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Bad Guy Beware:Colin Smith of F-One or F1 Snakes

Lucille said:
I don't understand this. It might take 3 days for them to move the money from their Paypal account to their checking account, but they have the deposit in their Paypal account in seconds.

Can you post the actual emails you sent and received?
Click to expand...

I could have had cash in his hand the day he called to come get the snakes. That didn't happen.

Sorry, I don't know how to post the actual emails, but I assure you I am not making any of this up. I have no reason to.

Quite frankly, I am getting tired of replying to this thread defending myself against people who are justifying someone else's dishonest business practices. Whatever happened to people keeping their word about things anymore these days? Anyone who supports this kind of behavior is most likely dishonest themselves since they can relate better to the person who is the offender.
 
A note for all you sticking up for Colin. The Google bots are having a hay day with this thread which has given it the #2 position on Google because of all your responses. Keep up the good work. If you wanted to help the guy out, you would have been better off remaining silent and letting it rest. My original post didn't even make the first five pages of Google until you all involved. But like Colin said to me after selling off the snakes he promised he would let me have first pick of, "oh well".
 
ScottJ said:
I could have had cash in his hand the day he called to come get the snakes. That didn't happen.

Sorry, I don't know how to post the actual emails, but I assure you I am not making any of this up. I have no reason to.

Quite frankly, I am getting tired of replying to this thread defending myself against people who are justifying someone else's dishonest business practices. Whatever happened to people keeping their word about things anymore these days? Anyone who supports this kind of behavior is most likely dishonest themselves since they can relate better to the person who is the offender.
Click to expand...

You can easily learn to take a screenshot. I would really like to see the actual words in context you used. I'm getting a feeling just maybe there might have been more said.

I don't know how long you have been in the reptile hobby, but if you are buying online, you need to make a deposit if you are interested in a critter. Sellers will tell you that all sorts of people will tell them they are interested, never to be heard from again.

You came here and posted on a forum and got some reasonable replies. That you did not like them is no reason to disparage those who posted.
 
Lucille said:
You can easily learn to take a screenshot. I would really like to see the actual words in context you used. I'm getting a feeling just maybe there might have been more said.

I don't know how long you have been in the reptile hobby, but if you are buying online, you need to make a deposit if you are interested in a critter. Sellers will tell you that all sorts of people will tell them they are interested, never to be heard from again.

You came here and posted on a forum and got some reasonable replies. That you did not like them is no reason to disparage those who posted.
Click to expand...

I wasn't buying online. I offered to drive a hour each way to make it a simple, clear cut, face-to-face transaction and his location. All he had to do is say the word and I would have dropped everything. There was never any lapse in communication on my part and I did my best to stay on top of it.

I am 39 years old and was collecting snakes since the fourth grade, when I won the science fair at my elementary school with my impressive collection and knowledge of these animal. At that age I was hunting snakes on a daily basis, including rattle snakes. I would fake being sick so I could stay home from school to go check all the boards I had laid out in all the territory around my house.

In high school I had the largest rodent colony in the San Francisco Bay area and sold mice to every pet/reptile store in my county, including Western Zoological Supply, the Mad Jungle, Pet World, The Peninsula Humaine Society, and many others. I got my first gray banded kingsnake in 1993, long before most of todays enthusiasts even knew what one was. I wouldn't be surprised if many of you are feeding your animals from rodents from my original blood lines from 20+ years ago!

I sold The East Bay Vivarium most of the incubators they are still using today. So, to answer your question, I am not new to this hobby. It was not just a hobby for me, it was somewhat of a career, and I was very good at it, even as a youngster. I never had a single unhappy customer, ever! But that was because I kept my promises and delivered great product.
 
I, too, would like to see the emails. I am particularly interested in the one that says something like, "There are 4 or 5 others interested but you can have first pick." That one just doesn't make sense to me.

OP, you chose to bring this here. Nobody is being unreasonable with you. What you are becoming tired of is of your own doing. Provide objective information (emails, texts, etc.) or expect to be questioned.
 
ScottJ said:
A note for all you sticking up for Colin. The Google bots are having a hay day with this thread which has given it the #2 position on Google because of all your responses. Keep up the good work. If you wanted to help the guy out, you would have been better off remaining silent and letting it rest. My original post didn't even make the first five pages of Google until you all involved. But like Colin said to me after selling off the snakes he promised he would let me have first pick of, "oh well".
Click to expand...

ScottJ, you probably don't care (because you did win the science fair with your Impressive Animal Collection in 2nd grade) but you are coming across as a real jerk.

The more you type the more we see what is actually going on.

When you can take a break from all of your commercial rodent production or incubator manufacturing you may take note that people who breed and sell snakes see your requests for animals with specific patterns, etc and immediately label you as "difficult", "novice", or "P-I-T-A" --- or all three.
 
laterob said:
I, too, would like to see the emails. I am particularly interested in the one that says something like, "There are 4 or 5 others interested but you can have first pick." That one just doesn't make sense to me.

OP, you chose to bring this here. Nobody is being unreasonable with you. What you are becoming tired of is of your own doing. Provide objective information (emails, texts, etc.) or expect to be questioned.
Click to expand...

Believe me, I thought that was kind of weird that he said that too. First thing I thought was "is this guy trying to start a bidding war for these things?" Who even says something like that to a customer? It almost threw me into a panic and that is why I was emailing him almost daily to check in with him. It's like he was trying to employ "used car salesman" tactics on me over a couple of snakes.

If you want to explain how to post a screen shot of the emails, I would be happy to do so. Although I don't feel it's necessary. I have no reason to make any of this up. I have nothing to gain. I just want to prevent someone from having the same experience down the road. That's all.
 
Another note for you, Scott Johnson in Half Moon Bay, California: you write about your early experience with snakes like you are a snake-whisperer who has always been into snakes and are therefore "special" or entitled --- or somehow deserving of some special treatment because you have always been interested in snakes.

Everyone on this forum can say the same thing. In here you are just another snake guy who happens to also be throwing a temper tantrum like a little, whiny cry-baby.
 
I have purchased from Colin and was very pleased with the entire transaction. I don't think was happened merited a bad guy post and could have been resolved with Colin if handled properly.
Tad Fitzgerald
 
ScottJ said:
Posted by: F1sucks at Sun Sep 22 01:54:54 2013 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by F1sucks ] [ Follow this user in Connect ]
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Click to expand...

Scott,
Would you explain the above?
 
There was no transaction here. At all.

You gave nothing. At all.

You were owed nothing. At all.

We have all been sniped when trying to set up deals we really wanted, but the seller can sell to whomever he or she wants whenever he or she wants. I have been beaten by minutes on deals for stuff that took me a year or years to find the chance to buy again. There is not an external party at fault for you to take out your frustrations on.

This thread is not warranted in the style of its execution.

You had the chance to get what you wanted. You delayed the action to get what you wanted. A consequence was that you lost your opportunity by virtue of the scenario you contributed to. If you wish to blame anything, blame your own hesitation. Had you not been hesitant, you would have your preferred animal.
 
You did not say for certain that you wanted the snake shown, you did not put a deposit down on snake shown, therefore you are entitled to NOTHING. He does not have to hold it for you, hell he doesn't even have to communicate with you about who he sold it to. You are plain SOL on the whole transaction. You came here and posted a Bad Guy thread because you didn't get what you wanted, not because a bad transaction took place, (no transaction took place, no money or animals exchanged hands.) You can whine and moan all you want, but nothing took place for this to be a BG thread. If you wanted so bad to get this Information out there, them you should have posted it as an INFO thread.

Glad to hear this thread pops up on google, at least then people can see how unreasonable YOU are being, and make the decision to or not to do business with you now.

Btw, you sound ignorant when you post crap like, "I am sure some of you are buddies of his." All because we don't agree with you dumb thread you started... Grow up, Mr. 39yo. Just because something doesn't go your way, doesn't mean you have the right to act like a child and throw a temper tantrum.
 
ScottJ said:
If you want to explain how to post a screen shot of the emails, I would be happy to do so.
Click to expand...

I did, or at least furnished a link that explains how to do it. Hours ago. And you have not posted the screen shots you said you would be happy to post.

When you say you will do something and then don't, you are in no position to tell us what others allegedly said and didn't do.

You admit you put down no deposit. And you've offered no proof of anything else having to do with this transaction, even after you told me, gave me your word, you would post the screen shots.

ScottJ said:
Whatever happened to people keeping their word about things anymore these days?
Click to expand...

Indeed.
 
Has Colin been notified of this thread's existence? I would like to hear his side of things. I would also like to see these emails as well in their entirety.

I truly do understand your disappointment. However, I really feel like this was a a lack of proper communication between both of you. But it's truly hard to say either way without seeing the full email conversation that took place.
 
I have a feeling we are not seeing the entire emails and things are being left out. "Snippets" or copy/paste of partial emails are hardly proof, unless they're able to be verified by both sides.

I did not attack you Scott. Just because you do not agree with me (and most of the others who have posted) does NOT make what I said an attack. Although, it does clear up a little about your perception of things. If you took my little posts as attacks, what makes you think you comprehended dealing with Colin correctly? I have a sneaking suspicion this happens to you quite often.
 
While it's good to give everyone involved a chance to state their side of things, I don't think that Colin has any need to defend himself here. It's obvious that he wasn't being a "bad guy" in this transaction.

Also, Scott, I get the feeling that you don't really understand how seriously this forum takes "bad guy" threads. It's not just a general option to choose from, it's an option you only choose when the person you are writing about has done something genuinely bad. Failing to reserve a snake that you did not put a deposit on does not warrant a bad guy thread, as you have already been told.
 
Scott is pretty much accurate with what hes stating was communicated in the emails. I am sorry for Scott not getting the snake he wanted and would have given him a great deal to attempt to satisfy him, but before that even became a talking point he told me about how he would trash my name and that I would learn how destructive the internet can be to someones business. I dont do lists and the 4 people that were emailing me daily about that clutch were told that. Scott contacted me and I told him he could have first pick since he lived close by and Id avoid having to ship. I didnt anticipate there being only 1 snake from the clutch that would be to Scotts liking. I had to leave to work and only two of the seven hatchlings were out. I sent a picture figuring hed like what he saw because they were what he described he wanted. He asked if he could wait for the rest of the clutch to come out and I said yes. I never said I would reserve that snake, or that snake was his or anything like that. I then sent the pic to the other guys and that snake was paid for within minutes. I apologized to Scott for this all, but I guess we can all see what kind of guy he is. For the record there were no used car dealer tactics. All those snakes from that clutch sold for the same price. Out of the hundred or so transactions Ive made over the years, Ive had exactly 2 bad ones, including this one. The other one was with some crazy lady who went all "Scott" because she had to go to the sort facility to pick up her snake, which showed up A-OK. Anyhow, this will be my one and only rebuttal. Thanks Tad and everyone else.
 
C. Smith said:
I am sorry for Scott not getting the snake he wanted and would have given him a great deal to attempt to satisfy him, but before that even became a talking point he told me about how he would trash my name and that I would learn how destructive the internet can be to someones business.
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I would suspect the missing emails would contain something to this effect. Go figure.
Colin, it would be great if you would come back to at least post Scott's threats. I think some of us suspected he was holding back facts and this would certainly prove who the bad guy actually is.
 
C. Smith said:
Scott is pretty much accurate with what hes stating was communicated in the emails. I am sorry for Scott not getting the snake he wanted and would have given him a great deal to attempt to satisfy him, but before that even became a talking point he told me about how he would trash my name and that I would learn how destructive the internet can be to someones business. I dont do lists and the 4 people that were emailing me daily about that clutch were told that. Scott contacted me and I told him he could have first pick since he lived close by and Id avoid having to ship. I didnt anticipate there being only 1 snake from the clutch that would be to Scotts liking. I had to leave to work and only two of the seven hatchlings were out. I sent a picture figuring hed like what he saw because they were what he described he wanted. He asked if he could wait for the rest of the clutch to come out and I said yes. I never said I would reserve that snake, or that snake was his or anything like that. I then sent the pic to the other guys and that snake was paid for within minutes. I apologized to Scott for this all, but I guess we can all see what kind of guy he is. For the record there were no used car dealer tactics. All those snakes from that clutch sold for the same price. Out of the hundred or so transactions Ive made over the years, Ive had exactly 2 bad ones, including this one. The other one was with some crazy lady who went all "Scott" because she had to go to the sort facility to pick up her snake, which showed up A-OK. Anyhow, this will be my one and only rebuttal. Thanks Tad and everyone else.
Click to expand...

So when he said he wanted to wait for the rest of the clutch you just assumed he didn't want either of the snakes you had showed him? Correct me if I'm misunderstanding you.

I think everyone would still like to see the emails.
 
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