Word of Caution!! Miko Ortiz of Wisconsin House Of Reptiles & Exotics(WHORE)

[lizfortune]

Just a word of caution to anybody out there who may want to do business with Miko Ortiz who is apparantly the owner of Wisconsin House Of Reptiles & Exotics, located at 3955 N Prospect Ave, Shorewood, WI 53211
Phone 414-962-4933
Fax 414-962-9649

Recently, I was selling a pair of green tree pythons and Miko sent me an email asking for pictures. I sent him pictures of the pair and he said he would take them. He said he was going to put the funds in my paypal account.

I then did not hear from him for two days and, after the first, I sent a couple requests via email AND I called him a couple of times. After getting no responses via email or telephone (and another day or two went by), I sent him an email stating since I had not heard back from him, I was going to offer them for sale again. I THEN received a response from him re-affirming his commitment to the pair and asked if he could pay for them (through paypal) on the following Tuesday (this was probably Friday or Saturday prior to the Tuesday) which I agreed to.

In the meantime, somebody who had put a deposit on another female I had, failed to pay the balance on her OR let me know of any other arrangements, so I started to re-advertise her.

Tuesday came and went and I sent him another email or two late Tuesday and/or Wednesday morning, and received no response. I was finally able to get hold of Miko early in the day on Wednesday and he told me he had forgotten to transfer funds on Tuesday but he still wanted the animals (when I had sent him emails Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning, I also informed him of the available female) and he said he would also buy the extra female.
He apparently owns several stores and is selling two of them and remodeling one. He stated that he was going to be traveling for the next 10 days and he asked if it was o.k. to put a deposit of $500.00 down (through paypal) and he would pay the balance at the end of the 10 days. I said that was fine, but I needed the deposit as a week had already passed and I had stopped advertising based on his word to buy the original pair. He promised to take care of it that afternoon.
He never did nor did he attempt to contact me to make any other arrangements.

If he changed his mind and at least told me so I wasn't left hanging, I could have accepted that, though it would still have been rude. But he committed to these animals THREE TIMES and then didn't have the common decency to follow-through or communicate with me and ultimately I ended up wasting a week and time waiting for him based on his word. I figured if he owned several stores, his word should mean something.

A couple days ago, I sent him an email asking for an explanation as I was considering making a complaint here and I stated this in my email. I have not received a response.

I do not want to get into a pissing contest or drag this out. And other than that, I do not know anything about Miko or his company. But THREE TIMES he said he wanted these animals and not once did he attempt to communicate anything else. At this point, I would not trust him nor would I choose to conduct business with him. Being busy does not justify conducting himself the way he did.
Brian Aish
Hobbyist

 

[shrap]

I agree Brian, there is no excuse for doing business that way.

On the other hand, we have all heard the story of "the money is on the way" and it never arrive. Once the guy did it the first time though you should have just put the animals back up for sale and told the guy that unless the money is on the way NOW, that you can not guarantee that they will still be available. Having it happen three times with the same customer is your own fault. Live and learn, bro.

Personally, unless it is someone that I know real well and have done business with before, I do not consider the animal sold or on hold until the money arrives. If they say the money is coming today, the money better be there today or it immediately goes back up for sale. If they say they will have the money 4 days from now, I tell them that I will not hold them without an immediate 50% non-refundable deposit. I don't like to be that way with people, but too many jokers out there have forced things to be this way.

 

[Justin Mitcham]

Unfortunately this seems to be almost common place now, some people think that when they jump behind the screen they become anonymous and are not liable for anything they do or say. I can understand if someone changes there mind during the course of a deal, but to me once committed , a deal is a deal, either on the phone ,computer , handshake etc..when you give someone your word that's it, it's done. Now a days when I advertise stuff, if you want to reserve an animal your going to either place a deposit which is non-refundable (which I usually use my own discretion about giving it back or not) or 1st come 1st serve. If you place a deposit other than with paypal I require proof such as a tracking # etc..that you sent it. Now of course if I have dealt with you before with no problems then the above will probably not apply.
Do you think deadbeat buyers should be posted here?,I think some should, the intentions of this forum is to improve the standards of the reptile trade, lying to a seller is as bad as lying to a customer. Remember Gilbert Thompson, that guy could still tying up half the goodies in our trade if it weren't for that post I made.
Could a Deadbeat Forum be usefull???

 

[lizfortune]

You try to give somebody the benefit of the doubt and circumstances do come up that are legitimate. I disagree with the opinion "Having it happen three times with the same customer is your own fault" The guy seemed to be legitimate and with the responsibilities he apparently had, it would be understandable for a person in his position to get side-tracked. I own three businesses and sometimes I don't know whether I am coming or going. But when I informed him that I was going to re-advertise them, he re-assured me that he would take them.
I don't think ANY of it was my fault besides being patient and taking the man at his word. The fact that I gave him the benefit of doubt, I feel, was only being respectful to another person. The problem was that respect only seemed to be one-sided.
I do appreciate your inputs though. Thank you for the time you put into them.
Brian Aish

 

[cthulhu77]

Well, Brian, it is always a two way street, no matter how vindicated you feel by what decisions you made...like the others, I don't "hold" anything unless they are good friends...cash is king !
I agree with you wholeheartedly about the situation of the business world these days though...not much honor out there anymore, it sometimes seems...luckily, most of us run into enough good people to keep the memories of the bad at bay...
I'm glad you didn't lose out on any animals...the times where the animal ends up dead or damaged due to these sorts of sheenanigans really gets my goat.

greg

 

[shrap]

You try to give somebody the benefit of the doubt and circumstances do come up that are legitimate. I disagree with the opinion "Having it happen three times with the same customer is your own fault" The guy seemed to be legitimate and with the responsibilities he apparently had, it would be understandable for a person in his position to get side-tracked. I own three businesses and sometimes I don't know whether I am coming or going. But when I informed him that I was going to re-advertise them, he re-assured me that he would take them.
I don't think ANY of it was my fault besides being patient and taking the man at his word. The fact that I gave him the benefit of doubt, I feel, was only being respectful to another person. The problem was that respect only seemed to be one-sided.
I do appreciate your inputs though. Thank you for the time you put into them.
Brian Aish

Sorry if my post sounded harsh, it was not meant to be. The only thing I meant you were at fault for was being too good of a guy..... if there is such a thing, lol.

That is why I said live and learn because I think every single one of us have been in your situation and have learned the hard way. Unless it is someone you know well, you never hold the animal without the cash. Regardless of how legitimate the persons circumstances sound. Otherwise you end up with this type of thing happening to you all the time.

Thanks for the heads up on this guy, hopefully no one else will get their time wasted by him or possibly miss out on a legitimate sale.

Take care Brian.

 

[lizfortune]

Thanks Sammy. LOL. Realistically, it is difficult for most people to IMMEDIATELY pay for an animal when they are in another state. I am a hobbyist and don't do credit cards, so it is difficult to say, "Go ahead and send me cash for the animal and, if it is still available in 4-5 days when I receive the money, I'll sell it to you. However, if somebody comes up with the money before I get yours, I will sell it to them". Most people, including me, would not feel comfortable doing that.

However, in this case, Miko was going to put it on my Paypal account so I could have set the parameters up front that I would hold the animals once I received the money.
When somebody has paid with a money order, I ask that it be sent priority mail and that has minimized the wasted time from "wanna-be buyers".
Thanks again for the input and the time you put into. I appreciate the feedback and the support.
Brian

 

[Justin Mitcham]

Actually I disagree, I ship 5-10 shipments a week and find that the majority of Internet buyers have paypal and use it, it's a rarity when someone who legitimately wants to purchase an animal is unable to make it to the post office and send a MO at a cost of about 14.00 for overnite or 5.00 for priority then email you back the tracking, in fact if you are too "froogle" or "lazy" to accommodate my payment options then I may not take you seriously. This is the cost of doing business with me, people like me who sole income is from breeding , buying and selling reptiles take a hit each time when buyers don't follow through. You may think it isn't much but imagine having your paycheck delayed time and time again do to someone jerking you around. Not funny in the least especially if you have a family to support etc.. like some people do.
If it weren't for this most sellers would have no problem trusting your word.

 

[John Cherry]

The way of the world

It seems this has beccome even more common place recently than in the past years. It has gotten to the point where there are a few individuals that get a kick out of setting up buys and/or trades. Then stringing folks along for as long as they can, only to fade into oblivion at the last minute. I have started letting most of my friends know when I run into these guys and it seems they go from one breeder to another pulling the same stuff. Recently a guy in Kansas who goes by the name Chris G. and Sam Lover among other names and uses a email of [email protected] is the most recent idiot. He has placed and failed to respond on orders in excess of 1500.00 to several of us here lately.

Oh well I guess it is the sign of the times, but is really aggravating to say the least.

John Cherry
Cherryville Farms

 

[BallPyFan]

Maybe it's just me, but I would have difficulty trusting someone who used the business anacronym WHORE....

 

[shrap]

Maybe it's just me, but I would have difficulty trusting someone who used the business anacronym WHORE....

Unless of course it was a prostitute using the acronym WHORE.....

 

[lizfortune]

"Unless of course it was a prostitute using the acronym WHORE....."

Then you would trust her????? Uh....Ok. I don't see the logic in that one. LOL.

It is definitely a play on words but i agree. It is in poor taste and I personally wouldn't want my business associated with a degrading label like that. That could help me clue in on dealing with a person very possibly lacking in integrity. It is kind of like seeing somebody that has cuss words or sexual words in their email name... a good indicator of a lack of maturity.

I wonder if Miko even knows that his poor conduct has been noticed and reported to the BOI as it would be nice if he would actually take responsibility for his conduct.

Again, thanks for everyone's input.
Brian

 

[lizfortune]

Just a reminder to be cautious when dealing with this person. I want to make sure it stays current for a little while so everyone has an opportunity to see it.
Brian

 

[pardalis]

Miko purchased a coastal carpet from me about a week and a half ago. The transaction was smooth and went along with out any trouble. Thats just my experience with him.

Greg Power
B.O.A. Inc

 

[lizfortune]

Well, I am glad he followed through for you. He promised to follow-through with me THREE times and wasted a week of my time and the entire time did not have the decency to let me know he changed his mind or couldn't afford them or whatever his reason was for continuing to commit to them through the whole week and not following through.

On the other hand, even dishonest and unprofessional people will have good transactions. Not sure the significance that he followed through correctly on one transaction. The point is he handled this one so poorly.

Again, I am glad you did not get jerked around. The point is... if he did this to me for no reason, he is in all probability going to do it again. So, be careful if you are going to have business interactions with him.
Brian

 

[Jim O]

Brian,

Like you, I am a hobbyist. I keep and breed reptiles for the love of it, and not as my sole source of income. In fact, I'm happy if selling hatchlings covers the cost of my monthly Rodentpro order(s). Nevertheless, a "commitment" is a commitment. When I hold something for someone and they do not come through and in the interim another offer is rejected, that is not cool for me. When one cannot live up to their word then the least they can do is make contact and not leave the other party hanging. To do otherwise is the definition of a DEADBEAT.

Seeing as how this thread has been around long enough for Miko to see it (or be informed of its existence) and respond, your version is unimpeached. And Miko is a deadbeat.

On another note, it was mentioned above that most people have PayPal accounts. I use PayPal for every purchase and sale that I can. If the seller does not accept PayPal I have the choice of not doing business or accepting their terms. Often I simply choose not to do business when a person insists on a USPS Money Order overnighted within 24 hours. I think if a seller wants an instant, good as cash instrument they should accept credit cards directly or through PayPal. As a matter of convenience, small time sellers should suck up the PayPal fee as the price of doing business, and bigger sellers should have their own commercial account for accepting credit cards. I do just that in my regular business, the one that feeds my family. Just my $0.02 worth.

 

[Reptile Locators]

Lost Time ?? or animals??????

Just a reminder to be cautious when dealing with this person. I want to make sure it stays current for a little while so everyone has an opportunity to see it.
Brian

Well All I can say is I have never had any problems with "Miko" He has always been stand up in any business deals with us. I think maybe he might have just been real busy and gotten side tracked. and in which all of us! buyer....seller.....and hobbiest
have been Guilty of at one time or another in some corse of our lives. This is a busy time of the year! so with that said simple solution to this repost the animals. This is just something we all deal with in this business day in and day out including Miko it is the price we all pay for doing business over the internet and I'm sure it wont be the last one for you either their will be others if you are selling any product VIA Internet sales!
Anyway just my 2cents..........Peace out!

 

[Jim O]

I think maybe he might have just been real busy and gotten side tracked. and in which all of us! buyer....seller.....and hobbiest

That's a good theory but according to Brian's version, he indicated on at least three occasions that he would in fact be buying the snakes.

The problem is not so much his changing his mind but in not bothering to let Brian know, as he said in the opening entry in this thread:

If he changed his mind and at least told me so I wasn't left hanging, I could have accepted that, though it would still have been rude. But he committed to these animals THREE TIMES and then didn't have the common decency to follow-through or communicate with me

I'm busy too but I can always shoot off an "I'm sorry that I changed my mind" e-mail or pick up the phone for a 2-3 minute conversation. I think that we all can.

The fact that it happens frequently does not excuse it. Based on this thread I would only even consider selling to this man if he made an immediate non-refundable deposit of at least 25% and even then he would only have 7 days to pay in full or lose the deposit. Tough terms? Yes. But not as tough as not selling at all.

This thread was aptly labelled as a "Word of Caution".

 

[lizfortune]

That is my whole point. Miko could have simply called me or emailed me and stated for whatever reason, he was no longer interested in or could buy the snakes. I told others for a week that they were spoken for. Was it so difficult to simply say, "I'm too busy", "I have changed my mind", "My dog was run over and I had to spend the funds on vet bills". You get the point.

Anyways, don't want to beat a dead horse, but a simple thought... "It doesn't matter how many people he treats right, but the one he treats wrong shows his true colors."

You can learn more about a person's character from how he deals with a bad experience than you can by watching him deal with 10 good experiences.

Brian Aish

 

[igardner]

Word of Caution??? Beware of fraud is more like it.

My company had the misfortune to answer Miko's call requesting rodent caging so he could ramp up operations for a "national supply contract with Petco" he had recently won. Trusting him to his word and promise to execute a irrevocable letter of credit we took his PO and hurried to send him 25 ventilated mouse and rat racks. What an error of naivete. It's now 6 months later, Miko owes us $78,500. He has yet to make a single payment as he has repeatedly promised and continues to dodge phone calls from us and our attorney. After some google sleuthing we've found others in similar situations including his dentist, who had to take him to small claims court for a paltry $900. A word to the wise. Get payment up front, or even smarter, don't answer the phone.

Ian Gardner
Partner
Lab4less

Just a word of caution to anybody out there who may want to do business with Miko Ortiz who is apparantly the owner of Wisconsin House Of Reptiles & Exotics, located at 3955 N Prospect Ave, Shorewood, WI 53211
Phone 414-962-4933
Fax 414-962-9649

Recently, I was selling a pair of green tree pythons and Miko sent me an email asking for pictures. I sent him pictures of the pair and he said he would take them. He said he was going to put the funds in my paypal account.

I then did not hear from him for two days and, after the first, I sent a couple requests via email AND I called him a couple of times. After getting no responses via email or telephone (and another day or two went by), I sent him an email stating since I had not heard back from him, I was going to offer them for sale again. I THEN received a response from him re-affirming his commitment to the pair and asked if he could pay for them (through paypal) on the following Tuesday (this was probably Friday or Saturday prior to the Tuesday) which I agreed to.

In the meantime, somebody who had put a deposit on another female I had, failed to pay the balance on her OR let me know of any other arrangements, so I started to re-advertise her.

Tuesday came and went and I sent him another email or two late Tuesday and/or Wednesday morning, and received no response. I was finally able to get hold of Miko early in the day on Wednesday and he told me he had forgotten to transfer funds on Tuesday but he still wanted the animals (when I had sent him emails Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning, I also informed him of the available female) and he said he would also buy the extra female.
He apparently owns several stores and is selling two of them and remodeling one. He stated that he was going to be traveling for the next 10 days and he asked if it was o.k. to put a deposit of $500.00 down (through paypal) and he would pay the balance at the end of the 10 days. I said that was fine, but I needed the deposit as a week had already passed and I had stopped advertising based on his word to buy the original pair. He promised to take care of it that afternoon.
He never did nor did he attempt to contact me to make any other arrangements.

If he changed his mind and at least told me so I wasn't left hanging, I could have accepted that, though it would still have been rude. But he committed to these animals THREE TIMES and then didn't have the common decency to follow-through or communicate with me and ultimately I ended up wasting a week and time waiting for him based on his word. I figured if he owned several stores, his word should mean something.

A couple days ago, I sent him an email asking for an explanation as I was considering making a complaint here and I stated this in my email. I have not received a response.

I do not want to get into a pissing contest or drag this out. And other than that, I do not know anything about Miko or his company. But THREE TIMES he said he wanted these animals and not once did he attempt to communicate anything else. At this point, I would not trust him nor would I choose to conduct business with him. Being busy does not justify conducting himself the way he did.
Brian Aish
Hobbyist