SATOO Reptiles and Aquatics — Local services in Parma

Super helpful at first but once they have your money they don’t care! I purchased a $250 black Mexican king snake on 12/20 to be shipped from Ohio to Maryland and shipping was $50 so it was $300. It was the only thing my 14 yr old daughter wanted for Christmas. I was very hesitant about it because I had no way to see it pick it out have a face to face encounter etc but the gentleman I spoke with on the phone initially was very helpful and informative. I was told his name was Mike which according to the website he’s the owner but according to another employee he’s just an employee and Tim is the owner? Who knows? Anyway I was also hesitant it was the last one. Probably called 15x with questions and he helped me every step of the way. I had a good friend of mine who is experienced with snakes come and help me get everything needed and set the tank up. I spend almost another $1,000 on everything needed for this animal between the tank, heat mat, thermostats, temp gages, hideaways, water dish, bedding, heat lamps etc.

Everything seemed fine- I honestly didn’t see the snake much except when we would feed it and every now and then but it generally went back to hiding when it saw me. I do have the cutest videos of when we did see her! But I was told this was pretty normal for snakes. But then yesterday I went to feed it and it popped it’s head up seemed like it tried to strike and then started twisted and turning uncontrollably and died 😭I am so devastated. We’ve had her not quite a month yet and this happens. It kills me just thinking about it. I felt helpless! She was only with us a short time but was part of our family!

I called the store as soon as they opened on 1/20 because I was told over the phone when I paid for the snake that they guaranteed it for 7 days BUT sometimes unfortunate things do happen so if something did happen to call them because they take care of their customers and would up to 1 month. When I called today the first gentleman I spoke with asked me a bunch of questions about the snakes habitat and I told him everything and he even said wow it seems like you have everything done properly it sounds like it was a neurological issue and to call back at 3. Called back at 3 another (really rude) guy spoke with me this time basically said he spoke with the owner “Tim” and they could only offer me $50 off a new snake. So $200 for another snake! So I asked if I could speak with Tim and I was told “Tim doesn’t talk with customers he has a life and kids of his own” WOW!!!! That really upset me! How can you run a business and not want to talk to the people who afford you with the life you have? I’m not asking for a refund I would rather have the snake replaced. I would even be ok with paying the $50 for the shipping since I can’t pick it up personally and that is not his charge. I completely understand they don’t know if the snake was taken care of but as a business owner myself I take things on a case by case basis I would of been happy to provide pictures of everything so they could assess the situation but that wasn’t offered. Not to mention I was told they would help as far out as 1 month. I would also think the manager would want to talk to me before buying another snake, what if I did do something wrong that is something I should know!!! If it was about the reptile and not the money you’d think they’d want to know this information?! I too would also like to know if it was something I did but unfortunately there are no managers and Tim, the owner, supposedly doesn’t talk to customers.

I’m so disappointed in how this is being handled. For anyone ordering online or even buying In store I would strongly advise against buying here!

They care until they have your money after that they’re rude and go back on their word. “Taking care of your customers” isn’t passing a message that they can have $50 off another snake that they had less than 1 month. Not to mention 20% off is a deal they run here and there so not much of a compensation.

Very upset about this entire situation especially how it...

I inquired about purchasing a juvenile Cave-dwelling Rat Snake through morph market, and proceeded to purchase a male through their website. I asked many questions, most of which were ignored or received single word, unenthusiastic answers, making me feel like I was being a pain by asking said questions. After purchasing the snake, I had asked to see the males they had available to choose a specific one. I was told they would send photos, and two days later, I had to ask again and was informed there was only one male left at that point. I was then sent a photo of a malnourished, dehydrated, and dull snake, that looked nothing like the example photos. I inquired about the state of the snake, and was again met with a single word answer. I was focused on the snakes body condition, and thus missed a large scar on the snakes head in the poor quality photo. I had already paid for the snake, so I decided to wait until I received him to further contact the seller. The snake I received (after a 24 hr delay in the mail) was half dead, and that was when I noticed the large scar on his head as well as open mouth breathing and mucus in his trachea. I brought up the scar to the seller, and was defensively told that it MUST have been due to the shipping, and that it was my fault, when upon inspection, you can see the scar on his head in the photo the seller sent me beforehand (included below). I communicated further with the seller about the snakes poor body condition and suspected RI, and they consistently diverted the blame and spoke defensively and frankly very rudely. I ended up contacting morphmarket’s customer support (who were no help) in trying to reach a resolution, perhaps a refund or reparations of some sort. They did absolutely nothing. I brought the snake to the vet where he was in fact diagnosed with pneumonia and a very poor body score. I then sent this to the seller and was told the best they could do was a 1/3 refund. Mind you, this was not an expensive snake. I got $60 back. They only agreed to this due to the morphmarket intervention, and didn’t reply to my messages 2/3rds of the time this was going on. Now, I have a very sick snake from what I thought was a reputable breeder, with vet proof, and they still did not uphold their policy of a ‘7 day health guarantee’. Do not buy from them, or expect to speak with a reasonable adult. Period.

EDIT: The snake passed away shortly after I began administering antibiotics. I informed SATOO and they didn't even bother responding to me. They knowingly sold me a sick and...

Edit #2 - still no response. My baby burm's life is now in jeopardy due to a reaction to a medication that she needed because of how bad she had the mites. No apology, no advice, nothing from this place. I'm potentially going to lose one of my pets due to this seller's negligence. The mites are mostly gone now, but still might lose my burm. I'd be content if they at least apologized but I guess I'm not worth the time🤷‍♀️

Edit - I emailed them immediately after noticing the mites and have since gotten no response. My collection has it pretty bad now. It would be one thing if they at least responded, gave an apology, offered some advice - but nothing. I've been treating my whole collection with Provent-A-Mite and I may need to bring some to my vet. Just plucked upwards of 15 mites out of the inside of my baby burm's eye socket, after multiple soaks and 2 mite treatments. My pet ball doesn't have them as bad but they're nowhere near gone. Most of the snakes on that side of the room have them. Never buying from this place again :( half my collection got mites from this store's animals. Thanks I guess

Wish I read the reviews here before purchasing. Didn't have any issues in terms of customer service, purchased through morphmarket, they arrived in good shape but I do suspect the animals I bought were wild caught (they were advertised as captive bred). Now finding mites, which could only have come from them as they were my newest acquisitions. Just glad I caught it early, be careful what you purchase here - it's safer to count on there being the same issues that come with a wild caught animal no matter what you buy, even if advertised as captive bred. I'd treat them the same as Underground Reptiles. If you're okay getting a wild caught "project" animal, go for it. But don't if you want a 100% healthy captive bred animal. I don't regret my purchase cause I already work with some wild caught snakes, honestly still would have bought them, but it would've been nice...