Heika Sample ... Seller Beware

[Dennis Hultman]

That was deleted off myspace and Josh's photobucket account fairly quick.

 

[Chris Anderson]

As has already been pointed out, the photo mentioned in this thread was posted on my myspace account by a third party. The way myspace works is that people can post comment, links, photos, videos, etc., as they wish on your profile, as was the case here and has already been confirmed by another poster here who saw the post on my comment wall. I did not manipulate the image, post it online or post it on my myspace account. I see that the image has been removed from my myspace posting wall and from the hosting service it was uploaded too, however. You’ll be glad to know though, that I’ve changed the settings on said posting wall to require my approval before any content is posted in order control what is placed on it by others. If the photo is as flattering as you say it is, however, feel free to send it to me as I’d be happy to replace your photo on the E-Zine with it if you wish.

As far as the “I’m kind of a big deal” remark, that is a running joke with a group of my college friends. Myspace and facebook are networking sites to keep in touch with friends. Having just moved across country and with many of my other friends having done the same, I utilize both as a means to keep contact with them. The majority of my friends on these two sites are from college while a few are people I know through chameleons who have discovered I was on them. The content of my profile is directed toward the former, however, as in general I keep my day-to-day life and chameleon hobby/academic studies separate. Going back to the referenced comment, it has nothing to do with chameleons or even an accurate depiction of my personality, just a joke among a group of close college buddies, as are a number of the quotes in my profile.

As far as other aspects of those profiles being indicative of who I am, you can go ahead and twist whatever you want out of it. I like a wide range of current and classic rock. I enjoy wine, scotch and appreciate good beer. I enjoy going out with friends and traveling. I embrace old memories of being with my friends such as getting cut off by the bar tender at the bowling alley and taking photos of my friend taking the morning after walk of shame back home in a toga. I’m fairly certain I’m not the only one on this site who went to college and enjoyed themselves in the process. I’m also fairly certain that enjoying oneself in college while still doing well academically is not a mark of failure or a necessary subject of later unrelated scrutiny.

This was another enjoyable attempt to grasp at straws to go after me but unless you have something applicable to try to discredit me with, I’m done with this conversation and am going to return to selling my house here in NY for a few days until I get back home and don't have to sit in a begal shop to get internet access. I did not post or have anything to do with creating the photo you describe in your post and it was deleted before I could do anything about it. Further, the inside joke among old college friends that you took out of context is irrelevant to the discussion, as is the rest of the personal profile on my myspace or facebook accounts.

Moving back on topic, you also seem to think I owe it to you to post who came to me with questions after hearing this rumor. To be honest, I don't owe you a damn thing, least of all posting names of people who came to me for my opinion on possible health implications as I've not made any accusations and didn't give any indication to anyone that it was anything but a rumor. I am still, however, awaiting you to post documentation proving I had more to do with the rumor in this thread then I have stated. You said you had testimonials showing I had more to do with it then I say and have tried to use these phantom testimonies to discredit me. Man up and post dates, names and copies of the emails I sent or conversations I had where I had more to do with it then I have already said or are you no better then the whale dung you refer to others here as who don’t provide the documentation to back up the accusations they make?

Chris

 

[Griz]

Chris, I don't have a dog in this fight but at some point, you have to ask yourself if it's worth it? Do you really want E-zine and/or chameleoninfo.com to receive this type of publicity? Do you truly believe that your posts are in any way adding credibility to your work? I don't know you from Adam and to be blunt, based solely upon your posts here, I don't know that I would want to. You've glossed over blazingly obvious information and are supporting an individual whom has proven herself lackluster at best.

If you truly love what it is you're doing, e-zine etc, then you need to reassess your desire to argue here. It's not adding credibility to either your goals or yourself. You're fighting a battle whereby you can only be the loser and not the victor. A victor never emerges in situations like this. Figure out your goal kid, and then move on.

Griz

 

[Chameleon Company]

Chris,

I wish you well with your move, and miss the bagel shops of the Northeast myself, as central Florida is not a bagel place. Regarding being a student, enjoying things in college, scotch, good beer, etc, that is not the part of your "My Space" page that is interesting, but I applaud you for your tastes regarding alcohol. Looking at just the picture that was photo shopped, your familiarity with it was your Achilles heel. The original ballsy chameleon was posted on the My Space account of Tyler Stewart (Tyler and BlueBeast Reptile), one of your My Space friends, although my likeness had not been added yet. It was photo-shopped, using your E-Zine as a source, and then posted by another of your My Space friends, Josh Boysen, to your My Space page. It was posted on the ninth, and you had visited your My Space page since. If not for my post, it would still be there. I am glad that you have now made changes to your account, but lets not be coy about your culpability here.

Chris, I have always maintained that you have brought much good to the community, and it seemed we had put some long-ago skirmishes behind. I see no upside to having to push you away again, except that you made voluntary choices here that left me no choice but to challenge your participation and conclusions. Thing of it all is, you seemingly should not have a dog in this hunt about the "rumor", and your posts have been roundly criticized. Yet here you are. Why ?

Is there more to this story? Is there more to Heika's malfeasance?

 

[geomeleon]

OK, I am going to give you all my experience with Miss Heika. I sold her a Nosy Be male 0n January 7, 2007. It was an auction listing on Reptile Auctions.com which she was the winning bidder. I was reluctant to ship the chameleon because of weather conditions in her area. Heika wanted me to ship anyway saying that she would take a chance on it because she expected the weather to be this way for awhile!! I sent the animal anyway as she requested with heat packs the whole nine yards!! I shipped him UPS and the only service they offered to her area that time was NEXT DAY BY 3:00pm!! I don't have any emails to prove this as it was through telephone conversation only!! However, I do have the feedback she left me on Reptile Auctions which says:

bluebird Jan. 10, 2007 05:20:18 Geoff shipped me a healthy chameleon. The shipment was a bit rough due to weather conditions, and he arrived a little battered from his trip. However, he is healthy and in good shape. I am pleased! Thanks!

Bluebird is her username on that site!! Now 6 months later she is accusing me of a BAD shipment which the animal now has a really bad eye infection that lasted 5 months or so and is just now recovering, due to my BAD shipment!!
I got BLASTED by Tyler Stewart from Bluebeast Reptile backing Heika on Chameleon Forums saying that I should have replaced the animal, if it was him he didn't care if it got eaten on her door step by a pack of wolves he would have replaced it anyway!! Why he got in my business I don't know? Maybe because I had bad dealings with him as well which I will spare the details lets just say the word "VIRUS" comes to mind!! Anyway I offered to give Heika an Ambilobe baby because I couldn't pay her vet bill for the eye infection which I never got to see anyway!! GEE sounds familiar here . She told me in a pm on Chameleon Forums that she didn't expect me to pay her vet bill, but if I wanted to give her an Ambilobe baby that she would take one!! After reading this thread I am no longer going to give her anything!! After seeing the MySpace stuff I now see there is a little
"click" of people that stick together!! Take a good look at the MySpace stuff and you can see what I am talking about!! Gee, that chameleon at the bottom of Bluebeast Reptiles MySpace page sure looks familiar!!

 

[monkeywrench133]

Goeffrey, How long after shipping did Heika contact you about the eye infection?

And to be clear, you never saw the vet bill she claims to have racked up, is that correct?

 

[geomeleon]

Goeffrey, How long after shipping did Heika contact you about the eye infection?

And to be clear, you never saw the vet bill she claims to have racked up, is that correct?

She contacted me about four months after the purchase and YES, there was no vet bill produced by Heika!! Here is a link to the thread on Chameleon Forums that started it all!! http://www.chameleonforums.com/healthy-chameleon-picture-thread-4080/

 

[shrap]

Wow, a definite pattern of behavior here. Chams come in, Heika is completely satisfied with them upon arrival and then several months later they have medical problems in which she wants to blame the person who sold them to her.

I think maybe, just maybe, Heika needs to start taking a very long look in the mirror.

 

[Griz]

I think maybe, just maybe, Heika needs to start taking a very long look in the mirror.

Either that Sammy or she needs to look in her cages! Sounds like husbandry is NOT her strong suit!

Griz

 

[Chameleon Company]

Heika,
Once again, choo got sum 'splainin to do.

Chris,
So what is your take on all of this now ?

 

[Mooing Tricycle]

Heika Posted Feedback to you:
bluebird Jan. 10, 2007 05:20:18 Geoff shipped me a healthy chameleon. The shipment was a bit rough due to weather conditions, and he arrived a little battered from his trip.

However, he is healthy and in good shape. I am pleased! Thanks!

Thats a bit confusing, BUT you probably should have asked then what the problem was and if there was anything you can do to help. It was obvious something DID go wrong during shipment and that was one way she let you know. at the same time, in your defense she also said that he was healthy and in good shape, which is misleading at best. She did not pursue you, AND it was her choice to take a chance at shipping in such bad weather, meaning, it is her fault 100% and you are NOT responsible for those vet bills.

Now 6 months later she is accusing me of a BAD shipment which the animal now has a really bad eye infection that lasted 5 months or so and is just now recovering, due to my BAD shipment!!



She contacted me about four months after the purchase and YES, there was no vet bill produced by Heika!! Here is a link to the thread on Chameleon Forums that started it all!!
http://www.chameleonforums.com/healthy-chameleon-picture-thread-4080/

Those two dont match up and maybe it was user error there .

This is the quote from the Chameleon forums. ( i have screen shots too if one needs to see those, or wants them)

05-28-2007, 09:40 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by chameloman72 View Post
WOW Heika, Skamandros looks AWESOME maybe I should have kept him!!
If you would have, I would be appx. $300.00 richer for the vet care alone..

He is doing well. I like him, he has a fighting spirit. There were a few touch and go moments in the beginning, especially when his eyes were so gigantic from being bashed around in that box. The swelling would go down, and then come back.. then, the infections set in. All good now. I plan to introduce him to his girlfriends in the next week or two, since he has maintained his health for a couple weeks now.

Heika

Was that post in the forum the ONLY time she let you know about the infection? or did she contact you by other means?


i definitely do see the pattern in her behavior, again, questionable at best.

 

[Mooing Tricycle]

Also... um would anyone else do this after only a FEW WEEKS of being healthy?

I plan to introduce him to his girlfriends in the next week or two, since he has maintained his health for a couple weeks now.

So, the chameleon is healthy for two weeks, and she plans to introduce him in another two. For some reason, i think that is far too soon, especially for a chameleon, since they are so sensitive and all... wouldnt breeding be pretty stressful for him? Anyone whos good with chams could answer that for me though.

 

[Dennis Hultman]

That was deleted off myspace and Josh's photobucket account fairly quick.

Strike that. The picture had a makeover and returned.

 

[geomeleon]

Thats a bit confusing, BUT you probably should have asked then what the problem was and if there was anything you can do to help. It was obvious something DID go wrong during shipment and that was one way she let you know. at the same time, in your defense she also said that he was healthy and in good shape, which is misleading at best. She did not pursue you, AND it was her choice to take a chance at shipping in such bad weather, meaning, it is her fault 100% and you are NOT responsible for those vet bills.



Those two dont match up and maybe it was user error there .

This is the quote from the Chameleon forums. ( i have screen shots too if one needs to see those, or wants them)


Was that post in the forum the ONLY time she let you know about the infection? or did she contact you by other means?


i definitely do see the pattern in her behavior, again, questionable at best.

That is the only time she has contacted me about the problem!! She said in a pm on Chameleon Forums that she sent an email about the problem shortly after the purchase, but I never got the email and like I said earlier, she had my telephone number and never bothered to call!!

 

[Chameleon Company]

Geoff,
You reference getting "blasted" by another chameleon seller in the forums over this, as well as emails and/or PM's from Heika. Was the other thread taken down ? As the thread you linked to does not show any conversation between you and Heika, is the situation such that the claims were made in phone calls, PM's, or a possibly deleted thread ? Thanks.

 

[geomeleon]

Geoff,
You reference getting "blasted" by another chameleon seller in the forums over this, as well as emails and/or PM's from Heika. Was the other thread taken down ? As the thread you linked to does not show any conversation between you and Heika, is the situation such that the claims were made in phone calls, PM's, or a possibly deleted thread ? Thanks.

Well Jim,
It is a little of both!! I went back and forth with Heika through pm's and the thread that you see was actually the one that Tyler was "blasting" me on, the comments between him and I were deleted from Brad the Administrator for the Chameleon Forums!! After being deleted Tyler then started to pm me instead!!

 

[Heika]

Oh, the drama..

Why I find myself obligated to respond to Geoff is beyond me. Geoff, why you choose to jump on this bandwagon is beyond me as well. I felt we were on fairly good terms, considering the issues.

Geoff was very aware that the shipment of that nosy be male in 19 degree January weather wasn’t good. He sent the box saver, and despite his claim that my area doesn’t support overnight deliveries guaranteed by 10:30 a.m., it does. Only a short time after that, packages arrived from 3 other breeders overnight UPS guaranteed for a 10:30 a.m. shipment. The animal wouldn’t have even been shipped on the day in question if Geoff would have held him until the weather got a bit warmer. He refused because he said he didn’t have the cage space to hold him.

I paid for UPS overnight regular shipping.. I received him late that day because Geoff chose to save a few bucks and ship him saver. The first stop I made was my vet office because the trip had so battered the chameleon’s eyes. I contacted Geoff immediately.

Yes, I left positive feedback because I felt that the effort was there on Geoff’s part, and that he had truly made a mistake he regretted. He apologized profusely on the phone, and said that he would make it up if the chameleon’s eyes didn’t heal up. I told him I would leave him positive feedback when he asked me to.. he was very concerned about it because he had received negative in the past. I felt a little sorry for him, and also thought that he was good to his word. I also thought the Nosy Be was going to be alright.. the swelling subsided. I contacted Geoff by phone and by email within a week to let him know that infection had set into both of the chameleon’s eyes, and he never responded. I figured I would let it go.. I really don’t like to push issues, believe it or not.

Then, months later, Geoff shows up on another forum, where he got into an argument about this animal with another breeder. He was very aware of the shipping problems and the resulting eye infections, but wanted to use my name as an example of a good shipment. I PMed him and told him to knock it off, because he was well aware of the truth in the matter. He claimed he hadn’t received my emails or my phone messages, and offered an ambilobe to compensate for the vet bills. I told him if he wanted to ship one, I would accept it. I was surprised at his response, and really believed that perhaps he had simply missed my communications. I even told him I would be interested in purchasing a couple more when they were ready. I never asked him to compensate my vet bills.. that isn’t something I ever do, because I know that I go to extremes that most people wouldn’t for the life of a chameleon. According to his communications, he should have shipped that animal a month ago or so. I PMed him fairly recently and said that I wouldn’t hold him to the shipment of the animal. He responded saying that he had problems with the eggs. I said.. no problem, not a big issue, that I wouldn’t hold him to it anyhow.

Yes, I do have the information to back it up, but Geoff confirms the majority of it. Now, if you guys don't mind, I have a life to live, and nothing I say really makes a difference anyhow. The only reason I am responding at all is to speak to the others who read this with a much more critical eye, and see the truth buried in the bullshit of this thread.

 

[monkeywrench133]

Why I find myself obligated to respond to Geoff is beyond me.

Simple. Everyone here thinks you are a liar.

What part of that are you not understanding?

 

[geomeleon]

Well Jim,
It is a little of both!! I went back and forth with Heika through pm's and the thread that you see was actually the one that Tyler was "blasting" me on, the comments between him and I were deleted from Brad the Administrator for the Chameleon Forums!! After being deleted Tyler then started to pm me instead!!

STRIKE that!! This all happened about 2 1/2 months ago, so I can't remember perfectly it was actually the Screameleons thread that Tyler was "blasting" me on!!

 

[Chameleon Company]

Heika,
What is with people saying animals are all OK, or leaving positive feedback, only to then later slur the supplier/breeder at a later date ?

Yes, I left positive feedback because I felt that the effort was there on Geoff’s part, and that he had truly made a mistake he regretted. He apologized profusely on the phone, and said that he would make it up if the chameleon’s eyes didn’t heal up. I told him I would leave him positive feedback when he asked me to.. he was very concerned about it because he had received negative in the past. I felt a little sorry for him,

So you meant it, but didn't mean it ? It was an "A for effort" but maybe really a "D for results" ? Can you understand why your credibility has been an issue from the beginning of the " B...S... of this thread"? You claim Geoff was notified immediatley about the eye problems, and he says quite the contrary. If that is true, that you notified him right away, would it have not been a major point in the now deleted thread from Chameleon Forums ? Is it not the heart of the issue ? If it didn't show up then, was it a point that you just forgot to raise ? When the eye issue apparently came to the forum in late May, as Geoff linked, how could it have become an issue again, leading to a deleted thread, if you and he had discussed so promptly in January ? I believe the reasons for my skepticism are etched in granite at this point. You understand, of course.