Hi, In the past couple of days, I have gotten quite a few nasty emails about a shipment of crabs that were recieved with a couple of dead crabs. First of all, we have been shipping crabs for 25 years and have a 99 percent success rate when we ship. It was said they were shipped without water or food. We ship them in a wet piece of cloth to keep up the humidity, if anyone has an idea on how to keep a dish full of water in there when shipping , let me know , I would be interested in the idea. W e don't put food in with the wet cloth because when we used to do that , the food would get mouldy and smelly during shipment and recieved many complaints that the crabs smelled when recieved. We replace the occasional dead crab with no questions asked.
It is a shame the hundreds of people who got their crabs healthy and happy don't post a note saying that they were happy. Only the one who did have an unfortunate incident gets posted and I have several people trying to ruin my business without hearing both sides of the story. You should be fair in your judgements, don't try to ruin ones reputation and business with 1 incident. I'm sure if you ask ANY of the crab dealers, they have had crabs arrive dead also. All of you who own crabs know that no matter what you do, crabs will die for no apparent reason, does that make you a bad CRAB OWNER...... NO. You try your best. If anyone has any suggestions on shipping crabs, I am always open to input.
Mike
*edited title to make clear this is kept in archives-CM
shipping crabs(This is where our policy stemmed from)ARCHIVE
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Guest
Topic author
Mike,
Just let me start this reply by saying that you have cajones of steel to come here spouting this garbage. You see... I know for a fact exactly how you ship your crabs and just let me say that I am more than a little angry! I am so horrified, so disgusted.. that I've contacted not only the BBB, the Humane Society and Animal Control for Panama City, Fla....but I've also put in a phone call to the Florida Wildlife Conservation Organization. I'm even contemplating calling FMR concerning all of this.
Food.. is not the issue. Moisture, however IS! These four crabs arrived packed WITH supplies, packed in styrofoam peanuts and WRAPPED in bubble wrap!! Not only this.. but said crabs were bundled in a very small peice of muslin cloth (cheese cloth) that was bone dry... with no damp sponge... nothing for them to draw moisture from. They also took 3 days to arrive at my neighbors house. When they finally did arrive, two were dead and one dying. Thanks to some heroic efforts the one we thought dying seems to be bouncing back, but who knows for sure at this point.
When my neighbor called you concerning the deaths of the crabs, you replied with " Oh.. well, we'll replace them." You didn't care that they had died... no compassion at all.
Had I even an inkling that my neighbor was going to order crabs, I would have taken her by the hand and got her set up myself.... without the likes of you!
You want shipping info, how about this:
1. Use only FedEx or UPS. Not the US Postal Service.
2. Use a small box about 5 x 5 X 5 (or so.)
3. Make 4-6 pencil size holes on each side (not flap sides)
4. Fill half way with shredded paper ( you can use raffia too)
5. Place Crabs and a wet sponge on the shredded paper.
6. Fill box with more shredded paper. Really full.
7. Tape up the box ... careful not to cover any of the holes that you made.
8. On the outside write " Live Crabs - Keep Away From Extreme Heat and
Cold"
9. Then Ship.
Not that any of this info will make a difference to you, because it's too much trouble for you.
Be aware... I've told every single person I know about this incident and will continue to do so as it is FACT. Change your ways, re-seller... or I will do EVERYTHING in my power to shut you down!
Interested in pics of shipping conditions?
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/luckycharm6916
It's all in the folder named " The Crabby Crab Company"
Crabbers... do NOT let this man get away with this inhumane treatment of our beloved hermies.
Just let me start this reply by saying that you have cajones of steel to come here spouting this garbage. You see... I know for a fact exactly how you ship your crabs and just let me say that I am more than a little angry! I am so horrified, so disgusted.. that I've contacted not only the BBB, the Humane Society and Animal Control for Panama City, Fla....but I've also put in a phone call to the Florida Wildlife Conservation Organization. I'm even contemplating calling FMR concerning all of this.
Food.. is not the issue. Moisture, however IS! These four crabs arrived packed WITH supplies, packed in styrofoam peanuts and WRAPPED in bubble wrap!! Not only this.. but said crabs were bundled in a very small peice of muslin cloth (cheese cloth) that was bone dry... with no damp sponge... nothing for them to draw moisture from. They also took 3 days to arrive at my neighbors house. When they finally did arrive, two were dead and one dying. Thanks to some heroic efforts the one we thought dying seems to be bouncing back, but who knows for sure at this point.
When my neighbor called you concerning the deaths of the crabs, you replied with " Oh.. well, we'll replace them." You didn't care that they had died... no compassion at all.
Had I even an inkling that my neighbor was going to order crabs, I would have taken her by the hand and got her set up myself.... without the likes of you!
You want shipping info, how about this:
1. Use only FedEx or UPS. Not the US Postal Service.
2. Use a small box about 5 x 5 X 5 (or so.)
3. Make 4-6 pencil size holes on each side (not flap sides)
4. Fill half way with shredded paper ( you can use raffia too)
5. Place Crabs and a wet sponge on the shredded paper.
6. Fill box with more shredded paper. Really full.
7. Tape up the box ... careful not to cover any of the holes that you made.
8. On the outside write " Live Crabs - Keep Away From Extreme Heat and
Cold"
9. Then Ship.
Not that any of this info will make a difference to you, because it's too much trouble for you.
Be aware... I've told every single person I know about this incident and will continue to do so as it is FACT. Change your ways, re-seller... or I will do EVERYTHING in my power to shut you down!
Interested in pics of shipping conditions?
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/luckycharm6916
It's all in the folder named " The Crabby Crab Company"
Crabbers... do NOT let this man get away with this inhumane treatment of our beloved hermies.
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Guest
Topic author
Crabs, like fish, should only be shipped overnight air Fed Ex or UPS. As I look at my healthy, alive group of 13 vibrant hermit crabs, I know through proper nutrition, care, lifestyle, exercise, that they can live a long life in captivity.
Last edited by Guest on Thu May 22, 2003 1:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Guest
Topic author
This is insane! I have just found this posted on every forum!
While I do agree that the only way to ship hermit crabs is overnight air FedEx or UPS, this constant posting in all the forums is pretty ridiculous. One forum had this topic double posted!
I just found out too, that your neighbor had the option to pick any kind of shipping he wanted. Some blame must fall on him/her for not specifying a faster shipment. It is also the consumers responsibility to take care of themselves!
While I do agree that the only way to ship hermit crabs is overnight air FedEx or UPS, this constant posting in all the forums is pretty ridiculous. One forum had this topic double posted!
I just found out too, that your neighbor had the option to pick any kind of shipping he wanted. Some blame must fall on him/her for not specifying a faster shipment. It is also the consumers responsibility to take care of themselves!
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Guest
Topic author
She says that he gave no options for the shipping.. Didn't say anything about it. So I can't confirm or deny that for sure.Gertrude Snicklegrove wrote: I just found out too, that your neighbor had the option to pick any kind of shipping he wanted. Some blame must fall on him/her for not specifying a faster shipment. It is also the consumers responsibility to take care of themselves!
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Guest
Topic author
I apologize for the double posts as I only post messages infrequently and was not sure where the original post came from or the emails that i got. so I posted in all the forums. Everyone has their opinion on how to ship the crabs, when we shipped them in shredded newspaper, people said the ink was poisonous to the crabs , so we switched to peanuts. We used to put food in with the crabs but got complaints that the food would get mouldy and smell, so we changed that. We don't put live crabs on the boxes becuase some state agricultural laws can inspect packages with anything live, plant or animals that come across the border, and have had packages delayed for a week becuaseof an inspection and everything was just thrown back int o the box and sent on its way.So there is no way to make everyone happy all the time
We have always tried to ship the crabs in the best possible way. I would not gaurantee live delivery otherwise. It is not in the crabs best interest or mine to have to replace dead crabs all the time. Occasinally a crab does die in transit and always replace them with no questions asked. I pay the shipping and replace the items.
Mike
We have always tried to ship the crabs in the best possible way. I would not gaurantee live delivery otherwise. It is not in the crabs best interest or mine to have to replace dead crabs all the time. Occasinally a crab does die in transit and always replace them with no questions asked. I pay the shipping and replace the items.
Mike
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Laurie
- Founding Member
- Posts: 156
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2002 7:12 pm
- Location: Jackson, Michigan
- Contact:
Overnight Express Delivery is the only option
People should not be given alternative shipping method choices when it comes to shipping our beloved little friends! If people want to purchase hermit crabs but don't wish to fork over the cash necessary for express delivery in the best interest of the crabs, then they have no right to even keep crabs as pets. Apparently they're not responsible or caring enough.
Laurie
Laurie
Laurie
Crabbing Since 2000
Wife to Mark, Mom to Five, Owner of Reggie Cat, Lab Lucy, & numerous Crabs (PPs-Es-Rugies-Indos&Cavs)
Crabbing Since 2000
Wife to Mark, Mom to Five, Owner of Reggie Cat, Lab Lucy, & numerous Crabs (PPs-Es-Rugies-Indos&Cavs)
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Guest
Topic author
That is very sad. I know, personally, I will never buy them online and have them shipped, I prefer to buy them from the store. But not everyone is as lucky as me and has a store that sells them a few miles away. There really should be regulations on shipping live animals, not matter what they are. Could you imagine how different the reaction would be if it was a dog or a cat?
Mike,
I'd like to post a few observations re: your shipping practices.
As far back as 1998, that I can recall, I was seeing complaints about your shipping practices. I can recall at least four people who received dead crabs in their shipments.
You can go on and on about how long you have been shipping crabs, but that is not the point. No one CARES how long you have been shipping crabs. What they DO care about is that the crabs are wrapped and shipped PROPERLY.
Before you complain about how expensive it is to pay for next-day shipping, have you considered that most crab lovers will be happy to pay the $15 or so it takes to ship crabs humanely? Shelling out $15-20 to ship the crabs helps people realize that they are fragile animals that are going to cost some money to care for, not just little trinkets you can bundle into a box like jewelry and ship priority mail.
I have shipped crabs to people myself. Yes it is a learning experience, but I'm happy to say that out of over 160 hermit crabs I shipped, NONE of them died during transit. These are creatures of God, just like us. The crabs that die that you think can be easily replaced took YEARS to grow and reach that size. It is not a matter of replacing a "defective" purchase, it is a LIVING ANIMAL and deserves some care and respect. Some crab owners struggle with the attitude of buying one crab to "replace" a beloved one that passed on. It is a common practice, yes but still slightly callous. One should honor the memory of each animal in our care, not just buy or ship a replacement.
You should modify your shipping practices in these ways:
#1 NEVER ship crabs priority mail. Sea Shell City, FMR, you name it, they do not ship them priority mail. They've learned the hard way, you should be grateful for their examples.
#2 Always saturate the cloth you wrap the crabs in with water. Put some bubble wrap in the bottom of the box to catch leaks, but always put the crabs in the box wrapped in sopping wet cloth. It evaporates very quickly -- crabs I've wrapped in soaking wet cheesecloth have been received the NEXT DAY with the cloth only slightly moist. If it had been three days, it would have been bone dry.
I know you've modified your shipping practices in the past, switching from newspaper to peanuts, etc. and that is a step in the right direction. I think everyone would be satisfied if you changed your shipping to next-day delivery. As I said before, most customers would gladly pay the extra $20 or so to ship Fedex. Think of what you're putting customers through when they receive dead animals. What if it was a child's birthday gift in the box and the box was never opened until the child opened it himself? It would be devastating.
Please take these suggestions to heart. While there's a lot of blustering going on, I am sure everyone would back off if you'd make an addition to your web site, something like "land hermit crabs are fragile animals and thus we insist on shipping them via overnight delivery."
Christa
I'd like to post a few observations re: your shipping practices.
As far back as 1998, that I can recall, I was seeing complaints about your shipping practices. I can recall at least four people who received dead crabs in their shipments.
You can go on and on about how long you have been shipping crabs, but that is not the point. No one CARES how long you have been shipping crabs. What they DO care about is that the crabs are wrapped and shipped PROPERLY.
Before you complain about how expensive it is to pay for next-day shipping, have you considered that most crab lovers will be happy to pay the $15 or so it takes to ship crabs humanely? Shelling out $15-20 to ship the crabs helps people realize that they are fragile animals that are going to cost some money to care for, not just little trinkets you can bundle into a box like jewelry and ship priority mail.
I have shipped crabs to people myself. Yes it is a learning experience, but I'm happy to say that out of over 160 hermit crabs I shipped, NONE of them died during transit. These are creatures of God, just like us. The crabs that die that you think can be easily replaced took YEARS to grow and reach that size. It is not a matter of replacing a "defective" purchase, it is a LIVING ANIMAL and deserves some care and respect. Some crab owners struggle with the attitude of buying one crab to "replace" a beloved one that passed on. It is a common practice, yes but still slightly callous. One should honor the memory of each animal in our care, not just buy or ship a replacement.
You should modify your shipping practices in these ways:
#1 NEVER ship crabs priority mail. Sea Shell City, FMR, you name it, they do not ship them priority mail. They've learned the hard way, you should be grateful for their examples.
#2 Always saturate the cloth you wrap the crabs in with water. Put some bubble wrap in the bottom of the box to catch leaks, but always put the crabs in the box wrapped in sopping wet cloth. It evaporates very quickly -- crabs I've wrapped in soaking wet cheesecloth have been received the NEXT DAY with the cloth only slightly moist. If it had been three days, it would have been bone dry.
I know you've modified your shipping practices in the past, switching from newspaper to peanuts, etc. and that is a step in the right direction. I think everyone would be satisfied if you changed your shipping to next-day delivery. As I said before, most customers would gladly pay the extra $20 or so to ship Fedex. Think of what you're putting customers through when they receive dead animals. What if it was a child's birthday gift in the box and the box was never opened until the child opened it himself? It would be devastating.
Please take these suggestions to heart. While there's a lot of blustering going on, I am sure everyone would back off if you'd make an addition to your web site, something like "land hermit crabs are fragile animals and thus we insist on shipping them via overnight delivery."
Christa
~~ The HCA ~~ the original and still the best -- ACCEPT NO IMITATIONS
Ting-Tang (Walla walla bing bang!)
Crabbing since 1974
http://www.hermit-crabs.com
Ting-Tang (Walla walla bing bang!)
Crabbing since 1974
http://www.hermit-crabs.com
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Guest
Topic author
First let me say that, I am glad in your 160 shipping experiences you haven't had any crabs arrive dead.
You also say that you recall at least 4 people recieving dead crabs since 1998,(4/6 complaints in 5 years???) you said nothing about the other thousands of crabs that were shipped without any problems at all. A little one sided don't you think? We usually ship from 160 crabs a week to thousands every month (except the winter) And as any hermit crab owner knows, no matter what you do sometimes crabs die, sometimes crabs die for no reason. We ship them the best we can to insure safe delivery. Anytime you ship live animals, no matter how much care is taken, there is a possibility of the worst happening.
Have you asked FMR, Sea Shell City or any of the other companies if they ever shipped a crab that didn't arrive alive...I think not...... I used to do business with FMR when I started out, and if I got dead crabs they would replace them in their next shipment, it didn't make them a bad dealer or a crab murderer or that they were shipping the wrong way, just an unfortunate circumstance.
The only reason I put that I have been shipping crabs since 1975 is so that people don't think this is the first time I've done this.
As you can see by the neighbors response on how the crabs were shipped , they were packed just as you suggested. Plus if you look at the picture of her holding up the piece of cloth, you can see the cloth is still wet on the bottom third of the cloth. It is not in the crabs interest or mine to have to replace dead crabs on every shipment, I would not be in business if I had to replace a dead crab + shipping ($10) on every $10 order I get
We do offer the option of overnight shipping to all our customers. Contrary to your statement , most (95%) opt for priority mail
I do my best, I apologize for any inconvenience and feel bad about the dead crabs.
The following email is among the things I have to deal with when something like this happens.......
I wish folks had as much compassion for a person as they do their hermit crabs.
Yes , I did have an accident that paralyzed me from the neck down, but with surguries and lots of PT , I AM able to TYPE and an am no longer in a wheelchair. And what that has to do with the hermit crabs, I'll never know.
Mike
You also say that you recall at least 4 people recieving dead crabs since 1998,(4/6 complaints in 5 years???) you said nothing about the other thousands of crabs that were shipped without any problems at all. A little one sided don't you think? We usually ship from 160 crabs a week to thousands every month (except the winter) And as any hermit crab owner knows, no matter what you do sometimes crabs die, sometimes crabs die for no reason. We ship them the best we can to insure safe delivery. Anytime you ship live animals, no matter how much care is taken, there is a possibility of the worst happening.
Have you asked FMR, Sea Shell City or any of the other companies if they ever shipped a crab that didn't arrive alive...I think not...... I used to do business with FMR when I started out, and if I got dead crabs they would replace them in their next shipment, it didn't make them a bad dealer or a crab murderer or that they were shipping the wrong way, just an unfortunate circumstance.
The only reason I put that I have been shipping crabs since 1975 is so that people don't think this is the first time I've done this.
As you can see by the neighbors response on how the crabs were shipped , they were packed just as you suggested. Plus if you look at the picture of her holding up the piece of cloth, you can see the cloth is still wet on the bottom third of the cloth. It is not in the crabs interest or mine to have to replace dead crabs on every shipment, I would not be in business if I had to replace a dead crab + shipping ($10) on every $10 order I get
We do offer the option of overnight shipping to all our customers. Contrary to your statement , most (95%) opt for priority mail
And if you are buying these as a gift for a youngster, use some common sense. If there is ANY possibility (especially with live animals) that they could arrive in bad condition, Don't open them in front of the child, and if you do, don't start freaking out ( as the one lady did, I could hear her in the background of the phone yelling " they're dead, they're dead , what do we do") NOT the best thing to do to try and lessen the trauma to a 3 year old. 2 of the crabs were fine, so why not focus on the live ones instead of screaming and carrying on about the dead ones. I'm sure this did nothing to help the poor kid thru this trauma. Why not just shove the dead crabs under the childs nose and say " see what that bad man did , these are your crabs and he killed them, he smothered them and they couldn't breathe so they died"As I said before, most customers would gladly pay the extra $20 or so to ship Fedex. Think of what you're putting customers through when they receive dead animals. What if it was a child's birthday gift in the box and the box was never opened until the child opened it himself? It would be devastating.
I do my best, I apologize for any inconvenience and feel bad about the dead crabs.
The following email is among the things I have to deal with when something like this happens.......
You stink. I hate the way you ship your crabs you should be put in jail. i saw that you are in a wheelchair and paralised, i hop you stay there for the way you treat your dcrabs so you know how it feel. I am telling all my freinds not to by anything from you cause you killed some crabs and your company stinks and if you are parlised, how do you typeand pack your crabs. I think you and your company stink and are liars to cause if your paralised you ccn't write emails and hope you go out of busness
joseph and my crabs herman, taz. and big blue
I wish folks had as much compassion for a person as they do their hermit crabs.
Yes , I did have an accident that paralyzed me from the neck down, but with surguries and lots of PT , I AM able to TYPE and an am no longer in a wheelchair. And what that has to do with the hermit crabs, I'll never know.
Mike
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Guest
Topic author
This is from where we misted the non moving crabs ... I assure you that it was bone dry upon arrival.Plus if you look at the picture of her holding up the piece of cloth, you can see the cloth is still wet on the bottom third of the cloth.
I understand that yes, sometimes animals will pass on during shipping... I'm sure it happens. What disturb me MOST of all was a.) the way the were shipped/packed and b.) your attitude about the situation.
You've made it very clear that you care nothing for the well being of the hermit crabs you sell, only $$$$. Not only on the phone but on this board as well.
We had NO idea that there was a possiblility of any of the hermies being dead. I don't know who you heard yelling... but it wasn't here. The child was very excited about recieving the hermit crabs... and of course became upset when we very gently broke the news to him that two were dead. It was upsetting to all of us... but at no time did we traumatized the boy by yelling and screaming or saying anything bad about you.And if you are buying these as a gift for a youngster, use some common sense. If there is ANY possibility (especially with live animals) that they could arrive in bad condition, Don't open them in front of the child, and if you do, don't start freaking out ( as the one lady did, I could hear her in the background of the phone yelling " they're dead, they're dead , what do we do") NOT the best thing to do to try and lessen the trauma to a 3 year old.
The emails you have been recieving... I don't know what to tell you. Word has gotten around about your shipping practices... and people are upset. How your "disability" comes into this, I have no idea. I didn't know till 2 days ago that you were disabled. So your guess is as good as mine.
Live animals should only be shipped overnight... period. And NOT packed with other items such as choya, food, CK'ers..etc..
I cannot in good faith blame my neighbor for the way they were shipped as she didn't have a clue and was given no options. You are the businessman... you have the responsibility to ship properly.
Someone said in a post that I shouldn't blame you for the way the crabs were packed. Well, I do blame you. You are the business owner... You train your people.. it is your responsibility to a.) train workers properly and b.) make sure that your workers do it properly. It all falls back to you.
So you can spout out percentages all you want... fact is.. bad shipping is just that.. bad shipping. That's something you need to change. I'm not the only one that feels this way.
I'll not post about this anymore since it's counterproductive and going no where. Just fix what's broken, Mr Crabby Crab.
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Guest
Topic author
Sorry, if it's not broke, I can't fix it. I have nothing to apologize for on the way I ship my crabs but do apologize for the crabs that did arrive dead.
And I am still waiting for anyone who has contacted sea shell city, FMR or any of the other hermit crab dealers to see if they ever had a crab die during shipment in the last 5-10 years. Please do, that way you can call us all the same names, tell us all we ship our crabs wrong, and not buy crabs from any of us.
And I am still waiting for anyone who has contacted sea shell city, FMR or any of the other hermit crab dealers to see if they ever had a crab die during shipment in the last 5-10 years. Please do, that way you can call us all the same names, tell us all we ship our crabs wrong, and not buy crabs from any of us.
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Guest
Topic author
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Guest
Topic author
i'm with sweetiepie... if you really have beef with each other, you should meet up and talk face to face.... doing this online is sorry on both sides of the story... and as far as everyone else, if you want to order from this guy, go ahead... if not, then don't bag on him just because you don't like the way he's doing it... yes, I do agree that he SHOULD do the overnight thing... but its his choice... if people keep ordering from him, apparently, he's doing something right!! I'm considering ordering from ya, because its so hard to get crabs from around here.... and if anyone else knows anyone that sells hermit crabs, hit me up with an addy! I only have one left, and he need some friends!