I think I am half and half on this one, I'd want to send it back and give them an earful, but at the same time... it happens. I would probably do what you suggested, I'd let them know (still give them a little earful since a friend doesn't do that to a friend knowingly) and treat him myself if they didn't want him sent back. Although, if a collection has mites, what else could be wrong with the persons animals? Especially with how easily mites can be treated when you know what you're doing and do it right?
From experience, I have a good friend who owns a shop and has quite the inventory at home as well, very experienced with nice animals. However, when I pick up a snake out of the shop itself, 50% of the time I end up finding mites while quarantining. Even recently, picking snakes from a few of his recent shipments from various places, one of the two I took home had them, and they came in with them. So I believe it is very common, maybe not amongst some of us here, or very high end breeders with sterling reputations to protect, but especially at shops where you have new animals in and out like crazy. I've seen them treating for them too, but with that kind of traffic, gets tough. I don't know if your friend owns a store, a home collection is easier to manage, but mites do happen as you say. I still worry about what else could be floating around his collection (if it is a small collection) if he cannot manage mites, or the person's experience even, if they don't even notice that they have them at all.
Just my two cents!
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Steph S.
Boas...
1.1 Albino boas (Loki & Hope)
1.4 07 Het. albino boas (Petty & Lady,Sierra,Madeline,Lola)
0.1 Reverse stripe poss. het albino (Cookie)
0.1 Salmon/hypo (Scarlet)
0.1 Anery poss. het snow (Missy)
1.0 Anery (Reno)
1.0 Probable Super Salmontine(Kahn)
0.1 DH Sunglow (Bonnie)
1.1.1 Hypo het anery
1.0.1 Het. Anery (Guy & ?)
0.3 Normals (Ophelia, Sasha, & Lulu)
1.0 Surinames (Solomon & Surreal(deceased)
1.3 Hog Isles (Mr.Orange & Peaches, Tang, Isis)
0.0.1 Central American (Sassy)
1.0 ATB (Satan... seriously!)
Pythons...
2.1 GTPs (B., Monty & Jewel)
0.0.3 BPs (MJ, Precious, Houdini)
1.2 Carpet Pythons (Jackson, Charlotte, & Cassandra)
0.1 Blood python (Akaia)
Misc.
1.1 Mandarin Ratsnakes (Jack & Jill)
1.0 Boxer/Pitt Mutt (Tyson)

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