Excellent post McKinsey! I'm very much in agreement with you.

While I believe and will strive as a small time breeder to give the best possible customer service, I do as a person understand the demands and craziness of a business that has grown large. Rather than dismiss a breeder due to poor communications I might let them know my concerns as the actual owner may not be the one sorting emails or responsible for answering/directing incoming phone calls. There may be an employee issue going on or a miscommunication in their business that a polite reminder could help them be more aware of.

I'm also never in much hurry when it comes to buying a snake so if I have to wait, I'll wait. I prefer fast customer service but I also know a slick fast answer isn't always the mark of a good person. Since Mike and I prefer to have long term relationships with the breeders we work with, waiting a week or so for a picture or whatever, isn't that big of a deal for us. We're not going to just quickly buy any snake from anybody anyways so for us, time isn't that much of a concern in the greater scheme of things.

As far as big breeders vs small breeders, again it makes no difference to Mike and I. Who that person is, their passion for what they do, the quality of the snakes they produce, their reputation and willingness to be there long after the sale, building a business relationship and if we're lucky, even a friendship - for our family that's what counts more than the number of snakes somebody happens to feed weekly.