• 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.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

REPTOMANIA and Jason Stone very bad!!

BenR

BenR

Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2002
Messages
367
Reaction score
5
Points
18
Age
46
Location
Murrieta, CA USA
Alright, I really feel like a sucker now but here is the deal with them. They called me up and said they were interested in the supers and tigers I had and wanted me bring some up to their shop in Lomita California(up by Long Beach) to look at. Well I did that and went their on Memorial Day(May 26). Jason Stone the shop owner, picked out 3 super tigers and 6 tigers then wrote me a check for 1,950 from the company. I figured since it was a company check I would be ok. He then told me just to wait until that Thursday to cash it. That made me a little nervous, but I agreed. Sure enough it BOUNCED like a basketball both times the bank tried to send it through due to insufficient funds. I've tried calling his shop, house, cell phone and have yet to get him on the phone. Next I tried to go through the district Attorney in LA county, but Jason Stone had posted dated the check for June 3rd with out me knowing and because of that it is ineligible for the District Attorney program. Clearly he was planning on scamming me from the beginning. They don't sell much on the internet from what I have seen, but I do know they buy stuff online so be for warned!

Here is the shop info: REPTOMANIA, 1856 Pacific Coast Highway, Lomita, CA 90717
Phone number (310) 325 2002
The owner is Jason Stone

Also, if anyone has any advice for me I would love to hear it.

Thanks!
Ben Rogers
 
I would be driving back over there if I was you, don't give them the original check unless they give you cash and keep on the D.A to do something about it with criminal charges if they won't pay you.





My .02
 
you may also want to consider

if your going to hold a check, at least have them make it out for the day the check was written and tell them that it will be deposited on the agreed date. JERRY TRESSER
 
Ben,

If I were you I would follow Ralph's suggestions. But remember your goal, which I would assume it is being paid. So be cool. Tell them how unfortunate the incidence was, etc. etc. and that you want a new check issued. Once they issue you a new one they will ask you for the old one. Keep photocopies of the old one for yourself. Go prepared to hear any excuse, including those as of why they can't issue a new check. Don't loose your cool, simply ask questions as what can be done to solve the situation and do not engage in any arguments. Again, your goal is not to teach them a lesson on business, ethics, or how right YOU are, but to get paid.

Good luck!
 
THATS NOT THE ANSWER

to the above post. A check in that amount could be a Felony. I would take the check to the bank and have it PROTESTED. The bank will contact their bank and issue a legal document indicating that the monies were in fact NOT THEIR IN THE ACCOUNT, when the check was written. I would then advise these losers that you would file FRAUD charges against them which could lead to other charges as well. The fact is that they had no business in issuing a check without having the money to cover it. Theirs nothing nice about this, and trying to accommodate these people will only end up in wasteing your time. JERRY TRESSER
 
I'm afraid I have to agree with Jerry on this.

The BOI was set up originally because someone passed me some bad checks. I was the nice guy and listened to all of the excuses and waited things out hoping the guy (Wild World of Reptiles) would finally make good on them. All these wound up being were stalling tactics so he could vanish. The BOI was my way of trying to get the word out on this guy.

Set a deadline. Money will be in your hands by that date or you will file felony charges against him. No excuses. In the meantime track down every piece of information you can about this guy. Walk into his shop with a camera and get his photo. The police will want a positive ID on the guy, so get that all beforehand. Let the guy know you are SERIOUS about prosecuting if he doesn't come through with the money.

Be polite and even friendly with the guy. Tell him you'll come visit him in jail afterwards just so you can enjoy seeing him behind bars. Then when he gets out of jail, you will still be there wanting your money from him.
 
BAD CHECK

I figured since it was a company check I would be ok. He then told me just to wait until that Thursday to cash it.
Click to expand...

A stated above, it would appear that because they asked for the check to not be cashed until a certain date that they knew they had no money to pay for these animals at the time of writing the check.

So they wrote a BAD check knowingly.

I would be doing what both Jerry and Rich said. Cut these people no slack at all.

Cause THEM more grief then what they've caused you and you CAN!
 
Here's a good method for getting this handled. Stand outside his shop on PUBLIC property. Tell everyone going into his shop that he has stolen your animals by passing you a bad check. Tell them that the check came back twice as non-sufficient funds. Ask them if they really want to support a shop that does business like this and be prepared to send them somewhere else if they say it's the only place they know of for what they need. Make a big sign and put it on your car in the parking lot that says they write bad checks. Get noticed and you will get results.

Wes Pollock
 
Stand outside his shop on PUBLIC property. Tell everyone going into his shop that he has stolen your animals by passing you a bad check.
Click to expand...

Good idea provided you have time to do this and it doesn't interfer with work etc.
 
Thanks for the help guys!

Just wanted to thank you all for the advice and good ideas. Also those of you that e-mailed me with some info I really appreciate that as well. I'll let you all know how this unfolds.

Thanks again,
Ben Rogers
 
Up Date.

Just wanted to let you all know Jason's wife told me they would get me a Cashiers check out for 500 bucks and and would have it in writting that they will complete payment to me with in a week. She told me this over the phone yesterday June 24th. Does anyone see anyway they can burn me on this other than just not sending me the money? Does it sound like they are stalling?

Thanks,
Ben
 
Ben, I don't have a lot of experience with the bad check thing (knock on wood) but I think acceptance of a partial payment hinders any legal avenue you may have down the road if they don't complete the payments.

When I was a member of the Temecula Chamber of Commerce last year there was a guy from the DA's office there specifically to educate business owners about bad checks. http://www.temecula.org/ and if you call them they should be able to give you his contact information. He'll be able to guide you on any particulars to CA or Riverside county law for bad checks.
 
Proceed with Caution

Ben,

If they are going to make payment arrangements, please have them sign and notarize a promissory note for the full amount first. If it is their intent to pay the money back in full, they will have no problem doing that, and it offers you a layer of protection should the $500 be the only money forthcoming.

DO NOT RETURN THE ORIGINAL CHECK UNTIL THE DEBT IS PAID IN FULL!!! You still have the option of going to the issuing back and placing the check for collection (I believe....you can do that in Colorado, anyway), at which time the bank freezes the account that the check is drawn on until enough money has been deposited to cover the check. I used to manage commercial property, and that worked well with some tenants who liked to bounce rent checks.

Kudos to you for being willing to work something out with them peacefully. It's unfortunate you have had to go through this, but an amicable resolution will be less stressful.

Good luck, and keep us posted!
 
Don't accept a partial payment, there are loopholes in the system regarding that. If they are willing to pay you $500 why not the full amount they supposedly sent you out of the store with when they handed you the check in which there was insufficent funds to start with. If they have been playing these games before then they'll know of the loopholes, these types of people need to be tied down to a payment and everything in writing.
 
Ben,

Here is how the law works in AZ and I believe it maybe similiar in other States. If you take partial payment for the check, yuo have entered into a civil agreement to allow the issuer to pay the money back. The County Attorney's Office here will not touch a case like that.

Also, you said he asked you to hold onto the check until Thursday. Was the check dated for the day he gave it to you or post-dated for Thursday. This is very crucial. If it was post-dated for Thursday, in effect, you extended to him a line of credit, a loan. Again, this woudl be a civil matter and the County Attorney's Office here will not touch a case like that.

Remember, I am working off of AZ law. I deal with cases like this on a daily basis. The laws in your State maybe quite different. I am telling you this as a guide so you can research and find the correct avenue that you need to follow to resolve this issue. Don't be surprised if your local law enforcement agency tells you it's civil matter and won't help. Civil Cases are much easier to prove than criminal ones anyways. The burden of proof is much less.
 
Forgot one thing,


DO NOT give the check back until you receive FULL payment. That's your best evidence, guard it well.
 
Some News

Just wanted to let you all know Reptomania has sent me a 500 dollar postal money order and I have it in writing by them that that they will send me another 1000 on July 2nd and rest of it about a week after that. I'll let you know if they really come through and I won't cash this money order until I speak with a lawyer first and see what he says. I've been a little slow about doing that because I didn't really believe they would send me anything.

Ben Rogers
 
Just curious about the outcome of this. I happened to drive by reptomania yesterday and stopped in. I had no idea they were even there until I was driving down the street and saw their sign. They had some ok looking higher end snakes, some really poor looking lower end snakes and in general did not inspire confidence in their ability.

I did see some tiger and super tiger retic babies though which sparked the old memory about this thread.

Did they ever make good on the bad check?

Wes Pollock
 
New Update

As of right now Reptomania still owes me 1,450. They have promised a couple other payments in the last couple months that never showed.


Ben Rogers
 
If it were me, it would be time to stop by their shop and collect my animals. People like this are why the BOI is necessary in the first place.
 
Back
Top