Re: what should the protocol be here?!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
4Ballz
if it does go back up for sale, are you lowering the price of the snake, as you've got 20% of the money for it, or same price, and that 20% was restocking fees, food, energy source etc?
are you near Grand Forks?
Grand Forks is about 5 hours away from me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Freakie_frog
I've had this happen before. Typically when we do a payment plan there is a set pay off date, if you miss this payoff date then we contact you and try and work with you. However a month to me is more than fair. I would contact them onve more via email and let them know that you're planning to put the animal back up for sale if the transaction isn't completed. The thing I would do just as a friendly gesture is to offer to transfer his deposit to another animal once he is ready to purchase from you again..this way you keep his money but he doesn't feel like it was wasted, and it keeps a line of communication open with him as a future customer.
In my original ad I do note that a 20% non-refundable deposit must be made to hold a snake then the remaining balance must be paid once shipping temps are safe. Thats about as specific as I got. Like I said Ill learn from this experience.
It would be great to be able to offer him his deposit toward another snake but I was selling my collection off, I have alot of random morphs, he may not want anything else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Don
Supppose you send him one more message and he doesn't answer. You sell the snake. Then a week goes by and he contacts you and says something like 'there was a family emergency and I was out of pocket. I'm now ready to complete the transaction'? You've sold the snake and kept the deposit!
Since you did not specify how long the transaction was allowed to progress, I would not sell the snake unless there is clear confirmation from the buyer that he has backed out. Silence could be for many reasons.
If you accept deposits, you should state clearly and in writing that the deposit will hold the animal for a specific period of time. Without that, it is an open ended transaction with no end date. I'd continue to try to contact the buyer and confirm they have backed out. Then you can decide what to do with the deposit.
Some people will refund the deposit once the snake sales to someone else for the same price. Others will keep it to pay for the aggrivation, feeding and care during the waiting period.
I can't imagine a family emergency that kept him out of contact for a month...
sure things do happen, but Ive called, texted, and emailed him for the past 3 weeks with no response...Plus in my messages I tell him to just at least let me know what date hes thinking, even just him telling me his next payday or something would have been better than this. I sent him an email and gave him one week to respond. We'll see what comes up. Before the 5th hes been a great communicater.
I will still make an attempt to contact him via phone until that date comes.
Re: what should the protocol be here?!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
KatStoverReptiles
Not to hijack the thread here...but...to those of you who put end dates in your TOS, how do you determine them? I mean what if someone puts a deposit on an animal in December and lives in...I dunno...northwestern Washington state where it stays cold so much longer?
When a deposit is put on an animal, I send an email with a detail of the transaction. The email includes the exact date and time that payment must be received in full.
The ship date and the paid in full date are two different issues. Once the snake is paid in full, I work out a ship date. That can be when the temperatures are better suited for shipping. If I can not ship quickly, I will continue to feed on a normal schedule.
The key is continuous communication during the transaction. Clear Terms of Service will state the shipping temperatures, deposit terms, etc.
Re: what should the protocol be here?!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Freakie_frog
I would contact them onve more via email and let them know that you're planning to put the animal back up for sale if the transaction isn't completed.
This, but I'd make it clear that you're only putting it back for sale if there is no communication and not because the transaction isn't completed. "I don't need you to complete it now, but I need you to tell me that you need more time."
I wouldn't offer to transfer the deposit until after there's some kind of communication. If they can't extend you that courtesy, they don't deserve the deposit back imo.
