I will be the first to say that I can often be difficult to reach. Especially if you are trying to reach me by phone. Between my personal and business activities I manage to keep very busy. Therefore in order to help you get the quickest response possible I have written this article to provide you with information and recommendations that will help me make this possible.

Telephone Contact:

          The telephone is NOT the best way to reach me quickly. As noted at the top of each page my phone number is 321 289 9600. You are welcome to call between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (eastern standard time) throughout the week and weekend. Most likely you will reach my answering machine.
 
          You may leave a message however when I do have the time and ability to use my phone I am generally busy taking incoming calls which means that I may not be able to listen to all the messages or to return calls.
 
          If you do leave a message be as specific as possible. State exactly what you are calling for and your phone number and I will do my best to return your call.

Email Contact:

          THE BEST WAY TO CONTACT ME is by email. As noted at the top of each page on my web site and in all classified ads my email address is mullane@aol.com  

          I am often just as close to a computer as I am to my phone making it easy to answer emails. I can also answer emails late into the evening, early in the morning, or in the middle of the day while you are at work. Times when returning your call would not really be appropriate.  

         I do sincerely try to answer each and every email that I receive as quickly as possible. However I do receive a lot of email and as result I generally prioritize the order in which I answer each one. Obviously first priority is given to those emails that appear to be the most earnest inquiries. All other emails are answered in rank accordingly. Depending on the subject of your email, how it is formatted, and how I rank it's priority the time it takes for me to respond can range from one hour to one week. However, if you format your email as per my recommendations you will find that I will generally respond within 24 hours or less.

My Recommendations:

1. TAKE A MINUTE TO READ THE AD OR MY WEBSITE and you will find that many of the questions you are about to ask have already been answered. For example:

My ad: Sulcata Tortoise
              Captive born babies 2" to 3"
              $85.00 each 3/$80.00 each 6/$75.00

Sending an email such as; "Hi I am inquiring about your ad. Can you tell me if they are captive born or wild caught, what size they are, and their price." will definitely get a delayed response. Aside from the obvious fact that you did not read the ad, emails like this suggest that you one of "those" shoppers.

          "Those" shoppers are the individuals or children that format a standard inquiry, copy it, and then spend all night pasting it into emails to respond to dozens or even hundreds of ads. Very often "those" shoppers do not even remember who or to what ads they where responding. l often get email thanking me for my response and then asking if I would mind sending them a link to my ad because they cannot remember what I was selling.

2. USE THE SUBJECT BOX of your email and mention the animal or specific topic of your inquiry. For example if you are inquiring about a sulcata tortoise then in the subject box of your email type "sulcata tortoise". If you are inquiring about a photo then type "photo inquiry" or "sulcata photo". Emails with a specific subject will get opened first. Emails with no subject or that use vague descriptions such as "URGENT!", "hello" or "info requested" may appear to be spam and get read last or possibly deleted without being read.

3. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO USE A COMPLETE SENTENCE even paragraphs are welcome. Believe it or not I can reed and rite without a dikshunary. An Email where the text or body consists of one or two words suggests several things.

          First it tells me the individual has not read the ad and may be one of "those" shoppers that just has not figured out how to use the cut and paste feature on their pc. It also tells me that there are many more emails yet to come. For Example;

1st Email: "price", 2nd email: "size", 3rd email: "sex", 4th email: "how many", 5th email: "shipping", 6th email: "payment", 7th email: "total with shipping", 8th email: "pics", etc. . .

          This series of one and two word emails can be spread out over a few days or for as long as several weeks. In the meantime I will generally sell the animals to someone else making it a complete waste of time for myself and the shopper.

          The best thing to do is try to ask all your questions in one email. I realize that my answers may generate additional questions and that there may be questions that you forget to ask. That is fine. Send another email and feel free to ask those questions. I will answer them as well.

4. TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT. Do not be shy! For reasons unknown to me many people are afraid or simply do not want to tell me what it is they want to purchase. Instead they want to survey me; "How many baby ball pythons do you have? I need to know before I can place my order.", "I need to know the exact size, sex, morph, and age of each corn snake you have available before I tell you what I want.", "I cannot tell you how many I want until you tell me how many you have."

          My question to these people, which has never been answered is "Why?" Why do you need to know I have 300 female and 400 male hatchling ball pythons before you tell me you want to purchase 1 male and 1 female? Questions like these are simply a waste of my time and yours.

          Just tell me what you want to purchase. Be as detailed and specific as you want. Send a photo of something you like and ask me if I have or can find something similar. The worst that can happen is that I will say that I do not have what you require. The best that can happen is that you will get what you want (before someone else makes the purchase).

          I am aware that some of you may not know exactly what you want. This is fine. I get email from people everyday asking me to explain the differences between one species and another, one morph and another or the differences in care between animals. I encourage you to ask these questions and more because they are relevant to making you happy and satisfied with your purchase. After you have considered all the information then "tell me want you want."

5. WHEN YOU ARE READY TO ORDER I will need some specific information from you. I will need your name, shipping address, the phone number at the address where the order will be shipped, and your exact order as it was previously discussed. I may at my discretion require you to provide proof of age, copies of permits, and other documentation regarding the transaction. If you are cannot or are unwilling to provide any information I request I will cancel your order.

          When placing your order be as specific as you need to be to get the animal you desire. Based on the information provided on my web site, in my classified ads, telephone conversations, and previous email correspondence tell me exactly what you desire.

          Once I have your order I will respond confirming that I have received it and at that time I will provide you with the payment information. Please note the following:

If you are having someone pay for you with their credit card or paypal account the invoice will reflect that they are the purchaser. This could be a problem if permits are required for the species you are purchasing.

If you or someone else pays by paypal the order will only be shipped to the confirmed address listed on the payee's paypal account. Paypal does provide the option to change or add additional addresses. If you need to change or add an address to your account you will need to do this before you send the payment.

If you pay by credit card and are having the order shipped to an address other than your billing address be sure to provide that on the credit card sales agreement form that I provide for all credit card transactions. This form is required. No exceptions. If you do not wish to fill out this form then you will need to find an alternative payment method.

The day that I ship I will email you with the tracking or air bill number.

          Please remember these are only recommendations. As I said at the beginning of this article regardless of how you format your email I will make a sincere effort to answer it as quickly as possible. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.