Repster Shipping Feedback

There was a thread back in July with some feedback but I wanted to get something a little more recent since its been a few months now and more people could have used the service in that time.

I'm really curious to see if anyone has run into a problem shipping with them and if so how did it go resolving the issue with Fed-Ex.

I'm getting ready to ship out one of my snakes for a loan and this will be my first time shipping. My only worry using Repster is how to resolve a possible shipment issue if it occurs.

If you've had a positive experience with Repster that feedback is also welcome.

Thanks! :snake:

I did a trade, a kenyan sand boa for a young redtail boa, and we did the shipping through Reptster, it was very very cheap and we didnt have any problems, the animals arrived safely and on time. Overall it was a great experience and I would use them again.

A) the buyer gets a better deal.

B) the seller gets convience plus makes there snake more attractive to a buyer by lower overall cost.

C) david young of reptster.com is a great guy to work with.

seems like a win win situation to me.

BTW UPS is soon to be another option.

We've shipped over 30 packages with them so far this year and have not had the first problem.

We had a bit of trouble, NOT with Repster itself, but with Fedex being weird with our package.

A plane broke down and our shipment was showing to still be in the origin hub, when in reality it was put onto another plane and heading for me. The morning I was supposed to recieve the shipment, both the seller (Heather) and I were on the phones with Fedex trying to find out where our package was.

Fedex told us it was in California.

Heather talked with the Repster guy and he was instrumental in finding where our package was (actually in Michigan!) and getting it to us the very next morning. :)

Word to that...

I've had trouble with Fedex being a problem, not Reptster.

It'd happened a couple of times. Lucky me, but Dave was always on top of it.

yeah i've had good experiences with the shipping side, but i ordered some supplies and they took way too long. besides that, i just realized that gordon food services (GFS) has everything superior enterprizes has for about half the cost... and i have a store 5 minutes from my house.

but yes, the shipping portal is as easy as it gets and the cost really is significantly lower... i've heard of just as many problems with delta dash as fedex/ups, so what can ya do?

I've used it several times now with great success. My only frustrations has been interface on reptster and form errors you can get if you don't fill it out exactly as you should...

Justin

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Originally Posted by jkobylka

I've used it several times now with great success. My only frustrations has been interface on reptster and form errors you can get if you don't fill it out exactly as you should...

Justin

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Ditto. And Reptster was all out of the size boxes I needed, so I had to go to FedEx to get some, then go to Home Depot to buy the foam insulation, but other than that I have no complaints so far.

Edit: Ditto, except I haven't used it several times, yet.

Haven't had any issues with it and the savings are nice to pass along...

I have shipped a few times through Reptster, never had any problems.

Much cheaper too!

Is it really that much cheaper? I thought it was a 15% discount, but the first time I went to ship with Reptster it said you save 45%, so I thought it would drop it down to around $35 for the 9x11x7 boxes, but it was still $50. Was it ever really $85 to ship one of these small boxes? When I use to ship 8-10 years ago is was about $50.

I've used Reptster to ship numerous times with great success.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think I'm going to end up giving it a go with them. Luckily I still have the same box and packing the snake was originally sent to me in. Pack rat, me? No!

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Originally Posted by PythonWallace

Is it really that much cheaper? I thought it was a 15% discount, but the first time I went to ship with Reptster it said you save 45%, so I thought it would drop it down to around $35 for the 9x11x7 boxes, but it was still $50. Was it ever really $85 to ship one of these small boxes? When I use to ship 8-10 years ago is was about $50.

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Usually my pricing for one of those boxes runs between $60-$70 depending on where it's going. Thru Reptster it runs me $45-$55.

So far (knock on wood) it's been smooth sailing. :gj:

So far so good. I've shipped ~15 packages through them with great success. I had an uninformed FedEx employee try to deny my package (even though I brought my FedEx wavier), but that's not Reptster's fault.

I've not had any problems to date and as others have already said, much cheeper.

This thread has sorta given me an uneasy feeling. The fact that David from Reptster never posted in the thread leaves me wondering. I'm not trying to stir the pot but get some opinions.

Would you still use his service after something like this?

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...d.php?t=117299

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Originally Posted by blueapplepaste

So far so good. I've shipped ~15 packages through them with great success. I had an uninformed FedEx employee try to deny my package (even though I brought my FedEx wavier), but that's not Reptster's fault.

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Can you expand on that? Why did they try to deny your package?

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Originally Posted by Spaniard

This thread has sorta given me an uneasy feeling. The fact that David from Reptster never posted in the thread leaves me wondering. I'm not trying to stir the pot but get some opinions.

Would you still use his service after something like this?

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...d.php?t=117299

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I'm not entirely sure what to think about it, but there is going to be a big mess over it.

I am actually still debating getting certified with fedex just to be on the safe side. I like reptster, but I just want to plan ahead.


I don't see how the service of shipping can be screwed up as long as all of the information is successfully transmitted to fedex, then fedex should take care of the rest just like usual.

I think the issue in the thread isn't going to directly effect the actual shipping. But, if your still uneasy because the fact that if something were to happen and your not sure if he has your back... then maybe you should wait?

See, I have no clue what to think, but I'm still eagerly waiting for his reply. Already it seems like he doesn't care about the BOI, so we'll see where it goes from here.

I was thinking along the same lines that shipping probably was going to be ok but where will I be if something bad happens? I may just have to get crackin on getting certified and arrange something else for getting my loaner snake out.

There have been many people that went from good reputation to scammer status and seeing someone's indifference to the BOI makes me hesitant. Not that this is the case with reptster but I'm hoping to see some resolutions in that thread.



Back to the drawing board...

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Can you expand on that? Why did they try to deny your package?

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EVERYTIME i drop off a package and declare what it is, this happens... the nimrod behind the counter says 'no, we cant do that'. so i have them ask their manager... and their manager says 'as long as they arent "poinsonous"!' haha

fauna is kind ridiculous... go with the moral majority here. there's nothing wrong with reptster.

My first shipment with Reptster there was some kind of error where when I clicked on ship (where you get to the label being printed out) I would continually get an error -- I tried it a couple of times and then just gave up and shipped normally thru Fedex. From what I'd heard online they were working through some glitches at the time so the next day when I tried shipping again it went thru fine but I noticed that each of the attempted shipments from the previous day were in my history and I'd been billed for them. I emailed Reptster and they removed those items within a day and I haven't had any problems since. :gj:

As for the fauna thread -- so far it's pretty one sided except for David saying he's been busy and will address it later -- I don't know how much was an overenthusiastic rookie jumping the gun or if he really did back out of a solid agreement - Seems to me that if the money (not even a deposit) was sent then the agreement wasn't solid. But I could be wrong - often am.

There are several reasons why I have chosen now not to utilize Repster. Including this one.

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I was thinking along the same lines that shipping probably was going to be ok but where will I be if something bad happens?

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Originally Posted by Colin Vestrand

fauna is kind ridiculous... go with the moral majority here. there's nothing wrong with reptster.

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Threads are now showing up on other forums.
Considering that many of the posters in this very thread are members and participants of both sites, that is a ridiculously absurd statement.

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Originally Posted by Dennis Hultman

There are several reasons why I have chosen now not to utilize Repster. Including this one.

Threads are now showing up on other forums.
Considering that many of the posters in this very thread are members and participants of both sites, that is a ridiculously absurd statement.

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Dennis, I think your comments are way off base. I am insulted that you think that just because I am a member of Repster that my comments would be biased or "ridiculously absurb." Having said that, I will defend your right to offer your opinion, I just strongly disagree with it.

You may also want to think about the politics of this business. As many know, starting and maintaining a new website / community is a lot of hard work and many times those with established sites with classifieds that cost big bucks (not like this great site) don't like the little guys horning in on their business. Would they start threads about bad service? Some would. There is also the jealousy factor, since Repster has several big name sponsors (you know, competitors) some others would not go there because of who supports it. Again, what I call industry politics. I would suggest to try Repster yourself and form your own opinion. :soapbx:

I'll get off my soapbox now! I hope everyone has a great week.

I sent an email asking for my account with Reptster to be deleted. I never used them for shipping after seeing that my rates were better. Now seeing that David has proven himself to be a liar and a deadbeat, I want nothing to do with that mess. Get yourself FedEx certified. The process is simple and you will get the same service you get through Reptster. Just because David negotiated a volume discount with FedEx doesn't mean your packages are going to get white glove treatment or that if something happens you will be compensated. As far as I am aware, FedEx doesn't accept claims over loss of life of animals. Repster or not.

Alice, are you saying that Fauna is biased against Reptster? Where is your logic behind that?

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Originally Posted by Alice

Dennis, I think your comments are way off base. I am insulted that you think that just because I am a member of Repster that my comments would be biased or "ridiculously absurb." Having said that, I will defend your right to offer your opinion, I just strongly disagree with it.

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Alice, I don't think that's what Dennis meant at all. I believe he was pointing out that Colin was absurd in asserting that the opinions expressed in a single thread on BP.net were any more valid than the opinions expressed on any other site...especially as many of the same members participate in those multiple sites. Colin seemed to have said that because a few BP.net folks spoke favorably of Reptster that that is all that should matter. And I do agree with Dennis...that is absurd.

I also really don't think this case of what has happened at Fauna is anything remotely like "business politics." I don't deny that such practices occur...I've seen it plenty of times. But in this case, I simply don't see it. The facts are laid out quite clearly in the Fauna thread and I won't rehash them here....but one thing stands out unique among all others....there's not a single person that I know of on ANY side of this issue that wanted David to screw this up and fail.

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Originally Posted by Colin Vestrand View Post
fauna is kind ridiculous... Go with the moral majority here. there's nothing wrong with reptster.

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Alicia, Judy is correct. I was addressing the post I quoted above about Fauna. Nothing about being a member on Repster.

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Originally Posted by Dennis Hultman

Alice, Judy is correct. I was addressing the post I quoted above about Fauna. Nothing about being a member on Repster.

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Edit: Correction your name. Alice. Not awake yet.

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Originally Posted by jglass38

Alice, are you saying that Fauna is biased against Reptster? Where is your logic behind that?

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No, I did not say that. What I said was "Would they start threads about bad service? Some would." That doesn't mean all nor did I say that Fauna was biased against Repster.

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Originally Posted by Dennis Hultman

Alicia, Judy is correct. I was addressing the post I quoted above about Fauna. Nothing about being a member on Repster.

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Thanks for the clarification Dennis.

I'd just like to remind our membership that we do NOT encourage slurs against another website. We don't appreciate it when it happens to BPNet elsewhere so we don't like to see it occur here. Thanks for understanding that even if you don't agree with another website, we'd appreciate if you would keep that personal opinion out of our public threads.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y21...c/reptster.png

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Originally Posted by Dennis Hultman

Alicia, Judy is correct. I was addressing the post I quoted above about Fauna. Nothing about being a member on Repster.

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Dont you go and get me confused now!Its always the A's! Bwahahahaha

Because of course im the only Alicia that you could be thinking about...... :cool::rofl:

KIDDING. Moving on now.....

I saw where David posted an e-mail that showed he had told her he didn't want to continue with the transaction/deal.. I don't know how to check the validity of the e-mail, but if it is a real e-mail then all that stuff was lies?.? I just hope someone can find out if that e-mail was real or not..

Alan

I haven't followed the issue with reptster on fauna but I did have a rather interesting experience trying to ship out a ball python to Cali two weeks ago. I shipped four previous times without any problems but this time was a whole different story.

The guy at the counter was refusing to ship because I was using a third party entity for my shipping and according to him FEDEX has no way to verify that the people shipping through reptster are certified to ship. I didn't have my account # on me so I had to speak to a CS rep to get my account # and to comfirm that I was a verified shipper. Even after confirming that I was a verified shipper, the FEDEX guy grabbed my box and account info and stated to me that he didn't think this would be shipped out because he was calling security. At this point I lost it!!!!!!! My wife fearing I may totally lose my cool had me go outside to calm down while she handled the security issue. Basically she was asked questions about how the snake was packed and when she gave all the right answers the security guy gave the O.K. to ship the snake. I talked to Dave and he said this had been a problem with this guy at the Longwood, FL hub which I use and that UPS would be on board soon. I didn't really like that explanation because if third party shipping of live animals is not an issue with FEDEX then why has this guy and another hub in Cali been so difficult to ship through. For all of the aggravation I really only saved about $12 by going through reptster and that doesn't exactly equal 40%. A 12x6x6 box cost $48 and change through reptster and if I just used my FEDEX account it would have cost just under $60 with the fuel surcharge. For me that is just not enough savings to have to go through the ordeal I went through and maybe my next shippment will go smoothly, but with so many other stressful factors that come with shipping this is one that I don't want to have to worry about. Not to mention that a simple 5 min. drop off turned into a 45 min. fiasco that caused my family to be late to my oldest daughters first grade open house.

I am not trying to put down the reptster shipping service, but I did want to share my experience to show that you can run into problems if you run into a FEDEX employee that is a stikler for the rules and apparently shipping live animals using a third party account is against FEDEX corporate policy. I strongly suggest that if you are not verified to ship through FEDEX that you go through the proccess as insurance even if you use reptster. Bottom line is that if I used my account to begin with I would have had no problems and if I wasn't verified there is no way that snake would have been shipped once the employee noticed the third party issue. I just feel like I went through getting verified for a reason and I don't want to feel like I am trying to sneek around and try to get away with something and that is how I would feel if I was to use it again.

My question is, does FEDEX know that Dave set up this account for shipping live reptiles?

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Originally Posted by karbogast

I haven't followed the issue with reptster on fauna but I did have a rather interesting experience trying to ship out a ball python to Cali two weeks ago. I shipped four previous times without any problems but this time was a whole different story.

The guy at the counter was refusing to ship because I was using a third party entity for my shipping and according to him FEDEX has no way to verify that the people shipping through reptster are certified to ship. I didn't have my account # on me so I had to speak to a CS rep to get my account # and to comfirm that I was a verified shipper. Even after confirming that I was a verified shipper, the FEDEX guy grabbed my box and account info and stated to me that he didn't think this would be shipped out because he was calling security. At this point I lost it!!!!!!! My wife fearing I may totally lose my cool had me go outside to calm down while she handled the security issue. Basically she was asked questions about how the snake was packed and when she gave all the right answers the security guy gave the O.K. to ship the snake. I talked to Dave and he said this had been a problem with this guy at the Longwood, FL hub which I use and that UPS would be on board soon. I didn't really like that explanation because if third party shipping of live animals is not an issue with FEDEX then why has this guy and another hub in Cali been so difficult to ship through. For all of the aggravation I really only saved about $12 by going through reptster and that doesn't exactly equal 40%. A 12x6x6 box cost $48 and change through reptster and if I just used my FEDEX account it would have cost just under $60 with the fuel surcharge. For me that is just not enough savings to have to go through the ordeal I went through and maybe my next shippment will go smoothly, but with so many other stressful factors that come with shipping this is one that I don't want to have to worry about. Not to mention that a simple 5 min. drop off turned into a 45 min. fiasco that caused my family to be late to my oldest daughters first grade open house.

I am not trying to put down the reptster shipping service, but I did want to share my experience to show that you can run into problems if you run into a FEDEX employee that is a stikler for the rules and apparently shipping live animals using a third party account is against FEDEX corporate policy. I strongly suggest that if you are not verified to ship through FEDEX that you go through the proccess as insurance even if you use reptster. Bottom line is that if I used my account to begin with I would have had no problems and if I wasn't verified there is no way that snake would have been shipped once the employee noticed the third party issue. I just feel like I went through getting verified for a reason and I don't want to feel like I am trying to sneek around and try to get away with something and that is how I would feel if I was to use it again.

My question is, does FEDEX know that Dave set up this account for shipping live reptiles?

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This is really interesting because according to Reptster, you don't need to be certified. All you need to do is ship using their account. There are people using Reptster because they are NOT certified. It sounds like if you cannot ship on your own and have your own account to use in a pinch, you may be stuck and not be able to ship using the Repster account.
I did notice reading the Fed Ex terms just now that you cannot use your account to consolidate shipments from multiple people since the account is person/business and location specific. I take it that means that you cannot let a bunch of people all over the country ship using your account.

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Originally Posted by jglass38

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y21...c/reptster.png

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Box stealer. LOL. :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

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Originally Posted by SPJ

Box stealer. LOL. :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

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It sounds so wrong when you say it that way! :P

I myself have shipped 5x's using reptster and saved an average of 25-35% and had no issues whatsoever! I've also sold boa's off the site as well using their classifieds...All Packages have arrived on time and everyone was happy with the packaging. Of course the Boxes aren't free thanks to a few people that thought it would be fun to ruin it for all but I still get a discount and I still save money.

I've also talked to other folks using the service and they have had ZERO issues with the shipping and have all saved money over using their FedEx Accounts...

Use the service for yourself and make an opinion/judgement... I was skeptical at first which anybody might be when dealing with something new but so far no complaints! :)

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Originally Posted by SPJ

Box stealer. LOL. :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

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I need clarification on this accusation.

Jamie, David says you're the first one to successfully steal boxes from him.

You say you were just poking around trying to get a quote.

Was this when the boxes were free that they were sent out to you? That's not theft...you can't really steal something that's free can you? :rolleyes:

or was it when the boxes/accessories started being charged? If so....you didn't pay because you were trying to get a quote - sooooo why were boxes shipped to you when they didn't receive payment? If that's the case, then it sounds like the software had a glitch of some sort. If it's a glitch - it's YOUR fault? YOU get banned? :colbert:

Sounds more like someone getting dumped..

"I'm breaking up with you"

"You can't break up with me...I just broke up with you"

Reading though the posts on Fauna was educational to say the least. I learned a lot that I didn't know previously. I have never used Reptster's shipping services and based on the fact that David never responded, never provided any evidence to support his side, but was not above "whispering' into people's ears and using them as his "mouthpieces" he's no one that I would want to do business with.

But even if the above were incorrect, the main reason that I would not use his shipping (I am FedEx certified by the way) is because their security for credit cards seems weak or nonexistent. That by itself with someone having money problems is a BIG RED FLAG.

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Originally Posted by SPJ

This is really interesting because according to Reptster, you don't need to be certified. All you need to do is ship using their account. There are people using Reptster because they are NOT certified.

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That is the thing that I was trying to bring to everyones attention. Reptster says you don't have to be certified, however the people that are actually shipping your reptiles, FEDEX, say that inorder to ship "live harmless reptiles" you must be a verified shipper period. That seems to contradict what Reptster has been marketing and until there is a clear cut and dry answer as to what agreement Reptster has with FEDEX regarding the shipping of live harmless reptiles by a third party I will play it safe and use my own account.

I also want to add that the FEDEX employee that wanted to refuse my shipment didn't care that I was shipping reptiles. He was more concerned with the lack of accountability with using a third party account and there being no way of verifing that a shipper had demonstrated the proper ability to pack the reptile properly. One of the main steps in getting certified through FEDEX is sending in a test box to be inspected and this makes them feel more comfortable about the possible liability issues that could arise from shipping herps. The fact that Reptster by passes this step could cause FEDEX to look less favorabley on wanting to ship reptiles. He also checked the account number on my Reptster shipping invoice and there was nothing about being able to ship live reptiles and that is how we got into the mess of finding my account and trying to prove that I was verified for live harmless reptiles.

Many may brush this off as running into one of those tools we all come across every now and then, however after my anger over the incident subsided I realized that the guy had some valid points. He also gave me much more detail on FEDEX policy toward third party accounts than Dave Young could give me regarding Reptsters agreement with FEDEX. When I asked Dave what to do next time I had to go in there with a shippment he told me to go to another place or wait till UPS was on board. I was actually looking for some type of document to show the FEDEX dude that shipping through reptster is legit and that he would have to honor it just like it is my own account. That didn't happen so for me reptster isn't an option.

I want to restate that I am not saying don't use reptster. I am just sharing my personal experience like the OP asked, it just happens to be a more negative experience than others have had said. For what it is worth Dave Young has been cool to talk to on the phone, but there are some things that need to be ironed out before I use the service again.

I have been having a horrible time with Fedex. My 75 gram baby normal(spider sibling) female was supposed to arrive at 10:30 this morning via priority overnight... BULL! Fedex lost my snake(in the box) and can't seem to find her. they say she is on a truck somewhere:rage::rage::rage: I am totally ready for this nightmare to be over... I just want my girl home!!! Not only am I in complete horror, the lady I called at fedex said that it might be here in the next 2-3 days!!:rage: When I called back I got another lady and she was really rude!! She told me to stop calling and that they couldn't do anything about it and to just sit tight and wait! By this time I was IRATE! this is an animal! not a letter, or an ipod, or even a christmas present. This is a living breathing BABY animal who is stressed out the wazoo god only knows where.... I don't care if aliens have made a nest in the fedex distribution station I WANT MY BABY!!!:rage::tears::rage:

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Originally Posted by Nate

I need clarification on this accusation.

Jamie, David says you're the first one to successfully steal boxes from him.

You say you were just poking around trying to get a quote.

Was this when the boxes were free that they were sent out to you? That's not theft...you can't really steal something that's free can you? :rolleyes:

or was it when the boxes/accessories started being charged? If so....you didn't pay because you were trying to get a quote - sooooo why were boxes shipped to you when they didn't receive payment? If that's the case, then it sounds like the software had a glitch of some sort. If it's a glitch - it's YOUR fault? YOU get banned? :colbert:

Sounds more like someone getting dumped..

"I'm breaking up with you"

"You can't break up with me...I just broke up with you"

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Haha..Good stuff Nate!

I got the boxes right in the beginning when they were free. I didn't even mean to request them. Click a button and it said your free boxes are on the way.

So...I'm a deadbeat for a few bucks worth of shipping boxes and David is still a deadbeat for $750 worth of advertising.

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

I have been having a horrible time with Fedex. My 75 gram baby normal(spider sibling) female was supposed to arrive at 10:30 this morning via priority overnight... BULL! Fedex lost my snake(in the box) and can't seem to find her. they say she is on a truck somewhere:rage::rage::rage: I am totally ready for this nightmare to be over... I just want my girl home!!! Not only am I in complete horror, the lady I called at fedex said that it might be here in the next 2-3 days!!:rage: When I called back I got another lady and she was really rude!! She told me to stop calling and that they couldn't do anything about it and to just sit tight and wait! By this time I was IRATE! this is an animal! not a letter, or an ipod, or even a christmas present. This is a living breathing BABY animal who is stressed out the wazoo god only knows where.... I don't care if aliens have made a nest in the fedex distribution station I WANT MY BABY!!!:rage::tears::rage:

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Is this in connection with Reptster and their service.? Just curious... This thread is about Reptster...

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Originally Posted by jglass38

Haha..Good stuff Nate!

I got the boxes right in the beginning when they were free. I didn't even mean to request them. Click a button and it said your free boxes are on the way.

So...I'm a deadbeat for a few bucks worth of shipping boxes and David is still a deadbeat for $750 worth of advertising.

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Thats what hapend to me.. I clicked the button on accident and i got a boxes but they canceled them...then the next time i got a box without even clicking a button...but they let me keep the box and not pay anything...

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Is this in connection with Reptster and their service.? Just curious... This thread is about Reptster...

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Fedex...

I shipped a pair of snakes out using Reptster yesterday. I was kind of nervous after reading that multiple people have been having poor experiences with David lately. I'm really glad because everything went perfectly. The system was pretty easy to use, and the shipping was definitely less expensive than it normally is. The Fed-Ex people were totally fine with the snakes and said that they'd hand deliver the box to the driver to make sure that it got on the truck. The snakes arrived there fine this morning (about half an hour early). I had a very positive experience with Reptster and Fed-Ex and I'll be using Reptster in the future (based on my experience with Reptster).

Well, I need to ship out some animal tomorrow and thought I would see how much reptster would save me.....big total of $10. Not much of a savings IMO for the hassle. With FedEx all my customer addresses are saved for future use and refrence, I don't see that with Reptster.....not sure I will change.

Seeing as how Dave Young never bothered to post in the BOI I have decided to not use his Reptster services. Just wanted to give an update since I was originally convinced to use them. I can't respect someone or their integrity after 253 pages on the BOI without any response to address the concerns presented.