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Bad Guy Jim @ J and W exotics

lbratcher4

lbratcher4

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I had a bad experience with this guy I did a trade with him on Aug. 28th as he drove thru my area on the way to another show and he arrived at my house it was around midnight and dark out. I traded him to get 6 tri color hognose snakes I tried to check them with a flashlight as best I could but it was hard to see them with it being dark out but they looked fined outside so I did the trade and brought them in to set them up better in new containers. When setting them up I noticed 1 was extremely skinny with the spine showing I don't know how I didn't notice it outside unless it was puffing up or something but it died the next morning. The rest of them looked ok but I soaked them all in water and they drank alot like they hadn't been offered water in a long time. I call Jim the next morning and told him about the one that died and how unhappy I was and he said he would make it up he does the local show and he would bring a replacement for it to the Dec. show as he was holding back 3. After a week I tried to feed the other 5 and only 1 ate which I can understand they are hogs, but after several feeds of live, f/t and scented I only got 1 more to start eating the other 3 had to be force fed. I talked to him about this and he claims they were all eating. In Nov. I finally got another one to start eating live. Then early dec. the female that had eaten all along just up and dies for no apparent reason I know I cant point that at him but I have kept alot of snakes for many years and never had that happen yet. Then the Dec. show came I contacted him to let him know a friend would pick her up and he told me he was not doing the show for lack of inventory. So I e-mailed him to ask when he is coming thru next so I can get her and never got a reply. I e-mailed him and let him know I am frustrated and he can send the money for the value of the snake or I will post to let people know how he is and once again no reply. At this point I have 2.2 left with 1.1 needing to still be force fed. I have given way more than enough time to make this right and he obviously don't care about his customers.
 
I know it was late but why didn't you have him come into your house while he was just outside where you could look them over in better light? Im confused at some of your post, you stated you got 6 & one died & you were left with 2.2 feeding & 1.1 assist feeding? Did I miss something?
 
I didn't have him come in because my wife and kids were asleep and I didn't want to wake them. I know that was stupid but like I said they looked ok outside and the other 5 still looked ok. I said the one that was the first eating died in early dec. that was the second one to die. Either way weather I should have looked them over better or not it don't excuse this guy for his actions it is no different than if I had them shipped to me and he sold me bad snakes its still not right.
 
I bought a 1.2 trio from Jim in October. The snakes were very small, but I was able to get them eating right away. They were & are perfectly healthy. I'm assuming you've read about the tri-colors and understand they are finicky eaters. I'm having to scent my pinks with lizards, but they eat everytime I offer. I've even got one eating with no scenting. These snakes are harder than other hogs to get eating. It takes time & patience. My do drink alot of water. More than any other snake I own. Hopefully, the snakes you have left will continue to thrive.

Jim's a good guy. If you give him a chance, he will make it right.
 
I have plenty of experience with hogs and tri color hogs I know how finicky they can be but I can tell these were not eating. Jim is a bad guy I have given him months to make it right and he is now at the point of ignoring my e-mails. He said he wasn't going to be at the show in dec. but my buddy said he was there not selling just browsing so he could have brought a replacement or money at that time but chose not too. This guy is a flipper and is not good for the reptile community. Think how many people at these shows buy their first snake from him that he says is eating and it dies on them and they decide this is not for them, what a scum bag.
 
Jim

I deal with Jim, and vend at his shows. I or any one else I know at that matter has never had a problem, and whats this about a flipper? 90% of people who vend could technically be "flippers" that is outright retarded to call someone that.

I am sure if you had some patience, and more communication that this could have been resolved..
 
more patience than months are you nuts whats wrong with you oh I see your from Oklahoma too so you must be friends with him. I have made several e-mails too him and at first he said he would make up for it and never did anything about it and after that stopped answering e-mails I gave him plenty of time. If I have a problem with someone I sell an animal to I would take care of it right away. He wasn't planning on fixing the problem he just figured he would screw over another person. And I can make any comment I want on flippers like the fact that 90% of the vendors are flippers I would go further and say 90% of them are scum that don't quarintine the animals they flip so they send out animals that could have problems (probably including you). If you don't like being called a flipper then breed your own animals and stop flipping others.
 
Quite obviously you are a person with a chip on your shoulder.

Any person that would trade or buy an animal in the dark should take on some responsibility if you chose snakes that you felt weren't in good condition.

There are alot of vendors that buy and sell animals they didn't produce. With that being said, you can purchase an animal that appears healthy from a reputable breeder, that does breed their own snakes, and it die from a gut full of parasites.

Also, seeing how you are the only one stating that Jim is such a bad guy, you must be the only one with this bad experience. Hmmm...makes you think, doesn't it?
 
I already said I made a mistake for doing the trade at night but that was when he came thru my area. I also said they looked to be in good condition until I got them inside and seen them. I bet if we take a poll on how many people bought animals from reputable breeders and had it die from parasites compaired to how many have bought from flippers and had them die it would be extremely one sided being that flippers sell bad animals more so than reputable breeders. I have found other post on him being wrongful in other threads so I know I am not alone and yeah makes me think that maybe I am the only one stupid enough to get played by him. That is my fault I dont argue that and I said so earlier if you would have read the thread completely instead of just posting, I am saying its still not right to sell bad animals and screw people over. I am just posting to let people know my experience.
 
And I can make any comment I want on flippers like the fact that 90% of the vendors are flippers I would go further and say 90% of them are scum that don't quarintine the animals they flip so they send out animals that could have problems (probably including you).
Click to expand...

And you traded with him why? He's a "flipper, scum, doesn't quarantine his animals" (your words not mine) and you still wanted to deal with him. I don't have a problem with you not looking over the animals properly due to the time, and wife and kids sleeping. What I do have a problem with is your bad mouthing the guy after the deal has gone south about things unrelated to this incident and about things you knew prior to dealing with him. If you didn't know about him, before the trade, then you deserve what you get because you should have checked.
 
I didn't know he was a flipper until he played me. I found his ad on faunaclassifieds for tri colors and checked if he wanted to trade he agreed and said he was coming thru to do a show in indiana, I found out afterwards when I realized he wasn't making right on his bad trade when I researched him, which I should have done in the first place like I do everyone else I buy from now.
 
opps my bad

I would go further and say 90% of them are scum that don't quarintine the animals they flip so they send out animals that could have problems (probably including you). If you don't like being called a flipper then breed your own animals and stop flipping others.
Click to expand...

So your telling me out of "Tom Crutchfield, Ben Siegel, Ian G. (Outback), LLLReptile, Ken Foose (Exotic Pets), Mark M lucas, Boamaster, A-1 REPTILES, Amazon Reptile Center, Carolina Reptiles." 90% of them are scum? Becuse they sell reptiles that they dont always produce??

I beg to differ, I have delt with over half of the names just listed at shows (mainly) or online. NO COMPLAINTS, sounds to me like you just have traders remorse. And before you go running your mouth and calling people nuts, and scum take a look at yourself. Your obviouisly lacking any kind of intellegence and I must be nuts for trying to argue with a moron.

Yes, Jim and I are friends. I also do buisness from time to time with him, and yes hes been on my friends list on here for some time. I would suggest getting anouther hobby my friend. You obvisously arent very suited for this one....
 
I hate to ask but have you made Jim at J & W Exotics aware of this thread????

Personally I don't see where "you got played". YOU made the final decision in the dark. YOU took the animals into your home. You could have made better decisions in this deal and instead you're choosing to place the full blame on Jim for YOUR choices. Yes yes yes I know you accept that little mistake but you shouldn't chastise Jim when you're more then partially at fault. A seller can be the scummiest of the scum but it's the receiving parties decisions in an in person trade that seal the deal. Not the sellers. (I say seller because I am not sure there's a word for what I'm trying to say. Maybe trader??? Would that be right? :confused:)
Why didn't you take the animals inside and have him wait while you looked them over???? Why not have a stronger light source if you had to do this outside at night?? Again YOUR choice. I have done in person trade also and would do them again but you can sure as hell bet I wouldn't finalize the trade in the dark or bad lighting. It's on me as the receiver if I accept a 'bad' animal AFTER visually inspecting them.

And you must be really new to this hobby to not understand how a large breeding /selling operation works. Most large companies (and reptile companies in general) flip reptiles. Why? Because they do not need them for their breeding projects or the space to carry the animal. VERY common. Yes blatant (trading or selling within a week or two of receiving the animal) flipping is wrong because it's unhealthy for the animal. But ALL breeders /sellers resell or trade animals they don't need. That's just the way it works. And unless you have proof of lack of quarantine procedures you shouldn't make such statements. I have not personally done business with Jim nor do I know him. But I have bought thousands of reptiles from large name breeders /sellers and have yet to have a single fatality or illness.

My take on all this is that you're a newbie who couldn't get a touchy species to feed and you're ticked off at the seller. What was your husbandry for these guys??????
 
Look heres the deal I have admitted several times now that I made a mistake getting the animals at night but I don't see how that makes it ok to sell sickly animals on their death beds in my opinion that gives the hobby a bad name. I am in no way newbie to the hobby and even if I was that would not explain an animal to die on the first day. I am getting tired of repeating my self on this subject I give up I was just trying to warn others about this guy but apparently no one cares if he sells bad animals so I am done.
 
Well I try to avoid all the boi drama so I have stayed away from this due to that and personal reasons.. I’ll start at the top and work down from there. It was dark out but there was a security light and a bright flashlight. He inspected these very- very well before taking them. None were skinny with its spine showing. They were all flawless in all ways. I’m 99% positive they were still in there cups with water dishes in them. Not sure on this but I would bet on it. He did call the next morning and said 1 had died. I never saw it dead and don’t doubt or understand it but ok it happened. I did tell him I would be back through and trade it out on my next trip.

Here is 1 of the emails I received from him on my 1st attempt to get 1 to him. I can’t find the email on the 2nd time he cancelled but will continue to look for it.

On Oct 26, 2009, at 5:38 AM, LARRY BRATCHER <[email protected]> wrote:

Jim I got called into work at the last minute so I couldn't make it to the show to pick up my female tricolor so if you have one left to hang on to till the next show please do or if you don't we can settle on something else. Thanks

Larry

I was at the show with his replacement and he no showed. He neglected to tell this part.

After this he also cancelled on the December show. He said he would have a buddy meet me there which I may or may not have done. I had told him I would not be there due to bad weather and low inventory.

I sold approx 40 of these snakes this year with zero complaints other than this 1 snake. I have had 1 other person that bought 5 and had 3 not eat for a few weeks but finally did. I sell these specific as feeders, scented feeders, and non feeders. He bought 6 feeders that had all fed a minimum of 2 times without scent or assistance. 6 months after the sale and wants to try to say it’s my fault the best 1 died. I don’t think so.

Your buddy said I was there looking not vending?? You might want to get a new “ buddy” this one has no idea what he’s talking about…


I do not ship snakes to sell them so I also will not ship a replacement. I’m totally against shipping reptiles.


Now to the flipper comment. I sure didn’t think you produced the snakes I got from you ? or did you buy them and re-sell them to me ??? Let me answer it for you. YOU FLIPPED THEM………..


“”I bet if we take a poll on how many people bought animals from reputable breeders and had it die from parasites compared to how many have bought from flippers and had them die it would be extremely one sided being that flippers sell bad animals more so than reputable breeders.””

What a dumb ass statement that is..

Myself and my partner produced over 1000 snakes and 3000 tarantulas last year. We will do the same this year. I buy from and trade with some of the biggest breeders in the country and some of the smallest also. I produce very specific stuff and need an expanded selection to do the shows I do.


I do not do reptiles for the money or I would have been bankrupt 20 years ago. These are just a play thing for me that I love playing with.


The people that know me know I do 110 % for my customers. I make hundreds and hundreds of sells a year with less than a half a dozen complaints a year. Seems like the magic number for me is 1 person a year I can’t make happy. No matter what I go through there is going to be 1 I guess. Not really a horrid number for as many sales I make but I continually try for zero just can’t get there.


Larry sent me his ultimatum on jan 1st as I was setting on my father’s death bead. I read his threat at the end of his bead. I had no time or desire to deal with it at that time and still don’t. The hospital did a wonderful job at killing my dad and a half assed job at bringing him back. They kept him alive for 9 days on machines, tubes, and hoses. He got better and actually got to come home but is now back in the hospital. They have told us he won’t be coming home again so I won’t be back for a while and won’t be commenting on this thread again. I’ve said all I can say and have no more to say.


Anyone that visits any of the shows I vend at come on by and check out my stock. You won’t see death bed animals on my tables. You will find some of the nicest animals at the shows for the price. Just ask I’ll tell you if I produced it or bought it and if I bought it I’ll tell you who produced it. Don’t assume just come see.
 
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