Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/03/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This completely took advantage of me and my disabled son and sold us a pet that they knew would not be a good fit or survive a new environment for money We explained exactly the kind of pet we were looking for and they sold us an expensive gecko on the premise that it was a good first pet however they knew that he would struggle adapting to a new environment due to his age and blatantly lied, they were contacted when he didnt eat and we did all their suggestions, when he didnt eat for a week we contacted a second opinion that informed us that this was a very difficult pet and definitely not a first pet, it also would never like to be handled which we told the store was important to my son. We tried three different types of food and it causes immeasurable stress to my son that is recovering from brain surgery which they knew. They refused to do anything to help and just said No Returns. We knew if we kept the gecko it would die so we brought it back to their store so it could go back to the environment it lived in for 3 years

  Business Response

  Date: 09/09/2024

  Saturday August 24th I had two of my employees help a mother and her son choose an animal and this is my employees account of that day: A mother and her two sons came in to buy an animal for the youngest son. They were not sure what animal they wanted but the mother was not willing to go any bigger than a ***** gallon tank. With that tank size limit, we only had a couple options. I showed them leopard geckos, crested geckos, day geckos, different skinks and frogs, but the animal they decided on and I agreed with was a Bawang Chinese Cave Gecko. I explained that the Chinese Cave Gecko would be the most comfortable in the smaller tank and would have the least requirements and easier to care for. I even went as far as to offer to set it up for them in store, a service we usually do not offer. The son was asked multiple times by me and his mother if he was sure that this was the animal that he wanted and that there was no going back once I started opening products to set up their tank. As I was setting it up I gave them many options and ways to keep the price reasonable and I said all of the prices aloud as I added them to the set up.
  All said and done, at the counter when the grand total was presented, the mother told the son to not tell the dad what the total was.
  I made very clear during the setting up process that this animal will only need to be fed once to twice a week and to not be surprised if it does not eat or come out for the first week. I expressed that the gecko would need at least a week with no handling to acclimate to its new environment.
  Only a couple days later, the mother called and voiced her and her sons concerns that that ***** was not eating. She was told to not worry and to try different foods. But nonetheless she was told in advance that it may not eat the first week. On top of that, they sought a second opinion from a competitor store, that may hold some animosity towards us due to our competitive edge in this industry who has most likely never had the opportunity to work with this animal. They told them that this animal is a poor choice of animal, and it will never make a good pet. Which is not the case at all. The son was told that it is a nocturnal animal, will only eat once-twice a week and is relatively reclusive but can be adjusted to regular handling for short periods of time. The gecko was bred in house and was held back since its hatching in late 2022. It was not placed in the for sale environment until very recently. We had also discounted the gecko from $329.99 to $169.99 due to the fact that we did breed it in house and had an abundance of them. But the going rate for that species on any website is $250-$350.
  A week after the initial sale, the father, who we never met, and the younger son came into the shop with the gecko in hand, again voicing their concerns that it was not eating.  I took a look at it, told them it was shedding but was perfectly alert with good weight. Perfectly healthy. When a gecko begins to shed it will eat less, and right after a shed it will eat the shedding skin, so food is not needed at that time. Again said that it would be a week or so to adjust to its new environment and got into a regular schedule of eating for them. The father was calm at first and told me basically to save my breath and that he just wanted to return the gecko and get his money back. I told him that unfortunately we do not do cash back returns, only store credit or exchange, as stated on our receipt. I told him that I would be more than happy to find his son a different animal that closer met his needs if he was not happy with the cave gecko. Then dad then began to raise his voice and demanded that we give him his money back and that he will not be doing anymore business with us because we took advantage of his wife and disabled son. Nothing of that nature occurred. They drove from a far distance to visit our store and asked for a lizard that fit their requirements. I tried my best to meet their needs and gave them the bare minimum of was necessary for the animals well being. I only suggest to get a front opening cage as it would be much easier access for the young boy.
  When the father began raising his voice at me I told him to talk to the owner. The owner walked over with no idea of conversation taking place but repeated that we do not offer cash back returns just store credit or exchange. The father started cursing and yelling, not letting the owner even attempt to resolve the issue. As well as it was in front of all the other families in the store that Saturday morning. The father was yelling that he was going to make our life complicated but using other language and he was going to send the news to our store by the afternoon to expose us for taking advantage of his disabled son. I just tried to make the kid feel like a rockstar for undergoing a surgery like that and still being so positive. I tried my best to make his son happy and provide him with an animal that he could enjoy for years to come.