If an animal dies after purchase?? Your thoughts Please

[falconboy]

Falconboy, you have to assume the freight company is competent. It's not in their best interest to kill your animals through neglect.

Not sure I'd agree with that 100%. They basically have a monopoly. The herp world would practically ground to a halt without AAE. How many of us here have heard some of the horror stories that show up AAE as incompetant (at times), yet we still risk freighting animals.

How many people still sign up with Telstra/Bigpond even though a huge number of us think/know they are the most useless company to deal with, and most of us have heard of problems with their service. And theres tonnes of alternatives too. Some of the most incompetent companies survive through a monopoly or simply because of the sheer population - theres always going to be a market there for them. Australia Post also springs to mind.

 

[falconboy]

Quite a varied response from those posting in this thread - and not one aggressive post

You wanna make something of it? Take a swing! :lol:

 

[spilota_variegata]

You wanna make something of it? Take a swing! :lol:

I'm a lover not a fighter

 

[addy]

Having an animal die soon after purchase is very suspect, but doesn't always mean you've been ripped off. I mean, you are welcome to inspect most reptiles before purchase. This is one reason i'd never ship or have a reptile shipped to me.

 

[moosenoose]

I'd be ultra cheesed off if it was a $5000 GTP dying within a week! :lol:

 

[itbites]

All i know is i will never buy from a private interstate breeder again!! i recently spent around 400 for a purchase only to have the little critters arrive all sick and diseased and since the purchase some have died as well! It's devastating to the buyer when they purchase an animal thats sick and not at all what they expected, only to have it pass away in their care...Some people are just horrible!! The seller should most definitely be responsible for what animals they sell.

 

[nightowl]

I bought a port mac a couple of years ago from someone on this site and it died 2 weeks after I got it home. I picked it up in Sydney, so no freight company was involved. The autopsy report diagnosed Renal Failure as the COD and the vet said the snake would have had that problem for some time prior to the purchase. I contacted this person and they did not respond. If it had have been a few thousand dollars involved that person would be in a very different situation than they are in now....

 

[Mrs I]

Does it matter if it is a $50 beardie or a $5000 snake ??

 

[nightowl]

yes it does to me. Obviously the death of any animal is not good but the added financial loss makes it worse.

 

[FAY]

My unwritten law....I only buy from people that I know I can trust!!..

 

[Mrs I]

My unwritten law....I only buy from people that I know I can trust!!..

Even that is hard to work out sometimes !

Mrs I

xxx

 

[Ramsayi]

Heres something for all the disgruntled buyers in this thread.

You end up breeding a clutch of whatever and they are all perfectly healthy and well established before you offer them up for sale.You know how well you keep your animals and you know nothing is wrong with any of them.

You sell the entire clutch and have no problems with the buyers with the exception of one who has their animal die 1,2 or 3 weeks later.Where do you stand on refund/replacement?

 

[falconboy]

My unwritten law....I only buy from people that I know I can trust!!..

I guess thats a good idea, but until you build up a network of known trusted herpers, it makes it pretty difficult to obtain the species you want, when you want it.

 

[moosenoose]

Does it matter if it is a $50 beardie or a $5000 snake ??

:lol: What do you think?? :lol: :lol:

 

[falconboy]

Heres something for all the disgruntled buyers in this thread.

You end up breeding a clutch of whatever and they are all perfectly healthy and well established before you offer them up for sale.You know how well you keep your animals and you know nothing is wrong with any of them.

You sell the entire clutch and have no problems with the buyers with the exception of one who has their animal die 1,2 or 3 weeks later.Where do you stand on refund/replacement?

Very good example, one that I am sure happens.

Add a little more to it - they were $700 herps (you will be out of pocket $700 if you refund) and you have none to offer as a replacement.

 

[pugsly]

There is always a grey area..

Whether you guarentee 48 hours or 2 weeks or 2 months doesnt really matter..

Unless you can prove that the seller knowingly sold you the animal in poor health, you have no claim. There are some obvious examples of this, like Becs beardies a while back, but when snakes are on the decline and get sold, they might hold on for a day, or for 3 months no one knows..

Few easy ways around it:

1. Know your seller
2. ALWAYS get pics of the animal and recent ones, and keep all correspondence with the seller.
3. When possible, always check the animal before buying it, interstate is a bit hard sure, but all the more reason not to purchase interstate unless you KNOW YOUR SELLER.
4. Don't buy 'bargains' from petlink..

 

[Ramsayi]

The thing is from a sellers perspective when you know your stock is 100% ok before being moved on.Someone strikes a problem and gets in touch telling you the thing died.How do you know that the buyer didnt kill the poor thing?

Hatchy strikes new owner,owner is nervous and flings the sake across the room.New owner jams the snakes head in the tub lid,new owner cooks or freezes the snake,new owner feeds mice that havent been properly thawed etc etc.

 

[Mrs I]

Good to hear all sides of the story.

Is certainly a hard topic, but glad its being discussed.

I can understand both seller and receivers sides.

 

[0_missy_0]

I had a snake die after about 20days was no ones fault he just lost condition and died, the seller quickly offered to replace it, i declined as i felt it wasn't his fault, I think in the end he convinced me to take another snake free of charge.

 

[croc_hunter_penny]

Last year I had a woma freighted here and it died within 2 weeks, during being on meds from the vet. The vet said it was a pre-existing condition, the seller said it was healthy when it left. The seller agreed to refund the money and pay the vet costs, but asked for a couple of weeks to pay it off. 5 months later I emailed the seller regarding the refund and he said he would send it, but it has been another month and I don't know what to do.

I know on my end I did everything right, and he says the snake was healthy, although when it arrived I noted that it clicked when it breathed and appeared ill.

I guess from now on I won't freight unless necessary, even though I have had no freight problems before and all my other herps are alive and healthy. It's just better to be able to see the animal in person, and the conditions it lives in prior to buying.

Buyer Beware.