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    Posted 08/15/2025
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    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

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    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Bad Guy Gastro3003 aka Dr. Robert Brunner -- Scam Artist, Forger, Beware!

acecurl16 said:
So .. you sold the tortoise for 1500 more than your asking price ... you do understand by your own words that the tortoise was 3500 at that time ... so certainly no bargain .. correct? I mean you made the deal or posting ... not that the Dr. is innocent or even close to it .. certainly not ... but it does speak to your honesty and value of your words ... maybe you two should call it even or accept some monetary restitution from him .. give him his ring back and end this .. you're ahead 200 already :)
Click to expand...

Alan, at the time of the deal, the price we agreed on (as documented by all our texts) was $5k. I'm not sure sure what's difficult to understand about this.
 
acecurl16 said:
So .. you sold the tortoise for 1500 more than your asking price ... you do understand by your own words that the tortoise was 3500 at that time ... so certainly no bargain .. correct? I mean you made the deal or posting ... not that the Dr. is innocent or even close to it .. certainly not ... but it does speak to your honesty and value of your words ... maybe you two should call it even or accept some monetary restitution from him .. give him his ring back and end this .. you're ahead 200 already :)
Click to expand...

He sold it for $1500 less than his asking price - it was posted at $6500
Dr Brunner gave him $3700, and the ring (as collateral for the additional $1300). I don't understand why a price was negotiated when he didn't have the funds...but, then, I don't understand why Mr Li handed over the tortoise when the agreed upon price was not paid, either.
 
worldismarble said:
Rich, you're missing the point that I'm owed a total of $5k from Robert on the tortoise -- whether the tortoise supposedly died or not.
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Sorry, but no, I don't believe I am missing the point at all. The point is there really isn't any PROOF of what both parties are claiming at all. All I see are two people...

:hair_on_fire: :hair_on_fire:
 
If it did die does he really owe you anymore? If you sold him a sick animal that died within a week shouldn't you owe him? Or at the very least not make him pay the remaining balance and return his ring.
 
juliasara said:
If it did die does he really owe you anymore? If you sold him a sick animal that died within a week shouldn't you owe him? Or at the very least not make him pay the remaining balance and return his ring.
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:shrug01: Why wouldn't he owe me? The tortoise was inspected in-person, and I provided multiple opportunities for a full refund prior to the tortoise's supposed "death."
 
Nothing is difficult other than you want us to believe that a tortoise that would have been down to 3500 at the point you sold it to the Dr. by your own words in your posting was sold for 5K .. so the Dr. said I know it is only 3500 but let me pay you 5k? Or .. are you telling us your own words are worthless and the scammer got scammed :)
So I do agree .. we need to see the following;
1) Tuan has the tortoise that you sold (please don't reference #24 & 335) .. we have no idea where the pic came from ORIGINALLY .. that pis could have been a pic the Dr. sent Tuan and he never finished the deal ... the Dr. isn't going to admit he took pis as that would prove tortoise alive ... Tuan needs to come here and clear up .. but he may not as he is friends here with one of the people who recently spoke favorably of the Dr .. so he most likely will be a no show. Or .. just perhaps Tuan did buy it and already flipped it ... no way to take picture with current date.
2) Mike .. you still haven't provided proof the tortoise came from #443 in the form of who you got it from or just PM "Zovick" with info and he can verify ... why does this matter? Might effect value of tortoise but more importantly would give you some proof that your word is honest and truthful .. we already know you sold tortoise for more money than you were asking :)
3) Dr. Brenner ... you need to provide proof that the tortoise in question was indeed the exact one that died on 5/19 and was disposed of .. which makes me curious why you used a different CC to dispose of than one used to pay the treatment bill? Or .. why isn't it all in one bill ... the tortoise was very sick so assume it was hospitalized and died while in the vets care .. or did you take it home?

Harold -- Thanks for justifying the math ... I get how they got to the balance .. but if you read Mr. Li's post that he himself posted for his original ad ... it states that on 4/22 the tortoise was 6.5k and he would drop the price 1k each week till it sold .. it sold to the Dr. more than three weeks later .. so in my mind the tortoise had been reduced in price to 3.5k by then ... unless Mr. Li wasn't a man of his word or the "not-so-good" Dr. Brenner wasn't aware of that and agreed to over-pay :)
 
juliasara said:
If it did die does he really owe you anymore? If you sold him a sick animal that died within a week shouldn't you owe him? Or at the very least not make him pay the remaining balance and return his ring.
Click to expand...

That would not necessarily mean it was ill upon sale, as any manner of mistreatment could befall it after the change in custody.

As such, he is still owed the balance promised and would return the ring once said balance is paid.
 
Alan, I re-read post #282.

acecurl16 said:
Nothing is difficult other than you want us to believe that a tortoise that would have been down to 3500 at the point you sold it to the Dr. by your own words in your posting was sold for 5K .. so the Dr. said I know it is only 3500 but let me pay you 5k? Or .. are you telling us your own words are worthless and the scammer got scammed :)
So I do agree .. we need to see the following;
1) Tuan has the tortoise that you sold (please don't reference #24 & 335) .. we have no idea where the pic came from ORIGINALLY .. that pis could have been a pic the Dr. sent Tuan and he never finished the deal ... the Dr. isn't going to admit he took pis as that would prove tortoise alive ... Tuan needs to come here and clear up .. but he may not as he is friends here with one of the people who recently spoke favorably of the Dr .. so he most likely will be a no show. Or .. just perhaps Tuan did buy it and already flipped it ... no way to take picture with current date.
2) Mike .. you still haven't provided proof the tortoise came from #443 in the form of who you got it from or just PM "Zovick" with info and he can verify ... why does this matter? Might effect value of tortoise but more importantly would give you some proof that your word is honest and truthful .. we already know you sold tortoise for more money than you were asking :)
3) Dr. Brenner ... you need to provide proof that the tortoise in question was indeed the exact one that died on 5/19 and was disposed of .. which makes me curious why you used a different CC to dispose of than one used to pay the treatment bill? Or .. why isn't it all in one bill ... the tortoise was very sick so assume it was hospitalized and died while in the vets care .. or did you take it home?

Harold -- Thanks for justifying the math ... I get how they got to the balance .. but if you read Mr. Li's post that he himself posted for his original ad ... it states that on 4/22 the tortoise was 6.5k and he would drop the price 1k each week till it sold .. it sold to the Dr. more than three weeks later .. so in my mind the tortoise had been reduced in price to 3.5k by then ... unless Mr. Li wasn't a man of his word or the "not-so-good" Dr. Brenner wasn't aware of that and agreed to over-pay :)
Click to expand...
 
acecurl16 said:
Harold -- Thanks for justifying the math ... I get how they got to the balance .. but if you read Mr. Li's post that he himself posted for his original ad ... it states that on 4/22 the tortoise was 6.5k and he would drop the price 1k each week till it sold .. it sold to the Dr. more than three weeks later .. so in my mind the tortoise had been reduced in price to 3.5k by then ... unless Mr. Li wasn't a man of his word or the "not-so-good" Dr. Brenner wasn't aware of that and agreed to over-pay :)
Click to expand...

I don't know when they negotiated the price, nor do I care enough to look. Him saying he was going to reduce the price weekly doesn't mean the price got reduced by $3000, even if the time did pass before the negotiation. The last posted price was $6500, any assumption of scheduled reductions automatically taking place seems frivolous.
 
Just so you don't think I have lost my mind ... 4/22 -- "I'm asking $6.5k for this stunning male radiated, and will drop the price by $1k every week until he sells. Get in touch with me ASAP if you're interested in this serious breeder of a tortoise. No trades, unless for stunning Geochelone Platynota examples." .. I guess I'm just old-school and take a person for their word :)
 
What window passed .. said they would go down 1k a week UNTIL they sol .. no time frame and no window .. the way I read it .. but please understand Nick .. I am not here to argue with you .. I have no beef with anyone here except perhaps Mr. Li for his rude .. not condescending comments .. and no excuse for them including being frustrated ... but I have thick skin and the patience of Job .. so whatever ... reflects on him .. not me :)
So .. as I was trying to say .. I am just old school and believe in being a person of your words .. if I say I have a pair of snakes for 250.00 for the pair .. but I will drop the the price 25.00 for each week they don't sell and you contact me two weeks from now ... you bet your getting the pair for 200.00 ... now after 9 weeks that would make them free ... but I would update my listing to indicate I have decided to keep them once they got to a price I didn't wish to have go lower .. never happened in this case. In fact I dealt with someone here a few years back that indicated the wrong price on here by quite a bit and they still honored the deal because that is what the ad said .. my way of doing business .. not everybody's way .. to each there own :)
 
acecurl16 said:
What window passed .. said they would go down 1k a week UNTIL they sol .. no time frame and no window .. the way I read it .. but please understand Nick .. I am not here to argue with you .. I have no beef with anyone here except perhaps Mr. Li for his rude .. not condescending comments .. and no excuse for them including being frustrated ... but I have thick skin and the patience of Job .. so whatever ... reflects on him .. not me :)
So .. as I was trying to say .. I am just old school and believe in being a person of your words .. if I say I have a pair of snakes for 250.00 for the pair .. but I will drop the the price 25.00 for each week they don't sell and you contact me two weeks from now ... you bet your getting the pair for 200.00 ... now after 9 weeks that would make them free ... but I would update my listing to indicate I have decided to keep them once they got to a price I didn't wish to have go lower .. never happened in this case. In fact I dealt with someone here a few years back that indicated the wrong price on here by quite a bit and they still honored the deal because that is what the ad said .. my way of doing business .. not everybody's way .. to each there own :)
Click to expand...

I would not mind if you were arguing with me. :)

I simply have a different observational perspective.

By the letter of the ad, at some point of eventual extrapolation somebody could wait long enough and get paid $6500 to be given the tortoise. Not going to happen.

Their agreement can be independent of the ad.

People who know nothing of my ads contact me for things all of the time. If they pitch something I would agree to that has nothing to do with the framework of my listing, I would not bind them or myself to a post that is not a nexus for our discussion. If I want to refer the person to the framework of my ad, assuming I even have one, I could for the ease of having a framework to anchor the conversation. What if I state in an ad that I am not interested in trades and somebody offers something incredible in exchange. By the "law of word", I guess I cannot proceed. Sorry, self.

Also, if a party seems risky/unknown to me in a way that makes me pause with caution, but not so sketchy that things cannot be pursued in some fashion that is more careful, I feel comfortable not baring my throat and instead navigating the deal in a way that provides me with enhanced security relative to the typical style of what my ads entail.
 
Also, as Harald has already pointed out, his last posted price was $6.5k. Regardless of his timetable of updates, he never actually made the update for further reduction, so $6.5k was the price to jump off from at that point.
 
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