Thats crazy, our 3 babies get handled daily by my 8 and 10 year old daughters and are easier to manage than our 3 bp's. Just goes to show that although a species can have a general temperament it it still up to the individual animal.
After reading all of these responses I am thinking the best advice would be to get yourself a list of snakes you would be interested in then try to make it to one of the big reptile shows so you can see some in person.
If temperament is important and it is the one thing that can vary the most from snake to snake regardless of species. I do not think buying online would be in your best interest unless the seller has a good reputation and can clearly communicate all of the aspects of the animal.