Hi. With respect to Mr. Rivera, I wanted to let you all know what was going on.
A few nights ago, Victor called me and discussed his side of the situation. He was very polite and respectful. He also acknowledged that he made some mistakes with shipping and packing. Under the circustances, I thanked Victor for his honesty and willingness to admit his mistakes. Victor assured me that this type of transaction will not occur again with future customers. He also told me that he would have to discuss the issue of a refund with his business partner.
Last night, Victor called me again. As before, he was polite and well-mannered. He respectfully asked that I would removed this thread from the forum. I informed Victor that, to the best of my knowledge, I did not have the ability or authority to do so. We were unable to agree upon terms for a refund, but I respectfully thanked him for his acknowledgment of a mistake and I informed him that I will no longer post negative comments about his business on this forum, or any other forum online. Again, Victor assured me that he does care about the customer and that he will make great efforts in the future to make sure that this type of misunderstanding does not occur again.
Whether or not I believe Mr. Rivera at this point is not important. I try to be an understanding buyer (although sometimes I get a little angry when mistakes are made) and I make an effort to treat a seller with respect, even though I may disagree with his business practices. As I said before, I have spent many years in the private business sector. I understand that mistakes are made. I believe that businesses, including Mr. Rivera's, deserve their fair share of chances to make themselves right.
I will make myself VERY clear in stating this: I still believe that Mr. Rivera was negligent in this transaction. I will also state that everything that I posted in this thread is TRUE. I DID NOT lie, or attempt to shift blame upon Mr. Rivera where it was not warranted. This includes the accusation that I "removed the insulation from my package for the picture" (I believe that brrrman's statement that his package from Victor was packed the same way...with NO styro, clears that up).
I do, however, believe that Mr. Rivera should be given the chance to right his wrong at this point.
He was responsible enough to call me on the phone, admit his mistakes, and assure me that this type of transaction will not be repeated with future customers.
Out of respect to this responsibility, I will have to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I attempted to stop posting on this forum many days ago. Not only to stop aggravating the circumstances, but also to honor Victor's request that we settle this disagreement between us privately.
When I originally posted this thread, I did not intend to get into an argument with Victor, or anyone else, about this transaction. I also did not intend on getting anyone else into an argument with Victor. I simply wanted to give the facts so potential customers could be well-informed if they decide to purchase from Mr. Rivera.
I sent Mr. Rivera an email tonight explaining where I currently stand on this issue. The main points of this email are that I accept that fact that a refund will no longer be issued, and that I will no longer post negative comments about his business. This is the email that I sent to Victor this evening:
"Hi Victor. I just wanted to let you know that I looked into removing the thread from Fauna classifieds and it clearly states that I do not have the ability to edit or remove this thread.
Unfortunately, it looks like I wont be able to meet your requirements for a refund at this time.
I do, however, appreciate you calling me and discussing this matter with me over the phone and admitting your mistakes and accepting responsibility for this shipping and packing mistake.
I hope from this point on that you honor your word and do not cut corners in packing and shipping and that you try to treat future customers with respect and own up to your mistakes.
I am disappointed that we couldnt reach an agreement that resulted in a refund for this shipping error regarding my order, but I am willing to move forward at this point.
I do not want to continue to post responses on the Fauna classifieds and I do not want to get into any arguments with you, or any other members of the forum.
From this point on, I am acknowledging that any differences or misunderstandings between us no longer exists.
I will no longer harbor any ill feelings towards you, and I will no longer post or promote any negative comments about your business. I will simply move on at this point and put this upsetting transaction behind me.
I understand that mistakes are made in every business. No one can be perfect. I just hope that from this incident, you have learned to be a more responsible shipper and that I have learned to be a more informed buyer.
To satisfy the curiosity of the other forum members, I will post this email on the thread to acknowledge the fact that, as far as I am concerned, this misunderstanding between me and you is completed.
Again, I hope that you live up to your word that you will complete future transactions with customers in a responsible manner. If you do so, I wish you the best of luck in your business.
Sincerely,
Brian R. Hamilton"
Anyway, I hope that this concludes any further disagreement between myself, Victor, and the forum members.
I wholeheartedly appreciate all of the support from the forum members, and I sincerely apologize to those who have engaged in arguments with Mr. Rivera over this issue.
I dont mean to give the impression that I will abandon this forum...but I simply wanted to let everyone know that if I dont respond on a regular basis, that I am trying to distance myself from this issue. This transaction has brought nothing but aggravation to myself, and the other forum members. I posted all of the information I had regarding this transaction truthfully and to the best of my knowledge, so there isnt much left for me to add. The sooner I move on, the sooner I can distance myself from this transaction.
If anyone has any questions for me personally, feel free to email me directly. I will respond as quickly as possible. I am, however, going to avoid posting any negative comments about Victor on this forum in the future. Thanks for the understanding. Brian.
