Bad Guy Brooklyn's Scales and Tails/Frank Fundaro

[Bruce Lowder]

Shortly before our recent Long Island Reptile Expo we had a last minute cancellation, and contacted Mr. Fundaro from Brooklyn Scales and Tails from our wait list about purchasing the table. He agreed (see email copies below), and then failed to show up at the show and the table sat empty. Follow up emails, calls, and facebook messages regarding payment for the table have been ignored.

Normally tables are paid for at the time of reservation, but as this was a last minute fill-in the day before the show, I agreed to accept payment from him that morning when he checked in. If he had bothered to contact us that evening, or even early the morning of the show, I could have resold the table to other vendors on standby.

At this point I have no illusions that I am actually going receive payment from him. However, I did want to warn others about how he does business. It is a shame that now I can't extend even a little bit of trust in these last minute type situations! I guess according to Mr. Fusaro, "Consider it done" means "Consider yourself ripped off!"

Here are the emails:

"Outstanding....consider it done, thank you Bruce

On Oct 19, 2012 9:51 PM, "Bruce Lowder" <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi Frank


You got to back to me first, so the table is yours!

Load in starts at 5am, and we open to the public shortly before 9am. Please drop off the $85 table fee when you arrive- if paying by check, please make it payable to Animal Encounters. Bring a table covering, and extension cord and power strip to split off from the shared electrical drops, if needed.

Thanks, and see you Sunday morning


Bruce Lowder

NY Reptile Expo


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

From: Frank fundaro [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2012 9:27 PM
To: Bruce Lowder
Subject: Re: Long Island Reptile Expo table


Yes sir I am very much still interested that is if it is still available

On Oct 19, 2012 12:55 PM, "Bruce Lowder" <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi Frank


Not sure if you were still looking, but we did just receive a cancellation for 1 table for Sunday’s Long Island Reptile Expo.

If you are interested, please let me know ASAP- this close to the show I am putting the word out to several vendors on our waiting list, and whoever gets back to me first will get the table. 6-foot table costs $85.

Thanks!
Bruce Lowder"

NY Reptile Expo

Thanks for reading, and hope nobody else gets shafted by this guy!

Bruce Lowder
NY Reptile Expo

 

[Amelanistic Orca]

They're everywhere these days... FLAKES & LIARS!

 

[squinn]

So this is what the BOI is being used for these days
? must be a slow scammer day. I'm pretty sure most of the promoters in my part of the country have one or two no shows every shows of people who commit to tables every show and their reaction is either "crap happens" or well that person won't vend at my show. My thought is the crap happens model emergencies come up in people's lives cars break down ect....

 

[Lucille]

So this is what the BOI is being used for these days
?

This person's behavior led to loss of income for Bruce. He is here to tell his story and perhaps to help other promoters not get the same treatment. Not only that, if Fundaro doesn't keep his word with this promoter, he may do the same on a deal with a customer.
This is what the BOI is for.

 

[Bruce Lowder]

So Steve, all it would have taken was a phone call or email saying that he no longer wanted the table. I had other people who I could have called up to an hour before the show started who would have purchased the table. He did not bother, and thus as a result of his lying about purchasing the table I am out the table fee.

Some pretty poor ethics as far as I am concerned, but to each their own. I sincerely hope that your customers do not treat you that way.

I do not anticipate ever getting paid, but did want to share how this Reptile Breeder does business with others in herp world- that is what I thought the BOI is for.

Bruce Lowder

 

[squinn]

I am actually amazed Bruce this is the first time some herper has finked out on a table for you, I mean i consider most herpers salt of the earth, dependable individuals (sarcasm). Maybe collecting the money before hand prevents this the way it happens in which case i commend your methology, perhaps the promoters in my area that operate on the pay at the show model can learn a thing or two from your business model. Have you contacted this person in regards to still owing you for a table? if not i think this thread may be a bit premature as at least in my area there has never been an expectation for payment for not showing up at a reptile show. I agree this is a rude, jerky thing to do but well frankly a disproprortianate percentage comparative to the general population of reptile hobbyists i meet tend to be rude and self-absorbed. Just not sure i consider not showing up to a reptile show labels you a "bad guy" in the same sense fraud or outright theft does. I expect you are probably right and you will not get paid for your vacancy but an email asking for compensation to him would not be out of line before posting a thread such as this unless i missed it. Just a quick what if question lets just say for instance he had a relative in the hospital or there was a bad storm (I know that is rediculous to have a bad storm in NY) what is your policy on no show vendors?

 

[JColt]

Steve if you read 1st post he offered the table after a last min cancellation the day before the event. Brooklyn Scales and Tails agreed to take it. He also states that follow up email, calls and facebook postings have been ignored before posting this.

 

[Lucille]

So this is what the BOI is being used for these days

Just not sure i consider not showing up to a reptile show labels you a "bad guy" in the same sense fraud or outright theft does.

You seem to want to continue as the enforcer of BOI norms, and what it means to be bad.
It is true there are different levels of 'bad guys' but why are you trying to be the gatekeeper here and say that only certain kinds of bad need be spoken of on the BOI?
There was an agreement, and because it was broken, the OP lost money he could have made. He is letting others know, and because of that, they may be forwarned about the wisdom of renting tables to Mr. Fundaro.

 

[Bruce Lowder]

Steve:
I do normally require pre-payment for tables- we are fortunate to sell out our shows well ahead of time, with a long wait list. This was a very much last minute opening, which is the only reason I agreed to payment that morning....

It is ironic that the only reason that I contacted Scales and Tails in the first place was due to one of our regular vendors getting quite ill the day before the show and having to cancel. I immediately offered him the option of a refund or credit to the next show, knowing there were a number of vendors such as Mr. Fundaro who were looking for tables at the last minute. I even had a vendor there the morning of the show who would have purchased the table if Mr. Fundaro had bothered to call or email us then, but he obviously could not be bothered. By the time it was obvious that Mr. Fundaro was not going to show, the expo had already opened, and our standby vendor had set up with a friend and at that point was no longer interested in moving.

Mr. Fundaro has been contacted via email and facebook- no responses were made to private messages. However, after 3 weeks of no responses, he sure did take my facebook posting from his wall fast when I asked him about the situation there.....!!

My point of posting this is to warn people in the herp world how this guy does business. While I am not hopeful of ever getting paid, perhaps this thread will keep someone else from getting scammed by him. That being said, if Mr. Fundaro were ever to decide to do the right thing and pay for the table he reserved, I would be happy to post that update to this thread.

Bruce Lowder

 

[mikepanzarella]

we got our table at the long island expo because someone cancelled and are very thankful for the opportunity
so not only did bruce lose money on the table but another possible vendor lost a great opportunity IMO this is 100% BOI material
were on the wait list for the white plains expo and if im lucky enough to get that email your damn sure im going to show up early and be thankful for the opportunity

 

[Snake-Queen]

I am actually amazed Bruce this is the first time some herper has finked out on a table for you, I mean i consider most herpers salt of the earth, dependable individuals (sarcasm). Maybe collecting the money before hand prevents this the way it happens in which case i commend your methology, perhaps the promoters in my area that operate on the pay at the show model can learn a thing or two from your business model. Have you contacted this person in regards to still owing you for a table? if not i think this thread may be a bit premature as at least in my area there has never been an expectation for payment for not showing up at a reptile show. I agree this is a rude, jerky thing to do but well frankly a disproprortianate percentage comparative to the general population of reptile hobbyists i meet tend to be rude and self-absorbed. Just not sure i consider not showing up to a reptile show labels you a "bad guy" in the same sense fraud or outright theft does. I expect you are probably right and you will not get paid for your vacancy but an email asking for compensation to him would not be out of line before posting a thread such as this unless i missed it. Just a quick what if question lets just say for instance he had a relative in the hospital or there was a bad storm (I know that is rediculous to have a bad storm in NY) what is your policy on no show vendors?

You have been added to THE LIST. You come here and tell US what should be a basis for a Bad Guy thread & in the same breath, dis all of us stating we are not trust worthy.

 

[squinn]

You have been added to THE LIST. You come here and tell US what should be a basis for a Bad Guy thread & in the same breath, dis all of us stating we are not trust worthy.

OH NO not the list!!!!!!!!!! really? i mean really? is that supposed to intimidate into not giving my opinion on subjects on the BOI? good luck with that.

 

[Lucille]

intimidate into not giving my opinion on subjects on the BOI?

Weren't you trying to intimidate the OP into not giving his opinion, here on the BOI, by somehow implying that his (in my opinion, worthwhile) story was not worthy of being here?

 

[hhmoore]

Warning: Enough, already

If anybody doesn't think this thread is BOI worthy, you are free to stop reading it. It is here, whether people agree with its merits, or not. An opinion stated is not that big a deal...but ongoing discussion about whether this matter should be here (or deserves a bad guy heading) is disruptive and off topic.

 

[Bruce Lowder]

Update- Brooklyn Scales and Tails did stop by our White Plains show today, and dropped off the table fee that was discussed at the beginning of this thread from our Long Island show last month. We appreciate their doing the right thing!

Bruce Lowder
NY Reptile Expo

 

[squinn]

Update- Brooklyn Scales and Tails did stop by our White Plains show today, and dropped off the table fee that was discussed at the beginning of this thread from our Long Island show last month. We appreciate their doing the right thing!

Bruce Lowder
NY Reptile Expo

did they give a good reason for not showing up?

 

[Bruce Lowder]

I was not at the vendor registration table when they came by. The ladies at the table told me that someone from Brookyn Scales and Tails stopped by, handed them the table fee, and told them to tell me that they wanted to do the right thing. A pleasant surprise, and hence my update. While they did not say that this BOI thread was mentioned, I do have to wonder if it had any direct or indirect pressure towards the final positive outcome....

Bruce Lowder

 

[squinn]

I was not at the vendor registration table when they came by. The ladies at the table told me that someone from Brookyn Scales and Tails stopped by, handed them the table fee, and told them to tell me that they wanted to do the right thing. A pleasant surprise, and hence my update. While they did not say that this BOI thread was mentioned, I do have to wonder if it had any direct or indirect pressure towards the final positive outcome....

Bruce Lowder

either way glad it ended well for you and payment was made was just curious if you got any more backstory.

excuse#1 I got drunk the night before, overlslept and was too hungover to vend that day sorry.

excuse #2 My mom had a heart attack and i was in the hospital all weekend and calling to let you know was at the bottom of my priority list due to the crisis sorry.

two very different possible scenarios excuse #2 would leave me feeling very differently towards this person than excuse #1 all's well that ends well however i suppose.

 

[outlawtrucker]

I met Bruce long ago and (he probably wouldn't recognize me by name or face )he's one of the good guys in this buissness so I'm glad he got paid.Also glad Brooklyn paid. Helps their reputation too.Good to see an boiling thread turn out positive

 

[outlawtrucker]

Sorry about mis-type.BOI thread that is