Backwater Reptiles

I did my research before ordering from Backwater Reptiles. Originally my husband had ordered from Reptile City which has terrible reviews and just a quick google image search shows dead snakes in the box. There was a "snafoo" with ordering from BW Reptiles, they flagged my credit card twice because I guess the billing address had never been updated from my old address so I had to re-order, and then send a picture of a utility bill before they shipped it out 2 days later. Not a huge deal, I'm glad they're on top of security like that but it did set my plans back 2 days. However the frilled dragon arrived perfectly healthy and very tame for a hatchling! It's obvious that they take good care of the babies before sending them out, it's crazy how chill my frilly is. I've had bearded dragon hatchlings hiss and bite more than this little guy and beardies are some of the chillest lizards around!

All in all, BW Reptiles is the site to go to for ordering reptiles. They have a 7 day guarantee where if your animal suddenly dies, you can get a replacement or a refund. They're also the only site to offer a live arrival guarantee on amphibians.

Customer service has always responded within at least 24 hours and Abbey has been very good about answering any questions I had regarding my frilly. :)

I am rejecting this response because:
This is not even close to what happened. Their customer service rep chose to converse with my son, who DID email a photo of the dead animal, despite the fact that *I* purchased the animal and was the responsible adult. When I expressed that I believed they should have been dealing w me and not a child, their csr got defensive and rude and said "how do I know who I was dealing with?"
When I advised the business that I would be disputing the charge, they became aggressive, offensive and threatening, telling me they would report the charge back to credit agencies, etc. Their business practices are disreputable and their service is far below acceptable.
Since the shipping exceeded the cost of the animal, and I was treated poorly, threatened, and my son was traumatized by opening a package expecting a new pet, only to find a dead animal, the company's response is both inaccurate and unacceptable.
 
[redacted]

As corroborated by the customer's response, we did not make any guarantees regarding internal parasites in wild caught animals. The customer initially filed a complaint with the Revdex.com saying we guaranteed no internal parasites, which was untrue.
 
Secondly, the customer is referencing a piece of text relaying that our Revdex.com rating is an A-, but if our rating is no longer an A-, but instead a B+, it must've been a recent change so we can easily make an adjustment. But, the only place on our entire website it references an "A-" is on the Testimonials page (which has since been updated). On EVERY SINGLE other page, over 450 pages in all, the Revdex.com rating is CLEARLY visible and linked directly to the Revdex.com, showing our B+ rating. It is automatically updated by the Revdex.com website. Literally, clearly visible, on 450+ pages. 
 
This customer has lied, and has now become petty, trying to argue over a "A-" vs "B+". She also accused us of not even being members of the Revdex.com, which we obviously are. We are also rated 4-out-of-5 stars on the Revdex.com website.
 
We will reiterate, there will be no refund for veterinarian bills. If the customer wants to ship the tortoise back, he/she will receive a refund for the tortoise, less shipping. 
 
Cordially,
 
Backwater Reptiles

I received a Hatching black roughneck monitor from Backwater Reptiles on Oct. 7 2014 and could not be more happy with little guy or the service. He came on time as directed and was also just what I was looking for in a new monitor, after being at my house for less than an hour he was already devouring crickets and crawling all over his enclosure like he has been here for weeks!
Thank you so much Backwater Reptile

David G.

Hello,I filed this complaint against Backwater reptiles and recieved a...

response from the company.  While their response was inaccurate as I contacted them several times before filing my complaint and still have the emails to prove it...they have said that they will only issue a refund once this Complaint is closed.At this time I request that you close the complaint.  If I do not receive an expeditious refund from the company I will then file another complaint.  I tried to cancel this a few days ago but for some reason it did not appear to go through.Regards,[redacted]

This is the first time I have ordered from Backwater Reptiles and the experience was excellent. The quality of the reptile I received was top notch and arrived in quality packing. The most impressive thing is that, while the do not offer a telephone number (as they use multiple distribution sources to cut down on overhead), they do respond to questions in a very timely manner. Overall, BWR seems to be a very professional operation.

I am rejecting this response because:
The business, by their own admission, states they have been engaged in this bait and switch for years: marketing both picture and label that clearly state/show "eastern box turtle".  They don't show a "hybrid" photo. they don't list "hybrid" in their advertisement/photos, etc..  If they have truly been selling "hybrids" for years - why don't they show a picture of a hybrid, or market hybrid? If they are selling a partial eastern box turtle why do they market it as a full one?  Shouldn't they say 1/2 Eastern or "NOT eastern box turtle" or possibly just "hybrid box turtle" Instead they show multiple pictures of pure "eastern box turtles"... Even read the customer testimonial attached which does not say "hybrid" - did M Morton not realize that the 4 turtles they bought look nothing like the photo or that they are not eastern box turtles (or is the testimonial a fraud too?)...
The business then continues to ignore their own shipping schedule and the email/invoice they sent on Wednesday which would mean Friday delivery. They also continue to ignore that they packed the turtle on top of the frogs, ignore the photos showing the frogs were pushed into the side, as well as, ignore that one of the frogs was not 2 inches. They then hide behind a policy that they are obviously well accustomed to hiding behind claiming it was the heat that killed the frogs (but not the turtle?)..
They then say they would have refunded the money but I was impolite - ask them to show any impoliteness on my part... there wasn't any. They literally called me unethical and dishonest and threatened me with some ridiculous collections (IC collections) when I in good faith paid them in full.. 
Buyer beware of this place!

We aren't offering a $60 refund. Per our response, we're offering to ship another one for free under the guarantee, which means you would only cover shipping ($39.99). We're nearly two months past the delivery, so a refund is not an option at this time.

Backwater Reptiles, LLC is an amazing company. I ordered crickets from them & they were exactly what I wanted. I plan on doing more business with them for many years to come. They have so many reptiles I want & there prices are awesome compared to the other company's out there. I highly recommend Backwater Reptiles. I have informed my friends & local pet stores about all the reptiles & feeder insects they have. I truly want to thank Backwater Reptiles & there staff they have answered all my questions & stand behind there product 100%.
A+ company

After months of searching for a three-toed box turtle, we finally found our newest little girl, Belle. She's absolutely perfect. She arrived in perfect condition, and is already adjusting well. She's afraid of nothing, and already curious about her world. I am so excited for her to join the family!

Thanks [redacted] the problem is resolved thanks again

I am rejecting this response because: At no point that day did we get down to 17 degrees, they are simply using a generic high/low average for their argument.  Setting that point aside, the tarantula arrived fine and at NO point was it outdoors except to go from the UPS truck to my wife hand.  My wife even commented that the package was still warm from their shipping warmers.  The tarantula was then taken to a temperature controlled terrarium where it stayed in it's shipping vial until I got home.   The tarantula was then introduced into its small space terrarium where it did just fine for a couple days; it ate and acted like everything was fine until the morning it was discovered dead.  I have had similar issues with this company in the past and I tried to give them one last chance but they are still the wrong company that doesn't do the right thing.  There are many complaints on the Revdex.com site, their [redacted] site, and many other sites that show this same behavior from them.  I simply want to get my money back and move on from this company and never do business again

This company illegally charged an under aged child $79.97 to a fraudulent PayPal account...

I am rejecting this response because:
This is not an acceptable reply. It is STILL not a reassurance that they are bettering their treatment of animals, or that they have taken any steps to prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future. I do not appreciate condescending implications that I have not read their policy on this matter. I have read it, and it is unacceptable when I have been bombarded with information to the contrary from many different sources. A simple cursory search pretty much anywhere reveals that my story is by far not a unique one, and yet this company has done absolutely nothing to reassure the minds and hearts of its customers that they are doing anything at all to prevent this frequent (FAR MORE than they're reported 1.4%) problem of DOA animals, incorrect animals, or animals received sick and dying.

Hi [redacted],Here one of the last e-mails we received from you:------Before the day ends, I want to say thank you [redacted] and [redacted] for your help in resolving my issues. Thank your both for your patience with me and continuing to do your best to help come to a remedy. I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow as to what we can do to close this transaction. You two have done well in handling this issue to the best of your abilities. Once this issue has been adequately resolved to my approval and satisfaction, with the fact that this transaction will take 3-4 times longer than assured, I will do work to either remove the complaint on Revdex.com or update as to how we resolved the issue and do the [redacted]e for the complaint on facebook.------We re-shipped what you needed and everything should arrive soon, via USPS Priority mail (usually 3-4 days).

The customer ordered a scorpion during the month of February, and it unfortunately arrived DOA. His local temperatures hit a low of 18F the day of delivery, which voids our live...

arrival guarantee. Each customer must click, "Yes, I agree to the live arrival guarantee terms" before an order can be placed. Our website is very clear on the terms of the guarantee, and we accept each customer's digital signature as having read and accepted the terms. 
Here are the straightforward terms of the live arrival guarantee:http://www.backwaterreptiles.com/guarantee/live-arrival-guarantee.html...⇄ /> The live arrival guarantee is null and void if local delivery zip code temperatures dip below 40F. This is the standard guarantee within the reptile industry. We attempted to make an exception for the customer on two fronts: we reinstated the live arrival guarantee for him despite his 18F temperatures, AND we lowered the replacement shipping to $29.99 from the standard $39.99. The customer did not find this satisfactory, and maintained that he should not have to pay anything, despite agreeing to our terms.
We also made an exception and offered the customer a refund of the scorpion, less shipping, in accordance with our terms, but this was also unsatisfactory to him.
We will leave this offer open to the customer, with no expiration.
------------
Cordially,
[redacted], owner
Backwater Reptiles, LLC
(916) 847-2887

The customer ordered a bullfrog, which we thought was out of stock, but I found a beauty and was able to ship. It had air and heat inside the box, the same way I ship hundreds of packages each year. The frog supposedly arrived DOA, so we shipped a Pacman frog which was her second choice since we were now definitely out of bullfrogs. We shipped it free of charge, when she'd ordinarily need to cover shipping ($39.99). This customer is attempting to abuse the system and while we don't appreciate Revdex.com complaints, we cannot capitulate to this behavior on ethical grounds. She literally didn't even mention receiving the second frog, nor did she acknowledge the huge exception we made for her by shipping her another frog totally free of charge, including free shipping.

I ordered a Veiled Chameleon and a cage kit from Backwater Reptiles. After ordering, I saw other peoples reviews, on different websites and on YouTube which had a decent amount of bad. I was nervous but hopeful. I received an email from Backwater Reptiles asking me if I wanted them to ship the chameleon closer to the time that the cage kit would arrive, which I thought was very thoughtful. I luckily had a small temporary cage that I could use until the real cage came, plus we were expecting a snow storm over the next few days and I didn't want to risk him getting stuck in transit. I emailed them back letting them know that I would still like the overnight shipping and the quickly responded letting me know that they would get the chameleon ready to go and be shipped out that night.
After that though, something came up to where I wouldn't have anyone at home to sign for my chameleon when he arrived. So I emailed the Backwater Reptiles customer service team asking if it would be possible to change the delivery address to my workplace so I could sign for it and make sure the chameleon would be brought in from the cold. They responded quickly and let me know the address change had occurred and sent me my tracking number later that evening.
The next morning, my chameleon arrived by Fed Ex at about 11:30am at my work. He was safe and sound. His color was a bright green and he was alert and curious about his surroundings. He was in perfect condition. He's actually really sweet and likes to sit on my finger and likes to have his chin scratched and will actually take food from my hand. He's perfect! I'm still waiting on my cage kit which should hopefully arrive before the end of the week.
I just wanted to thank Backwater Reptiles for being so helpful and pleasant and sending me such a great animal! Even with the cold weather, my animal arrived safe and happy. I will definitely be ordering from them again soon!

I got my green iguana today and I am very happy to tell that he is beautiful and I plan on making one more order from these fine people

Great expirence very healthy baby boa arrived, and is feeding very well. I highly recommend backwater reptiles