• Posted 12/19/2024.
    =====================

    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • 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.

Matt Bruner MBReptiles bad customer service!!

dmasio

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Well I have to say I have been less than pleased with Matt Bruners customer service or service in general. I sent an email to Matt on 6-29 and asked him if he could send me a quote for 2 Johson T-stats shipped to my address, and I told him that I needed them ASAP which he replied to pretty quickly with "Not a problem". After recieving the quote I told him to go ahead and send me a paypal invoice for them so he did on 6-30 at 7:30 pm eastern time which I then paid him promptly at 7:41 pm. So on the 30th I paid him I waited and waited on 7-5 I tried to email him to ask if he happen to ship them out yet I NEEDED them with no response so I tried to call on the 6th and spoke with some guy (I dont remember his name) but he said he would leave a message for Matt. Then I emailed again on the 7th with no response so I called again (I think it was the same day) anyway it was Matts bithday so again he was unavailable to come to the phone I said fine again left my number for him to call. So once again on the 8 th I left another email with no respone so I called again on the 10th and spoke to a woman and I admit was less than cordial I told her Matt kept f****ng around and blowing me off I told her I was tired of leaving messages with people and not getting a response or an answer on my order I also told her I was filing a complaint with Paypal. So I filed a complaint and the same night I escalated the dispute so they emailed Matt and, anyone want to take a guess what happened no response to it WOW how could I guess. So I just tried to call again and hes not available to come to the phone so I told the woman on the phone to at least have him respond to the email from Paypal so we can get this finished. And the entire time this is going on he keeps relisting his BS ads on Kingsnake stating that he ships the same day or next day depending on the time the order was placed. To me he sounds like hes following in the footsteps of another Matt.......Greybeal
In short I would stay away from this guy I still havent got my money from him so just be careful dealing with him. Hes a crook..
 
Heres the emails
Not a problem.

Matt Bruner
MB Reptiles
www.mbreptiles.com
[email protected]
541-474-7999


Quoting Damian & Danielle Macioce
<[email protected]>:

That will work can you please send me a paypal invoice Im needing them
ASAP Thanks again Damian Macioce
----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected]>
To: "Damian Macioce" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 1:09 PM
Subject: Re: johnson controls

Including shipping you are looking at $164.55 for 2 of
them wired
to which you will be able to plug in 3 heating sources.

Matt Bruner
MB Reptiles
www.mbreptiles.com
[email protected]
541-474-7999


>> Quoting Damian Macioce <[email protected]>:

Hey can you send me a quote for 2 wired Johnson t-stats my address is 9180
Drum place Orient Ohio 43146 Thanks Damian Macioce


Matt I was wondering if you sent those t-stats out yet? I paid for them Monday and I stressed the fact that I needed them asap please please let me know Thanks Damian

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 7:30 PM
To: Damian & Danielle Macioce
Subject: Re: johnson controls

Not a problem.

Matt Bruner
MB Reptiles
www.mbreptiles.com
[email protected]
541-474-7999

Hey I have emailed you twice in a weeks time and have asked when the t-stats have been sent out I haven’t received a response or an email with a tracking number nothing. I explained that I needed these asap but it didn’t matter well I have to say Im very unhappy with your service and this will be the first and last time I get something from you and will be noted on the BOI.
 
I have done many transactions with Matt Bruner.
He has always been a wonderful customer for me.
Matt is very prompt to pay, genuinely friendly and honest.
Sometimes busy people may be difficult to reach. Calling them several times in one day may not be productive....and being crass or rude with employees is certainly not very productive. After all, business owners do have the right to refuse service to a customer who is impolite.
Many advertisments are auto-posted on KS.
So it is possible that Matt really was unavailable....especially with it being his birthday.
I am not making excuses for Matt, or anyone....but I do think that decent, friendly manners go a long way in ANY type of business transaction.
I understand that you were in a hurry, and wanted the product asap.
Perhaps with some patience....you would have gotten the reply you were seeking.

I guess what I am saying is that good manners show the character of the person.
In my opinion, Matt Bruner is a good guy. He is NOT a crook.
If you want your money back, I am sure he will refund it to you.
It has not been very long....and patience is a virtue....perhaps not cussing while on the phone with his employees (or possibly his wife) might be considered a virtue as well? I hope you find the thermostats you are looking for in a reasonable time frame.
I wish you well.

Harlin Wall - WALL TO WALL REPTILES!
970-245-7611
970-255-9255
 
Well Im just going on my transaction with him and yes he is a crook, I have recieved emails from 3 different people that dont want to post here because he has done the same thing and they dont want to jeopardize their chances at getting a refund. I figure I waited 7 days before I contacted him politely and just asked him if he could tell me if he shipped or not. But when he wanted my business he answered 3 emails within hours of me sending them hhhhmmmm something smells funny to me... And just a tip for you be careful who you come to bat for if this blows up in Matts face it could easily back fire onto you trust me I know the hard way....
 
dmasio said:
I have recieved emails from 3 different people that dont want to post here because he has done the same thing and they dont want to jeopardize their chances at getting a refund.

Many people post here on Fauna because the adverse publicity to whoever done them wrong HELPS them receive a refund.
 
Mangshan said:
I have done many transactions with Matt Bruner.
He has always been a wonderful customer for me.
Matt is very prompt to pay, genuinely friendly and honest.

Harlin,

With all due respect, there is a big difference between being a good CUSTOMER and a good SELLER. I have no doubt that you have had good transactions with Matt, but it does not excuse the fact that he could not deliver the product...."by same day or next day shipping" as his ad says...in a timely manner. If he could not meet the requirements, he should not state such in his ad, and should have let Damian know that fact up front so he could have tried to place his order elsewhere. Does this make him a "crook"? Not really, as long as he makes it right in the end, I guess....but it IS poor customer service. :shrug01:

Damian - if you're still in a bind with the t-stats, I have a couple here I could ship out to you to use until you get this settled. I just had a couple pre-wired and sitting on hand after an issue with one going bad, and not having an immediate replacement. Just let me know.
 
Sorry if I missed it, but have you filed a complaint with PayPal? If not, begin that process. It might get you your money back, and it may light a fire under him to get them shipped to you.

As far as people emailing you, there are other threads here already: http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/search.php?searchid=217438 . You should have checked first BEFORE buying, but that still doesn't make people emailing behind the scenes any more than just another set of snipers.

Try ordering them from Reptile Basics next time. I've bough about a dozen controllers from that Rich, and each one comes pre-wired to a surge protector with 6 built-in plugs. Of all the people I have ordered from in the past, I will say that Rich is the quickest, on average, for getting me my supplies!

KJ
 
The second half of Post #1 addresses the fact that a Pay Pal dispute was filed and the fact that Mr. Bruner has not responded to that dispute.
 
John E Dove said:
The second half of Post #1 addresses the fact that a Pay Pal dispute was filed and the fact that Mr. Bruner has not responded to that dispute.


Oops, my bad. When he started with the masked profanity, I gave up trying to decipher the giant paragraph without punctuation. My mistake for missing that part, but the rest is valid. Heck, if he used a credit card, he should contact his CC company directly to file a dispute. If he said that, too, then "oops again." :shootfoot
 
Bad customer service---I agree.

When someone orders a thermostat---it usually means there are some racks and animals without heat.

If you advertise quick shipping---you should adhere to your word.

Thanks for the heads up----I will need a stat or two in the Fall.
 
Harlin, you missed the boat here. While I agree he does not need to use profanity to Matt's employee's, Matt is the one in the wrong here. He's had plenty of time to at least inform his customer of what is going on and he's failed to do that. How hard is it to tell you employee's what to say should the customer call back? This is clearly Matt's issue.

Damian, unfortunately there is not much more you can do. What will happen is that Matt will eventually respond to Paypal by giving them the tracking number for your shipment. While this requires you to be patient for a few more days you will at least know to never go back to Matt for service. Sucks but it's reality.

Matt, not a good way to start out especially with sharing the same name/moniker with Matt Graybeal! I can remember you trying to tell this forum that you and Matt did not share the same customer service yet here you are following in his footsteps. I know where I will not take my money in the future.

Griz
 
Cathy,
I certainly agree....there is a difference between being a seller and a buyer.
This is why, in my post, I pointed out that Matt has been a good customer to me.
He was quick to pay, had wonderful communication and was a pleasure do do business with.
I still do not feel that Matt Bruner is a crook.
In fact I spoke with Matt's wife last night and informed them of this thread.
There are some important details that Damian has not yet shared with the board.
Perhaps Matt and/or his wife will post with the details.

I am not saying that it is right for Damian to have to wait so long for the items he purchased. I am not saying that he received wonderful customer service in this transaction. In fact the opposite may be true.

What I do know, is that profanity is not productive.
I also know that there are two sides to every coin.
Before we jump to conclusions...lets hope that more details will surface.

Since I was not involved in the transaction, it is better to allow Matt to share his side of the story. Perhaps he does have some fault in this situation....we shall see.

Lets give it a little time and see how it turns out.
I will agree.... When a customer orders ANY product, they deserve to receive good communication, service and their purchase in a reasonable time frame....especially when they have initially made it clear that the item is needed ASAP.

I can only share my personal experiences with one side of this dispute.
Damian may be a wonderful person. I have not had the opportunity to work with him yet. My experience with Matt was very good....but as we all know, he was the buyer in our transactions. Lets give him the chance (as the seller) to come forward and share his side of the situation. I hope that seems reasonable.
And once again, I hope that Damian gets the thermostats he needs.

Harlin Wall - WALL TO WALL REPTILES!
970-245-7611
970-255-9255
 
Hey Cathy I appreciate the offer but I bought them from somewhere else but thanks again. KJ yea I started the process thru paypal but they are waiting on an email from Matt and I tried to explain to them that he will more than likely not get in touch with them.
 
Harlin the day I started this thread I emailed the link to Matt and told him about it and no response. And as far as 2 sides to every coin I gave ALL the information there is nothing else to add oh except I called again yesterday and left another message asking him to be a man and call me or to answer the email from paypal. But yes I would love to have Matt come on here and give some explaination on why his lack of communication or not shipping my product is my fault. And of course he was a good buyer you had something he wanted so did I when I first contacted him he wanted my money thats why he was so quick to respond to my emails. If taking someones money and not getting in touch with them isnt the MO of a crook I have some t-stats you maybe interested in why dont you send me $165.00 and I will avoid all contact with you and tell me how you feel about me????
 
dmasio said:
Hey Cathy I appreciate the offer but I bought them from somewhere else but thanks again.

No problem, Damian. :)

Best of luck in getting this all settled!
 
I would first like to state that I should have notified Mr. Macioce that his thermostats were not going to be shipped out right away because before I ship them I test them. One of the thermostats was bad, unfortuneatly I didn't have another one in stock at the moment as I was waiting for our next shipment. However, I did not think it was a problem as Mr. Mocioce did not express to me in our first emails that he needed them asap. I do take the blame for not contacting him about this problem. I would also like to state that I recieved a good sized shipment of animals that was an absolute nightmare and we were putting in a few extra hours in each day just to deal with that mess. I have not even gone through any emails until today. I know that this is not anyones problem but my own, but that is the facts. I probably have too much on my plate, but that is the facts. Once Caroline called me to tell me that you had called her for the first time about the thermostats, it sure didn't make me want to speed things along. There is no reason why you need to call her and swear, yell, and whatever else. I know that I should have notified you that there was going to be a delay due to the bad stat, but you didn't need to take it to the level that you did. I will issue you a refund through paypal. If you have any choice words in the future, save them for me. It was my mistake, I would love to hear it.


Matt
 
mbreptiles said:
However, I did not think it was a problem as Mr. Mocioce did not express to me in our first emails that he needed them asap. I do take the blame for not contacting him about this problem.

Matt,

Not to antagoize, but Damian posted the e-mail exchange here:


Quoting Damian & Danielle Macioce
<[email protected]>:

That will work can you please send me a paypal invoice Im needing them
ASAP
Thanks again Damian Macioce
----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected]>
To: "Damian Macioce" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 1:09 PM
Subject: Re: johnson controls

Including shipping you are looking at $164.55 for 2 of
them wired
to which you will be able to plug in 3 heating sources.

Matt Bruner
MB Reptiles
www.mbreptiles.com
[email protected]
541-474-7999


>> Quoting Damian Macioce <[email protected]>:

Hey can you send me a quote for 2 wired Johnson t-stats my address is 9180
Drum place Orient Ohio 43146 Thanks Damian Macioce


Matt I was wondering if you sent those t-stats out yet? I paid for them Monday and I stressed the fact that I needed them asap please please let me know Thanks Damian

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 7:30 PM
To: Damian & Danielle Macioce
Subject: Re: johnson controls

Not a problem.

Matt Bruner
MB Reptiles
www.mbreptiles.com
[email protected]
541-474-7999

Hey I have emailed you twice in a weeks time and have asked when the t-stats have been sent out I haven’t received a response or an email with a tracking number nothing. I explained that I needed these asap but it didn’t matter well I have to say Im very unhappy with your service and this will be the first and last time I get something from you and will be noted on the BOI.
 
antagoize = antagonize :)
 
Compelled to post that I had to get "crazy" with MB a year ago on a refund... We went round and round over the issue with all the good ol threats and gravy on top... I was offended when I just wanted a simple refund since shipping didn't work out for us, and he told me "no". I/you would/could/should ALWAYS refund someone's money, unless.............. Just had to post for info's sake.. I will never call MB reptiles for anything again based on my experience..
 
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