recieved the wrong snake, need advice

i ordered a mojave male from someone, and the picture that was labeled as male 6, is different from the snake i recieved
you can see the differences here:
http://i972.photobucket.com/albums/a...alcastillo.png

the picture on the left is the one i recieved, you can see the defferences in pattern on the dorsal stripe.

any advice of what i should do?

the picture on the right is the one he had labeled as male 6, which was listed below a different picture he had labeled as male 5. male 6 is the one i specifically ordered from him. i have email records to show which one i asked for, but the kicker is, he took down both listings from his website, and the picture he had labeled as male 6, is now posted on kingsnake.com:
http://market.kingsnake.com/detail.php?cat=32&de=904589

Confront the seller if you're really pissed about it, otherwise as long as its a mojave and you dont care that he gave you a different one just leave it alone. But regardless i would still contact him and tell them they messed up, it could have been an accident.

This is why im very careful who i buy from online, iv already had a few breeders pull some bs with me that raises instant red flags.

I should be the responsibility of the seller to sort it out for you if you want.

i was hesitant to buy from him because i had never heard from besides on kingsnake, i did a BOI check on fauna and every single was "good, good, good", there wasnt a single thing bad about him.

i have an email written up that i havent sent him yet, saying he can either send me a pre-paid shipping label and a heat pack to send the snake back to him, and him to then send me the one pictured. or, if the one pictured isnt available, i will not hesitate to write up bad reviews on every site i can think of

and if the snake pictured isnt available, which would be wierd because its advertised on kingsnake right now, i wouldnt really personally care, im happy with the one i have, its just the fact that he sent me the wrong snake, and is still advertising a picture of the one that i paid for

Yeah its deffinantly the sellers fault, and if hes on kingsnake they dont mess around. You can send an email to kingsnake and they will help out as well.

I had a dude try to make me put a down payment on a snake BEFORE he sent me the pictures....i took my business elsewhere, and sadly he was supposed to be a good breeder.

What is the name of this company if you dont mind me asking?

Edit: Nevermind i saw the link to kingsnake lol im blind

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by drama x

Yeah its deffinantly the sellers fault, and if hes on kingsnake they dont mess around. You can send an email to kingsnake and they will help out as well.

I had a dude try to make me put a down payment on a snake BEFORE he sent me the pictures....i took my business elsewhere, and sadly he was supposed to be a good breeder.

What is the name of this company if you dont mind me asking?

Edit: Nevermind i saw the link to kingsnake lol im blind

---

oh, woops haha, i wasnt planning on saying unless he wasnt willing to work it out with me, but whatever lol

heres the email i sent him

"http://s972.photobucket.com/albums/ae209/cmack1991/?action=view&current=michealcastillo.png

note, the picture on the left is of the one you sent me as mojave male 6.
the picture on the right is the one that you had listed on your website as mojave male 6, underneath the listing for mojave male 5.

in the picture in the link above, i have highlighted the following things:

1. (a) the big arrows labeled 1, show the difference in the dorsal stripes. the left picture has a spot in each of the first two stripe segments coming off of the neck (circled).
(b) the first two segments coming off of the neck on the picture on the right, the one that you had labeled as mojave male 6, have no spots in them (also circled).

2. (a) the big arrows labeled 2 point to the dorsal stripe segments beginning from the tail, inside the circle the segments are labeled as, 1, 2, and 3, starting from the tail, and going up the spine.
(b) note that tail stripe segments 2 are different sizes, as are tail stripe segments 3.

is the snake that you had pictured as mojave male 6 even available? im willing to not right up "bad guy" BOI's on fauna if you are willing to send me a pre-paid shipping label with a heat pack to send you back the snake you sent me, and send me the one you had pictured as mojave male 6 with no additional cost to me.

if the snake you had pictured as mojave male 6 is not available, i will be giving you bad reviews on every website i can think of, including faunaclassifieds.com, kingsnake.com, ball-pythons.net, redtailboas.net, redtailboas.com, and facebook.com."

am i being reasonable?

Lol monkey is out the bag!

Regardless its good to know so people dont make the same mistake. Once a breeder messes up on an order it pretty much spreads like flies on dookie lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cmack91

heres the email i sent him

"http://s972.photobucket.com/albums/ae209/cmack1991/?action=view&current=michealcastillo.png

note, the picture on the left is of the one you sent me as mojave male 6.
the picture on the right is the one that you had listed on your website as mojave male 6, underneath the listing for mojave male 5.

in the picture in the link above, i have highlighted the following things:

1. (a) the big arrows labeled 1, show the difference in the dorsal stripes. the left picture has a spot in each of the first two stripe segments coming off of the neck (circled).
(b) the first two segments coming off of the neck on the picture on the right, the one that you had labeled as mojave male 6, have no spots in them (also circled).

2. (a) the big arrows labeled 2 point to the dorsal stripe segments beginning from the tail, inside the circle the segments are labeled as, 1, 2, and 3, starting from the tail, and going up the spine.
(b) note that tail stripe segments 2 are different sizes, as are tail stripe segments 3.

is the snake that you had pictured as mojave male 6 even available? im willing to not right up "bad guy" BOI's on fauna if you are willing to send me a pre-paid shipping label with a heat pack to send you back the snake you sent me, and send me the one you had pictured as mojave male 6 with no additional cost to me.

if the snake you had pictured as mojave male 6 is not available, i will be giving you bad reviews on every website i can think of, including faunaclassifieds.com, kingsnake.com, ball-pythons.net, redtailboas.net, redtailboas.com, and facebook.com."

am i being reasonable?

---

Lol sounds like your ready to go to war! :P

But none the less reasonable, id be pissed too.

How he handles it as a seller will speak volumes as to how he conducts business. Mistakes happen, it is how you handle them afterwards.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by drama x

Lol sounds like your ready to go to war! :P

But none the less reasonable, id be pissed too.

---

i guess that is a declaration of war lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jinx667

How he handles it as a seller will speak volumes as to how he conducts business. Mistakes happen, it is how you handle them afterwards.

---

thats exactly how im looking at it, if he takes care of it, i will spread that word around, and never say anything bad about him in the future. i was just wondering if this was the right way to go about it

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jinx667

how he handles it as a seller will speak volumes as to how he conducts business. Mistakes happen, it is how you handle them afterwards.

---

x2

good luck, keep us posted!

dont worry i will

I've seen many breeders/retailers use generic morph or breed photos in their listings and on websites. These photos are often retouched and taken in a professional setting.
I always ask for updated pictures of the exact animal in question before I am willing to finalize the deal.

I don't think you need to threaten Michael. See what he does first before you throw that last line in. You're coming across super defensively. The way you approach people can many times lead to the outcome. The first part obviously shows a different snake. Send that and see what he replies with. Give him a chance before you start threatening BOI threads and such. Just my $.02...

Regards,

B

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Maixx

I've seen many breeders/retailers use generic morph or breed photos in their listings and on websites. These photos are often retouched and taken in a professional setting.
I always ask for updated pictures of the exact animal in question before I am willing to finalize the deal.

---

he had two seperate mojaves listed, one as m5, one as m6, with different photos, so why wouldnt he use the same generic photo for both, and why no disclaimer to say that the pictures are not of the actual snake? thats what peeves me so much

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simple Man

I don't think you need to threaten Michael. See what he does first before you throw that last line in. You're coming across super defensively. The way you approach people can many times lead to the outcome. The first part obviously shows a different snake. Send that and see what he replies with. Give him a chance before you start threatening BOI threads and such. Just my $.02...

Regards,

B

---

thats a good point, but i already sent it:oops:

and since i did send it, should i reply again with this:
sorry, i came off a little strong in that last one. my point is, you sent me a snake that was different than the one pictured. i can understand using generic pictures for one type of snake. but you had two seperate listings for mojaves, each with a different picture, and no disclaimer to say that the picture wasnt the actual snake. i paid for the one i wanted, and recieved one that i didnt want. i havent put any bad words around, and i dont plan to if things are fixed. i can understand an honest mistake.

I would just let him respond to the first one. No need to bombard him with emails.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cmack91

and since i did send it, should i reply again with this:
sorry, i came off a little strong in that last one. my point is, you sent me a snake that was different than the one pictured. i can understand using generic pictures for one type of snake. but you had two seperate listings for mojaves, each with a different picture, and no disclaimer to say that the picture wasnt the actual snake. i paid for the one i wanted, and recieved one that i didnt want. i havent put any bad words around, and i dont plan to if things are fixed. i can understand an honest mistake.

---

Nice man! I would. It's easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment but it is honestly a mistake at this point. No need to escalate that until the problem doesn't get resolved. Mistakes happen. We're all human. I hope it gets resolved for you.

Regards,

B

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simple Man

Nice man! I would. It's easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment but it is honestly a mistake at this point. No need to escalate that until the problem doesn't get resolved. Mistakes happen. We're all human. I hope it gets resolved for you.

Regards,

B

---

thats exactly what happened, i was all emotional and whatnot..

so you think its all worded right and all? im not very good with the whole being formal and polite thing lol

i sent it, i think it'll be fine

After reading through this whole thread Im glad to see you wrote him a 2nd email because the first one seemed way too intense. Let us know how it all turns out though, it was probably just an honest mistake...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simple Man

I don't think you need to threaten Michael. See what he does first before you throw that last line in. You're coming across super defensively. The way you approach people can many times lead to the outcome. The first part obviously shows a different snake. Send that and see what he replies with. Give him a chance before you start threatening BOI threads and such. Just my $.02...

Regards,

B

---

I was going to say this as well. The OP made him out to be a crook before the seller even had a chance to rectify the situation. Just calm down and let him make the situation right. If he refuses to do so, then the gloves come off!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by drama x

Yeah its deffinantly the sellers fault, and if hes on kingsnake they dont mess around. You can send an email to kingsnake and they will help out as well.

I had a dude try to make me put a down payment on a snake BEFORE he sent me the pictures....i took my business elsewhere, and sadly he was supposed to be a good breeder.

What is the name of this company if you dont mind me asking?

Edit: Nevermind i saw the link to kingsnake lol im blind

---

At least he was gonna send you pictures! I had a guy who told me he didnt have time to send a bunch of pictures and if I didn't want the snake, then, so be it. To th OP, He might just be using that pic as a type of model. I would confront him if you feel you really want that snake. Did you ask him if the snake you were buying was the one pictured?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cmack91

i guess that is a declaration of war lol



thats exactly how im looking at it, if he takes care of it, i will spread that word around, and never say anything bad about him in the future. i was just wondering if this was the right way to go about it

---

I wouldn't threaten or rather even mention writing a bad guy boi unless he doesn't even try to resolve the issue. You don't want to appear as one of the many people who are to quick to jump the gun and run to write a bad guy BOI. Contact him, see what he says, does, then go from there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cmack91

heres the email i sent him

"http://s972.photobucket.com/albums/ae209/cmack1991/?action=view&current=michealcastillo.png

note, the picture on the left is of the one you sent me as mojave male 6.
the picture on the right is the one that you had listed on your website as mojave male 6, underneath the listing for mojave male 5.

in the picture in the link above, i have highlighted the following things:

1. (a) the big arrows labeled 1, show the difference in the dorsal stripes. the left picture has a spot in each of the first two stripe segments coming off of the neck (circled).
(b) the first two segments coming off of the neck on the picture on the right, the one that you had labeled as mojave male 6, have no spots in them (also circled).

2. (a) the big arrows labeled 2 point to the dorsal stripe segments beginning from the tail, inside the circle the segments are labeled as, 1, 2, and 3, starting from the tail, and going up the spine.
(b) note that tail stripe segments 2 are different sizes, as are tail stripe segments 3.

is the snake that you had pictured as mojave male 6 even available? im willing to not right up "bad guy" BOI's on fauna if you are willing to send me a pre-paid shipping label with a heat pack to send you back the snake you sent me, and send me the one you had pictured as mojave male 6 with no additional cost to me.

if the snake you had pictured as mojave male 6 is not available, i will be giving you bad reviews on every website i can think of, including faunaclassifieds.com, kingsnake.com, ball-pythons.net, redtailboas.net, redtailboas.com, and facebook.com."

am i being reasonable?

---

You are threatening him without even giving him the chance to explain what may have happened. A little too soon for that I think. Also you may want to spell check your words, capitalize the first letter at the beginning of your sentences, and switch "right up" for "write up".

I have done business with Michael Castillo in person at the expo. I bought my smiley face pied from him. He is a good guy. I am sure if you bring it to his attention in a business like tone it will all be resolved and you will be happy.

I am very happy with my pied.

GL

It happened to me before with my 2nd snake. I contacted the seller at Reptile Kingdom that I received the wrong snake. The patterns on my female albino ball python was not the same one as pictured. He said it is and he can't do anything about it. I decided to let it go and keep the snake. Weeks later, he posted the same picture of the snake I was suppose to receive. That just made my blood boil! I will never do business with Reptile Kingdom again. At that time, I didn't know about these reptile forums. He got real lucky!!

I would have simply sent him an email explaining that the snake pictured was not the snake received. Then, if he declined to acknowledge his mistake, then I would have politely told him that I would not do business with him again and that I would be sharing my story with others so that they don't pay money for a snake they didn't ask for.

It's hard to take someone seriously who blows up at you for an honest mistake. I understand, though, I would have been peeved too. But, I would have calmed down, then approach him via email about the situation. People are less likely to be kind to you if you're not kind back. Being stern in a situation is different than being demanding. ;)

I would have sent a second email if I did send an angry one first. A simple harsh word can ruin a person's day. Keep that in mind.

Hey, sometimes snakes do look alike when you're tired or in a hurry. Also, the little buggers never stay still long enough! :D

Has he messaged back? :weirdface

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cmack91

heres the email i sent him...

...am i being reasonable?

---

Nope. If I got an e-mail like that I'd tell you to go pound salt. :colbert:

A simple polite note saying that you were confused because the snake you received didn't look like the one in the photo and could there possibly have been a mistake would have been a good opener.

Give the guy a chance before you jump down his throat.

Either way, it sounds like this breeder is a pro, and I am sure he will handle it regardless of the tone of the first email. That is what a pro does. Trust me, in my line of work (Registered Nurse), I get irate people all the time, for various reasons, and would not think to tell someone to pound salt unless they were being MUCH more belligerent than his first email, and maybe not even then depending on the issue.

The buyer may have been a touch impetuous, but he is not the one in the wrong. He has stated what happened on his end clearly, and the seller sent the wrong snake. Period.

Honestly, the whole thing is probably none of our business unless the seller refuses to fix the issue, then everyone should know to avoid that seller.

You probably should've emailed him BEFORE you started this thread. I'm sure you were just looking for some advice, but your kinda dragging his name through the mud already. Once you figured out it was the wrong snake it should've been brought to the sellers attention asap. Coming on here with this post and then sending him an email like that could make the seller not want to work with you on resolving the problem.
You are upset you didn't get the snake pictured but you brought the problem to a public forum before you even let him know there was a problem. IMHO any and all problems that happen to occur, should be brought to the sellers attention and given a proper amount of time to be resolved before the public becomes aware. Things happen mistakes are made but give them a chance to fix it before a thread like this happens.
I do hope you get the situation resolved and mojave #6 makes his way into your collection.
Just my two pennies.

Scott Austin

when i made the thread, i tried to keep his name completly out of it, and then i realized that the kingsnake link says who he was. and the first email was in the heat of the moment, and i sent him a second one apologizing once i had calmed down.

he emailed me back saying that the picture he used for male6 was actually female6 and it was a mix up, which i understand. anyway, he was very proffesional, offered me a 35.00 refund and free shipping on my next order. so as far as i am concerned, he did what he was supposed to, and im happy.

i do not want this thread to reflect poorly on micheal castillo, like i said, i tried to keep his name out of it, but it didnt go that way. and i will not let this deter me from doing business with him in the future. it was a mix up, i was looking for advice here, and i got out of hand.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cmack91

it was a mix up, i was looking for advice here, and i got out of hand.

---

Good resolution and nice follow up post. Good lesson for everyone. :gj:

Enjoy your new addition.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JohnNJ

Good resolution and nice follow up post. Good lesson for everyone. :gj:

Enjoy your new addition.

---

yeah, im definitly gonna let myself calm down before i handle with things like this again, if i ever have to

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cmack91

yeah, im definitly gonna let myself calm down before i handle with things like this again, if i ever have to

---

Kinda late...lol.

I personally think you did a good job. BUT i would have toned down the threats a little.. We are humans, and we are prone to mistakes, BUT some people only do the "right" thing when threatened. You did good, you did bad, in the end you got a snake and a good compensation. So don't feel all that bad. Maybe joke with the seller on your next deal. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zeion97

Kinda late...lol.

I personally think you did a good job. BUT i would have toned down the threats a little.. We are humans, and we are prone to mistakes, BUT some people only do the "right" thing when threatened. You did good, you did bad, in the end you got a snake and a good compensation. So don't feel all that bad. Maybe joke with the seller on your next deal. ;)

---

haha, i might. im not trying to make excuses but this is the first time ive ever delt with anything like this, and ive definitly learned a lesson here

Good to hear! I've done business with Michael and it was always professional. Glad to hear that you got taken care of.

Regards,

B

Good resolution. I like to hear when thing are handled in such a manner.

Since this was a good resolution, maybe an admin can remove the link and any mention of the seller from this post to prevent any more damage to his rep.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cmack91

when i made the thread, i tried to keep his name completly out of it, and then i realized that the kingsnake link says who he was. and the first email was in the heat of the moment, and i sent him a second one apologizing once i had calmed down.

he emailed me back saying that the picture he used for male6 was actually female6 and it was a mix up, which i understand. anyway, he was very proffesional, offered me a 35.00 refund and free shipping on my next order. so as far as i am concerned, he did what he was supposed to, and im happy.

i do not want this thread to reflect poorly on micheal castillo, like i said, i tried to keep his name out of it, but it didnt go that way. and i will not let this deter me from doing business with him in the future. it was a mix up, i was looking for advice here, and i got out of hand.

---

Just remember, we all get caught in the heat of the moment here and there, its a natural human reaction. No harm done.

hes really trying hard as possible to fix it, i even emailed him an hour or so ago telling him not to worry about giving me free shipping next time and all that, but he sent the reimbursement anyway and insists on hooking me up next time so hes really doing a great job, and i honestly cant wait to buy from him again. all of his snakes look fantastic, and his prices are more than reasonable. im hoping to get a pewter girl from him in a few months here if their still around, and even if their not, i'll still probably buy something

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Maixx

Since this was a good resolution, maybe an admin can remove the link and any mention of the seller from this post to prevent any more damage to his rep.

---

and i agree, i didnt plan on having his name in here at all

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cmack91

is the snake that you had pictured as mojave male 6 even available? im willing to not right up "bad guy" BOI's on fauna if you are willing to send me a pre-paid shipping label with a heat pack to send you back the snake you sent me, and send me the one you had pictured as mojave male 6 with no additional cost to me.

if the snake you had pictured as mojave male 6 is not available, i will be giving you bad reviews on every website i can think of, including faunaclassifieds.com, kingsnake.com, ball-pythons.net, redtailboas.net, redtailboas.com, and facebook.com."

am i being reasonable?

---

Not the way to go about it.

When you have an issue even if the seller is at "fault" or should I say the seller made a mistake, people are human and sometimes make honest mistakes. The fact that you are not giving him the benefit of the doubt and decided to threat the seller before even explaining the issue and see how he wants to proceed is really uncalled for and the wrong way to go about it.

Cutesy and diplomacy go a long way when it comes to favorable resolution. :gj:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cmack91

hes really trying hard as possible to fix it, i even emailed him an hour or so ago telling him not to worry about giving me free shipping next time and all that, but he sent the reimbursement anyway and insists on hooking me up next time so hes really doing a great job, and i honestly cant wait to buy from him again. all of his snakes look fantastic, and his prices are more than reasonable. im hoping to get a pewter girl from him in a few months here if their still around, and even if their not, i'll still probably buy something

---

You must have scared him silly then lol :P

I like to window shop on kingsnake, and have seen people say "picture is of actual animal you will be getting". so perhaps some people post a "nice" generic picture, or picture of another or past snake. If he is a good reputable breeder, he will make it right. Otherwise I would be hacked off too. I would send a polite email first telling him about the error, see if they offer to fix. Then if not, unload with your other email. Good luck to you. That sucks.