So I feel like it's been a bit of time since I posted. In the last few days, I've put together some hidey houses, mobile homes, and chinny mobiles... started loading the car yesterday. Meredith was here helping with the hidey houses and all that stuff to help get ready for the expo. Finally wrote down a list of all the stuff that we need and slowly getting everything together and set to go.
But today has just been "one of those days," for the most part.
First -- I was supposed to meet up with John (a transporter) to get some chins out of a shelter, and some last minute rats as well. He said he'd call in the morning when he was on his way and then I'd drive out to the meet spot and get the critters. Well.... turns out, the family that had surrenders the chins to the shelter came back and reclaimed them cause they were sick of their kids screaming about the chins. Now, really?? Don't get me wrong, I believe that happened, but whatever happened to sticking to your guns? Not giving in to whatever the kids want? Apparently the shelter told John that they wouldn't be surprised to see the chins back..
Ok, but I was supposed to get the rats, regardless. My contact with the shelter had begged with yogies on top that I'd take the rats, so I said sure. Well, when I talked to John, he said something about the shit being ready to hit the fan at the shelter, and they wouldn't release the rats. So, last I talked to him, he said either he or my other contact would be in contact if these critters need to be transferred out again. Later, I talked to my contact, she said that something weird is going on at the shelter, she doesn't know what, but someone ended up taking home the rats, and that was supposedly suspicious. So, no critters here from the shelter today.
Going back to the chins -- my surrender form has a sentence that says something along the lines of "I understand the animal will not be returned to me." That line is in there because of the fact that I don't want idiots like that family coming back to get a chin. If you surrender it, you don't want it. Just cause the kids are crying, that doesn't make you "want" the chins any more than it did before, you just want them to shut up. Which means if it wasn't cared for well because it wasn't wanted, it will go back to not being cared for well cause it's still not wanted. Hence, I have a clause to prevent that.
So then, I have this person text me:
Her: Hello, this is [removed]. I saw your site for the chinchilla sales. U can reply to my txt for the prices. I'm getting the deluxe cage. Me and my son want a male.
[[**side note** -- we have a large cage, but we do not have anything called the "deluxe cage"]]
Me: We don't have any males right now.
Her: You're not having them soon? The females are babies or how many months?
Me: I don't know the sex of babies before they're born. We have one female who I think is pregnant but I don't know when she'll have the babies and even when she does, it's two months after birth to when the babies can go home. All I have available right now is an extra dark ebony female kit who is almost ready to go home.
Her: Aaww, well could u please e-mail me when she gives birth or txt me. I talk to my son about the female. And maybe we'll make up our minds for the female. I let u know, thanks.
Me: I don't email anyone about the babies until they're several weeks old, so you wouldn't hear about them right away. What's your email?
Her: [email removed] U did reply to my emails a few weeks ago and send me the pics. U could tell me and we'll take a ride to Indiana. I'll talk to my son
[[**side note** -- in searching for her emails, I see that she asked what babies we had, she did not specify males, so I told her about the females that we had, and showed her pics, and she said she would "let us know," so I responded saying that if she took a week to decide, the chin may be on hold for someone else since then.... and I never heard back. Those emails were from 9/14, so not exactly a few days ago]]
Me: Oh ok I didn't realize you were the same person. I'll email you when we have a male baby.
Her: That's good, otherwise I'll tell my son about the female one u got now. The price is still $175? I let u know, if we'll rather wait for the male
Me: That female is on hold for someone. The one that's available is the extra dark ebony female for $250
Her: Oh $250, is not $175?
Me: No, the $175 is on hold. The $250 is a different chin.
[[which, if she was looking at my website so thoroughly as she said on the voicemail she left, she should have clearly seen that the white mosaic ($175) was on hold, and only the x-dark eb ($250) was available]]
Her: Oh I want a $175 that's what I can afford, due to the cage I'm getting and equipment the pet needs
Me: Ok, well I don't have any available chins right now.
Her: Alright, well e-mail or txt when the babies arrive
Me: Again, you will not hear from me until the babies are at least a few weeks old, so even if they were born today, you could expect to wait at least a month to hear from me
Her: Ok.
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Do you see the frustration? She calls telling me she's looked over every aspect of my website, wants to buy a deluxe cage, which I'm sure means the large cage, but she's calling it something I've never called it, so she clearly didn't look at that very well, and then she's asking about chins that are clearly marked as on hold, can't seem to separate that the $175 chin is different from the $250 chin, or that she's not going to get an email saying "I see the head!!!!!!" Ugh.
So then. The person who had Psycho on hold, I sent her a two-day notice on Oct. 1st. I told her in that email, I might also call her just in case she wasn't getting the emails or something like that. So, I thought about it early enough today, and I gave her a call. Left her a message saying what our policy is, and that if she didn't call me back, TODAY, the chin was going back up for adoption. Now here's the thing. This is a person who has a female chin and wants a buddy chin. This is the SECOND time she's been in contact with me, telling me she wants to adopt, and then falls off the earth. She had told me she was interested in Annabelle awhile back, and then fell off the earth then as well. So, when it's the second time, either for separate holds or if I have to send out a second two-day notice (which I suppose in this case, would be the same thing), the only way they can put a chin back on hold is to put down a deposit or literally come and pick up the chin. So I told her as much on the phone. But what I don't get is why these people waste my time in the first place. Originally, Psycho was on hold for someone else, and this person called. She wanted for me to let her know if the first home for Psycho fell through. Which it did, so I contacted her. And she was all gung-ho about getting the chin, so I emailed her the care packet and adoption form on 9/25... and haven't heard back since. She has til midnight tonight to contact me, but it's already 11:07 on my watch and I don't expect to hear from her. Typical.
In sad news, one of the rats we adopted out a bit ago, Lily, a 6 week old female, passed away. She was the one that a guy dropped off when he realized the rats he rescued were two males and a female.
I went through my emails, moving things around, trying to clear out my inbox. Came across an email from a family in Indianapolis (I think?) who wanted to get a chin, and wanted a loving and friendly one. Well, I emailed them saying I think that one of my homes is going to fall through and I may have a chin for them, and told them about the chin. So we'll see what they say.
Got an email from someone asking if we needed any part time help or volunteers. Nicely told her that the rescue is not profitable (well, not profitable enough -- with supply sales, we're not in the negative anymore) to hire help, but I could definitely use more volunteers. We'll see what she says.
Had someone email about the second x-dark ebony female, so we will see if that pans out.
Got a "big brother" feeling today when I got an email from PetFinder telling me I could pick up a PetFinder sign for my booth at the Chicago Darien Pet Show. Um... who told them I was going to be there?
And I think that's about it for today. Going to check on all of the pets one last time and then head up early for the night so I can get up at a reasonable time tomorrow and finish packing and working on my homework and all that.
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