Inquiry Laura Lee Geckos in Tails

Has anybody seen or had contact with Laura Lee of geckos in Tails? She has fallen off the planet and has geckos of mine that I paid for, waiting to be shipped out but nobody can seem to get ahold of her. Advice?

Good Question...??

I hadn't heard from Laura Lee either since i paid the balance owed on my Gecko on March 12, '13. Then out of the blue on May 5 she emailed me asking for my zip code to get me a shipping quote (i still owe her shipping) and again NO WORD since, she disappeared again.

I haven't heard from Laura Lee since May 6th, when she contacted me asking for my mailing address again so she could get me my shipping quote for the gecko I have on hold. Before that contact I hadn't heard from her since April 3rd, and it was just a quick "doing good!" response to my inquiry about how my gecko was doing. I have copies of all correspondence. I have tried to contact her via Facebook message (where we had been corresponding about the gecko), email, Pangea PM, phone call, and text messages, and posts on her Facebook business page, as well as her personal Facebook page, and after not hearing from her for so long, I wasn't going to send my final payment until I had verification she was actually viewing the messages and planning on shipping my gecko.

I had filed a Paypal dispute in the hopes that it would push her to contact me, and with only a day left on my dispute before it would be closed, I escalated it to a claim. I sent several messages via the Paypal dispute service, and she never responded.

I hope she is okay...

This isn't like the Laura I know, or think I know anyway.
She's always seemed like a reputable person she used to participate quite a bit in the FB gecko groups.

Very strange.

Obviously I hope you all get your geckos or a refund or whatever needs be as well, it's Just odd to see someone like her up and disappear especially when she has peoples money/animals.

She was acting as facilitator for me to ship animals to someone she, as is my understanding, assisted at shows/selling online. My winter temps finally dropped off early April, so I contacted Laura on April 6th via facebook messages, which is how we generally communicated, to get shipping underway.

No response from her, and things got hectic on my end, so I only attempted contact via facebook again on April 25th asking if there were issues and making sure she knew that people were looking for her, as this was very unlike the Laura I know, and asked if there was anything I could do. She responded simply on May 5th with one sentence, thanking me for reaching out, after she posted a public facebook post on May 4th, in which she stated she would be refunding those who had incomplete transactions with her "on Monday," which would have been May 5th. That's the last I've heard from her.

Sorry, the "Monday" she was supposed to get back to people was May 6th, not 5th obviously. I will not attempt number usage before noon sans caffeine again.

She has also been semi-active on a planted tank forum, at least occasionally logging in if not posting there, while she hasn't logged in to Fauna or Pangea in over a month. I feel like a creeper mentioning it but people were so worried about her I googled the username she uses here on Fauna and on another forum and this was one of the first hits. Last logged in there on the 15th of this month, and had logged in several times previously since she originally went off the grid.

I can understand wanting to get away from certain stressors but while people are worried about her, some are owed animals or money, and patience and understanding will only go so far

I have not heard from Laura since March 24th. We had agreed that she would deliver two geckos for me. I delivered both geckos to her on March 23rd at the Tampa Repticon show. It is now on me to refund both of the buyers if they never receive their geckos because Laura has disappeared. I just want my customers to get their geckos safe and sound, but I have not heard from Laura in nearly two months now.

I did also sell her two sand boas, however, since I have not been able to get in contact with her, I can't ship them or meet her anywhere.

I haven't heard from Laura Lee since April 10th.

Without getting into great detail: We did a breeder loan last year where she would hatch out the eggs from her females (crested geckos) and we'd split clutches when they hatched.
I sold a hatchling on Feb 5th and another on March 10th that were still in her care and she agreed to ship them out to my buyers for me when they were old enough and temps were good. This is the gist of it.

I've been tying to get a hold of her since then to set up shipping and there's been no response via Facebook, phone or email.

As Jaybee showed, she came back briefly and contacted me May 6th (pic attached) and said she'd ship to one of my buyers on May 7th. No gecko was shipped.

I do hope she is okay and the geckos are okay. I just want her to own up to her responsibilities.

Adding also: I have 2 geckos of hers I'm holding that need to be sent to her.

Another add-on: There were clutches due to hatch from the breeding loan mentioned above and more being laid from one female. I haven't heard anything about these babies or eggs.

I bought an adorable yellow pinstripe hatchling from Nautilus Reptiles. The hatchling was being housed at Laura Lee's house and shipping would be done through Laura Lee. I personally didn't have experience with Laura Lee of Geckos In Tails, but I am familiar with breeder loan situations, so at the time I had little concern.

I purchased the gecko on March 10, 2013, and had very little communication with Laura Lee, but have enclosed my interaction with her for the purpose of the thread (at the end of this post).

Laura Lee's communication with me stopped on the 23rd of March. I was made aware of her lack of correspondance between other people, beside's myself, on April 16th in an inquiry thread on another forum asking about her whereabouts. Coincidentally, I was already dealing with a lack of correspondance from another seller, Garrett May of G's Geckos (who is already running a dispute thread on this BOI). I thought at the time that I was just being paranoid. As Garrett also got back to me on April 16th with a sad tale explaining his absence (that I will address over in his own BOI thread) that let him off the hook, but not Laura Lee.

It's an unsettling feeling when the original seller has no idea what is going on with a gecko you purchased. Laura Lee essentially went away with no word to Nautilus Reptiles, blatantly disregarding her and anyone else for that matter. And her actions keep getting more bizarre.

On May 4th, it seemed as if Laura Lee had returned. It was a temporary relief, by then I had lost all contact with Garrett of G's Geckos, who I guess just decided to walk away with my money and gecko.

I expected to receive an email from her directly, but that didn't happen. However talks of shipping with Nautilus Reptiles resumed. I felt that finally one part of my stressful ordeal would be over. But that wasn't the case. No sooner had Laura Lee agreed to ship my gecko, she stopped contact again.

If you have someone's bought and paid for merchandise, regardless of your own problems, you have an obligation to let those people know that you intend to take a break. Especially, if you co-own with another breeder. Why is that? Laura Lee chose to get into this business and she is solely responsible for her actions. Which up until now, have been highly inappropriate.

I am not saying that life issues don't take priority,yes everyone has their own lives outside of reptiles. But it's inexcusable for her lack of explanations, and by explanations I mean something as simple as 'I will be unreachable from this time until this time'. I won't pry into other people's lives, as I wouldn't want others to pry into mine. I will say the same thing about Garret May, I don't claim to know what their situation is like that is causing them to do what they are doing. But personally, I have been put through a lot of stress from her actions. And that brief message on her Facebook on May 3rd, is a far cry from an apology.

In conclusion, I would like the gecko I paid for months ago.And as this is my first and only experience with Laura Lee, I will go ahead and say that I would not recommend buying from Laura Lee of Geckos In Tails.


Transaction between myself and Laura Lee:

I am owed nothing by Laura Lee but I did talk to her so I'm posting.

Despite not being owed anything, I volunteered to try to get in contact with her to try to get her to contact her buyers/people owed. I was able to talk to her personally via a phone call on 5-4-13, I called her father and told him what was going on and after telling him that people were getting to the point of wanting to get the authorities involved he handed the phone over to Laura. I explained to her what was going on and that people were very upset and wanting their geckos that they paid for, were afraid the geckos were dead and even that Vicki of Big Fat Geckos had been by her house looking for her. Laura kind of just nervously laughed and didn't say much but did seem confused on Vicki visiting saying that Vicki must have gone to the wrong house, that she (Laura) was having some personal issues, and then promised to get in contact with everyone and start shipping out animals. She later that day posted on her Facebook business page saying that she would refund people and contact others for shipping. She did contact a few people (I'm not sure who), Including myself via facebook, she thanked me for my concern. Since that day, 5-4-13 it seems she has dropped of the grid again. Before her disappearance I had heard nothing but good things about Laura and I was even planning on buying a gecko from her soon, now I am glad that I didn't and don't think I will do business with her in the future do to her lack of respect and integrity.

In the event Laura's FB post from 5-4, referenced above by Samantha, should disappear ...

I think it's awful that she is stressing her customers out. I've been through all kinds of extremely traumatic things over the years but I would never use it as a excuse to ignore costumers for a extended period of time especially if I was aware that they were upset. It's not hard to refund or ship them out. It makes me wonder...maybe the geckos died and she already spent the money so she isn't able to refund so she's just ignoring everyone.

*customers* not costumers. LOL

I purchased a male Eurydactylodes agricolae from Laura Lee in February. I first inquired about this gecko on February 1st and then again on February 12th. We worked out a tentative plan for a friend to pick up the gecko (so that we could avoid shipping.) That plan fell through and I decided instead, for her to ship the gecko I purchased from her with a gecko I purchased from Mina at the Minagerie. Laura offered to house the geckos until we get good shipping weather. She confirmed receiving the gecko from Mina on March 25th. Our last regular conversation is on March 27th. Busy traveling abroad, I did not attempt contact until April when I hear that others cannot get a hold of her. I attempted contact several times until May 6th when she contacts me about shipping the geckos. I responded with the address and have not heard from her since.

I am worried about my geckos and I would like them shipped. There are several people willing to go and help her with shipping and the like, so I think reaching out at this point would be best!

*I would also like to add that Mina has been a warrior in trying to get in contact and come to a resolution with Laura. This situation is not a reflection on Mina. It was my decision to house the gecko with Laura. Mina has incredible business practices and I highly recommend doing business with her.

Below I have included the relevant screencaps with narratives. I can also include Paypal screencaps for payments if needed. (While many of the screencaps include squirrely inside jokes between two friends, please understand that the transaction was serious!)


Here is the conversation on February 12th. We begin to work out a plan to have a friend pick-up the gecko from Laura and facilitate a pick-up by myself at a future show.



On February 14th we confirm our pick-up arrangements. We also confirm a payment plan and Laura confirms that I have sent the deposit. "Hakuna matata" means "no worries" to those of you who are not Lion King fans.



On February 25th I learned that our original plans for transfer and pick-up fall through and Laura offers to hold onto the gecko I purchased in January from Mina and ship them out together.


On February 26th I send the last of the payments to Laura for the agricolae and $50 to ship both geckos when the time comes.


On March 25th she confirms picking up my gecko from Mina at the show


Our conversation on March 27th was the last time I heard from Laura regularly.


On April 18th, April 27th, and May 5th, I attempt contact. On May 6th I receive a reply and read her profile post that JB has screencapped earlier in this thread.


I am ecstatic to hear back from her, and I reply with my shipping info. Note that this is NOT someone's address, but the FedEx facility and the name of my friend who will be receiving the geckos for me. (I am still in Europe!)


I have not heard from Laura since then. All I want is my geckos and to know that she is ok.

LauraB said:

In the event Laura's FB post from 5-4, referenced above by Samantha, should disappear ...

Click to expand...

Hi Laura Bolt,

It actually wasn't until Sam called that Laura resurfaced and made that post--or contacted anyone on May 5th. Sam has been instrumental in getting in contact with Laura, so I think her post is still very relevant. If it weren't for Sam, I don't think we would have heard from Laura that soon.

Oops! Read that wrong. I thought you were saying Sam's post should be removed. Sorry!

I'm one of the people who had a gecko being held by Laura Lee (as I purchased him from Mina originally). Due to my own personal illness at the time of the Repticon, I couldn't come and pick up the gecko I had purchased, but I am friends with Laura and have been to her home before, and she didn't mind holding onto my little chew until I actually wasn't dying of the plague. I'm a fairly laid back person, and I knew she was busy with getting things in order with her new house and roommate, so I kind of let it be. The last correspondence I've had with her, other than a few texts I sent to her phone (I did not save those) with no response is below

I'd like my gecko from her.

All of my correspondences below are from March 24th (The date is at the top of the topmost one)

I was one of the people Laura Lee messaged on May 4th and I, too, have a hanging transaction. I had purchased cages from Laura Lee on December 9th and still hadn't seen them by May 4. In our conversation, Laura Lee said she would give me a refund and still send the tanks. I did get a refund that night but haven't heard from her since. The tanks have not shown up at my door and she has not contacted me with any details.