Cthulu77(chuck) I understand that you have seen many other people have been severly bashed on here. As mentioned they made a mistake and didn't feel the need to owe up to it. (By the way i'm a fan of Lovecraft as well.(Cthulu...) You insinuated that I would get in rescues and sell them. Let's address this. We take in over 150 rescues per year. All care and meds come out of our pocket. We offer these at no cost to nature centers, zoos, schools or approved keepers at no cost. At no time have we EVER sold a rescue. We have a number of specimens that have severe permanent injuries that we keep to educate the public about proper care and responsibility. I do not mention this to get a pat on the back. It's in the interest of the entire herpetological community to educate people so this does not happen again. My reward is to see peoples compassion when they see what can happen when a person is irresponsible. Yes, I did address the issue on TRR in regards to the rescues first. I felt that it was a priorty and i'm sure Tim can understand this and didn't mind waiting a few hours before I could address the issue of this thread. Next, it is mentioned that the specimen was "infested with mites" ? At no time was there a mention of a major infestation. It was "a few mites". Now before you run with the issue of a few mites or an infestation, let me say that even one mite is unaceptable to me...Especially on a sale. All possible efforts are made to ensure all specimens here are parasite free. I'm still looking into how it may have happened? I've even on occasion gotten mites that came from bedding.(I don't use that brand anymore.) If the snake was infested you should have seen evidence of mites on Tim's pics of the bag. You also mention, "why not stop taking orders..if i'm so busy?". The person who packed the specimen has never given me a reason to distrust him in his abilities. Has he made mistakes in the past? Yes have I made mistakes in the past? A big YES! We're all human. Also, new boxes and bags were available. We ship a number of anoles each week in these boxes. They do much better in these type of boxes than a normal box. He may have simply not thought it out well and made a choice that was a least incorrect. I never saw the box or how it was packed. I have not however, EVER seen him pack a shipment without newspaper both in the bag and as a cushion for the specimen in the box. Can I say that there was with absolute 100% certainty that there was newspaper? No...I did not see the box, packing method or deliver the specimen to the airport. I do however, question some of the statements on this. Someone, (I'm not going back to look who...) mentioned that I owed Chris with Top Shelf for a Fed-Ex bill? Well that's new to me? Chris and I have done business with each other on many occasions and I have a lot of respect for Chris. I would think he would make me aware of this if that were true? I use UPS not Fed-Ex and as far as I can recall I've never gotten a Fed-Ex shipment from him??? Thanks for the comments Evan and Zoo Supply. Also, Dan thanks for pointing out the fact that "bearded" was written on the bag. I think I know where that on came from.(A pet shop that sold out their bearded dragons) Greg...At NO time did I say that mites were no big deal or ok. Can they be dealt with easily? For the most part yes... However, no one should have to... We don't live in a perfect world. Also, it was asked how many people took care of our collection. Full time- myself and two other people. Part time- 2 volunteers and more when needed. We also, have people who "intern" so to speak. To get their hours needed to qualify for venomous or crocodilian permits. I would be happy to sent a can of provent-a-mite at not cost if needed. I would be happy to send an "upgrade animal" if one were available. (Must be female, C.B., exceptional color, and TAME. If anyone has one at a reasonable price let me KNOW! )It was mentioned by a few that maybe I should send a refund in full before the return...I don't know of anyone who would do such for me..HOWEVER, just to show how I will handle things...Look in your paypal account Tim and you will see that you already have 200.00 of the 275.00 cost of the snake returned. The balance and the shipping will be refunded within 48 hours of the receipt of the specimen. In addition if you do consider doing business with us again I will offer free shipping on any future order. I do apologize however, I think it was a very strong statement to open this thread in the manner you did. Plain and simply a specimen was packed in a manner not consistent with the quality and care normally done here. Nor was 100% effort made to examine the specimen before it went out. We send out conservatively 800 shipments per year. It only takes a couple to ruin a reputation you have built for years. Neither myself or my employee's are perfect. We will simply make every effort not to have this situation occur again. I try to make everyone happy with their purchase however, some will never be happy. Tim had every right to ask for a refund regardless of the questions of what was right or wrong. I believe I had a right to ask for a week delay so I could handle the situation MYSELF. If there are any more questions or if anyone feels I should handle this differently, by all means let me know. Thanks...Ray G. HBR
