ComplaintsforBackwater Reptiles, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  03/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was shipped a terminally ill snake. They also gave me directions to have the snake held for their refund policy that aren't available to me. ***** said there was NO center that they could hold the snake at anywhere even close to me, ********* had no idea what I was talking about in logan ut, *** couldn't do anything because it was not shipping through them. The snake was also supposed to be coming from meridian ***** or Cali and they never disputed that in their emails to me when I explicitly asked. They either knew the options for me to use the refund policy were not available to me and sent me a sick snake knowing they'd make a profit or they didn't do their due diligence and since the option was not available to me, I shouldn't be held liable. They also told me I just had a "theory" about the snake having ibd and the vet assessment shows it did plus the vet assured me ibd can onset and kill a snake quickly, in direct opposition to what backwater reptiles said in an email. They would never even discuss the fact that shipping hold was not available to my area and also were not honest about where the snake was coming from, it shipped through numerous frigid states before even getting to mine as well. Then they offered me a discount on another animal since mine died, why do I get a discount if I am lying like they say? They never read the vet assessment either and said I was making things up. They also recommended I just "watch" the snake, not take it to a vet, I did that on my own accord. And I couldn't have known about the shipping because ***** doesn't offer options to check for those things until several hours after the snake shipped. I literally am being held to a policy I couldn't uphold due to the seller not me. And I'm not the only one recently leaving reviews showing this is common for them. I did all the right things and tried reconciling with the seller who only gave me an option to give them more money. They are also dishonest about locations

  Business response

  03/16/2022

  We were very sad to see of this situation and offered to assist this customer in a heavily discounted replacement although she was knowingly outside of the Terms. As stated on the website, we have various locations and we are unsure how this is relevant. We do not have any sort of public store fronts and just because this customer is upset about that, does not make it dishonest. Our Terms are stated clearly that if temperatures in the customers area go below 40F or above 90F, the terms we provide are immediately voided. This customer placed their order knowing this and we sent various emails repeating this information. We did send instructions that if the customer wanted to stay within the Terms we provide, to have this held at a local ****************** The customer is stating there are no centers nearby however we were able to find one easy that is 18 miles away. Therefore, the excuse of it being impossible (as its described) to have this package held at a facility to stay within Terms is simply untrue.
  
  
  
  
  
  Unfortunately, this is not covered for a refund per the knowingly voided Terms and the contradicting information we are being presented with. We would be more than happy to assist this customer with a heavily discounted replacement.

  Customer response

  03/22/2022

  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  This seller stated I did NOT notify them immediately which is untrue. See in my email where I contacted them immediately upon the symptoms and I also took it upon myself to take the snake to a vet when they said to "Just watch it."
  
  Also the hub they are talking about (I'm assuming because they give no location) is a hub for exchanging the shipments to DHL who delivers where I live. ***** said on their website when I logged in, the information I previously provided.
  Also, they said perhaps they could have held it at that hub which us essentially a warehouse, according to ***** but the snake would have been in cold Temps as there is no heating because it's just a warehouse.
  It's also curious that a person with no vet degree or formal training sites the website they did because I can, myself find numerous websites stating the opposite. Simply googling an answer will provide you with any information you'd like and you can conveniently point the end point in any direction you'd like which is why I took the snake to a vet. I cared for its wellbeing much more than this seller.
  I also asked in numerous emails about this shipping and curiously I was never given this 18 miles answer.
  
  Again, this wasn't my responsibility to check if the animal could be held somewhere it was to go in and click a link which I did or call a place which I did. The seller also didn't disclose the distance of travel and shipped the snake across freezing Temps all of which I would have declined had I known and had they been honest.
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered some repti worms from this business and the price said ***** for 200 I was charged almost 28 and they say their website was down and I was charged the right price .. no way I would have ever paid 28 bucks for these tiny cc long worms.. Ive emailed and they arent accepting blame.. I at least want the amount I was overcharged but i think after all this and them being rude to customers and Not accepting blame id prefer a full refund

  Business response

  02/16/2022

  This customer placed their order on ***** and when she received a tracking number on *****, she then responded to this tracking number speaking of this matter. Therefore, the customer was aware of her order charge for 3 days but never mentioned any concerns until the item was actually shipped. The customer proceed with checking out and saw the invoice which she received immediately after placing the order so it was well aware what she paid. Based on the information we have, at the time this customer placed their order, the listing was live showing at a $26.99 cost which it is still reflected as. Regardless, too close this case, we went ahead and fully refunded the customer which attached is a screenshot. This refund should take 2-3 days to reflect.

• Initial Complaint

  01/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  Placed an order for two pet salamanders on Sunday. On Monday while at work they sent an email saying I needed to call *** and arrange to have it held at a holding facility and be able to pick it up within four hours of getting notification of delivery. . I tried to do so and the location given was 45 minutes away and I was unsure I would be able to get out of work and to the facility in time. I tried to call them for clarification and two numbers had no answer and a full mailbox. I also send an email and they just replied that my item was shipped. I then called *** and they said as long as someone was home to receive package it was no safer at a holding facility than being sent directly to me. The website said it recommends holding if temps were under 40 degrees and it was right around 40 and my daughter was home all day to get package. Well both animals came dead. Very dead milky color sunk in eyes and we smelled them the minute we opened the box. I immediately contacted company and got nowhere. The site said they will replace items for reduced shipping fee and I wasnt even offered that. I did research and there is many bad reviews from this site many people had same experiences. I feel like if I did not know I was gonna have to plan on picking it up somewhere within 4 hours with less than 24 hours knowledge and if I was unable to get ahold of anyone to answer my questions, I should get a refund. I explained to them I dont think cold was the issue. They had a heat pack that was still warm and well insulated. Also the salamander is hardy and can tolerate temps that were going on that day. They were white, sunken eyes and smelled very bad. I think they were dead for a while. They also very little material in the tub to protect them from being banged around.

  Business response

  02/03/2022

  We were very sad to see this situation and understand the customer being disappointed. However, Terms are Terms and they must apply to every customer equally. A customer who chooses to ignore these Terms does not make the Terms nullified. Every customer also checks marks a box that they agree to these Terms when ordering. This customer placed an order and was made aware prior to shipping that the temperatures in their area would make their order outside of our Guarantee Terms. We instructed that if they want the Guarantee we offer, they need to have the package held at a local facility for customer pickup. We have attached snapshots showing the nullifying factors of the Guarantee Terms on our website, an email the customer was sent prior to shipping, and the tracking email the customer was sent where this information is relayed yet again. As you can see, we directly state that in order for this customer to be within Terms, they need to have the package held at a local facility. The customer even acknowledge they received this email in one of the snapshots we sent. We cannot bypass the complete disregard to all these disclaimers we provided to the customer if they really wanted to be within the Guarantee that we provide. We did offer a fair resolution to this customer however have not heard back. We offered a pair of discounted replacements to be shipped to a facility for pickup to this customer for practically just the cost of overnight shipping which is more than fair considering the Terms were ignored and voided.

  Customer response

  02/03/2022

  I am rejecting this response because:The offer to send replacements is not acceptable because I have found out from local pet stores that its illegal to ship to RI and also they have not addressed the shortcomings in their shipping process. They did not protect the animals from handling or from being cooked from heat packs. I am not comfortable that they will deliver live animals safely. Also the site does not say you will have to pick up at a facility. I had no idea of this until the day before and then when I called *** I was given a pick up site that was 45 minutes away and I was working and didnt know about the four hour window. I called and emailed for guidance and got no response. I did not ignore the rules they were not clear and the site says they have a very small death rate so with no answer I had to make a decision that was best. I feel they should assume some responsibility.  These animals were in horrible shape and appeared to be dead for some time. I reached out to three different salamander keeper sites and everyone who commented said salamanders are colder weather animals that should not have had a heat pack right next to them. 
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered a live tarantula online. I received a dead one. Backwater Reptiles refused to honor their live arrival guarantee and said the picture of the dead spider THEY sent me was only a moly and accused me of trying to cheat them. They refused to honor their guarantee stated on their website. I even have a video I made while unboxing the spider which proves no live spider was in that shipment they sent. They have an extensive history of cheating people and not honoring their live arrival guarantee. They are a fraudulent company, and I will be filing criminal charges. However, I am owed a full refund at this point.

  Business response

  01/17/2022

  We have a 7- Day Extended Guarantee policy for every order. This customer ordered back in November. She is well past the 7 Day Guarantee therefore does not qualify for any assistance which was already made aware to her. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  So I ordered 4 yellow bellied turtles I got my invoice number as well as my receipt but haven't received my tracking number . I emailed the company and asked for the tracking number they said that the was a error with the *** Tracking so I emailed them sayin I just want to cancel my order since I haven't received the tracking number. I have yet to hear a response. I would like my money back

  Business response

  01/11/2022

  This customer verbally abused us therefore we rerouted their order, refunded her and banned her from ever ordering with us again. See attached screenshot of her refund that was already issued. We would appreciate this case being closed immediately. We do not see it fair that our score be effected due a customer's ludicrous behavior and attempt to bully us into a refund which was already issued. 

  Customer response

  01/14/2022

  I am rejecting this response because:

   

   

  it's been 3 days and still no refund
  

  Customer response

  01/14/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  But it's been 3 days and still no refund

  Business response

  01/17/2022

  Being that we already proved we refunded her and she confirms she accepts our response, why is this case still open and what reply are you looking for from us?

• Initial Complaint

  12/23/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased a tortoise from this company. They shipped quickly, animal arrived and passed away within a week. Repeated calls, texts, and emails to the company over multiple days have gone unanswered. The voice mail box is full and voicemail cannot be left. Question form on the website doesnt work and multiple emails and texts have gone unacknowledged

  Business response

  12/27/2021

  Happy Holidays from Backwater Reptiles! 
  
  
  We are working tirelessly to respond to every email, process every order, and still give top quality care to each and every critter. Please help us by avoiding clogging up the Inbox with multiple emails along with checking the website first, to see if your question(s) can be answered there :) 
  
  
  
  
  FOR HOLIDAY SHIPPING DAYS:
  
  https://www.backwaterreptiles.com/

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩