I am getting worried...

I purchased a BP over a month ago from a breeder that has been around for quite sometime. I did a payment plan due to the breeder saying it would be 2-4wks before it would be ready due to them wanting it to eat first. I had it paid off within a week & a half to make sure they didn't have to wait on me. At the time of purchase it was listed at approx 2wks old, so it should be going on 7wks old if the date given was correct.

Anyways, I email every 7-10 days & try not to harrass. I get a short response that it will happen when it happens basically. I have requested a picture & get "it's shedding"

I am not complaining yet, I am just curious what is the usual time that it takes? I know it is a living animal and it will happen when it's time but, I am getting concerned because I am still getting the same 3-5 word response from the breeder when I contact them. "Not ready yet" "Should be soon"

I have purchased 2 others since from other breeders that were born around the sametime & recieved both when they were about a month old with no issues at all. I know breeders are not all the same & I am not bashing this gentleman at all! I have been scammed in the past to many times & now & I guess I just have trust issues with all people now.

Thanks for listening to my concern.

I'd be frustrated too! I am currently paying for 3 more bps from two different breeders. Both give me practically weekly updates (without asking) and have been more than willing to send me pictures whenever requested. IMO customer service is HUGE, and if you're "too busy" to help me then I can take my business elsewhere. There are more than enough awesome breeders who are caring and more than helpful who would greatly appreciate selling me their animal. I get a response via email within hours of mine, and even text in one case, even a call out of the blue for an update. My 2 cents. Good luck!

Edit: for the record I wanted to add the breeders I am dealing with are Coiled Constrictors and Eclipse Exotics.

I would just take possession of it immediately. If they threaten you with a no guarantee than oh well, he will be fine!

To me it sounds like you are getting scammed again. :(

If there is a problem, such as the snake is not eating consistently yet, you should still get more than a three word response. Also, even if a snake is in shed you can still snap a picture of it, it won't look as nice but most people will understand that. Have you seen a picture of this snake at all?

:( now I am getting worried after reading these replies.. Only picture I saw was the one listed in the ad on kingsnake.com. The breeder still has ad's being posted a couple times a week.

This was the first snake I have bought in years & was extremely leary so I found a lot of feedback on this breeder before I purchased. It seems that this person has been around for about 10yrs, so I figured that had to show for something. The BP wasn't a huge amount but any loss wouldn't be good.

yea especially whens he's only replying these short emails something seems wrong here how did you pay for it

If you have a phone number for the breeder I would give them a call and express your concern and/or send an e-mail. Creating a paper trail is always good in situations like this, so if you do call make sure you follow up with an e-mail. Sending a follow-up e-mail to a call will also make sure there were no miss understandings. I hope things work out for you. :(

Thanks all for the replies! I am going to see if I can find a contact #. All that was on the ad's is a email address but I am sure somewhere on the web is a phone #.

I paid with paypal so hopefully if it comes to it they will back me up & refund me. I would just ask the breeder for a refund but it was stated on their website no refunds..

With no merchandise paypal will refund it

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TimNA

I paid with paypal so hopefully if it comes to it they will back me up & refund me. I would just ask the breeder for a refund but it was stated on their website no refunds..

---

No snake means you got scammed, paypal should help you get it all back regardless of what the breeder's website says. You didn't pay them to send you three word e-mails. :P

Yea of I were you I'd just get my $ back

I never buy from breeders who will sell unstarted babies and I never sell unstarted babies. Some breeders will sell unstarted babies at a discount and advertise them as such, but then the snake is shipped to the buyer immediately with the understanding that they must have the experience to get the baby started eating their selves. That is the entire point if selling them at such a discount right out of the egg.

If he won't communicate with you and give you more details then send him one last email. In my opinion, he is being rather cold with you. Send one last email and be professional and polite. Request that he give you more info on the babies progress and if the baby is not eating well on his own and showing proper weight gain, suitable enough to be shipped out as a well started hatchling, then you would please like a refund because you have found a replacement elsewhere.

If he does not agree and/or you do not get a full refund, then you can request a refund through paypal because you did not receive the goods purchased.

I would write them an email stating how you feel and ask if it's just not eating, or what the issue is and let them know you may want a refund since they are not being helpful. May just be that the hatchling isn't eating and the seller isn't comfortable sending it to a new home yet. Hopefully they will be upfront and honest about what the issue is. If they don't get back to you with an explanation then I would start asking for a refund.

Haha! Foschi beat me to it.

It may just be me, but I would never buy from anyone not even NERD itself, if they said no refunds.

I think you may have gotten scammed my dear.

Follow the advise you have received. Be polite, ask what the exact issue is, ask how many times the baby has eaten so far and what it has eaten. Don't leave room for a three word response.

If you do not receive a satisfactory answer within a day or two, file a claim with PayPal, since you already know the buyer won't give you a refund.

Gale

Ok so, I wanted to add a update to this issue.. I am still battling with this person to send me what is mine. I contacted paypal & it seems that I am at a loss with them. I went out of town & while I was out my wife paid the remaining half of what was owed via paypal but sent it as a payment owed rather than goods or something to that. So basically what they told me is that the payment owed is not covered by their protection.

I contacted the breeder about a month ago he gave me a rash of you know what saying I needed patience & that he is not scamming me. He said he has dozens of people waiting on snakes & couldnt give me a picture because didn't even know which one was mine. He last said he would have some to ship within a week or two.

I decided to contact him again seeming it's been close to a month later now. He was very friendly & told me "Soon" wtf really? sigh...

This is so aggravating! I will never deal with this breeder again.

I know this guy has a decent rep, I have read some bad stories as well but that is typical with the amount he sells. I am not sure if he is like this towards everyone? or just really dislikes me for whatever reason. I kept my end of the bargin, paid.. All I want is for him to keep his is that really too much to ask?

Anyone that is a customer of mine will know, I will either email pictures of the snake eating, or text it couple times a week.

Their never left out of the loop as its their snake.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TimNA

I contacted the breeder about a month ago he gave me a rash of you know what saying I needed patience & that he is not scamming me. He said he has dozens of people waiting on snakes & couldnt give me a picture because didn't even know which one was mine. He last said he would have some to ship within a week or two.

---

See that to me is a problem..I get that you have a few people buying from you but you damn well better be able to walk to that rack and put your hand on my snake at a moments notice.

Quote:

---

I decided to contact him again seeming it's been close to a month later now. He was very friendly & told me "Soon" wtf really? sigh...

This is so aggravating! I will never deal with this breeder again.

I know this guy has a decent rep, I have read some bad stories as well but that is typical with the amount he sells. I am not sure if he is like this towards everyone? or just really dislikes me for whatever reason. I kept my end of the bargin, paid.. All I want is for him to keep his is that really too much to ask?

---

I can tell you that it can take some time to get a snake feeding regularly so giving the breeder the benefit of the doubt and taking your concerns into consideration. I will say this if the breeder has taken your money and can't take the time to at least write to an email explaining the animals feeding troubles then My suggestion would be grit your teeth for ever how long it takes get your snake and never buy from them again.

I sold a an Enchi to a very nice person here and even though it wasn't yet feeding she bought it. I took the time to at least shoot her an email or pm that said something like "hey your little guy just ate again." I mean most cell phones today can do that and it takes 30 seconds when your checking feeders..

Just my two cents..see it through get your snake and wash your hands of it..
After all remember this is the snake you wanted why not see it through and get the snake you want.

I know big breeders get extremely busy at times, but come on.

When I sell a brand new hatchling, the buyer is informed of "hasn't eaten yet" status, and I update the buyer often, via email w/ pics.

Sorry that you are having to go through this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

Just my two cents..see it through get your snake and wash your hands of it..
After all remember this is the snake you wanted why not see it through and get the snake you want.

---

^^ I agree

Sorry to hear that you are having all this trouble - Hopefully you will get your lil' one soon.

I had a similar experience, so I put a rush on delivery and got my snake with no problems. Sometimes people just get busy and don't take the time to explain things as they should. I hope that's the case in your situation.

I agree & I want to follow this though to get the snake. Only reason I contacted paypal was because it seems to me for whatever reason that this person is trying to avoid me. Always has some kind of an excuse about everything I ask him. I ask for a picture "it's in shed, I don't even know which one is yours" I ask him when will he be able to ship it "when it eats, hasnt eaten yet, 1-2wks, soon" lol If my math is correct it should be going on 3 months old (at least that is when the ad was up). Call me a noob but shouldn't 3 months be plenty of time?

I have since bought 5 more bp's from various breeders & every breeder has contacted me giving some kind of update weekly/biweekly on their own accord. I am always reluctant to contat this guy just for not wanting to make him that much more against me, which is just a bad situation.

I am just going learn from this that is all I can do.

Thanks all

When I expressed interest in the ball python I got from my breeder, he told me that it wasn't eating yet and thought that it would have to be euthanized, one morning though he texts me out of the blue "that little ball started eating if you want it" and I went to get it the week later. I also know that if someone pays for a snake he has, he will put a little sticker on the tub that the snake is in in the rack so he knows exactly whos snake it is at a moments notice. The guy you are dealing with definitely seems sketchy. I am sorry that you're going through this, I hope that you end up with a healthy snake and the RIGHT snake in the end. As for dealing with him again, I would not. I would give feed back about him on kingsnake (if that's possible, idk I buy my critters locally) so others can make their own choice.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TimNA

I agree & I want to follow this though to get the snake. Only reason I contacted paypal was because it seems to me for whatever reason that this person is trying to avoid me. Always has some kind of an excuse about everything I ask him. I ask for a picture "it's in shed, I don't even know which one is yours" I ask him when will he be able to ship it "when it eats, hasnt eaten yet, 1-2wks, soon" lol If my math is correct it should be going on 3 months old (at least that is when the ad was up). Call me a noob but shouldn't 3 months be plenty of time?

---

Three months should be plenty of time, I know mine took six to finally start eating on his own.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TimNA

I agree & I want to follow this though to get the snake. Only reason I contacted paypal was because it seems to me for whatever reason that this person is trying to avoid me. Always has some kind of an excuse about everything I ask him. I ask for a picture "it's in shed, I don't even know which one is yours" I ask him when will he be able to ship it "when it eats, hasnt eaten yet, 1-2wks, soon" lol If my math is correct it should be going on 3 months old (at least that is when the ad was up). Call me a noob but shouldn't 3 months be plenty of time?

I have since bought 5 more bp's from various breeders & every breeder has contacted me giving some kind of update weekly/biweekly on their own accord. I am always reluctant to contat this guy just for not wanting to make him that much more against me, which is just a bad situation.

I am just going learn from this that is all I can do.

Thanks all

---

Just FYI.. Baby Ball Pythons.. Don't shed all that often.. I've got babies that eat every 5 days and they haven't shed a second time..So if it's shedding it's eating..or just hatched.. FYI

It is real easy to give an update. If I sell a snake on deposit, I mark the rack sold with the name of the buyer. When I feed that snake, I immediately email the buyer to let them know it has eaten. Of course, I'm not selling hundreds of snakes but even if I were I would not anticipate that there would be so many on deposit that an update was that hard to do.

Have you called and talked to the breeder? Have you asked for a refund? I would be polite but firm. Your money has been paid and now you should have either the snake or an appropriate update so you know what is happening. Is the snake not eating? How many feeding attempts have been made and how often? What type of food is being offered? The breeder should at least let you know how your snake is doing, after all since it is paid for, it is now yours!

Get money back, disclose the breeders name and never get a snake from there. I'm sorry but no professional breeder should ever act that way it is just unprofessional. Even if it is shedding they should cater to the purchasers request of they are within reason. Which a picture def is

Sending a payment as "Payment Owed" is really awful, especially when a seller TELLS you to send it that way (to me, that's a HUGE red flag that they want to scam you, because they know PayPal won't let you reverse those via the PayPal site). Regardless, you might still be able to get your money back, regardless of PayPal telling you that it's not covered. How was the payment funded? Did you use a credit card or your bank account?

If the former, contact your credit card company and state that the seller has not sent you the goods, so you want the transaction reversed. PayPal will be forced to reverse it. If the former, go to your bank and state the same.

Keep records of what your discussions with the breeder have been. I think it would be best if you send them a letter stating, basically "I purchased (what kind of snake) on (date) for (amount). The amount was successfully paid off on (date). I would like to receive my animal by (two weeks from now) or I will be (filing a chargeback with my credit card company/disputing the payment with my bank). Please inform me as soon as the snake ships. Thank you."

Keep us updated. I deal with idiots on PayPal all the time and 90% of the time I win, regardless of being buyer or seller (of which I do high volumes of both). If you need any help with PayPal just let me know.

I've never bought a snake online but I would think if he "doesn't even know which one is yours" he could just send you whatever snake he has available to ship that's not spoken for. I don't know. This just feels skeevy. I hope everything works out in the end. :please:

A word of caution to the OP: it seems to me, that in this industry lack of e-mail etiquette is too common. It's incredibly frustrating. Kudos to the breeders in this thread who have come forward that they actually 'get it'.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slashmaster

Sending a payment as "Payment Owed" is really awful, especially when a seller TELLS you to send it that way (to me, that's a HUGE red flag that they want to scam you, because they know PayPal won't let you reverse those via the PayPal site). Regardless, you might still be able to get your money back, regardless of PayPal telling you that it's not covered. How was the payment funded? Did you use a credit card or your bank account?

If the former, contact your credit card company and state that the seller has not sent you the goods, so you want the transaction reversed. PayPal will be forced to reverse it. If the former, go to your bank and state the same.

Keep records of what your discussions with the breeder have been. I think it would be best if you send them a letter stating, basically "I purchased (what kind of snake) on (date) for (amount). The amount was successfully paid off on (date). I would like to receive my animal by (two weeks from now) or I will be (filing a chargeback with my credit card company/disputing the payment with my bank). Please inform me as soon as the snake ships. Thank you."

Keep us updated. I deal with idiots on PayPal all the time and 90% of the time I win, regardless of being buyer or seller (of which I do high volumes of both). If you need any help with PayPal just let me know.

---

In his defense he didn't tell me to send the payment that way, my wife being a paypal noob sent the payment that way. I wasn't even aware of it till I contacted paypal about a dispute. I was out of town for a week & I wanted to get this paid off asap so I asked her to do it for me, sadly I should have waited & wouldn't be posting about it now.

It was paid for from the bank account, If I don't have the snake in my hands within a month I will contact the bank & see what they can do. I am more than willing to give this person the benefit of the doubt & I think I have. I sent him a few stern emails about a month ago & he just got all defensive telling me that all he asks for is patience.

Thanks all! I will keep you in the loop, I am going to email him again & ask him when is "soon"

I'm pretty sure you have been more than nice enough already. I would send one more email saying that there is no reason why you should not at least receive a picture update, a feeding update, and a weight update. That you are more than willing to wait for him to be ready, but you want to see how he is doing, and that there is no way that the breeder should not know which snake is yours, because how then are you supposed to know he sends the right one?

This makes me mad, and you are being too nice.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jessica Loesch

This makes me mad, and you are being too nice.

---

Story of my life right there in that quote, lol. My wife tells me all the time that I make her mad because I am too nice to people.

I just emailed this fool once again told him ship it or refund it. I will update it when/if he replies.

Thanks again everyone!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TimNA

Story of my life right there in that quote, lol. My wife tells me all the time that I make her mad because I am too nice to people.

I just emailed this fool once again told him ship it or refund it. I will update it when/if he replies.

Thanks again everyone!

---

Good luck, really hoping you either get your money back or get a nice healthy snake.

Good luck! Since you funded the payment with your bank account, you can DEFINITELY get your money back if you talk to your bank to have the payment reversed. Keep records (print out the emails) of your conversations with him. If you have his address, still try sending an actual letter stating you expect to have the snake shipped in (your specified time) weeks or you will reverse the transaction.

Keep us updated. :)

Well time for a positive update!

I finally got her! So excited always wanted a spider many years ago but they were pretty expensive. So first snake I bought was a spider since the price is insanly low. Actually have 2 now so I am a happy camper :banana:

She is pretty small for being born beginning of June.. lol. I weighed her and she is at 71g. Seems a bit small for going on 3 months old. I know it isn't the same one as the that was advertised at the time I bought this, but I can live with a younger one as long as I finally have it!

Here are a few horrible pictures didn't want to keep her out too long.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...1/IMAG1955.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...1/IMAG1947.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...1/IMAG1944.jpg

cute ... glad to see he sent you a snake

Congrats. I would have been mad the whole time lol. I do also get called to nice by my girlfriend too. I'm not one to stand up for myself in a agressive situation. Lol.

She's a good looking girl. Glad to see there was a happy ending here.

VERY nice looking spider. Glad there was a good outcome to this. But I would still be curious to know who the breeder is so I am sure never to buy from that person in the future...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Inknsteel

VERY nice looking spider. Glad there was a good outcome to this. But I would still be curious to know who the breeder is so I am sure never to buy from that person in the future...

---

That seems relevant, especially because you got -a- snake, not -the- snake you purchased.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Inknsteel

VERY nice looking spider. Glad there was a good outcome to this. But I would still be curious to know who the breeder is so I am sure never to buy from that person in the future...

---

I too would like to know cuz I plan in buying a few soon. Very glad to see you finally got her.

I am not really the type of person that will just call someone out by name but I purchased this from evan stahl. I had a bad experience yes but it doesn't mean that he is this way all the time. I have read numerous posts saying how good this guy is & how well he treats his customers. I actually bought a pastel about 10yrs ago from him & had nothing but a positive experience. I am sure being a breeder of probably 100's if not 1000's of animals it will get hetic at times. It could have been that life just happened & I decided to buy from him at the wrong time. Regardless of the excuse the only thing I do know is will avoid him in the future just based on this experience.

I have purchased several other bp's & from people that frequent this site. An example is I bought a mojave from Quiet Tempest a few months back & just the other day I emailed her about a question instead of asking here. She replied instantly & was extremely helpful, this is the way it should be done & I will stride to be like this when/if I ever get to breeding & decide to sell.

Either way if she is not the one I orginally purchased I am just extremely happy to finally be done with this ordeal.

Glad you finally receivev a snake, she's pretty :)

Congrads on getting your snake! I wouldn't be so sure it's not the right one. If she was having a feeding problem, she may not have put on the weight she should have. Either way, I hope you'll be happy with her! :)

Congrats on finally getting her...she's a cutie! :)
Vine

WOW! She is just gorgeous! So glad it all worked out amd she is with You now :-)