• 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.

Bad Guy The Serpentarium- Lodi, Ca

So then, the buyer purchases a snake that neither he nor the seller have ever seen. Doubtless, to me, in his desire to be a good customer and because he's got about zero experience, the buyer takes the snake that most here have said, without ever having been in the same position as the buyer, they would not have taken.

Should the seller have allowed this obviously defective snake to be sold to begin with? Hard to say since the seller NEVER saw the snake.

The buyer has exaggerated, the seller has obfuscated, we the readers were none of us there to witness what actually happened.

All the drama aside, since I really can't believe enough of what either of them, the buyer or seller, are saying, what is to be done now? The buyer wants to keep his snake, the seller is still willing to refund the buyer if the buyer returns the snake so, it seems to me, that you guys, the buyer and seller, need to simply agree to do something other than see who can whiz the farthest because this has sort of become a whizzing contest and the wind is coming up and I'm not really in the mood for golden showers and, finally, I don't, just flat out don't, believe either of you is telling the whole truth.

So boys, decide what you're going to do, then do it. I'd highly recommend you not do business together again though.
 
Wilomn said:
So then, the buyer purchases a snake that neither he nor the seller have ever seen. Doubtless, to me, in his desire to be a good customer and because he's got about zero experience, the buyer takes the snake that most here have said, without ever having been in the same position as the buyer, they would not have taken.

Should the seller have allowed this obviously defective snake to be sold to begin with? Hard to say since the seller NEVER saw the snake.

The buyer has exaggerated, the seller has obfuscated, we the readers were none of us there to witness what actually happened.

All the drama aside, since I really can't believe enough of what either of them, the buyer or seller, are saying, what is to be done now? The buyer wants to keep his snake, the seller is still willing to refund the buyer if the buyer returns the snake so, it seems to me, that you guys, the buyer and seller, need to simply agree to do something other than see who can whiz the farthest because this has sort of become a whizzing contest and the wind is coming up and I'm not really in the mood for golden showers and, finally, I don't, just flat out don't, believe either of you is telling the whole truth.

So boys, decide what you're going to do, then do it. I'd highly recommend you not do business together again though.
Click to expand...

By the way, Robert did admit to seeing the snake before handing it to me.
 
Wilomn said:
So then, the buyer purchases a snake that neither he nor the seller have ever seen. Doubtless, to me, in his desire to be a good customer and because he's got about zero experience, the buyer takes the snake that most here have said, without ever having been in the same position as the buyer, they would not have taken.

Should the seller have allowed this obviously defective snake to be sold to begin with? Hard to say since the seller NEVER saw the snake.

The buyer has exaggerated, the seller has obfuscated, we the readers were none of us there to witness what actually happened.

All the drama aside, since I really can't believe enough of what either of them, the buyer or seller, are saying, what is to be done now? The buyer wants to keep his snake, the seller is still willing to refund the buyer if the buyer returns the snake so, it seems to me, that you guys, the buyer and seller, need to simply agree to do something other than see who can whiz the farthest because this has sort of become a whizzing contest and the wind is coming up and I'm not really in the mood for golden showers and, finally, I don't, just flat out don't, believe either of you is telling the whole truth.

So boys, decide what you're going to do, then do it. I'd highly recommend you not do business together again though.
Click to expand...

:iagree:
 
Wilomn said:
So then, the buyer purchases a snake that neither he nor the seller have ever seen. Doubtless, to me, in his desire to be a good customer and because he's got about zero experience, the buyer takes the snake that most here have said, without ever having been in the same position as the buyer, they would not have taken.

Should the seller have allowed this obviously defective snake to be sold to begin with? Hard to say since the seller NEVER saw the snake.

The buyer has exaggerated, the seller has obfuscated, we the readers were none of us there to witness what actually happened.

All the drama aside, since I really can't believe enough of what either of them, the buyer or seller, are saying, what is to be done now? The buyer wants to keep his snake, the seller is still willing to refund the buyer if the buyer returns the snake so, it seems to me, that you guys, the buyer and seller, need to simply agree to do something other than see who can whiz the farthest because this has sort of become a whizzing contest and the wind is coming up and I'm not really in the mood for golden showers and, finally, I don't, just flat out don't, believe either of you is telling the whole truth.

So boys, decide what you're going to do, then do it. I'd highly recommend you not do business together again though.
Click to expand...


Agreed. However, I see the key point to focus on being the seller immediately offered a refund. At the end of the day that is the proper remedy. The buyer refused the refund. At that point...he's on his own.

Pretty simple folks
 
I can understand why the buyer refused the refund and kept the snake if he thought that deciding on the refund meant that the snake would be put down. Whether Robert meant that the snake would automatically be euthanized if the buyer agreed to the refund and turned over the snake or not, the buyer seems to have genuinely thought that that was the case.

But Brandon, you do need to avoid exaggerating in a public forum, especially this one, because people do lie here all the time to persuade the people reading that their take on things is the right one.

Robert, if the snake was sick and Brandon wanted to keep it and treat it, why not a partial refund? Let him rescue buy it at a reduced cost basically and then get it healthy? Sellers do that all the time when they have compassion but don't want to lose everything they have in an animal. Just a thought.
 
Suncoast Herpetological said:
Agreed. However, I see the key point to focus on being the seller immediately offered a refund. At the end of the day that is the proper remedy. The buyer refused the refund. At that point...he's on his own.

Pretty simple folks
Click to expand...


Okay, let's say I will take blame away from him. What does this do to his character? "Remember blame aside", he did let a sick animal leave his store.

Should he expect any riff raff from the customer from a later day when the snake has no choice to get worse without medication?

Should others question other critters he is selling, because he may just view them as inventory?

Brandon Adam
 
reticguy76 said:
Maybe its just my own personal ethics, but if a customer came to me and said, I want a snake like this or this kind of snake, and I knew enough that not many have been cb and most are wild caughts and even cb's dont do all that great in captivity, at the very least, I would get a pic of the exact snake to be ordered (just because payment needs to be made prior to special order an animal, which I understand, no reason to not be able to get a couple pics of said animal) and show the customer the pic, as well as provide some good links or highly suggest some good reading on snakes like this species, and maybe even have the customer sign something stating, I saw the snake and understand the risk of obtaining such a species.
Click to expand...

Yeah, if you find a wholesaler who's moving WC stock who's willing to do that, give me their name, PLEASE! Very few big-volume wholesalers will do that for a customer, especially on something as (relatively) cheap as this animal in question. Often their stock lists don't have photos, and when they do they're simply sample photos, not ones of the exact animal in question, unless it's a morph or very rare. It's a nice thought to be able to offer that, and it would be great if vendors WOULD take the time, but that's, honestly, not going to happen, the way the trade is set up currently.
 
rosebud945 said:
I can understand why the buyer refused the refund and kept the snake if he thought that deciding on the refund meant that the snake would be put down. Whether Robert meant that the snake would automatically be euthanized if the buyer agreed to the refund and turned over the snake or not, the buyer seems to have genuinely thought that that was the case.

But Brandon, you do need to avoid exaggerating in a public forum, especially this one, because people do lie here all the time to persuade the people reading that their take on things is the right one.

Robert, if the snake was sick and Brandon wanted to keep it and treat it, why not a partial refund? Let him rescue buy it at a reduced cost basically and then get it healthy? Sellers do that all the time when they have compassion but don't want to lose everything they have in an animal. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

I agree, however I do not want and or partial refund at this moment in time. My hygro-temp digital stopped working 3 days ago. I took it as a loss as well since I purchased it from Robert.

I do think I was a little haste earlier, to say things mean or not nice. I apologize for that. Thank you to who believe what I was trying to point out in all this.
 
reptile_jones,

I never quoted him a price for a captive bred Red Tail Green Rat Snake. I didn't know they existed as CB until today.

Brandon paid $99 to special order the snake on Sunday, August 5th. We are closed on Mondays, so the order was shipped on Tuesday, August 7th and arrived Wednesday, August 8th. Brandon called that Wednesday asking if it had arrived and I said yes and informed him of the two bumps over the phone. When he came in later that day to pick it up I immediately showed him the two bumps and allowed him to inspect the animal. He was happy with the snake and I told him to keep us posted on the bumps.

Friday, August 24th is when he came in demanding a full refund to pay for his vet bills (that don't exist) but wanted to keep the animal as well.


Rosebud,

I would gladly give Brandon a partial refund, but he has already stated that he does not want one. He doesn't want a full refund either.

Regards,

Robert Coral
The Serpentarium
www.SnakeMuseum.com
 
It seems pretty clear that Wes has a bias toward BGU or whatever they are called, and coversely, a bias against the Sperpetarium. It shows itself rather clearly and he appears to be putting a subjective spin on things to make the Seprentarium look bad. For example his post where he presents a very colored presentation of how he THINKS the whole transaction went down which based on presented evidence can only reflect his own imagination and prejudice and not the truth.
 
I think the OP is simply what you would call a very high maintenance customer. It seems that he was very demanding, stubborn and only willing to actually hear what he wanted to hear. Perhaps he is young, excited and naive and we cant begrudge him that but it is clear that this has resulted in a very large misunderstanding on his part, for instance the misunderstanding about the snake being a cb specimen. It seems clear and obvious that RObert would not tell him he was ordering a captive bred specimen if he was not even aware of their existence.
 
I guess I missed quite a bit.

First off I appreciate all that Naomi (GBU) has had to say. Unfortunately I am taking it with a grain of salt considering she is the competition and all.

Pretty much everything else has been covered but I do feel the need to point something else out.

Brandon, those scabs (or blisters) do not result because the snake is diseased nor are they necessarily the result of it being sick. No matter how knowledgeable GBU is they are not a vet so you honestly can't claim this snake to be diseased. Sorry but its the truth. If you really cared for this snake as much as you claim you do then stop being so negligent and get it the proper medical attention it needs. If you have a diagnosis by an actual vet then you can come on here and throw words like disease and sick around all you want. Until then you have proved nothing about Robert but you have definitely "painted" a terrible picture of yourself.
 
TheSerpentarium said:
reptile_jones,

I never quoted him a price for a captive bred Red Tail Green Rat Snake. I didn't know they existed as CB until today.
Brandon paid $99 to special order the snake on Sunday, August 5th. We are closed on Mondays, so the order was shipped on Tuesday, August 7th and arrived Wednesday, August 8th. Brandon called that Wednesday asking if it had arrived and I said yes and informed him of the two bumps over the phone. When he came in later that day to pick it up I immediately showed him the two bumps and allowed him to inspect the animal. He was happy with the snake and I told him to keep us posted on the bumps.

Friday, August 24th is when he came in demanding a full refund to pay for his vet bills (that don't exist) but wanted to keep the animal as well.

Regards,

Robert Coral
The Serpentarium
www.SnakeMuseum.com
Click to expand...

Interesting. I do remember you stating that earlier about not knowing of captive breeding of these snakes. So $99 is what you quoted him then. Would you be willing to share who your wholesaler was that you got the snake from?
 
ronritzer said:
It seems pretty clear that Wes has a bias toward BGU or whatever they are called, and coversely, a bias against the Sperpetarium. It shows itself rather clearly and he appears to be putting a subjective spin on things to make the Seprentarium look bad. For example his post where he presents a very colored presentation of how he THINKS the whole transaction went down which based on presented evidence can only reflect his own imagination and prejudice and not the truth.
Click to expand...


Those of us who live in California have heard the story about what happened to Bill Gillingham (the original owner of the Serpentarium) and his alleged treatment at the hands of Robert Coral. Before you assume that there is a hidden bias there, understand that the Gillingham-Coral story has made the rounds. Bill is a sweetheart of a guy, was held in the highest regard in this hobby and the allegations about how that transaction went down upset a lot of people in this hobby - especially on the Left Coast.

Now, what you allege is a bias is nothing more than giving people the benefit of the doubt based in reputation. I just laid out why some people have a gutload of heartburn with Coral. On the other hand, Sam and Naomi are also well-known out here as people with strong ethics, a strong passion for animals in general and a willingness to go out of their way to help people out.

As for the catfight between the OP and the Serpentairum - it's all "he said - she said". No written documentation, no receipts, just the word of the OP and Coral.

Coral acted as an agent in getting the OP a snake from an importer. An ill-advised moved considering the reputation of Gonyosoma. Robert was not forced at knife point to sell the OP a snake he didn't even have - he had to go to the trouble of contacting another snake breeder/importer and arranging that deal.

If Robert had reservations about selling the OP a gonyo, he could have easily stated that he did not have them and did not breed them. Claiming that he attempted to talk the OP out of buying one, then going to the hassle of arranging a deal through a third party does not jive. Bad on Coral.

If the OP wants to play Mother Teresa and rehabilitate this snake - well that's his choice. He was given the option of a refund and didn't take it.

In the end, if Coral offered him a refund the OP should have focused this saga into a "Robert Coral sold me a snake with 4 sores thread", posted the pics and let it lie. My issue with the Serpentarium in this soap opera is that they went out of there way to sell an imported gonyo (a species with a well-documented history of acclimation and importation issues) to someone that they could have easily turned down. Period.
 
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