Ron Hawkins (aka: rhawkins11) is holding my $200 hostage!

I was hoping I did not have to do this, but Ron Hawkins leaves me no choice. On November 10, 2010 I responded to a Craigslist ad that was posted by Ron Hawkins ( known on Fauna as rhawkins11 ). In the ad he had many reptile supplies for sale including a Herpstat Pro 4 channel thermostat. I emailed asking if he would sell it separately and if he was willing to ship. He said that he would ship and for me to make him an offer on the Herpstat. I made an offer for $200, which he accepted. A few days later I emailed to see if he received my USPS postal money order, which he confirmed he did. He then stated he would ship on Monday (11/22/2010), but that because of the weight I might have to pay shipping cost. I agreed that if there were any additional shipping cost over what he expected I would pay the difference. After 17 days of no emails from Ron I finally get a reply and that's when his communication really starts to go downhill.

I'm going to let the emails do the explaining from this point. My emails are in blue and his are in red:

Wed, Nov 10, 2010 at 10:10 PM
Hello,
If you are willing to sell the Herpstat Pro separately let me know. Thanks!
Harold

Wed, Nov 10, 2010 at 11:15 PM
Harold, Yes I am - Where are you located ?

Herpstat Pro Thermostat
$319.00

Here is the price if you buy it
directly - The one I have was
used for 1.5 years, and has
not been used for just under
a year !!!!!

I am looking to trade if you have
chondros (Captive Green Tree Pythons)
or Captive Amazon Tree Boas !!!!!

I am not looking to get the new price, if
you are looking to buy it outright, so let
me know what you feel is fair !!!!!

- Ron


Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 7:40 AM
Hello Ron,

Thanks for getting back to me. I'm located in Atlanta, GA 30324 so I would need it shipped. If you have a Paypal account how about $200.

Harold


Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 11:24 AM
I will ship it, but I sent out five snakes to someone through Paypal several months ago, and he said he did not want two of them - I asked him to send them back, so I could reimburse him - Instead, he kept the snakes, and filed a claim through his credit card company - Paypal said they would go to bat for me, because of all of the e-mails I saved, and told me they would correct the dispute, and have done nothing about it - Long story short, I will never use Paypal again !!!!!

Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 11:32 AM
No problem, is a US postal money order fine? If so send me your mailing address and I'll have it off to you tomorrow. Thanks!
Harold


Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Sounds great !!!!!

<Ron's address; withheld for privacy>


Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 3:33 PM
Hello Ron,

I mailed off the money order today, so you should have it early next week. Let me know when it reaches you. When you ship, you can send the Herpstat to the address below. Thanks again!

<My address; withheld for privacy>


Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 3:55 PM
Hello Ron,
Just checking to see if the money order made it there. Thanks again!
Harold

Sat, Nov 20, 2010 at 2:51 AM
Harold,

I will send it out on Monday - I am
not sure if there will be any additional cost(s)
because of weight, and I was also going to
have it insured as well !!!!!

I will let you know either way !!!!!

-Ron


Sat, Nov 20, 2010 at 9:11 AM
Hello Ron,
Ok, cool so it made it. Let me know if there are additional costs and I'll compensate you. Thanks again!
Harold

Sat, Nov 27, 2010 at 9:23 PM
Hello Ron,
Were you able ship it out last week? If so how much did shipping end up being? Thanks
Harold

Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 5:36 PM
Ron do you have any updates on shipping?
Harold

Tue, Dec 7, 2010 at 11:16 PM
Harold,

Been extremely busy - I have
not forgotten - As soon as I
get to the Post Office, I will
get you the total price for
everything !!!!!!

-Ron


Tue, Dec 7, 2010 at 11:31 PM
Hello Ron,

I can definitely understand being busy especially with the season, but the last time you contacted me was 11/20. That's 17 days ago, and it took two emails and a phone call to get a reply. I'm not trying to be difficult, and I understand you are doing a favor by being willing to ship it. It's just that it's getting cold and I need a thermostat to properly regulate the temps on my four enclosures. If you can get it shipped out this week that would be great. If you want just ship it COD with all fees going to me, and I'll pay for it when it arrives. Thanks again and keep me posted on the progress. Thanks again.

Harold

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 at 3:16 AM
Harold,

I went to the Post Office, and got everything priced up - The
difference for everything is going to be $100.00 - Do not
worry about the difference - I will take care of that - Let me know
when you can send it, so I can get it out to you as soon
as possible - Sorry for the delay, as I said, we have been busy
over here getting ready for the holidays !!!!!

-Ron

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 at 10:11 AM
Hello Ron,

I'm not understanding what you mean by the difference is going to be $100. Are you saying shipping cost are $100?
I just checked on USPS.com and they have a 12"x12"x5.5" flat rate Priority Mail box that is $14.50 no matter the weight of the contents. You can pack it in there with some newspaper as cushion and send it out via COD for the shipping cost.

Here is my address again in case you don't have it: <My address removed for privacy>

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 at 11:36 AM
Harold,

As I said when we first spoke, I am having it shipped, and
I am also having it insured for the full amount ($325.00)
in case something happens while it is getting to you, you
will be reimbursed for the full amount (Which enables you
to purchase a new one with no money out of your own pocket)

I do not take shortcuts when shipping animals, to jeopardize
their health or get them there quicker, and I will not take
shortcuts on a $325.00 item either, just to save a few dollars !!!!!

I work for UPS, and if something were to happen, you have to
jump through so many hoops, it is simply not worth the hassle !!!!!

-Ron

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 at 1:03 PM
Hello Ron,

I was not trying to question your shipping methods, I was just saying I didn't understand how shipping could approach $100 (unless you were shipping overnight). In addition to reptiles, my other hobbies are car tuning, high-end gaming PCs, and collectible chess sets. As you can imagine I'm either shipping or receiving packages every week, so I know a little about shipping options, rates, etc. I just did not want you spending extra money out of your pocket if you did not have to.
At the end of the day I appreciate you taking care of it however you see fit. If you can please shoot me the tracking number once it's shipped so I can know what day my wife should stay around the house to wait for the package. Thanks again and I'll be sure to spread the word about the other stuff you have for sale to some other herpers that live close by you

Harold

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 at 2:10 PM
Harold,

Sounds great !!!!!

Shoot me an e-mail once you send the check in the
next week or so - Give me a day or two heads up, so
that I can have it packed and ready to go before we
hit the peak of the holiday rush, so you are not waiting
longer, and we are not taking a chance on it getting lost
or damaged !!!!!

Again, sorry for the delay, but with two young boys, and
well.... Life, I have a million things on my plate !!!!!

Oh, by the way, the four probes are included as well - Not
sure if it was mentioned originally or not !!!!!

Talk to you soon !!!!!

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 at 2:56 PM
Hello Ron,

See Ron this is where I'm confused. What check am I supposed to be sending you? I have already paid you $200 as we agreed for the Herpstat. Are you asking me to pay for shipping? If so that's cool, but how much are you asking me to send you (you have not given me concrete shipping cost yet)?
Can you ship it and I'll send you the cost of shipping once I receive it. I think you can trust me to send you the amount of shipping since I have trusted you with $200 all this time. Or if you feel you can't trust me, send it USPS and add the COD option for the cost of shipping. That way I can't even pick up the package until I have paid shipping. Do either of those options, make sense or am I missing something?

Harold


Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 11:54 PM
Hello Ron,

Ok, I have one final solution to the whole shipping issue. I have a FedEx shipping account so if you can give me the dimensions of the box and an estimated weight, I will send you a pre-paid FedEx shipping label. Alternatively you can just take the box to any FedEx store and ship it using my account number at no cost to you. In either situation all you have to do it pack the box and take it to FedEx. Please let me know which of these two options you would like to pursue and I will give you the information you need. Thanks!

Harold

Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 9:24 PM
Hello Ron,

This is Harold in Atlanta, GA who paid for your Herpstat Pro. All this time I have been giving you the benefit of the doubt because you were "busy" and it was the "holiday season", and it turns our you were right here under my nose. Your last activity on the site before this message in fact was: Last Activity: 12-22-2010 08:39 AM. I figured it would not hurt to look you up on Fauna and here you are. Not only that, but you are an active poster who even has for sale ads up at this very moment. So please explain to me why I have not received a reply to an email from you in 11 days?

At this point you have had my money for the Herpstat Pro since at least 11-20-2010. That is over a month. You have broken at least one promise to ship. Even once you came up with some issue with shipping costs, I provided at least 3 ways for you to ship without it costing you a dime.

I only have one question: What is the problem?
Please don't insult me with excuses about being busy. I myself am a husband, father, and professional and I am just as busy as you. On top of that you don't seem too busy to post, buy, and sell on Fauna over the past month (yes I have looked up all your posts and threads).

I would like to request you do either following within 7 days:

1) ship the Herpstat Pro via COD
or
2) refund my $200 via the same means I sent it you, USPS Money Order

There will be no hard feeling, and I will forget this situation ever happened. This is a reasonable request considering the circumstance. I would like a reply to this message the next time you log on to Fauna (and yes I will be able to tell when you log on next).

Thank you for you time,

Harold

Thu, Dec 23, 2010 at 12:02 PM
Harold,

I am not sure were the confusion on your end is coming from - I sent you an e-mail about two or three weeks ago stating that I would get back to you with a final price for the HerpstatPro and shipping - You said o.k., let me know what the difference will be !!!!!

Silly me, but that does not seem like an unreasonable amount of time to get back to someone !!!!!

I then e-mailed you about a week later or so, and told you it would be $100.00

I have not heard from you since, and am still waiting on the payment from you !!!!!

I did not realize I was not allowed to go another site without getting your approval first !!!!!

I simply re-posted an ad on Fauna for the second time in probably four months or so !!!!!

If you check out my activity (Columbo) you will see that I am only on Fauna once or twice every two or three months (More often in the last week, because I am checking responses to the ad, as I am responding to yours as well !!!!!)

I am waiting on you, and you are jumping on me like you are being ignored !!!!!

I am not sure if you assume that I have already received the final payment, and have still not sent it out yet - But that is not the case - I am waiting to receive it from you still !!!!!

Happy Holidays !!!!!

Thu, Dec 23, 2010 at 12:33 PM
Ron,

First off $100 is an absolutely ridiculous price to ship such a small item. No amount of insurance and packing is needed to ship a 4lb item that less than 8" long that would come close to that amount. Who are you trying to fool? Think about this logically... why would I buy your used Herpstat Pro for $200 + $100 shipping ($300), when I can buy a brand new one for $319 with FREE shipping:

http://www.coldbloodedcages.com/Herp...rpstat-PRO.htm

Secondly you can claim not to have received my emails all you want. I sent you an email reply on 12/11 and on 12/15. I only chose to send you a message on Fauna after you ignored those two emails.

The bottom line is this: either ship the Herpstat via COD (UPS ground, FedEx Ground, or USPS Priority) so that I can pay actual shipping cost or give me a refund of my $200 via USPS money order.

The choice is yours, and I want one or the other done in the next 7 days.

Harold

I will continue our emails in the next post, but this is when he really starts making stuff up...

Here are the emails continued from the opening posts. If you read the previous emails above you will see that everything he says in this email is a flat out lie....

Fri, Dec 24, 2010 at 12:45 AM

I guess everythting happens for a reason - I was going to send you the Herpstat that Monday, and trust you were going to send the difference at the same time - I was called into work early that day, so it did not go as planned, and I did not make it to the Post Office !!!!!

I specifically put individual prices of everything I had listed in the Craigslist ad, and I was asking $275.00 for the Herpstat alone, and that any money put down for the amazons, cages, etc... is non-refundable, which I am sure you are well aware this is standard in the hobby, whether it is animals or supplies !!!!!

If you remember, I told you I would also trade, to save you some money - You sent the check (Which I held for over a month) which obviously told me that you were not interested in trading, and wanted the Herpstat for the price I had listed !!!!!

You obviously have reptiles (Which I am guessing that is why you are purchasing a Herpstat) so you know when you send a deposit, it only holds the item so the seller does not sell it to anyone else !!!!!

I specifically told you I would be getting back to you with the difference !!!!!

The shipping is $25.00 - The difference is $75.00 - Add the two, and it is $100.00 !!!!!

I hope this is not your way of saying you have changed your mind - I turned two people down on you word alone while the check was on it's way, and told four people after I received the check, that it was spoken for !!!!!

Once again, I am not sure what the issue is - The Herpstat is here, and I am still holding it for you !!!!!

I never told you shipping was optional or your choice, or up for debate - Yet, you sent me an e-mail with multiple ways to have it sent to you !!!!!

I will wait another two weeks, and if I do not receive the difference (Which we both agreed on) I will be doing callbacks to the people that showed interest, and let them know it is available again !!!!!

Fri, Dec 24, 2010 at 9:10 AM
Ron,

So you admit yourself that the shipping cost are only $25. That's all needed to know... Look at the first document I attached to this email. It is our email log when we were discussing the price of the actual item. You will notice we agreed on $200 for the Herpstat Pro. There is no way you can refute it because it's there in writing. Therefore at most all I owe you is $25 for shipping. Also, your Craigslist ad did not state that you were selling the Herpstat Pro for $275 because guess what.. I saved a copy of that as well (see attachment #2).

So I have disproved both of you claims from your last reply. I'm really getting tired of having to confront you with the truth time after time. So are going to ship my Herpstat Pro or are you going to give me my refund?

Harold

Fri, Dec 24, 2010 at 11:53 AM
Harold,

Neither of the links will open - It does not matter !!!!!



Are you high ?



At no time did I say "I will take $200.00 for it - You

said I am sending a check for $200.00, and I said

I will let you know the difference."



I even told you I would get back to you with the

difference, and you said cool, let me know !!!!!



Shipping was more than $25.00, but if you read
the e-mail from me, I said, "Do not worry about
the difference."

I was asking $2000.00 or trade for everything,
and said I prefer not to break them up, but kept
getting calls, asking what I would want for one
cage, or one or two snakes, so I then re-posted
the ad (Like Fauna) and listed the prices
individually - You were the first to show
interest in the Herpstat !!!!!

On December 7th :
I have not forgotten - I will
get to the Post Office, and let you know the total
price !!!!!

On December 11th :
I gave you the total price (Only four
days later) Yet, according to you, I took forever to get
back to you !!!!!

Bottom line, I have been waiting for over two weeks
for the difference, so I could ship it out to you, and
you have cost me sales !!!!!

YOU EITHER WANT IT OR YOU DO NOT WANT
IT - I am going to do some callbacks, to sell it to others
that showed interest - Whether it sells or not, I will be
sending you a portion of the deposit back (As a
courtesy - This is not usually done, I simply
do not have time for it)

It has been over two weeks - Obviously if you had any
intention of sending the difference, I would have it by
now !!!!!

If I was ducking, avoiding you, or out to get over on
you, you would not have heard back from me after
I cashed the check !!!!!


Here is every e-mail - Take care :

This is where he quotes to me my own emails, which ironically prove him completely wrong!

All I want is my $200 back or for him to ship the Herpstat via COD for the actual cost of shipping. He now has 6 days to do so...

wat are you going to do if he doesnt send the money back.. this sounds like a shady deal that i would have never commited to.. only my closest of friends i will send a check to or a money order. its a very scary deal to just throw money out there im sure hundreds of people on here have had there fair share of being screwed over.. im sorry this happened to you and i hope something will and can be done about this.. but i vote in your favor on this one bud.. take it easy.. since you have his address take a trip and visit him!!! and give him a christmas present!!! lol

well, lucky for you and unlicky for him that you sent it USPS MO. Now his butt is on the line. There is no way in the writing that he or anyone else could think you were sending another payment. Can you say MAIL FRAUD !!! Good luck

Ron, you have some s'plainin to do--and those emails aren't cutting it....

NEVER once was it said during the deal making process that you where sending a deposit to "hold" the item until you paid the difference...

he asked what you thought was fair for the Herpstat....never in his first emails did he state it would be $275....he agreed to your $200 and now it seems he is trying to milk more money out of you

your way more calm then I would have been....time to file with USPS about that money order....mail fraud is not a nice thing

Have you notified him of this thread?
How about posting the actual emails - with headers. Would you also post the copies of the ads in question?
Lastly, I'd like to see where the seller accepted your offer of $200 (since his explanation seems to be that he is waiting for the rest of the money

Originally Posted by hhmoore

Have you notified him of this thread?
How about posting the actual emails - with headers. Would you also post the copies of the ads in question?
Lastly, I'd like to see where the seller accepted your offer of $200 (since his explanation seems to be that he is waiting for the rest of the money

I will notify him now of this thread. Can I forward the emails and the copy of the ad I saved directly to you? If so please PM me your email address and I will do so right away. I'll see if I can post them in this thread if possible too.

I also saved the money order receipt and purposely used a USPS Money Order just in case something like this happened. If he does not give me satisfaction within 6 days, then I'm filing charges.

I have officially notified Ron of this thread. Here is the PM I just sent him on Fauna at 12-24-2010, 08:55 PM EST:

Hello Ron,

I have officially referred the matter of the Herpstat Pro to the BOI forum. The thread is located here:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...=1#post1172838

You can submit any replies you have there. You still have 6 days to make this right before I file charges.

I have the following as proof:

1. The USPS Money Order receipt which will prove you cashed my money order
2. A copy of the original Craigslist ad
3. Our complete email correspondence

If you chose not to either refund my $200 via USPS Money Order or ship the Herpstat Pro via COD, then you should plan on calling your lawyer. I have the resources and the drive to pursue this matter to a complete resolution.

Forgive me if I didn't read/see this, but I never saw where he accepted the $200.00 for the deal. If he did, then I apologize!

Randal Berry