Reptster.com experience with show sponsorship not good

On July 2, 2008, I spoke with Mr. Young on the phone regarding some issues setting up my account on his website, Reptster.com. During our conversation, I mentioned that my husband and I were starting a new reptile show in our area (Central PA Reptile Expo), and put out the proposition for him to become a sponsor of the show on a whim. After some talking, Mr. Young and I agreed on a sponsorship fee, and his site would have advertising as one of our major sponsors of the show. I sent him an email later that day to confirm our conversation. The details of that conversation are spelled out in the email which will be posted below.

Over time, as the emails will show, I attempted to contact Mr. Young several times over the months, both by email and phone, with little contact back. Mr. Young promised to send payment several times, but never did. Finally, after 12 days of no contact after he promised to send payment, I contacted him via email on 9/15/08 via phone and email as a last resort, stating I would have to post this information on the BOI, as I felt that maybe bringing this situation into public view may help us to come to a resolution. Mr. Young has greatly benefited from our agreement and the advertising done for his site by my website, fliers and personal conversations I have had with other people, as well as postings about the show on many forums announcing that his site would be sponsoring the show, but he has not upheld his end of the bargain in any way.

Mr. Young and I never did sign any agreements, but he did agree on the sponsorship via email, as well as the fact that he owed payment via email. In my naive mindset, I thought that someone who was becoming such a reputable person in this industry with his shipping deals would not only want, but encourage the advertising of his website through any means possible, and therefore I did not think he would not live up to our agreement. I have obviously learned my lesson on this type of deal, and will be changing how my sponsorship works for the future shows.

I am mainly posting this account of the situation so that it is known why the sponsorship from Reptster.com has been canceled for the Central PA Reptile Expo, all advertisement for his website pulled from anything related to our show, as well as to let people know how he handled this situation. Mr. Young prides himself on his customer service, but this is a situation that shows where his priorities are in that aspect in my opinion. I am still willing to work with Mr. Young to find a resolution, but had no other recourse but to bring this situation public after so many months of no progress.

Because of the advertising done through offline work (fliers and word of mouth), and link to this post will be provided on the website for the show as an explanation of why the sponsorship was canceled as well by end of business tomorrow, 9/17/08 at 5:00pm EST.

Mr. Young, I would appreciate your response, either through this post or through email. If you respond via email, I will come to this post and update the reptile community on our progress. At this point in time, I would like all communications done by email, or at least an email confirming any agreements made or solutions reached by phone from one person stating the agreement, and an acknowledgment immediately following from the other.

I will attach all emails in a separate post, including the one I will send to him informing him that this post was made. I have all of the originals of these emails available if anyone would like to see them for verification purposes.

Mr. Young was made aware in my last email to him that if we had no contact from him by 5pm EST on 9/16/08 that this post would be made and the situation would be made public. Although I still highly respect what Mr. Young has done for us as breeders with his ease of shipping and the great discounts, I felt that this situation needed to be brought out, and hopefully a resolution can be found. I will not label Mr. Young as a "bad guy" per say, but I do not feel this situation was handled properly in any way.

Kelly Kordek
Kordek's Kritters
Central PA Reptile Expo

Here are all of the emails I have regarding the sponsorship and payment, in order from top to bottom. I have blocked out the information of the exact amount of the agreement, as I believe at this point that it is not important. Again, if anyone wants verification, I do have all original emails and am glad to forward them to whomever requests. You can either post here that you would like them forwarded, or email me directly at kelly@kordekskritters.com with your request.

----- Original Message -----
From: Kelly Kordek
To: David Young
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 2:26 PM
Subject: Central PA Reptile Expo information

David,

It was great talking to you today! Don't worry about site glitches, I am not concerned. I am just glad to be a part of a community and a site that is run by someone with your philosphies on the industry.
Here is the info on the show. I will get in touch with you early next week and we can work out the details of sponsorship. As soon as we get that worked out, I will get you up on the site as a sponsor. Also, maybe we can come up with some advertising gimmicks to help people get signed up for the site. If you have any ideas on that or anything else regarding the sponsorship, feel free to let me know!

Website: www.pareptileexpo.kordekskritters.com
Date: October 11
Time: 10am until 6pm (dealer setup 7am until 10pm)
Place: Hotel Carlisle, Carlisle, PA (www.hotelcarlisle.com)
Table cost: Each space is a full 6' x 8' space, and includes 1 6' table, electricity and free wireless internet (vendors provide their own computers). We are advertising that as a bonus because they can use Paypal or their credit card software without having to use a cellphone or phone line to dial in and get instant approvals, as well as show off their websites.
We are working on a deal to get at least some coffee and donuts for breakfast.

These are the basics, and most of the other info is on the site. There is also a printable flier for the show, so feel free to pass it out to whomever! And of course spread the word - it is a new show so all the advertising we can get helps! I ahve also attached a copy of our tentative floor plan.

I hope you have a great holiday weekend, and I will talk to you later on next week! Thanks again!

Kelly Kordek
Kordek's Kritters
Central PA Reptile Expo


----- Original Message -----
From: Kelly Kordek
To: David Young
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 8:52 AM
Subject: Re: Central PA Reptile Expo information

Hey David!
I just wanted to check in and make sure you got my last email. Apparently some of our emails are hitting people's spam boxes for some unknown reason, and some are getting through.
I still need to get the logo from you so I can add it to things for advertising. I plan on starting up big time in August, so need to get all my ducks in a row there. I did put up a link on the show site that you are sponsoring, but would love to have the logo too! Also, I would like to touch base and find out if you have any gimmicks for advertising the site through the show and vise versa.
Give me a call anytime. 717-502-0506. Talk to you soon!

Kelly Kordek

----- Original Message -----
From: Kelly Kordek
To: David Young
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 10:28 AM
Subject: Re: Central PA Reptile Expo information
David,

Just a friendly reminder on the logo and the site description. I really need to get that from you so I can get the new fliers done up for next week's show I plan on attending. Thanks!

Kelly Kordek
Kordek's Kritters
Central PA Reptile Expo

----- Original Message -----
From: David Young
To: Kelly Kordek
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 8:22 AM
Subject: Re: Central PA Reptile Expo information
(logo attachment only)

----- Original Message -----
From: Kelly Kordek
To: David Young
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 9:15 AM
Subject: Re: Central PA Reptile Expo information

David,

I have been trying to reach you for the past several days. I really need to speak with you ASAP so we can get things straightened out for the show. Please give me a call anytime today at 717-502-0506 so that we can get things settled - the show is 2 months away and I need to have certain things finalized with you as a sponsor. I have had some issues with my email, and lost your phone number, so I have left a message on the customer service number listed on the website. Thanks!

Kelly Kordek
Kordek's Kritters
Central PA Reptile Expo


----- Original Message -----
From: Kelly Kordek
To: David Young
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2008 10:24 AM
Subject: Banner Ads

David,

Here are the banners I have made for the show. You can feel free to use any of them. I have them in 3 sizes, so you can pick and choose. I am also in the process of making some smaller ones (like KS sized sponsorship ads) if you want those.
Also, just a friendly reminder that I have not received a check yet for the first payment.
I know you are in Daytona right now, but I wanted to send these over before I forget. Hope you are having a great time!

Kelly Kordek
Kordek's Kritters
Central PA Reptile Expo


----- Original Message -----
From: Kelly Kordek
To: David Young
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2008 10:34 AM
Subject: Re: Banner Ads

David,

Forget the 728x90 banner - something is happening when I am saving it that is causing the quality to go to hell. I will send you another once I get it fixed. The others should be fine. Thanks again!

Kelly


----- Original Message -----
From: Kelly Kordek
To: David Young
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 11:52 AM
Subject: Please call me

David,

I have again been trying to reach you about the payment for the sponsorship of the show. When we last talked, you said you would be putting a check in the mail for $xxx, and that was almost 2 weeks ago. I have yet to receive anything. I do not want to sound like I do not appreciate your sponsorship, but I really need to get this financial end of it straightened up as soon as possible, as the show is only just over a month away.
Please give me a call and let me know what we can do, as this is causing me some real issues. I feel I have been more than fair and patient with the situation, and it is just getting to a point where I need some sort of resolution. Thanks!

Kelly Kordek
Kordek's Kritters
Central PA Reptile Expo
717-502-0506

----- Original Message -----
From: "Central PA Reptile Expo" <shows@kordekskritters.com>
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:18:18 -0400
To: David Young<dyoung@reptster.com>
Subject: Re: Please call me
David,

It has now been 6 days since my last email, and I left a message again yesterday on the customer service line (which is now full and can no longer take messages). I understand that this past weekend was a holiday weekend, but there have been several other days that you could have contacted me. I also know that you just recently spoke with a friend of mine regarding shipping since sending the last email, and therefore you seem to be able to return calls to customers, but not to me for some reason.
I really need to know what is going on at this point with the sponsorship. I have put it out all over the place that you will be sponsoring the show, and have been advertising the site and the shipping stuff to some pretty major people in the business that I have personal contacts with, but yet nothing is happening on your end to help support the show. I sent banner ads as you requested back on 8/22/08, but nothing has been put up on the website. And not to mention that you have made no contact at all since our last conversation to let me know what is going on with the payment situation that you promised to set up. We had a verbal agreement on $750 for the show sponsorship, and at this point, I have received no payment or communication to let me know what is happening. I know that sometimes it is easy to forget to put a check in the mail, but we have been having these discussions for awhile now, and I would hope that it would be some sort of priority to you as you said it was in the beginning. I feel I have done quite a bit to help out your site with advertising, as I should being the show promoter, but I am not having good feelings about the lack of concern you seem to have for the success of this show as of late, nor the responsibilities of someone who has promised to sponsor a show.
I am sorry if I sound frustrated, but this has really been going on for awhile now, and the show is only about a month away. That and the fact that I cannot call either the customer service number or the number you provided me awhile ago as your personal number and leave a message is very frustrating, as my emails do not seem to be helping the situation either.
I hope to hear from you soon, and I really hope we can get this situation settled. I do hope that everything is well with you and your family, and hope you had a good holiday weekend.

Kelly Kordek
Kordek's Kritters
Central PA Reptile Expo

----- Original Message -----
From: David Young
To: Central PA Reptile Expo
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 12:20 PM
Subject: Re: Please call me

I apolgize.we have been slammed since daytona. Email me your address and I will get a check out.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

----- Original Message -----
From: Central PA Reptile Expo
To: David Young
Cc: Central PA Reptile Expo
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 11:51 AM
Subject: Last contact attempt regarding Central PA Reptile Expo sponsorship

David,

I have been trying to communicate with you now for several weeks about the show sponsorship. You have not returned phone calls or emails, and the last contact I had from you was on 9/3/08; it has now been 12 days since your last response.

Here is a timeline summary for you, and I have attached a Word document of all of our email exchanges over the months for you to have. I do have all of the original emails as well, but thought one document with all of the emails may be better to read. If you would like copies of any of our emails, please feel free to ask and I will send them. I do believe I have all of our correspondence, but if I am missing any that you may have copies of, please send them to me.

You agreed via a phone conversation on July 2, 2008 to become a sponsor of our show (The Central PA Reptile Expo), and agreed to a payment of $xxx as the sponsorship fee. We agreed that you would have a table at the show, and although you were not able to attend, that you would ship materials to us at an agreed time, we would set them up and run your table for you. We also spoke about you sending me a logo for the site for advertising purposes on my website for the show, and all flyers that were to go out.

I spoke with you several times via phone for short periods of time, always being told that you could not talk because of "FedEx accounting nightmares" or family obligations, and I was told you would return my call within hours. I never received return phone calls, and was constantly leaving messages for you on both the public customer service line, as well as your personal phone number you gave to me. I also left many messages via email that were never responded to without much prompting.

Sometime between August 12 and August 22, we spoke on the phone (I am sorry, I do not know the exact date), and you agreed that you would send a payment of $xxx each week until the payment was made in full. You also mentioned that you would put up banner ads on the main page of Reptster.com for the show once I sent them. I sent the banner ads on 8/22/08, and, to my knowledge, none have been posted at this time. A payment was also never received, and on 8/29/08 I sent an email requesting you to contact me so we could get things straightened out. I sent another email on 9/3/08, as I was not getting an answer from you via email, and the phone numbers I had for you were both giving messages that the voice mail was full and I could not leave a message for you. Later that day, on 9/3/08, you emailed asking for my address so you could send out a check. Since that time, I have left several messages on both the public customer service number as well as your personal number asking you to contact me, as I never received a payment. My husband Matthew left a voice mail yesterday (Sunday, 9/14/08) on your personal number asking for you to contact us immediately, and we have not received a return phone call.

David, this situation has gotten out of control at this time. I feel I have followed the rules of our agreement and advertised your site in many, many ways, and I know for a fact you have gained business from my advertising, but yet you are not and have not held your end of the bargain. The show is less than a month away, and I have to know what is going on.

At this point, Matthew and I have decided to give you until the end of business tomorrow, 9/16/08 at 5 p.m. EST, to contact us, or we will have to pursue further action and contact an attorney. Also, if we have not heard from you by this time, I feel my best recourse is to post this information, including all emails, on the Fauna BOI, as I believe that the reason for us cancelling your sponsorship needs to be made public. If this needs to be done, I will send you a link to the post so that you have the ability to respond publicly. I will also be removing any advertisement that has been placed online stating you are a sponsor of the show, although you will still receive the advertising benefits from all of the flyers that have been handed out over the past few months.

I have also left a message for you on your personal number before this email was sent. When trying to contact you on the customer service line, you answered, but apparently had phone issues, as you did not answer my "hello" and I did hear you saying "this phone is so screwed up" in the background. I attempted to call back but did not receive an answer, nor did it go to voice mail.

Again, my phone number is 717-502-0506, and you have several of my email addresses. Please contact me as soon as possible. Please know that this is NOT the route I want to have to take with this, and hope we can get this resolved quickly and to both our benefits. Thank you.

Kelly Kordek
Kordek's Kritters
Central PA Reptile Expo


----- Original Message -----
From: Central PA Reptile Expo
To: Central PA Reptile Expo ; David Young
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 6:31 PM
Subject: Re: Last contact attempt regarding Central PA Reptile Expo sponsorship

David,

As I mentioned in my last email, I have posted the account of this situation on the BOI as I see the facts. If you would like, you can go to the post to publicly respond, and hopefully we will be able to come to a resolution. If no response if given, either by phone, email or on the post to the BOI by tomorrow, 9/17/08 at 5:00pm EST, I will be pulling the sponsorship information from the webpage and any other advertising I have done online, with a link to the post to explain why the sponsorship did not happen as planned.
Again, I am sorry it has come to this, and hope we can come to a resolution.
The link to the BOI post is:
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...706#post626706

Thank you.
Kelly Kordek
Kordek's Kritters
Central PA Reptile Expo

how much was the fee for all of this advertising that he agreed to?

Ok, I will tell, why not, it doesn't hurt me now. The fee for everything he was getting from this was a simple $750.
Also, from my understanding, Mr. Young and Reptster.com co-sponsored the big party in Daytona, so I do not believe this is a matter of financial issues...that is just my opinion however.

Kelly Kordek

That info was actuall included in the Emails up top

Thats really weird. I have been on your site multipple times and yea i have seen the repster logo all over. that is really weird i hope you and him are able to get to an agreement.

Resolution of this situation would be nice...I understand when you are organizing such an endeavor as a reptile show that you don't need this sort of betrayal, when I would hope that in our family of reptile owners that these things would not happen...it should be able to be done on "good faith" without the outright disconcern for Kelly and Matt's efforts. I hope that Mr. Young notifies you because of the unfortunate way he has handled this business agreement. Take care Kelly, I am emailing you now. Take care all, Beth

Since the website will be updated tomorrow evening if I do not have any contact from Mr. Young, I wanted to make sure there were screenshots of the current setup of the site as evidence taht he has been advertised. I am attaching screenshots from photobucket as well as the PDF of the show flyer that has been handed out. I can find links to any forums that I have advertised his site as a sponsor if anyone wants them. The banner ad at the top of the page is a scrolling text banner, and I made sure to take screenshots during the time where his name is mentioned.

At this time, I have not heard from Mr. Young.

Kelly Kordek

Front page of site:


Sponsors page of site:

The flyer being attached is probably a good thing as well...

Actually, their "Traxter" software that is supposed to be the best in the market isn't even working yet...at least it was not when I tested it 3 days ago.