• 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

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...

Hey ronnie, you may want to clean your glasses.

It seems pretty clear to ME that I put up a 'could have been' but never, that my ancient brain recalls, did I say THIS is what I think happened.

Now I could easily see things playing out as I suggested they might, but personally, I don't know what happened, who said what, or, in essence, what really transpired.

Neither do you.

As I HAVE stated, I don't think either of these guys has told the complete truth nor the complete story. One of them wants to cover his butt because he's in business and many think he's in that business because he's kind of a shady not so cool guy and the other one is simply a newb who got his knickers knotted too soon and went too far to garner sympathy.
 
Skiploder said:
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.
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I'm curious as I've seen similar statements made previously in this thread to the one above what is the rumor in regards to the business and it's change of hands? Since this thread has been based on hearsay would it really make a difference to hear one more unsubstantiated story? Assuming that it is that the story is as unsubstantiated as the previous statements. In either case it might be worth mentioning as perhaps others may take into account this new information even if there is no proof to back it up. So by all means those who have "heard" about the transfer of the business please add what you've heard.
 
Bill Gillingham former owner of the Great Valley Serpentarium

For Clarification, my name is Bill Gillingham and I sold the Great Valley Serpentarium to Robert Coral back in the spring of 2009 for about $228,000. We drew up our own contract which was unsecured. I was to carry the loan. I had Robert's word this would work. I signed over to Robert the property on my own fearing any lawsuits he may encounter in the business (my mistake). Unfortunately all of this was caught up in his bankruptcy that I learned after the fact. Robert's mother was able to buy the business back from the State for $100,000. Robert was suppose to pay his mother $1500 per month. I asked Robert if he could pay me a little less of the difference of the original price, $100,000 at $500 per month. I volunteered for awhile taking care of the baby room making sure that the 800 plus baby snakes got a good start at life. I may have recieved a couple of payments then it stopped after I went into the hospital for a knee replacement. I heard Robert was not going to pay anymore because I told people I had lost the Serpentatium in his bankruptcy. I did receive some money from the bankruptcy settlement, $53,000. If Robert told anyone he is still paying me, I would like to see it.
I made an unfortunate mistake especially after running the business for nearly 20 years. I bred the False Water Cobra back in the mid 1980's, also bred the Redtail Green Rat, several species of Boiga and the first breeding of the Mandarin Ratsnake in the United States. Robert did'nt breed anything except possibly ball pythons until he took over my collection. I had all the breeders already bred and ready to lay, corns, kings, boas, pythons, false water cobras, rat snakes etc. Yes, I made a horrible and dumb mistake but I have forgiven Robert, that's just who I am.
 
Bill you are an icon to our community. The knowledge that you have gained and shared will be your legacy. We who know will never let anyone else take credit for your blood, sweat and tears. You and I had our brief moment of differences but you are MY friend and mentor. Thank you for all you have done for me, my shop and the hobby/ industry!
 
Bill, did Robert acknowledge his debt to you after the bankruptcy and pay on it after?
 
wbgill said:
I made an unfortunate mistake especially after running the business for nearly 20 years. I bred the False Water Cobra back in the mid 1980's, also bred the Redtail Green Rat, several species of Boiga and the first breeding of the Mandarin Ratsnake in the United States. Robert did'nt breed anything except possibly ball pythons until he took over my collection. I had all the breeders already bred and ready to lay, corns, kings, boas, pythons, false water cobras, rat snakes etc. Yes, I made a horrible and dumb mistake but I have forgiven Robert, that's just who I am.
Click to expand...
Were CB red-tailed green ratsnakes included in the stock that went with the sale of your business? Do you specifically recall him being aware of you having bred them? If so, it casts a bit of an unflattering light on the following statement:
TheSerpentarium said:
Hello Brandon,
Firstly, the particular animal in question was never sold to you as a captive bred animal. I could be wrong, but I am not aware of anyone who has ever bred this species in captivity, anywhere(?).
Robert Coral
The Serpentarium
www.SnakeMuseum.com
Click to expand...
 
Bill ,regardless of how this played out ,I will always respect your accomplishments and your grace displayed ,having helped supply some of the very animals you did this magnificent work with .After all this had happened ,I ,as a supplier and customer have never stepped a foot in the former Great Valley Serpentarium ,and never will .


I do not know Robert personally ,but after his and Bill's dealings ,I personally made a choice and have followed it .Hope you're doing wel Billl ,maybe I will see you at a show .I think Bill's experience sheds some new light ,and will help others make an informed decision on whether to support a business or not .
 
Then presumably the way the transaction went down concerning the change of hands between Bill and Robert are just that allegations. Everything presented here has been nothing but allegations and nothing has been presented nor can be presented concerning this snake purchase that represents any kind of proof.
Both parties admit that the buyer was offered a full refund and the buyer refused. Thats pretty much the end of it as far as Im concerned.

On another note, the snake does have a couple of sores, as wild caught snakes may tend to have but looks like it has a pretty healthy weight.
 
In the future I think Robert would do well to refuse special ordering wild caught snakes for obviously high maintenance customers and stick to the captive bred animals with which he is familiar and thus gaurantee his customers satisfaction.
 
Kolt4-5 said:
I'm curious as I've seen similar statements made previously in this thread to the one above what is the rumor in regards to the business and it's change of hands? Since this thread has been based on hearsay would it really make a difference to hear one more unsubstantiated story? Assuming that it is that the story is as unsubstantiated as the previous statements. In either case it might be worth mentioning as perhaps others may take into account this new information even if there is no proof to back it up. So by all means those who have "heard" about the transfer of the business please add what you've heard.
Click to expand...

wbgill said:
For Clarification, my name is Bill Gillingham and I sold the Great Valley Serpentarium to Robert Coral back in the spring of 2009 for about $228,000. We drew up our own contract which was unsecured. I was to carry the loan. I had Robert's word this would work. I signed over to Robert the property on my own fearing any lawsuits he may encounter in the business (my mistake). Unfortunately all of this was caught up in his bankruptcy that I learned after the fact. Robert's mother was able to buy the business back from the State for $100,000. Robert was suppose to pay his mother $1500 per month. I asked Robert if he could pay me a little less of the difference of the original price, $100,000 at $500 per month. I volunteered for awhile taking care of the baby room making sure that the 800 plus baby snakes got a good start at life. I may have recieved a couple of payments then it stopped after I went into the hospital for a knee replacement. I heard Robert was not going to pay anymore because I told people I had lost the Serpentatium in his bankruptcy. I did receive some money from the bankruptcy settlement, $53,000. If Robert told anyone he is still paying me, I would like to see it.
I made an unfortunate mistake especially after running the business for nearly 20 years. I bred the False Water Cobra back in the mid 1980's, also bred the Redtail Green Rat, several species of Boiga and the first breeding of the Mandarin Ratsnake in the United States. Robert did'nt breed anything except possibly ball pythons until he took over my collection. I had all the breeders already bred and ready to lay, corns, kings, boas, pythons, false water cobras, rat snakes etc. Yes, I made a horrible and dumb mistake but I have forgiven Robert, that's just who I am.
Click to expand...

ronritzer said:
Then presumably the way the transaction went down concerning the change of hands between Bill and Robert are just that allegations. Everything presented here has been nothing but allegations and nothing has been presented nor can be presented concerning this snake purchase that represents any kind of proof.
Both parties admit that the buyer was offered a full refund and the buyer refused. Thats pretty much the end of it as far as Im concerned.

On another note, the snake does have a couple of sores, as wild caught snakes may tend to have but looks like it has a pretty healthy weight.
Click to expand...

Well, you got the story straight from Bill himself. As you have seen from the responses from many people, including the owner of THIS site, Mr. Gillingham's excellent reputation and credibility proceed him.

Now that you know that, and have "heard" first hand Bill's account, you know what most of us know. Draw your own conclusions. Bill's reputation in this industry is unimpeachable, I would hazard to say his account is the truth.

I will say this, I cannot see Mr. Gillingham, when he ran the store, "special ordering" a WC gonyosoma for a first time owner and sending him on his merry way.

Sometimes a smart businessman, an ethical businessman, a businessman who cares about his clients and the animals he sells, actually turns down a sale.............
 
Then presumably the way the transaction went down concerning the change of hands between Bill and Robert are just that allegations.
Click to expand...

Ron, I don't think that anyone is disputing Bill's account of how the business changed hands but you.
 
marcus q said:
I think Bill's experience sheds some new light ,and will help others make an informed decision on whether to support a business or not .
Click to expand...

I was hoping for something along those lines. Other people having a negative experience with TheSerpentarium and sharing it to perhaps serve the purpose of some form of proof. While not a definitive sign of a bad seller it does beg the question could several opinions of several people be that far off from reality.

It would be interesting to see how Mr. Coral responds to these new allegations. What will be his interpretation of the events described?

I am also curious wbgill what made you decide to join Fauna yesterday?
Did someone on the thread contact you and make you aware of you being mentioned in a thread here?
Also while I hate questioning people and their honesty how do we know your really well ummm, you? and not someone pretending to be Bill Gillingham in order to garner support for their claims made in the thread?
I mean no offence in questioning you, but it would do some bit of help in providing proof in the validity of the statements.
 
Also while I hate questioning people and their honesty how do we know your really well ummm, you? and not someone pretending to be Bill Gillingham in order to garner support for their claims made in the thread?
Click to expand...
What claims would he be trying to garner support for? He isn't making a statement one way or the other about the OP or Robert's claims here, as far as I can tell.
 
Skiploder said:
Well, you got the story straight from Bill himself. As you have seen from the responses from many people, including the owner of THIS site, Mr. Gillingham's excellent reputation and credibility proceed him.

Now that you know that, and have "heard" first hand Bill's account, you know what most of us know. Draw your own conclusions. Bill's reputation in this industry is unimpeachable, I would hazard to say his account is the truth.

I will say this, I cannot see Mr. Gillingham, when he ran the store, "special ordering" a WC gonyosoma for a first time owner and sending him on his merry way.

Sometimes a smart businessman, an ethical businessman, a businessman who cares about his clients and the animals he sells, actually turns down a sale.............
Click to expand...

I meant nothing other than this thread has been based on statements/ recounts of actions with no proof. As I doubted that any proof would be made regarding what happened back then during that transaction, I was still curious. Mostly for the fact that several incidents recounted by different people may sway myself and others to reassess our current position. While not actual proof if several people claim to have had bad experiences with Mr. Coral it does add validity to the claims somewhat.

Also I was unaware that the owner of this site had also vouched for the negative business practices of Mr. Coral. Forgive me as I'm new and have no idea who owns the site or much else I'm still getting familiar with the site. May I ask who in this thread is the owner of Fauna? At very least I'd like to thank him for such a awesome site especially the BOI. I can't tell you what a difference the BOI makes to me, it's quite the useful tool in my opinion. Helps keep Sellers and Buyers on the straight and narrow in my opinion.
 
Kolt4-5 said:
I was hoping for something along those lines. Other people having a negative experience with TheSerpentarium and sharing it to perhaps serve the purpose of some form of proof. While not a definitive sign of a bad seller it does beg the question could several opinions of several people be that far off from reality.

It would be interesting to see how Mr. Coral responds to these new allegations. What will be his interpretation of the events described?

I am also curious wbgill what made you decide to join Fauna yesterday?
Did someone on the thread contact you and make you aware of you being mentioned in a thread here?
Also while I hate questioning people and their honesty how do we know your really well ummm, you? and not someone pretending to be Bill Gillingham in order to garner support for their claims made in the thread?
I mean no offence in questioning you, but it would do some bit of help in providing proof in the validity of the statements.
Click to expand...

Fair question. But how do we know that YOU are really YOU? Or anyone taking part in this thread, for that matter? If we feel we need proof positive of the identity of ANYONE, then why not EVERYONE? When you follow that thought to it's logical conclusion, tell me what you come up with. And just for the record, been there, and done that already. Didn't even get a T-shirt.
 
rosebud945 said:
What claims would he be trying to garner support for? He isn't making a statement one way or the other about the OP or Robert's claims here, as far as I can tell.
Click to expand...

By casting more shadow on Mr. Corals business ethics I believe it would influence other people to perhaps believe the OP's statements over TheSerpenatium. So I figured it could be seen as trying to gather support toward the original claim. In my opinion that is, hope that makes sense to others and not just me. Perhaps I read too much into such actions.
 
Kolt4-5 said:
Also I was unaware that the owner of this site had also vouched for the negative business practices of Mr. Coral.
Click to expand...

Where did you come up with THAT idea? Sorry, but that is nothing that I am aware of. So please stop shooting from the hip before you draw your gun out of your holster.... :shootfoot

Kolt4-5 said:
Forgive me as I'm new and have no idea who owns the site or much else I'm still getting familiar with the site. May I ask who in this thread is the owner of Fauna? At very least I'd like to thank him for such a awesome site especially the BOI. I can't tell you what a difference the BOI makes to me, it's quite the useful tool in my opinion. Helps keep Sellers and Buyers on the straight and narrow in my opinion.
Click to expand...

You are welcome..... :IThankYou
 
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