I'm looking into getting some Hogg Island boas. However, all the ads that I've seen are animals that are pretty peppered. Personally, I think the cleaner animals look nicer to me. I'm looking to get a 1.2 trio and I'm interested in the hi pinks, the vanillas and the blues. I've answered some ads and yet I'm a bit hesitant to buy from these folks.
One guy advertised his Hoggs as the cleanest since he's pretty picky about his snakes or so he says. His ad even says that he's got Hoggs in three colors - pink, white and orange. Now the photo he had on his original ad was of one baby and it looked super clean. I just wanted to see what the parents looked like to know what to expect the baby to look like. I told him I'm interested in what he's selling but would like to see a pic of what I'm buying. Since he didn't send me a pic, I let him know that I've also contacted other breeders - one being fairly local (a good 2hr drive from my place) - and I'll be looking at that guy's animals as well as looking for what I want in next week's IRBA in San Diego. His email was pretty curt and told me to just get back to him after the show.
The Local guy said he was told he's got some of the best in our area. He noted that one satisfied customer is an exclusive reptile shop who bought four pairs from him a few years back. Of course, in my mind, if they're that satisfied, why haven't they gone back to him? Second, I had told him that I'm looking for super clean animals. He said that he's selling his for $100 but the super cleans would cost more (he never said how much). After a few more emails, he said none of his babies for sale are super clean, but they would have only minimal speckling. Once again, I asked to see pics of the parents to know what I'm getting into. So far, no response.
Why is it that dealers/breeders like these guys are so anxious to sell but the moment they see any hesitation from the prospective buyer, they get an attitude? Regardless of the quality of animals they have, I don't know if I want to do business with these guys. I work in a wholesale company and I have to do some selling so my customer service skills are up there (I also have to handle consumer relations - there's no real department - I'm it). I've purchased 2 dozen CH baby balls and when I started to sell the ones I don't need for my projects, I had no problems selling them to interested parties and I still have 'looky-loos' still contacting me with questions. As far as I'm concerned, good customer service to back up good quality equals a sale sooner than later.
With that rant out of the way, are there any Hogg Island Boa breeders/dealers out there with super clean animals who will be at this upcoming IRBA in San Diego? If anyone knows of reliable, friendly folks with super clean animals, could you please give me some of your recommendations?
Thanks
Hogg Island Boas anyone???
Threaded Mode