andrew_snake_sale
New member
Trade went bad……….I did a trade with DAMIAN WALEGA back on 11/21/13
The deal was:
DAMIAN WALEGA was to send me 5 ball pythons.
0.1 normal (het pied)
0.1 albino
1.0 Champagne
1.0 albino
1.0 pastel/lesser/Mojave bel
I was to send DAMIAN WALEGA 2 breeder sized ball pythons:
0.1 phantom
0.1 pewterom
When I received DAMIAN WALEGAS 5 bp’s 2 of them (the male albino and the male bel) had visible injuries, the first thing we noticed was a scratch/rat bite on the albinos neck, and the bel had 2 puncture wounds on the underside of his jaw, it was swollen and he was bothered by it as if it hurt him.
11/21/13 I contacted DAMIAN WALEGA first by fb message with a pic of the bels swollen and punctured jaw, we then spoke on the phone and he said that their wounds would heal .and it was no big deal. at this time he said if I wanted to ship the snake back he would ship a replacement, I asked him to cover the shipping and he laughed and said no. this wasnt acceptable as he never should have sent these injured/sick snakes to me.
11/22/13 my mom and I fb messaged Damian with 4 pics of the albinos injuries, and more of the bells injury,(puncture holes on his jaw and a mark on mid head.. on the albino, the rat bites on his head, his neck and face, we expressed our concerns and asked how he thinks we should handle this?
11/23/13 Damian responds with “they are healthy animals, it will heal.
I responded to that with that they are puncture wounds, with swelling and the abino has redness , and asked if that means infection possibly needing vet care?
11/24/13 Damian responds “hey” “that will heal””it’s a bite” “give it some time”
I responded and said i will call the vet and see what he says
11/27/13 I messaged him I told him I was not happy with the conditions of either snake, that they might be permanently scarred. I said infection is my biggest concern, we asked that he send us replacements of the bel and the albino AND pay for the shipping
He sends me a thumbs up icon
He said he will call me and said he was busy
12/1/13 I fb messaged damian and said we really need to know if he is going to pay for me to ship them back, told him the bel was not eating.
12/2/13 damian writes send them back and I will send replacement.
He never answeres me if he was going to pay for the shipping, and he originally said he would only replace the bel
I wrote him back and told him I shpuld not be responsible for the shipping expense because he should have never sent those 2 snakes out in those conditions.
I questioned his husbandary practices and issues
Damian said “I will send replacements but will not compensate both ways” “let me know”
I wrote back and asked him a few questions how he feeds his snakes? And if he sends rat bitten snakes out a lot?
12/5/13 I said that we needed to know what he wants to do or we will be taking them to the vet
Damien says “I will take pics of the replacements today”
I asked him if he could send the replacements today and put a prepaid lable in the box so I could ship his back
Damian said “first I will send photos”
I said we will have to see them, and check them for rat bites, ri and mites
12/6/13 damian says “its 20 degrees in Chicago sending pics soon”
I said that in my opinion these snakes should be seen by a vet and we are not resolving anything so I proposed that we each sent the snakes back to each other in the original trade, that he could send our 2 female bps back to me and I will send his 5 back. Ans asked him when he could do it, told him my availability.
12/6/13 damien writes “that will no longer work. I started breeding them. I will send ypu photos of replacements” “those snakes do not need a vet” “its 20 degrees in Chicago to cold to ship” THEN “if you so concerned, when you cut yourself do you visit the hospital”
I sent him a long message with my concerns and how we feel about this whole situation and told him that I wanted my 2 snakes back and I will send his 5 back, I told him that we quarantine and that we were surprised that he would start breeding the 2 girls that I sent him less than 2 weeks because I thought he was a responsible breeder and the girls should still be in quarantine
Because he has stated that the 2 injured snakes do not need vet care I asked him again to send my snakes back and give him his 5 back so he could get them treated.
Damian says “I will send you photos and when it gets warm will send out snakes”
I said our snakes? And a long message
Damian sent a pic of an albino and a pic of a bel (both pics he sent us of the snakes were the same pics of the snakes that we were getting in the original trade)
I sent damian several messages telling him that I didn’t feel like we are on the same page. Told him I was going to check into flights, because we wanted our snakes back
Told him the prices of the flights sent him udated pics of the injured snakes
Asked him more questions.
12/7/13 I say can you answer the questions
12/8/13 I asked him if he got the flight info? And the pics?
Damian sends the same pics “here are the replacements”
I said no I want my snakes back. I told him that he was supposed to send me healthy snakes, but he didn’t. I told him that he wont even respond to the questions I have asked him, expecially the ? if he wanted me to tale them to the vet for him in the meantime. I pffered to pay the 189 to ship our 2 snakes back, send him more pics of the bells jaw and asked him if he thinks that the injury is not a big deal?
I posted a thread on fauna (without naming him ) and sent him the link
12/9/13 damian says he wished he had never done this deal,that I am making him look like a bad guy, he said if I am worried take them to the vet and he will pay for the vet, he says the albino was a bonus snake (it was nota free snake it was what made the deal) he said “those snakes are as healthy as can be. You make it seam as they are infected and dying”
I sent a few messages with no responses
12/10/13 I told damian I made an appt for the vet
12/11/13 I took the snakes to the vet I messaged him from the vet ($136.75)
The vet findings are
Albino has an infection on his mouth from the rat bites,has some mouth rot.\, and a RI
The bel needs another appt, for a procedure to drain the abscess on his jaw.
I sent him the doctos notes and a coy of the bill
12/12/13 damian said “send me the bill” “I will send you a cashiers check. Btw the albino did not have a rash on his nose when I sent it out” (I sent damian pics of the albino and bel the day I received them)
I resonded
12/12/13 I asked him what his health guarantee is
No resposce
12/14/13 I asked again..
Sent him 3 more messages
Damian says “I said I will pay for the vet” ”whats your paypal” and “there was no sense of going to the vet, all he did was give you a generic antibiotic that is for wide spectrum”
“they are healthy””are they sick” “no””they are not badly injured it is a bite”
More messages from me with no responses
I gave him more options he didn’t thimk they were good ideas
12/16/13 told damian the bell had the abscess drained ($60)
12/17/13 I posted on facebook boi
DAMIAN WALEGA publically agrees to pay the vet bills and send replacements when the weather gets better.
I message him and asked when he was paying me. I made sure he had the bills and the paypal
DAMIAN said “I will send tomorrow”
12/19/13 DAMIAN said “I am working on it. I have a check to deposit and waiting for it to clear”
12/23/13 DAMIAN says “check clears tomorrow”
12/26/13 DAMIEN says “hey andrew i will be sending funds as soon as I am back from vacation”
Jan 11, 2014 DAMIAN says “tomorrow”
And we have not heard back from him since. He has not paid the vet bills either!!!!!
I fb messaged him every day and although it showed that he saw the messages he choose to ignore them……
Jan 17/18, 2014 I reposted on the fb boi he was tagged 2ce by commenter’s and did not respond….
IMO DAMIAN WALEGA knowingly sent me these 2 injured/sick snakes, from the start and during us trying to get our snakes back or come to a resolution, he minimized their injuries, mocked me, said that they did not need to see a vet, he did not quarantine our snakes that he got in trade ( he admitted he had started breeding them less than 2 weeks after he got them. He refused to return our snakes,(undo the trade ) (the trade was for healthy snakes) he said he has a healh guarantee but he hasn’t honored any type of guarentee it… he refused to pay for shipping for the “replacements” that he said he would send us, the pics that he sent us of the replacements that he said he would send at a later date were actually the same pics that he had sent us of the snakes that he was originally sending us in the nov trade. I asked him to send a pic of the replacements their weights, and with a paper with that days date written on it and he never sent any weights or pics…..He never paid the vet bills that he publicly on fb and to me promised he would pay the bills and send replacements and he has not paid me for the vet care, or fix this problem just broken promises and lies..
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH DAMIAN WALEGA from chicago IL 60634
he scammed us and imo does not care about his snakes or his customers, and his husbandry practices have to be questioned.
BUYER BEWARE OF HIM...
thank youandrew cutler
I will fb message him though
time to clean up the hobby.