Shane Bunek - INQUIRY - (Bad Experience)

[KelliH]

Shane had an ad here on Fauna for some gargoyle geckos. They were priced really well so I emailed him and asked if he could provide pictures. I also asked him if he accepted Pay Pal. Here is the response I got back from him:

Hello, I enclosed the pictures of the three gargoyles with this email. Sorry for the poor quality pics, my digital camera is fairly old. I only accept PayPal if you pay the 3% user fee, or you could send a money order. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.

Thanks Shane

He seemed like a very nice gentleman from the email reply. It always concerns me though when sellers ask for the 3% Pay Pal fee, and I do not send out money orders to people I do not know or have not ever heard of before. I emailed him back:

Hello Shane-

I appreciate the pictures. They geckos look great. I prefer not to send
money orders to people I do not know. I would rather use Pay Pal as it
offers a bit of protection for both parties. However, the fact that you want
to charge me 3% (less than $6.00) for using Pay Pal turns me off. That is
against their terms of servive (go read it). It is also illegal to do so in
many states. I am sure you will have no problems moving your geckos though.
No hard feelings-
Kelli Hammack

Ok, now I didn't think that my email was out of line or rude in the least, I was really just letting him know about the Pay Pal TOS in case he was unaware of it. This is the reply I get back from Shane-

Hey, as far as I am concerned, if you want to pay with the convenience of PayPal, then YOU should have to pay the fee. I usually only accept money orders. If you want a reference, contact [email protected] I just sold him 5 crested geckos.

Ok, so I felt that he still was not getting the point about the PayPal TOS, so I replied with the following-

Hey, that's fine if that is how you choose to do things. I tend to think that Pay Pal is convenient for BOTH parties. I love it when people pay with
Pay Pal. Anyway, I was simply letting you know that it is against Pay Pal
TOS to charge a fee for using their services (does that even matter to
you?), and also it is illegal to do so in many states. We (HISS) accept
credit cards, but I do not charge my customers (it is against the law to do
so) 1.9% or whatever it is when they choose to pay with a credit card. I
consider it the cost of doing business, which BTW, I have been doing
successfully for many years in the reptile trade.

At any rate, nice geckos. Best of luck-
Kelli

Again, I was not trying to be rude at all, just frank and to the point, but in a polite way. The Shane replies back with this obscenity laden email-

You honestly do not seem to get my point. I do not give a <font color=red>[**censored**]</font> if it is against their rules. Do you
follow every <font color=red>[**censored**]</font>ing rule out there? I think not. No
one does. All Paypal wants to do is screw me and make
a profit for themselves, how do they deserve a piece
of my profit? And who are you to tell me that the way
I'm doing business is wroung? You can shove your
pissy remarks up your ass as far as I am concerned. I
am the seller and I dictate the rules of payment. Do
not bother emailing me again because people like
yourself are a waste of my time.

I did not want to put "BAD GUY" in the title of this post, as I do not know for a fact that he is. However, he did a few things that lead me to believe he is not a very nice person and therefore not a good guy to deal with:
1.) He is asking for the 3% Pay Pal fee
2.) When advised that charging the Pay Pal fee is against their TOS and possibly illegal, he basically states he does not care about that
3.) He sent me an email filled with curse words and was pretty obviously angered by me pointing out that what he was trying to do was wrong.

Anybody else have any experiences with Shane? The price on his geckos was good, and the pictures he sent me were ok. Am I overreacting to this??

 

[rozdaboff]

experience with Shane

I purchased some reptariums and Repti-Sun bulbs from Shane a couple of weeks ago. The transaction went very smoothly. He preferred a money order, but I also wasn't too comfortable with sending one to someone I don't have experience with. So we did the Paypal thing, and I payed the 3%. I wasn't aware of the policy Paypal has against it, but Paypal was a convenience for me, and it offered me some protection, so I felt the extra $2.00 was worth it. I definately wouldn't label Shane as a bad guy, but maybe he needs to work out some better email etiquette.

Rob Ossiboff

 

[David Reid]

My opinion

The email was rude, but you would not have gotten that email had you not "pestered" him. You said you were not going to buy the animals, so leave it at that!

 

[KelliH]

The email was rude, but you would not have gotten that email had you not "pestered" him. You said you were not going to buy the animals, so leave it at that!

You may be right. I was not trying to "pester" him, I was attempting to educate him about the Pay Pal TOS and also the legality of what he was doing. I was extremely polite in my emails to Shane and I certainly did not deserve the rude replies I received from him. My intentions were the best, I think that last reply from him was very uncalled for and also unprofessional. He may have great animals but I think a person's Good or Bad Guy status per se is not only the quality of your animals but also the quality of your communication.

Note- I did not label Shane a BAD GUY I only said I had a BAD EXPERIENCE with him, which I most certainly did. Thanks to both of you for your input, I will try in the future to refrain from trying to tell people like Shane what they don't want to hear. No hard feelings at all

 

[E2MacPets]

The last email that Kelli replied to, the guy was still trying to close the deal. He provided a reference and stated that if the buyer wanted to use paypal that the buyer should pay for that preference.

Kelli was within rights to reply, explain her stance, and explain why she would not be buying from him.

 

[Chris@TSE]

Wow.....


(Adds Shane Bunek to his list of scumbags)


Simply informing someone that it is against paypals terms of service does not deserve a response like that. Frankly the fact that he is outright ignorant to these terms seems rather disturbing. Someone should forward these messages regarding the pp TOS directly to paypal and hopefully they catch on to what he has been charging his customers and close his account.

Maybe that may teach him not to be a slimey prick.....

 

[robin d.]

i would certainly forward those emails to pay pal. the 3% in which the seller is chanrged is the price of doing business, to use their service... its just like box charges (except hots) most of us do not have a box charge it is what is necisary to do business via the internet.

I do not add 3% but i have had many people tack it on... i refund their 3% and tell them it is MY cost for the service not theirs and thank you but i will have to refund and i also explain the whole thing about pay pals TOS....... i have had to do this numerous times even though i never ask for it what so ever. i think their are allot more people than we think abusing this and charging the customer for the service the seller is utilizing

 

[reptilebreeder]

(Adds Shane Bunek to his list of scumbags)


Maybe that may teach him not to be a slimey prick.....

Ditto, on both those points.

Then he has the nerve to say what business does paypal have charging him, it's his business. What an ignoramous, they are providing a service that he uses, that's what business they have. Maybe he should look into the fees and all the trouble you have to go through to get your own ability to accept credit cards.

 

[serpentboy78]

NOT AT ALL.

I dont think you over reacted at all. & I myself dont see how you were pestering him.. Me I would have not been so layed back and polite as you were after getting that email from him he would of definitly got backdoored with a dose of his own medicine.... Just me though.. Pe@ce.. Mike Clark

 

[KNOBTAIL]

The only way to deal with people who

seem to create their own rules and disregard the ones that are in place is to notify PayPal.

Secondly, when this moron signed on with PayPal he obligated himself with their rules and regulations. He agreed to accept PayPals policy with no fee involved as it is a violation of PayPals methods of operations for vendors

These rules were not made to be superseded because you dont like them. Again, send the emails, and notify PayPal of what you are dealing with here. Hopefully they will bounce him out, for TOS violations, and let him stew in his own stupidity

 

[KelliH]

Hi Jerry- I absolutely sent an email to the folks at Pay Pal and let them know. Here is the reply I received this morning from Pay Pal-

**Thank you for contacting PayPal.

PayPal offers our members access to the world's leading online payment
service. As our network of members has grown, an increasing number of
sellers of goods and services are accepting payments through PayPal.

Under Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express regulations and the
laws of several states, including California, merchants may not charge a
fee to the buyer for accepting credit card payments (often called a
'surcharge').

· In order to comply with these laws and regulations, sellers may not
charge a fee for accepting PayPal**

I have doubts as to whether Pay Pal will do anything about it as this seemed like a form email to me. Still maybe they will at least email him a reminder or something. It just bugs me when people ask for the 3% Pay Pal fee. I wonder if they even realize that every time they use their credit card to purchase goods, the merchant has to pay a small percentage off the sale as a fee to the company they go through to be able to accept credit cards?

 

[KNOBTAIL]

If enough people complain

about a particular vendor, I can assure you that these emails will get into the proper hands.

I would love to see this loser get thrown off of PayPal. I will endeavor myself o contact them and so should other people .

Under normal circumstances, I dont get involved outside of the BOI. But here you have someone who could have very easily added the monies as part of his "shipping and handling" charge, but decided not to do so and loose a sale based on his own ignorance in a simple business transaction. These kinds of people in the end usually burn themselves out. Their lousy business people, who seem to have no regard to what is a normal conduct of behaviour when dealing with people.

I will help him by contacting PayPal myself and advise them that this particular individual seems to have his own rules for collecting money and charging a levy. Which is illegal.

 

[David Reid]

I do not know either party involved, but

I would say Kelli said all she needed to say in her FIRST email. You told him you were not comfortable paying by money order, and that you did not want to pay the 3% paypal fee, for the reasons stated in your email. You said that he would have no problem moving the geks, infering that you would not be buying them. THAT IS ALL YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID. You told him it was against the TOS of paypal, and illegal in some states....etc., all in the FIRST email. I feel the rest of your emails were not needed, and antagonistic. Some people do not always follow all the rules, with shipping, with paypal, with taxes...Unless you are perfect, I would say turning him into paypal is vindictive, and nothing more. Most people who breed herps to sell have other jobs, and may not know all the rules reguarding Paypal, shipping, sales tax, income tax etc. He probably should have just deleted your emails, instead of responding like he did, but come on, your emails wreak of "BOI menace", bothering someone to the point they crack, and then posting all the emails, including the incriminating ones here on the BOI. Life is too short, if it is not harming you, but just hurting your feelings, let it go. What comes around goes around. He obviously was rude in the email, and he lost you as a customer, but to bring it here, just not needed in my opinion.

 

[screamdreams]

David, are you kiddng me???

your emails wreak of "BOI menace", bothering someone to the point they crack

That's bull$hit, plain and simple...

to bring it here, just not needed in my opinion

Beg to differ...the guy sounds like an a$$, glad she posted it, just another person of my list...there's no excuse for a relpy like the one Keeli got, period, and it most definently didn't seem coherced. Bottom line, smells like a looser. You don't talk to people that way.

 

[screamdreams]

relpy = reply
Keeli = Kelli

My apologies for the spelling errors

 

[reptilebreeder]

Re: I do not know either party involved, but

Most people who breed herps to sell have other jobs, and may not know all the rules reguarding Paypal, shipping, sales tax, income tax etc......


He obviously was rude in the email, and he lost you as a customer, but to bring it here, just not needed in my opinion.

I disagree.
Whether he has another job, or is "just" a hobbyist, or is a retail pet store, he is using paypal to provide a service. Pleading ignorance or not being a business is lame. If a person can't read a TOS then they shouldn't be utilizing the service. Besides it's a moot point, because in his reply he is admitting that he knows the TOS and doesn't give a rat's bottom. Goes so far as to say what business does paypal have getting some of his profits! which is one of the most rediculous things I've ever heard. He utilizes their service and thinks it should be for free.

I also disagree about the second sentence I "quoted" Many of the threads on BOI, whether atta boys or bad person posts boil down to ethics, and this guy is not only going against paypals TOS, but also breaking the law in many states. Sure many breeders just add that to the cost of the animal, but that's fine, that's why it boils down to ethics. It also puts the ethical and honest breeders at a disadvantage, because they may lose sales because of the slightly higher price, or because they are absorbing the cost as a business expense. I think it is a good use of the BOI, and Kelli is not the only customer this guy may lose, and rightfully so.
Course this is only my opinion too

 

[Lucille]

I also think it is a good use of the BOI to showcase what this person did. I am a casual user of Paypal, and I was and am aware that adding those costs on are illegal.

Further, anyone who would be that rude to someone as well known as Kelli, must realize that a public reprisal is in order. After all, what she is doing is of service to all the future purchasers who may not feel like they have the assertiveness to stand up for the right way of doing business.

Her post helps us all, and that is exactly the purpose of the BOI.

Lucille Hollander

 

[Bringerofdoom]

thats crazy, im glad you posted this kelli. it shows what type of person he is IMO.

 

[SableLynx]

Kelli gets my vote too

for what it is worth. Anyone that will rip you off by illegelly charging you fees, will rip you off in other ways also. If this person has a total disregard for not only PP TOS but also for the Law than where in fact do his ethics lie? A mans morals define his character and this man has definitely shown his true colors. Some of you state that Kelli was being antaganistic for informing him that his actions were morally wrong. Well guess what, He did not have to respond after her initial e-mail stating that she was not going to purchase, and clearly stateing why. Yet he chose not only to respond but to also be rude and define his disregard for the rules. Give a man enough rope and he will hang himself. I am a supporter of those that supply the rope. How else do you learn a mans ethics and morals when pursuing e-commerce? It's not like you can lok them in thier shifty, beadly, little eyes.

 

[KelliH]

Some people do not always follow all the rules, with shipping, with paypal, with taxes...Unless you are perfect, I would say turning him into paypal is vindictive, and nothing more. Most people who breed herps to sell have other jobs, and may not know all the rules reguarding Paypal, shipping, sales tax, income tax etc.

I know David, that's why I told him about the PayPal terms, because I thought perhaps he did not know about them.

but come on, your emails wreak of "BOI menace", bothering someone to the point they crack, and then posting all the emails, including the incriminating ones here on the BOI.

BOI Menace? I sent the man three very polite emails, including my initial email inquiring about the geckos. You make it sound as if I was stalking him or something.

Life is too short, if it is not harming you, but just hurting your feelings, let it go. What comes around goes around. He obviously was rude in the email, and he lost you as a customer, but to bring it here, just not needed in my opinion.

Thank you for your opinion David.