• 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.

Neil Gubitz-BAD GUY/BAD EXPERIENCE

johnmartino

johnmartino

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ØHere is my bad experience in purchasing a star tortoise from Neil Gubitz. On 2/18/03 I contacted Neil via phone about the purchase of a male Star tortoise he had advertised. We discussed the animal and he assured me that he was captive bred and that some local guy brought him into his place. We agreed on a price of $500.00 shipped. I told Neil it was too cold to ship as I live in NY and the temps were in the teens. I told him I would pay him now and wait till the weather warmed up for him to ship. He said he would put heat packs in the box and promised that there would be no problems. I said ok as he was the expert. He said he was waiting for some boxes and that he would ship out Monday the 24th. Tuesday the 25th came and I received the tortoise. Here are our e-mails:
Ø
Ø
Ø“Neil, tortoise came in yesterday. Didnt get a chance to get on thecomputer yesterday. He seems fine although he has refused food and drink. Keep you posted. Thanks, John.”
>
Ø
ØThat was sent on the 26th when I got home from work at what I perceived as within his 24 hr. guarantee period.


Ø“Refused food????.... He was eating a half a head of romaine EVERYDAY!!.... he's probably just stressed from the move and scared....You're not letting him see your face with the mask off, are you??....
lmao”

....Neil %>))

Ø

ØSent the 28th. Noticed night of the 27th.

Ø“Hey Neil, he probably refused food because he has a respitory infection. He is set up properly, but he is blowing bubbles out of his nostrils. What would you like to do? Thanks, John.”
Ø
Ø
“John.... What??, Are you kidding me???.... Or are you just having
"buyer's remorse"?.... He was FINE when he left here, he was eatingeverything I put in his tank with GUSTO!.... He was owned (from birth) by my VET???.... He had the best care for his whole life than any other.... if he's got a respiratory infection, I honestly don't knowwhat to do about that, other than keep him warm....
What are you expecting me to do, other than say, make a fortune with all his babies....???”

....Neil %>))
Ø

> Buyer’s remorse?? Sound a little condescending to you??? What happened to the guy that brought him in our first conversation?? Now it’s his Vet??
Ø
Ø
Ø“No, I am not kidding. And no, I am not having buyer’s remorse. You said someone brought him in, now that someone happens to be your vet? I am a little annoyed because I said I would wait to get him because it was so cold here and you said it would be no problem to ship. And now here I have a $500 tortoise blowing bubbles out his nose. If you know about stars you know they can be susceptible to runny nose syndrome once they get it once. I really don't feel I received, nor should I have to deal, with an animal that not is100%. What do you propose is fair?”
Ø

Ø“John.... As you know, there were two 40-hour heatpacks in the
styro-lined box.... I will be HAPPY to give you the phone number of the vet that owned him.... and he WAS brought in to me.... by HER (the Vet).... I'm sorry, John.... but, I will not take him back.... but, Iwill try to help you with him any way I can??.... including giving you her phone number....”

....Neil %>))
Ø
Ø
I then called Neil via telephone in which we got in to a very heated argument. I offered to send him back and Neil flatly refused. He actually admitted that the “vet “ which brought the tortoise in was not actually his vet as he had implied, but a vet in his area. He said he had to do more research to find this out. Do you think he should have done this research before I purchased this animal, since I was very concerned as to where it came from? Why does the story keep changing?
Ø



So now we have Neil Gubitz, the guy who is always telling people to do the right thing, basically telling me tough S^%t. I told him I would bring this up on the BOI and he responding by saying “Do you think I give a F$$k what those people think?” And I guess his guarantee is meaningless!! What 24 hrs.? I guess his guarantee is giving me the phone number of someone who may or may not be his vet, and who may or may not be the original owner!! What a great guarantee!! What a way to stand by your animals!! And why was he in such a hurry to ship? More concerned with money than an animals well being? What a great guy to do business with!!




John Martino
 
John,

I suggest that you post the entire e-mails (with edited language if needed) and not just copied blurbs from them. This will give a true idea of timeline and responses. Also as far as the 24 hour period, you notified him that the animal was not eating. That is nothing to return the animal for. Most reptiles have an adjustment period after being shipped. You did not say anything about a URI until the 28th. I am sorry that your tortoise is showing signs of URI and I suggest you take it to your Vet immediately ( if you have not already) to get treatment but the 28th is not within his 24 hour period. That is over 48 hours after arrival close to 72 hours. The animal showed no signs of URI when you received it or within the 24 hour period. There is no way of knowing for sure that is the reason the animal did not eat right away. I have had tortoise's in the past eat like pigs with a URI and I have had some that would not eat at all with URI. Like I said I am sorry that your animal is showing signs of being ill and you should have taken it to a vet by now to treatment. I hope you have done this to ensure the animal gets well.
Also there are other posts about Neil. This thread should have been placed in one of those other threads instead of starting a new thread.
 
I am sorry to hear about your animal. I would hope Neil does care what the people who view these threads think. It makes his supporters/friends look kinda foolish if that is the way he truly feels.
 
Casey.... Of course I care what is said on this board.... and I was surprised it took John so long to post.... what he didn't tell you is that, not only, did I put the Tortoise in a secure Play-Pal plastic container, but then I wrapped the whole container in TWO OF MY DISH TOWELS to MAKE SURE that he was warm enough on the trip.... then put in a NEW styro-lined box.... there was a 40-hr heatpack under him, and there was anther one over him.... John even told me they were still warm??.... There is NO WAY that he arrived with a URI.... I don't buy it for a second!.... So, in closing.... John.... enjoy your Star and keep him warm....

BTW.... Rob, those emails are basically intact.... as soon as he wrote me that FIRST email, I KNEW I was going to have trouble.... But, it's alright, I KNOW he's got a healthy Star!

....Neil
 
A few points:

First to Rob:

John Had every right to post his dealings with Neal in a new thread.....After all this is a new topic isn't it........

Second:

Neil, should for do the right thing and offer some assistance other then giving a phone # of the previous owner. There have been times that I have sold an animal and it contracted an RI weeks after it was received by the customer and I have offered assistance through out the animals recovery. I NEVER IN 100 YEARS would pass the buck to the animals previous owner.

Third:

Why in the world would Neil ship an animal to New York in the dead of winter. I have customers now that are waiting for animals because I will not ship in weather ever when it is above freezing.

I also find it very suspect that Neil was in a rush to get rid of the animal so fast. Perhaps he knew it was ill...Makes me wonder....Finally, animals that are sick usually will not eat......so John did the right thing by telling Neil that the animals was off food...He is well within the 24 hour period of Neil's service agreement.

Russ Lockenwitz
RL Reptiles
http://www.visioncages.com
 
IMHO. As soon as he emailed his concern about the animal not eating, that in itself should extend the 24hr period until he was satisfied that he got a healthy tortoise.
Rob, If he was concerned when the animal was not interested in eating or drinking, what should he have done? Demand to return it? Wait a day or two to see if it improved?
I think he had not yet signed off on the "satisfaction " part.
I live in Michigan, and I would not ship an animal in these extreme cold temperatures, due to the fact that heat paks can and do fail, and there is no need to unnecessarily stress an animal. John said he would be happy to wait.
 
As far as me telling Neil that the heat packs were still warm that is an out an out lie. I never told him that. He actually mentioned that to me on the phone when he said "aren't you the guy who e-mailed me saying the heat packs were still warm" I replied, NO he must be mistaken. He then said that he gets too many e-mails a day to keep track. There were also no towels in the package for whatever that means, there was the plastic container filled w/shavings and surrounded by newspaper, but there were NO towels. I don't care how many heat packs were in that box, I don't know too many people that would ship when the temperatures are in the teens. The e-mails are copied and paste verbatim. I can and will take him to the vet, although I am not used to having to take (in Neils words) perfectly healthy animals to the vet. To identify an illness in 24 hours may be difficult as we all know, but to identify what may be a symptom of an underlying problem I felt I was making him aware. And as far as an animal who you have been told was eating 1/2 a head of lettuce a day refusing food altogether, this could definately be perceived as a symptom of bad health. As far as Neil knowing that I have a healthy Star, why wouldn't he be willing to take it back, instead of having an unhappy customer. Who, by the way, was a repeat customer. Isn't he the one who says the customer is always right.
 
Poor John,
Must not have read my posts on th Neil Gubitz Good Guy thread.
Probably just saw that it was a good guy thread and assumed it had a bunch of good things about Neil in it and felt it was safe to buy. I am sure that if Neil does send what you order then the experience is a great one, but as you and I have learned, if you are not satisfied you are in for a roller coaster ride. Good luck with yours.
 
Man it was in the 20's here in Maryland on Monday and Tesuday.
It was way colder in New Jersey.

Why in such a hurry to ship even against the customers wishes?
 
Gee, seems to me that I was just responding to something similair to this in the upstate thread.
First off, I would like to say that I have NOTHING personally against Neil.
He shipped me a Rosy for my daughter and it was fine. I live in MI and we both knew it was cold and he did not have styrofoam packaging, but promised to find a way to send it safe. And he did, there was only one heat packed but it was still working and the best heat pack I have seen. I got the two kitchen towels:D. So when I write this it is with a heavy heart and not intended to personally attack Neil, but to stick up for what I feel is right.

Ok with that said. There seems to be a problem as of late with sellers not following through. Dave is a fine example of that. There is no excuse for him not getting his money back. If it was an email problem you can look on this board, just click his name and, low and behold, his email address. Neil, in Daves case you were wrong, it is up to YOU to make it right. And you should ASAP, better late than never and have it keep coming back.
Sticking to nothing but the facts, Dave proved the snake was smaller than advertised and it was a male when he wanted and paid for a female.
In Johns turtle case, he did notify you within twenty four hours that he thought something was amiss with the turtle because it was not eating.
Get the junk out of the message, phone calls are heresay, throw it out, where Neil got it from is irrelevent, throw it out.
What is left? A guy got a turtle he is not satisfied with and notified you within your set time limit.
I think you are a nice person Neil from talking to you on the phone, please do not put yourself on the same shelf Upstate is on. Give Dave his money you said that you would, and see if maybe you and John can come to a nice compromise.
 
Neil,

The buyer showed concern about the animal within 24hours (ie not eating). That right there is more than enough to "extend" the gaurantee period. You should buy the animal back. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it also saves you hassle. Is $500 really worth the black mark on your name? NOPE!

John,

If neil doesnt take it back, I have a friend that is REALLY good at bringing turtles and tortoises back to health, I can give you her number if you want. She runs a turtle rescue group.
 
John,
First, Keep that tortoise FAR away from any other Chelonians you might have!
When you take the animal to the Vet I would recommend getting a Mycoplasma Titer done. If it comes back positive then this will establish without a doubt that you received an animal that was indeed ill. Unfortunately if Mycoplasma is the culprit then you must never expose this animal to any other tortoise as it will remain a carrier for life even if the symptoms completely disappear.
I seriously doubt that the animal developed a runny nose in the short time that you have had it which makes me believe there could be another underlying cause.
Good luck
 
First, shipping in that weather against the customer's wishes is irresponsible.

Second, I'd like to see some of that famous customer service here. What are you doing to make it right, Neil?

Take a tip from the real pros and back your product up with some real customer service, Neil. MAKE THIS DEAL RIGHT.

I don't care how many transactions someone has without problems, it's how the business handles the problems when they do come up that speaks of their character the most.
 
John,
i sympathize for you. you showed concern for the animals lack of appitite from day one,backed up by a runny nose a day later. Neil seems to talk a buncha crap but yet can not follow his own advice??? " Do the right thing?"
I honestly have problems buying from someone who advertises a hoig island boa as possibly hypo LMAO what an idiot.
anywho John, i do hope neil actually makes this right and I hope the tortoise ends up getting better.
 
John
Did the tort show any signs at all of a resp. infection???
Did you set the tort in and let it get acclimated to your cage[or pen].
I am also guessing the tort showed no signs at all of an illness or you would have said something in the 1st place, oops I guess you said it wasn't eating.
Neil...shipping against the customers wishes in the cold?.?.?. but wait he said your the pro
Neil 24 hour guarantee???...you not honoring it seems a little fishy. Needed the money now that the store is closed???
Now if this was me you would be trying to bake this Apple.
Do whats right Neil
 
Apple.... As far as Davey goes.... yes, I'm just being stubborn!.... I don't like my buttons pushed!.... Push them enough (as he did), and this machine shuts down.... I'll end up paying him his $100 EVENTUALLY.... and even doing it WITHOUT being hounded to (like anybody can hound me into doing something I don't want to do, anyway.... not)....

As far as John goes.... I don't believe it, plain and simple.... Had he come to me the first time with.... "Ya know, Neil, this just isn't what I wanted, it's healthy and all that, but, it's just not for me".... I would have taken it back INSTANTLY!.... But, when the FIRST WORDS out of his mouth were, "He's not eating because he has a URI"????.... BS!!.... I don't buy it for a second!.... And, Apple, if you think it's because I NEED the money because I closed the store?.... you are so far off base it's not even funny....
You (of all people) should know me by now.... I don't "roll over" to peer pressure!.... Never have, never will!
That URI excuse is the most COMMON excuse I've ever heard for wanting to return something.... I guess it's the easiest to SPELL!.... Instead of just being straight-up and saying it's not for them.... they come to you with that LAME excuse ALL THE TIME!!.... I won't stand for it!
I will NOT take that Tortoise back, and I really don't care how much you guys want to pick apart everything that I have said, and try to make me look like the bad guy here.... it ain't gonna happen!
I ship everything immediately!.... I sent two baby Sulcatas to some folks that live in Syracuse, NY, the day after I sent out the Star.... they are both doing fine, and they got there nice and toasty warm.... just like the Star did!!
Bash me all you want.... pick apart everything that I said.... it's not going to change a thing!....

....Neil
 
Neil,

There is a big difference between the hardiness of a Sulcata and that of a Star. I have had Stars develop RNS after being exposed to temps in the low 60's. Sulcatas can survive with no harm temps down into the 40's. I rescued a Sulcata that had been left outside year round without shelter for about 5 years, I am positive that a Star would have been killed in these conditions. It had dropped below freezing several times the last winter alone. He was still in perfect health. The reason people complain about URI's in tortoises is probably because it is the most common ailment tortoises suffer when exposed to temp flucuations and stress situations. You made the choice to ship in bad conditions, after the buyer informed you he would wait to receive the animal. I think you owe John more than a phone number.

John,

Does the Star have mucus in his mouth? Are the eyes puffy? A clear nasal drainage with limited or no mucus in the mouth is usually a sign of Mycoplasma. If the drainage is colored and fair amounts are present in the mouth it is usually a URI. Excessive salivation of thick mucusy saliva can be a sign of a Herpes virus. Keep the Star very warm and soak him in warm water daily. Also keep the humidity very high in part of the cage or in one of the shelters. I have had problems with Indians coming from Florida that had problems coping with the lack of humidity in their new enviornment.

What was the Tortoise sold as (captive bred, long term captive, or wild caught)?

Justin Dotterer
 
Neil is displaying his true colors again

I ship everything immediately!.... I sent two baby Sulcatas to some folks that live in Syracuse, NY, the day after I sent out the Star.... they are both doing fine, and they got there nice and toasty warm....
Click to expand...
Who cares? It is not pertinant here.
That URI excuse is the most COMMON excuse I've ever heard for wanting to return something.... I guess it's the easiest to SPELL!.... Instead of just being straight-up and saying it's not for them.... they come to you with that LAME excuse ALL THE TIME!!.... I won't stand for it!
Click to expand...
. Is this a freudian slip? I thought you never had any complaints about your animals. Rob, any insight?
But, when the FIRST WORDS out of his mouth were, "He's not eating because he has a URI"????....
Click to expand...
I read the email. That is not true.
You call it principle, I know it is just your character.
 
Neil,

I don’t know you, and you don’t know me. I have only been a member here since November, but I check the BOI almost daily. The first thing I noticed about this board was how everyone talked about how great you are, and after reading all the post where you would preach to people about doing the right thing I had decided that when ever you had something for sale that I was looking for. I would jump all over it. No hesitation whatsoever, but you have truly shown your true colors. You obviously do not practice what you preach. You have proven to me that you don’t care about the well being for the animals you represent.

I know this reply has probably pushed one or two of your buttons. So you will probably come back with something like; you didn’t want my business anyway, or that I don’t know what I’m talking about. And that’s fine.
I just wanted you to know that you had the wool pulled over my eyes also, but now I know I can see.
 
Casey,

Why would I have any insight on the quote you posted? I did not post or say that Neil did. I don't have problems with URI on my animals or from my customers. Why would you make it sound as if I am having problems with my animals? I think you may be a little confused on this.
 
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