Posted by: Boycott at Sat Jun 7 09:17:10 2003 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]
A message to all in the community.
The herp community and your hobby is in trouble. And your help is needed.
There are certain forum based sites set up around the community ran by unethical breeders. These sites are set up to attack and run competing breeders out of business. Such sites are labeled as “Inquiry” boards. They are disguised as a way to help expose dishonest people in the industry. The truth is, this is a way/tool for breeders to unethically and illegally eliminate their competition. These sites attack well respected and trusted sites such as this one.
This type of behavior gives herpetoculture a bad name, it raises and keeps reptile prices high, and prevents hobbyist from finding appropriate care for their pets. These sites a breeding ground for criminal and fraudulent activity. Posting negative comments on lese sites about other people can have very serious consequences. You could face legal issues and even possibly jail time for posting libelous comments about another person or company. There are other legal and ethical ways to seek justice. One is through the US Justice System. Call your local authorities, file a report. File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. There are also many governmental groups that govern consumer fraud and protection.
Many times a bad business deal is not intentional. Often time, a respected breeder will try to work the problem out. But often times then not, people are going to these “inquiry” sites and posting about their experience. If the business in question has certain ties or connections with the people running these sites, you may just find the tables turned on you.
So how can you help protect your hobby?
Simple, don’t use them to begin. It’s important to refrain from taking justice into your own hands. You can loose your legal rights and put yourself in legal hot water. Report these sites to your federal and state consumer groups. Provide them with as much information as possible. Boycott the advertisers and supporters of these sites. Let the advertisers and supporters know, your are boycotting them for supporting this type of site. Tell others you know about these sites to boycott. If you have a web page, make a banner boycotting the site and put it on your main page. Also, boycott the regulars that frequent their or that participate in these libelous acts.
Together, we can end the illegal practices of many breeders in the community.
