Reptile shop swapped my bearded dragon

3110tracey

Hi I am after some help and advice on my rights. I dropped off my sons pet beared dragon at the local reptile shop to be cared for when we went away on holiday for a week. When I went to pick it up this monday 15th august are pet was gone ! The owner was trying to fob us off with someone elses with was a different size, age, colour and sex. It looks nothing like ours and he said that someone else must of took ours by mistake ! I asked him to contact the person who had take ours so we could get it back. On tuesday 16th I rang him as he had not got back to me and he told me he could not get in contact with them. I then asked him for the phone number & name of the person so I could call them. My son was very upset at this point . I rang the number and it kept saying that I could not be connected. I sent text messages and go no reply. I then went back to the pet shop yesterday and said I cannot get hold of this person have you got an address. He said he had thrown all his records away and did not have an address for them ( Even though this person had actually purchased their bearded dragon from that shop !) I asked when they would come back in the shop again surely they would need food for it ( they eat live bugs) Ther shop owner said he comes in every 2 weeks so he would speak to him if he come in ! The shop owner even suggested keeoing the other person bearded dragon as it was worth more money ! It's not the point he gave away my son's pet ! I don't know what to do now can someone help ?
Thanks
Tracey

Optimist

Pet to you, property in law.

Unfortunately for you the shop owner has offered a replacement seemingly of a higher value..

I fear you have little chance of getting your original reptile back if the shopkeeper is playing silly sods, although your local paper might be interested if it is a slow news day ie child broken hearted cruel shopkeeper gives pet away.....That might concentrate the shopkeepers mind.

Otherwise I suggest accepting the new reptile and hoping your son grows attached.

babyemily

Local papers/radio and facebook campaign. This should fully restore the shop keepers records and memory x Hope it all works out well for you and your son.

pug_in_a_bed

this is shocking! my friend has a lizard and she loves him, as much i love my dog and guinea pigs, and i know she would be devastated!

it would be like dropping a dog at a boarder and being offered another and just being told to accept it.

I certainly would think about the local paper.

If it was me I would write a letter before action and take it in or post it, giving him 7 days to resolve this. He says hes' thrown out his paperwork - how irresponsible is that!

Let us know how you get on.

Rain_is_Insane

If it's not your reptile, and you have raised your son's from an infant age how are you to know if there is anything wrong with the replacement? Medically or tempramentally? Was your's hand reared? Tame? I'd be pushing this angle to be honest. It might just prompt him to sort it out.

Failing that, has the reptile shop got a webpage with a comments section? Could you maybe leave a message on there asking for the other customer to get in touch?

The one thing I would be questioning is why hasn't the person who has your reptile come forward to say it's not theirs and asking for theirs back? Especially if there is a difference in monetary value.

Is it possible (and yes I know it's not nice to think about) that yours passed away and they have panicked and tried to cover it up with giving you an alternative instead of telling you the truth?

My son has 3 spiders and to be honest I wouldn't know one from the other but he bleeding does!!!

arcon5

pug_in_a_bed wrote: »

If it was me I would write a letter before action and take it in or post it, giving him 7 days to resolve this. He says hes' thrown out his paperwork - how irresponsible is that!

They have already offered a remedy. If he seriously has been so incompetent as to loose the paperwork, other than replace what more can they do?


But what a sad story, having to introduce a new pet to your child. What an absolute idiot. If you paid fees for them to look after it, make sure you get them back to.

scheming_gypsy

When you board your critter at a reptile shop they mark the viv as 'not for sale, boarding for **** and the collection date.

As soon as i read the title i thought that.........

Rain_is_Insane wrote: »

Is it possible (and yes I know it's not nice to think about) that yours passed away and they have panicked and tried to cover it up with giving you an alternative instead of telling you the truth?

^^^^
Because if the beardie was worth more money it would be a different morph and noticeably different. If could have been a female, but that's only worth more money if you're selling and they'd have to sex it to know that.

scheming_gypsy

arcon5 wrote: »

If he seriously has been so incompetent as to loose the paperwork,

it isn't incompetence as all it would be is a note that has the owners details on. As they've been and collected, they don't need the note any more.

3110tracey

Hi the pet shop owner said he had lost the paperwork for the sale of the bearded dragon of the person who had ours. I thought you had to keep paperwork when you sold a pet . I asked as I thought he would have an address so I could go round. Thanks Tracey

3110tracey

Thanks for all of your advice I think I will send them a letter tomorrow stating that they have breached the contract I had with them and give them 7 days to respond.

scheming_gypsy

3110tracey wrote: »

Hi the pet shop owner said he had lost the paperwork for the sale of the bearded dragon of the person who had ours. I thought you had to keep paperwork when you sold a pet . I asked as I thought he would have an address so I could go round. Thanks Tracey

you first said:

The owner was trying to fob us off with someone elses with was a different size, age, colour and sex. It looks nothing like ours and he said that someone else must of took ours by mistake

Which makes it sound as though they were both in for boarding and they gave them the wrong one back.


but no, when you buy an animal from a pet shop you just hand over your money and off you go. There's no registration details or anything, it's not different from buying a toaster unless it requires a DWA license or CITES, which a beardie doesn't