• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Bad Guy Firecrested (the Valley reptile)

Kimantha333

Kimantha333

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Hi Everyone,
I really hate doing this but I'm pretty upset by how I was treated by this seller, Eric.

Our contact started on Feb. 9th. I originally wanted to buy a crested gecko group deal he was offering, 1 male and 7 females. I contacted him on Pangea and we decided on a total. After negotiations, I paid half through Google checkout, with the rest being paid the next week. He did not give me updated weights as "his scales were packed up" which I thought was odd, but ok. He sent a few extra pictures of the animals in question, but looking back now, they were older pictures he already had on his website. I asked for more pictures on Feb. 16th and got back the message "I will when I get time. I will be gone the next few days" That's it.

I waited until March 1st before I sent a message to him inquiring about whether or not he was back. No response. So I sent another on the 14th. Again no answer. Since both of these were emails, I tried sending him messages on both Pangea, and once on the Repashy forums.
I sent another email on the 18th and finally received a response on the 23rd.

"I'm sorry. I didnt have any way to check emails the last few weeks. I am sending refunds out in the next few weeks and will send yours too."

By that time I realized I was not in fact going to recieve anything, and all I wanted was my money back. I had contacted Google checkout and after he contacted me, I thought I wouldn't have to go through Google to get my money back. As I was pregnant and had my son on April first, I waited until the 11th to try contacting him yet again. I have not received a response, but after escalating the claim from Google, I did get my money back.

I tried to be as fair as I could. My emails were as polite and as respectful as I could make them, and all I received back were short sentences that left much to be desired as far as information goes. If I would have had any explaination from him whatsoever I would probably not posted here at all.

Kim
 
I am also awaiting a refund from Eric due to an ant infestation which wiped out his colony, including a hatchling I was waiting for better weather for shipping. My purchase dates back to November 6th, 2010. The tragedy occurred March 23, 2011.

My most recent contact with Eric was on May 8th, and I was assured I would receive a refund shortly after May 30th. Eric has not given me a reason to believe that I will not receive a refund once he has the means to do so. Although he was out of touch for some time in April, his recent contact with me gives me some comfort, although I'm not sure how much after seeing this thread.

I did not know I had the option of recourse through google checkout though as I had not looked into it.
 
Ok, I've never done this before so bear with me. My email records start with Eric sending me a payment request through Google checkout, then an email with pictures. After that I asked for a picture of the one gecko as she wasn't shown in the pics he sent. He sends back:

|Eric H to me
show details Feb 9

The partial pinstripe wasnt fired up so didnt get any pictures of her.

Eric
www.thevalleyreptiles.net

kim ball to Eric
show details Feb 9

Ah, thats ok, I as wondering about her but I figured since you sent an pic to me earlier, that I didn't need another. If you can catch her, or any of the others fired up I'd love more shots of them. I still can't get over my good fortune on finding them.
Thanks a bunch,
Kim

[email protected] to me
show details Feb 12

I will send more whenever I get time to take more pictures
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

kim ball to thevalleyrepti.
show details Feb 12

Thank you, I really appreciate it.

[email protected] to me
show details Feb 16

I sent another payment request for the rest of the payment whenever you are ready to send it. Thanks
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

kim ball to thevalleyrepti.
show details Feb 16

Hi there,
I sent it out a little while ago, you should have recieved it by now. If you have some time, could you send more pics of them all? I think I've worn out the other shots you took, by looking at them too much, ha ha. And if it's possible, I'd love to know thier weights, so I have a good idea of how big of a cage I'll need for everyone, but if you can't get to it for a while that's fine too.
Thanks a bunch,
Kim

[email protected] to me
show details Feb 16

I will when I get time. I will be gone the next few days
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

kim ball to thevalleyrepti.
show details Feb 16

That's fine. Just wanted to ask.
Thanks a bunch,
Kim

kim ball to Eric
show details Mar 1

Hey I just wanted to send a quick note and see if you were back yet. I hope everything is going good with you and the geckos, I'm counting the days till the weather warms up and I can see these little guys and gals in person.
Thanks a bunch,
Kim

kim ball to Eric
show details Mar 14

Hi,
I was just wondering if you got my last email?
Thanks a bunch,
Kim

kim ball to Eric
show details Mar 18

Hey I'm getting geckos shipped on monday as the weather is looking good, can you send my guy and girls out soon? Thanks

kim ball to thevalleyrepti.
show details Mar 18

Hi I'm trying to get ahold of you, and I'm not receiveing any messages from you. I would like to get my geckos shipped out next week. Please contact me as soon as possible. Thank you.

Eric H to me
show details Mar 23

I'm sorry. I didnt have any way to check emails the last few weeks. I am sending refunds out in the next few weeks and will send yours too.

Eric
www.thevalleyreptiles.net

kim ball to Eric
show details Apr 11

Hi,
I was just wondering how much longer it'll be to get a refund?
Thanks,
Kim

kim ball to Eric
show details May 7 (11 days ago)

Hi,
I'm still waiting to receive my refund. It's been a few weeks and I would really appreciate it you could send me my refund as soon as possible. I have other things that this money would really come in useful for, if you don't remember I was due to give birth last month, now that our son has arrived there are a myriad amount of bills that this money would come in handy. Now that I can no longer get the geckos that you had promised me, that is. Thanks in advance.

Kim
 
google's response

I also have evidence that Google checkout tried to contact Eric and could not get him to respond:

Hello,


Thanks for your reply. Because the seller has not resolved the issue with

Google Order #***********, we will issue you a refund in the amount of

$*** to the credit card used to place the original order. The funds
will automatically be returned to the credit/debit card used at the time
of purchase. To see which credit card was used in this transaction and to
check the status of your refund, visit

https://checkout.google.com/view/receipt?t=*************
Our specialists should complete your refund within the next business
day,/debit and refunds can take up to an additional three business days to
appear on your credit card statement. If the refund does not appear,
please contact your bank for more information. If your card is now closed,
please contact your card-issuing bank about forwarding the funds to your
new account or issuing you a check for the amount of the refund.

If our specialists are not able to complete your refund, we will contact
you. If the refund is successful and the seller provides sufficient
evidence that your order was completed according to our Terms of Service
and their published policies, you may be recharged for this order. If you
don't hear from us within four weeks, please consider this refund final.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this order may have caused
you.

Sincerely,


The Google Checkout Team
 
I will refrain from posting "proof" until I feel he will not make good on his obligation. My "90 day" window to mediate for a refund through google has well passed since the original purchase date so my fate is in Eric's hands.

My proof is also spread out through a myriad of PM's and emails, which I would need to organize to provide a clear timeline of my contact with him. Thanks.
 
i am also waiting for a refund from eric. i had purchased five juvies from him on december 11th. i sent him at least three pm's on the pangea forum before i ended up getting a response. he told me that my refund was coming asap. that was on 3-23-11. i have not heard from him since.

its also too late for me to get a refund through google. i just sent him another email. if i dont hear back from him soon i will post everything i have here.
 
I, too, had a good transaction with Eric-in 2008-I believe. It was through Ciliatus.com. It was the first gecko I purchased on-line, and everything went smoothly, in spite of winter shipping delays.

I would buy from him again, when this issue is cleared up.

I know what a freak event can do to a colony.

If his colony was seriously impacted by an ant infestation, he may be scrambling to save the rest. I hope he's successful in eradicating them, and I wish him well!

I have faith that he can clear this up.
 
SamanthaJane13 said:
I would buy from him again, when this issue is cleared up.
Click to expand...


Didn't have a problem in my first transaction, and IF this were cleared up, I'd think things would go back to where they were before.

Back when I made my transaction with Eric...and had no problems with communication.

I hope it IS cleared up.

He has wonderful animals at decent prices.
 
I received a reply from Eric last night in response to my alert to him of this thread. He does not have access to a PC at the moment, so he has not had an opportunity to review the thread. I am not sure what means he used to send this response (mobile phone, PC, etc.).
 
Well you can post to the internet using an internet capable phone.
Maybe he went to a cyber cafe or something and used a computer there.
Where i live the library has computers up for public use, so maybe he did something like that.

You never know.
Maybe the ant infestation has been keeping him so busy hes unable to write responses to customers.
 
Back in December, I had a communication with Eric on another forum-not even reptile related-and he said he'd be very busy over the several months.....I believe due to getting married or having a baby-something "life altering" in a positive way.

I no longer have the PM's (since there was no transaction involved), but at the time, he said he was busy, I offered my congratulations and good wishes for him and his family, and haven't really heard from him since.

I'm not sure when this event was to take place, but I know it was some time this year.

So that may be part of the chaos surrounding these transactions.

I know that if I had a wedding or baby coming up, and an ant infestation, too, things would definitely be hairy, and business/communications MIGHT suffer a bit.

Sometimes life gets in the way of business.

Not saying it's an excuse, just adding information that came up a while back.
 
oo3menace said:
I am also awaiting a refund from Eric due to an ant infestation which wiped out his colony, including a hatchling I was waiting for better weather for shipping. My purchase dates back to November 6th, 2010. The tragedy occurred March 23, 2011.
Click to expand...

So, other than Jon, did he e-mail any of his other customers waiting for delivery that he had an ant invasion? Did the ants eat his computer too? Not sure why an ant invasion would keep him from issuing refunds. Surely he didn't spend all of his customers money on his wedding, or new baby, or whatever the life altering incident that was mentioned earlier?

Something here doesn't pass the smell test...:NoNo:
 
understood

As a new mom to a 7 week old, I can say without a doubt I know how hairy things can get. But if I had someone else's money in my pocket, I would try to keep in touch with them the best I could, emails, texts, even phone depending on what was easiest for both parties. That's why I wrote this thread up. A customer has to be able to have some communication with a seller. If he cannot contact them within 90 days of a transaction, then he loses his customers' trust.

I had to hear about the ant infestation from a friend, who saw it on a forum he frequents more than I do, I never heard from Eric about it at all. If he would have sent any message to me about it, I would not have posted here. Also I would have been far more forgiving. I did not want to chase him down and send him multiple messages on different forums as well as email, asking him to contact me. I am really glad to see that in the past he has made a few friends of his customers. Looking at thier pics of what they bought from him, I can see he bred some really pretty geckos. I'm sorry that I didn't get to buy from him when he wasn't having difficulties.

Also as far as the internet is concerned, I'm pretty sure he has an internet capable phone or borrows one. You can see on the bottom of some of his communications to me it says "Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T" Anyone who sells online should have access to the internet in some way, shape, or form in order to run thier business.

I was, and still am reluctant to bad mouth anyone. I just felt that the way I was treated was noteworthy enough to warrent this thread. I sincerely hope that Eric can get back on his feet and restore his collection.
 
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