mattjillson
New member
[B]Warning: JC Carden of Crazy Chameleons[/B]
JC Carden ripped me off for $600. Back in November of 2002 I discovered a Yahoo group Crazy Chameleons and a post for Sambava babies. The sire, Julio, looked pretty good so I sent an email inquiring about availability. I recieved a return email the next day from JC (real name John C. Carden from Nampa Idaho)with pricing and such and was interested. From there JC and I talked via email a few times and he seemed like a somewhat knowledgable nice guy so I went ahead and let him know I wanted to pick up a baby. I did not have the entire amount at that moment (early November) but wanted to put down a $100 dollar deposit to demonsrate my seriousness about the purchase. JC considered that a "serious deposit" and agreed to my payment schedule, $100 up front with the balance paid first thing in December when I got my paycheck. Well, from there we talked quite a bit through email and had a few phone conversations. JC seemed like a down-to-Earth, likeable guy who shared the same passion for Chameleons that I do. We swapped chameleon/breeding stories as well as personal. JC had let me know that he had fallen on hard times and had broken his neck earlier in the year and was out of work at the moment--I genuinely felt bad for the guy and offered any assistance I could (granted, not much I could really do, but it is the thought that counts, right?).
Anyways, through our talks he made it known that he bred different color morphs of Panthers as well of other species of chameleons and in fact had a large group of Sambavas from two different clutches (sires: Julio and Proximo). He let me know that he would give me a good deal on a quantity of Sambavas because "we were friends", this being December now and I was about to send the final payment for the Sambava I had negotiated earlier. I thought, what the heck I might as well pick up a few more as he had two unrelated clutches and I was in full swing of upsizing my Sambava group. In addition to this a friend and I had hatched out quite a few Sambavas ourselves that sold by this time like hot cakes, so money would not be a problem. I consulted the few friends in my immediate area to see if they were interesed in picking up a few themselves, and the were, so I confirmed with JC I would be doing that quantity deal. He was straight up with me that he could not deliver until the end of December most likely mid-January, which was ok with me because of the holidays.
From there we continued to talk and I let him know that I was going to be getting a few Ambilobes and that I would be willing to trade a couple to take care of the remaining balance. JC jumped on the offer as he was in talks to pick up one himself, but he was calling it a Picasso (See concering Picasso/Sirama vs. Ambilobe at http://www.mythicalchameleons.com/ambilobe.htm). I also decided to join his group Crazy Chameleons as it seemed that it was a good group of people who knew their stuff (although all this crap happened that group of people still are good, caring breeders/keepers). Anyways, as December turned into January the deal began to sour a bit. JC had informed me that he a bunch of the Sambava babies die due to the cold temps in Idaho. He siad that his heat lamps for some reason went out on him for a few days and that he probably would not be able to fill my order in its entirety. I thought it was a little fishy as any decent breeder or human being would check on his animals at least once a day, but I dismissed it as tough luck. Besides, big deal, so my friends would not be able to turn a quick profit on the excess they ordered. I too had some Sambavas that my friend and I hatched out die on us, so I sympathized with him and genuinely felt bad for the guy; he had a broken neck, was out of work, has kids and now his chameleons are dying. I offered to pay a little bit more to help out, but he said it was ok, "a deal is a deal" and that he had some friends who he had sold things to in the past that had Sambavas and that he could probably get to fill my order, but it would not happen until February now. I suggested he ship what he had and he did not want to do that and he he wanted to get everything to me together. Ok, he had the animals so we will play by his rules (hindsight is a SOB, eh).
Well, at the time (Jan.) I had just graduated College and landed a full time job, so time flew and February was there before I knew it. I was preparing to recieve the babies and I emailed him with no response about the date he would be shipping and was concerned that something had happened to him as normally me returned my emails promptly, he had said that he was going to have to get an operation on his broken neck, so I gave him a call. I think I suprised him because he answered the phone with energy, but when he realized that it was me became really down and began with his sob story about how his friends did not want to give him a deal on the Sambavas and that he had even more babies die (similar to when a kid is faking sick from school). I was like ok, "just refund me for the excess and ship what you have" (thank God I did not ship the Ambilobes, they turned out spectacular--thanks Ivan). He said he would but not yet and although I was not cool with it I bit my tongue and agreed (yeah, I know stupid me but it was a learning experience). He set the date when he would ship at the end of February.
That date came and went with no response from my calls or emails and I knew something bad was up. I had to call from a different area code before I could get through to anything but his answering machine, but reach him I did (screening his calls, I wonder why?). I demanded he refund my money and that I was not happy about having to track him down and that if there was something up he should have contacted me, he has my phone number and email addresses after all--again with the sob story. He said he did not have the cash and that someone owed him money, but as soon as he recieved his refund check from the IRS he would pay me back first thing. I obviously was not happy about the situation but was was I to do, call him a cocksucker and kiss off any hopes of getting my money back, so I agreed.
Well, it is now August 10th and I have not heard from JC since then. I have called numerous times and sent emails asking what the deal was with my money, always in a courtious yet to the point way with no response. I even sent a last chance to pay me email earlier this week with, suprise, no response. I have been subsequently blocked from his Yahoo group, Crazy Chameleons. Maybe he is afraid I would take this mess there, which I would not have before, but since he is scared and he has screwed me, screw him I will. I do care about being ripped off, but it is not the paramount point here. I thought JC was my friend and I was TOTALLY wrong. I feel betrayed and there is no amount of money that will fix that. I would have accepted $50 a month for the next year to help him out because I felt bad for him and the position his bad luck put his family in.
BUYER BEWARE! If you have done business with JC in the past and everything has gone down without a hitch that is great, it is somewhat comforting that he is not a complete dirtbag, but it is only a matter of time before a ripe deal presents itself and he rolls over on you for the right amount of money. Sure you can say "JC has been nothing but a good guy to me, ect" but you know what, he was a good, very likable guy with me and look what happened. Bottom line is I know WITHOUT a doubt he ripped me off--I have copies of the cashed checks and no chameleons to prove it. There can be no good heartfelt stories that will change that. In fact I have just learned that he ended up picking up an Ambilobe that he named Paycheck (would be a funny name if it was not my paycheck that paid for him). But in fairness I want ANYONE who has dealt with JC in the past to chime in about your experience, good or bad (you know who you are on both sides of the spectrum, I have talked with a few of you and shared my experience as you with I). I would like to hear of others dealings with him and gauge it to my own. I also invite anyone who has done business with me in the past to make a thread about their experience with me, good or bad. You don't have to comment on this situation if you do not want to, just let everyone know if I have conducted myself in an upright, professional, caring manner. I feel that I pay for what I order promptly and without hesitation, no buyers remorse with me, and that I build lasting relationships in the Chameleon community, but if I am wrong let everyone know--I have NOTHING to hide. Hey, if JC still wants to do the upright honest thing and pay me, great, I will add a thread informing everyone that he decided to be a man about it and do the right thing, although I doubt it. I have also attached a picture of this scumbag to this thread in case you all want to see this piece of work in all his mullet loving glory in case you run across him at a show. In the end it all comes down to the fact that JC is a horror of a human being who uses friendship to dupe people and that I cannot forget, or forgive and nor should any of you.
Thanks for your time,
Matthew Jillson
Santa Barbara, Ca.
[email protected]
JC Carden ripped me off for $600. Back in November of 2002 I discovered a Yahoo group Crazy Chameleons and a post for Sambava babies. The sire, Julio, looked pretty good so I sent an email inquiring about availability. I recieved a return email the next day from JC (real name John C. Carden from Nampa Idaho)with pricing and such and was interested. From there JC and I talked via email a few times and he seemed like a somewhat knowledgable nice guy so I went ahead and let him know I wanted to pick up a baby. I did not have the entire amount at that moment (early November) but wanted to put down a $100 dollar deposit to demonsrate my seriousness about the purchase. JC considered that a "serious deposit" and agreed to my payment schedule, $100 up front with the balance paid first thing in December when I got my paycheck. Well, from there we talked quite a bit through email and had a few phone conversations. JC seemed like a down-to-Earth, likeable guy who shared the same passion for Chameleons that I do. We swapped chameleon/breeding stories as well as personal. JC had let me know that he had fallen on hard times and had broken his neck earlier in the year and was out of work at the moment--I genuinely felt bad for the guy and offered any assistance I could (granted, not much I could really do, but it is the thought that counts, right?).
Anyways, through our talks he made it known that he bred different color morphs of Panthers as well of other species of chameleons and in fact had a large group of Sambavas from two different clutches (sires: Julio and Proximo). He let me know that he would give me a good deal on a quantity of Sambavas because "we were friends", this being December now and I was about to send the final payment for the Sambava I had negotiated earlier. I thought, what the heck I might as well pick up a few more as he had two unrelated clutches and I was in full swing of upsizing my Sambava group. In addition to this a friend and I had hatched out quite a few Sambavas ourselves that sold by this time like hot cakes, so money would not be a problem. I consulted the few friends in my immediate area to see if they were interesed in picking up a few themselves, and the were, so I confirmed with JC I would be doing that quantity deal. He was straight up with me that he could not deliver until the end of December most likely mid-January, which was ok with me because of the holidays.
From there we continued to talk and I let him know that I was going to be getting a few Ambilobes and that I would be willing to trade a couple to take care of the remaining balance. JC jumped on the offer as he was in talks to pick up one himself, but he was calling it a Picasso (See concering Picasso/Sirama vs. Ambilobe at http://www.mythicalchameleons.com/ambilobe.htm). I also decided to join his group Crazy Chameleons as it seemed that it was a good group of people who knew their stuff (although all this crap happened that group of people still are good, caring breeders/keepers). Anyways, as December turned into January the deal began to sour a bit. JC had informed me that he a bunch of the Sambava babies die due to the cold temps in Idaho. He siad that his heat lamps for some reason went out on him for a few days and that he probably would not be able to fill my order in its entirety. I thought it was a little fishy as any decent breeder or human being would check on his animals at least once a day, but I dismissed it as tough luck. Besides, big deal, so my friends would not be able to turn a quick profit on the excess they ordered. I too had some Sambavas that my friend and I hatched out die on us, so I sympathized with him and genuinely felt bad for the guy; he had a broken neck, was out of work, has kids and now his chameleons are dying. I offered to pay a little bit more to help out, but he said it was ok, "a deal is a deal" and that he had some friends who he had sold things to in the past that had Sambavas and that he could probably get to fill my order, but it would not happen until February now. I suggested he ship what he had and he did not want to do that and he he wanted to get everything to me together. Ok, he had the animals so we will play by his rules (hindsight is a SOB, eh).
Well, at the time (Jan.) I had just graduated College and landed a full time job, so time flew and February was there before I knew it. I was preparing to recieve the babies and I emailed him with no response about the date he would be shipping and was concerned that something had happened to him as normally me returned my emails promptly, he had said that he was going to have to get an operation on his broken neck, so I gave him a call. I think I suprised him because he answered the phone with energy, but when he realized that it was me became really down and began with his sob story about how his friends did not want to give him a deal on the Sambavas and that he had even more babies die (similar to when a kid is faking sick from school). I was like ok, "just refund me for the excess and ship what you have" (thank God I did not ship the Ambilobes, they turned out spectacular--thanks Ivan). He said he would but not yet and although I was not cool with it I bit my tongue and agreed (yeah, I know stupid me but it was a learning experience). He set the date when he would ship at the end of February.
That date came and went with no response from my calls or emails and I knew something bad was up. I had to call from a different area code before I could get through to anything but his answering machine, but reach him I did (screening his calls, I wonder why?). I demanded he refund my money and that I was not happy about having to track him down and that if there was something up he should have contacted me, he has my phone number and email addresses after all--again with the sob story. He said he did not have the cash and that someone owed him money, but as soon as he recieved his refund check from the IRS he would pay me back first thing. I obviously was not happy about the situation but was was I to do, call him a cocksucker and kiss off any hopes of getting my money back, so I agreed.
Well, it is now August 10th and I have not heard from JC since then. I have called numerous times and sent emails asking what the deal was with my money, always in a courtious yet to the point way with no response. I even sent a last chance to pay me email earlier this week with, suprise, no response. I have been subsequently blocked from his Yahoo group, Crazy Chameleons. Maybe he is afraid I would take this mess there, which I would not have before, but since he is scared and he has screwed me, screw him I will. I do care about being ripped off, but it is not the paramount point here. I thought JC was my friend and I was TOTALLY wrong. I feel betrayed and there is no amount of money that will fix that. I would have accepted $50 a month for the next year to help him out because I felt bad for him and the position his bad luck put his family in.
BUYER BEWARE! If you have done business with JC in the past and everything has gone down without a hitch that is great, it is somewhat comforting that he is not a complete dirtbag, but it is only a matter of time before a ripe deal presents itself and he rolls over on you for the right amount of money. Sure you can say "JC has been nothing but a good guy to me, ect" but you know what, he was a good, very likable guy with me and look what happened. Bottom line is I know WITHOUT a doubt he ripped me off--I have copies of the cashed checks and no chameleons to prove it. There can be no good heartfelt stories that will change that. In fact I have just learned that he ended up picking up an Ambilobe that he named Paycheck (would be a funny name if it was not my paycheck that paid for him). But in fairness I want ANYONE who has dealt with JC in the past to chime in about your experience, good or bad (you know who you are on both sides of the spectrum, I have talked with a few of you and shared my experience as you with I). I would like to hear of others dealings with him and gauge it to my own. I also invite anyone who has done business with me in the past to make a thread about their experience with me, good or bad. You don't have to comment on this situation if you do not want to, just let everyone know if I have conducted myself in an upright, professional, caring manner. I feel that I pay for what I order promptly and without hesitation, no buyers remorse with me, and that I build lasting relationships in the Chameleon community, but if I am wrong let everyone know--I have NOTHING to hide. Hey, if JC still wants to do the upright honest thing and pay me, great, I will add a thread informing everyone that he decided to be a man about it and do the right thing, although I doubt it. I have also attached a picture of this scumbag to this thread in case you all want to see this piece of work in all his mullet loving glory in case you run across him at a show. In the end it all comes down to the fact that JC is a horror of a human being who uses friendship to dupe people and that I cannot forget, or forgive and nor should any of you.
Thanks for your time,
Matthew Jillson
Santa Barbara, Ca.
[email protected]
Live and learn!
