Beware of Jeremy Heikel - FaunaClassifieds
FaunaClassifieds  
  Tired of those Google and InfoLink ads? Upgrade Your Membership!
  Inside FaunaClassifieds » Photo Gallery  
 

Go Back   FaunaClassifieds > Reptile & Amphibian - Business Forums > Board of Inquiry®

Notices

Board of Inquiry® This forum is provided exclusively for the discussion of specific persons or businesses in the herp industry.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-07-2004, 06:20 PM   #1
Neverland Dragons
Beware of Jeremy Heikel

I purchased a 14 month old orange bearded dragon from Jeremy Heikel based on two photos he emailed me. She was a pretty bright orange dragon. What I received was a dull barely yellow, almost tan dragon. I expressed my concern to him and he said she would color up. Well, it has been a week and she has not. I asked about what happened if I was not happy with her and he told me all sales are final, after the fact. That was partly my fault for not asking. I am starting a small scale breeding business and I have purchased dragons from Kakadu Dragons, Mystical Dragons and Earthtone Reptiles. Anyone of them can vouch for my integrity. I was advised by a breeder who has been through the whole process of buying this girl with me to return this girl for she felt Jeremy had not been honest in his representation of her. He said I would not get a refund that she arrived healthy. The fact remains that she is not near the color he represented her to be. So I have entered a dispute on my visa. I asked him for his address to ship her back and it has gotten ugly. He advised me that he emailed all the breeders he knows that I am a fraud and warned them about me. I have not done anything wrong and I am the one who was misled. I am attaching pictures to show what I am talking about. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what recourse I have? I appreciate any advise. Most importantly, DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH JEREMY HEIKEL. He is dishonest and can not be trusted. I tried to attach the pictures and I don't know if they took. If not I will figure it out and post them soon.

Sincerely,

Wendy Thomas
 
Old 10-07-2004, 07:06 PM   #2
Kakadu
I think it also needs to be pointed out that this person was trying to sell a different dragon on Reptibid and representing it as a certain bloodline from a top breeder. The owner/producer of that line was informed and claims that none of the dragons from his line were anywhere near that age yet (its a new line) and that it was in no way releated to his stock.

This person has represented himself as being close to certain big breeders "friends" and "we are working on breeding projects together" were stated. When this major breeder was contacted he stated that he knows of this person but has no releationship with him. He has simpley talked to him a few times.

If you want more info on this you need to e-mail me directly because I am not going to post breeders names on the BOI in releation to this guy without their permission.

Last, please note that this guy promised to have all bloodline info available for this girl. He has STILL not produced it. This was part of the deal as this girl was purchased as a breeder, and some people still care about diverse genetics. Wendy will not breed an animal that she can not trace its heritage. The gene pool is so small there is never justification for taking the chance. So without this info that he can't seem to get (he is waiting on his "friend") Wendy has no use for this dragon at all. Here is the letter she got when she inquired about the bloodline info. Remember, she paid $500 for this dragon, is dissatified with its color but trying to be understanding, and has been trying to get any info she can on this animal:

His Email
I am the manager of an O'Charlies. I have been working 6-8:30 9:00 every day
for about a week. To be quite honest you are really becomming very
frustrating. I will get the info for you. Dachiu is 1 hour ahead of me, and
I do not feel it is right to call him at 10:00 at night. I will get it when
I get it, hopefully I can do it soon. But I am not guaranteeing anything. I
am sorry if this is a little rough, but I am extreamly tired and I am going
to bed. Have a nice night Wendy. Jeremy


Anyway, here are the pictures. I am hosting them. I resized them a bit but otherwise have not touched them.




Jennifer Graef
Kakadu Dragons
 
Old 10-07-2004, 07:08 PM   #3
KNOBTAIL
Wendy, you may want to consider

buying from people that you have delt with in the past as opposed to a total stranger who apparently thought they could get away with this nonsense. I would also suggest that you understand the TOS before you send any monies to anyone.

You can consider yourself lucky, because you paid by credit card. But you may loose their as well if this person can show that he fulfilled his obligations. Color can be subjective, and it can get a bit tricky with credit card companies who just need written proof that the seller met his end of the bargain.

Their are so many bearded dragon breeders out their, and allot of good ones that would have serviced you well, but I have a funny feeling that price was the motivating factor here as well as the color that you were thinking you were going to get.

Let us know how this persues. Also dont worry about anyone bad mouthing you, its common in this business to pass on the blame.
 
Old 10-07-2004, 07:22 PM   #4
Neverland Dragons
Lesson Learned

Thanks for the insight. I actually was having a hard time locating a girl that age. I contacted all of teh reputable breeders I could get an email to. I thought I was getting good bloodlines and a nice colored dagon. I ran it by a respectable breeder to make sure I was doing the right thing. But yes, I will only deal with respectable breeders and am glad to have learned this lesson early on.
 
Old 10-07-2004, 07:45 PM   #5
hellschild
Jeremy

If he is from the east coast he is the same Jeremy from another forum called Reptile Adoption Connection. He is asking people for their unwanted reptiles and then is turning around and selling them after promising to simply care for them.

I hope you resolve your dilema soon.

As far as the dragon you recieved, it is the same dragon physically, but there is always the possibility he could have enhanced the color in the pic.
Just my opinion.

Shannon
 
Old 10-07-2004, 11:17 PM   #6
mrmojorisen
they are right about the credit cards, it might be semifutile with visa, but i hope for your sake that they do do something about it, but regardless what he did was deplorable, i wish i had better advice to give you, but i don't, and i'm sorry. joe
 
Old 10-07-2004, 11:38 PM   #7
Bringerofdoom
it is the same beardie in both pics, but you can notice obvious color tweaking in the above pic. i gets so bad in certain areas it blurrs the scales like in the dead center of the back.

people that do scams like this are the main reason i avoid buying reptiles online through auctions or classifieds. i too am a beginning breeder who is trying to breed leopard geckos and trying to aquire decent breeding stock. i dont know how many horror stories i hear from people who have similar problems with other ripoff artist.

im sorry to read about this, but hopefully you get justice. have you tried to contact you local authorities to see any if anything can be done. the "bait and switch" tatic this guy pulled is illegal and he can be sued over it in a court of law.
 
Old 10-08-2004, 12:03 AM   #8
GOLDENSERPENT
I agree that it is the same dragon but I do also disagree that it is a bait and switch scam. those are scams which mostly car dealers use to get you to the dealership and tell you they are out of them but we have this nice model right here.
What this fella did was blatantly misrepresent the animal by enhancing the photo. That is just out and out fraud in my opinion.
Especially if he did not tell you that he did not enhance to maybe show a scar or particular pattern.
Thanks and these are just my .02
 
Old 10-08-2004, 08:25 AM   #9
overhaul
That's so sad to think someone will dupe others like that. It's definitely the same dragon in both photos but hard to tell if it's been photoshopped. I have photoshopped photos in the past and at first glance, my opinion is that this one hasn't been..

Nevertheless, there's the possibility that it was not photoshopped but still the picture taker manipulated the camera to accentuate the reds. I have a digital and this is VERY easy to do. So the photo will still be "legit" but still be deceiving.

Notice the pinkish tint of the sand...

I would open the original (has to be the original) photo he sent you in an descent editor like ACDSee. Depending on the camera he used and how the photo was uploaded, it may have been saved with additional information including color saturation.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about (info from one of my own photos which is stored within the photo jpg file)

Photo Properties
summary details
Make Canon
Model Canon PowerShot G2
Aperture Value f 4
Color Space sRGB
Exposure Bias Value 0 EV
Flash No Flash
Focal Length 21 mm
ISO 0
Metering Mode Multi-Segment
Shutter Speed Value 1/201 sec
Date/Time 2004:03:14 10:18:17 Image Type
Orientation Normal (O deg)
Resolution Unit Inch
X Resolution 180 dots per ResolutionUnit Y
Resolution 180 dots per ResolutionUnit
Contrast Normal
Exposure Mode EasyShoot
Saturation Normal
Sharpness Normal
Subject Distance 0

If he has a camera where Red, Green, and Blue can be manipulated, I *think* the level of each of those will also be included in the photo info.

Anyway, unless you have some info like the above or can prove that the photo was doctored after it was taken, it's going to be tricky to get the CC companies to do anything about it. All they need to know is that you got the dragon in the picture. Color is usually subjective.
 
Old 10-08-2004, 11:44 AM   #10
MatthewM
HMM Jeremy Heilel

Hello my name is Matthew Maribo of www.Mystical-Dragons.com

I actually tried emailing Jeremy Heinkel twice about an ad he posted on reptibid. In the ad he claims to have bought the dragon from me in January of last year. The problem with all this is my first season selling anything was this season in May 04, and back in January when he claims to have purchased said dragon Mystical-Dragons was not yet running.

I told him through the Questions & Answer part of that site that the dragon he was selling was not one of mine, as we produced our first babies this season 04. He then told me he purchased the dragon from a breeder at a show, and went by what the breeder had told him.

I then emailed him saying his ad said he purchased straight from me. I then asked him who he purchased the dragon from that told him it was from Mystical-Dragons linage, as whomever told him this knew about Mystical-Dragons before we ever produced anything, or had a completed web site up. I sent this email twice already with no answers to the questions as to who he purchased this dragon from that gave him the information he claims.

I do have the exact ad as it appeared on that site, but did not know how to post it here. What I did do was copy and pasted the ad here, but unfortunitly the pics do not show up. If anyone is interested in seeing the ad as it was posted please just drop me an emai,l and I'd be happy to send it. If you could even share it here that might help as well. Thanks


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Active ReptiBid Users Online
169


Home
My Auction Tracker Help Desk Forgot Password Register Sell an Item Login Site Map Member Services Categories View All Gallery New Hot

Take Me There Advance Search Auction Items Buy It Now Items Closing Items Dutch Items Featured Auctions Feaured Picture Gallery Hot Items Items No Reserve Items With Bids New Items Auctions Your Tracking Auto Login Change Password Closed Items FAQ Home Log Out Lost Password Lost User Name Member Services My Account My Bids My Items My Page My Won & Sold Privacy Statement Register Report Fraud Sellers Fees Sell Items Sign In Site Map Suggest Category Update Registration User Agreement View Categories List View Feedback


Search By KeywordUser NameItem NumberLocation
Huge Proven Breeder Dragon Item number: #1096945553

Categories > Lizard > Bearded Dragons > Item Watch this item (track it in My Auction Tracker)





Starting bid: US $ 150.00

Time left: 1 Day 8 Hrs+
Started: Sat Oct 02, 10:05 PM
Ends: Mon Oct 04, 10:05 PM

Bids: 0 (bid history)

High bidder: No bids yet




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
US $400.00

This option disappears
once a bid is placed.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Location: Opelika AL 36801


Seller information

Jheikel (feedback 1 ) )
Read feedback reviews
Ask seller a question or view Q&A
View seller's other items
Mail this auction to a friend

Seller: You may ban a user from bidding.
This item has been viewed times


Payment Options: PayPal, Personal Check, Money Order Shipping Terms: Buyer Pays Origin: Captive Born

Reptile Auction Description Seller you may update this Description, close or remove Item




I bought this dgragon from Mystical Dragons in January of last year. He has proven to be an awsome dragon both in size and color. He is 21 1/4 inches long and weighes over 600 grams. He is extreamly aggressive with the ladies, but has a good enough temperment to handle.




Buyer pays shipping cost of 35$. I ship UPS





Click Thumbnails For Larger Picture



Reptile Auction Bid History High Bidder: You may retract your bid for a good reasion.

No bids yet...
Place a Reptile Auction Bid
Huge Proven Breeder Dragon
Item # - 1096945553


Buy It Now for $400.00
This option disappears
once the reserve price has been met.


Number of bids: 0
The High Bid Is: $150.00
The Lowest You May Bid Is: $150.00 Registration is required to make a bid!

Your Username: (used to track your bid)
Your Password: (must be valid)
Your Bid: $




Biding contract:
By placing a bid you are making a CONTRACT between you and the seller. Once you place a bid, you may not retract it. In some states, it is illegal to win an auction and not purchase the item. In other words, if you don't want to pay for it, don't bid!


Proxy bidding for all bids:
Please bid the maximum amount you are willing to pay for this item. Your maximum amount will be kept secret; Reptile Auction will bid on your behalf as necessary by increasing your bid by the current bid increment up until your maximum is reached. This saves you the trouble of having to keep track of the auction as it proceeds and prevents you from being outbid at the last minute unless your spending limit is exceeded. Also, in case of a tie for high bidder, earlier bids take precedence. And, keep in mind that you cannot reduce your maximum bid at a later date.
If you have bid on this item before, note that your new bid must be greater than your previous bid.
How to Bid


Register to bid - It's free, and required to bid or sell.
Know the Item - Read the full description of the item you are bidding on.
If you have questions about the item
(ask or view Q&A) BEFORE you place a bid.
Decide on the price, and submit your bid!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seems Like a few things have been going wrong for Jeremy but I think I was mentioned above so figured I'd share what happened in my case here. I still would just love to know Jeremy who that breeder was that told you it was one of mine? Thanks

Matthew Maribo
www.mystical-Dargons.com
 

Join now to reply to this thread or open new ones for your questions & comments! FaunaClassifieds.com is the largest online community about Reptile & Amphibians, Snakes, Lizards and number one classifieds service with thousands of ads to look for. Registration is open to everyone and FREE. Click Here to Register!

 
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Jeremy Heikel, their, liar, will con you!! Arnold8169 Board of Inquiry® 7 01-31-2005 01:54 AM
Jeremy Anderson (jeremy@snakepimp.com) - Good Guy! Kevin Minena Board of Inquiry® 0 10-28-2004 11:52 AM
BEWARE OF JEREMY STARK: THE COMPLETE STORY Shaggy of BDD Board of Inquiry® 30 03-07-2003 11:54 PM
BEWARE of Jeremy at KCCritter24@aol.com BAREPAPABEAR Board of Inquiry® 6 02-25-2003 06:20 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:52 AM.







Fauna Top Sites


Powered by vBulletin® Version
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Page generated in 0.07916093 seconds with 11 queries
Content copyrighted ©2002-2022, FaunaClassifieds, LLC