what should the protocol be here?!

So in late Febuary this year I started taking 20% non refundable deposits on the snakes I had for sale. The temps needed to heat up so I assumed by mid April all would be well and good to ship.

The first snake that went on deposit was a mojave female.
So at the beginning of April the temps looked good on both sides. I messaged him on April 5th and he said he needed to prolong this another few weeks. I said thats no problem and that I'd keep feeding her until hes ready in a few weeks. Well I texted him on April 15th seeing if things were looking better on his end and was just seeing if he would have an idea when he wanted to complete the transaction, I got no response.
Its been almost a month (April 5th) now since I've actually heard from him. I've sent him multiple texts, called and left him a voicemail and sent him an email. Im just trying to get a ballpark answer on when he thinks he'd be ready to pay off the snake and get her shipped.

I'm thinking maybe hes changed his mind and maybe hes kind of embarrassed to tell me he's backed out? I dont know, but I was wondering what your guys' protocol is when deciding when to put a snake up for sale again.

I would definetly let him know how many days he has to contact me before I sold the snake to another person. I just want to do right by him, I dont want people mad at me, customer service is number one to me. Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

I'm assuming you did not have a date listed in writing whereby the animal must be paid in full and shipped. You may want to put into your TOS (and also into an email sent to each deposit holder) that every animal held on deposit must be paid in full and shipped by _____ date or the snake will be relisted for sale and reiterate the deposit is non-refundable. This kind of protocol removes any ambiguity, puts it in crystal clear writing, and also doesn't absolutely require a response from the buyer in case they drop off the face of the Earth as it seems yours have.

In your case, I would just refund his non-refundable deposit and put the animal back up for sale. It's a frustrating situation for you as the seller, but at the same time, it's a little iffy keeping his money when there was no end date for holding the snake clearly defined. Send him an email and politely state that unless you hear from him by the end of the week, you'll be refunding his deposit and the animal will be put back up for sale. I don't think a single reasonable person could fault your customer service if you handled it this way.

I'd say non-refundable deposit is just that... NON-refubdable.... If you have tried contacting him to the extent you have said then.... I'd try one more time and id say look this is your last chance And if you don't contact me your deposit is null and void and she goes back up for sale... You have 48 hours to contact me... And if he doesn't.... That's that.

Two different very good points.
He does know my deposits are non-refundable...this is the reason that they are as such.
I do not have a specific date that my animals need to be paid off by but believe me now there will be. Live and learn.
I think I'll email him and give him one week to at least make some sort of additional payment, otherwise the snake will be sold to another person and his deposit is now forfeit. I think that seems more than fair. Thanks both of you for you input.

if it does go back up for sale, are you lowering the price of the snake, as you've got 20% of the money for it, or same price, and that 20% was restocking fees, food, energy source etc?

are you near Grand Forks?

I've had this happen before. Typically when we do a payment plan there is a set pay off date, if you miss this payoff date then we contact you and try and work with you. However a month to me is more than fair. I would contact them onve more via email and let them know that you're planning to put the animal back up for sale if the transaction isn't completed. The thing I would do just as a friendly gesture is to offer to transfer his deposit to another animal once he is ready to purchase from you again..this way you keep his money but he doesn't feel like it was wasted, and it keeps a line of communication open with him as a future customer.

Supppose you send him one more message and he doesn't answer. You sell the snake. Then a week goes by and he contacts you and says something like 'there was a family emergency and I was out of pocket. I'm now ready to complete the transaction'? You've sold the snake and kept the deposit!

Since you did not specify how long the transaction was allowed to progress, I would not sell the snake unless there is clear confirmation from the buyer that he has backed out. Silence could be for many reasons.

If you accept deposits, you should state clearly and in writing that the deposit will hold the animal for a specific period of time. Without that, it is an open ended transaction with no end date. I'd continue to try to contact the buyer and confirm they have backed out. Then you can decide what to do with the deposit.

Some people will refund the deposit once the snake sales to someone else for the same price. Others will keep it to pay for the aggrivation, feeding and care during the waiting period.

Not to hijack the thread here...but...to those of you who put end dates in your TOS, how do you determine them? I mean what if someone puts a deposit on an animal in December and lives in...I dunno...northwestern Washington state where it stays cold so much longer?

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

I've had this happen before. Typically when we do a payment plan there is a set pay off date, if you miss this payoff date then we contact you and try and work with you. However a month to me is more than fair. I would contact them onve more via email and let them know that you're planning to put the animal back up for sale if the transaction isn't completed. The thing I would do just as a friendly gesture is to offer to transfer his deposit to another animal once he is ready to purchase from you again..this way you keep his money but he doesn't feel like it was wasted, and it keeps a line of communication open with him as a future customer.

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great point here, especially if you wish to have great customer service. If i put down say 20% on a beautiful snake, and a major issue came up at home, I'd be so happy if the breeder kept my 20% but let me put it towards another snake. Stuff happens, not returning your calls, message makes me wonder if he split town for awhile or something.

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Originally Posted by KatStoverReptiles

Not to hijack the thread here...but...to those of you who put end dates in your TOS, how do you determine them? I mean what if someone puts a deposit on an animal in December and lives in...I dunno...northwestern Washington state where it stays cold so much longer?

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I know reptile express in ontario canada, will ship year round, as long as it's below -20c. In Winnipeg here, it can get to -55c....so, see what the shipping temp is. A breeder I know in BC will hold the snake for as long as you want, but won't ship till he has all the money.