or winter. There are better options if the health of the animal is of concern.

 

[BeauBoi]

Odds are that - after doing a busy two day show, traveling home, and dealing with the immediate needs of the returning animals - Mike may not have been there on Monday when she was calling. Nobody is business 24/7, if they have any sense. That doesn't explain why NOBODY responded to her, or why she took a day off from work without confirmed shipping.
As far as worries about the health of the animal, I can't take people seriously when they say that while having the animal shipped to their door during the summer or winter. There are better options if the health of the animal is of concern.

Actually, Mike told me to "call anytime, 24 hours a day. We are always open", which it also says on his FaceBook page.

Secondly, I had to call a do-worker in advance to get my shift covered. It wouldn't be fair for me to just show up for work after she had already driven into the city to work my shift.

Finally, for those asking "why did the OP post this thread?". Isn't that what the BOI is for? To share with the community how people do business? I have posted "Good Guy" threads plenty of times, and people didn't ask why I posted those.

~Beau

 

[BeauBoi]

Actually, Mike told me to "call anytime, 24 hours a day. We are always open", which it also says on his FaceBook page.

Secondly, I had to call a do-worker in advance to get my shift covered. It wouldn't be fair for me to just show up for work after she had already driven into the city to work my shift.

Finally, for those asking "why did the OP post this thread?". Isn't that what the BOI is for? To share with the community how people do business? I have posted "Good Guy" threads plenty of times, and people didn't ask why I posted those.

~Beau

Oh, and just so you know, I DID express concern about shipping in this heat to Mike, but he said that he was already shipping other animals on Monday and that the overnight temperatures would be fine as long as I was there to sign for it and "not just leave it sitting one the porch which would violate the live arrival guarantee".

~Beau

 

[DanSB]

I feel compelled to toss in my opinion since I've done business with Mike, would do so again, and want to see him succeed because I was very pleased with both the animals and service I received.

A: It is insane to home in on a single mistake and demand an entire functional process be changed. If this becomes a regular problem I volunteer to review the process and suggest changes. I do this for large corporations and am pretty good at identifying if a mistake is derived from a process issue or simple one time human error.

B: Mike gave a full refund, offered a discount, and even a pizza! I believe this qualifies as extraordinary service in the reptile industry. I have to be honest I often wonder how people I've had good transactions with would handle a bad transaction. They happen to everyone at least once because humans are human. This example gives me confidence in recommending Mike to anyone.

C: I don't really have a C point but 3 points just look better...

- Dan Brownfield

 

[Snake-Queen]

What is the point of this thread?

The point is she was sharing her experience.

Are you trying to drive business away from outback?

I didn't infer that.


I think it's good that she posted. It shows a few things, that when something does go wrong, Mike will refund & apologize if the error was his.

It also shows that if one emails or calls, to ask are you sure the animal is available & are you vending a show this weekend.





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[AllisonLeigh]

Just my 2 cents but I don't think Beau 's intention was to drag Mike through the mud as some people seem to think. Clearly there is a flaw in his online system as it is possible for an employee to sell a snake and it still be purchased, and paid for, on the website. Plus, the lack of communication as soon as the mistake was discovered is frustrating. I don't think Mike is a bad guy for this occurring, but it does make a potential customer ask themselves if they want to tie up funds, not knowing if they are actually going to get what they bought.

I think what Beau is looking for is you (Mike) to look at your own system and see if there is something you can do to avoid someone feeling the disappointment she felt. Possibly tie your POS in to your website , require all sales be logged as soon as the sale takes place, require a nightly inventory verification against the website stock, etc.
Time is money and, like my money, my time isn't infinite so I would be quite irritated as well if I had to take a day off work for this. Also, to anyone saying she shouldn't have take the day off until she had the tracking #, not all of us have the luxery of being able to take time off with that short of notice.

All in all, sorry to hear the sale went sour... I'm glad you shared your experience and I hope Mike uses it as an opportunity to improve his inventory system. Improvement is good, as is pizza

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[DollysMom]

I feel compelled to toss in my opinion since I've done business with Mike, would do so again, and want to see him succeed because I was very pleased with both the animals and service I received.

Very happy to hear that.

A: It is insane to home in on a single mistake and demand an entire functional process be changed. If this becomes a regular problem I volunteer to review the process and suggest changes. I do this for large corporations and am pretty good at identifying if a mistake is derived from a process issue or simple one time human error.

Insane? Kind of over the top language there. We don't know whether this is a single mistake or not. No one is demanding. Hoping, yes. Requesting, yes. Expressing some level of frustration, yes. Constantly acknowledging that this was a mistake and not a bad guy, yes.

B: Mike gave a full refund, offered a discount, and even a pizza! I believe this qualifies as extraordinary service in the reptile industry. I have to be honest I often wonder how people I've had good transactions with would handle a bad transaction. They happen to everyone at least once because humans are human. This example gives me confidence in recommending Mike to anyone.

Yes, he did refund and good for him. Yes, mistakes happen. But being unwilling to learn from, evaluate and change behavior as a result of a mistake that caused a paying customer a major inconvenience, not so great. I don't know about you but when I make I mistake I try to learn from it, so at least my next mistake will be a different one.

C: I don't really have a C point but 3 points just look better...

Not really, lol.

 

[hhmoore]

Just my 2 cents but I don't think Beau 's intention was to drag Mike through the mud as some people seem to think. Clearly there is a flaw in his online system as it is possible for an employee to sell a snake and it still be purchased, and paid for, on the website. Plus, the lack of communication as soon as the mistake was discovered is frustrating. I don't think Mike is a bad guy for this occurring, but it does make a potential customer ask themselves if they want to tie up funds, not knowing if they are actually going to get what they bought.

I think what Beau is looking for is you (Mike) to look at your own system and see if there is something you can do to avoid someone feeling the disappointment she felt. Possibly tie your POS in to your website , require all sales be logged as soon as the sale takes place, require a nightly inventory verification against the website stock, etc.
Time is money and, like my money, my time isn't infinite so I would be quite irritated as well if I had to take a day off work for this. Also, to anyone saying she shouldn't have take the day off until she had the tracking #, not all of us have the luxery of being able to take time off with that short of notice.

All in all, sorry to hear the sale went sour... I'm glad you shared your experience and I hope Mike uses it as an opportunity to improve his inventory system. Improvement is good, as is pizza

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Like many in this thread, you are addressing this as if it is Mike's system and Mike's problem. Mike does not own Outback Reptiles - he's an employee.
A mistake was made, apologieS were given, and offers made to help ease the sting. If somebody doesn't like the way it was handled, it is their prerogative to shop elsewhere....and, the reality is, with the volume of business they do, they likely won't miss the people that get bent about something like this.

The OP was not forced to accept that particular day for shipping, so the crying about taking the day off falls on (in my case) unsympathetic ears. I understand that some people work M-F, and don't have weekdays available to receive shipments...but people manage all the time. One can have them delivered to a trusted friend or family member; some people have animals shipped to their jobs...but having shipments held at the hub is a safer option for the animals anyway. There's also the option of Delta Dash (not really worth it for a single, inexpensive animal - but it's still an option).

 

[DollysMom]

While the OP was not forced to take a particular day, an agreement was made none the less. Both parties agreed to that day. The fact that the seller did not deliver on that day is not the OPs fault. It falls squarely on the seller. The buyer took a day off in the good faith that the seller would fulfill the agreement. The buyer also attempted to confirm. I disagree that this falls on the OP.

You are right about this being an employee and not the boss. That's a good point. It would have been simple for that employee to say he's bringing this unfortunate situation to the attention of the higher ups for evaluation.

And one more time, none of this constitutes a bad guy. I'm not saying that this seller or company deserve bad guy status, but I won't stand for "blame the victim" mentality. (To be clear, "victim" used here as an expression of speech, not literally in this sense.)