BackwaterReptiles.com
Reviews and Complaints

I recently made a purchase from BackWaterReptiles and unfortunately, my experience was not a positive one. I ordered a goliath birdeater spider and to my dismay, it died just one day after it arrived. I contacted the company and they informed me that the spider was likely molting. I sent in a photo of the deceased spider as proof, and they agreed to send me a replacement.

However, when the replacement spider arrived, it was already dead on arrival (DOA). I once again contacted BackWaterReptiles and sent in a photo of the dead spider. They once again claimed that the spider was molting and requested that I provide both spiders in one photo as proof. I was frustrated and confused, as the first spider had already been thrown out due to its unpleasant odor after being kept over the weekend.

To make matters worse, the replacement spider arrived with a broken leg and its abdomen was partially unattached from its body. I was extremely disappointed with the quality of the product and the customer service I received from BackWaterReptiles.

I strongly advise against ordering from this company. Their lack of accountability and poor quality control make for a frustrating and disappointing experience.

I recently had an experience with BackWaterReptiles that left me feeling extremely disappointed. I had ordered a Pac-Man frog for my husband's birthday, but when it arrived, it was in terrible condition. The packaging was shoddy and the frog looked sickly. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to care for it, the frog passed away less than a month later.

As someone who rescues reptiles, I was shocked and saddened by the poor treatment of this animal. It's not the first time I've heard of people receiving sick or dead animals from BackWaterReptiles, and it's truly unacceptable. These are living creatures, not toys to be played with carelessly.

I hope that BackWaterReptiles takes responsibility for their actions and improves their practices. It's not fair to the animals or the customers who are expecting healthy pets. I urge anyone considering purchasing from this company to do their research and proceed with caution.

I had a really bad experience with BackWaterReptiles. I ordered a Mexican Red Knee Tarantula from them, and I specifically requested an adult female. However, when the package arrived, I was shocked to find that they had sent me a baby female instead. To make matters worse, the poor little thing was already dead, with a ruptured abdomen. It was clear that the packaging job was really shoddy, and the tarantula had suffered as a result.

When I contacted BackWaterReptiles to complain, they did admit that they were responsible for the poor packaging job. However, they never issued me a refund, nor did they send me a replacement tarantula. They didn't even bother to apologize for what had happened. I felt like they had just taken my money and run, without any regard for the well-being of the animals they were selling.

To add insult to injury, BackWaterReptiles even blocked me on social media after I complained to them and called them out on their behavior. I was really disappointed by their lack of professionalism and customer service.

All in all, I would strongly advise anyone to avoid BackWaterReptiles at all costs. If you're looking to buy a pet reptile or arachnid, there are plenty of other reputable sellers out there who will treat you and the animals with the respect and care you deserve. Don't risk getting robbed, lied to, or ending up with a dead animal - take your business elsewhere.

Ordered a snake from BackWaterReptiles and spent a little over $300 with shipping. They told me to call a 1800 number for FedEx to have the animal sent to the nearest location for pick up. The FedEx auto system gave me a list and I picked the one closest to me. The package was signed for at the location at 333pm and I picked it up a little after 4pm. However, when I got home by 430pm, I was devastated to find out that the snake was dead.

I spent days emailing them because no one answered the phone. Finally, I was told that I wouldn't be reimbursed or given a new snake for free because I had picked an unacceptable location, even though it was the one that FedEx had given me. However, they did offer me a discount to send me a new snake, but I would have to pay an additional $250. I was extremely disappointed and frustrated with their customer service and their failure to honor their live arrival guarantee.

Despite this negative experience, I did purchase a blue iguana from them and it was amazing. However, I will be taking my business to an underground seller instead. It's a shame that BackWaterReptiles didn't live up to my expectations, but I'm glad that I was able to find a great pet from them nonetheless.

This place is a total ripoff! We spent a ton of cash at BackWaterReptiles and all we got were sickly lizards. We ordered some southern painted turtles and when they arrived, they were already dead or died within a week. We tried to contact them about it, but they didn't give a hoot. They asked us to provide evidence of the dead turtles, which we did, but they still didn't offer to make things right. So we decided to give them another chance and bought two more turtles, but guess what? They were also dead on arrival! And one of them died just two weeks later. We know how to take care of turtles, so it wasn't our fault. It's just that this place is a total scam. They don't know how to take care of their animals or their customers. Save yourself the trouble and go somewhere else to buy your pets. Otherwise, you'll just end up with a bunch of crying kids every time you get a package from these crooks.

So, I had a pretty bad experience with BackWaterReptiles. I gave them my money, but they never sent me the product I ordered. They said they needed me to send them a photocopy of my ID or driver's license, a photocopy of my debit card, and my social security number because there was a problem with my billing and shipping addresses. I tried to explain to them that it wasn't possible for me to send them that information, but they just kept asking for it. I even emailed them a couple of times to try to sort things out, but they didn't seem to care.

Eventually, I got really frustrated with the whole process and told them that their customer service was terrible. That's when things really went downhill. Britney, who I assume works for BackWaterReptiles, accused me of throwing a tantrum and said that I was banned from ever buying anything from them again. I couldn't believe it! I was just trying to get the product I paid for, and they were treating me like I was the problem.

Overall, I would not recommend BackWaterReptiles to anyone. They clearly can't handle any kind of criticism or negative feedback, and their customer service is just plain bad. Save yourself the hassle and buy from somewhere else.

So, I gotta tell ya, I had a real bad experience with Backwater Reptiles. I was super excited to get my hands on an Amazon Tree Boa, so I placed an order with them. They sent me an email saying that my little guy was on his way and even gave me a UPS Tracking Number. I was so stoked to get my new pet, I could hardly contain myself!

But then, when I checked the UPS Tracking system, I saw that the package was still waiting to be shipped. I was like, "What the heck, man?!" I waited and waited, but the package never showed up. Then, at 4:30pm on the day it was supposed to be delivered, I got an email from Backwater saying that they didn't actually have the Amazon Tree Boa in stock and asked if I wanted to upgrade to something else.

I was so mad! I mean, why would they lie to me like that? It's just not cool, man. I immediately filed a claim for a refund through Paypal because I didn't want to deal with these jokers anymore. I mean, seriously, who does business like that?

So, let me just say this: DO NOT BUY FROM BACKWATER REPTILES. They are liars and scammers, and they will just waste your time and money. Save yourself the hassle and go somewhere else. Trust me, you'll thank me later.

So, I ordered two water dragons from BackWaterReptiles, but when I got the box, there was only one water dragon in there. And that one was sick and injured. I reached out to them, and they sent me two more water dragons, but they were also sick. All three of them ended up dying within a few weeks of me having them. I told BackWaterReptiles about it, but they won't do anything since I don't have a picture of all three of them together dead. I do have a picture of all three of them, just not in the same picture since they didn't die at the same time. I contacted them when the first dragon died, but they never emailed me back, and then a couple of days later, the other two passed away. It's really frustrating because I spent $150 on these lizards, and they all died. I don't think I'll use BackWaterReptiles again. I'll find someone else to buy from.

So, I got this green tree frog from BackWaterReptiles about a week ago. She was pretty small and not very active, but I took care of her like I should have. I misted her when she needed it and fed her, but she never ate the whole time I had her. I even put food out for her or near her, but she never touched it. She was always hiding and hardly ever moved or jumped around from one spot unless I moved her.

But then, this morning, I woke up to find her dead. I am so disappointed and depressed. I did everything I could to care for her and make sure she was healthy, but she still passed away. I'm going to assume she arrived sick because she was never active and never ate.

It's just so devastating. I don't know what to do. Losing a pet is really hard on people, and it hurts so much. I hope BackWaterReptiles realizes that and can help me from here.

I recently made a purchase from BackWaterReptiles, and I must say, it was not a pleasant experience. I decided to buy a Cane Toad from their website, and the total cost came out to be a little over $80, including the shipping fee. The delivery was made by UPS, and it was supposed to arrive at my doorstep on time. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, no one was home to sign for the package.

I immediately contacted UPS and instructed them to leave the package at a nearby facility for pickup. I went to the facility to collect my package, and upon unboxing it, I was horrified to find a dead Cane Toad. I was extremely upset and contacted BackWaterReptiles right away. They asked me to provide them with proof of the dead reptile, which I did. I requested a refund or a replacement, but to my surprise, they only offered me a discount for another Cane Toad.

I found this to be extremely unfair and explained my concerns to them. However, they ignored my concerns and only allowed a discount. The Cane Toad was packaged into a small cramped bag with no space or heater/cooler, which I found to be very concerning. I strongly advise against ordering from BackWaterReptiles as they do not seem to care about the well-being of their animals or their customers.

They sent me a snake with IBD (stargazing). I have a copy of a vet assessment proving this. It died and they refuse to accept this as a reality.

I ordered a kenyan sand boa and READ their description of how the snake is not covered under the DOA warranty or 7 day guarantee. They told me the first shipping day it was not safe to ship the snake because of Temps which I was fine with. A few days later I got the notice for shipping and the email also outlined having the snake held at a center to not void the guarantee. I went on later that evening to schedule and fedex website said it was NOT and option in my area at all. At this point the snake was on its way. So someone stayed home to receive it and make sure it got warmed up.

At first it was barely moving which we knew was due to it being cold since it didn't have nearly enough heat packs in the box.

We warmed it up and when we put it in the tank we had all ready it started immediately showing signs of IBD, and corkscrewing repetitively as well. I contacted the seller and they said to just watch it a few days sometimes Temps cause strange behavior. No recommend to take it to a vet at all, I took it on my own accord.

The exotic vet said and documented it was displaying signs of IBD and also had a head tilt like it had been hurt during shipping. He gave me recommendations and I followed them. That evening it acted like he was trying to regurgitate a meal which also the breeder never even told me the last time it ate.

I have all of this on videos and sadly it declined quickly and died Friday morning.

I contacted the seller and they got back to me on Sunday and to send them a pic of the snake on the shipping box as per their policy. I said I was sorry I had thrown it out as I thought that only was for DOA reptiles. So we went ahead and dug it out of the trash and sent it along with the vet assessment and pics and I offered videos.

The next day they said as per their policy that I didn't have it held they would not refund it. I let them know that was not an option and I did what I could and that they should have made sure that was an option for my area before shipping.

The snake would have been displaying signs of IBD before shipping and it seems they knew they wouldn't have to take any loss shipping it out and either they knew I wouldn't be able to hold it and knew they'd give me a terminal snake or they just didn't care.

They offered me a discount on another reptile which of course I declined saying I did not want another sick snake nor their inadequate and reckless shipping.

Another note is that their website says they're based out of Cali and Idaho which is why I picked them, they were close to me and I wanted as little stress on the snake as possible. It shipped from Florida instead which is dishonest to say the least. Their actions are incredibly careless to the animals as IBD would make any reputable breeder very concerned.

So all in all they sent me a sick snake, either knew I couldn't have a refund because I couldn't hold it in my area at a center or didn't do their research to see if it was available but know the snake would die and are refusing to refund anything.

I received a baby tomato frog Tuesday this week. It arrived alive but was a dark brown color rather than the yellow it’s supposed to be. It refused to eat anything and was mostly sedentary. I kept the humidity at a constant 60% or higher and the heat at 74 degrees. Today (Friday) I woke up to find it dead in its tank. I’m very upset and can’t find any contact info for backwater reptiles.

They sent me some emancipated nile moitor I have never seen a lizard in my life eyes have been closed since I got it ie hasnot eaten anything barely moves is hours away from death im sure its the saddest thing ive seen as far as pets go I don't have [censored] else but that you guys have a horrible trsack record of this and I should of done my research better

California location does not have reptiles and gets them from other companies. The have the worst customer service and refuse to address customer concerns. They refuse to answer the phone or return emails. Potential customers BEWARE

These people sold me 2 turtles under 4 inches as pets even though they are prohibited to do so. They kept insisting that we signed the term about turtles under 4 inches are sold for scientific or educational purposes only. They didn't even give us that choice knowingly putting our health at risk. This regulation was put i place to prevent the spreading of salmonella. Had they told us up front about the size, we wouldn't have moved forward with the purchase. On the website when we were adding the items to cart, it did t give us a choice if this was being purchased as a pet or other purposes. They automatically send whatever they felt like.

So I ordered my camel spider Sunday night it's now Wednesday night and hasn't come yet and after reading everyone else's reviews I have a feeling if we do get it, it will probly be dead. I have sent several emails and no response and on top of it never received my confirmation number in the email they sent Sunday night after I ordered it. I think it's funny that in almost every good review, the word STELLAR is used every time ... Same person writing them? I will NEVER use this website again I will stick to the reptile expo I go to every month and wait for them to have a camel spider

On Friday, April 27 I made a purchase through Backwater Reptiles. The purchase was an error and I immediately (within the hour) cancel the purchase. I attempted to contact the company by phone, this was unsuccessful. I then sent an email explaining the situation. I continue to send emails on Saturday, April 28 through Sunday, April 29. I did not receive an email back. So I filed a complaint through PayPal. I received my first email from backwater reptiles on Monday, April 30. They informed me that they would not be issuing a refund because I had filed a complaint through PayPal, and that I would need to cancel the complaint to receive my refund. After contacting PayPal I was informed by them that this was not the case, backwater reptiles was completely capable of issuing a refund. Furthermore, PayPal suggested that I not close the case as this would prevent them from covering me with the payment protection program. Backwater reptiles has absolutely no reason to withhold this refund. There was nothing sent out, neither is there anything preventing them on PayPal's and from issuing the refund. Each email I get from backwater reptiles is intended to encourage me to drop the case with Paypal. I am filing this complaint because something needs to be done about business practices such as this that intend to intimidate their buyers when a refund is requested.

I placed an order of $65 of gecko and they miss the delivery date
The package ends up get sending back to them
They refuse to give me even partial refund!

See below for evidence

See Below:

Hello Shui,

Unfortunately, there is an unforeseen delay with FedEx at their main hub in Memphis, TN and most of our packages are being effected. Please be assured that even with the delay on FedEx's end, you are still covered under our Live Arrival Guarantee, however Geckos are generally pretty hardy and your little ones should be just fine :) We are completely at the mercy of FedEx for delivery and I would recommend to contact them at 1-800-GO-FEDEX for any status updates or to request to have your package held for customer pick up.

Please keep us updated on your arrival status and let me know if you have any other questions! :)

Thank you,

Meg
Backwater Reptiles, Inc.
Fax: [protected]
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========= GENERAL INFORMATION =========

Merchant: Backwater Reptiles, LLC
Date/Time: Thu Oct 27 11:08pm GMT-0400 2016
Transaction ID: [protected]

========= ORDER INFORMATION =========

Invoice Number: [protected]
Description: Backwater Reptiles Order
Sales Tax: $1.80
Discount: $0.00
Shipping: $39.99
Grand Total: $65.75

========= CART INFORMATION =========

House Gecko( Med-Large ) ( 0044 )
Options:No Pref
4 x $5.99 = $23.96

Please note, this inbox is not monitored so do not reply to this email.

Thank you for your order, we sincerely appreciate your business!

Q: When will my animal order ship?
A: Please reference the below shipping schedule for reptile, amphibian, tarantula, scorpion, cricket and fruit fly orders:

Ordered On Ships On Delivers On
Sunday Monday Tuesday morning
Monday Tuesday Wednesday morning
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday morning
Wednesday Thursday Friday morning
Thursday Monday Tuesday morning
Friday Monday Tuesday morning
Satruday Monday Tuesday morning

Q: When will my feeder order ship?
A: Roach, reptiworm, mealworm, giant mealworm, superworm, waxworm, hornworm and silkworm orders are shipped via 2-3 day Priority USPS delivery.

Q: When will I receive my tracking number?
A: You can expect to receive your tracking number via e-mail by 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the day your order ships (please reference the shipping schedule above). If you do not see the tracking e-mail in your inbox, please check your spam folder.

Q: Do you have a Frequently Asked Question section?
A: Yes, you can find our frequently asked question section here: http://backwaterreptiles.com/FAQ/reptile-faq.html

Thank you,
The Backwater Reptiles Team
[protected]@backwaterreptiles.com

Horrible company! Our class ordered water dragons from this company for class room pets and they came in barely alive. We looked around and they seemed to have decent reviews. Boy were we wrong. Our lizards came in skin and bones skinny. We took them to the vet, they had bone disease from poor calcium diet, they had mouth rot, and we paid hundreds of dollars to save their lives. And we still had one die on us. Very traumatic. Very angry people here.

I paid Backwater Reptile LLC $364 for one adult male ordinary gecko and 2 Super Giant Hatchling. Unfortunately when it was delivered, FEDEX claim that there is nobody at the house. I went to Fedex main office here in Odessa, Texas and got the package at 6:45 Pm of the same date promised. When I open the package, the geckos were all dead. Instead of receiving a sorry note or a possible way to resolve this issue, they just said its due to the weather in Texas and it was my fault that it got delayed. I am a first time buyer and owner of a Leopard gecko and this is the sad experience I received from Backwater Reptile LLC . I just wasted my hard earned money for nothing.