F/U on Petco where I bought Gabe

I went to Petco yesterday to follow up with that JERK manager. Yeah, he seemed sorta nice on the phone, but when I came into the store, he did NOT remember my name, then he squinted and said, "Oh, right, the snake died." He refuses to recompensate me for Gabe, although it's a mere few days past the 30-day policy, he will not pay my vet bills. We walked towards the reptile area and I asked him if he knew anything about snakes. He said he didn't. I started to get into the IBD issue again, and he pulled a ball python out of the cage and said "Look he's fine see. He's all curled up. There's nothing wrong with these." I was like "Yeah, mine appeared perfectly healthy when I bought him a MONTH ago." He assumed the health of these snakes a mere ten seconds after admitting he knew NOTHING about them. I went into the fact that other snakes could be infected and that people's collections could in turn be infected, etc... He basically shrugged it off, and at that moment I realized that everything I had said to him on the phone had gone in one ear and out the other. He did not CARE. And then he offered me a meager 10% off the purchase of a new snake. I said "10%?!!?" completely horrified by the audacity of this guy.... and he goes, "Fine, 20, because your snake died." Just so insensitive. At this point it's not even an animal to him. It's just a thing I had. The language going through my head... As we left the store, my BF said to me, "He's just like any other retail sales manager I've ever met or worked for, he only cares about the bottom line."

I wrote a letter to Petco before I ever even called. It was cut and dry, and not angry. I'm thinking about doing a little editing to it before I send it to their corporate office, including mentioning the very friendly manager "Bill".

I would definitely send a letter to corporate, mentioning the specific store AND the manager's name AND how your were treated AND the possible danger of IBD and sick snakes from wherever their wholesale source is.

Sadly, it might not do anything to change things--corporate anything is really about the bottom line. At the very least, it will be on the record, in case they get more complaints about that store or sick snakes.

:hug: I'm sorry you had such a hard time with that manager...

Have the vet test come back? If they have and it is IBD. Call the manager and inform him that you have called the ASPCA along with the local newspapers and new stations and are are reporting him for nor providing proper vet care knowingly selling and distributing infected animals with a deadly (to reptiles) contagious virus. and that his actions and lack of concern could cost people entire collections that Petco could be responsible for. Then pick up the phone and do it. But wait till the test results come back!!!

I am sorry to hear about Gabe, and the response of Petco management does not surprise me. Hopefully you letter to their corporate office will find somebody who cares enough to look into this.


Keep a close eye on your other snakes. It sounds like you are taking the right precautions.

:hug:

Neil

I've mentioned this before... But I seriously can not afford to get a necropsy done. I spent 90 dollars on the vet bill, which they won't pay. The vet won't take back the antibiotics I didn't use, so I can't even get a small refund.

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Originally Posted by darkangel

I've mentioned this before... But I seriously can not afford to get a necropsy done. I spent 90 dollars on the vet bill, which they won't pay. The vet won't take back the antibiotics I didn't use, so I can't even get a small refund.

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Had the test that the vet sent off before the snake died confirmed IBD???

What is the cost of the necropsy??

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

Had the test that the vet sent off before the snake died confirmed IBD???

What is the cost of the necropsy??

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If I'm not mistaken, I think a test for IBD can only be preformed post-mortem (through a necropsy).

As far as I know he did not do any such test. I called BF while he was at the vets office and said make sure you ask about IBD. The vet tested the stool for parasites but I don't think the vet did a test for IBD. He just told my BF that he could not rule it out and it could be that.

Edit: Yeah Kim I thought that too.

While I am sickened by the response, I am not surprised. I for one say that we here at BPNet boycott Petco or at the very least we should all send letters on Amy's behalf. If it IS IBD, then at some point this could affect many of us as lots of new owners not only get their first at a pet store, but many of those end up in new homes as well as they tend to be impulse purchases. Also, I am willing to help pitch in for a necropsy if anyone else is willing to help.

when they hire these people i really dont think they care if they know anything about reptiles. I think as long as they know where the dog/cat food is then they will continue to have a job.

Thats it Amy get me address to the office you sent it to and the address of the store I'm writing a letter also.

I think the only way the letters will be affective is if the necropsy is done. so that is a very nice and good idea, i'm always up to helping a fellow bp.neter out.

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Originally Posted by catawhat75

While I am sickened by the response, I am not surprised. I for one say that we here at BPNet boycott Petco or at the very least we should all send letters on Amy's behalf. If it IS IBD, then at some point this could affect many of us as lots of new owners not only get their first at a pet store, but many of those end up in new homes as well as they tend to be impulse purchases. Also, I am willing to help pitch in for a necropsy if anyone else is willing to help.

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I just spoke with the vet's office on the phone. I was told that snakes begin decomposing very quickly and it's too late to do the test. I explained a little about the pet store and the situation, and she said she would have the vet call me and tell me in his opinion what he believes was the cause of death. Of course this is not as good as a test result... But it's something.

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Originally Posted by darkangel

I just spoke with the vet's office on the phone. I was told that snakes begin decomposing very quickly and it's too late to do the test. I explained a little about the pet store and the situation, and she said she would have the vet call me and tell me in his opinion what he believes was the cause of death. Of course this is not as good as a test result... But it's something.

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If you could ask the vet to put it in writing, photocopy it and then send one letter to the store and the other to the corporate office along with what you write, that would certainly be better than nothing.

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Originally Posted by darkangel

I just spoke with the vet's office on the phone. I was told that they begin decomposing very quickly and it's too late to do the test. I explained a little about the pet store and the situation, and she said she would have the vet call me and tell me in his opinion what he believes was the cause of death. Of course this is not as good as a test result... But it's something.

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I am very sorry to hear this.


.Again I'm very sorry.

How cold is it where you are and how long ago was he burried? My vet (who is a reptile vet) said if they stay cold- like refridgerated temps but not frozen, that as long as it is not past 3 days it is ok.

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Originally Posted by jar2476

I think the only way the letters will be affective is if the necropsy is done. so that is a very nice and good idea, i'm always up to helping a fellow bp.neter out.

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I completely understand that... I'm not asking anyone to go out of their way. The sad truth is that they probably really will not give a crap about a letter. I'm very angry and very upset over what happened, I feel decieved and tricked by this very "friendly" seeming store. I'm not optimistic about a response from their corporate office, but I feel this is something I just need to do so I can get it off my chest.

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Originally Posted by catawhat75

How cold is it where you are and how long ago was he burried? My vet (who is a reptile vet) said if they stay cold- like refridgerated temps but not frozen, that as long as it is not past 3 days it is ok.

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The problem is it's been warm. I got 80 yesterday in Augusta.

anything is better then not doing anything. i agree. im not saying if you dont get the test dont write a letter. all im saying is that it would of spoke volumes to have thats all, please do take offence. I think it will be good to have the vet put his opinoin in writting also to help your cause..

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Originally Posted by darkangel

I completely understand that... I'm not asking anyone to go out of their way. The sad truth is that they probably really will not give a crap about a letter. I'm very angry and very upset over what happened, I feel decieved and tricked by this very "friendly" seeming store. I'm not optimistic about a response from their corporate office, but I feel this is something I just need to do so I can get it off my chest.

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Dang, sorry hun. ((())) Let me know if there is anything I can do, I know how you feel. I lost one of my boys last year.

First, I don't want to sound harsh here.. understand that.
Just to let you know. No matter WHAT results came back via your vet or lab results.. the vet will always say "I cannot rule out IBD" with out a necropsy. You CAN test for IBD without a necropsy but it will NOT RULE OUT IBD. IBD can sometimes only be detected in the brain, according to some vets(I.E. University of Florida). I have had several negetive tests, but then they will say "Well... it COULD still be..." Because they are fixated on it. Despite the fact that the BALL PYTHON has lived for over a year, with only the head wobble as a symptom(she's a spider wobble-head), they still won't commit to a negative report.
Ask how long the snakes were there that were exposed to YOUR snake. If it's longer than a couple months, you can pretty much say it wasn't IBD.
As far as compensation for vet bills? It's not likely to happen with most places. When you bought the snake, you assume full responsibilty for it's care including possible vet needs. You admit it was a 'few days' past the guarentee time when you went in. The manager doesn't owe you even a discount honestly.
If it were MY store, I would have #1 quarentined as soon as you first contacted me. #2 Taken the animal back and taken it direct to the vet for full work up and necropsy, and #3 offered you store credit or refund on the purchase price.
But after the snake is dead, without a vet report, after the 30-day time is past, it's asking a lot of a manager to refund your money, pay a vet bill, or offer you a replacement.
I'm really sorry to have heard about all this, and I know it's a painful thing to go through. My heart goes out to you for the loss of your pet. I just wanted to state the basics here though. Petco is a corporate entity, and you are asking them to step outside most of the rules. When/If you get any vet report back, then I'd take it up with corporate.
Just for the record, I wouldn't want any reptile from that place ever again.
Wolfy

Look, I'm not expecting anything from Petco. I don't expect a refund, I don't expect a replacement, I honestly don't expect them to do anything but throw my letter in the trash. But you have to understand I feel compelled to do something. I think you misunderstand my actions for some kind of desperation. What I feel is I would hate for this to happen to someone else, and I feel like I can't just sit idly by and not try. But the fact is my attempts to discuss this with the store were futile. The manager couldn't care less. It's sad.

BTW vet called. Said he couldn't say anything definite bc he's not a board-certified herp, but one of the few in the area that takes reptiles. He said he definetly displayed many of the signs. I could send it to a lab to be tested, but it would have to be overnighted. It's been so warm here that I really don't think they would be able to work with it.

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Originally Posted by jar2476

when they hire these people i really dont think they care if they know anything about reptiles. I think as long as they know where the dog/cat food is then they will continue to have a job.

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exactly what i think

Dark I just sent you a PM

I just got off the phone with PetCo here in Augusta. I talked with the Reptile manager and she is keeping a close eye on the BPs and Boas and taking them off sales. they get there BPs from a breeder is SC. That is all I can say for now. I'm waiting for a call back from some othere people here in augusta and the Vet office. I will let you guys know what I find. that is really all I can do for now.
:(

You are an ANGEL. Thank you so much.

vet called back and there was a snake that was put down today for possable IBD. I cant know if it is IBD or not due to me not owning the snake but I did get that the snake was from a petco in SC. again i cant know where due to non ownership.

That is all I'm able to get now but the word has been put out. I can't say if the "breeder" in SC has been contacted but I hope my Petco does it soon.

I'm scared to go there. just like the time I went the this woman house and saw that her snakes had mites....I ran home and washed everything I had on in bleach and took 2 showers. I went to Petco a few weeks ago to get some fish food and now all I want to do is burn my cloths and take hundreds of showers... this gives me the creeps again.

Know it doesn't mean much coming from a new guy such as myself. But Im so sorry about your loss. We all get attached to our pets, no matter short a time we have them. All you can do is look forward. Chin up hun. :hug:

On a side note, this whole topic and disease is creeping me the hell out....didnt even know it existed till this post.

IBD is SCARY. I work in an HIV clinic in Augusta, GA. I see the effects of a retrovirus everyday, and the parallels between HIV/AIDS and IBD just haunts me. I think I let myself believe it couldn't happen to me, and especially not from what I thought was a nationally known and decently respected chain. And now here I am. :(

I have been to probably over 20 to 30 petco's. I also got mine at one. EVERY SINGLE ONE i have been to, EXCEPT for the one i bought mine at, does not know a damn thing about reptiles, or anything else for that matter. It's usually little teeny bopper employee's or stoned out " i can't wait to get out of here " type people working.

The one i bought mine at however has 2 guys that live for snakes and reptiles, and they really do know their stuff, so thank god for that. But yeah, Petco is just awful, along with petsmart, etc, and corporate place selling animals usually knows nothing other than dogs and cats, and maybe the occasional GERBIL!

I'm glad you sent this, they need to be called out on it.

There is a higherarchy in the petco districts. Above the general manager of the store, there are several district people, one of which is in charge of the animal care and well-being. The number for this person is not hard to find, they keep it in several places in case a dire emergency that is animal related. If I were you, I would go to the store and demand the number of this person, I am not sure the technical name, but if you say the district animal care person I'm sure they will know who you are talking about. This would be the person to contact. It is the person that is supposed to make sure something is done when this type of thing happens. Perhaps they will reign down on the manager that treated you disrespectfully and make sure that something is done to sanitize the tank/ decor that the snakes are around.

hey now not all petco's are bad mine for instance the one i work at im the one taking care of the animals needs im the only one that will and im the only one that anyone who calls asks to talk to. ill come into work and my co-workers and managers will tell me i had 10 missed calls from people with questions and could i call them i care more about the animals then i do the company but thats just me i dont know how other petcos run but in your instance i would deffinatly write corprate and tell them and sorry to hear about gabe and :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: that manager for not paying for you vet bill.

I spoke with Jessica on the phone (JK) and I don't want to misquote her or anything, but basically she learned from the reptile specialist at the petco that a few of the balls at the store are stargazing. :eek:

I'm definetly going to revise my letter and send it. I doubt it will fall into the right people's hands but I have to try.

This is something out of a horror flick where a disease is going around killing people and turn into zombies, in this case the poor snakes star gaze, :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: the letter, I'd go straight to the news, they would eat this :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: up, local news are always looking to slam stores for something. Press coverage will get higher ups involved too.

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Originally Posted by sw204me

I'd go straight to the news, they would eat this :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: up, local news are always looking to slam stores for something. Press coverage will get higher ups involved too.

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I would be very, VERY carefull how you went about that.:(

A similar campaign in my country all but wiped out the reptile industry with scare stories about salmonella - if they even HEAR the phrase "snake aids" god help you.

These people are not reptile experts and almost certainly will never take the time needed to get their facts right. Our local "pets mart" was so bad the council eventually took away their ability to keep exotics and for 6 months they weren't even allowed to keep rabbits and mice - and spent a fortune on advertising and spin so that they came out of it as "a responsible store who put the wellbeing of the animals above profits".:cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: 's!!

I went there on a training course as I thought it would be fun - spent 2 days being told I couldn't fix the setups because "head office wanted them that way" and one day trying to get someone at head ofice to discuss it. They wouldn't so I left. This was a store that killed so many animals through sheer idiocy I was physically disgusted - they cleaned biological fish filters with BLEACH, then wondered why every thursday half the fish were dead.

The local officials who are responsible for animal care are the best people to contact rather than the press in my experience as they usually have the power to physically make the stores change and improve.

The threat of adverse publicity can make a store offer a bribe but it almost never results in a lasting change in practices sadly.

You may be able to challenge their 30 day rule however under existing consumer regulations - in the u.k. certainly we have "fair use" and "unreasonable clause" rules that protect the consumers rights and set independant conditions to decide if the good sold were of marketable quality, fit for purpose and that the buyer was able to make an informed decision based on the information provided. If you have similar legislation you should have them bang to rights as soon as someone can prove the livestock is diseased.

Sorry - I seem to be banging on a bit so will stop posting. :oops:

Just remember if a politician hears the phrase snake aids reptiles could be banned before anyone explains to the idiot.

**edit**
when I went to post the posting failed and crashed IE - thank god I'm paranoid enough to copy posts to clipboard when hitting the button. :D

**/edit**



dr del

I'm not out to take down Petco. frankly i like the place. not for there reptiles but they do have a very nice slection of animal drygoods and decore. They are great with small animals and wonderful with cats and dogs. I do not want to take this any further. I will be contacting the headquarters tomorrow morning and quitely letting them know that there could be a problem. I don't want the news involved, or media of any kind involved. This is between me and petco's reptile department headquarters now.

God help me this will not get out of hand.

Good luck it bothers me that pet store are like this.

o i am im sueing the hell outta where i work for an in wall display 350 pounds fell on me messing up my hand i have nerve damage now aren't those things supposed to be checked on at least once a month for routin maintenance

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Originally Posted by Monty

o i am im sueing the hell outta where i work for an in wall display 350 pounds fell on me messing up my hand i have nerve damage now aren't those things supposed to be checked on at least once a month for routin maintenance

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What where did this come from??

Not sure if anyone mentioned this. But try getting incontact with the district manager, we did and a few people had to take a very long walk of no return ;) Actually if you have vet proof and all that you bought an infected snake, and all they, say everything you know and need/want to say to them, they will take care of this. I am sSOOO sorry about your BP. :(

funny thing is i went to petco as well here in el paso, texas and bought the only bp they had. i asked them when was the last time it was fed and they said they didnt know. i asked them what is it eating live or thawed, they said they didnt know. well figuring these people are idiots i picked it up and held it. everything seemed fine just under fed. well come to my surprise i get home and put her in her new home and i watch her. i noticed she was dripping clear fluids from her mouth... then the next morning i picked her up cause she seemed helpless. when i picked her up she was dripping alot from the mouth. i got ready for work and was gonna go in and tell them i had to run to the vet. as i walked out my door i went to tell my new baby that ill see her later. i walked to her tank and her head was in the corner. i pulled her back and she was limp.. i picked her up and she dangled. :( i was soooooooooooooooo sad. within like 15 minutes of me touching her, she passed :( well i took her back and come to find out to my friend who owns bp's and rtb's that she had a RI! i was like wtf. i went to petco, made a big seen in front of everyone in front of customers and they refunded my money. id rather have her alive then the money. i went to a better store and bought a new one, they actually knew everything about this one and she's healthy just pissy and strikes alot. but i say petco sucks :P

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

What where did this come from??

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wondering that myself...


Man, im glad all the pet stores around me are nothing like these place you all are talking about. All the pet stores here are REALLY clean and take ALOT of pride in their animals, excluding the supermarkets like wal-mart and meijer, those dont count as pet stores. The only one I am kinda iffy on is Pets Palace, cause they have SOOOOOOOOO many animals, hundreds of snakes, and not that much room, the store is cramped and smells really strong. But they treat their animals really well, and try to make the best homes for em, only thing i would say they are doing wrong is not enough hides in the snakes cages.

well... this buggs me. Got off the phone with petco. they couldnt take my case. I didnt have proof of IBD (or as the guy on the phone said "IB...what ever") and the other cases in the Petco on Washington Rd were not called in by the store it's self.

"any illness must be reported with in 24 hours by our staf" I then asked him when was the last time he got a call from any petco about any illness. "I havent gotten any phone calls in the past year. Our stors are in pristene condition" (sp?)

The rest of the call is not for little ears or people who are easly affended. so I will leave that out. in short if I had the money and a better atturney (sp?!) I would sue, but there would be a slim chance of a win. so it would be pointless. I still do NOT want media involved. this is not a take down plot. They just need to clean up a bit.

Also my contact with my petco was fired this morning for taking the snakes home with her last night. so I dont know if i can get the breeder # now. I'm not getting any where by phone and I wont come with in 100 feet of petco right now. *cringe* so any one else have any plans.

I think if the breeder was contacted and was told about the possable IBD problem this whole thing could be cleared up. but getting that number is almost impossable now due to my ditzz of a friend. She means well but she is a few fries short of a happy meal.

I was at petco here in college station the other day and the bp tank had 20% humidity and 100* temp, the bp's eyes looked like golfballs with all the dents in them and looked as though it hadn't been fed in three months. I asked the reptile guy how in the hell he let those snakes get like that and his response was "that's how they're supposed to look". I mad a huge fit in the store and got everyone short of the cash register people over there fixing the set-up. Had I the $240+ equipment to spare those snakes would not have stayed any longer.

Awww I know what you mean. Sadly we cant rescue them all. :(

I went to Petco today and saw a poor Anole dead and dried-out. It look like it'd been dead for days and nobody cared to remove the corpse. Petco sucks.

It's really sad to see everyone else's had these terrible experiences with the company. I guess we've done what we can do... Sad :( I would have thought that the person in the company in charge of animals would have had a bit more knowledge and compassion. I'm out of town in Savannah this weekend but I'm still sending the letter.

I have one last misstle in my arssional. one of the head quarters (there is a smaller headquarters like place) is in CA. I have to go down there in a few months any way. i figured as a pit stop i would go there and see where I can get from there. It is my last option.

bring the news in, shut the company down everyone wins, including all the pets lives you save.