Nick Lillis – XtremVipereXotics

pretty funny that in the last day(since the Hamburg show and mikes episode there) that all of a sudden a bunch of Nicks supporters suddenly show up and start crowing.
Where have they been since these threads inceptions?
Just saying.......

Originally Posted by Black Adder

pretty funny that in the last day(since the Hamburg show and mikes episode there) that all of a sudden a bunch of Nicks supporters suddenly show up and start crowing.
Where have they been since these threads inceptions?
Just saying.......

It's almost as if it was pre-emptive damage control.

Mike and I had a long discussion on our way home about how to handle this situation. Initially we were leaning towards letting it go as to not cause anymore issues, but we both decided today that we wouldn't be bullied and threatened by a grown man and not do anything about it.

I had no idea what was going on while this was occuring, other than the fact that I legitimately thought I was about to be forced into a physical confrontation in front of a sno-cone cart. This guy made a concerted effort to get away from the venue and security, which should have been a big enough red flag in hindsight. I've been only tangently involved in the hobby for a few years, but after reading through this I still can't fully grasp that what happened was due to what Mike had said here.

Originally Posted by Black Adder

pretty funny that in the last day(since the Hamburg show and mikes episode there) that all of a sudden a bunch of Nicks supporters suddenly show up and start crowing.
Where have they been since these threads inceptions?
Just saying.......

Convenient, eh?

I'd love to hear someone else explain the confrontation and offer some reasoning (there is no justification for this behavior IMO), just for the sake of morbid curiosity.

Sorry you had that happen Mike.

So if Nick is such a straight up good guy, why can't he come and post here and provide additional information and answer questions? Perhaps because his earlier posts were childish outbursts that made himself look even worse?

It's entirely possible that people have had good experiences with Nick and I don't discount that. My poor opinion of Nick is based solely on his behavior here, and the lack of explanation he provided for some legitimate concerns that were brought up to him.

Where is this father he is in business with/posts with? Nick apparently needs some guidance in how to act like a grown up and conduct himself in a professional manner.

I did not just pop up out of nowhere. I saw all of the negative adds and was apprehensive on dealing with him myself. I texted and said I would be at the show and he said he would be there as well. I did not know if he was attending as a vendor or someone trying to unload stuff on his own. When I happened to walk into his table and saw the same animals posted. Like the Honduran Spinytail, I knew he was the same guy. I have actually seen him at a few other local shows, Oaks Pa, but did not purchase anything prior. I actually shared pics of my rhino iguana with his dad and talked shop. So that’s my experience and I totally understand if you are going to payapl someone a large sum. Ive done that with fear in the past and all have come out positive, Dealing with Anthony Sainz and others..Barry Lambert and Renata Carlseen. All Cyclura purchases 

Just to clarify, I am somewhat local and dealt with him face to face. No shipping, was able to look at the animals on the spot and make an informed decision to buy or walk. I felt bad for all of his bad press, and my experience went well with feeding animals. So I posted here. I am best friends with Vic Machese of Exclusively Exotics so that may add a character witness for me.

Richard, you do not really have to justify your choice, but it is nice of you to have explained. I am glad you have had a positive experience and it was good of you to come forward with it.

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As for the OP, he asked for information with the creation of this thread and rolled out his concerns based on material gained from observation. He did not make fun of Nick's appearance. The literacy and/or comprehension deficit surrounding that is dismal. Or maybe people stating that like Lillis and Brunner are purposefully lying about that. I asked Brunner for a quote backing his claim on that subtopic, but it went unanswered. It was an identifying criterion in associated photos. The same or similar facial hair was noted on the face in a number of photos and the hands were pointed out as well. That was not made fun of by the OP. Which is it for those asserting attack based on appearance? Is calling that an attack due to an inability to comprehend or an unwillingness to be truthful? Pointing out that there were inconsistencies in the posts (apparently due to having two people posting under the same account as revealed later) is also not an attack, but a reflection of the information available. Getting upset with everyone else because two people broke a rule of the site and were exposed due to them coordinating poorly in the joint venture of it? Nobody forced anybody into breaking rules here.

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The account for Nick's father was viewing the thread earlier, but that is not especially meaningful to me aside from being fortunate enough to avoid reading another post IN ALL CAPS.

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If that threatening situation took place as described, it is one of the more opposite-of-brave events I have read about on here in recent memory. Must take a lot of spine to commit to that sort of thing....

Originally Posted by Lucille

I'm sorry you were threatened, Michael.

Originally Posted by DavidBeard

Sorry you had that happen Mike.

^ Thanks guys

Originally Posted by Joe M

It's almost as if it was pre-emptive damage control.

Mike and I had a long discussion on our way home about how to handle this situation. Initially we were leaning towards letting it go as to not cause anymore issues, but we both decided today that we wouldn't be bullied and threatened by a grown man and not do anything about it.

I had no idea what was going on while this was occuring, other than the fact that I legitimately thought I was about to be forced into a physical confrontation in front of a sno-cone cart. This guy made a concerted effort to get away from the venue and security, which should have been a big enough red flag in hindsight. I've been only tangently involved in the hobby for a few years, but after reading through this I still can't fully grasp that what happened was due to what Mike had said here.

Thanks for posting Joe.

Originally Posted by nickolasanastasiou

Richard, you do not really have to justify your choice, but it is nice of you to have explained. I am glad you have had a positive experience and it was good of you to come forward with it.

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As for the OP, he asked for information with the creation of this thread and rolled out his concerns based on material gained from observation. He did not make fun of Nick's appearance. The literacy and/or comprehension deficit surrounding that is dismal. Or maybe people stating that like Lillis and Brunner are purposefully lying about that. I asked Brunner for a quote backing his claim on that subtopic, but it went unanswered. It was an identifying criterion in associated photos. The same or similar facial hair was noted on the face in a number of photos and the hands were pointed out as well. That was not made fun of by the OP. Which is it for those asserting attack based on appearance? Is calling that an attack due to an inability to comprehend or an unwillingness to be truthful? Pointing out that there were inconsistencies in the posts (apparently due to having two people posting under the same account as revealed later) is also not an attack, but a reflection of the information available. Getting upset with everyone else because two people broke a rule of the site and were exposed due to them coordinating poorly in the joint venture of it? Nobody forced anybody into breaking rules here.

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The account for Nick's father was viewing the thread earlier, but that is not especially meaningful to me aside from being fortunate enough to avoid reading another post IN ALL CAPS.

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If that threatening situation took place as described, it is one of the more opposite-of-brave events I have read about on here in recent memory. Must take a lot of spine to commit to that sort of thing....

Nickolas you summarized the scenario perfectly. I believe a comprehension deficit surrounding the scenario led to the altercation, and is still the lingering issue (that I insulted his appearance). I also strongly believe had I not been the OP for this thread, the initial thread had a 50/50 shot of being posted as a "Bad Guy" thread from someone else. Still the goal is to add clarity prior to potential customers making a purchase.

I have received PM's from multiple members trying to identify this individual, and I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for being so supportive.

An update…

Nick Lillis contacted me earlier today. We had a phone conversation, and I was extremely impressed with his concern about what occurred and maturity. It is my strong belief that what occurred at the show was an independent act performed by a concerned third party, not involved or orchestrated by Nick. I understand that some will question the intent, but I was met with nothing except respect and politeness during this conversation. To me, it speaks volumes to his character to reach out with what I deemed genuine concern. For Nick and me, the situation at the show has been resolved.

Regardless of how this thread began, and less than perfect first impressions, I honestly believe that Nick is a young guy trying his best to establish himself in the reptile community. I think it is important to revisit the fact that this is an inquiry based thread started in an attempt to gather additional information about an individual to inevitably make the reptile community a safer place to purchase from. With that being said, after speaking to him I would not hesitate to make a purchase to test his product (if the time comes he has something I want to buy).

Just my 0.02

He viewed this thread but never chimed in to defend himself, which was strange for any person who would want to clear themselves. Maybe it's true and he wasn't apart of it, but I doubt it personally. Trying to save your reputation by denying knowledge of something isn't that uncommon. I'm just skeptical I guess....

Originally Posted by Michael Brown

An update…

Nick Lillis contacted me earlier today. We had a phone conversation, and I was extremely impressed with his concern about what occurred and maturity. It is my strong belief that what occurred at the show was an independent act performed by a concerned third party, not involved or orchestrated by Nick. I understand that some will question the intent, but I was met with nothing except respect and politeness during this conversation. To me, it speaks volumes to his character to reach out with what I deemed genuine concern. For Nick and me, the situation at the show has been resolved.

Regardless of how this thread began, and less than perfect first impressions, I honestly believe that Nick is a young guy trying his best to establish himself in the reptile community. I think it is important to revisit the fact that this is an inquiry based thread started in an attempt to gather additional information about an individual to inevitably make the reptile community a safer place to purchase from. With that being said, after speaking to him I would not hesitate to make a purchase to test his product (if the time comes he has something I want to buy).

Just my 0.02