Reptile & Amphibian Forums

If someone comes to you to see a potential purchase of some really nice females, looks them over, is a little concerned about what they say looks like saliva in one of their mouths,
but paypals you the same night in full after seeing them in person. Say's that they are going out of town and would be back in less than a week to pick them up. You in the mean time take the female that they said had extra saliva in it's mouth to a very respected reptile vet and get a clean bill of health for that animal. The person who paid for them comes back and picks them up, again looking at all 3 females extensively says he still see's saliva in it's mouth but takes them anyway.
Over a month later e-mails you and say's he took it to the vet and it has a RI. Now this person want's you to pay the vet bill.
Again it is over a month later and he has just taken it to the vet.
I need opinoins on how you would handle this. Would you pay for it if the person had the snake for over a month in his care?

I have never seen a ball with RI........must be me...but they don't get it.......captives mostly though

I never saw a ball with "extra saliva" except maybe???in a crappy pet shop....

.....if vet said they were ok..why they drooling?.....you showing them rat pics again?...gerbil centerfolds..

anyways.....

my guarentee is usually ...you got it.it's alive...bye....

once they leave my hands...I hate to know what people do with them (snakes).....

even the ones that cok them in the car at the shows...I gave her a new corn..but I was too P o'ed to care anymore....told her outright that she cooked it..she says no and gave 3 reasons...I basically called her a lier and said I give you this and don't care....but you cooked it and you know you did.....

I hate people.......

.......tell them ....

bye

If you took it to the vet and it was ok that it was. I think one of his other snakes had a RI and wanted you to pay for it. Why buy a few females if you didnt have males to go along with them. I, myself would tell they that they are S.O.L. all sales were final and as is. He knew what he was buying.

When people personally come over and purchase reptiles from me I offer a 72 hour guarantee due to the fact that they are personally looking over the reptile in question. All snakes have saliva in there mouths first of all if completly dry then there is possibly dehidration going on. This person in question in my opinion should have taken it to a vet for a second opinion right away if he thought that the vet you took it to said it was fine. Waiting for 1 month after perchase is too long, just my opinion once again. Also if I ever was to purchase a reptile or any animal for that matter and was unsure about the health of it but still wanted to make that purchase I would take it as my responsibility in doing so, If I chose not to take it to the vet right away based on what the other person told me I am now responsible for it completly from there on out. Good luck with this but I would not pay, he took too long.

Amy,

You could give customers like this the best customer service in the industry and still not get their satisfaction. Sound to me like this person is trying to pin his neglect on you; the breeder. I would suggest you both go see an independant vet to get a third opinion and go from there. What ever you do, I don't think you can satisfy this customer based on him not being able to admit any type of blame...

Good luck

Well I would have to agree with the other posters. You went way beyond what any potential buyer would think of as good customer service. After looking at the snakes twice and a vet to clear the animal it is beyond your responsibility. You did everything you could and much more so I wouldn't worry about it. Tell the buyer that it is no longer your responsibility and move on. The poster earlier is right, sometimes no matter how hard you try you wont be able to satisfy some people. Good luck with this matter and I hope everything works out.

SA
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www.srsnakes.com

I agree that you should not have to pay his vet bill. However, if you are especially interested in making this guy happy I might consider offering to buy the animal back from him for the price it was sold at.

-Jeremy

Taking the snake to the vet the first time the customer noticed silyva in it's mouse was all you really were required to do. The vet gave it a clean bill of health, which, I am assuming you showed to the customer when he returned to pick up the snake. Waiting a month later to complain the snake was sick is too long. I would tell them it was healthy when you sold it and silyva in the mouth by itself isn't a sigh of respiratory infection. If it was frothing at the mouth of having discharge from the noise, at the time of sale, even after the vet check, I would deffinitely not have sold the snake in teh first place.

I don't think you can be held responsible for something that happened a month down the road.

I would tell the person that the snake was given a clean bill of health by a reptile vet just before the sale. I would say I'm sorry YOUR snake has an RI but I sold a healthy snake to you.

You do not owe this person anything else and certainly do not pay for another vet bill. Ownerhship means that the buyer takes full responsibility for the snake. He should not come back to you especially in this case where you went the extra mile and got the snake checked out prior to the sale.