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[SWAnimalCouriers]

Hi All,

Due to:

• Being treated like a fg 5 y/o by some people having no respect for the work I do and how hard I have been working to provide the service I have been offering
• People seeming not to understand that because I cover 1,000 miles in a day I might be 5 minutes late (and I mean 5 MINUTES!)
• People scamming others by sending animals in a poorly state via courier and me being caught in the middle (morally not legally)
• and a small select few talking to me like I am st when I have done absolutly nothing wrong to anybody,

I am no longer having anything to do with private sales between casual collectors of reptiles on the £44.00 service. I apologise to those of you I have not met and are decent people and may now have to pay milage rates but I simply cannot put up with working this hard for people who are essentially aholes.

The direct milage service is still available to all and I will be posting instructions on how to work out your own quotes as quite frankly, unless the collection is near-ish Bristol or the southwest, it will be to expensive for most people and I cannot be giving out 20 quotes a day to people who will not be booking.

I will continue to work for SOME of the fantastic customers that I have already worked for on a £44.00 basis however runs will now only be maybe twice a month and maybe once a month to Scotland.

I would welcome jobs from most people I have worked for in the past as most of you have been great! I'm sure those of you that I appretiate know who you are. And those that have messed me around know who you are.

I will also welcome collections from reputable breeders, organisations and a very small selection of shops on these runs. I will also work on recommendations from long standing customers. However, on the first visit to your site/home I want to see that you keep your animals in a great condition and I will need to know that you realise how that service works.

Again, I am sorry to those that may now not have access to a reasonably priced courier service but I hope you can see why it has come to this. This has never been about the money for me and never will be I do it for the joy of meeting owners and their great animals and enjoy the drive but recently it has been nothing but agro and heart ache through no fault of my own and I cannot see sick animals, having been mistreated, then sold on to others. It's just sick and immoral.

Any questions, comments send to the below addresses or post here.

Steve SWAnimalCouriers

PS

Sorry about the rant and ing but I'm livid that some idiots have ruined what was a good thing for all. I will re check this tomorrow and clarify if nessesary but had to get it off my chest!

[freekygeeky]

Well i can say thank you for helping us get the Tokay to Forteh
(from norwich - with my OH)

[cato4eva]

aww i am really sorry to hear this as ur service is brill i could neva have got by bamboo viv it hadnt been for u

its a shame how some people can be so wrong towards another

[chondro13]

Im really upset to hear this. Steve, you were brilliant and transported my cave geckos all the way from Sussex to Manchester in perfect condition (exactly as how the seller described them to be, and how they were packaged). You even kindly showed me the rest of the booty in your van for other people

Im truly gutted to hear people have driven you to this

What gits to ruin this wonderful service for everyone

[Philldan]

I'm gutted that you've been brought to this!!

I've only used you the once, but I can't fault you at all.... there's not many couriers that call the night before to confirm a time, call on the day to let me know you'll be 20 minutes EARLY!! - and then send me a text to let me know that the animal has arrived safely and the buyer was happy!!

Some people are morons, it's just a pity that they manage to ruin things for everyone else!!

[athy59]

This is what makes me sick. People thinking others can work miracles.

I used to be a Telephone /radio Operator for a taxi firm.
If the car was just 1 minute late, i had the customer on phone screaming where is my Taxi to. Seeing as i couldnt be rude to the customer, i had to radio the driver, afte all its the customer who paid our wages.
People MUST realise that when driving ect, you DO NOT know whats going to happen en route to said destinations, Accidents, roadworks, anything that will hold traffic up. So give these Guys who carry your goods some slack.
Also dont forget, they are only carrying your goods, not being an owner of the reps ect, so dont be rude, be polite, any probs go back to the seller ect. He is only picking up the orders.
Remember the old saying "Use it, not Abuse it, or you will Loose it."
Which as seemed to be happening here.

[SWAnimalCouriers]

All of this has seriously annoyed me. It was a great thing for 3/4 months but that last month it has become stupidly stressful. TBH it was probably the proudest thing I've ever done and my feedback has been shown off to all and sundry.

It still hasn't stopped and I need to decide how it will work going forward but for the moment the Scotland run this weekend is still going and full and the run the following weekend covering England & Wales will still be going ahead and still has space.

I'm not taking any bookings after that until I have decided how to do it.

I will either only take bookings from previous customers and responcible breeders/shops or I may expand the membership scheme to a paying scheme where by the average customer pays a membership fee and will then receive a joining pack which will have thorough information to sign and return and a scheme for shops and breeders where by I visit them to sign up and at the same time check that they are doing everything in a way that I approve. I can then recommend to my customers when they are looking for stock and say I've been there! (with a legal disclaimer mind you!)

In all honesty I don't know how it's going to work for the minute!

Thanks for the support guys you are the ones that have made everything worthwhile before big changes became nessesary.

[paulj]

Hi Steve
What a shame that a minorty of people can ruin such a great service for a mijorty of us who love our animals and can only get them using this service when we live in the deepest end of devon. I have only use you the one time and hope to use you at end of october i can`t fault the service you give at all you keep me informed at all times and when they arrived they were well cared for. you did say this to me the other night when i spoke to you
If you get a package from a postman and it`s wrong do you shout at him no you don`t . You do eveyone a great service you pick the animals up from the seller and deliver them to the buyer.If the seller know`s the animal (s) are not in A1 condition they should not send them as it`s not you`re responablitie but you do look after them in you`re care.
I do hope that you sort eveything out and find a way to contune the service for the people who appicate it.
Lena

[Lego]

Steve that absolutely sucks

I haven't ever used your service but had contemplated it on many an occasion after reading the amazing feedback that you got from everyone. You are clearly a great courier and it's such a shame that this has happened due to a few muppets

[oakelm]

Steve im sorry to hear this, you have made it possible for people to get the exact rep they have been after for years but was too far away. Never had a snake turn up anything other than was described and you are more prompt than a lot of big delivery firms, its a shame a few bad apples spoil it for everyone. I hope you sort something out so the service can continue in one form or another.