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Ricky Lewis-Deal gone bad.......

Whining and rip-off

I'm gonna go way out on a limb here and say that Mr. Beard is a whiner. I read ALL the posts and truthfully think that he has no right to ask for anything from Ricky. I know neither of you and honestly am WAY OK with that, if either of you get into venomous LOSE MY NAME AND NUMBER. Bottom line... the animal got sick after any guarantee. How is he to know yours didn't contact it from your own animals or enclosure. He admitted to it possibly getting it at his facility, much later than the animal had problems. If the animal was soooo bad, ship it back when you got it. As a buyer YOU are the only one who will look out for you. No way to prove the validity of the breeding, a risk we ALL take when we buy from an unknown. Suck it up!! The other people seem to have very legitimate complaints, yours is plain old whining. And both of you look like shmucks. If your car breaks down after the dealers guarantee, can you take it back and have them pay for repairs? No. If your dog gets sick after a guarantee period do you go back to the breeder to get vet bills? No. As they say in court, the burden of proof is all you. If you can prove your grievances beyond the shadow of a doubt your golden. These other people seem to have some sort of proof, but, you seem to have bupkiss. The other posts merit compassion or outrage, you are just whinning. Your complaint definitely does not merit 20 pages of drek. To the rest of you, sorry you got stung hope you get your cash or some sort of recompensense. In the end "BUYER BEWARE". Remember that we as sellers AND as buyers have resposibilities. Buy from reputable breeders and sell what you say.


David Furphy
AKN Venom & Exotics
Alamogordo NM

PS if you doubt my identity because I'm NOT on your band wagon feel free to e-mail me and I'll give ya a call. Herp safe, buy reputable, and watch out for the bity end:D


[email protected]
 
SAD

As much as you trashed this guy that is the best you can do? Then I must not have shot too far off the mark and you know your complaint is childish. Which is why I posted, to hopefully show people how pitiful your complaint is and that it is a shame that you waste the time of this board. People with legitimate complaints should be represented in this thread, that is the reason for this board. I would like to see the others get their due and this guy in another business. I would also like to see something worth reading in this thread. Something pertinant about this guy. Is he still in business? Do you sell animals? Do you have other animals? Who does he buy from (if his are bad so are theirs)? Do these people to whom he owes money have any recourse? What has the past 21 pages acomplished?


Sad, sad, sad

David Furphy
AKN Venom & Exotics
Alamogordo NM
 
Jville Don't forget!

I think it is childish to come on here and run your mouth. This post is for people who have been/ don't want to be scammed by Jville. You may not like Beards post but I feel he was taking advantage of and has a right to let people know. The simple fact is Ricky's back so we need to inform the public of his nature. As you said he has done "the others" wrong. Well isn't that enough?
 
Running your mouth

Is exactly what Mr. Beard is doing, so why can't I? He wasn't "wronged" in any way. He got what he paid for (whether it was a high price or not is moot), he has an animal (now healthy). Tell me what the difference is between his posts and mine. Just because I don't agree with his tactics doesn't mean he has more reason to be here than I do. If you have EVER sold any animals you would have had to deal with this type of whinning. I just don't think it's fair to "Ricky" OR the people he actually ripped off. This guy Mr. Beard is more guilty of "Running your mouth" than any of us. And WHAT has any of it accomplished. I have been ripped off by the best of them and listening to all this puling makes me sick. OOOOOh he's out a couple hundred $ and has an animal in good condition (now) poor baby. Try importing a few THOUSAND dollars worth of animals and having half of them arrive dead, then try to collect from someone overseas! So run YOUR mouth as much as you want. It's still whinning. You seem to have legitimate complaints, what have YOU accomplished against this rip off artist? Doesn't he owe you some money or a snake? Have you done anything about it besides complain about it here? Have you helped the "investigation"? Have any of you left your keyboards to DO anything to stop him ripping off other people? If not, then quit crying and get off the pot. If the complaints are legitimate then why do we hear about this kid so much? It's not all THAT hard to stop a scammer with proof, just a little effort and a few phone calls. So what's the deal?


David Furphy
AKN Venom & Exotics
Alamogordo NM
 
So what you are saying (if I understand correctly) is that you think he has nothing at all to complain about simpley because he actually recieved "an animal"?

It doesn't matter that the animal he purchased was cb and the animal he recieved was wc or that it wasn't healthy at the time he recieved it.

And you deal with type of "whining" all the time.


Is this really what you meant to say?
 
David Furphy,

We were only ripped off for $141 and change. The time spent flying to this guy's local area to file a complaint or even filing one locally here to deal with this guy would be more effectively spent on generating the $141 from another avenue (sales). Winning a judgement would only give me the right to chase this guy even further to collect on the monies owed. Our purpose in posting was to tell those that follow the BOI the type of lying, cheating, theiving bottom feeder that Ricky Lewis is so that others will not have to suffer the fate of his business ethics. We do not expect to get monetary satisfaction from Ricky Lewis in this century from any method.

While the last couple of posts by David Beard were more his "venting" his aggravations (served no other purpose) the animal he ordered was not the level of animal he received. While this may be a small infraction to some, others expect what they ordered from a business. I know I do. His letting others know about the business practices of Ricky Lewis so they would not have to deal with him (face it, the animals he carried can be found from others that are more trustworthy in their representation of the animals they sell).

It sucks (excuse my french) that you were ripped off by others. Please make posts about who these companies were and the details of your transaction. I would like to know as I may just be looking at these companies now as vendors and would appreciate not wasting money that I've worked very hard to earn on them (I've given you the heads up on not dealing with Ricky Lewis, please return the favor).

This is the purpose of the BOI. Give your fellow hobbyists and business people a heads up so we can drive the bottom feeders out of the industry by sending our money to other more deserving companies.
 
Ricky and sundry

No, that is not what I said and that is plain AND you know it unless the IQ has dropped drastically in the last few minutes.

"If you have EVER sold any animals you would have had to deal with this type of whinning."

Don't twist my words thank you very much. No where does that say:

"And you deal with type of "whining" all the time."

Yet yours says plainly without any twisting.

"It doesn't matter that the animal he purchased was cb and the animal he recieved was wc or that it wasn't healthy at the time he recieved it."

If it wasn't healthy when he recieved it, it is HIS resposibility to return it. Not wait to see if it gets healed by a miracle. And the CB or WC is a risk we all take when buying from an unknown. Don't try to put MY business at risk by twisting what I said. I know how to deal with rip artists and slander. Which, without any PROOF is what Mr. Beard is engaged in.


" So what you are saying (if I understand correctly) is that you think he has nothing at all to complain about simpley because he actually recieved "an animal"?

Gee the IQ must have dropped. Reading comprehension folks! And you obviously don't "understand correctly" and are merely trying your childish tactics on me. Don't.

In Court, since he has the animal he would be due nothing for it since it is still in his posession. In court if he was to get his $ he would have to return the animal. By keeping it and taking it to a vet he pretty much gave up the right to that money. IF he had proof of anything done wrong by "Ricky" then the court would make him pay Mr. Beard and he would have to return the animal. Or pay the vet bill alone. Watch a little "Peoples Court".

I have been QUITE clear in my posts Mr. Wedeking. He is complaining about an animal that he recieved in poor condition that he took upon himself to take to a vet AFTER the guarantee. The animal is in his possesion and healthy. So far those are the FACTS about his complaint. Does he have the right to complain.... sure. But, to trash this guy regardless of his pratices isn't a complaint. It's whinning.

"Is this really what you meant to say?"


What is printed is what I meant to say. It's in pretty clear language, can I break it down any more for you? Just let me know.




David Furphy
AKN Venom & Exotics
Alamogordo NM
 
Rip offs

The companies and individuals that have ripped me off are no longer in business or in another. They don't like legal attention. The few who still do business are my fault for letting them take advantage of me similar to Mr. Beard. But, I won't whine here about it. Other people are at risk from these people, but, I have no "PROOF" and will not trash someone without it. Talking trash here without proof is just venting and whinning. By letting others know this hopefully they won't open themselves up to this type of thread. He has nothing to stand on. Don't speak out unless you have something to speak out about!! This "ricky" guy is not any worse. Selling animals that are not what they are stated as, is the same as accusing without proof. Both are lies. This "David" gave up his right to complain by accepting the conditions. When you see a bad animal come in, what do you do with it? If you keep it and hope it gets better, too bad for you. Suck it up and take your loss. This type of "witchhunt" tactic could be on the other side of one of your sales one day.
As a buyer he accepted the animal. He should have sent it back right away. AND this forum was obviously available to Mr. Beard. Did he do a search for "Ricky" before he purchased from him?


David Furphy
AKN Venom & Exotics
Alamogordo NM

PS Sorry about the last post Mrs.(?) Wedeking. Didn't catch the "Wendy" until Mr. Wedekings post.
 
I haven't posted on this yet, but feel I have to know.

If Mr. Beard returned the animal, I can probably place a safe bet that he would still have posted, not only about the condition of the animal, not having received his money and the fact that he know has no snake either.

Also, if you read the post, you would see that he e-mailed Ricky 3 days BEFORE the guarantee was up.. Ricky just 'chose' not to reply until AFTER it was over to say that because the time was up, it is not his problem.

What about all the promises Ricky made? checks in the mail, etc. etc.

The bottom line is this:

If you run a business, a LEGITIMATE business, then you should be prepared to back it up 110%. Ricky is selling animals he doesn't have in his possesion, is posting pictures of 'his' snakes from other peoples sites (these aren't his snakes OR his pictures) and feels he did nothing worng. As for Beards snake, I am terribly sorry, but NO WAY that it would have gotten as sick as it was from being in his home for a couple days... it was obviously sick when Ricky or whomever shipped it. That would mean that yes I too would expect HIM to take responsibility. I paid for if nothing else, a HEALTHY animal... not one that would need me to fork out 100$ to have it treated. regardless of WC, CB CBB... you won't order something to be sent to you that YOU KNEW WAS SICK... would you? I didn't think so...

This alone (in my opinion) warrants that if nothing else, This Ricky should have stood up to the plate, backed him business and his website... and refunded the vet bill... which he was notified of PRIOR to the expiry of the 7 day guarantee he gives. and also in my opinion, any judge or jury would agree,

Just my $0.02.

Tracy Mayo
 
Mr Furphy, my appologies if I offended you. My post sincerely was for clarification. I find it incredulous that anyone would either support or adopt a lackadaisical attitude towards misrepresentaion of any animal by any means.

I understand Mr Beards complaint and would feel the same way were it me.

This board was created with the intent for people to relay their personal experiences with other individuals/companies so that others could benifit from their experience. This isn't a court of law so proof is not required, however, facts are. The facts in Mr Beards case include emails with dates and times along with answers from Ricky himself. It is there for you to draw your own conclusions from.

While Mr Beard is very vocal(in writing) about his frustration and displeasure, and this may rub you the wrong way (so to speak), it does not mean that his complaint isn't legitimate.

This is what this board is used for. You don't have to agree with what is posted and you are certainly free to state your opinion (which you have done).
 
Mr. Murphy can have his opinion all he wants, but that won't change the FACTS......lets go over them for Murphy's sake, since he seems to have a distorted view of this situation......

-I was LIED to about the condition of the animal I received
-I was not aware of the health of the animal until after I had the animal for a short while.....I did not realize something was wrong until the snake puked its meal up and defecated the worst bowel movement I've ever seen.
-I contacted Ricky within the timeframe of his "guarantee" yet he ignored my e-mails (hmmmm, I wonder why?)
-Close to everything that Ricky said was a blatant lie to save his sorry butt.

Now that we have the facts out of the way, I am still pondering why you would think that this sort of business practice is OK? If you see no problem with ripping people off and that warning others of scam-artists is "whining" then that only speaks volumes about yourself, good sir.
 
It's "Furphy" not "murphy" Mr. Bread. ;-) And not once have I condoned or backed "ricky". I have never said he had any good about him. Yet another twist to what someone else says. I have seen whining and trashing and bitching and lies.

Quote from Mr. Beard:

"I paid $135 shipped for this snake and $89 at the vet yesterday if any of you are wondering. "

"He stole $135 from me for a WC parasite infested ATB when he lied to me and said she was CBB and healthy. I was also out over $100 in vet bills. So, you may yet get a GTP......but you won't be happy with it."

Is it $85 or "over $100"?

"He has lied before, so what makes you think he isn't lying now?"

So if you lie once you'll lie again?

"I thought the ATB I got looked fine when I first got it, but a week later it was puking its insides out of both ends and was infested with internal parasites."

So was it a week or 3 days less than a week? And I believe "dadavis" (?) is the person who contacted "ricky" before the expiration of guarantee.

"-I contacted Ricky within the timeframe of his "guarantee" yet he ignored my e-mails (hmmmm, I wonder why?)"

I believe that is the first time you mentioned contacting him before the guarantee. Your latest post BTW.

So what is it? What facts are there. When did you become unhappy with the animal? When did it star puking?

"Now that we have the facts out of the way, I am still pondering why you would think that this sort of business practice is OK? If you see no problem with ripping people off and that warning others of scam-artists is "whining" then that only speaks volumes about yourself, good sir."

Gee your facts tend to change. And WHEN have I said I condone ANY of these pratices. Yet another twist. What speaks volumes about me is my posts. You are the one I think is not OK. One of the unschooled masses. Where are you getting these things out of my posts? From my first post I said I know neither of you and that I do NOT condone "ricky". But, I don't agree with your tactics either. And they speak volumes about you. What... is a customer above lying and stealing?

Quote from Dark Angel

"Also, if you read the post, you would see that he e-mailed Ricky 3 days BEFORE the guarantee was up.. Ricky just 'chose' not to reply until AFTER it was over to say that because the time was up, it is not his problem."

See above.

"This alone (in my opinion) warrants that if nothing else, This Ricky should have stood up to the plate, backed him business and his website... and refunded the vet bill... which he was notified of PRIOR to the expiry of the 7 day guarantee he gives. and also in my opinion, any judge or jury would agree,"

ONLY if it could be proven, which I have not seen in regards to Mr. Beard, and proven beyond a shadow of the doubt. I agree "ricky" should have "stepped up". I in no way condone "ricky" or his practices. But, I really have a big problem working up sympathy for "Mr. Beard". Scams work both ways as we all know. How many of you have been in a situation on "Mr. Beard" side of this equation? And how many of you cried here about it? One reason I began to post here is to point out that customers can be scam artists too.

AND I would appreciate that my business practices stay out of it "Mr. Beard". You know nothing about me OR any of my animals.

For my peace of mind I will state some of them here so that my integrity isn't questioned.

I ship ONLY Delta Dash (venomous)
I take pictures of the EXACT animal you will recieve.
For a small refundable fee I will even video your animal eating before I ship it.
I have been doing STRICTLY venomous for 10yrs and reptiles for much longer.
If you have a problem I guarantee my animals for no time period only live healthy arrival.
I remain in contact with my customers to MAKE SURE they are satisfied. If they are not satisfied they ship the (live) animal back at their expense and I ship another out (my expence) or refund $. This has not occured once in 10 years.
Please do NOT question my business practices. Order from me and find out or I will HAPPILY supply KNOWN references.

AND if you had spent 5 min. to find these things out about "ricky" we wouldn't be here.

Mrs. Wedeking said,

"Mr Furphy, my appologies if I offended you. My post sincerely was for clarification. I find it incredulous that anyone would either support or adopt a lackadaisical attitude towards misrepresentaion of any animal by any means"

I'm not offended. I just know the tendency of these boards to twist stuff around on someone with unpopular opinions. People often take things too far the wrong way round and I wanted to make SURE no one gets confused on my posts. I don't support either side of this issue and let me make that clear.
 
AND if you had spent 5 min. to find these things out about "ricky" we wouldn't be here.
Click to expand...

100% correct. If I had read David's post before I sent the product I sent COD because I thought I was helping a new person in the industry that was a recurring customer I wouldn't have broken my own policies of not sending stuff COD.... oh wait David wasn't supposed to post that, so I wouldn't have known except by getting screwed.

Course the argument against that, is I shouldn't have broken policy. I agree. Doing "nice guy" things opens you up and sometimes you get burned, I was and am willing to accept that risk. By posting our experiences we warn others of the bottom feeders out there.

I agree that David's post by itself does not prove a bad guy. But backed up by others with a similiar experience we realize a pattern here. People screw up, that's a given and forgiveable. Continuous incidents show a non-remorseful and purposeful scheme. It's like taking a look into a house from a single window. You do not see the living conditions of the person unless they are extremely bad, but when looking through all the windows into various rooms we see the overall condition of the house. Through all the various transactions and information provided by those posting we see how flawed the overall business plan (buying animals on credit for rapid turn around or drop shipping, lack of financial capital for basic supplies, lack of customer service) is and that customers and vendors getting the raw end of the deal is the only end result possible.

So hopefully, the next guy down the road that takes 5 minutes to examine Ricky Lewis down the road will peruse this thread. Apply his own comfort level to the postings placed here by everyone and then make a decision on whether to deal with this guy or not. But at least now that information is out there so we know.
 
As I have said before.....your opinion is that I am a "whiner." Thats fine with me.....but that doesn't make it truth. If you do not condone what Ricky has done, then why are we having this conversation at all?
 
On another note

This site is visited by a wide range of people (and getting wider as the reptile hobby goes more mainstream and Rich promotes the site). You have large volume business men that visit this site, backyard breeders, hard-core collectors and soccer moms (and everything in between). All of these will have different expectations of what to expect from a transaction. Someone doing large volume that has to deal with a health issue that is resolved fairly easy will only consider it a hiccup in the transaction. That same health issue to a student eating maccaroni and cheese for 6 months to FINALLY get that specimen they want or a soccer mom who has limited experience in dealing with reptile related health issues would consider this a MAJOR blow, and therefore come here "whining" ... justifiably.
 
EXACTLY......as a college student I do not have cash flowing from my orphaces, lol......and if someone tells me that a snake is CBB and healthy, by god I expect to get a snake that matches that description. If that makes me a whiner, than I'm proud of being one.
 
for what it is worth!

Fraud is fraud! It is time for the kid to pay up! and that is the bottom line. The exotic market is growing by leaps and bounds, we need this board up and running to protect us! criminals like this guy are only going to hurt those of us that sell any captive bred animals. It does not seem like whinning to me it seems like a little bit of justice, to keep ricky's name on the front page may cause a customer to look elswhere for there next purchase!!
Good Luck & God Speed


Joseph Gardner
 
I'm just curious if anyone has heard from little Ricky lately? Hes probably sneaking around somewhere under a new name trying to scam more people.
 
Ricky is back in buisness

Actually, Ricky is back, and his website is too. He is now calling his, "business," just, " Jville Reptiles." He has dropped the, "INC." However, as I am typing this, I tried getting a link to his site, but it looks like it is back down. I found it about a month ago, and it says that he is in business with 2 other guys. I guess his many different personalities are still sticking with him. Reguardless of what name he is operating under, we all can expect him to try and swindle others. I think by our constant posting on here, and the amount of posts we have on here, others will think twice before buying from him, or anyone else. I myself have just started a reptile business. Most of my sales are over the internet, and I am doing everything I can to ensure that if people inquire about me, they get a good response. As a matter of fact, Daniel Wedeking, you may not remember me but I recently purchased 10 veild chameleons off you for my business, Striking Beauty Reptiles. I know everything went well on my end, I hope things went well with the payment, and I will be back for others soon. Back to little Ricky, with all of us as alert as we are in the herp industry, no matter what name he works under, we will find him, and put him out of business again.
 
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