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Tony Cueto Bad Guy! (reptile shows)

WELL, i guess Alex ,

provided a little more information than we bargained for. I dont know what to make of Tony in light of this information, but I am sure when we see Camels at a Herp show, it shows me a sign of deterioration, and a reason why being a vendor may not be the best thing at his show. Sometimes Brian , more tears are shed for the answered prayers then the unanswered ones. If Tonys shows are as Alex indicated, i would not be in such a tissy about getting back in. In fact, I think you would be quite dissapointed the second time around. JERRY TRESSER
 
Have I ever mentioned how much I love the BOI!!!!

I found out about all the problems vendors had this past weekend yesterday while talking to people about the show. I didn't want to post about it, because I thought it would seem like sour grapes. But, I'm glad it came out. I think what we're seeing here is called a meltdown. Alex was the glue that held together these shows. Now that Alex is gone, Tony is left trying to balance a house of cards in a hurricane. So Jerry, you're probably right.

By the way, Alex's show in Tallahassee was great, especially when one considers the facts that it was a brand new show in a brand new market. Hopefully Alex will buy out Tony, send him packing, and get these shows back on track.

So Tony, who was it that was considering banning me? It wasn't Alex, and I don't believe for a minute it was Lauren, I talked to the nice people from Repticon face-to-face last night, and they welcomed me with open arms. Perhaps you're still lying to cover your a$$, perhaps you where attempting to blackmail me to shut me up, perhaps you've lost touch w/ reality. What's it gonna be?
 
I just got this email. I thought everyone might find it interesting to see what people are sending to me. I deleted the name because obviously people are emailing me so that Tony doesn't ban them also.

Brian
Just read your post and Tony's. First there is no way 11 people actually came up to him and said thanks for banning Brian. He may have gone up to people told his skewed side of the story and gotten a negative response. Im sure a couple people went up to him (vendors that cant compete with you) and told him thanks for banning you. Also when people are doing his show they are going to take his side. They have everything to lose by telling him to his face that he's wrong and nothing to gain. They will however kiss his A@@ and tell him what he wants to hear. Its the purchasing public that needs to tell him he's wrong and they wont pay admission and come to another show.

second He is now trying to threaten you (with another ban from another show) to get you to stop your campaign. I would definitely fight fire with fire which is what I know you'll will do.

The guy is an obvious liar, he made a hasty decision without having any sort of (investigation procedure) and he is now upset that there is a public forum bashing him.

All you can really do at this point is continue your campaign for a while than ask him to do a mediation or draw up a contract specifically for you.


I also deleted a sentence which personally attacked Tony on a level that I don't think we need to go.
 
One of Tony's latest emails:


From: [email protected] | Add to Address Book
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2003 18:55:21 EST
Subject: Re: WOW!!! The bigger they are......
To: [email protected]




Don't know if you've seen the thread recently or not, but WOW! Guess that whole comes around, goes around thing, is true.

Why, because a disgruntled employee lies and sides with you? If you notice, am not going to lower myself to that level, my integriy speaks for itself as do the motives and honesty of a disgruntled employee and a vendor that has been banned from my show. And this is somehow going to make me want to invite you back to my shows why?


The first part is my email to him. The second is his response. Now, after Alex spent part of the weekend trying to help Tony out, he's reduced to a "disgruntled employee." Great the way Tony treats the people that try to help him out, isn't it folks?
 
Disgruntled?

Disgruntled? I am down right pissed off. I could keep quiet while it was just me being treated like crap but it has gone well beyond all that.

BTW, I left out a very important point in my post. The vendor whose infractions are being described is not Brian Conley at all. Except that he also has a mustache and goatee, he doesn't so much as look like Brian. At the FIRE show, there was a vendor very near Brian who was being particularly stubborned. Dr Wissman can confirm she went to his table many times to speak to him about overcrowding and not having W/C labels. He also had an older chameleon with a sore on its side. She agreed, as he told her, it was from shipping. Every time she went to his table she came and told me or Tony he still wasn't complying. This was the only vendor we kept having to say something to. The only time I went to Brian's table was to give him his ribbon and prize money for the reptile contest. I still do not know anything about the pricing issue but the other things were not Brian.

The winner of the photo contest wrote me after seeing my post. I want to make it clear that he was not the one who misrepresented himself and his location. I was well aware he was on a yacht heading up the coast.

Now you people stop reminding me of more things. I hate to type.

God Bless Us, Everyone
Alex Russell
Gila Productions
 
First off, I have to say that the Tampa show for us was better than it usually is this time of year. Perhaps being moved later in the season helped somewhat. But all in all, we had a good time there and sales were enough to make it worthwhile being there. Plus Tony did make a special effort to get me a sandwich for lunch, and I have to thank him publicly for that gesture. :)

That being said, I have to admit that when we showed up Friday afternoon for setup, that was the closest I have ever come to just climbing back into the van and driving back home. If I do another million shows in my lifetime, I NEVER want to walk into a show again and have the staff tell me that they do not know where my tables are and I just need to go in and pick a spot. We were told to get the same tables we had last year, but heck, after several shows swimming through my mind, they all look the same to me, and there is just no way I am going to remember where I was located a year ago.

When we went to the spot where we think we were located last year, someone else was already set up there. So I'm supposed to tell them to MOVE, because I think those are my tables? Not on your life. Why the heck should I get into a potential argument with another vendor over something like that?

Tony, if you are having staffing problems now, they need to be fixed before your next show. If you want to keep the reputation of running a top quality show, you have to keep the standards that make it appear so to your vendors.

Please take this as the constructive criticism it was intended.
 
I can personally say there has never been a problem that I have ever seen with Brians animals at any show.I have animals to this day that I have purchased from Brian myself and they are just as nice and healthy as any I have bought at any reptile show from any other vendor.I have never seen where Brian was selling animals that much cheaper than most of the vendors in Tony's shows.I personally have paid $35 a piece for captive born corn snakes from Brian without any regrets.For the most part my dealings and my experiences with Tony as a vendor have always been pretty decent.I was however ticked off at the fact that Tony asked for volunteers from our Herp Society to help with vendor set-up at the Orlando show with the promise of a donation to the society.We had over twelve members show up including our president yet never recieved said donation.In all fairness he has always given the society a free table and we have always been grateful for that.I know on a personal basis that I will not buy a table at Tony's shows or attend as a customer again if the type of practices he has used in this situation continue.I hate to walk away from his show because I have always felt he treated his vendors and customers better than most other shows but this seems to be taking a turn for the worse lately.I certainly will not support a promoter that allows a few unhappy vendors to make the decisions about the competition without valid points.I attended the Tampa show and can certainly verify that there were animals of alot lower quality than anything I have ever seen on Brians table.Its a shame to see this happen because Brian has always promoted Tony with more respect than any other show to the members of our herp society and was even working towards arranging and even tighter association between the two.
 
BRIAN AND TONY

I GOT TO SAY THAT THIS WHOLE THING BETWEEN BRIAN AND TONY HAS GOTTEN WAY OUT OF CONTROL. EVRYONE CAN ARGUE THE QUALITY OF BRIAN'S AND JP'S ANIMALS ALL DAY LONG. I USED TO WORK FOR JP AND I CAN SAY THAT ALOT OF HIS ANIMALS WOULD BE BETTER OFF IN THE FREEZER. THAT IS NOT TRUE (AS HARD AS IT IS FOR ME TO SAY) OF ALL OF HIS ANIMALS. BRIAN ALWAYS HAND PICKED EVERYTHING SO THAT HE WAS SURE THAT HE WAS GETTING GOOD ANIMALS. HE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE WHO SELLS AT SHOWS DOESEN'T NEED COMPLAINTS OR CUSTOMER COME BACKS. I HAVE DONE A FEW OF TONY'S SHOWS AND I HAVE ALWAYS HAD PROBLEMS WITH SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED THERE. NOTHING THAT I COULD NOT GET OVER. I AS A RETAIL SELLER CANNOT COMPETE WITH IMPORTERS I.E THE FIRE SHOW. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I JUST MAKE AN EFFORT TO HAVE ANIMALS AT SHOWS THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS. BUT AS FAR AS BRIAN GOES HE IS A FRIEND AND BASICALLY GOT ME INTO THIS BUSINESS. I HAVE BOUGHT ANIMALS FROM HIM AND HAD GOOD AND BAD LUCK BUT I ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILTY FOR CARING AND TREATING THE ANIMALS FOR ANYTHING THAT MIGHT BE WRONG WITH THEM. IF THEY DIE IT IS MY FAULT NOT HIS. I AM NOT SCARED TO SAY THAT I MISSED BRIAN AT THE TAMPA SHOW. HE IS THE KINDA GUY THAT MAKES SHOWS GREAT. HE HAS NEVER LIED ABOUT ANY ANIMALS HE HAS EVER SOLD. PEOPLE WHO WANT WHATEVER IT IS ON YOUR TABLE WILL BUY IT REGARDLESS WHAT YOU TELL THEM. MOST CUSTOMERS RESPECT YOU AND MORE OFTEN COME BACK AS A REPEAT CUSTOMER IF YOU ARE TRUTHFUL TO THEM ABOUT THE HISTORY AND QUALITY OF ANIMALS. THIS IS WHY BRIAN HAS BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL. WHEN I WORKED FOR JP I PERSONALLY PACKED HIS ANIMALS FOR HIM BEFORE EVERY SHOW. I NEVER SAW HIM PICK ANYTHING I WOULD NOT BUY. AS FAR AS THE PREVIOUS THREAD ABOUT THE OVERCROWDING OF BALLS AT THE FIRE SHOW...... WELL I THINK THAT THERE WERE ATLEAT 10-20 VENDORS THERE WHO HAD 10 TIMES AS MANY BALLS PER CAGE THAN BRIAN. I AM NOT TRYING TO JUMP ON ANY BAND WAGON BUT THIS GUY IS MY FRIEND AND I ENJOY DOING SHOWS WITH HIM. I AM OF THE OPINION THAT THE DOWN ATENDANCE OF REPTILE SHOWS AND THE CREATIVE EDGE "REPTILE MARKET PLACE" PROMOTERS HAVE PUT ALOT OF FEAR IN TONY'S MIND. THESE PEOPLE ARE PROFESSIONAL PROMOTERS WHEN YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL PROMOTER YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN PROMOTING ANY MEDIUM. I WOULD RATHER HAVE SEEN TONY AND LAUREN HELPING THESE PEOPLE RATHER THAN TRYING TO ELIMINATE THEM. EVEN THOUGH THE LETTER THAT OCCUMPANIED MY TAMPA PACKET THAT ADRESSED THE CREATIVE EDGE SHOWS WAS WAY OUT OF LINE I STILL DID THE SHOW BECAUSE AT THE TIME I STILL BELIEVED IN TONY AND HIS ABILITY TO PROMOTE AND PUT ON A GOOD SHOW. I WISH WE ALL AS REPTILE SELLERS/IMPORTERS COULD ALL GET ALONG BUT UNFORTUANTELY THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE. I HOPE TONY AND BRIAN HAVE NEITHER TAKEN WHAT I HAVE SAID THE WRONG WAY. IF SO BRIAN BEING MY FRIEND WILL GET OVER IT. TONY ......WELL I THINK HE AT LEAST I HOPE ACCEPTS CRITISIM. IF NOT THAN MAYBE HE NEEDS TO RE EVALUATE HIS WHOLE PLAN BEHIND BEING IN THE REPTILE BUSINESS. I FURTHERNMORE BELIEVE THAT IF HE DOESEN'T WANT GUYS LIKE BRIAN THERE THEN HE SHOULD BAN ALL IMPORTERS AND PEOPLE AFFILIATED WITH THEM. OR ATLEAST MODIFY HIS RULES FOR HIS SHOWS. I AGREE WITH A THREAD POSTED ABOUT THE FRIDAY SETUP THING. REALL PROFESSIONAL... THE THING IS THERE WILL ALWAYS BE CRAPPY ANIMALS AT SHOWS. IF YOU SEE THEM TELL THE PERSON TO THEIR FACE THAT THEIR ANIMALS LOOK LIKE CRAP. DON'T PLAY THIS HE SAID SHE SAID GAME. I HOPE THAT THIS SITUATION GETS RESOLVED SOON. I ALSO HOPE THA PROFFESSIONALISM RISES ABOVE PRIDE WITH ALL PARTIES AFFILIATED WITH THIS CONTINUING PROBLEM. GOOD LUCK BRIAN,

JOSHUA GUERRERO OWNER/OPERATOR
FYB EXOTICS
 
While Tony made a "Special Effort" to supply some people with lunch , and while some others had two lunches. Others went without any lunch at all. We were told they ran out.
Then they told to wait about a half hour ,that they had ordered pizzas for those who did not receive lunch. Well once the headaches started setting in we had no choice but to find lunch outside the show.
Its understood that lunch is just complimentary, but we were told they had run out , and we had to fend for ourselves we could have had lunch much sooner.
And when Tony was finially tracked down and confronted about it , he was very defensive.

As a vender we also had to deal with 2 vendors selling rodents , which were placed on either side of our tables. At times the smell was so offensive that customers could stand it to spend some time to check out the animals on our table. Let alone that we had to deal with it for the whole weekend .
And we all know how rodents get to smelling in the heat.
And at the Tampa show , the AC doesn't go on until they open the doors for the customers.
 
A RANT

I have been doing Tony's shows for a couple of years now from Tampa to Columbia. To my knowledge I have never had a complaint from venders or customer. In March of this year at the Tampa show the vender at the end-cap next to mine lost a Tegu and cage Tony stepped to me and ask if I knew anything about it or if I saw anything, I told him no. Tony said that the guy more then likely lied about it to get a price break on tables.

At the first Fire Show in Olando I was to get My ussual 6 Table end-cap and I had ordered a new banner. As I entered the show I ask for my table location and was told to pay the balance due first. I wrote a $370.00 check and paid in full and was shown to my 3 tables in a back corner. I tried to talk to Tony about this but he was off hiding.

After the show I stopped payment and to this day Tony has never contacted me. This morning Susin Tippie told me that Tony put a note at the bottom of the venders list stating that I was banned for being a suspect of thieft and writing numerous bad checks at the last show.

Well, Tony it is my opinion that you do to much Meth, remember I saw you in your trailblazer in orlando. You can ban me that is your right but stop the lies and B.S. AND FROM WHAT OTHER VENDERS HAVE TOLD ME THE tAMPA SHOW IS DONE.
 
Joshua, Could you please post the letter about the "creative edge shows" from the Tampa packet, or please give us whatever you remember from it? I have no agenda, but I am very curious to get as much inside information and thinking of all parties as possible as this is a great subject. Thank You! Bruce.
 
hey Mr. Lawson, just out of curiosity

why did you stop payment on a check that you wrote for$ 370.00 if you owed Tony the money? Apparently, you received the tables and you certainly was their for the duration of the show. Maybe you did not have the funds in the first place, maybe you did, but was it worth having your name smeared throughout the Herp industry as a banned vendor. JERRY TRESSER
 
Something does not add up here Dave. You say you wrote him a check for $370 and received 3 tables and a Banner but you make it sound like he owed you 6 tables. Well even the $370 does not add up for 3 tables by itself much less a banner and or more tables. The tables for the Fire show were $140 for the first table and $125 for any additional tables. So just 3 tables adds up to more than what you paid. The other thing is why would you put a stop payment on the check when you received what you paid for and more? This just does not add up. Also your statement about My Cueto using Illegal Drugs in his vehicle is a very serious accusation. I would hope that you have some kind of proof of this otherwise you might have just subjected yourself to a lawsuit by Tony for possibly defamation of Character and or more.
 
read my last post again please!!!!

The $370 was the balance due...

I DID NOT get what I paid for..... I paid for a 6 table end-cap not there tables in the back room in the middle of a row and the banner was to read Zodiac Reptiles not Zodiak pets the phone # was to be 813-931-8755 not 813-931-8775. I had already pre-paid over $500.00 which more then covers what I did get. I did try to talk to Tony several times during the show but he was not to be found and never returned any of my calls, so yes I stopped payment and I am sure that everyone else would have done the samething.


As far as the comment of

Well, Tony it is my opinion that you do to much Meth, remember I saw you in your trailblazer in orlando
Click to expand...

That was one of the times that Tony was to busy to talk to me.


Now, Tony you can twist this around all you want and you can smear my name all you wish hell you can even have others back up your story.
 
Dave, I'm a little confused here.

Did you order the banner from Tony? You were complaining about the misspelling of your business name, but is Tony in the business of makin banners for vendors now,too?

I can't say much about your table situation, but I think stopping payment on the check may not have been the best move. If it were me, I would have MADE SURE Tony took the time to speak with me. I have had problems with my table placement at the Atlanta show before, and you know what? Friday evening before setting up, I explained the problem to Tony, and in less than five minutes, I had a more suitable location(personal issues with the vendor I was placed next to initially). And I am only buying ONE table per show and am definitely not a big name. And at that show and the couple of Columbia shows I've attended, he was flitting around the show checking up on everyone, asking how vendors were doing for the day, and just keeping an eye on things. Maybe he was specifically trying to avoid you Dave(not saying if he was or wasn't, just being hypothetical), but I've never known Tony to be completely unreachable or hard to find at one of his shows.

Also, did you give Tony warning that you were going to cancel your check? Or did you just cancel it that Monday after the show was over and leave it at that? I have to say, if that was someone doing that kind of thing to me, I would not be in a hurry to have them come back.
 
Tony has a venders warehouse were venders can buy all sorts of stuff for their tables including banners.

You are right Rob, Tony is normally buzzing all over the place but for whatever reason I was having a hard time catching him at this show and when I ask his staff no one seemed to know.

As i said, I tried several times to talk to Tony about this mix up but I got nothing from it. Monday morning I figured I had 2 remidies

1) Stop payment on the check

2) Let it go and lose a lot of money on a mis spelled banner and pay for 3 tables I did not get.

Side note: At the Fire show I was placed next to the vender that Tony said I stole from at the Tampa show only a few months earlier. There was nothing said about me taking anything and I got great prices on some animals I bought from him.


The point that I am trying to make here is that Tony will use any and every reason to ban a vender he will even lie to get it done. This way he gets the backing of the other venders.
 
Dave,

I just thought about it and I remember you having the entire end cap at the F.I.R.E. show.( I could be wrong but I distinctly remember you having animals on the entire end cap). You had the end cap and had Susin Tippie's animals on it for the show. I have never had a problem with Tony nor his shows in the least. There have been a few occasions when wires have gotten crossed and things were not exactly as they were supposed to be but when I brought it up to Tony first thing they were all remedied immediately. I have never had a problem getting hold of Tony ANYTIME throughout any of his shows that we have attended (Both Vendoring and as Spectators) so I find it a little hard to believe that you could not get hold of him at the F.I.R.E. show. Hell he spent most of the day at the front tables and every time that I wanted to talk to him about anything all it took was 5 minutes of either walking to the front tables or taking a quick walk around the show and locating him.
Also Tony is not the one that is making the Banners he is just being an outlet for them. All you had to do was talk to them about it if you had a problem and they would have had you contact the maker. If I remember correctly the guy that makes then lives right there in Tampa. I placed my Banner order at the very last thing before F.I.R.E. and it was handled quickly and professionally and I received it at the Show beginning without any problems.
 
hey DAVE

Would Tony have refunded you the monies had your complaint been legit! Certainly it would have been better than being banned. I look at these situations as lost opportunities on your part. I am sure you would have continued to participate in his future shows. What you did was out of frustration or anger , and without thinking of the future consequences, has brought you here , defending yourself on deaf ears.A very poor business decision. JERRY TRESSER
 
Rob, I was in the back room between Arstrong crickets end cap and Tom Marino"s end cap. It is true that Tony contracts out the banner work but he is the one selling them. I did not have Susin's animals on my table with only 3 tables when I was to have 6 I had to put stock under the tables besides Susin had her own tables.

Jerry, you may very well be right on the point of getting Tony to just refund the differance but I had spent a lot of time trying to locate him for a remidy but he was either un reachable or to busy to deal, I went to his staff to try to work it out and nothing.

If Tony would have banned me for the check I stopped then I would not be here right now posting but he is saying that I had something to do with stealing a Tegu in Tampa. It seems funny that the night the animal was taken Tony said that Tom Marino was lying about losing it to try to get a discount on tables.

Tony's shows have been getting worse and worse with every show. I get from 6 to 8 tables at each and every show I did with him I donate $50 to $100 worth of animals for door prizes each show and have been doing this for the past 3 years I do not think that I should have to deal with chasing him all over the venue to solve the mix up I told his staff and they gave him the message but he still failed to come see me.
 
Dave,

I remember exactly where your tables were, Do you not remember me talking to you at your tables on a few occasions throughout the show when I was on my searches for animals to purchase? I was in the same room. I also remember (coming straight from Susin) that the animals on your tables were Susin's. She did not have them on her tables because she had the warm and Fuzzies on her tables and you were handling the Reptiles for her. Also if memory serves correctly, I could have sworn that she told me SHE paid for the tables for the show. I have written her to find out more information on it to clarify my memory.
 
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