• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

UPS, FedEx, Airborne Express, USPS - bad guys.

I can't believe you wuold get emails such as what you discribed. Who are they to say we, I, you can't contact a company to get them to see what they are missing? Maybe I am missing the ideas behind the emails, but nothing like free enterprise and the consumer speaking their mind/s as to what services they provide and/or do not provide.

Companies add and/or take away services, products, and more due to customer feedback, emails, letters, phone calls, all the time. Why is this different?
 
WebSlave said:

Perhaps some people are willing to sit on their hands and w-a-i-t for someone else to do this for them, but I am not.
Click to expand...

I agree, if you are not willing to try to fix the problem then you should not complain.
 
Rich

Dont let them get under your skin. To me they sound like the kind of people that will bitch about our government, but not make the effort to go and VOTE.

Why should we sit by and wait for a "orginazation" to handle this for us, when we have orginized ourselves, and taken this bull by the horns as you said.

To anyone who thinks this is the wrong way to handle it, well thats your opinion Come up with a better plan and Im sure we would listen. But to say "let the pros at pjac handle it" when they are unwilling to touch the issue it seems, well thats not going to cut it.

Mickey Hinkle
The Lizard king Reptiles
 
First of all, I would like to say good job to the front line with taking on this major task! I have read all of the posts related to this topic and it gives me hope that there are enough people supporting the little guys, which inturn is supporting their own future. I feel that without the beginers the pyramid effect does not work. I plan on expanding my hobby to the next level, which is to get involved in shipping. It is a great for people to share their trials and tribulations in order for others to learn. You all have my support and I will pass the information on to others.
 
What is the link to the petition?

Hello, my name is Stephen Barger. Some of you may remember me, some may not. Either way, I currently have a small collection of coulubrids, with intent of breeding them in the next 1-2 years. I am also in the early stages of opening a herp store, that would sell wholesale and retail various herps and supplies for them. I used to sell wholesale via the internet, and I would like to get back into this as well.. The key is, I used to have authorization from Airborne to ship herps, although it was in writing, it was only from the local office, and they stated that national could override them at any time. That was always a consideration.

I hopefully will be up in running again within 6 months (both retail shopping ctr in Virginia, and online), but to do this, I would need to ship snakes again. I would definately like to sign the petition that is to be sent to the shipping companies, if someone could please repost the link.. I saw it a few dozen pages back on this thread, but I have no clue which # page it was. Thanks.

Look forward to getting back into the business, and getting to know you all!!

Have a wonderful day.

Stephen Barger
Newport News, VA
 
The link to the petition is posted in an announcement at the top of EVERY forum on this site.

<a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/harmless/petition.html" target="_blank">Sign the online petition here!</a>
 
:eek: Sorry Webslave.. I have seen that at the top of every forum for the last several days, at least a hundred times :).... I guess I saw it so much I stopped seeing it :) . Thanks for your reply.

Stephen Barger
 
Attention: People shipping via Airborne Express

The other day I sent a query to DHL/Airborne Express about their policies concerning shipping live reptiles. I had hoped that perhaps the change in ownership may have made a difference in their policies. Well, I guess I was right, but not in the manner I had hoped. I got this as a reply, which may be significant for a LOT of people here:

Thank you for contacting DHL.

I apologize, Airborne Express did accept reptiles, but due to the integration DHL no longer accepts them.

We appreciate the opportunity to serve you.

Ejama
Customer Service
DHL/Airborne Express
Click to expand...
 
We tried using DHL for cricket shipments. By far the worst experience shipping in my life. We got lucky and 10% of the packages arrived properly.
 
Well, I learned to hate Airborne Express with a passion, but it was a "last resort" option at one time that I would grit my teeth and put up with if necessary. Apparently that door has now been closed with that merger with DHL. I know of quite a few people who are shipping their animals with Airborne Express, so they need to perk up their ears over this new information.

Probably their first indication of a significant problem for their business is going to be a phone call from DHL/Airborne Express telling them to come pick up their packages at the terminal.

I've been monitoring that poll that Christian has set up and find it rather noteworthy for the people who are NOT signed up on it. I'm glad they think they can sit back and ignore this issue.

I think it would be a real good idea for most people to make sure that their verified known shipper status with the airline of their choice is uptodate as well. Things could get ugly.
 
Yes, I never got called back either from my airborne/dhl rep that missed us so much :)
And I noticed that my cricket supplier stopped using airborne as well. Only fedex.
I'm still waiting for my callback from my UPS rep.
I also believe that if one company is willing to work with us, let's give them the business--there is no need to ship without labeling boxes and threaten the wellfare of animals and our business if we do not have to.
Dana
 
My Local UPS

I have had nothing but excellent service from my local UPS. There are two pick up/deliveries per day here, as well as a local UPS package drop-off center. Both of my UPS delivery people have been inside my place and checked out my geckos, and one of them has actually purchased one for his son.

If they are in the area in the morning, they will stop by to check if I have anything going out, to save me the trouble of dropping them off. The local drop-off folks asked me to bring the next box in unsealed so they could see what the geckos looked like... only because they were curious, and all asked for my business card.

Yesterday, I was expecting a gecko to be delivered to me before 10:30 am, and I got a call from the UPS Distribution Center at about 8:30 am telling me that the package was there, and it had missed getting put on the early delivery truck because they could not get it inspected in time, and it was there in the office keeping it warm until the next truck went out. (California law requires ALL incoming animals and agricultural items be inspected.)

They called back in about an hour and told me they got phone approval from the inspector, and a supervisor was just leaving to drive the box out to me. Within 45 minutes he was at the door, box in hand, in the pouring rain. I thanked him and asked him if he wanted to come in and take a look at the geckos, and he replied, "Maybe another time, but I've been on your website!"

Now, I don't have any type of contract with UPS other than my account, and I know this is the exception to the rule... but wouldn't it be great if we ALL had this kind of service?
 
Marcia

It would be great, and honestly you can above the books with the animals your dealing with.

I have an exemption to ship LIZARDS and FROGS only via ups, and its not really hard to get. You may want to look into it, to save from future hassel, should your local management change.

I do agree it would be nice is all the hubs were as receptive as yours.

Mickey Hinkle
The Lizard King Reptiles
 
Incredible!

To date, there have been only 874 people who signed that petition Christian Reynolds created concerning shipping. That is just over 10 percent of the registered members here, and less than 25 percent of the number of people who check into this site every day. And far less than likely the entire total of people who have certainly heard about this petition by now.

I am rather surprised at the names I do NOT see on that list, so I assume the status quo is just ducky for many people.

Obviously this is a non-issue to most of you, or perhaps you would rather just be a spectator and hope you can reap the rewards of others doing the fighting for you. Or perhaps you have your own reasons for just not getting involved.

Whatever.....
 
I'm never keen on online petitions, as I generally view them as an exercise in futility. However, I just ensured I was #877 on the list.

C'mon folks... it takes less than a minute.
 
Not only that but some people who signed took it as a joke. I'm not sure how carefully you read at the names, but some are obviously made up and should be deleted if there was a possibility to do that. :(
 
I saw the names you are referring to. Apparently Christian does not have the capability to delete those names. It's times like this that I think the Internet wasn't such a hot idea after all.
 
Wow.

This is actually computer parts, not anything alive....but I thought you might get a kick out of it (or something).

This is the actual record of what's happened to this package, according to Fed Ex's website:

Date/time

Status

Location

Comments


Feb 28, 2004 3:51 pm

Left FedEx Sort Facility

MEMPHIS TN




3:23 pm

Left FedEx Sort Facility

MEMPHIS TN




Feb 27, 2004 5:19 pm

Arrived at FedEx Ramp

DENVER CO




9:52 am

Left FedEx Sort Facility

MEMPHIS TN




Feb 26, 2004 10:21 pm

Left FedEx Sort Facility

NEWARK NJ




8:42 pm

Arrived at Sort Facility

NEWARK NJ




8:42 pm

Arrived at Sort Facility

NEWARK NJ




12:06 pm

Pickup status

EDISON NJ

Pre-routed meter pkg picked up


12:04 pm

Left FedEx Origin Location

EDISON NJ
 
The best one I had was some dragons we had shipped to us from Texas. On the day they were supposed to arrive I looked up the tracking. Showed them still in Texas at 10:30 am. So I called UPS to see what was up. According to the rep, they would be delayed a day due to weather. So, still talking to that rep, I signed for the package because the driver had walked into the office at that time with my dragons. Pure silence when I mentioned to the customer service person, that they were in my hand and not in Texas. :D
 
Nothing to worry about... (honest)

WebSlave said:
I saw the names you are referring to. Apparently Christian does not have the capability to delete those names. It's times like this that I think the Internet wasn't such a hot idea after all.
Click to expand...

I can download a list of all the names in a tab delimited format (which can be imported into MS Excel or MS Access) and will do so at the end of the 90 day petition drive. I will then remove the obviously incorrect names before printing out the petition and mailing it to all the shipping companies I can find.

We can also mention this petition in our correspondence withs hipping companies, as they can view it online also. Perhaps if they see the list is growing, we will get better response from them. However, I have no intention of sending this petition until the 90 days expire, so get everyone you know to sign it. It doesn't only have to be herp people, it can be anyone who believes in the cause. SO GET EVERYONE IN YOUR FAMILY, CHURCH, OR EVEN BOWLOING LEAGUE TO SIGN IT!
 
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