BAD GUY-Matt Oakley

[Mitch21]

I also did business with Matt last summer. Needless to say, I was VERRY VERRY unimpressed.

I bought my first morph from him (pastel female) and at the time, I was 50/50 on price and quality. Matt had a good price. I sent him the money for the snake that I had picked out. There were some issues so I had to call him. When he picked up, he was clearly hanging out with all of his buddies and you could hear them all swearing and laughing in the background. He had to tell them to "Shut the hell up!" a couple times... He's a young adult from the east coast and just doesn't know business etiquette...

When I got the girl, she was a little thin, but not in bad condition. From there on, I decided to only do business with the quality breeders...

[2kdime]

Thanks for the information Mitch! Sorry to hear about your situation

[m00kfu]

That really sucks man. Hope her status changes and she pulls through for you, she's a great looking girl. Maybe that's why he's been reducing his collection for 4 years?

[DrLew]

If it came in FedEx, then he either violated the contract he signed when getting certified with FedEx or quite possibly he isn't certified.

If he shipped UPS through SYR, then it should be reported to them and hopefully they will prohibit him from using their service again. If he shipped direct through UPS then it was more than likely done without authorization from UPS. They haven't allowed snake shipments (other than those grandfathered in) in years as far as I am aware.

Piss poor packaging and sending sick animals. Two of the cornerstones of a reptile industry scumbag.

Sorry you have to go through this!

Jamie

No excuses - not with the new ship your reptile program that Chad Brown has developed.........this is a horrible job of shipping a LIVE ANIMAL!

[KLHReptiles-D]

Wow, that is totally disgusting the way that the snake was packaged! The styrofoam not only provides insulation but also provides more stability for the box. What if something super heavy was plopped on top? That snake would be squished! If the truck was really hot, the snake would've been roasted alive. People trying to save a buck like this make me so angry. Thank you for the information about Matt, I have considered buying from him but now I know to avoid his ads.

[GenePirate]

Good Lord, I feel so bad for you and your python. I did have one bad phone experience with Matt and vowed never to buy anything from him, but it didn't raise enough suspicion or alarm to go to the BOI. This, however, seems like a horrible situation, and I totally sympathize. Good luck, and I hope you can save your little girl. To make it right, he either has to pay for all of your vet bills (if she makes it), or if she doesn't make it, pay all of your vet bills AND refund your money including shipping. This is the only honorable thing for a business person to do, and I wouldn't accept anything less.

[Patrick Long]

Damn dude. I cant even begin to imagine what I would do if that were to happen to me.

How far does he live from you? LOL

[2kdime]

HAHA! That's not my feelings towards this guy what-so-ever.

The only thing I would like is for this to be made right.

I don't think that's too much to ask.

I'm glad people are emphasizing with me. I was worried maybe I was over-reacting about this situation, and would just have to deal with it.

[HerpKeeperVA]

I would post this on the BOI. Even if he does resolve the situation, people need to be aware of his shipping practices and the quality of the animal they may be purchasing. I poked around on the BOI and it seems that this is not the first time he's shipped something inadequately in a banana box.

[MarkieJ]

Even if he makes things right by giving you your money back and paying your vet bills, please follow through on notifying the proper people (UPS, SYR, BOI). That packaging was inexcusable...