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Shawn Skillings, The Vipers House Reptiles

D

dkpuma

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I purchased an adult pair of carpet pythons from Shawn at an agreed upon price. The animals arrive in an Amazon.com box. I open it up to find both animals in the same pillowcase within the box. There is no styrofoam insulation only shredded paper and what he says is an 18 hour "hot hands" heat pack. He's roughly 4 hours north of me. It's 39 degrees here and the snakes are 40 degrees according to the raytec!! I question him regarding the poor quality packing and he states that he used an 18 hour heat pack and has never had a problem before. He shipped the animals to me at 2 o'clock and sent them UPS overnight saver. They aren't supposed to arrive until 3 the next day, where does an 18 hour heat pack work here?

I asked him why no stryofoam liner and he replied "because the place i get it from  didnt have anything left   to fit the needs." So do you normally ship animals without proper packing materials?

I then ask what he will do as I'm sure I'll end up with respiratory infections and then he starts to show his true colors. Edited for younger viewers.

"excuse the f**k out of me     when i shipped those snakes    it was 50-60  f**king degrees  here..   so dont gimme none of ur s**t    cahlk up as a bad deal  you got them at a  below deal     cost to begin with   i have never had   ever had a problem with sending or quality of my animals   ...  ill chalk you up to i should have never sold u the snakes    had u told me   that it was so cold where u were i would have figured out another way    to pack them but that box WAS SEALED     WITH AN 18 HOUR HEAT PACK         and they were insulated with newspaper    so  say  what u want to      i knew  someone  who always wants everything as cheap as they can get it  would be  a trouble  maker     so whatever       my refferences and reputation   stands on its own        


shawn "

I may hold some blame as I didn't state that it was cold here, he never asked, but I never ship without checking on the weather myself. I do however question the fact is was cold on his end and we are only talking about shipping Pennsylvania to Northern Virginia. The weather is almost always identical and if anything colder on his end.

Just remember this if you plan on doing any business with Shawn Skilling [email protected]

David Van Houten
Logan Enterprises
 
ok let me ask this since u emphsized  amazon.com box   ?
whats it matter what box i use to send them in ??

u can say what u want        i have shipped many of snakes  and have never had a problem  what pissed me off about you and the reason  for  what i said is that you were calling me a liar  about wht the temps where in MY AREA  when i  shipped the snakes  out  and   u mention my 18 hour heat pack    well the snakes were susposed   to be sent  and delivered  by 10:30am  UPS  next day air saver  i dont know why  they got there  at only  3 oclock     they were susposed to be there earlier  in the morning   that would    be the reason for an 18 hour heat pack  
i will have to  question UPS  on why  it wasnt sent the proper method    FOR THAT I DO APOLOGIZE   ...
but i will not  apologize  to you for my reaction to you when u knowingly sit there and call me a liar  and u sit there  telling me exactly what the temps were in MY HOME AREA   when i knew exactly what they were    1 thing i do  not tollerate is being called a liar   ....
so i say again u can post what u want to about me    the  many of many people i do deal with    and have delt with on repeated business       knows  that i take every precaution i am capable to take  to insure safe and healthy  means  to ship any animal  i sell
if a situation  comes to be out of my control     i do the best  efforts i can to make  the next best   judgement call    and  there were no holes  in the box  all open areas   that would allow  alot of cold air to pass  were taped  securely  and the heat pack  was in the newspaper for the warmth    and i packed enough   newspaper in their      to insultate  them  and yes they are a pair    there is nuthing wrong with shipping them together   in the same bag  carpet pythons have no history  of   cannabalisim <( sry if i spelt it wrong )       so there was no fear  of them eating each other    .....     so  anyone is allowed to make their  own opinion   but like i said  the people   that i do business with and repeat business with  know my standards     when it comes to shipping and   quality   of my animals  .....  thanks  

shawn skillings
TheVipersHouse Reptiles & Exotics
 
cahlk up as a bad deal  <<<< this was a typo  



sorry  that part above this   was susposed to say  :
Chalk it  up to a bad deal?<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>?<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>?  

thats what u told me u were gonna do ...  well im sorry u think that ,   cause in no way shape  or form was it a bad deal for u  .......  
i cannot   help    for the time of shippment  to arrive  like it was susposed to   when it was screwed up by UPS  once they have it its outta my control   .......
i re-read my post and had to clear this up   so there was no confusion
 
Shawn.... just for your own edification.... if you ship something UPS and use their UPS Next Day Air SAVER label.... it will get there by 3<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'>0 PM!!! You should NEVER use the "saver", and you should NEVER use anything LESS than a 40-hour heat pack! Using the "saver" means that you're saving HALF of what it would cost for the 10:30 AM ticket.... that's WRONG! If you have to raise your price so you can afford to send it morning delivery.... then DO IT! But, NEVER EVER EVER send something (especially in the fall/winter) "Saver".... EVER!
Another thing.... large snakes SHOULD be bagged SEPARATELY! Period! With all the bouncing around during shipping, they could suffocate one another by accident.... and if you can't find styro.... DON'T SHIP!! Call the customer and just tell him the TRUTH! You'll be amazed that it works every time! Did you at least put shredded newspaper IN the snake bag, to absorb any excrement?? I hope so....
Shawn, look, you know we've spoke many times, and you seem to be a nice guy.... but, the way you shipped this particular package was ALL wrong.... you should always check the temps of the town they're going to.... that's what being a PROFESSIONAL is all about! Customer service doesn't stop when the customer pays you your money?<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'> If you do it right the first time.... you'll NEVER have to do it again....
Comprende, compadre???

....Neil
 
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">excuse the f**k out of me     when i shipped those snakes    it was 50-60  f**king degrees  here..   so dont gimme none of ur s**t    cahlk up as a bad deal  you got them at a  below deal     cost to begin with   i have never had   ever had a problem with sending or quality of my animals   ...  ill chalk you up to i should have never sold u the snakes    had u told me   that it was so cold where u were i would have figured out another way    to pack them but that box WAS SEALED     WITH AN 18 HOUR HEAT PACK         and they were insulated with newspaper    so  say  what u want to      i knew  someone  who always wants everything as cheap as they can get it  would be  a trouble  maker     so whatever       my refferences and reputation   stands on its own        </td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
There really is no excuse for an email like this, very childish. Neil is right UPS Saver is 3<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'>0pm.
Many pharmacies have solid styro boxes they will give you, they recieve meds in them and they can be reused.
40hr heat-paks are the ONLY kind to use, even if the package is supposed to arrive in 18hrs or less, carriers have been known to make errors, and we need to do all we can to protect the animals that we ship. 40hr heat-paks are available from most of the bigger herp outlets like, LLL and Bean farm.
 
"and have delt with on repeated business       knows  that i take every precaution i am capable to take  to insure safe and healthy  means  to ship any animal  i sell "

You shipped 2 snakes in the same bag w/no insulation......  That pretty much shows no regard for the health and well-being of the animal in my mind........  
And the manner in which you responded to David will keep me from ever doing business with you.  I'm sure many other readers will think the same....  Time for apologies and damage control maybe?  
Sorry.
Lucas
 
Oh yeah.... I forgot.... Shawn.... Lucas is absolutely correct!
Try to think of it this way.... tell yourself that EVERY email you EVER write, will SOONER OR LATER end up on this board!!
You will change your writing style immediately!
Take it from experience!!.... lol

....Neil
 
Shawn,
    I new you would show the real you sooner or later.  All I can say is very unprofessional to write and send an e-mail to a paying customer.  You have just sent your reputation even further into the hole as far as this board is concerned.  
   Trying to save a buck at the expense of the snakes is pathetic, you disgust me.  If the insulation doesn't fit, well then you cut it to make it fit.  And please use a 40 hr heat pack, are you insane?  
    You screwed up big time and all you are doing is pulling a Jerry Tubbs, or a Adam Block, coming on here and only defending your actions, instead of acknowledging your screw up and doing whatever possible to satisfy your customer.

Shame on you!  You've lost many potential customer because of your actions in this matter. <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':angry:'>
 
I personally would never, ever ship saver. that is just foolish. And even if the buyer may be in the wrong, I would never talk to them or anyone else like that. Just my opinion.
 
Shawn,

No offense and I hate to add insult to injury but it sounds like you need to re-examine your shipping technique.  Styrofoam is all but ESSENTIAL for shipping herps, even in the summer.  If you don't have the right materials...DON'T SHIP!

No way in heck cardboard and newspaper will insulate from the cold...even if you had a 40 hr heat pack it wouldn't do you much good.  And as for UPS, Neil's right...it says it right on the airbill that SAVER means you save money because they deliver later in the day.


Looks to me like you dropped the ball here buddy and your email isn't helping your case much.
 
I have a question regarding the temps.  Wait, before that, do you guarantee live arrival?  If so, would it not be smart to cover you tail and check on the temps where the package is going?
Second, you said it was 50-60 degrees where you live when you sent it.  I might have missed it, as I am not sure where you are form, but here in PHOENIX, AZ, yes, a desert, it has been 80 during the day and in the FORTIES at my house at night.  Just because it is a "OK" temp where you are does not mean it does not still get cool at night OR it's final destination.  Just admit you made an error and then learn from it.  Arguing does nothing more than make you sound (and it does appear as so) that you do not care.
Brian oakley
 
im no fan of shawns so this is not a rah rah post for him.
a couple well known reptile companies send boxes in summer..no styraphoam..nada..
i also once got a lecture from stan chiras who also happens to be an airline pilot about heat packs..
his point and i tend to agree with part of it was..its alot easier to kill a snake with heat then with cold
<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>? just a thought.
third thing..remember when shipping that ups and airborne reroute packages in the night at a hub station..airborne is wilmington ohio and ups is lexington kentucky..all boxes even if you ship across the street go there first..
so..pack for the weather in those cities and assume the boxes spend a decent amount of time sitting on a runaway in the middle of the night..
my 02 cents.
 
Well even if the weather on either end is "perfect" the packages are going other places, and the hold of the plane isn't heated....
 
That wasn't meant to be mean. Knowing Shawn I am going to get it now. :)

The one snake I got from him YEARS ago is alive and doing great. Came to me healthy as well.

I guess you sold that rhino viper?
 
I understand the reasoning behind the 40h heat packs and respect the opinion of those that prefer them during this time of the year. Nevertheless in certain areas daytime temperatures can currently be in the high 90's and lows in the 50's. I'd rather ship overnight, which for me means 15 h or less in the package (ship at 7 pm, drop before 10:30 am) with an 18h heat pack. If there is a delay in delivery, a 40h heat pack with 90+ degree weather is a chance I don't want to take. What I'm trying to avoid is the cold of that first night for sure. I agree they are a must during winter, but during fall weather I don't feel comfortable using them (particularly because I am confident my packages will arrive in due time. And yes, prolonged cold might (depending on species and temps) get a snake sick or even kill her, short exposure to extreme heat will kill her for sure.

Regards.
 
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