• Responding to email notices you receive.
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  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

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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....

Beware!! Lea Kohout, Just Another Scammer.

Just so no one else gets scammed. She is Virginia Lea Kohout. A.K.A Lea Kohout. She resides in Bowie, MD. E-mail is [email protected]. Cell is 240-274-2552. I cannot give out her home number as it is her "sister's" house.
 
Please tell me she didnt rip you off of that het stripe boa. If thats the boa you sent her you should be real PO'd. I actually think I met her at the MARS show.
 
nicolai said:
Please tell me she didnt rip you off of that het stripe boa. If thats the boa you sent her you should be real PO'd. I actually think I met her at the MARS show.
Click to expand...

No!! It was a salmon colored 4 1/2 month old Columbian red-tail. I sold the het stripe for $500 to someone else.
 
Sister's number or not, post it. I know someone will call both a few times just to try to get some idea what' up with this chick.

Post it all, all numbers, addresses whether physical or etherial, everything you have.
 
Joshua, I sympathize with your predicament.

We all know that with any transaction not done face-to-face, there are additional aspects of risk involved. One is the "do not ship first" advice I often see touted in this forum, except I always wonder how that matter is resolved if both parties adhere to it. Since you had prior business with this person, I don't think you were accepting unreasonable risk. Maybe for those viewing, or any future trades, I might recommend eliminating as many assumptions as possible, to include not only being in agreement as to the animals being traded, and when they are going to be shipped, but how they are going to be shipped as well. Usually this is done to be sure that both receivers have faith in that particular shipper in their area (for instance, UPS has different guaranteed-delivery-by times depending on how rural you are), as well as being sure that both entities are using an overnight service, etc. I am not making excuses for Ms. Kohout, for even without any specific agreement, her means of shipment could not have been more careless and wrong. I also can't say that more communication about shipment would have prevented her from doing exactly what she did anyway, as there seems to be a lack of integrity combined with ignorance on her part. The multitide of errors on her part ... no next-day shipment, using the USPS, no air holes or temperature control accommodations, small box, etc, is negligence in every aspect. If she provided you with contact information, you are only providing what she gave you. Post away !
 
The balls were supposed to be shipped via UPS or FedEx next day delivery. Not USPS. For one that is illegal and two it takes 2 days to get here. I would never put a reptile through that. Her excuse was her sister did it for her because she had to work. And she didn't realize her sister would be that stupid. We didn't know of her sister shipping out instead of her until it was already done. We spoke with her on the phone when they arrived to let her know they didn't make it and to tell her how ignorant the packageing was and that it should have never been shipped through the post office. That is when she said she was very sorry and that she would send the payment for the boa and the cost of shipping it to her via paypal. We never received the payment and now she refuses to answers e-mails and voice messages. She also has hung up on us. And once her sister answered the phone. We asked for lea, she said hold on a minute and then she asked who we were. And once she found out it was us she said lea was not there. So she is completely blowing us off and has no intention of paying so we will be filing charges and notifying the post office of her shipping snakes illegally through them. We have told her family members that all we want is the payment for the boa that she said she would send and if she sent it before yesterday that we would drop charges and leave the negative feedback alone. But if we didn't receive the payment the authorities would be contacted, charges would be filed and it is a criminal offense to ship snakes through USPS and that she could be arrested for it. She must not care because she still has not sent the payment or tried to contact us. So charges will be filed first thing Tuesday morning just because Monday is a holiday.

And thank again for everyones help. J&J Reptiles.
 
As far as contact info. Please no one buy anything from someone named:

Virgina lea kohout.
A.K.A Lea Kohout.
Cell: 240-274-2552.
Address: 15410 Pine tree court
Bowie, MD 20721-3025.

And if trading or selling please have her ship first or pay before shipping. Even if you have done business with her before. I do not want anyone else to get screwed. As far as the home phone number she never gave it to me. I got it off of my caller Id when someone called from there the day we got the balls but they hung up after 2 rings. I know it is her home because we have tried calling there and her sister and a man has answered and said she wasn't there and she has answered and hung up on us. I have also done a reverse address search on white pages.com and that phone number pops up for the shipping address she gave me. I am not sure if I can post it here. Any advise?
 
Be careful...

You may want to consult a knowledgeable attorney before reporting anything to the authorities. Receiving a snake via USPS may be considered prima facie evidence (under the Lacey Act) of your consent to having it shipped that way, whether that is the case or not. As such, you may also face criminal proceedings. Also, threatening to report illegal activities unless somebody gives you money, even if it is money that you are entitled to receive, may be considered extortion.
 
Jim makes a good point. You may want to make sure you can demonstrate beyond any doubt that you did not agree to receive the snakes USPS. That might be difficult to do unless you kept records of all e-mail exchanges. Even if you did, I assume that shipping airlines was never discussed as you did not mention it here.

Regards.
 
I never consented to her shipping USPS. She was to ship UPS or FedEx. Everyone does make good points though. I told her I was filing charges with the courts to get the payment for the boa or the boa back because the authorities have advised me to do that. As far as charges through the USPS I have only warned her that it is ileagal to ship snakes through the USPS and it is a criminal offense and she could be arrrested for it.

Thank you to everyone for your advise. Everyhing helps.
 
Payment Recieved

Just wanted everyone to know that UPS showed up today with a money order for the exact amount for the boa from Virginia Kohout. So she has paid for the snake.

Thanks to everyone for their help.
 
Congradulations on getting your payment! I am very glad to hear that it worked out. It was a win win situation. You got your money, and we know who to avoid. It just does not get any better than that! Sometimes a little public presure goes a long way.
 
WOW, Somebody actually got money out of someone like that. I was kida hoping she would return the boa so i could offer you 400.00 for it!!!! Glad you got your money back.
 
As unfortunate as it was that a couple of nice snakes died due to negligence, and the anguish you had to go through with expectations not being met, the money seems to have arrived in a timely fashion. This thread is only two days old, although I did not discern a date from you when the aggravation initially began prior to your bringing it to the BOI, only that it was a "recent deal". Sounds like it was a few days to a week, but that's only an assumption. Compared to other deals gone bad, its a pretty timely resolution, and whether this thread was a motivator or not, I have to at least give credit to Ms. Kohout for getting you the cash. I hope she makes adjustments so as not to repeat her shipping errors, and that maybe a few other readers picked up a thing or two here.
 
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