Do not do business with paul harmsen!!! very bad man!!

[hopedragons]

Hello All,
This is my first time posting but I have recently been ripped off by a man in Marquette, Michigan going by the name of Paul Harmsen and I wanted other potential buyers to beware.
I saw an add on fauna classified for a female pastel ball python. He also had a few other snakes for sale but I was not interested so I did not pay much attention. The title of his add was "moving sale must go".
anyway . . . I called this guy and spoke to him on the phone for nearly 30 minutes about making a deal for this snake. WE agreed, unfortunately on my part, for me send him a deposit (200$) via western union and for me to get him the rest of the money (675$) in less then a week. he gave me a good pity story about him getting ripped off in the past and that is way he did not use paypall. We had good communication for that time period with one other phone conversation and numerous emails. After he got the final email with the western union confermation number, I never heard from him again. The snake was supposed to arrive the next day via overnight mail but she never came. I attempted to call him and email him but no responce.
It has been 4 days and i have not heard from him via either email or phone. I'm sure this was a shame and i hope no one else fell victim to his thievery.
I am involving the law enforcement now and if anyone has any information on this guy, or has sent him a snake or something, please let me know. it might be helpful.
sorry for the long post . . if anyone has any questions, just email me.
jessica diebold
[email protected]
Hope Dragons

 

[Dennis Hultman]

What is his user name on Fauna?
Could you add a link to the ad on here please?
What is his email address?
Could you post your email exchanges or private messages?

All the information you can provide would help.
Thanks

 

[hopedragons]

Im not really sure how to do this.
he deleated his ad before the deal was done, he said he was doing it so no one else would email him about the snake. the titel of the ad was "moving sale must go", but he pulled the ad already.
not sure what his fauna name was but i have the link to the ad since my first email to him was through his ad.
I will try to cut and paste a copy of our email messages
His email was "[email protected]"
This is the majority of our communications, it goes from most recent communication to the first thing i wrote to him.
the http at the bottom of the page was the link to his ad, but it is pulled now.
hope this helps. please let me know if anyone knows anythings.


Hello,
She is from pastel to pastel breeding. Here are all the pics. I deleted the one on the add I thought it sucked. Sorry
Paul
-----Original Message-----
From: jessica hope diebold <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 12:54:18 +0000
Subject: sold pastel female


sounds good.
ill can get you the 650 on thursday morning.
can you by chance send me the picture of her that you posted in your ad?
i think that is the best one and would like to have it on file.
also, do you have any history on her? is she a result of pastel to normal breeding? super to normal? etc. im just curious to get all information possible on this little girl.
thanks!!
jessica

>From: [email protected]
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: Re: A message about your ad on
>Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 13:58:18 -0400
>
>Hello,
>I would have to set up an account for paypal. So I would have to say no >there. It will be about 35 dollars to send the rest so if you western union >I will pay shipping. Your balance would be 675.00 then.
>Then with the western union charges it will be like you just paid shipping. >Let me know otherwise it would have to be a overnight postal money order >for 675 plus 40 shipping.
>Thanks
>Paul
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: jessica hope diebold <[email protected]>
>To: [email protected]
>Sent: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 17:41:25 +0000
>Subject: Re: A message about your ad on
>
>
>hey paul,
>
>glad you got everything ok.
>was just wondering if you could give me a final total including shipping >for this little girl.
>
>also, i may not do western union again as it was 25 bucks to get it to you >and she said the price will nearly double if i send over 500 next time. any >other cheaper money sending ideas? sure you wont go paypal ?? ok just >let me know.
>
>thanks!
>jessica
>
> >From: [email protected]
> >To: [email protected]
> >Subject: Re: A message about your ad on
> >Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 17:54:51 -0400
> >
> >hey jessica,
> >I got the payment she is all yours once i get the balance and shipping I > >will send her immediately it is a pleasure to find someone who actually > >does what they say they will.
> >Thanks so much
> >Paul
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: jessica hope diebold <[email protected]>
> >To: [email protected]
> >Sent: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 04:58:17 +0000
> >Subject: Re: A message about your ad on
> >
> >
> >hey paul,
> >could not get the money out today via mail as it is good friday (totally > >forgot!!) but ill try to find a super market tomorrow that has a western > >union and send it out to you.
> >ill let you know the number as soon as i send it.
> >i enjoyed our talk today.
> >jessica
> >
> > >From: [email protected]
> > >To: [email protected]
> > >Subject: Re: A message about your ad on
> > >Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 14:09:00 -0400
> > >
> > >Hello,
> > >Yes that is her i will send you pics I took this morning. Unfortunately >I > >do not have a paypal account.
> > >You can call me after you get these if still interested at(906)225-0472
> > >Thanks
> > >Paul
> > >
> > >-----Original Message-----
> > >From: [email protected]
> > >To: [email protected]
> > >Sent: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 13:54:08 -0400
> > >Subject: A message about your ad on
> > >
> > >
> > >Moving sale must go
> > >
> > >Hello,
> > >Is the pastel in the first picture the one for sale? if so I am very
> > >interested. do you take paypal?
> > >please let me know.
> > >thanks
> > >Jessica
> > >
> > > >http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/pp_classifieds/showproduct.php?product=19398

 

[Fedawg]

Jessica , OMG!! I also had a very bad experience with Paul harmsen , except i was the seller ,and i also have emails to prove it . Contact me for further info , unless you would like me to post it here.

 

[DThomas]

Jessica , OMG!! I also had a very bad experience with Paul harmsen , except i was the seller ,and i also have emails to prove it . Contact me for further info , unless you would like me to post it here.

Don't hold back. If you have info, post it. It doesn't do the rest of us any good if it's kept in emails between just a couple of individuals.

 

[Dennis Hultman]

Unfortunately, there is no way to retrieve the username from the deleted classified. I checked with the Rich.

Derek, Do you happen to know it?

 

[Fedawg]

OK,

On March 1st I put up an ad on Kingsnake.com for a really ODDBALL IMPORT male BP that i was selling. About 10 minutes after i put up the ad , I get a call from Paul Harmsen of Marquette , Michigan. We went back and forth with phone calls and decided on a trade deal of a 260 gram Female Pastel BP for my import male(which I am assuming is the same one Jessica was trying to buy). I told Paul , in detail , everything about the male. That he had not eaten for me yet , that I had only had him for 2 months , and that he had a scar on his tail. I told him that I could not find anymore ticks on them , and hadnt seen any for 3 weeks or so , but he is a WC inport , so i cant guarantee anything. We agreed that we would ship the same day.

So around 5 o'clock , I head over to a local reptile place to ship the snake out(Regal Reptiles) . I sent Paul over the tracking number through email. I didnt hear back to him about confirming it , so i gave him a call , to also see if he has shipped my animal out. Well what do ya know he "was too busy" and that he would ship tomorrow. I got a little nervous at this point so I decided to call on his references(which , stupid me, i should have done before all this). He gave me names of 2 reputable Ball Python breeders. One was Collete Sutherland and the other was Don Kaye.

I called Collette first , and she checked in her computer for the name. She told me she had never heard of such person , and she has never sold anything to a Paul Harmsen. OK , now I am nervous and pissed!

I called Don Kaye next. Aske dhim if he had ever hear dof a Paul Harmsen. It took him a minute , but he then remembered. He told me Paul was supposed to send him money for a breeder male Lemon Pastel almost 2 weeks ago , yet Don had recieved nothing. Don told me he was very unhappy , because , that was 2 weeks he did not advertise the animal , because he thought it was sold. I then proceeded to explain the situation i was in with Paul . He agreed with me , that it seemed like i was getting ripped off.

Well the next day, I come home from class , to check my email in hopes that there is a tracking number for the animal that he was going to send me. Instead I find an email , telling me that he is sending my snake back because , it has a terrible tail wound and is infested with ticks , and that I lied to him and didnt tell him about any of this.

I was in total shock that someone could straight out lie like that after i had just told him all of this on the phone yesterday. We exchanged emails from then on. Getting more hostile with every email.

I asked many questions of Paul , before I agreed to trade . I knew a lot of his info. Well next day UPS shows up at the door with the package . I opened it , and was relieved that it was the same snake .

I took him out to check him out. There were absolutely NO TICKS on him , no terrible tail wound . One thing i found on the snake , that was not like that when i had shipped him was a VERY swollen upper lip. I looked in closer and he had 2 broken teeth that look like it was starting to get infected around that area. As if someone did a terrible job trying to force feed him.

All I can say was that this whole situation was a nightmare. I DID get my snake back , but not without a cost. It costs me about $95 for shipping both ways just to have the same snake come back here , in worse condition than when he left. It might not seem that bad since i got my snake back(which i think it was because he knew i was catching on to him , and had all his info) , but this was a terrible ordeal , and I urge people to stay away if he trys to contact you about any animals.

The same snake i got back from Paul , I rehabed here for about 3 weeks with Baytril and cleaned out his mouth. I have since then sodl the snake to Jane Whited of Chatanooga TN. She will attest that the snake is exactly as described and she is very happy with it. I believe her name is MickeysNightmare on here.

thanks,


Derek Federico

 

[speedingbandit]

What is it with this loser???

I got a call from him about a month ago, he wanted a pair of my pastels off my website. Well to make a long story short he supposedly had albino boas and all this other stuff. Anyways he was sending me a money order that never showed. Also he said since it hadnt arrived in 4 days he would cancel it and send me a western union..and then call me with the info.. no word after 3 days...I talked to him for a period of 2 weeks after he was supposedly going to pay for them, but he never did.....Why waste our time as sellers and jerk us around like that...If ya dont intend on buying something, stop being shady and say sorry i have to back out or somethin...thats the dumbest thing to do to someone in my book. Im just glad i wasnt a customer of his for some scam or something....also when i told him to e-mail me his shipping info, in the begining, he never responded. Why do people do this stupid stuff???? Dont waste our time to make your self look ignorant, its not worth it for your sake...

 

[hopedragons]

thanks for the info.

Hello,
I am so upset about the whole thing.
yes, the lost of the money is a bad thing but i had been looking and looking online for a nice female pastel to add to my collection and i had grown very attached to this one from the photos he sent.
so . . you must have his address if you sent him a snake, huh?
that would be very helpful in finding him and getting my money back.
please emal me or [email protected]
enclosing a photo of "my" snake.
i even named her "Storm" before i even saw her

 

[speedingbandit]

No address or e-mails at all..

I never got any info from him at all, not even an e-mail.. Just his phone no. from speaking with him...906-225-0472...Id never send out something without recieving payment...Im very sorry for your experience. Jason Matheson, www.xxxtremeconstrictors.com thanx 256-443-9599

 

[Steve Hamm]

Hey guys don't know if it will help but I've got family that lives in Marquette,maybe they would check him out if you've got an address on him.
It's a darn shame.

 

[Cat_72]

This is the information I get from that phone number.
M Lascola
526 1/2 W Ridge St
Marquette, MI 498554118

 

[Cat_72]

The only thing I could come up with for any "Lascola" on Fauna was one single post in another BOI thread, username "tmlascola", but that person at least appears to be from West Virginia, at least he was in 2004. Link to the page it's on....

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31965&page=7&pp=5&highlight=Lascola

 

[twh49801]

paul's address ?

paul & angela harmsen
1013 hancock,#1
marquette,mi. 49855
906/225-0472

[email protected]

i was in marquette this last weekend and the employee at the local pet shop told me he is moving.also i saw a ad he was running and his handle was burm something,maybe burm bandit,i'm not sure.hope this helps.
TIMOTHY W. HURKMANS

 

[Cat_72]

So......if he's supposed to be moving, is the address you gave his new address or old address?

 

[twh49801]

paul's address

sorry i was in a hurry,that is his present address as far as i know,i was there about a month ago.wish i had more info.
TIMOTHY W. HURKMANS

 

[kmurphy]

sorry i was in a hurry,that is his present address as far as i know,i was there about a month ago.wish i had more info.
TIMOTHY W. HURKMANS

Just curious. Was the reason his name came up because of the sale or was there some kind of problem then?

Kevin

 

[hopedragons]

thanks for all the info.

Hey eveyone,
just wanted to thank everyine for all of the help with trying to track down paul.
im getting this address to the authorities right now. im sure they will will be able to find a forwarding address.
thanks a lot!!
jessica
if anyone knows anymore, keep posting!!

 

[Fedawg]

Jessica , if it helps , here is the address and phone number I sent the snake i was going to trade him too

Paul Harmsen
1013 Hancock #1
Marquette MI 49855 906 225 0472

Let me know , Ill do anything I can to help you catch this clown.

 

[hopedragons]

timothy,
i was wondering why his name was even brought up with the pet store owner (did you have trouble with him too?) and if you had the name of the pet store?
thanks
jessica
[email protected]
Hope Dragons