Please beware of a huge scam artist: Robert Grone

Please be advised of a huge scam artist if he should try to sell on Kingsnake again. He goes by the name Robert Gone, Robertgrone2@hotmail.com. This person is extremely hostile and a very untrutworthy person. I am NOT thye type of person that ever posts anything negative, mainly due to the fact that I always deal with friends and well known breeders. This was a special case where I tried to branch and get an animal from someone that just poped up and boy do you want to avoid this person.

Sorry I put it on before I was finished. The story goes that apx. a week ago on Kingsnake there was an ad for an Emerald tree boa. When you opened the ad it said tree anaconda male. I e-mailed Robert and asked for his phone number. I then called him and asked some questions and if pics would be available. He said that a friend had to take them so it would be a couple of days. I said fine and asked if I should go ahead and send a deposit and then should anything be apparently wrong in the pics he could refund the deposit. He said sure so I sent it out the next day. The original phone call was on Mon. I then called him on Thurs. to check on pics and to tell him that the check was coming. He said that he should have pics in another day or so. I began to get slightly worried but said ok. I still had not heard from him on the following Mon. so I called again and asked if he had recieved his check and it had still not come. I very nicely asked if he thought pics would be available soon so that we could send the rest of the payment. He became very hostile and said that he now would probably not be able to send pics. I simply asked what we should do because I really wanted the animal based on seeing the pics but could not buy an animal without at least seeing the pics that he had promised many days ago and agreed from the first phone call that he would not buy an animal without pics. He then decided to just hang up the phone and leave it off of the hook when I tried calling back. I finally got his wife when she answered for him and said that he was not there. I asked if she was sure becasue I had just spoke with him and she then also hung up. I waited until today to send this message:


Well Robert seeing as how you have decided to not be able to speak on the phone anymore simply because I was uncomfortable sending the second check for the Emerald without seeing pics (as you agreed from the beginning that you understood completely wanting to see pics if you were buying and you had promised pics from last Mon. and so I trusted you to send the first payment anyway because you said that pics would be available in a day or two) and now you obviously have something to hide that you would become so impatient and offended and hang up the phone and have your wife answer and cover for you saying that you are not there and then hung up herself, obviuosly you can not come up with pics for whatever reason so please just send back the check that we sent you. I truly wanted the animal and just wanted to figure out how to get just a pic, but without pics and if someone has that much to hide and then becomes so immature as to hang up the phone and having an extreme attitude for something that they had promised, I think that I will pass. Obviously you do not no how to conduct business properly.
Based on your display of character yesterday for simply trying to figure out what to do with no pics, I will assume that I get a nasty response back from you or non at all. A mature response would be nice, but I very much doubt it. So please be sure to prove me right

He then reponded with this:

IDIOT!!!!!


So basically, please beware if he should pop back up. I hope that he doesn't think I am an idiot for him still having my deposit because he will have a big supprise in store when he goes to cash it, it's already been canceled after yesterdays hang up session.
Sorry to do this but, I felt obligated to share this,
Thank you,
Brad Johnson

Sorry, last time I promise. I just noticed all of my spelling errors in the first post from typing so fast. He had just sent me that last response e-mail and I was slightly bothered to say the least.

His full name is Robert Grone, not Gone. LOL! Robert Grone2@hotmail.com

Sorry and please be cautious should he try and sell this or any other animal again since I am obviously not taking it. There must be a lot that he is hidding and anyone that would conduct themselves in that fashion puts up a red flag to me.

Brad Johnson

Having read your post, I would say you are lucky and made a series of good decisions. You didn't get photos, so you ended up cancelling the check you sent..... good move. I wouldn't buy any snake without first seeing pics!

This guy lied in offering you pics, anyone can get a disposeable camera and have the pics put on disk for you.

He hung up on you and had his wife answer the phone, must take a real man to do that and hide behind his wife....

You should email this guy and let him know this thread is here... , send him the link. For all the trouble it's been for you, a little bit of bad publicity for a bad business person might be a good thing!

You emailed the guy, after phone call conversation became impossible and got, "Idiot," as a response!

With a lot of people on fauna that will view your posts, I'd say maybe it's not you that is the idiot!

My main question is, does he even have the Emerald you wanted to buy? And what is so difficult about sending someone a few pics?

Well Scott, if the animal does even exist, there must be a lot to hide that someone would become so defensive over pics that he had already promised. He must have assumed that I would eventually just purchase it anyway without pics and there was no chance of that happening. There is no telling what I would have ended up with if anything at all once he had the money. I really have no interest in contacting him again and getting into a huge battle. I have seen these things escalate into a 19, 20 page ordeal and he simply is not worth it nor do I have the time. I do appreciate your response and supprt and I just hope that anyone that would ever have considered dealing with this person has now read this and has been made aware.


Brad Johnson

EMERALD TREE BOA ANACONDA PHASE
CINCINNATI OHIO
Posted by ROBERT GRONE (Contact Me!) on April 12, 2003 at 20:12:57



5FT.LTC MALE No pics. $400

Please beware, he is now trying to sell the animal again on KS. He actually had the nerve today to e-mail and say, no pics will be available take it or leave it, after the way he acted from the above posts and what his response was to my e-mails. He has a lot of nerve even re contacting me again, let alone asking me to still purchase this animal again, still with no pics available. I would not even consider ever purchasing anything from this person after the way he acted and I strongly advise the same to anyone else. Anyone that can not provide pictures and becomes EXTREMELY hostile does not deserve to be in this business and clearly has a lot to hide. There is no telling what that animal would be like or the care that has been given to it, if it even exists. I believe that he is trying to get rid of it and obviously does not want anyone to see the animal before purchasing it. So again, just please be advised.


Brad Johnson

There is something awfully fishy about those Cincinnati folks.

That makes 2 weasels that live down there Brad.

Who knows, it may even be one of "his" pukers he sold to another herper who is looking to pawn it off on you.

I would simply AVOID anyone from that region of Ohio when purchasing animals.

Sorry to hear about this mess Brad. At least you had some good folks willing to help you out when you needed it.

toot, toot

Sorry, that was just my horn.

hey brad, robert grone did the same thing to me, i was tryin to buy a black pak from him that he had posted on KS. we should talk, email me at karlramsdell454@hotmail.com

To truly ensure all of you not to ever deal with this person PLEASE make sure that you read this latest email from him.


"By the way you better remove the thread about me on fauna.Just because
somebody does not want to talk to a mama's boy for three hours about why
they cannot provide pics of an animal,does not mean they are
unscrupulous.You should learn a little maturity and not spread slanderous
lies about somebody without knowing all the details.By the way I will be
calling you.Hope to meet you someday.Greetings MR. KNOW IT ALL, Thanks,again
Robert"


I am NOT one to even post on these things, (in fact this is my only complaint thread) or to especially keep them going, but now this person is making threats and re varifies why I did not buy that animal, again he even had e mailed me yesterday asking if I still wanted the animal and to take it or leave it with no pics, even after what he had said and after all of his hang up calls. I choose to ignore him as I will from this e-mail that he just sent. He obviously reads this forum so when he does he should just think about who the "mama's boy", as I believe he put it, is that he has to have his wife answer the phone for him after he hangs up on someone for simply asking what to do with no pics available, plus can not come on here to chat if he would like and has to e-mail me privately. Now trying to threaten me? What's this, think about it Robert!

You took this here Robert, if you could not come up with pics, there was even a small chance that I would have still bought the animal if you had not become so hostile just for asking if the pics that YOU said would be available were available yet. Hanging up the phone for asking and having your wife answer for you when I called back and then her hanging up just like you did sealed the deal for me that I would not be purchasing it. Even if you had just said no pics would be available NICELY, I could have just passed on the animal and you could have just sent my deposite check back and it did not have to go here. When you acted the way that you did, I had to make people aware that that is not someone that should be selling animals. You became hostile and decided that we could not handle this in a mature fation. That's all you had to do and we could have easily resolved this. Again, think about it.
I am not even getting hostile back, I love these animals and was simply looking for a nice animal, not to deal with all of this. I am going to try and remain civil even with these threats made to me, that is why I feel that it is best to not even repond back to his e-mails. I am a nice person, but threaten me. Well..... what do you guys think?

Brad Johnson