I agree with everyone else... this guy made a mistake and it cost the boa it's life. Period.
Unfortunately, if he has the snake in the freezer it will be difficult to determine the actual cause of death. I really won't count on this guy bringing it to the vet to have a necropsy performed... chances are he will delay that as long as he can in the hopes that the deterioration will make the results "inconclusive".

If it were me I would:
1. Make him pay for the necropsy. IF it turns out that the boa died due to anything other than his neglect (or whatever you want to call it) then I would reimburse him for both the snake and the necropsy. Otherwise, he pays for the necropsy.

2. If the results are inconclusive I'm not exactly sure what I would do. I suppose it would depend on the customer, what they were expecting and their attitude in the situation. If they were being polite and reasonable I would return the kindness. If, however, it was obvious that the death was their fault (obvious, but not able to be proven) and they were being a jerk I would be less likely to bend over backwards for them.

3. I wouldn't "give" him a different snake. And I would want the original vet papers - no photocopies of any sort. I would most likely offer him either a partial rebate or a discount on a different snake.. but only one or the other. Whichever I decided on I wouldn't even mention or offer the other option. People tend to get "greedy" if they think they can get by with taking advantage of someone else - which is what it sounds like this guy is doing.

4. Pictures of the deceased snake are a must. Otherwise, I would want to actual body (if he won't have a necropsy done in a timely manner). I'd only give the customer a certain amount of time to have the necropsy performed after that all bets are off. There is no reason someone can't find a vet willing to perform one within a 72 hour time frame... there are plenty of excuses "My vet is out of town" "He/She can't get me in until next week" ect. Vets know that a necropsy needs to be done as soon as possible and no vet worth their salt will put it off for too long.

The important thing is to remain courteous - even if he is being a jerk. Back up any phone calls with a follow up email detailing any and everything that you discussed and/or agreed upon. That way if he does go to one of the "other sites" and complains about you, at least you will have some sort of documentation to present for your side of the situation.

Good luck. I hope everything pans out for you. Let us know how it turns out.

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