Bad Guy The Serpentarium- Lodi, Ca

[reticguy76]

Looks great. Rescues/rehabilitations are my favorite to work with.

Well done !!

 

[Brandonadam209]

Wow, he looks better than the day I received him! You guys rock, but hey we can talk about all that later. I will be by in a few after I fuel the car....need that mini heat pad.

 

[bxjoon]

That is one pretty snake..

 

[Laura Fopiano]

I'm sorry, but something about this deal between Robert Coral and Bill Gillingham just stinks REAL badly, in my opinion. Seriously, WHY would anyone in the process of declaring bankruptcy enter into an agreement to pay another party $228,000 during this time when obviously the reason he is filing bankruptcy is because of apparently not having the funds to pay back past and current debts?

It stinks to high heaven! I call it "theft by deception" plain and simple!

 

[Snake-Queen]

That is one pretty snake..

 

[Lucille]

I sent a link to this thread:
http://www.lodinews.com

 

[Lucille]

An interesting article on Reptilechannel.com:



The Serpentarium in Lodi and Elk Grove, California
Ninety percent of store's 3,000 square feet is dedicated to reptiles.
By Stephanie Starr

Approximately 90 percent of the store's 3,000 square feet is dedicated to reptiles.
Established in 1989, owners Robert and Marcy Coral have created a place where people could learn about and interact with reptiles from around the world, before taking one home as a pet. It is of no surprise that their Living Reptile Museum of herps and invertebrates has grown to be pretty popular in the town of Lodi, Calif. And why not? Where else could you see large monitors, anacondas, Burmese pythons, rainbow boas, false water cobras, turtles, tortoises, frogs, geckos, tarantulas and scorpions all in the same spot? In most cases, you would probably need to head to a herp expo to see that kind of variety. But at the Coral’s store, you can find it all in one two-story building.

Of the store’s 3,000 square feet, 90 percent of it is dedicated to reptiles. The other 10 percent is filled with invertebrates and any supplies you might need to care for your pet of choice. They also have another location that will be opening soon in Elk Grove, Calif.

Although the store is staffed with knowledgeable people, who are enthusiastic about the animals they sell, one of the big draws of this place is its interactive approach. The Corals regularly host in-store birthday parties, where they offer guided tours of the museum. They let guests hold and take pictures with various critters, in addition to watching them feed. Ever see a big monitor jump into a pond for its meal? You can here. And if you want to have a reptile party at your house, you can do that too. Classrooms are also welcome, and the store happens to be one of the most popular destinations for field trips.

A breeder of more than 50 snake species alone, Robert Coral is thrilled to be a part of the industry. “The best part of my job is being able to do what I love and share my passion with the world,” he said. To those who wish to follow in his footsteps, he urges them to “follow your heart and not dollar signs. All too often, newcomers get sucked into the get-rich-quick mentality, and they think they are going to be the next big breeder. Ambition is great, but if your motive is fueled purely by money, you’ll eventually lose interest. Do it because you love it, and you won’t be disappointed.”

 

[rosebud945]

Established in 1989, owners Robert and Marcy Coral have created a place where people could learn about and interact with reptiles from around the world, before taking one home as a pet.

If Robert isn't trying to capitalize on Bill's reputation, then what is this? Even if the reporter got it wrong, the Corals sure didn't correct him.

Bill, I am very sorry that these people took you for a whole lot of money. I hope you can get an attorney and recoup at least some of the money they owe you.

 

[Lucille]

Someone with more acute hearing than I have might be able to find some info in the McVIS system (on the left hand side of the page).

http://www.caeb.uscourts.gov

 

[Curious George]

I'm sorry, but something about this deal between Robert Coral and Bill Gillingham just stinks REAL badly, in my opinion. Seriously, WHY would anyone in the process of declaring bankruptcy enter into an agreement to pay another party $228,000 during this time when obviously the reason he is filing bankruptcy is because of apparently not having the funds to pay back past and current debts?

I think Bill was being enormously generous and forgiving in his account. He acknowledged that he put it in Robert's name so as to be clean of property taxes and lawsuits. He clearly did not get legal advice on that move, as even without a bankruptcy, Robert could have ruined the business, sold everything, taken the money, and run. Talk about "rent to own" .... this was enormously unwise of Bill, and I am sure he now knows such.

Meanwhile, there is no way the property is signed over to Robert without Robert's full participation. You don't wake up one day finding out you are liable for property taxes, owning property that you did not agree to own etc. Not only was he deceitful in not disclosing the bankruptcy, but any claim that he was "advised by his attorney to not pay" is folly. His attorney told him he no longer had any legal obligation to pay, so he took the windfall and let ethics be damned. Anyone who goes through a bankruptcy, and has debts discharged, is completely able to pay any of those owed entities down the road. Many honorable people, compelled into bankruptcy, do such when they are able.

Bill was so trusting ............... a very expensive lesson learned.

Ouch.

 

[Paige n' James]

Hi,
I have been to both stores many times. I have never heard either store malign the other. But I have had wonderful experiences with Naomi(she helped me with an egg bound female spider ball python-- she was able to work the egg down and save my girl) and after reading this thread I will not ever do business with The Serpatarium unless Robert decides to pay Bill back. That was the essence of shady.

I know I would be heartbroken if I were Bill. These animals were his legacy and although I had never heard of him before today I feel for him. Please Robert do the right thing and start making payments to Bill. I also agree with a previous post that there is no possible way the business could have been signed off to a new owner without a signature by the owner. Doesn't make any sense?

 

[laterob]

Example #1: Our website states that The Serpentarium was established in 1989.

The business in question was established in 1989. We purchased said business in 2009. Their mentality is that, since we changed the name, it is now a “new business”. However, at the same time, these people are also saying that I simply took over and am just running Bill’s old business.

In reality, we didn’t really “change” the name, we merely shortened it to the name that everybody knows and refers to it as (seemed a whole lot simpler). Now, if we would’ve changed the name to, “Robert’s Reptiles,” and made the same business statements, then they might have an argument.

Now, while I can certainly understand how some confusion or conflict may be had with certain folk, allow me to provide some perspective on the matter with a similar scenario:

Let’s say, if someone were to purchase the company Facebook today, and then the new owner makes a statement the very next day that, "they are the biggest and most recognized social network in the world, established in 2004." That would be a fair and accurate statement made by the new owner, regardless if he shortened the name to just FB, as many people refer to it. That is NOT the new owner trying to take credit for Mark Zuckerberg's past accomplishments. I believe most people understand this.

Established in 1989, owners Robert and Marcy Coral have created a place where people could learn about and interact with reptiles from around the world, before taking one home as a pet.

Isn't this logical to everyone? Nothing is misleading about the "Established in..." quote at all. It's all truthful information.

Hey, Robert....SINS (errors) of ommission are still SINS (errors). You said you lost in this deal. MEH!

1. How much booth space do you have for the Sacramento show this month? How many employees are you taking?

2. From Craig:

Robert, please fill in the blank:

I, Robert Coral, have paid Bill Gillingham _______________ of the $228,000.00 I agreed to pay him.

Then please circle the most appropriate response:

I, Robert Coral, informed / did not inform Bill Gillingham that I was in the middle of bankruptcy when I agreed to buy the business from him.

3. Please elaborate on this, if you could:

When the business unfortunately became dissolved through BK by the state - when Bill transferred the building, not business (an important distinction), our contract became void/null.​

You're the guy who thinks you are better, smarter, faster, and deserve more than everybody else. Some of us see right through you, though. Wordsmith my .

 

[Lucille]

deserve more

Terrific post. And he does deserve more of our attention. I think lots of publicity describing the underhanded way this business was acquired might be just the way to give him the attention he needs.
The BOI itself will bring publicity to Robert's behavior, as thousands visit here daily.
Any ideas to bring this shameful behavior to the attention of others who may not visit here?

 

[SApythons]

So Robert, are you planning to square up with Bill before you open store #3? Unbelievable.

 

[Lucille]

I actually put a comment on his FB page, it was gone in two minutes, showing that there may be more dissatisfaction with the business than we know, since dissent is promptly edited out.

I was reading some of his earlier posts in this thread, this one was interesting:

way back when I was breeding snakes out of my house, many years ago, I had an account that I registered in order to let others know about a scam artist who took me for a big loss.

I bet that really made an impression, that someone would hurt you that way. Yet you chose to hurt Bill and cause a huge loss to him. It makes your actions that much worse, that you know of the hurt and chose to inflict it on another.

 

[Snake-Queen]

Terrific post. And he does deserve more of our attention. I think lots of publicity describing the underhanded way this business was acquired might be just the way to give him the attention he needs.
The BOI itself will bring publicity to Robert's behavior, as thousands visit here daily.
Any ideas to bring this shameful behavior to the attention of others who may not visit here?

One could always start a FB page like what was done for ballbids … Say NO to The Serpentarium.

I think what was done to Bill appalling & down right slimy.

 

[Wilomn]

mr. coral, where are you? Here we are, patiently waiting for you to come back and explain these discrepancies that so very many readers have pointed out. Thars a whole lotta holes in that thar story you're a tellin, mr. coral. Might be you could flex those dexterous digits of yours and spin us another yarn about what really happened.

That would be nice. And as a follow up you could do a prognostication and tell us how in the near future payments for a debt due began showing up in Bill's mailbox with a big fat "sorry I bent you over" note in each one.

 

[GBU Enterprises]

Hey Wes! Do I get to see you at the Sac show! It's been a long time.

 

[laterob]

Any ideas to bring this shameful behavior to the attention of others who may not visit here?

Well, there IS an upcoming show in Sac. that'll have about 12,000 visitors....someone could google sacramento reptile show and get a list of vendors...

Personally, I don't think the whole truth is here yet. I'd like to hear more from both parties. My gut tells me the paperwork was signed before the bankruptcy was undertaken. Robert has hinted that Bill made a mistake in the transferrence (building vs. business) that worked to Robert's advantage.

I don't understand how a relative can purchase seized assets of another relative....seems like something shady happened there, too.

One thing that's clear is that, at this point, Robert doesn't feel like he owes Bill anything...Robert's certainly in a position now where he could be making payments if he chose to.

Robert - more questions that'll go ignored: have you made/ are you making payments to your mother? If so, what are the terms?

 

[Fangthane]

After having consulted his shyster attorney, I suspect that he's been advised to no longer acknowledge the fact that he's no longer acknowledging the terms of the initial purchase. After making some fairly counterintuitive claims, he probably sees this is a wonderful time to start exercising his 5th Amendment rights. I'd have to guess that, from here on out, Mr. Coral is going to be fairly scarce around here.