Life's not fair, and now my ball suffers for it.

*sigh*

When I got my young ball a few months ago, the tank I was provided with as a starter tank was fine. But as time went on, I developed doubts... it's not particularly warm despite careful monitoring, and I'm constantly fighting to get the humidity up for him/her. So I decided to buy a better one, to avoid potential problems, and discomfort for the snake.
So I saved up my pennies, did my research, and found an absolute perfect one for a young ball, highly recommended, nicely designed, and reasonably priced (Not too cheap, not too expensive)

So I went ahead and ordered it, and this is where things start to suck. I buy from the internet a LOT... I use paypal, a LOT... and I always check my address, but I suppose I got complacent... and the one time I don't check, paypal has for no reason, and with no permission of mine... selected an old address. Of course, the person I ordered it from dutifully dispatched it, promptly and politely. It was only two days later when I had to use paypal for something unrelated that I realised the address was wrong. So I check... and indeed... my lovely vivarium has gone to the wrong place. The people there, in full knowledge that they cannot hand it over to the rightful recipient, have signed for and accepted it.

If they had done what any honest human being would, and told the company that I no longer lived there, and they could not contact me, it would have been fine, it would have sat in the warehouse until I claimed it, as it should have done... but now, because they signed, nobody will help me. The old landlady is ignoring me, paypal refuse to accept that it was their fault because I should have checked (Which I should have done, I just don't EXPECT that kind of foolishness from Paypal), and the delivery company refuse to respond to me over the weekend. So, whilst thieves posses my lovely vivarium, and my lovely little ball sulks in his old one... I have to wait for everyone else to sort themselves out.

:mad: All I wanted was a decent tank for my snake. Clearly that was too much to ask.
I know you guys don't want to know about this, and I'm sorry, but I really needed to rant that out somewhere, and it has helped.

-Cornishninja.

That is truly ridiculous!!!

so, you moved, and didn't update your info, and save?

I use paypal all the time, and before I confirm payment, I see what address it is going to. I have sent gifts to other people, and have used their address, but my address is always the default.

I'm sorry you are going through this, but for some reason, feel a little error is to be claimed here. I understand the frustration, and feel the new owners at the address you were living at should hand over your purchase, and unsure why they aren't willing to do so.

You could try and have the police involved if that were the case.

Paypal won't do anything in this matter.

Again, sorry you are in this situation.

Could you try going to your old address and talking to the ppl about it?

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

4Ballz: As I said, I accept that I should have double checked the address, but I did not expect them to have changed it back after months of happily sending to my new address (Which is very much the default one, and has been since I updated the details months ago). Sudden, unexplained and unauthorized changes like that upset me. But, like I said in the post I should have checked, the blame is 99% on me for that initial mistake.

Coleslaw007: Unfortunately, it is an extremely difficult property to get to, or contact at all, in the middle of nowhere, so getting there presents a considerable problem for me. I am attempting to contact them in every way I can, but so far, they have ignored me.

Send them a letter, threatening to take them to court if they dont hand it over. It was shipped to your name wasn't it? If so, any judge with a brain will make them either hand it over or re-imberse you the money. I hope.

It is illegal for them to sign for someone elses package and can be charged for it. I'd definitely get the police involved.

I found when I change my address ( or any info ) with anything online I erase the old info afterwards. I still need to updayte al lthis with moving nito northen de but I can recieve stuff at my old address cause it my mothers lol.

Agree on the signing for someone elses package. If they knowingly signed for a package that has your name on it, and "open" it, they have committed mail fraud and it becomes a felony. So even though it was an honest mistake, as long as it was sent with your name on the package, then you are covered, and they will have to forfit the package to the proper authoties and the proper owner.

Cheers

I always delete my old address when I move specifically to avoid something like this happening. Hopefully you can get a new home for your BP soon :o

I think the title of this thread is wrong for one. In the future though, you should really get your facts and husbandry in order before you purchase any animal. They are suffering because life is unfair for them when irresponsible people purchase them without fully thinking about what they are taking on. I don't mean to sound harsh but after reading the title of this thread and the post this is just ignorant and childish complaints about a lost dollar.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ryan Chin

I think the title of this thread is wrong for one. In the future though, you should really get your facts and husbandry in order before you purchase any animal. They are suffering because life is unfair for them when irresponsible people purchase them without fully thinking about what they are taking on. I don't mean to sound harsh but after reading the title of this thread and the post this is just ignorant and childish complaints about a lost dollar.

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I think that is a little extreme. We all make mistakes in the beginning. I too had my first bp in a horrible tank and the temps and humidity were not right. I was feeding her pinkies in a separate feeding box. This person has done their homework. They know they need a different enclosure, so they saved the money for a really good one. How does this sound like someone who is irresponsible?

Sorry, but I believe this kind of post was a little uncalled for. An unfortunate error was made, but it doesn't mean the snake is going to perish because of it.

Ugh, I've had paypal do that to me, too (I even checked to make sure my current address was selected BEFORE I placed an order, and it still came up as the old addy on the seller's end). I can't believe someone would go and sign for something like that and then not even try to contact you. What on earth would they even do with a snake viv? I really hope you're able to get a hold of them and get it back, good luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

I think that is a little extreme. We all make mistakes in the beginning. I too had my first bp in a horrible tank and the temps and humidity were not right. I was feeding her pinkies in a separate feeding box. This person has done their homework. They know they need a different enclosure, so they saved the money for a really good one. How does this sound like someone who is irresponsible?

Sorry, but I believe this kind of post was a little uncalled for. An unfortunate error was made, but it doesn't mean the snake is going to perish because of it.

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Ok. Sorry I went to far. I was just thinking from a logical stand point that this is a ridiculous post. Of course it is good that they did their homework about the setup, maybe before maybe after, hindsight is always 20/20. What I was trying to point out in this case as with any other pet one would keep was that you should have the environment and ideal settings for the species long before they arrive. I can understand feeling bad for the snake while it has to wait who knows how long again for him to be able to afford another enclosure, but in the end whose fault is that really? It sucks ass that he didn't review his order before submitting it and someone else got a probably very nice vivarium for free. As for myself I'd totally give them a call if you still have the number or if you're still local ring the doorbell and say hey.

In the end just trying to point out for future pets he should have this all going already so there is a happy home for them when they arrive, not in a mean way but not acknowledging what really happened and trying to cheer him up wont prove good for future situations.

I agree the setup should be perfect before the snake has arrived, but some people get their first animal a little impulsively and use outdated or incorrect husbandry info at first.

It is very common. I'm not going to criticize the OP for not getting a new enclosure sooner. I don't really see the point as it is already "too late".

Perhaps I can suggest an alternative though. Cornishninja, have you considered switching to a tub setup or something else that is cheaper and holds temps and humidity a little better? I'm not familiar with your current setup, but perhaps we can offer some advice on what you can do to stabilize the environment til you track down the new viv or buy a new one.

I don't think the think to do here is to point out past mistakes. It won't really help the current situation. I'm sure the OP understands that future animals should have a stable environment before the actual animal is introduced.

It was your mistake not paypal's so you can't be upset with them. Make sure you get that old address deleted!

But as for someone else signing for a package with your name on it, that's completely wrong. I would contact the seller first, then the carrier if the seller doesn't know what to do about it.

I don't much care for the tone of certain people here. Coming off like they've never made a mistake in caring for an animal. It rubs me the wrong way, since I know darn well 99.999% of people have made at least one stupid mistake and more likely a LOT of stupid mistakes in caring for their animals. But that is beside the point.

To the original poster. It is upsetting and annoying to have had this happen. And no, PayPal is not going to help as it is technically your fault. BUT for someone to knowingly sign for and open a package that does not belong to them does constitute mail fraud and you need to get the police and post office involved. Mail fraud is taken seriously most of the time. Do not simply shrug and allow this to pass by. File a complaint with the shipping company and file a police report. These people are thieves, and should not be allowed to get away with this.

Filing a report is simple and painless, I've had to do it more than once. It is easiest if you can go to your local police station or sheriff's office, but if you can't, call and ask dispatch to have someone drop by when they are in the area. As long as you remain calm and describe the situation, they may be able to help by simply paying a visit to your previous address and speaking to the people there. If you have the misfortune to get someone who doesn't care or offer to help, then contact the post office and ask them about it. And make sure you file a complaint and/or claim with the shipping company, whether they like it or not.

I hope you can get this resolved quickly and favorably. Keep your chin up.

Gale

In the end, I agree, my setup should have been perfect from the outset, I know. But, given that the advice and information I was given were imperfect, I would say it is fair to say that taking action as promptly as I could to improve the situation was the best thing I could do. I have in no way indicated that my snake is about to drop dead, or is actively dying from the problems. Indeed not, the setup I have now CAN be maintained at suitable temp and humidity, it is just a lot of work to keep it as such, work that I have more than willingly been putting in. I want a better setup so that not so much time and effort has to go into constantly regulating and working on the environment. That's what I was working towards by getting a better tank... an easier to maintain, and thus, more ideal setup.

Also, I would like to point out that reffering to my words as 'ignorant and childish complaints about a lost dollar' was extremely offensive, and far from the mark, nowhere in my post did I refer to how much the tank cost, and that I was upset about that. I did not speak of its price at all, or my sadness at losing the money, I would happily spend seven times that for my ball, should he/she need it. Harsh words, perhaps I do deserve, it was my mistake, and I should have known everything in advance. However, that does not strip me of my right to be frustrated when things blow up in my face when I am TRYING to make things right.

Thank you everyone else, for your words of support and for standing up for me. If the person who signed for the package has tampered with it in any way, or deny knowledge, I shall go to the police over it. But until they do that, I must wait for the delivery company to act, or for the tenant to respond to contact from someone. It is true I should have checked the address, but they should not have signed for a package that they knew they could not pass on, they should have refused to accept it, as a responsible person would have.

Kaorte: I have actually considered a tub or rack arrangement, but at the moment, since I'm moving house soon (Don't worry, not a long, stressful move for the snake, a short distance, before someone bites my head off for that) I decided a contained vivarium was better to go for for the time being, until I'm settled long term and can consider a proper tub arrangement.
And yes, I have learned a vast amount more about snakes than I did these last few months, even though I did my reading and learning before I got my animal, I have built on that masses since then. I know now what I should have done before getting the snake, as it was my first reptile ever, and any future I may get ones will benefit a great deal from what I have learned.

I'll keep y'all updated on the situation, hopefully it can be resolved without too much trouble.

-Cornishninja

Sorry to hear of your situation. You should file a grievance with paypal through their website and contact the police in the area of your old address. Possibly try reasoning with the people at your old residence and let them know that if they do not hand over the item, you will contact the police. You could also try small claims court as a last resort.

I would definitely make it a point to get to your old address. Maybe take a muscle man with you! I'd be PIIIIISSSSHED!!!! Ha jk I ld go with S.I.R's plan

UPDATE 07/10/1012:

Through a series of long winded problems and arguments with various involved parties, I finally managed to get my new terrarium on Thursday. The snake is now settled in it, and temperature and humidity levels are holding steady at an ideal level :3 The snake has taken a feeding in the new enclosure quite happily, and finished his first properly successful (one piece) shed in there as well. Overall he/she seems much, much happier and more comfortable now that there is a suitable enclosure.

Just thought I would update that the problem has now resolved itself! Thank you for your words of support and advice everyone!

Congrats on getting everything sorted out. I am glad you got your terrarium and that your snake is doing well and is content in his new place. It was great that you fought for your property, even with the fact that you got a lot of complaints on here, you did the right things. You got wrong information (happens to everyone at some point I'm sure) but the fact was that you decided to rectify the problem rather than letting it continue and having a sick animal on your hands. No matter what anyone says, to me that makes a good owner, a willingness to accept your f**k ups and a willingness to fix the problems and help your animal. Make sure and post some pictures of the set up! :) congrats!