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  • 01-19-2010, 11:21 AM
    justinsane82
    BP story from local pet store
    I apologize if this would be better fit in another section, however, I couldn't see one.

    Today I decided to hit up a local pet store, which please keep in mind is in no way a small shop as it specializes in exotic pets, to pick up some stuff for my two tanks. I brought my brother in law to check things out as he shows interest in my two BP's and I knew this shop had some in stock and they are pretty good with letting potential customers hold their snakes to get a feel for them. We go down to the reptile section and they did have some Normal's in stock, a Dwarf python and a red tail boa. Playing to her position perfectly, as soon as we went in there she was all over us asking what we have at home and why we were down looking. The red tail was $450 but she said she needed the space and would give it to me for $200, which I wasn't interested in as I have my hands full with what I already have, we weren't there for me. She asked if she could put the Boa around my neck which I said no to but she did it anyways which I thought was weird. He was a good boy and obviously liked interaction so I didn't mind it for too long. But this is where things went bad. My bro in law mentioned I had BP's at home and I was shocked at her response. She says, and I quote, "Ball Pythons are cheap. Everyone has one. They are like the gold fish of the snake world. This red tail is what rich people buy." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? GOLD FISH? I looked at my bro in law and he was laughing because he knew I was pissed. Normally, this is where my anger would've got the best of me and I would tear into her but I have a good relationship with the owners of the store so I figured it would be better for me to talk to them next time I saw them. What about this Rich people comment too. What the hell was that all about?

    Was I wrong to get angry at that comment and her ignorance? To call BP's cheap and to put them on the same level to the snake world as Gold Fish are to fish world just to try to make a sale? Would you guys have handled it different?
  • 01-19-2010, 11:54 AM
    WesleyTF
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    just an ignorant person. I'd mention it to the owner.
  • 01-19-2010, 12:01 PM
    Jay_Bunny
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    I probably would have tore into her. The fact that you were a customer and she insulted you in order to convince you to purchase something you were not interested in, is just.....ugh! And the fact that she put the snake around your neck. Now, I am firm about snakes around my neck. None of my snakes EVER go around my neck, mainly because if I ever get a larger snake (even a boa) I never want to be in the habit of having the snake around my neck for safety reasons. The girl should have respected your decline and put the snake back. I would say something to the owner of the store about her customer service.

    I'm sorry, when someone comes into the store and tells me they purchased a certain brand I don't tell them that is what poor people buy and tell them our brand is for the rich people. That is just poor customer service. :taz:

    And red-tails are not too far away from ball pythons in the cost department. I purchased my little female for $100. That is not far from what you'd pay for a ball python in a pet store ($40-60) And set-up is essentially the same. And the whole goldfish comment. Ugh! Not everyone has goldfish or SHOULD have one. Goldfish are one of the most poorly cared for fish in the pet trade in my honest opinion.
  • 01-19-2010, 12:02 PM
    jlawson
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Let her think what she wants to. I would let the manager know about what he/she said. The manager would probably thank you, because that could end up being a customer service problem. Just think if she told that to someone who was not financially sound...that could lose business for the company...not only to that particular customer, but also everyone else they tell. That could be a small problem that escalates into a large one. In the retail business...no matter what it is you are selling, you have one chance to impress the customer. I would say that employee didn't get the job done. I would tell the manager that the staff may need some updating on the various morphs that are out there. I remember somewhere seeing a rare morph for 20,000. Show that one to the sales employee...

    Sorry for the long response, but that's just my opinion lol...
  • 01-19-2010, 12:18 PM
    kc261
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Actually, the goldfish analogy is not a bad one. Both BPs and goldfish are accessible to beginners both in price and in ease of keeping. Both BPs and goldfish also have very rare and expensive varieties. Also, because they are species that are often purchased by beginners, they sadly often end up in conditions that don't allow them to thrive. Just like our BPs are unlikely to thrive in a typical petstore reptile setup with screen-topped tank, heat lamp, and half-log hide, goldfish do poorly in the stereotypical "goldfish bowl".

    However, it seems pretty obvious that this girl was not making that analogy, but a quite different one. Her lack of knowledge on the subject is sad, although typical of pet store employees. Her rudeness and poor customer service skills are harder to understand. Mentioning it to her manager, like others suggested, is not a bad idea.

    As far as getting angry... if you get angry every time you come across a rude and/or uneducated person, you'll be spending an awful lot of time angry. Depending on my mood, how much time I have, etc., I try to either walk away and ignore it, or else educate the person. Some are more responsive to the education than others, but it never hurts to try.
  • 01-19-2010, 12:20 PM
    justinsane82
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Great responses. I will be bringing this up to the owners directly as I can only imagine what kind of junk she says to other people. My choice of snake that I have has nothing to do with price which will one day be evident by my collection. It's based purely on my experience level and what I want in a pet. But that's neither here nor there. I'm glad that you share my opinion on what happened. I normally have a bad habit of taking one thing that is said to me and turning it into 20 other things but everything said here so far sounds a lot like what I took from her comments.
  • 01-19-2010, 12:35 PM
    BPelizabeth
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    lol....great story about a pushy uneducated pet store employee. Take it for what it is. Since you have a great relationship with the owners have a talk with them in regards to her. If I would of went in there.....not knowing the owners....I would of never went back. BP's cheap...lol. Show her a pic of a Dreamsicle..lol....then sign it with love.... :rofl:
  • 01-19-2010, 12:48 PM
    kitedemon
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    kc261 has it right, a local pet store (fish only really) has 1000 and 3000 dollar goldfish, and a handful of 100-300 dollar ones, that is in a personal collection. It seems to me that many morphs are in the 200-600 price range with exceptional ones much more. The comment is silly both in reference to goldfish and ball pythons. This is ignorance speaking, rich vs poor is just bad manners and prejudice.

    Placing a snake around someone whom had declined is a HUGE problem! What if you had been exaggerating your claims and were not the comfortable around snakes? My sister is very fearful of all snakes, but has been trying to over come her fears and will watch from a "safe" distance in a secure cage she would have a kitten if she had even seen what had happened to you especially overhearing that no, you did not want it on you. With the snake bans floating around that is SUPER irresponsible!!! I would point that out to the owner that the sales staff were more concerned with clearing space and making a sale than causing problems that could add fuel to the snake ban fire! THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE :mad: I am a Canadian and it bothers me!! Go speak to the owner! Be polite but firm point out the potential down sides!
  • 01-19-2010, 12:52 PM
    joepythons
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by justinsane82 View Post
    The red tail was $450 but she said she needed the space and would give it to me for $200, which I wasn't interested in as I have my hands full with what I already have, we weren't there for me. She asked if she could put the Boa around my neck which I said no to but she did it anyways which I thought was weird.

    Is she the owner? If not how is she able to cut the price on the boa? The moment you told her no to placing the boa on your neck and she did anyway.I would have informed her to get her ears checked and that she should NEVER do that to anyone without thier permission.If she is not the owner then i would let them know she is putting them in danger of a lawsuit with her ignorant stunts.If they dont understand your concerns then i would never go into that place again.Point blank she is a idiot!
  • 01-19-2010, 01:13 PM
    Wh00h0069
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Seeing that normal balls sell for around $5 or $10, her statement that they are like goldfish is pretty close.
  • 01-19-2010, 01:30 PM
    Derrick13
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Wh00h0069 View Post
    Seeing that normal balls sell for around $5 or $10, her statement that they are like goldfish is pretty close.

    What? lol. 5-10$? Here in my state of Oregon they are sold for 89.00$ at all of our local pet shops.That women is nothing less then an idiot for saying such a remark. Gold fish and balls may both suffer from people the likes of her that consider them cheap, unimportant, expendable pets but if your going to say that makes bps and goldfish similair then hey, I guess most dogs (muts) and cats are expendable to, becuse many people abuse or simply lack the knowledge of how to really care for there cat and or dog.Compareing a bp to a gold fish....what an idiot. I would have got her fired on the spot. Our hobby is in enough danger already, we don't need people like that around to make it worse.
  • 01-19-2010, 01:42 PM
    wilomn
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Wh00h0069 View Post
    Seeing that normal balls sell for around $5 or $10, her statement that they are like goldfish is pretty close.

    Are you purposely confusing wholesale prices with retail or are you that ignorant of how things work that you actually don't know?

    It's got to be one or the other.
  • 01-19-2010, 02:15 PM
    jlawson
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by wilomn View Post
    Are you purposely confusing wholesale prices with retail or are you that ignorant of how things work that you actually don't know?

    It's got to be one or the other.

    I like the way this was said...
  • 01-19-2010, 02:38 PM
    Elise.m
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    I would also tell the owners/manager that she took a risk of putting that Boa around your neck. I don't handle any snakes that aren't mind because I don't know what that snake might have. You could have come home with mites. There is a condition that is transferable between Boas and Balls. I cannot remember the name of it for the life of me, but it's deadly to Balls, and doesn't effect boas the same way. I don't know if it could have been transfered in your situation, but I'm sure she didn't either.
  • 01-19-2010, 03:37 PM
    jben
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    i would also mention that there would have been a lawsuit if you would have been bit by the boa after you told the sales associate not to put her on your neck, that should get the owners thinking.
  • 01-19-2010, 03:39 PM
    joepythons
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Elise.m View Post
    I would also tell the owners/manager that she took a risk of putting that Boa around your neck. I don't handle any snakes that aren't mind because I don't know what that snake might have. You could have come home with mites. There is a condition that is transferable between Boas and Balls. I cannot remember the name of it for the life of me, but it's deadly to Balls, and doesn't effect boas the same way. I don't know if it could have been transfered in your situation, but I'm sure she didn't either.

    Its called IBD ;)
  • 01-19-2010, 05:35 PM
    Elise.m
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by joepythons View Post
    Its called IBD ;)

    Thanks! It's been one of those mornings...
  • 01-19-2010, 05:43 PM
    justinsane82
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Alright so here's an update. I chose to go in and personally speak with the owners as I felt this was serious enough that a phone call just wouldn't demand the type of attention that it deserved. I took a lot of what you guys said with me into that meeting expecting no more than an I'm sorry or something like that. Although I do have a good relationship with the owners, I figured that if the woman denied my claims, they would take her side as an employee. Unfortunately, this store pushes so much volume that one unhappy person won't really bother them, especially when you live in an area that doesn't have many other choices when it comes to reptiles. Anyways, I went in and sat down with both the husband and wife and told them what happened and also brought up a lot of other points that was discussed here. Without saying much the husband left the room and left me thinking this wasn't all that serious to him. During that time the wife was writing things down which I felt was good but weird at the same time. Next thing I know, the husband returns with the woman in question and sat her next to me...oh man was that awkward. He took the wifes pad of paper and went over some of the comments she made and some of the points I made. She denied saying that only rich people by boas but confessed to saying that BP's were a cheap man's snake (as she now put it) and that if I was to pick up a snake that I shouldn't "waste my time" with a normal BP. I sat there now with my eyes wide open thinking..."Are you kidding me? What is this woman thinking". The husband then brought up her putting the snake on me after I said no and she laughed saying "I thought he was joking, look at him he can handle it" (I assume that comment came from the fact that I'm a big and muscular guy with a lot of visible tattoos) I was just speechless at this point and found that all I could do is smile and shake my head while letting out a small chuckle every now and then. That was it. That is when it finally happened. The husband says "You know "I'm going to keep her name private just incase" this isn't the first time someone has come in to talk about ways in which you made them feel uncomfortable. With all that on top of what you did to this young man yesterday, we feel that you are no longer suitable for your position within out store so we are letting you go."

    I'll tell you, my stomach dropped like I was on a roller coaster. I didn't know what to do at that point so I just sat there in silence until the woman left the room. Afterwards, the owners again said they were very sorry, asked me if there was anything they could do to make things right with me as a customer, which I obviously declined as I felt they had done more than enough, and we walked around discussing other things...WOW what an ordeal. I've never experienced anything like this before at all.
  • 01-19-2010, 06:17 PM
    Elise.m
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Wow, that's intense! Well, I guess that's what happens when someones ego gets way too big.
  • 01-19-2010, 06:18 PM
    PyroPython
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    450 for a redtail? Really?
  • 01-19-2010, 06:37 PM
    angllady2
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    I would say you handled this just the way you should have.

    You could not possibly know, but the comment that they had people asking to speak to them about her behavior is a real red flag. They obviously knew she was hurting business, and finally she crossed the line.

    Think about it, large store or not, a bad reputation will hurt business eventually. One unsatisfied customer will tell four friends, if one of them has a bad experience they'll tell four or five more, pretty soon word gets around and people start looks for things elsewhere. Granted, it might not be a huge hit, but one big enough to make them take notice.

    With any business that isn't a chain store, a bad reputation is not something they want or need. And a lawsuit from someone who was harmed because of a careless employee would be a major setback. She is obviously not the kind of person anyone would want working around animals. She is either ignorant or just doesn't care, and it really doesn't matter.

    By keeping this quiet and private, you helped them more than you know. You gave them the option to deal with this in a way they saw fit, rather than causing a scene or perhaps coming across as someone with a grudge rather than a legitimate concern. Personally, I'm not surprised they terminated her, she brought it on herself by being so ignorant.

    And as far as her comments on BP's being for poor people.... Well, if only 15% of Americans are considered wealthy, how many of them do you think own BP's? Which means that probably 95% of BP's are owned by us "poor poeple". If it weren't for us, there wouldn't be as many magnificent morphs out there for everyone to enjoy.

    Gale
  • 01-19-2010, 07:07 PM
    joepythons
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by justinsane82 View Post
    Alright so here's an update. I chose to go in and personally speak with the owners as I felt this was serious enough that a phone call just wouldn't demand the type of attention that it deserved. I took a lot of what you guys said with me into that meeting expecting no more than an I'm sorry or something like that. Although I do have a good relationship with the owners, I figured that if the woman denied my claims, they would take her side as an employee. Unfortunately, this store pushes so much volume that one unhappy person won't really bother them, especially when you live in an area that doesn't have many other choices when it comes to reptiles. Anyways, I went in and sat down with both the husband and wife and told them what happened and also brought up a lot of other points that was discussed here. Without saying much the husband left the room and left me thinking this wasn't all that serious to him. During that time the wife was writing things down which I felt was good but weird at the same time. Next thing I know, the husband returns with the woman in question and sat her next to me...oh man was that awkward. He took the wifes pad of paper and went over some of the comments she made and some of the points I made. She denied saying that only rich people by boas but confessed to saying that BP's were a cheap man's snake (as she now put it) and that if I was to pick up a snake that I shouldn't "waste my time" with a normal BP. I sat there now with my eyes wide open thinking..."Are you kidding me? What is this woman thinking". The husband then brought up her putting the snake on me after I said no and she laughed saying "I thought he was joking, look at him he can handle it" (I assume that comment came from the fact that I'm a big and muscular guy with a lot of visible tattoos) I was just speechless at this point and found that all I could do is smile and shake my head while letting out a small chuckle every now and then. That was it. That is when it finally happened. The husband says "You know "I'm going to keep her name private just incase" this isn't the first time someone has come in to talk about ways in which you made them feel uncomfortable. With all that on top of what you did to this young man yesterday, we feel that you are no longer suitable for your position within out store so we are letting you go."

    I'll tell you, my stomach dropped like I was on a roller coaster. I didn't know what to do at that point so I just sat there in silence until the woman left the room. Afterwards, the owners again said they were very sorry, asked me if there was anything they could do to make things right with me as a customer, which I obviously declined as I felt they had done more than enough, and we walked around discussing other things...WOW what an ordeal. I've never experienced anything like this before at all.

    They made the best choice :gj:.Its great that they really do care about thier store and do not allow bull crap like she did.
  • 01-19-2010, 07:13 PM
    WesleyTF
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    wow, that's quite impressive... the most I've ever done is write a scathing review on yelp, but that wasn't due to an employee, it was the entire business... nonetheless, good on you for going about it in a decent but direct manner. Some people have to learn the hard way about respect...
  • 01-19-2010, 07:18 PM
    justinsane82
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Well said. I do feel bad that this woman is now unemployed during times in which jobs are harder to come by, but I try to think about the good that may have come of this. I can only imagine some of the other things shes done and said to other people.
  • 01-19-2010, 07:22 PM
    joepythons
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by justinsane82 View Post
    Well said. I do feel bad that this woman is now unemployed during times in which jobs are harder to come by, but I try to think about the good that may have come of this. I can only imagine some of the other things shes done and said to other people.

    Look at it this way.Now we have one less idiot doing stupid crap that could cause us to lose our reptiles ;).What if she did the snake around the neck stunt and instead of the person telling the owners,they called the police.Then said stunt gets blown out of proportion by the media idiots.So instead of feeling sorry for the idiot be proud you helped our side :gj:
  • 01-19-2010, 07:24 PM
    Jay_Bunny
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    People like that do not need to be working closely with animals. I'm sorry but in times like these, we need people who are educated about animals in those types of positions. The more people we have working in pet store that actually KNOW what they are talking about and give the right kind of information, are going to help our hobby. It is sad she had to lose her job over this, but I can't exactly say she didn't deserve it.
  • 01-19-2010, 07:24 PM
    justinsane82
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PyroPython View Post
    450 for a redtail? Really?

    Is that expensive? I wouldn't know as I've never looked for them myself. Mojave's up here for for $600-750 in reptile shops up here. It's due to a lack of options locally.
  • 01-19-2010, 07:28 PM
    joepythons
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by justinsane82 View Post
    Is that expensive? I wouldn't know as I've never looked for them myself. Mojave's up here for for $600-750 in reptile shops up here. It's due to a lack of options locally.

    Yes those prices are nuts :P.I bet they dont sell to many of them
  • 01-19-2010, 07:28 PM
    PyroPython
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Theres a shop here with an albino for 500. My normal was only 60.
  • 01-19-2010, 07:44 PM
    justinsane82
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    As I'm looking for an albino myself, the only local shop that I've been able to find that carries one is $800 plus our 12% tax.
  • 01-29-2010, 05:41 AM
    justinsane82
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    ***UPDATE***

    I received a phone call today from a lawyer that is defending the pet store that this all went down at. The woman in question is claiming that....and I can't believe this...that the store owners paid me to go into the store and make false claims against her in order for them to have grounds for her to be fired. WOW is all I can say. They've asked me to go in to answer some questions tomorrow. I'm sure this will be interesting from this point on.
  • 01-29-2010, 06:18 AM
    olstyn
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Well, even if they had paid you, presumably it would have been cash and therefore difficult to trace. How could she possibly hope to prove that allegation even if it were true? Sounds like someone is hoping that the threat of a lawsuit will get her job back and/or some sort of settlement without actually going to court...
  • 01-29-2010, 06:34 AM
    Lolo76
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Wow, what a story! Now I'd suggest you print out this whole thread, in the format of screenshots if possible (to capture the time/date stamps). Then at least you can show your side of the story, as it unfolded on here... might not be "hard evidence," but it couldn't hurt. ;)

    And yes, those prices are VERY high! If you don't mind sharing, can I ask where you live? Everything around here (Bay Area, CA) is ridiculously overpriced, and even our local reptile shops charge less than that... I paid $50 for my normal female BP (as a baby) at a local shop, and they sell adult BPs for $150-200. I did see a spider there priced at $350, which seemed a bit crazy to me - considering I paid just over $200 for my spider online, and he's gorgeous IMO. :gj:
  • 01-29-2010, 07:35 PM
    justinsane82
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    I live near Vancouver BC Canada. Everything up here is more expensive than down there. If most of you knew what we paid for gas, you'd pass out.

    As for what's going on...what a mess...I went in for the requested meeting with the lawyer and it looks like there's so much more to all of this than I could've ever imagined. The woman is claiming that not only am I liar (I have my brother in law as a witness to everything she did and said on the day in question), but that they paid me to make this story up and then play it out, there's talks about abuse to the animals (I happen to know that there is video footage of her in the reptile pit tossing snakes while cleaning cages) and of course, sexual harassment against the husband that owns the company.

    Like you said, this all seems like some sort of game in which she plans to get either some sort of compensation OR she thinks that this will drag their shops name threw the mud, which I imagine if this got out, it could. I'm going to keep my eyes on the newspapers to see if it does hit the media.
  • 01-29-2010, 11:00 PM
    seeya205
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by justinsane82 View Post
    I live near Vancouver BC Canada. Everything up here is more expensive than down there. If most of you knew what we paid for gas, you'd pass out.

    As for what's going on...what a mess...I went in for the requested meeting with the lawyer and it looks like there's so much more to all of this than I could've ever imagined. The woman is claiming that not only am I liar (I have my brother in law as a witness to everything she did and said on the day in question), but that they paid me to make this story up and then play it out, there's talks about abuse to the animals (I happen to know that there is video footage of her in the reptile pit tossing snakes while cleaning cages) and of course, sexual harassment against the husband that owns the company.

    Like you said, this all seems like some sort of game in which she plans to get either some sort of compensation OR she thinks that this will drag their shops name threw the mud, which I imagine if this got out, it could. I'm going to keep my eyes on the newspapers to see if it does hit the media.

    We do pay crazy prices for snakes and gas up here! Considering we have tons of oil but sell it off so we can import oil at high prices! A normal goes for $89 for a male and $125 for female at my local shop! I did get my normal for $40 for a breeder friend!
  • 01-29-2010, 11:25 PM
    steveboos
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by justinsane82 View Post
    I live near Vancouver BC Canada. Everything up here is more expensive than down there. If most of you knew what we paid for gas, you'd pass out.

    As for what's going on...what a mess...I went in for the requested meeting with the lawyer and it looks like there's so much more to all of this than I could've ever imagined. The woman is claiming that not only am I liar (I have my brother in law as a witness to everything she did and said on the day in question), but that they paid me to make this story up and then play it out, there's talks about abuse to the animals (I happen to know that there is video footage of her in the reptile pit tossing snakes while cleaning cages) and of course, sexual harassment against the husband that owns the company.

    Like you said, this all seems like some sort of game in which she plans to get either some sort of compensation OR she thinks that this will drag their shops name threw the mud, which I imagine if this got out, it could. I'm going to keep my eyes on the newspapers to see if it does hit the media.

    Oh man I WOULD LOVE to be in your position. Since your the customer and you have witnesses, you hold more ground than she ever could. Shes just angry she got called out on a situation that she created. I love when this type of stuff happens because she is just so ignorant and self-centered she can't even accept the fact she really is crazy and doesn't know what shes talking about. Not a single person at my work even questions a customer, all we can do is tell the customer what we think is right or what is best for the animal. If the customer gives us signs that they aren't going to take care of the animal, we wont sell it to them. If the customer insists that they know what their doing and have done it for years, we do what they want. I would never undermine a customer or force them into a situation they don't want to be. She deserved to get fired and i hope this all is kept on record, she will have a very hard time getting a job in the future :taz: .
  • 01-29-2010, 11:45 PM
    grim reaper in NY
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Ummmmm...let's see...a Piebald Ball Python can easily run into the thousands of dollars. How much does a RTB go for? Yeah..ok...that's one danged expensive "goldfish" of a snake, don't you think?
    People like this are just living proof that you can't fix stupid...or ignorance. There's no point in arguing with people like this because you will just get worked up over someone who is just too ignorant to understand.
    Do what has been suggested. Bring it up to the owners, but be a bit adamant about the offense you took to her comments. Let them know they may have lost future sales due to her remarks and see how they react.
  • 01-30-2010, 01:39 AM
    AcePythons
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Wow! I am very interested in finding out what happens! I hope it doesn't cause a ding in the store's reputation! I can't believe that girl is so ignorant to cause all this drama! It makes me so mad! Grrrr!! Keep us updated!
  • 01-30-2010, 06:58 PM
    BPelizabeth
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    My husband told me the rest of this thread this morning in the car....this is crazy. Im not sure what the laws are in Canada in regards to employment but most states are really difficult here in the US. (Except AZ...right to work state). I use to be in the HR industry and here most of the time it is up to the employer to prove that he DID NOT do what is being stated. I hope that they followed all procedures and had documentation. It can be a nightmare. As some stated previously....print out all of the documentation on here. This will at least give you a date stamp of what happened. I would also print out information on IBD as well. Putting the boa on you...could have led to you infecting your snakes. And was she allowed to make deals on snakes....was this in her work contract? I don't know many business owners that allow employees to barter with their goods.

    Being in the HR industry previously I swear I have seen all the crazy stuff there is to see with disgruntled employees making accusations. It is a shame that the employers have to pay such a price to disprove allegations. I understand the laws are there to protect employees...but it seems there are so many that take advantage of it.

    Good luck and keep us posted on the drama...lol
  • 01-30-2010, 07:55 PM
    Patricia
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Oh geez, what a situation you've been sucked into! Thank you for speaking up. The whole notion of rich man/poor man's snake smacks of slotting customers into different classes depending on what they buy. It's disgusting, and that kind of attitude should be kept far away from dealing with the public.

    Please keep us posted. I wish you all the best.
  • 01-30-2010, 07:57 PM
    reptidude1
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    as far as the point of bps being cheaper then rtbs that is wrong the prices of the bp morphs WAYYY exceed the prices of rtb morphs
  • 01-30-2010, 11:08 PM
    justinsane82
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Alright guys...you are in for something here. The lawyer for the woman who was fired somehow got my number and called me to ask me questions. As soon as I had heard who it was I said that I didn't have the time to discuss this with them and that I had to go. Thinking that would be the end of it, after I had hung up, I received a call again saying that if I didn't "cooperate with answering questions, his client will have no choice but to include me in her lawsuit" CAN YOU BELIEVE IT. I hung up and tomorrow I'm going to find out how I can take action against that threat. It will be a he said she said thing but I will not be talked to that way. I can't for the life of me believe it's ballooned out this far. What a joke.
  • 01-30-2010, 11:49 PM
    AcePythons
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by justinsane82 View Post
    Alright guys...you are in for something here. The lawyer for the woman who was fired somehow got my number and called me to ask me questions. As soon as I had heard who it was I said that I didn't have the time to discuss this with them and that I had to go. Thinking that would be the end of it, after I had hung up, I received a call again saying that if I didn't "cooperate with answering questions, his client will have no choice but to include me in her lawsuit" CAN YOU BELIEVE IT. I hung up and tomorrow I'm going to find out how I can take action against that threat. It will be a he said she said thing but I will not be talked to that way. I can't for the life of me believe it's ballooned out this far. What a joke.

    You have got to be kidding me. How rude is that??! Not only on the lawyer's part to speak to you like that, but of her to even start all of this. I wish you the best with everything and this is awful you have to go through this. However, reading everything, you were definitely in the right to do what you did. So even though it has blown up, don't regret saying something!! Good luck!
  • 01-31-2010, 12:01 AM
    Patricia
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by justinsane82 View Post
    I received a call again saying that if I didn't "cooperate with answering questions, his client will have no choice but to include me in her lawsuit" CAN YOU BELIEVE IT.

    Lawyers usually do business during business hours. The caller can identify him/herself any way he she wants, but you still wouldn't know if it's really the lawyer you were talking to, so it would've been completely foolish to have discussed a single word about the incident.

    So sorry this is happening to you.
  • 01-31-2010, 12:15 AM
    Chocolate Muffin's
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Something seems very fishy about this whole story....everything just doesn't add up to me. Not making any implications of falsehood, just sharing an opinion.

    Seems odd that an employee would behave so poorly and put herself and her employer in legal jeopardy.

    Seems very odd, no matter what the size of the business, that an employer would fire an employee in front of a potential customer.

    Seems very fishy that they would have no regard for acquiring any facts prior to terminating her, nor did the shield her from public discipline.

    Seems even more strange that either litigant would have counsel contact you so soon after this whole thing just happened.

    What am I missing here?
  • 01-31-2010, 04:22 AM
    justinsane82
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Something seems very fishy about this whole story....everything just doesn't add up to me. Not making any implications of falsehood, just sharing an opinion.

    Seems odd that an employee would behave so poorly and put herself and her employer in legal jeopardy.
    *Can't really answer much on this one. This is something in which only she could answer at this point. My guess would have to be that because she saw me in there so much that she thought that I wouldn't mind something like that going down.*

    Quote:

    Seems very odd, no matter what the size of the business, that an employer would fire an employee in front of a potential customer.
    *I'm in no way a potential customer. I've done business there for some time and like I said, I'm rather close with the owner's. If I was someone who came and went a few times a year, I would figure things may have happened different.*

    Quote:

    Seems very fishy that they would have no regard for acquiring any facts prior to terminating her, nor did the shield her from public discipline.
    *I'm not sure what you mean by this. They called me in for a meeting with her while documenting facts before making the call. This was in no way a first time deal with her. It's my understanding that she past the "3 strikes and your out" deal a long time ago*

    Quote:

    Seems even more strange that either litigant would have counsel contact you so soon after this whole thing just happened.
    *That's not strange at all for civil matters up here in Canada. As brought up in a post shortly before yours, I don't have any proof that the person calling me recently was counsel for the woman at all. This will all be brought up tomorrow when I submit the phone number to the pet shops lawyer.

    As for what you're missing...only you can really answer that. I can assure you though that I'm far to busy to make stuff up like this, and to be honest, even if I wasn't, I don't have the imagination needed to draw this up.
  • 01-31-2010, 10:21 AM
    BPelizabeth
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Make sure you contact the owners to let them know that the employees "counsel" contacted you. It is not absurd that this is going on...bad employees twist things all the time and attorney's work all kinds of hours to get a hold of ppl. But again it is important that the owners attorney knows. He can also send the other attorney information so that he is NOT allowed to contact you out of the blue. As far as including you...do not worry he is just trying to scare you. That attorney can question you when you are on the stand if it goes that far. Typically here in the US it will be a phone conversation with an investigator first. Not the other persons attorney.
  • 02-01-2010, 01:15 AM
    AcePythons
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Chocolate Muffin's View Post

    Seems odd that an employee would behave so poorly and put herself and her employer in legal jeopardy.

    I actually don't agree with this. I run across people darn near every day who would act like this girl did. Like the OP said, if she has seen him in there many times she probably assumed that he was comfortable enough that she could kind of get away with a bit more than a first time or infrequent customer. Then again I've seen people do similar things to first time customers in every type of retail store.

    Some people (especially younger ones like teenagers) don't really think before they do.
  • 02-01-2010, 01:22 AM
    CoolioTiffany
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    She most likely had said those words because she was trying to sell the snake since you mentioned that she said she needed the space. I would've gotten pretty pissed too, and would have corrected her. I'm not rich and own a red tail, and not every rich person owns a red tail (most likely a rich person would rather by something for the satisfaction of themselves than care for something that also has needs).
  • 02-01-2010, 10:09 PM
    Chocolate Muffin's
    Re: BP story from local pet store
    My problem is that I have been taught to draw logical conclusions based on a set of reasonable conditions. Because, several portions of the story don’t appear logical or plausible (to me), it’s difficult for me to derive at the conclusion that the whole story is factual – again, my observation. I am not implying in any way that you are being untruthful in your recollection or account of the situation. I am simply stating that “I” am having a difficult time making sense out of it.:(

    I am going to do a little more research on Canadian Law, specifically employment law. I'm really interested in learning more about how cases like this are handled in your neck of the woods. Thank you for sharing this. :gj:

    But to the point others have made, you are clearly not responsible for another person’s behavior and hopefully this situation will resolve itself in a manner that is agreeable to all parties.:)
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