Bad Guy The Urban Gecko is threating to sue me

[Sostic]

Hello everyone this is my first post here. There's a lot of back story to this but some of you may have seen my videos on YouTube where I explain everything. I would recommend watching them before commenting as there is too much to explain. My Channel is Sostic or you can just look up The Urban Gecko on YouTube. Here's the link to my first video on them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8dycJzvuJU
I was recommended to make a post here by one of my subscribers. It will make a lot more sense if you watch the videos and then come back and read the email. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks, Sam Stuelke

 

[Lucille]

Sam, rather than link inking to information that can be removed, it might be better to explain the exact issue here where the information is permanent. Making a video and saying you are dissatisfied with the company is fine as long as the factual information you have provided is true and accurate. Is it? It is expensive to sue for defamation and often a company or person will threaten to do so with no actual intention, just to try to scare the other party into removing information.

 

[Lucille]

I have contacted The Urban Gecko through their site to let them know that this thread is here so that they too have an opportunity to present their side and to explain here if they feel that any falsehoods have been published about them.
Again, if all that was said is that you feel that the transaction was unsatisfactory, that is different than publishing a false accusation.

 

[Snake-Queen]

I don't have the time, nor the inclination to watch several 20+ minute videos. I'd rather read the information, as I can read faster than someone can talk. I can also go back to reference any written word much easier than the spoken word.

It is best if you take the time to write out your issues in clear concise words, breaking it up into paragraphs.

Also, attach any relevant photos and emails as proof.

 

[Lucille]

Craig Stewart is a member here and he did receive some positive feedback in 2004 and 2007, but a later thread was not so positive
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=481723&highlight=craig+stewart

 

[Zenbliss]

I seen the videos and watched as it progressed. I think the videos were fair and you did update as the issue was talking care. It's not like you stopped making after the scam ones. I'm not a judge but as someone who buys geckos I was glad I seen the videos.

 

[Sostic]

Before I begin I would like everyone to understand that this is simply my experience and my opinion. That being said me and Craig are trying to sort this out but I believe it's important that people know what goes on behind closed doors. And get accurate information about the breeder or company they want to buy from. I ordered two Crested geckos from the Urban gecko on December 3, 2017. I ordered a female Halloween and a male chocolate pinstripe. The next day I googled them and it said their location was permanently closed. I also saw a post on this forum of someone having problems with them too so that made me nervous. So I gave them a call from the phone number I got on my receipt but that didn’t work either. Finally I found a new number on Facebook and it worked so me and Craig talked and shortly after I got an email from his wife Lori. She said they ship to the US clients every two to three weeks but they hadn’t set a ship date so they’d let me know when they do. Four days later on the 8th I asked when they thought they’d be shipping out. I didn’t get a response for another four days but on the 12th I got a message back saying that they had a personal emergency and that’s why it took so long to get back to me. They also said my geckos would be able to ship 1 - 2 weeks after Christmas. Now I understand things happen in life that you can’t control but I was already nervous about them due to everything I had seen and according to that review those people were given the same excuse. ( I would later have the same problem they had with the Halloween geckos being brown.) At this point after seeing all this happen I told them I’d rather receive a refund then go ahead I also didn’t want to wait that long for my geckos. ( I understand that it may have been too cold then but I didn’t expect to be waiting for two extra weeks.) Instead of doing a refund they offered me a credit of $250 to pick out another gecko. I agreed and they said they’d update the site in the next week or two and I could pick out a gecko then. This was on the 12th of December. Fast forward to January 2nd they still hadn’t updated the site but I did receive an email from Lori saying they’d have it posted Thursday. Thursday rolls around no update. I got another email saying sorry and that it’d be up Saturday. I picked out another Halloween female. Fast forward again Feb 19th I got an email saying they’d ship out that Wednesday for delivery Thursday and if that worked for me, of course I said yes. Now keep in mind that Wednesday was the 21st of February. The 22nd the day the geckos were supposed to arrive I got an email from them telling me they lost my male so they sent me a similar one. Obviously I was upset considering I had waited 3 months for these geckos and then after all this time they lose it on me. I just responded with “its okay haha”. Fast forward to March 4th I tried firing up the female Halloween I paid for and she’s not even orange at all but if you look at the pictures and look at the dorsal on both geckos they are the same gecko. How they got her to be that orange is beyond me. But I was upset that I paid $250 for a Halloween that turned out to just be brown and yellow. So I messaged them back very upset. I mean at this point they had lost my male the female isn’t what I ordered and so I felt very ripped off. I understand that I was pretty rude but I was just so upset. I had payed $490 for these geckos and so far I didn’t get the two geckos I actually paid for. Craig offered me full credit back to pick out another gecko and I did. Everything went smoothly from there and that was the end for me. I do have two 3rd person stories that took place at the same time this was happening where the people didn’t get what they ordered but I won’t share those unless asked because it is 3rd person. I’m thankful Craig tried to fixed this situation but so many things in this throw red flags for me so I made videos explaining what had happened. Thanks, Sam Stuelke

 

[Sostic]

First emails for context

 

[Sostic]

Important things I referenced in my paragraph are located in the images

 

[Sostic]

Here's better pictures of the female Halloween I payed for. I think we can all agree that this is the same gecko just the wrong colors. How they made her so much more orange beats me.

 

[Snake-Queen]

I haven't read that huge block of text, as I have a headache and reading a wall of words right now is not possible.

As far as the picture of the gecko, I have seen a very drab crestie fire up and look awesome. It is possible she has never fired up for you and was fired up when they took that picture. I couldn't say for sure that is the case though.

 

[Sostic]

The last pictures I put are her fired up all the way lol

 

[Snake-Queen]

Also, to my untrained eye, those do not look like the same gecko. The side patterns are different.

You also got a full credit for that gecko, so you have a nice free female.

 

[Sostic]

I'm 99% sure they're the same gecko, but you are correct I did get full credit for that gecko.

 

[Lucille]

I mean at this point they had lost my male the female isn’t what I ordered and so I felt very ripped off. I understand that I was pretty rude but I was just so upset. I had payed $490 for these geckos and so far I didn’t get the two geckos I actually paid for. Craig offered me full credit back to pick out another gecko and I did. Everything went smoothly from there and that was the end for me.

OK, so it sounds like things went wrong with the transaction and the company looks like it tried to help.
So exactly what is it that you said on the videos that they are upset about, did you accurately describe the mishaps and how you were unhappy?

 

[Sostic]

What I typed up is pretty much what I said in my first video. In my opinion I described it accurately and fairly and I think most people who watched the videos would agree. Just look at the comments. Both here and in my video. However they can play off what happened to me as an honest mistake and mistakes do happen. But after I showed what happened to two other people around the same time it becomes hard to prove that they're all just mistakes.

 

[Snake-Queen]

I'm 99% sure they're the same gecko, but you are correct I did get full credit for that gecko.

Well, I am 99% sure they are different geckos.

Aside from the dorsal patterns being different, the eye colors are different.

 

[Jo Nathan Kingfisher]

It cost me $440 to find out first hand
Urban Gecko does photo tricks to sell animals.
Either photoshop or filtered lens or some other trick.
There was going to be no negotiation
about the "product" animal from Urban Gecko...
if they get your money
they are going to keep your money.

 

[Sostic]

I would agree in my experience. Here's a picture just look at the back lines especially the weird V. Shes also fired down here.

 

[Teatime]

I'm not familiar with geckos, not sure how similar their markings can be to each other, but I know that photos can be edited. Those images of geckos have the same light stripes along the dorsal ridges, same horizontal dorsal stripes, same tail pattern, same dark line across the head, same stripes on the legs, and same light dots on the side. The only difference I can see is obviously the colors and the side pattern. I think if you were darkening the picture/changing the colors, you could muddle some of the side pattern.

I also really don't like the policy of shipping a different male because the first one escaped on them. If I was their customer, I would expect to be contacted and given the option of a refund (NOT a store credit) or a different animal of my choice if they couldn't provide the first animal I had chosen. When I agree to buy a specific animal, I expect to receive that specific animal. Not a similar one that someone else chose for me.