Bad Guy Alex Estrada - sold me an emaciated skink

[ThomasSkinks]

I'm very disappointed in this transaction. In the picture on the sales ad(the ad is still there, you can see for yourself) the skink I purchased did not look like she was starving but when she arrived she was skin and bones, you should never be able to see their hip bones or their spine!
I spent over $1,000 on this skink and couldn't believe my eyes when I pulled her out of the shipping bag, this poor skink is extremely malnourished.
I immediately sent a message to him, he said she eats and that she's skinny from laying slugs 8 weeks ago. That doesn't add up. Yes they can lose some weight but they should never look like this and he should be ashamed for selling her when she's in this condition.
I don't even feel comfortable letting her brumate, which a lot of my skinks are starting to do.
I received her yesterday and this situation is just irritating me more and more the more I think about it.
I would not recommend buying any animals from this person.

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[marku1999]

Very sorry he sold you an animal in this condition.
The fact that he gave you an excuse (laying slugs) tells me that he knew she was underweight and should have been kept she regained her body weight. Still being that thin 8 weeks after laying is not good.

I hope the vet can save her, and also hope the seller makes this right (though my personal experience would suggest otherwise).

 

[ThomasSkinks]

Original ad
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=637530
In the pictures you can see how she looked in the ad and then how she looked when she arrived yesterday.

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[elena]

Even if it's true that she was thin due to having slugs, the buyer should have been informed of this before the purchase, and potentially provided with current pics showing her actual condition, so she could make an informed decision.

Is she eating?

 

[ThomasSkinks]

Even if it's true that she was thin due to having slugs, the buyer should have been informed of this before the purchase, and potentially provided with current pics showing her actual condition, so she could make an informed decision.

Is she eating?

I totally agree.
She ate a little bit.

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[Imperial Reptiles]

Hi Kira,

I wish you would've contacted me before creating this thread. I agree she does look skinny in the picture you posted but the pictures from the ad are date and time stamped. She looked good when I shipped her out to you so the only thing I can think of is that the travel over to you stressed her out. I'm sure as she adjusts to her new home she'll be eating more for you than just a bit since she was pounding down Repashy Bluey Buffet, cat food, and supers (as in the video I told you about) while in our care. Please contact me at (305) 381-0038 so we can resolve this issue.

Thanks,
Alex

 

[Imperial Reptiles]

Hello again,

I have just responded to your message on PayPal. If you would like a refund please send her back and I will refund you. I would still like for you to call me at (305) 381-0038.

Alex

 

[Bryan S]

Hi Kira,

I wish you would've contacted me before creating this thread. I agree she does look skinny in the picture you posted but the pictures from the ad are date and time stamped. She looked good when I shipped her out to you so the only thing I can think of is that the travel over to you stressed her out. I'm sure as she adjusts to her new home she'll be eating more for you than just a bit since she was pounding down Repashy Bluey Buffet, cat food, and supers (as in the video I told you about) while in our care. Please contact me at (305) 381-0038 so we can resolve this issue.

Thanks,
Alex

I'll be the first to say that I am not very familiar with skinks, but I guess that everyone should check the images in your ads for dates and times since there are no clear time or date stamps on the photos in the ad that I see a least. I mean who would want to provide current pictures that represent the animal's current appearance when you can use ones when they are much more robust to boost the chances of a sale?

I see no issue with wanting to talk to the buyer to try and settle this and it is a welcomed change from your previous policy. However if there are any arrangements to be made I hope that it is done via text or email so that there is a record of the agreement(s) to protect both parties. On the bright side at least you are now replying to these types of threads and seem more willing to right any wrongs instead of avoiding them altogether like the last one.

 

[Imperial Reptiles]

I took the photos of the skink with my phone instead of my DSLR, which is stamped. Here are the pictures from my phone, time stamped so anyone can see.

 

[Lost Coast Herps]

I like to see that the seller is willing to try and help clear this up so I feel a bit awkward pointing out that although the pictures presented of the skink very healthy are time stamped and show a day...they do not show a date. Those pictures could be from any given Saturday. If you'd be kind enough to find a way to show the actual date that those photos were taken it could go a long way to proving your point. Just my thoughts on it.

 

[Lucille]

In the picture on the sales ad(the ad is still there, you can see for yourself) the skink I purchased did not look like she was starving but when she arrived she was skin and bones

Hi Kira,
I agree she does look skinny in the picture you posted but the pictures from the ad are date and time stamped. She looked good when I shipped her out to you so the only thing I can think of is that the travel over to you stressed her out.

If overnight shipping can make one skinny I would like you to please send me a large box and shipping label so that I too can become skinny overnight.
You could make millions by sending boxes and labels out and have people lose significant weight after a few hours of shipping.

 

[Pasodama]

Hi Kira,

I wish you would've contacted me before creating this thread. I agree she does look skinny in the picture you posted but the pictures from the ad are date and time stamped. She looked good when I shipped her out to you so the only thing I can think of is that the travel over to you stressed her out. I'm sure as she adjusts to her new home she'll be eating more for you than just a bit since she was pounding down Repashy Bluey Buffet, cat food, and supers (as in the video I told you about) while in our care. Please contact me at (305) 381-0038 so we can resolve this issue.

Thanks,
Alex

It is good that you ~appear~ to be willing to resolve this issue.
However, I must call BS on the above portion, in bold, of your statement. Sure, shipping does cause stress but there is absolutely no way that an animal will lose that much weight/condition from overnight shipping. smh

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[Pasodama]

BTW Alex, according to the OP (Kira), you had told her that the skink was skinny due to having laid slugs 8 weeks ago. Which means that you acknowledged that the skink was skinny when shipped out.
Then, you come here, to the BOI, and state that the skink was not skinny at the time she was shipped out.
There is a contradiction with these two "stories".

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[Imperial Reptiles]

I like to see that the seller is willing to try and help clear this up so I feel a bit awkward pointing out that although the pictures presented of the skink very healthy are time stamped and show a day...they do not show a date. Those pictures could be from any given Saturday. If you'd be kind enough to find a way to show the actual date that those photos were taken it could go a long way to proving your point. Just my thoughts on it.

It’s just the way iPhone does this if the photos are under 1 week old.

Btw not going to get into a back in forth with the “fauna detectives.” I’ve already told Kira to contact me to to find a resolution that pleases her. I will wait.

 

[Imperial Reptiles]

PMs with Kira.

 

[Lucille]

Btw not going to get into a back in forth with the “fauna detectives.”

https://starcite.smarteventscloud.c...ommv6.pdf?mc_cid=4bd9b3ceca&mc_eid=7d67a4f01b
This is a REALLY good article about information and its control and effect. I think almost everyone who reads the BOI already has, at least informally, a sense of how the various parties involved and the readers themselves can influence the outcome of an issue.
Think of it: in a Bad Guy thread, one party makes an accusation. What the accused says, and what readers say about their own experiences, can really make a difference.
What the article is saying is that response time should be speeded up, and in fact people and companies might do well to make a plan beforehand of what they might do or say if they ever find themselves involved in a publicized dispute because the initial responses are so critical.
Think about those parties who from time to time initially respond that they don't need to reply because they don't care what BOI readers think and they are too busy sending hundreds of reptiles to their adoring fans to bot her dealing with one complainer. To me, that is about the worst response anyone could ever make, it puts them behind from the get.

Anyway, I think it is an interesting article.

I wrote the above post a little while back, it really is relevant to the way some people handle their selling issues.

 

[Lucille]

Also I do not understand why Imperial Geckos is still displaying the Fauna Good Guy Certification?
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302628&highlight=imperial+geckos

 

[marku1999]

It’s just the way iPhone does this if the photos are under 1 week old.

Btw not going to get into a back in forth with the “fauna detectives.” I’ve already told Kira to contact me to to find a resolution that pleases her. I will wait.

You act like people have nothing better to do than sit around and pick on people in the BOI. The BOI is for people to share information with other perspective buyers about good or bad experiences with sellers.

So all the "fauna detectives" are actually perspective buyers. Thanks for showing everyone your true colors. I suspect you have cost yourself business by sending the OP an underweight animal (and this did not happen from 24 hours in shipping - that is a bogus excuse if I have ever heard one), then contradicting your own statements (one place saying she was of healthy weight / condition and another saying she was thin from birthing slugs).

I hope you do make it right with the OP and not make her go through all the BS you did with me (fighting it all the way to the end with paypal), although she has already had to pay a vet bill due to the animals poor condition.
Do the right thing so all the fauna detectives don't have anything more to talk about (oh whatever shall we do it that happens)?????

 

[marku1999]

I should have mentioned, refunding her money now still does not make up for everything. The OP will still be on the hook for shipping (I lost $130 in our deal from this) + the cost of the vet bill.
Doing the right thing would include reimbursement for shipping and vet bills (or better yet sending people the right animals in the condition as described so they don't have to fight to try and get their money back).

 

[Chris Kennard]

It’s just the way iPhone does this if the photos are under 1 week old.

Btw not going to get into a back in forth with the “fauna detectives.” I’ve already told Kira to contact me to to find a resolution that pleases her. I will wait.

Sounds like you wanna' manipulate someone privately, wink wink. Problem is, you did the wrong thing, it showed up here. Now you're on the radar. Not just with those "forum police" types that people like you HATE, but with the quiet people who never post, but come here to cover their rear ends and don't want to spend their hard earned money on skinny animals sold at top dollar from liars. Just sayin'.