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OMG this is a little embarassing. I have had a similar experience with Dan. At the time I did not realize he was extorting me and I sent him two snakes.
Here is the short version of what took place:
Dan Felice wrote me some threatening emails (out of the blue) after I sold him a snake 8 months prior. Before that I never heard a word from him . In his email to me 8 months after receiving the snake he threatened to ruin my business and told me it was not worth "my good name" for him to go public over a cheap snake and that I "better pay the piper". This was all in his first email to me. I even had to do some reseach to find out who this guy was and if I sold him a snake. I found where I did send him a snake so I called him on the phone and he sang a different tune in person. I was so taken in by his game . He told me the snake stopped feeding (it was not even dead) and that he really liked it ect . Anyway he smoothed me over enough on the phone to get me to send him something. Being very proud of how I can make any customer happy and being taken in by his good guy demeanor over the phone.. I told him I would not send him one but two hypo brooksi when they are avaliable next summer and he can keep the "supposed" non feeding hypo. Now I know knowbody would do business like that but it was just a couple fairly inexpensive snakes (a couple eggs here and there) and I never forgot the roots and love of this hobby when I got into it. Anyways, sometimes I try to hard to make a customer happy no matter how wrong they may be. This was not only a successful con for Dan Felice but a much easier one since he did not have to resort to impersonating a police officer. He must have known Justin was harder to intimidate than me.
Fast forward 4 months later and I send him the snakes after they hatch. But the last hours before shipping (the same day of shipping) he emails me a new address and tells me he moved. No phone call nothing else to change the snakes address he sent me the previous day. Kinda carefree of him to do considering these are live animals we are shipping. So luckily I checked my email that afternoon and I get the new address. I send the snakes to his new address and a about five days later I get the box back. Snakes dead inside from the heat of summer. On the box its written the address he gave me was undeliverable because there was no such address. I immediatly emailed him what happened and that I was not happy he gave me a wrong address and killed the snakes. I did not hear back from Dan, however I was glad to be done with him. Or so I thought.
Another 3 months pass and Dan has the nerve to write me another out-of-the-blue email threatening (again) about the snakes not arriving and the same threats about going public ect. Acts like no time has passed at all. At this point I knew his credibilty was non-existent (or he was just plain nuts) I still emailed him back a courteous letter pointing out where he is was wrong yet this time stood up to him by being firm and that I will not be taken in by him.
Fast forward another year and I discover a thread about me on the BIO and Dan misrepresenting the facts about our transactions. This guy is an extortionist with mean streak a mile long. His alluded threats became a reality and all because I did not send this guy some more free snakes.
Warining folks, if you think you know Dan think again. He is a nightmare and I sell thousands of snake every year and he was my only unhappy customer I have ever had. I finally figured out he was out to get snakes from me for nothing (sorry I am not as swift as Justin) . I also knew he was an opportunist and enventually he would get caught. Problem is I think he has done this to other herpetoculturits but they are either to emabarassed to post or they don't want to post in a court of public opinion .
Through the process of my experience with Dan Felice threatening emails I lost two snakes and he posted some negative threads about me . The snakes are no big loss. However his posts here bothered me because so many jumped in from different angles its hard to get to the truth. He is the only bad guy i met in this business and I am glad his character has finally caught up with him. Unfortunately he used this forum to slander me.
Justin , I saw the thread he posted about you on Kingsnake before it was deleted. I guess Dans threats and posting on a public forum when his threats don't work are a pattern for him. I hope he will not get away with it this time.
Rainer Weishaupl
aka Bluerosy
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