yep. You are entitled to some amount of money back IMO. Off the top of my head I would say 1/2 of the shipping at least and even then you are still very much the nice guy and not asking for too much.

 

That is terrible. I feel you are entitled to a refund. service/product paid, service/product received. What you explained falls short of that. I hope they understand this and offer you a full refund.

 

Here's my opinion:
1. You paid for shipping (overnight shipping I presume), at a premium rate as the seller used larger than normal shipping containers.
2. You provided the seller with the correct address including zip code (correct?)
3. The vendor made a mistake and shipped to the wrong address (mistakes happen I've heard of worse mistakes than this).
4. You (out of concern for the frogs) drove 5 hours each way to pick them up, 10 hours total. I assume you spent at least $75 on gas to do this round trip (not to mention the time spent, etc.).

In my opinion the seller should refund to you whatever your cost of gas was to go pick them up, or the price you paid for shipping.

 

Yes, refund of some type.

s

 

I feel like I have to add that the response to my request for a refund was, "I know you're quite frustrated by my mistake. I would be too, but I'm not a business with an obligation to my customers..."

I guess this can also serve as a word of warning for all of us who ship/receive frogs. You never really know who you're dealing with.

 

If that is the principles they operate under, then you should share their name so that others can avoid this person. If they are doing business, they need to conduct themselves accordingly. That is a disgusting statement.

 

If they’re not a business with an obligation to customers, nor are they a business with an obligation of reputation.

 

I'm curious: what shipper couldn't correct the zip code? Shipping with someone like SYR, their website catches things like that, I think.

That aside, you paid for shipping to your address. You did not get that, not at all. I think you are entitled to a refund of the entire shipping charges, at the least.

If it were me, I'd make exactly that argument in a PayPal dispute, and see what PP says.

 

I don't think this was someone who breeds and sells frogs as a business...they were just moving and looking to sell their frogs before the move.

If you look back through the Frog Classifieds, it's not too hard to figure out who this was.

I appreciate the feedback, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy in wanting a refund.

On a positive note, the frogs are doing well.

 

On a positive note, the frogs are doing well.

I'm glad for that. You could've just let the frogs get shipped to their death, but you didn't. A good deed rarely goes unpunished, but that shouldn't stop people from doing them anyway.

I'm still interested in knowing how this could've gotten shipped to the wrong zip code. What shipper was used? The zip code discrepancy should've been caught, and FedEx deliveries, at least, can be rerouted while they're in transit. SYR is known to have intervened successfully in misdelivery situations.

Other potential shippers can benefit from knowing these details.

 

This is a textbook example of why I only like to ship on Mondays and Tuesdays. If there is a problem when you ship early in the week, the worst that happens is that the frogs arrive a day later. You can also usually get Fedex to grab the box wherever it is and take it to the office where it's climate controlled. If a problem happens close to the weekend, it will likely be the next Monday before they can do anything about it AND it's harder to get ahold of someone to put the box in the office.

Sorry you are having all this trouble. This problem is on the seller's part and he should AT LEAST refund the price of shipping. It doesn't matter whether he is a professional or not. It's just the right thing to do.

Mark

 

This is a textbook example of why I only like to ship on Mondays and Tuesdays. If there is a problem when you ship early in the week, the worst that happens is that the frogs arrive a day later. You can also usually get Fedex to grab the box wherever it is and take it to the office where it's climate controlled.
Mark

Good advice!

 

Exactly what Mark said. When I heard this issue extended into the weekend, that was my first thought.

s

 

As long as you provided the address and correct zip code then the fault lies with the shipper and they owe you a full refund on shipping at the least. You could have just let the frogs perish and they would have owed you a refund for everything.


There are somethings in the hobby that are up for interpretation. Like what is an acceptable price, what is an acceptably healthy frog. But just totally getting the shipping address wrong isnt up for interpretation they just screwed up now they gotta make it right.

The idea that they are not a business is false legally, you had a verbal agreement and they failed to honor it, if you have texts then its a written agreement. They agreed to ship to a specific address, they failed to do so, it might not be worth your time but you can absolutely take them to small claims court, and probably be compensated for time and mileage as well as shipping.

There is a feedback forum here so you can leave feedback. There is also a place called the board of inquiry at fauna classifieds to leave feedback. And IMHO it is your duty to leave feedback because if you dont you are leaving other people vulnerable to a dishonorable seller. I got screwed good once by a guy who had good feedback here but bad feedback at faunaclassifieds.

 

Thanks for the details, hp192.

FYI for everyone, I believe that shipping live animals through FedEx is prohibited without special arrangement (it is just a FedEx terms of service violation, but still may cause headaches if they refuse your shipment or something). Companies such as Ship Your Reptiles have that arrangement, and getting your FedEx shipping labels through SYR gets you into that arrangement, and gets you into their bulk discount.

I just logged into my SYR account and tried to book a shipment to a known good address, except I juxtaposed the last two digits of the zip. SYR's website showed me a popup that suggested the correct zip code; I could have sent the package to a bunk address, but I would have had to override the site's suggested correction.

SYR also has pages and pages of instructional text and video, and intervenes on your behalf when shipping gets weird.

 

jkdub there you go, lol...........................................

 

Well if any one wants to here my side of the story since my name is out there for everyone to hate. I sold the frogs for $300 and then I did as directed and shipped them priority next day which was $250. $550 total. I know I made a mistake but I spent two hours talking with fedex before the posting person decided to have them held at a place and to go pick them up. I offered a refund and I refunded him $300 but I can not afford to give back $250 because that would be paying him to take my frogs and I don’t have that much to give. A $250 loss, 4 breeding adult frogs, 3 frogletts, 7 tadpoles all gone was not something I was willing to do. I did what I could, you all can decide the rest.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

This is the first notification I've had by any means of a refund. Checked paypal and yes, the refund has taken place. I don't think this thread needs any more posts, but there's definitely some good lessons here for purchasers and sellers alike.

 

Ah, the devil is in the details. It's a difficult situation, for sure. There is lots to learn on all sides from this story. $250 is absolutely exorbitant for shipping. That must have been a good sized box! I don't usually pay any more than $60 or $70 at most for shipping and that seems like a lot. You can save money by going with Ship Your Reptiles but their packing instructions are not always ideal for amphibians (they are focused on reptiles and fish). For instance, they don't really acknowledge my favorite tool for shipping - Phase 22 packs. In general, you want to use as small containers as possible so that the frogs are a bit easier to secure; and you pay shipping in part based on the dimensions of the package. You want next day by 10:30 shipping and I always prefer to ship to the nearest hub for pickup. It protects you (as the seller) and it protects your frogs. If the buyer insists on having things shipped to their house, you can let them know that it is at their risk, have them take pictures as soon as they open the box, etc. There are lots of really good threads and a sticky or two on shipping (https://www.dendroboard.com/forum/general-discussion/158002-helpful-shipping-live-threads.html).

If done right, the stress is pretty low, so make sure you read up on it and ask questions on the board if you aren't confident. I am sorry this situation occurred, but try to keep things in perspective. Sounds like the frogs are in good shape, and we get to talk about how the situation could have been improved so that other folks can avoid a similar situation. jkdub, I appreciate you providing more detail. I hope this situation doesn't sour you on the hobby in general. I am sure that if you choose to ship in the future that it won't go this way and you are always welcome to come and ask questions on the board if it comes up again.

Mark