NOT Happy!

[WingedWolfPsion]

I've received many snakes without signature required, safely. They do sneak them on to the porch and run--you MUST watch carefully and closely.

The only DOA I have ever received arrived in a package marked only 'perishable', so I FIRMLY believe that not marking the box as containing a live animal is FAR worse than marking it legally. The incidence of people who don't like reptiles shaking boxes is pretty low--most people do take more care if they notice the box contains a live animal. (Most people are not jerks). NO one takes more care of a package if they don't know the box has a live animal in it. Packages in general are treated roughly.

I've had snakes shipped to me with signature required. Here's what happens, virtually EVERY time--they run up onto the porch, drop a door tag, and take off--without knocking. This has happened in all of the different places I've lived, so it's not just one bad driver.

In one case, i was upstairs, I heard the truck pull up, I ran down the stairs, and by the time I got to the door, the truck had pulled away, leaving the door tag! The poor animal had to ride around on the truck. Of course, I called to complain, but the driver claimed he had rung the bell properly (of course he didn't--he didn't even bring the package to the door, only the tag. If he had brought the box, he wouldn't have been nimble enough to drop the door tag so quickly).

I had to drive to where the driver was going to be and hunt him down to get the animal, so it wouldn't ride in the truck all day. I've had to do that TWICE.

So, I never send animals with signature required, and I always properly mark boxes. I've had no problems this way. I package so that the animal will be safe in outdoor temperatures, and the package is safer on a customer's porch, even if they don't find it for an hour, than it is in the back of a hot truck for half the day.