Good luck to everyone

[SPJ]

I am leaving the biz and selling everything. Thanks to everyone who has bought from me in the past, sold to me, and just had nice things to say.
I really appreciate it.

I am just soooo frustrated with nasty emails from people who never dealt with me and mean comments left on my ads and people who misrepresent animals I buy from them that I have decided enough is enough.

I wish everyone the best and there are a lot of nice people here to deal with but unfortunately the undesirables have just gotten too widespread for me.

I may pop in once in a while but no more online sales or purchases anymore.

Take care.

 

[ms_terese]

Steve??? What the hell??

I admit to not being the brightest light in the harbor, but I didn't know you were having issues with nastiness. Is there someone you want me to go kick in the butt?

I'm very sorry to hear this...you're a good guy in the industry, and there are nearly enough people of your caliber. I hope this is a well thought out decision and not a knee-jerk reaction. Have you slept on this decision for a few days?

If there's anything I can do for you, let me know.

 

[Cat_72]

Oh no Steve.....please don't make any hasty decisions....I KNOW people can be a real pain in the butt sometimes, but you can't let em get to you!! Don't let them drive you away from a hobby you truly love....

If you are certain this is really what you want to do....I wish you luck as well....but if I were you, I'd send Terese in to kick some butt first.

 

[Lucille]

Steve,
What she said.

Don't allow other people to hold that kind of power over you. There are MANY nice people in the biz, they are the mostly SILENT majority.


Here's my offer and I'm stickin' to it:

Come kick back and chill in the Welcome Club. Refuel, relax. Avoid the jerks of the biz and just have a good time.

THEN see how you feel. Give it 30 days. After all, you awreddy got 3 good women on your side.

Deal?

 

[Junkyard]

Steve, you have been around too long to just drop it all. Sure there are jerks out there, but you have more people on your side than you think.

Forward all those e-mails to me, I would be more than happy to respond. They have never done business with you, so they have also never done business with me, I have no problem replying to them.

If you do leave, good luck in your new ventures. That is a big IF. LOL

I am serious about those who do not know you and e-mail you crap. I will reply.

 

[SPJ]

you have been around too long

Exactly why I am tired of the whole thing.

don't make any hasty decisions

Not hasty. I have thought a lot about this.

I didn't know you were having issues with nastiness

I'm sick of the emails telling me I am trying to rip people off and my animals are worthless even though their opinions are worthless. The last straw was the normal male I got sent when I bought a pastel female.

good luck in your new ventures

I'll still pop in once and a while but no more online deals.

 

[Junkyard]

Are you still doing shows or private person to person sales?

With you love for reptiles, you do not need to leave here. You have a lot of valuable knowledge to share. Though you have spiked my curiosity on the non pastel you just received. Are you willing to share the story?

 

[shrap]

Steve,

We need to see people like you stick around, not the people who would ship a Normal instead of a Pastel. I know this biz is full of scoundrels and rip offs, it would be a shame to see them drive an honest man out of the hobby.

If it has really gotten to the point that you no longer enjoy working with animals then by all means leave, but don't do it because of people.

 

[pch101]

I have to say, I hate to see Steve go, but I do understand where he is coming from, as I am getting close to that point as well. I did not get into this to have my life threatened, or to be lied to and/or ripped off. It just gets very old very fast. Steve, I will say this; give it some thought before you hang it up. Either way, I wish you the best of luck. I have never done a deal with you, and I still think you are a good guy!

 

[SPJ]

you have spiked my curiosity on the non pastel you just received.

You can read about some of it here. I am now trying to sell it for $100 to get back some of the cash I lost.
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72541

lied to and/or ripped off.

That gets old FAST.

Are you still doing shows or private person to person sales?

No more shows. Some of the vendors there are WORSE than the con artists. Especially one "big name" breeder who felt the need to kick my boxes because they were in the aisle and in his way when I was setting up.

Private sales only with what I have left.

 

[nicolai]

sorry to see you go..

I am very sorry to see you go. We ahve lost a lot of good people in the business over the last year or so and i hate seeing another one leave.
I do know what you mean by hostile people though. It is the same in the pet shop business. I couldnt tell you how many times people have brought in animals 2-3 months after they bought it and want thier money back because they didnt have it at the right temps, or no UV, or inappropriate food and such and blame it on the store for selling them an animal they werent able to take care of properly. Or the people that came in and buy a 3 month old bearded dragon and bring one back to the store 5 days later and say it died for no reason and there was no doubt it was a different animal that was about 5-6-7 months old, then you question them about it and they say "heres the receipt give me another one or my money back or I will report you". so you have to or else you end uup spending more money then the dragon was worth
There are a lot of people that will take advantage of you any chance they can and its thier kind that are hurting the rest of us. We had actually thought of going to online sales but decided against it because all the issues that come with it. We might have made a little more money but gained a lot more headaches.
If you do leave the business I wish you the best of luck with your future!!!

 

[Karen Hulvey]

I'm sorry to see you go too. I understand completely the rotten apples you have to deal with when selling animals (and I'm sure it heppens when you sell anything). It's everywhere.

What I do is this: I'm nice to their face {well most of the time} and the minute the door shuts after they leave, I crack jokes about them. The meaner they are, the meaner my wisecrack is. It has everyone laughing and we forget about the person who tried to ruin our day. Sadly it's happening more and more. People just say exactly what is on their mind, no matter if it will offend you or not. They don't seem to care.

 

[DAND]

Agreed

Steve,

We need to see people like you stick around, not the people who would ship a Normal instead of a Pastel. I know this biz is full of scoundrels and rip offs, it would be a shame to see them drive an honest man out of the hobby.

If it has really gotten to the point that you no longer enjoy working with animals then by all means leave, but don't do it because of people.

If the uneducated or dishonest elements out there were the contributing factors that you have based you decision on then I would say reconsider.

 

[Clay Davenport]

Steve, if the scammers and anonymous emailing morons were the main factors that has brought you to this decision then I have to wonder, what makes you special? I'm not saying that harshly or in a mean way, I'm just saying we all have to deal with these types, they're just part of the reptile community. A most unfortunate part I must say, but they are there and their numbers have increased with the increased popularity of herps.

I don't know how long you've been into herps, but I've been at it full on for 15 years. I've got a lot of time and energy in getting to where I am and if the day ever comes that I do get out it will be because I no longer enjoy keeping the animals. I'm not going to let a bunch of losers run me out, and neither should you.

Scammers are a part of any interesting pursuit unfortunately. Not much to do there but expose them and do your best not to become a victim.
As for the people emailing you saying you are ripping people off, anyone with sense who has seen your ads knows this isn't true. Most likely they wish they could buy what you have for sale, but they can't afford it so that is their childish means of venting about it. Regardless of their reasons their opinion is of no value to anyone and there's no reason to let them bother you. The majority are probably just unsupervised 14 year olds.

I've run across my share of assholes in the hobby, and plain stupid people who seem to only exist to aggravate everyone else. One thing I have found though is that there are more good honest herpers out there than bad ones, and the bad ones usually don't go too far.
Every once in a while I get to thinking like you are, with all the people who just piss you off what's the point? Then I'll get an email from someone just thanking me for the information on my site telling me how it helped them, or a particularly enjoyable customer and I remember why it's worth it after all.

The point is you can't let people run you away from something you enjoy, especially people who deserve no consideration in the first place.

 

[Casey Hulse]

Hey Steve!

??It is the good people like you that make this hobby fun. There are jerks out there for sure, and there is a lot of money in some reptiles so the jerks flock in like vultures sometimes.
We go to a few shows each month, and there are a few people/vendors who we wish were not there, but most of the other vendors, and lots of the regular customers have become good friends. Actually, some of the nicest most trustworthy people I have met in my life are either vendors or customers at the shows. I think you are one of the people that I would like to meet someday. Take a break for a while but do not leave! Remember what happened to Spiderman( PETER PARKER)!?

 

[SPJ]

People wonder why I am cleaning house. Well this is one of the reasons. I get this ALL the time. I swear some are just freaks posing as kids. These are just 2 of them. I have been dealing with people like this daily for several months now. And the others who just disapear after committing to a deal.

In addition to the waste of time emails, I have some kid calling me constantly trying to buy things, another loony adult who still emails me a YEAR after selling an animal to tell me I sold him a sick snake because it has not fed in the past month and he will keep calling and sue me if I don't refund the price he paid plus the food bill.

This is not a fun hobby anymore. Like I said this is just one of the reasons.
I also recently got burnt on a deal. Paid for a female pastel ball python (yes I saw pics of it) and was sent a normal male. Now the seller is nowhere to be found.

 

[ms_terese]

In addition to the waste of time emails, I have some kid calling me constantly trying to buy things, another loony adult who still emails me a YEAR after selling an animal to tell me I sold him a sick snake because it has not fed in the past month and he will keep calling and sue me if I don't refund the price he paid plus the food bill.

Well, yeah, there's THAT kind of crap...but sometimes it's fun to have a battle of wits with the unarmed. Do you not feel the urge to reply with "Excellent! I'm going on vacation to (wherever he is) on the judgment from my LAST countersuit, and I'll be happy to counterfile when I get there!" They'll either shut up, or you get the satisfaction of knowing you've caused extreme frustration on their end! These kinds of things make me HAPPY!!!!

I also recently got burnt on a deal. Paid for a female pastel ball python (yes I saw pics of it) and was sent a normal male. Now the seller is nowhere to be found.

This is much less fun to deal with. Can you not charge back your credit card? That would get their attention, most certainly. You may have posted on this in another thread that I haven't read...if so, just lead me to the correct place.

This is not a fun hobby anymore.

I would strongly suggest scaling back to the point it IS fun. No more internet sales, maybe? Just shows? Or, do what I did, and stop selling anything. I sold off most of my breeding collection, and kept 2 dozen animals, period. I'll start breeding again in a year or two, but for now, I have a house full of pets.

Most importantly, do what makes you happy. Life is short, do what you want to do, and do it your way. Know that you'll always be greeted with enthusiasm when you drop by here. Good luck!

 

[snunior]

Hi this is [email protected] and i really am 13 i do not know why you shared all of my e mails with everyone but i willl live and everything i said is true. If you would like you can contact matt at mgreptiles and make sure that i followed thru. My parents are talking to Kasey Hulse on monday and i spoke to him yesterday.
Kasey, Sorry that i told someone i am buying from but i am. I would really apprecite if you edited that post and took me out of it.
I really do not know why you are leaving the buisness well, i wouldnt because i havent started breading yet this year is my first year.
This may not do anything but there really are good people in the reptile community like Kasey and Matt and Danny Mendez and Chris Simone and Rick stanulis (those are everyone i have or am buyinig from) and i am 100% sure there are many more good guys.

 

[SPJ]

Done.

Very few 13 year olds actually are responsible enough to enter into transactions.
Most of them do so without their parents knowledge.

I found out first hand what an irate parent sounds like when you ship an animal not realizing the it was a kid who bought it and it shows up at the door unannounced.

People have very colorful language when their kid buys a snake, it arrives, and the parents are afraid of them.

I give you credit for being different from the norm.

Now, If I can only get this on 16 year old to STOP calling me 3 times a day at all hours, I can get some peace.

 

[snunior]

Wow,
That really must be horrible that you have someone calling you at all times. I have a high respect for snakes that is why I care so much about the proper needs....And the proper place i aquire them from. is being a breeder really all that bad besides the annoying kids and scammers? Well i really wouldnt know. I hope i end up meeting you in person when i aquire the rack and possibly some ball pythons. I respect that you are that determined to make sure that my parents know whats going on.