Backwater Reptiles

I am rejecting this response because:First, I received a confirmation of the order from the business on Wednesday not Tuesday (please see attached "backwater invoice")Their shipping policy states "orders on Wednesday will be shipped Thursday and received on FridayThe box was packed with the turtle knotted tightly inside a handkerchief that was then placed it sitting on top of the small plastic cup which was housing the frogsThis allowed the much heavier turtle to bounce up and down like a rock on top of a plastic cupPlease see the attached "jpg" files where you will notice that 1) one of the frogs was squished into the other right into the side of the container and 2) unless I have inch fingers (and or the box label is 15") you can see that the frogs were tiny (one of the frogs is approximately 2" and the other is clearly much smaller).In short, the business is negating to see their responsibility to ship/package properly and follow their own shipping policy (the invoice Wednesday at 12:50pm): As far as the turtle; when you enter their website the turtle they are selling is listed as an Eastern Box Turtle it does NOT say hybrid (see page of the attached file "misleading 1") The picture they show is that of an "Eastern Box Turtle" not what they actual sellWhen you then click on that listing to buy it you are brought to another page where an even larger photo dominates the page and the photo is that of an"eastern box turtle" (see attached "misleading 2") again the turtle is identified exactly as - Terrapene ccarolina - not "hybrid"The wording next to that prominent photo states exactly "We have some absolutely stunning captive born and bred Eastern Box turtles for sale at the best possible pricing" Neither myself or my children are experts in any of this - they went by the pictures and ordered itThe business is charging top dollar for captive bred eastern box turtles - they should be charging a severely discounted amount for the hybrid they sent (I am not even sure what the hybrid is?)As far as me being difficult I couldn't have been nicerWe went round and round for days with the company ignoring any responsibility they have in this and just repeating their shipping policy Why don't they picture the hybrid turtle if that is what they so proudly and successfully sell all the time? Or change the wording to say "hybrid" in big letters right up front? To my children a turtle is a turtle and so I was willing to accept the rip off and only asked that they replace the frogsAnyway, I was neither rude or difficult it was the business that wrote a stinging email to me calling "Unethical and Dishonest" (please see attached labeled "official response") literally threatening me with collections (when they were paid in full) because I wrote to you, as well as, paypal seeking helpI still seek a full refund on the frogs (I no longer want replacement from this business)I acknowledge that they will accept the turtle back - and they continue to ignore my request/repsonse to "please send a prepaid shipping label and instructions on how to properly ship it back" (I certainly shouldn't have to eat $to ship back something so misleading - and I don't feel comfortable wrapping it back in that handkerchief (it is filthy) nor leave the turtle to bounce around in the box)I am even willing, since my children like the turtle, to eat the $dollar bait and switch if the business would 1) just tell us what the turtle is hybrid with and 2) change the pictures/wording on their website so that nobody else goes through this

This order was returned via a prepaid label, and the customer was refunded in fullPhotographic proof is available if the customer will not confirm this

As I said, we do not own Wholesale Exotics any longerWe have asked them to remove the logo stating it is a division of our company, but they are not quick responders as you may have discovered.It's amazing you can file a Revdex.com complaint against a company that's not even involved in a transactionThis is getting ridiculousPlease e-mail them, not us

Hi ***, As we mentioned via e-mail, your live arrival guarantee was voided on two fronts:1.) Your local temperatures exceeded 90F, which voids the guaranteeThis is mentioned on the "Seven Day Guarantee" page linked to on every page of our website: [redacted] Here is the text: If temperatures at the delivery zip code dip below 40F or above 90F, the live arrival guarantee and extended guarantee are both completely voided for all reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and feedersHowever, even including Winter shipments, our DOA rate is still an incredibly low 1.8%Shipping live animals is a shared risk between the shipper and the customer--please research your local temperatures prior to ordering.We also request that customers research their local temperatures before ordering.2.) You missed the delivery, which voids the guarantee, located on the same page as referenced aboveHere is the text:If you, or an authorized representative are not present for a delivery attempt (usually in the morning), the live arrival guarantee is null and void.Both of these factors void a live arrival guarantee for every single reptile business in the nation, for obvious reasons

I am rejecting this response because:As I have stated before, and this company admitted in their own reply; they are basing their argument on an average They clearly said they got temps for my zip code, which is an average I can go to the local news websites and pull temperatures for that day and they are different than whatever website they are using.If someone at the Revdex.com were to go look, there is a pattern of this behavior with this company They rip off hundreds of people each year and it can be seen on their social media sites, the Revdex.com complaints, and several other websites out there They will do everything they can to avoid refunds, or replacing dead animals

Hi ***,We did allow a return of the first turtle, which we received back from you in May and it was purchased by another customer who loves it earlier this weekIt simply needed UVB lighting as most turtles do--they will fail without itWe have processed a refund of $to account for the return shipping cost of the dead turtle you sent us.Backwater Reptiles team

I am rejecting this response because:The photos of the enclosure were provided Will be happy to provide again as the enclosure has not changed Another snake (purchased elsewhere) is now living in it and having no issues I agree, two dead snakes from the same source is suspicious I can also provide the receipt from the vet But I want full credit for one of the two snakes, as YOU extended your live warranty for two weeks after insisting the snake is fine and "just adjusting" The first one died a month after being here I will take that loss The second was not OK from the beginning of it's arrival and you were notified from the very second day, and just kept extending the wait time to pass the days Come to think of it, the days should have been a warning sign, as you should be able to guarantee that days after buying a live animal from you it will not be dead but I guess it is there for a reason I have seen the many complaints against your company after I too realized there was a problem, and did further research on the reviews So I would not say your sales are without incident.I will go have the receipt scanned and download a photo of the enclosure to include here and expect a full refund for the second snake.Regards

We aren't offering a $refundPer 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

I am rejecting this response because:Its not impossibleMany websites do not ship a product when you enter in your zipcodeAlso, no response to the delivery charge that was paid and did not receive the time guaranteed

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]

I am rejecting this response because:They refunded my cost to ship the turtle back, but not the cost of the turtle itself! The turtle died while in my possession within the "day live guarantee" they provideThey should provide a full refund

I would like to cancel the complaint because the business has agreed to send me a full refund when compliant is cacelled I have agreed to these actions Thanks so much, [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because this is the same businessIt clearly states on the Wholesale exotics website that it is owned wholly by Backwater ReptilesThis is written clearly on the privacy protection pageThe reason for this page is to protect consumers if something like this should happen

Here is what is stated on the exact page you ordered on: -------------Please peruse our shipping information page before orderingFeeder orders placed after 1:00pm PST on Wednesday will likely be shipped the following Monday for the safety of the insectsPlease read the details of our guarantee before ordering.-------------There is also a link on the page to our guarantee terms Was this complaint filed simply because you did not receive the tracking number initially? As I mentioned, we've truly never had a customer complain that they didn't receive their tracking number on a feeder order We made an exception for you and offered to ship replacements at a loss for $19.99, but you refusedWe even offered to refund part of the shipment, but you refused

The customer ordered a bullfrog, which we thought was out of stock, but I found a beauty and was able to shipIt had air and heat inside the box, the same way I ship hundreds of packages each yearThe frog supposedly arrived DOA, so we shipped a Pacman frog which was her second choice since we were now definitely out of bullfrogsWe 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 groundsShe 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

They stated on their website that it would be overnight shipping, and if receive my shipment tracking information on time. Neither were done. I ordered on Saturday, and its Wednesday and I haven't received tracking information or the package. I will be reporting fraud to my bank card, and to the police department if I don't hear anything soon. Regardless they did not stand by their word, and I expect a full refund.

I ordered 40$ worth of Dubai roaches 2 weeks ago and still have not received them! I have asked them to resend another order and they refused saying my package arrived on Thursday which it clearly didn't or I wouldn't be writing this review. I checked at the post office and their was no order for me. Only thing I can think of is maybe someone stole the package off my porch, but who would steal 100 [redacted] roaches? Anyway they are very unprofessional and refused to resend my order, so now I'm out 40 bucks and have a very hungry unhappy chameleon. DO NOT ORDER from black water reptiles they are stingy and in it for the money. Horrible business very unprofessional. The customer is always right? Not with these folks. I repeat do not order from black water reptiles they will rip you off. You can't even write a review on their website because they don't want people to see the truth! This was the worst experience I've ever had with a business and I prey no one else does business with these unprofessional stingy shmucks. I wish great misfortune upon their buisness Sincerely a very unhappy customer - Calvin

We purchased a Russian Tortoise, for our daughters, from this business. Once we got him he was in 2 boxes with no air holes (they say to keep the Reptile warm) and smelled awful! He arrived very ill, I wrote them, the gave me suggestions to try. I tried for 3 weeks before our Tortoise passed away. I wrote them and they said "sorry, we only guarantee live animals for 7 days" we tried everything. My children are so upset. This company is sending ill animals, knowing they won't make it and made me tough it out so they didn't have to refund my money (or send me another Tortoise). It has been the worst experience. This has to be animal cruelty.