bobs tropical plants CA.

ordered some snails from this company (10). they came in a bag 3 days later. half of 'em dead. He had about a teaspoon or less of water in the bag. i believe this is what killed them.
Although I've known snails to live for days out of water.
Any thoughts?

Heat. Lack of water not the problem. I recieve snail with no water and a wet newspaper.

Dr. Who wrote:

Heat. Lack of water not the problem. I recieve snail with no water and a wet newspaper.

Wet newspaper works great. They just need a little moisture to keep their bodies hydrated. I would guess it was the heat as well. Where did they ship from? 3 days in a package truck would get the most of anything without proper protection.

California, left Sat. got to Min Sun. and me (Wisconsin) Tue. early afternoon.

IM thinking heat. Did you talk to the person about a refund? and did you take pics of the DOA?

When I received them I couldn't tell their state. I put the bag in my tank for 1/2 hr to acclimate them to my water temp. I then removed them and placed them in the tank. Took a picture of them and sent it to bob's saying I received them and thanks. Well.... 24hrs later. Only 5 had moved. And as of this writing they still haven't moved.
I went to bob's tropical plants web site to in form them. Well, upon reading their warranty and shipping. They only Guaranty live delivery with express delivery not priority mail. So I guess I ended up paying $6 a piece for some Zebra nerite snails !
I have sent 2 e-mails to them,but no response. Also their warranty states that you must contact them within 2hrs of delivery to be covered.
Now if you work and aren't home when they come, you're screwed.
So, my advice after all this is to read a venders warranty. Had I, I wouldn't have ordered from this vender. http://www.bobstropicalplants.com/shop/en/. I live in a rural area and depend alot on mail order for my aquarium supplies and inhabitants. I'm looking to buy some more Nerite snails, and plants any help with a good vender would be appreciated.
Thanks
P.S
It was a mild here in the Northern part (around 74). and when delivered they were left under my carport in the shade

Well...unfortunately...I'm actually dealing with a similar issue with them. It's sad. I've sent numerous messages only to have 0 replies. It is quite aggrevating I must say. I know this person from other forums and thought they were reputable. At least...when he was smaller he was. Now it seems alot has went by the wayside. :(

Yes it is! I wish the BBB had a site for internet purchases like they do in the real world.
I am however looking at every site they appear and voicing my opinion where it's allowed.

Ya know...I saw something on the news just the other day talking about social networking in cases like this. ;o)

I was just on this site posting a complaint it's sorta like a bbb
http://www.my3cents.com/getStarted.cgi?ref=7
I advise all internet buyers to start complaing if they have no other recourse.

Most vendors of live items will state that there is no warranty for Priority shipping only Express shipping so in this case the vendor is well within his rights not to have to give a refund of your money. However he definitely should be corresponding with you to explain this.

I would say read the gaurentee for sure. They are coverd so there won't be much they can do for you. I would just go elsewhere and share the info and experiance you had with others.

Whisper: I wasn't looking for my money back. I was looking for a replacement even if I had to pay shipping. Most businesses with good business practices try to make each customers purchase a good one. This guy's warranty even with express mail would be hard to comply with. Like I stated, you have to report any doa's with in 2 hrs of delivery. so if you work and your package comes 3+ hrs before you get home your pretty much screwed. Thank you for your opinion though. And I understand the risks of mailing live products. To many variables involved.

You can request a pick up at your local PO. and pick it up there when you get out of work. This way the package isn't setting outside in the elements.

Honestly the guys shipping terms sound very normal to me. If you look at aqua-bid nearly everyone uses similar shipping terms for live items. The reason why they are so precise about pickup and DOA is because when the package leaves their hands what happens next is beyond their control.

In other words there is no way they know when it will arrive at your house and how hot/cold it will be that day or how long it will take to get there. So it is up to the person who ordered to make sure they are there. The tracking on packages is fairly pretty good. If you normally track packages you should know roughly how long it will take to reach your home once it reaches a sorting facility. If you can't be there because of work then have someone who will be home (friend/neighbor) take it in for you. I know it sounds kind of crazy but many people will take off from work if they expect a large shipment in. Not that I would do that for snails but if I ordered several hundred dollars of fish I would be waiting at the door!

IMO the shipping standards are spelled out and this guy has no obligation to replace anything. Not saying he won't be a nice guy and do so, but rather per the terms you agreed to when you bought the snails he does not have to. It is up to the consumer to make sure they are aware of the terms and agreements they enter into. If the terms see unfair then it would be best to seek someone who fit your needs better.
I don’t want to sound like the mean guy here but I have seen these types of things get blown way over the top too many times. I don’t think he did anything know besides maybe not adding in a cool pack for the shipment. Saying that the terms are unreasonable after agreeing to them is kind of backwards.

Striking, I agree totally and that's what I was trying to tell him. It is up to the buyer to make the correct arrangements. As a seller myself of fish and snails his terms are not unreasonable. But like I said he should at least correspond with the buyer.

TO EVERYONE, I agree. this is getting blown out of hand. I simply stated that I had bought some snails and that half were dead. And ask'd a simple question!!!
(would the cause be for the little bit of water they were shipped in). "READ THE ORIGINAL QUESTION"
THANKS.

Then the answer is NO.

THANK YOU

Well of course that was the original question. It was the later posed situations/responses to the to what happened that my response was aimed towards. The original quest was answered in the first few posts. What later transpired is what everyone was responding to.

Also thank you Whisper I know you had said it and I hate re-posting information but I just wanted to give my view.

There's a lot that goes into as well such as how the critters were packaged. If they were packaged in a way that they would get beat up during transit, there is nothing that John Doe consumer can do with that. They might not expire within two hours as stress related illnesses and deaths don't usually show up until after the fact. Thus, taking the seller of the "hook".

The only thing you as a consumer can do is document everything and send it to the seller. It is then up to the seller to determine what (if any) action to take. This is where the quality of the seller comes into play. Granted, according to Ts and Cs, he is under no obligation to replace anything in whole or part. I do believe though, that under certain circumstances, it is the sellers responsibility to ensure a happy customer. That doesn't always mean replacing lost stock mind you. Sometimes it is just not practical.

However....however....that being said.....if the seller is sending out bad stock and/or has poor shipping, then that in my opinion voids the Ts and Cs and the seller should be accoutable to some extent. As a seller myslef, it is my responsibility to ensure I send out only healthy stock and that they are packaged in a way that they would arrive safely.

I've never heard of snails being shipped in a bag of water. Always with wet newspaper or paper towels. In a bag of just water their shells would most likely get damaged...

Very true James. It does require a level of competence to ship things correctly. I mean what we are really talking about here is how a seller should conduct a transaction and the responsibilities of a consumer.

I prefer to contact the seller first and get some conversation going. I mean it is of course always a risk to buy things sight unseen online but it does help to open the the lines of communication first.

Oh Striking that's fine you explained it much better then I could. LOL

When I ship mine I have a very small amount of water, small amount of plant and a small amount of poppy plastic so they can't crush. I have never had any snails DOA.