For the record:
Let me state for the record that I do not know either of these two gentlemen personally. Paul bought a snake from me last year on a payment plan that went smoothly. A few months later I inquired about the snake's well-being and was updated. Our limited correspondence has been limited to business purposes and that's it. I do not know Pete Martinez and have never had any business dealings with him. There is no business or personal interest in my participation of this thread. I merely joined this discussion because I felt Paul was taking a needless beating. I would do the same for Pete or anyone else.
Now that I'm already involved, hopefully I can help to resolve this issue so that both parties can save face & move on. None of us are perfect, we all have made, or will make, mistakes. As said many times here in the BOI, it's not so much whether or not we make mistakes, it''s what we do in the aftermath that counts. Honesty & good communication, from both parties, is vital.
Pete & Paul,
I know neither one of you enjoy being questioned, but don't consider every question to be an accusation. Unfortunately, your situation has gone on long enough to be brought to the attention of the public and both of you are now at the mercy of public opinion. We all know how people's opinions can vary, but honestly answering pertinent questions can & will go a long way toward saving face and receiving mercy.
Whatever you do, don't fall into the infamous trap of thinking that you're only posting to the individuals actively posting in this thread. There are scores of other people reading in the background that hold the future of us all.
Paul,
You said in your first post;
once he recieved my money and it was time to ship her this is what he PM me.
Paul i have some bad news....
Did he contact you first to tell you the bad news, or did he tell you in a response to a message from you about shipping? Did he tell you the date that the snakes perished? I'm trying to find out for the record if he notified you of the original snake's death when it happened or if he waited until you contacted him about shipping or final payment notification.
Pete,
You stated that you & Paul agreed to;
...i would replace the lab for the granite and some cash but we did not aggree on an amount
Where did you come up with the notion to make a payment to Paul in the amount of $80? I'm just trying to figure out why the amount of your payment equals the amount that Paul claims was first agreed upon, Or, vice-versa.
Also, while there's no solid proof that you agreed to the amount of $200, you failed to dispute it when he mentioned it in the PM he sent you inquiring about the balance of $122.62. Instead of disputing the amount, you said,
"im not ignoring you i just dont have money".
i am still willing to offer him 20.00 more towards refund to make it an even 100.00 back towards the refund and i think that would be fair being that she was healthy and also 100% het for albino which also adds more value to the grannite...
I think that if you were to put yourself in Paul's place and be perfectly honest, that you would balk at paying $550 for a 7 1/2ft granite with a big scar, especially after being told it was 9ft and not being informed of the scar. Not to even mention Paul's claim of mites. I doubt that you would pay that much for a perfect, flawless, 9-footer.
Granted, you lost snakes in an unfortunate event, and I have compassion for you. But all-in-all, this whole buyer/seller ordeal isn't about what you've lost, it's about what Paul, the buyer, lost & received in place of. The buyer took a huge hit because you were unable to provide what he originally purchased, and then its replacement is plagued with several other problems.
Regardless of the original value of any snake, it's overall value drops when the deal is plagued with so many issues. Sometimes sellers are unable to meet the buyer's view of depreciation. That's when a complete refund & return shipment is in order. Sometimes, losing $100 is worth keeping things out of public forums, sometimes it isn't. This isn't a case of "a hard to please customer". Paul has legitimate complaints.
...as far as bad coments about me this is my first and you can see i have sold many reptiles if i was really triyng to screw him or if i was that kind of person i would think i would have more claims about me if i was that kind of person
I don't think anyone can come to the conclusion that you were out to get one over on Paul. I surely don't. To your credit, according to records here on FaunaClassifieds, you've been selling snakes for more than 2 1/2 years and this is the first negative thread on you. That is a good record.
What is ironic, though, is that you admittedly failed to inform another buyer of scars on snakes.
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106272
HE STATED THAT HE WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THEM BECAUSE I DID NOT MENTION SOME FACIAL SCARRING ON ONE THE THE RETICS FACES AND ALITTLE ON THE OTHERS HEAD
I also find it hard to believe that having been selling snakes for more than 2 1/2yrs that you wouldn't know that measuring the shed skin is inaccurate. That's a beginner keeper's mistake.
Pete,
Don't think that I'm against you, because I'm not. I just want you to be completely up front & honest & put yourself squarely in Paul's shoes. I'd like for Paul to do the same. I hate to see two good guys buttin' heads & things turnin' ugly. I think both of you might ought to give a little to reach an agreement.
Ya'll hang in there!
Michael Sanders