Exotics-r-us/ Ray Hunter/ Ricky D
 

Okay, here is the deal, here is what we have purchased from these guys(This time):

1 cb gaboon baby
1.1 subadult/adult gaboons
1.1 egyptian adults
1.1 monocles(adults)
1.1 egyptians(babies)
1.1 Redneck spitters
1.0 mozambique spitter(adult)
1.1 sawscale vipers

Here are the events leading up to and following this purchase:

We have done ALOT of business with Ray Hunter several times in the past, about $15,000 or more. We have had some troubles, but have always worked it out even when we were not fully compensated for losses, but things happen and we have been really understanding with Ray. Well, with this order, we were told several times before and after that these animals were long term and feeding great(at least 2-8months). When the animals arrived, they were picked up, unpacked and set up properly. The nicest and smallest gabby was noticed weezing and holding his mouth open, which was strange, but he was nice looking and I figured he would pull through. here are the events that followed after unpacking the animals:
DAY 1
in the morning, the small gabby,1 baby egyptian and 1 baby redneck ALL DEAD.
DAY 3
egyptian adult and largest gabby DEAD
Ray was called and notified but was "ON VACATION and WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT WHEN HE GOT BACK"
DAY 4
Last remaining gabby going into SEIZURES OF SOME SORT, DEAD WITHIN 24hours!
Day 7
mozambique and adult egyptian dead!
TWO DAYS AGO:
After being called and spoken to several times, Ray tells us Ricky has offered $100(no zeros missing!!!) credit of for the animals that died!!!!
TODAY(11/5)
Ray tells us that he is not paying anything back and hangs up on us! AFTER Blaiming all the deaths on us and say that "OUR FACILITY IS INFECTED"!!!!

Here is a little more info on the condition of the snakes, the gabbies were extremely emaciated, except for the smaller which was suffering from extreme respiratory from day one. The larger one was around 4-5ft and weighed under 5lbs!!!!(still have it in the freezer and plan on posting all pics of the snakes and pictures of them on a scale to prove how emaciated these "LONG TERM CAPTIVES THAT WERE EATING LIKE PIGS" were). The larger gabbies were still in the bags they were imported in(evident by the age of the crap stains on the bags)! The Mozambique was so infected with respiratory that his body was FULL of mucus. These guys are the WORST IMPORTERS EVER and ARE THE EXACT REASON THAT IMPORTERS GET BAD NAMES. THESE GUYS ARE THE PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHAT PEOPLE MEAN WHEN THEY SAY "SCUMBAG,MONEY HUNGRY, IMPORTERS". I just am finding it really hard to believe that we have spent this much money with these thieves and then get treated like this over a situation that was obviously a case of sending out bad animals on their part. These guys act like they are all religious and upstanding people when they are simply the worst of the worst. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT IF YOU WANT QUALITY ANIMALS GO TO GLADES HERP, Jay at Exotic jungle, or Strictly Reptiles, STAY FAR AWAY FROM RAY HUNTER and Ricky D. Exotics-r-us are simply the worst importers on the planet and should be held accountable for their actions. I WILL POST PICTURES, SIZES, AND WEIGHTS of the animal in question, just so RAY OR RICKY Can't get on here an lie about the whole situation. For the record, if there is any doubt about our husbandry, we also keep russels viper,coral cobras,double het monocles from Diamond,west african banded spitters and several other high end species, AND WE HAVE YET TO LOSE ANY ANIMALS BESIDES THE ONES THAT CAME FROM RAY HUNTER AND RICKY D. Also for the record, the comments implicating Ricky D are based on the facts stated by his partner Ray, he seems to blaim alot of Ricky and we have not spoken with Ricky, we always get it second hand from Ray.
2cents w/ a few more cents to come....
Kevin Smith

Kevin, your post is almost too humorous to reply to, But I will anyway just to back up what people already know about you. Before I do reply to this issue, I will give our readers a little history about you so those that do not know you and how you opperate will.

One of the first shipments we sent to Kevin Smith contained a spitting cobra that he reported had arrived dead. They filled a claim with Delta, and were compensated (as I was told), but then a few weeks latter I spoke to a gentleman out there who bought the very same snake off Kevin. Kevin made no attempt to defend his actions.

Now, all the snakes that were sent to Kevin Smith in OR were paid for by Ken in California. Kevin then performs his own venomoid surgery on them. Ken says he never even sees the animals, andf that he has to go by whatever Kevin tells him. (Ken was made aware of the spitting cobra incident, and told me that he would take care of it). Their third parner is Ed from The Cobra Connection. Ed and I have discussed these problems with Kevin, and said that they were going to be ending the association with Kevin. Ken seems to be a great guy who unfortunately seems to be a victim of his partner (kevin Smith). I won't drag in other dealers by mentioning their names, but without exception, every person I have so far spoken to about Kevin reports having the same problems with him. Now on to the issue at hand.

We shipped the exact order that Kevin listed above to him in OR on Tuesday October 21. He received the shipment the next day. I left for Vegas on Friday the 24th having not been notified of any DOA's on that shipment. On Saturday the 26th (4 days after the shipment was picked up at the airport) we get an e-mail from Ken advising that a baby black neck spitter arrived dead, and the next day the baby gaboon was holding it's mouth oupen, then died. Ken wanted to send the dead snakes back to us by overnight express, but Ricky Duffield (owner of ERJ) e-mailed him back and told him not to send us the animals back, and that Ray would take care of it when he got back from Vegas. Then Sunday I got a call from Ken in CA who told me that there was a problem. I told him that we would honor the claim even though it was 3 days past the deadline of making a claim (per the terms of service listed on our web site and kingsnake ads). I NEVER stated any dollar amount for the credit (as Kevin lied about). At NO time have I ever hung up the phone on any customer! My last phone conversation with Kevin was a pleasant one. The lies he stated above were about calls that he was not even involved in. I never stated that his facility where he does his venomoid surgery was the cause of these alleged death. I did ask him if he COULD have some airborn virus, to which he said that no other animals had died there. We have had every animal we sent on this shipment for at least 8 weeks, and they all were eating. You beleive what you want. Nobody ever pushed anything onto Ricky. I tried to explain that because Ricky is the owner, and I am not, I can not override Ricky's decisions on sticking with the terms or our agreement in terms of giving credit for animals reoprtedly dying from 4-10 days after they received them. We are obligated to make good on an animal that arrives dead, or you are not satisfied with your shipment. BUT you need to notify us within 24 hours. That's not asking to much, is it? We are actually pleased with the fact that Kevin will no longer do business with us.

I am not going to address every issue that Kevin lied about, but I know the trueth, and so do Kevin and Ken. I am not going to respond to any more of his untruethfull posts on this forum. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to contact me. My number and e-mail is listed here.
Blessings
Ray Hunter

I have to say that I have known Ray Hunter for many years. We have done business with each other for years. I've never had a sale or purchase with him that was a problem. I've even helped him pick specimens for shipments. He usually takes the time to make sure he sends good quality specimens. I was at the shop a few days before the shipment and I saw no venomous that appeared sick, emaciated. I cannot vouch for this shipment since I did not see it packed or goo out. However, I could not see Ray Hunter sending out junk or not backing it up. Also, it is Ricky D. who makes the final decisions. Again, I can only vouch for what I know of Ray Hunter. It would surprise me if this were completely correct. Hopefully Kevin you and Ray can get this figured out? Thanks Ray G. HBR

Okay Ray, let's get this straight....
 

You are going to sit here and say that you had these gabbies for quite awhile and they were eating great????? WHY IS IT RAY THAT YOU SENT A 5ft GABOON AND IT WEIGHED ABOUT 4LBS???? Can anyone say that is "well fed and doing great"? YOU TOLD ME ON THE PHONE OVER AND OVER THAT THESE SNAKES WERE AT LEAST TWO MONTHS IN CAPTIVITY! THEY WERE STILL IN THE CRAP STAINED BAGS THAT THEY WERE IMPORTED IN. How many others are having the same trouble with you guys? I am sure that if you don't take care of their problems, they are going to be on here shortly. I have spoken to at least two other people going through the same EXACT problems with you. As far as partners, YES, Ken and I are friends, as far as ED, he is a bigger thief and liar then you and Ricky put together. But don't feel good, because that isn't that great of honor. As far as being fair, you can ask anyone what I have said over and over when there has been problems, I always say, "Maybe Ray is right and It is RICKY, not RAY'S fault". YOU said yourself that you didn't like the way Ricky was running the business and selling B grade animals, why not just come clean and admit you sent out crap animals? As far as the venomoid thing, you are just hoping to make me look like the scumbag you are. Yeah, I sell venomoids, but they are HEALTHY AND WELL MAINTAINED, UNLIKE THE GARBAGE YOU PEDDLE. Don't worry, I will post pics of the neglected,respiratory infected junk that you sent us. Why don't you go sell used cars? YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW TO LIE AND RIP PEOPLE OFF TO MAKE MONEY. Oh I forgot, It isn't Ray's fault, It is Ricky's. One last thing, CALL DELTA AND FIND OUT ABOUT THAT CLAIM, THEY HAD THE SNAKES AND I HAVE NEVER SOLD A SMALL BLACK SPITTER TO ANYONE THAT WAS THE SAME SIZE AND TYPE THAT I GOT FROM YOU. YOU GO AHEAD AND TELL ME WHO I SOLD IT TO, GO AHEAD.
Kevin Smith;)

Who performs these surgeries?

That isn't the point and....
 

this isn't the issue. I know that Ray only brought the venomoid thing to get anti venomoid people to cause a fuss and distract from the point that he sent out crap animals. I own alot of hots and some venomoids, but that isn't the point. The issue here is that I don't sell unhealthy animals and I would never lie and say that an animal was 8 weeks in captivity and then send sick and emaciated animals to try and make a buck. That is exactly what Ray did, I don't care if he blaims it on Ricky(which he has been doing alot of trash talking about Ricky to several people lately), he still lied about saying they were long term and doing great. The mozambique was full of mucus, one gabby was having seizures and dying, and the 5ft one weighed about 4lbs(but I will put it on a scale and take a picture so there is no arguement). These animals were obviously still in the bags they were imported in or does everyone just happen to send out animals in cheap mesh, crap crusted, bags? The 2ft gabby was attatch in the same bag as the 5ft one, anyone who imports animals from africa can verify the type of bags they use and how they pack them inorder to understand these animals had never left the bag since being imported, sold, and finally ending up here. Oh yeah, and if Ray wants to try and make Ed Bingham look good and use him as a testament to my character, just ask all of the people that have dealt with Ed and boughten stolen animals(ours) from him. Ask Spellbrink, Ed got a bunch of animals from him and never paid him on them after Ed was given the cash by us to pay for them. He sold our snakes,our cages,and has yet to give anyone any money for what he owes. Anyone that wants to inquire on these facts, feel free, you will see that I am right and truthful about this whole thing. Give me a break, I don't give two about this whole line of crap that Ray has to say, he could have done the right thing and replaced the animals, I offered to send them back and Ray said that Ricky didn't want them, they are still in my freezer, so if you want them Ray, I will send them anytime. As far as your terms of sale, yeah you are an upstanding person, MOST will arrive alive and it is everyone else's problem that they are irreversably sick and emaciated and that they drop like flies two days later! I don't care about how many of your little employees or buddies you get to come on here Ray, you are still a scumbag out to make a buck that sells sick animals. You had your chance to come clean and I waited through all the problems and all the lies and excuses before I posted on here, it wasn't until you just completely ripped us off that I said anything. IF PEOPLE THINK YOU ARE SUCH A GREAT GUY, THEN MORE POWER TO THEM IF THEY WANT TO BUY FROM YOU, BUT I HOPE THEY DON'T GET TO UPSET WHEN THE TIME COMES THAT THEY TOTALLY GET RIPPED OFF EVENTUALLY.
Kevin Smith

Kevin, First of all, settle down. Your post looks like a 2 year old having a tantrum. I don't know what kind of silliness you are trying to start by even bringing Ricky into this. Sorry, it won't work. You know very well you are making up your silliness. Why was your tone not at all like this when we spoke 3 or 4 days ago?? You were pleasant, yett, as useral, unsure of your own story. I don't know or care what your game is here, but I am not going to play into it. You appear to just want an arguement, and I do not engage myself in such childishness. You, Too have my number, and e-mail. Call me and ask me anything you want, but I will not be reducing myself to the level of having an arguement with a liar and crook on a public forum on the internet.

All the very best to you
Ray Hunter


P.S.- Greetings Ray G. Thanks for the support. Ray

COME ON RAY????
 

YOU ARE THE ONE LYING THROUGH YOUR TEETH. I WAS NEVER GOING TO DRAG RICKY INTO THIS UNTIL YOU BLAIMED IT ON HIM FOR THE REASON THAT YOU WEREN'T GOING TO REPLACE ANTHING. Yes, it was calm on the phone a few days ago, because you kept saying that you were going to get it taken care of, and I also didn't know you were talking behind my back and trying to tell my buddy that it was my fault all the animals were dead! HOW THE HECK CAN YOU SAY "GOD BLESS" AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR ADS AND THEN COME ON HERE AND LIE ABOUT EVERYTHING AND THE CONDITION OF THE ANIMALS YOU SENT OUT? You totally contradict yourself. WHY DON'T YOU EXPLAIN THE CONDITION OF THE LARGEST GABBY??? HOW CAN A 5FT GABBY WEIGH UNDER 5LBs AND YOU SAY IT HAS BEEN CARED FOR FOR LONGER THAN 8 WEEKS???? YOU DON'T WANT THIS ARGUMENT, THAT IS WHY YOU "DON'T WANT TO BE PART OF IT". YOU TALK TRASH TO MY FRIEND BEHIND MY BACK, TALK TRASH ABOUT YOUR OWN PARTNER BEHIND HIS BACK AND THEN YOU WANT TO COME HERE AND TRY AND ACT LIKE THE GOOD HONEST PERSON????? I won't hold it against you believing ED BINGHAM's trash talking, but you can just ask KEN OR SPELLBRINK about how good of a guy that Ed is. I really didn't want to post against you, since I have always let the occasional problem slide, but this time you just simply got too greedy and crossed the line by selling b-grade animals and totally ripping us off. I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY, I DON'T CARE IF YOU BLAME IT ON RICKY ON THE PHONE AND THEN LIE ABOUT IT ON THE NET, THAT IS COOL, YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE HOWEVER YOU WANT. I HAVE NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT ANY PROBLEMS WE HAVE HAD IN THE PAST, I HAVE ALWAYS SAID THAT MAYBE IT REALLY WAS RICKY, LIKE YOU HAVE SAID SEVERAL TIMES ON THE PHONE, BUT AFTER SEEING THE LIES YOU HAVE SPILLED FOURTH ON HERE, I KNOW THAT YOU ARE THE ONE TO BLAME.
2cents for ya, better yet take a nickel, you need it...
Kevin Smith;)

Yeah, Ok!!! Whatever you say.
All the best to ya!
Ray Hunter

Kevin,

If these animals did in fact arrive in this shape and you were not happy with it WHY did you not inform them of it within the 24 hour period? Why did you wait 3 or more days to bring it to their attention? Any business has its terms of service in place for a reason. If they have a 24 hour notification and you wait 3 days you have violated it and therefore they are not responsible for it. Could it possibly be that something else happened after they arrived to your place?





Also in case you are unaware and so that others know if a person performs surgery such as the De-Venomization procedure (or any other one) they are required by federal law to be a veterinarian. Otherwise they are practicing Veterinarian medicine without a license which is a serious crime.