There are
several methods available for getting the animals from me to you.
Please keep in mind that my primary concern is with the welfare of
the animal. This means that methods such as 2nd day delivery or late
afternoon delivery will not even be considered. Do not waste your
time and mine asking me to make an exception. If you are more
concerned about saving a few dollars on shipping costs than you are
about assuring the safety and welfare of the animals you are
purchasing then I recommend that you purchase your animals
elsewhere.
For those of paying with Paypal
please remember that I can only ship to the confirmed address
address listed on your Paypal account. Paypal does allow you to add
additional confirmed addresses to your account including "hold for pickup"
addresses.
For those of you that are still reading this I will now
explain the five shipping options that are available should you
choose to to make a purchase.
FedEx Priority Overnight to your door
is the most popular shipping method that I offer. It is a relatively safe method of shipping, but does have more risks
than the other services I will mention in this article. With this service
packages are delivered directly to your door. Most packages are delivered
safely by approximately 10:30 a.m.. The "in transit" time for
shipments delivered by this method is approximately 16 to 18 hours.
To use this service you will be required to provide
the complete and exact address where the package is to be delivered.
If you are aware of any problems with regard to finding your address
then you should provide detailed directions as well. You will also
be required to provide a day time phone number where you may be
contacted. In addition the you or your agent acting
on your behalf will be required to be present and sign
for the delivery.
Costs for overnight
services are as follow:
Box 12x7x6 inches with a
dimensional weight of 4 pounds: $40.00
Box 14x14x8 inches with a
dimensional weight of 8 pounds: $45.00
Box 17x17x10 inches with a
dimensional weight of 15 pounds: $60.00
Box 17x17x20 inches with a
dimensional weight of 30 pounds: $80.00
Box 17x17x30 inches with a
dimensional weight of 45 pounds: $102.00
Box 34x17x20 inches with a
dimensional weight of 60 pounds: $130.00
Shipping days are Monday
through Thursday only. Shipping is generally suspended 10 to 14 days
before Christmas and resumed 2 to 5 days after Christmas depending
on carriers delays. There is
also no shipping the day before or the day of the following
holidays; New Years Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day.
During the week of
Thanksgiving shipping is suspended from Wednesday through the
weekend. Normal shipping will resume the first Monday after
Thanksgiving.
There are several
negative aspects that should be considered prior to
choosing door to door service. First customers should be aware that
the risk of injury or death to an animal can significantly increase
with this service. The animals are
required to ride for several hours in a vehicle that is not
specifically designed for transporting animals. Many of the vehicles
are not climate controlled which means that the animals may be
exposed to extreme temperatures especially during winter or summer
months. Should a vehicle breakdown or be delayed for any reason it
may be left even further exposed to these extreme temperatures.
Other factors that can
dramatically increase the risks are incorrect addresses. Please be
sure that you provide your exact address.
If you live in a remote area delivery may not be available until
late in the afternoon. This means that your animals can ride in a
vehicle with no climate control an additional 6 to 8 hours. If your
address is difficult to find or not clearly posted on your business,
home or apartment the driver may not be able to find your location.
If you have a business that opens late in the morning or afternoon
you may miss the first delivery attempt. It is your responsibility
to be present or to have someone present on your behalf. I ship all
packages "adult signature required" so "signature waivers" or notes
left on the door asking the for the driver to leave the package may also
create problems. (Please be sure to read my terms regarding door to
door deliveries)
Most packages are
delivered by 10:30 a.m. without incident. There are some delivery
zones that FedEx cannot deliver to until after noon or later and
again most packages are delivered without incident however as part
of my terms I do not guarantee live arrival on any shipments that
arrive after 12:01 p.m.. If you live in an area that you know
deliveries are made later in the day you may want to consider some
shipping alternatives. In the event a package is delayed contact
me by email at
mullane@aol.com or by
phone at 321 289 9600 as soon as possible. Please note that email is
the best way to contact me. You may also track your
package on line at
fedex.com. I
will provide you with confirmation of shipping and a tracking number
the afternoon or evening that I ship.
Remember that if you are paying
through Paypal I can only ship to the confirmed address noted on
your Paypal account as per their terms of service. Paypal does allow
you to add or change your confirmed address. Please make the
necessary changes before sending your payment.
The positive aspects are
that with reasonable care most shipments are successfully delivered without incident.
Having the animals delivered directly to your location is much more
convenient than driving to a location and standing in line to pick
up the animals. This is especially so when traffic or weather
conditions are bad and when lines at the delivery location may be
long.
FedEx Priority Overnight marked hold for pick up
at the customer service counter is very safe and reliable.
Packages are picked up at approximately 5:00 p.m. and under normal
circumstances are ready to be picked up by 9:00 a.m. the following
morning and sometimes earlier. To utilize this service the customer will be required to
have the exact address of the nearest FedEx staffed hold for pick up
location. This information can be obtained by calling FedEx Customer
Service at 1-800-463-3339 or by visiting their web site at
http://fedex.com and then selecting "find locations"
under the shipping tab. If you provide me with your address I can
find the nearest location for you.
Costs for this service
are the same as quoted above for Fedex Priority Overnight door to
door delivery.
The significant advantage to this
method is that the animals do not ride in a vehicle. As a result
they are not exposed to temperature extremes and other weather risks
associated with riding in a vehicle. There is also no risk of a
missed delivery due to an incorrect address, driver error, or
customer error. Please note that when using this method and paying
with Paypal the confirmed address on your Paypal account will need
to match the facility address. You will need to make this change
before sending your payment.
Delta Dash air cargo service
is
another very safe and reliable method for
shipping your animals. This service does require you to pickup your
animals at the nearest airport serviced by Delta. Basically DASH shipments follow the same flight schedule as a
passenger and as a result are in essence a same day or overnight delivery
service.
DASH service is conditionally guaranteed by Delta to make
their designated flights with the exception of delays caused by
mechanical problems and weather conditions. If the shipment does not make it's
designated flight then Delta will provide a partial or full refund of the
shipping charges depending on the specific circumstances.
DASH shipments are restricted by size and weight. They may
not exceed 100 pounds and may not be larger than 90 inches (length +
width + height). This is roughly the equivalent of eight 17" x
17" x 10" styro-foam
fish boxes. Rates for DASH are as follows:
1 to 50 pounds =
$85.00 (anyplace in the continental U.S.)
51 to 70 pounds = $115.00 (anyplace in the continental U.S.)
A third weight range for even heavier packages is available, but most reptile and amphibian
orders will not exceed the 50 pound - $80.00 rate. DASH shipments
must be prepaid when you pay for your order.
DASH shipments can dropped off one hour prior to their scheduled
flight departure and can be picked up at their destination after
flight arrival. This is provided that the shipments arrival coincides
with the destination facility's policies and hours of operation. Some
stations require that DASH shipments be picked up at the customer
counter in the passenger terminal. At other stations DASH shipments
may be picked up at the general cargo warehouse. The customer is
responsible for contacting their local facility confirming these
policies and hours of operation.
There are a few negative aspects of DASH for the customer.
One is that the customer is required to go to their nearest
airport that provides this service to pick up their animals. Another is that with regard to small packages (14" x 14" x 8" or 17"
x 17" x 10") it is slightly more expensive than shipping through a
door to door carrier.
The positive aspects are that the animals
very often get delivered to
their destination faster than with most other services. Because DASH
shipments require less time to load and unload this means that the
animals spend less time exposed to extreme weather conditions while
at the airport. And because the animals are delivered to the airport
by the dealer and picked up from the airport by the customer they
spend less time in the care of people that are not familiar with their
handling and transportation requirements. Another positive point is
that Delta, as well as all other air carriers are more experienced
than door to door carriers in handling an shipping live animals.
They are also required to comply with IATA regulations as well as
other state and federal regulations regarding the humane shipping of
live animals. Because of this there are certain minimum standards
required for packing and shipping. This is especially so for
shipping venomous reptiles.
Delta
priority first or P1 air cargo service
is now the "general air cargo" service used to ship reptiles and
amphibians. This method is a relatively safe method for shipping,
but does require more time for delivery. With this service customers
are required to go to the airport to pick up their animals at the
Delta cargo facility.
Cost for this service is
based on actual or dimensional weight, which ever is greater, and
delivery zones. The minimum rate for shipping is approximately
$60.00. Additional charges include taxes, valuation charges, and
other air cargo related charges. Total shipping costs for orders
sent by P1 service will range from around $55.00 to $125.00 on
average, but may occasionally be much higher.
Shipments being sent by P1 service must be at the airport a
minimum of two hours before the flight departure. Shipments that
require more than one flight to reach their destination may be laid
over from 4 to 12 hours or more under special circumstances. Once the animals reach their destination it
may be 2 to 3 hours before they are available to the customer for
pick up. Overall travel times can range from 4 to 48 hours depending
destinations and availability of flights. Flight availability can
be affected by holidays and weather conditions.
The are several negative aspects with this service. Costs
for small packages can be much higher than what you would pay for
one of the other services discussed here. The customer will also
have to go to the airport to pick up their animals. And the animals
will spend considerably more time in transit than with the other
services discussed here.
The positive aspects are that the animals do not ride around
in a vehicle without climate control. And shipping costs for larger
packages are less expensive.
You may arrange to pickup your animals
in person but there are several things you should be aware of
beforehand.
It is possible to arrange to pickup
animals in Broward county and in north Brevard county. I require at least 24 hours
and prefer 48 hours advance notice before pickup especially on
weekends. To arrange a
location and time for pickup you may email me at
mullane@aol.com or call at 321
289 9600.
I work on Eastern Standard Time and
not South Florida Time. This means I am prompt. If you are going to
be more than 15 minutes late you need to call and let me know. If
you do not call I may not be there when you arrive. If for some
reason you cannot keep your appointment call me an let me know. If
we have not previously done business in this manner you will be
required to pay for the animals in advance. If you are unable or
fail to keep your appointment you will be give a full refund
provided you notified me of your cancellation at least 1 hour in
advance. If you fail to notify me later than that then you will
receive a refund less a 20% service charge.
I do not maintain a retail
display store for viewing or shopping therefore you will only be
picking up the animals that you have ordered in advance. I recommend
that you examine your animals carefully before accepting them. While
I will make every attempt reasonably possible with consideration for
the the safety and welfare of the animal there may be circumstances
where this will be difficult if not impossible. Regardless you
should consider your purchase carefully. Once you take possession of
the animals they are yours. There are no guarantees or warranties.
This is no different than the live arrival guarantee offered to
customers that have their animals shipped.
When you pickup animals there
are some basic safety precautions you should consider. If you plan
to run errands and take care of other business while you are out be
sure to do it before
picking up your animals. Remember never to leave any animals
unattended in your vehicle. On a warm day the interior of a vehicle
can heat up to fatal temperatures in as little as 10 minutes. Even
when you are in the car do not
let your animal sit in direct sunlight. Although you may have your air conditioner running the windows in
your car can act similar to a magnifying glass and still cause the
animals to overheat. Do not place the animals directly under air
conditioning vents. Aside from the exposure to the cold air it also
dehydrates the animals. Use caution and care when transporting animals
in the trunk or the open bed of trucks. Be sure that all containers
are secure and not exposed to extremes of heat or cold before starting your drive.
Be sure they are not placed where packages or other objects may
shift and fall on them or where they may get stepped on or crushed
by adjusting seats. Do not take the animals out of their containers
while driving. Most importantly use common
sense and ask questions if you don't know or are not sure what is
safe and what is not.
Should you have any additional
questions that have not been answered in this article please feel
free to contact my by email at
mullane@aol.com or you may also try by phone at 321 289 9600.
