Show etiquette?

[Dreqqus]

A quick question on etiquette at reptile shows. Is it proper to stop a purchase, or at least add some info to whats going on? Basically a guy thats kinda more salesmanish than herp-lover, was selling a 8-10 year old kid and his grandmother a nile monitor. Nile monitors grow extremely quickly, and are always defensive, and rarely tameable. This lizard will quickly grow to the point that it can cause bodily harm to the kid, at least if cared for properly. Yet the guy kept on hyping the benefits of the nile, over a whiptail ameiva, a lizard that stays much smaller, which the duo was originally purchasing. Should I have intervened,, or did I do the right thing by living to let live?

 

[Maize411]

Hmm...this comes down to personal opinion I think....I would have personally intervened or at least asked to speak to them for a moment and took them away from the table to inform them of the missing information the guy was failing to tell them...I wouldn't be rude to tell them right at the table and make the gentleman feel foolish in front of other customers..but still...I would have said something..but I know there are people who just beleive in letting others experience things for themselves...so like I said before..this to me just is a matter of opinion.. :shrugs:

 

[Roy Munson]

I don't feel good about it, but I wouldn't intervene in these cases. The kid has parents, the seller has ethical obligations; I don't see where I fit into the scenario. :shrugs:

 

[cornspot]

I was at a show that had a vendor selling baby green iguanas & over heard them telling a potential buyer that they mainly eat lettuce. Turned my stomach, but I didn't say anything.

I was appalled that this vendor was even there. Wide variety of animals (not always a bad thing but I prefer to buy from people who "specialize" in one or a few types of animals), cages were dirty, and the bad info to top it off.

 

[tricksterpup]

I don't feel good about it, but I wouldn't intervene in these cases. The kid has parents, the seller has ethical obligations; I don't see where I fit into the scenario. :shrugs:

LOL you wouldn't be at that table any way looking at Lizards. You would be at another table looking at some nice corns or some really cool snakes. Heck you might even look at some Balls while you were there. lol

I agree though with you, remember Rule number 1. Buyer beware. Its their own responsibility to do the research on these animals and not to do impulse buys.

 

[bill38112]

OK, let's look at the big picture. If our hobby is to survive, we must aggressively self monitor (no pun intended). Yet there is an unobtrusive way to do this.

First, the show manager/promoter is the one to complain to. If he doesn't supervise his own show, it's he that will suffer most directly. He should speak to an unscrupulous vendor. Hopefully, the potential loss of a space rental fee won't dissuade him from doing the right thing.

Lacking that, I like to play the "I'm just a dumb southern boy...please forgive my stupid questions" chip. When I was at the Atlanta show last fall, I observed a boy about the age of eight, accompanied by the father, handling a hatchling albino burmese python about 24 inches long. It was obvious the boy was trying to talk his father into a purchase. On the same table was a cage with an 8-10 ft albino burm. So I asked the vendor, "Is this the same kind of snake as that one?" pointing at the boy holding the snake. That's all it took for the father to see the light.

Vendors never mind answering what appears to be a novice question. It's when you come on as the avenging expert that you foment a confrontation.

 

[Susan]

As bill38112 said very well, there are ways on intervening that avoid confrontations and rudeness. Showing an interest in the herp of concern, as if you too were going to buy it, and then asking the right questions so all can hear, usually does the job. Yes, "buyer beware" is an excellent rule, but in some cases, I think some intervention would be appropriate. Being a mother, I instinctively turn to see what's wrong whenever I hear any child cry. I can't help it. I never used to do that, but I've become tuned into the safety of children, even if they aren't my own. Therefore, I would have made a comment on the fact that a nile monitor was NOT the right pet for a small child.