Read the ORIGINAL post that evoked suspicion and the others I have posted (they'd have been better of at the zoo had I been patient for ONE weekend. The majority of the communication is done via text, phone call, or in person, seeing as though they live only 30 minutes away from me. I obviously only have records of the text messages, and would be glad to forward them to anyone who is interested. If there is a way of copying them/time stamps onto the computer I'd love to know and I'll post those up as proof, as I'm unsure how to show a text message to someone across the internet short of maybe taking a picture of it?
August 31: 12:17 PM- I contact them offering my large 14’+ male tiger reticulated python, and a small pair of boas. They are getting into breeding reticulated pythons and can use the boas for the store- I have no use for any of the 3 as I got the boas on trade (and don’t do boas) and replaced the male with a higher end morph. I tell them I am asking $400 for the male and the 2 boas.
I get a response later at 4:36 stating they don’t have the 400 for the retic right now and at 4:41 I get a response of “All we have is 200 right now, but we wants the retic & boas, Can u work w us please?!?”
Aug 31 4:48 PM I talk to them and they end up offering me $200 up front “Come talk to us we’ll give you 200”
I ask if they want me to bring the retic, and say I’d need collateral or something until the rest is paid. Offering to watch something of theirs until they pay the rest.
At 4:52 I get the text “Ican write something up & we all sign it” in response. I think sure, a contract would be great.
I drive down with the retic and 2 boas, and hand them over for $200, we talk about a contract in person, but they are late to doing an aquarium set up so I end up letting it slide. I wasn’t too worried with a pet store attempting to scam me especially since I had done business with them before and helped them with some various reptile stuff.
I remind them on Sept 7 about the money being owed and I get the following response:
Sept 7: 8:44 PM “We will get u ur money don’t worry!!!”
I reply back asking how soon they’ll have it.
Sept 7: 8:45 PM “I don’t know right now I’m sorry. Too bad ur not interested in the hedgehog”. I had looked at a hedgehog but didn’t feel a single hedgehog was worth $200 and would rather have the cash, so I declined the offer.
On Sept 9th I remind them again that I need the money, I try putting a deadline of the 18th on it to try and get the last bit of my money. I get no real direct responses. I ask again on the 15th and get no response again.
This slides until Oct 28th, shortly before repticon. I end up getting ahold of him via the phone and agreeing to meet sometime around repticon – as they are driving through my city on their way and I could meet them there or in my city somewhere along the interstate. After personal threats from Steve via the phone- so we agree to meet on their way home from repticon. We agree he will have $100 for me that day and $100 the Saturday following. I meet them around 8:10 and get $100 from them.
The next weekend I get in contact with them and don’t hear anything back. I’m told at 12:50 that he’ll get back with me later and his phone is at the store and is about dead.
I’m told at 12:55 “I don’t know that he has the cash. Someone hit our car again yesterday”.
I ask if they have anything on trade instead, so I can put this debt behind us and get on with my life. I understand things happen, but it’s been over 2 months now.
We end up talking about a fellow reptile keeper and at 1:53 I receive “Yeah Steve mentioned we owed you money”. At this point they have paid me $300, and they are admitting to owing more. I again let it slide, giving them the benefit of the doubt again.
I’m texted on Thur Nov 22 saying that they needed to get rid of the big snakes and to let me know if anyone is interested by Monday. I mention the fact I don’t have much cash but can work something out.
At 12:25 I get “I know that. Neither are we. We only owe you 100 anyway. Just let us know if you know anyone, we need the money to live off of.” Admitting again to owing me the last $100.
On the 27th they say they have them sold, on the 28th I ask how much and they reply $1500, I say I need my $100 and I want to be done with this nonsense.
I get no responses back, and on the 9th of December at 12:14 I ask when I can pick up the last $100, they respond they never got paid. I’m in the market for a few big females and have cash to spend so I offer them $500 and to scratch off the $100 I owe in trade for their large female tiger. I don’t hear anything back for a couple days.
On the 12th I get ahold of them again and I say I need my $100, and I’m not waiting for a buyer if they don’t want to sell to me, and it isn’t my problem anymore what drama they have going on or what deals they have going on. I’m told at 1:32 AM “I don’t have it right now, sorry” at 1:37 “There isn’t anything we can do. I can’t pull a hundred bucks” again at 1:55 AM: but we don’t have a hundred bucks”.
I’m told to call his phone (by his wife) until he wakes up, so I did, he answered by yelling at me, saying he doesn’t owe me any money, and claiming the snake is sick.
They then have gone on to claim they took the snake to a local vet the next day after getting it, and said it was sick. I tell them I will take this to court, and I get “going to court for 100 bucks? Ok I guess”.
On the 13th after I type up a long facebook message I get told “You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip”
Now somehow they are saying they don’t owe me money, that they snake I sold them was sick and they took it to the vet the next day. I know when I get animals, I check immediately if they are sick, and if I find problems- I contact the seller as soon as I can, ESPECIALLY if I still owe money on the animal and haven’t paid it off, as it’s much easier to communicate/work something out rather than 3.5 months down the road.
I know right now the shop is closed down and they quit it and are in a pretty bad luck streak, but hopefully this warns others about them in case they try to do business with anyone else in the near future.
