• Posted 12/19/2024.
    =====================

    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Erik Hurtado - BAD GUY

HowlinGaleDragons

HowlinGaleDragons

Quality Not Quantity
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Hello,
:angry: I am posting the Bad Guy report to save others from what I am going threw right now and what several other breeders I'm friends with have gone threw also.

Erik Hurtado is the biggest Scammed you will meet myself and several other breeders (I am asking for their permission first before listing their names) have been scammed by this guy who is selling feeders. He has no feeders or supplier he simply sais so takes your money and runs he has gone as far as shutting down his pay pal account to try to get out of having to refund my money. I had paid to have 750 horn worms shipped to me and after a week I emailed him and he said his grand father died we I got a bit suspicious at this point and called another breeder who had bought from him he told her USPS called and said her order was lost we all know USPS wont call you have to call them first.

After myself and the other breeders began to go after him he shut his email down and his pay pal to try to escape having to refund money. My one friend was able to get money back due to use of a credit card she reported him for Credit Fraud. As of right now I have reported this guy to the BBB, Pay Pal, Fauna, King Snake, and several other reptile classifieds with hope they will remove his ads for these actions.

This guy started threatening to sue me and told me he is an FBI agent so I checked what is available information wise threw pay pal he is not even a US citizen and he told one of the breeders hes only 13 years old.

So please be warned and don't deal with this guy I hope I can save some people from the same things I had to go threw. :angry:

-----

Info

Erik Hurtado
California Cricket Ranch
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/pp_classifieds/showproduct.php?product=36701&sort=1&cat=45&page=1


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When/If I get permission from the other breeders I will list them incase you would like to ask them questions they may also post on here as I will forward this post to them.
​
 
I’m sorry you and your friends have to deal with this. I have not dealt with this guy but it was brought to my attention that he stole an image of mine (lobster roaches) and posted it on his site. My image is tagged so he didn’t change it. His site is hosted on a free online marketplace. We can contact them saying he’s a fraud and have the site and his account removed. I don’t know if I can post the link but I can send it to you in a PM.

Cody Castellanos
 
Yeah, this guy looks like a total scam ... and very busy! However, he is also dumb as a rock.

Here on Fauna, his user is Strazo, registered 8-29-2008, he made 1 post and is now banned. (Thank you, Fauna!) He used the phone number 310-292-620 in his scam ad here. The URL of his first scam website is: http://californiacricketranch.ecrater.com/[/b]

I might also add that the photo on his Lobster roach page at:
http://californiacricketranch.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2979052 belongs (and is appropriately marked) to:
http://www.progeckos.com/caresheets/images/lobster.jpg.
I notified the owner of ProGeckos and I have a saved screenshot should he decide to remove it :)

User Strazo also had an ad at:
http://www.reptileauctions.com/105669,id,auctiondetails and is using the same photos as his other scam site at: californiacricketranch.com. He claims to be in Harbor City, CA and also is posting an entirely different URL on that ad that points to:
http://www.freewebs.com/beardedragonking/apps/webstore/[/b]
Note: that account is now closed as well. Thank you Freewebs!

There is yet another ad at:
http://www.reptileclassifieds.com/feeder_insects_mega_sale-o1641-en.html

And still another site:
http://www.freewebs.com/beardedragonking/
The checkout at this site uses a PayPal account under the name of [email protected] and defaults to Mexico.

Time to take the scammer out.
 
Cody ....

Thanks kindly for posting! I'm happy you read my mail and responded so quickly. Best regards :)
 
Like I said, Cody ....

That guy is dumb as a rock!

I hadn't delved deep enough to see just how much he stole from you! Thanks again for verifying and helping to expose yet another bottom dweller.
 
Im sorry he got you guys too this guy really needs to go down I'm going after him on his ther pay pal account for my money I reported him to pay pal for this second account also
 
Pay pal is now in the process of filing Fraud charges on him for holding as I've herd three acounts on there under three different names!
 
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