tiedxupxinxknots---Carlos Valadez

[suburbangeckos]

As much as I hate to do this kind of thing, I feel it necessary to report a very unpleasant experience with Carlos Valadez. Back on 6/24/12, Carlos made contact with me regarding a male Mack Snow Eclipse that he had for sale. I was very interested and made arrangements to purchase this gecko. On 6/26/12, my payment in the amount of $160.00 cleared from me to Carlos via Paypal.

In the weeks following, Carlos explained to me that the weather was too hot in Southern California (his residence) to ship to me in Northern Kentucky. While I understand that the animal's safety should be the number one priority, as a breeder myself, I feel that delayed shipping, etc. should be conveyed on the front end of the transaction whenever possible.

The part that really put me over the edge is on 7/2/12, Carlos went to Northern California to pick up a gecko for himself from Enigmatic Geckos where it was cooler and still did not take the time to ship my animal to me. This was after telling me that he was heading up that way and would "try" to ship mine out while he was there.

Fast forward to today, and I cannot get any response from Carlos via messages on these forums or even by text. I am appalled at the lack of customer service and professionalism displayed. I guess I should've considered the source, seeing that he had no iTrader rating.

Unfortunately in this business, this is not the first time I've run into this problem and it looks as if my attorney will need to be called upon once again. I hate to write a negative review on anyone and I put off doing this for days, giving him the benefit of the doubt. I see where some people had positive experiences with Carlos...lucky you...it seems like he's going to TRY to take my money and run.

Buyers beware,
Chris Charlton

 

[Kristi23]

The lack of communication is bad. However, you can't always predict with the weather. My tos states that I only ship when weather conditions are okay with me. I was supposed to ship the other day when our high was right around 90. I had to cancel when the temp went up to 100. The weather forecast is always changing. I've had to wait months before. It's all for the safety of the animals. I will cancel a sale with someone who isn't willing to wait out the weather.

I do hope you get your gecko or your money back soon.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I'm sorry you are having a difficult time with this transaction, and communication is foremost. However, we ALL must be aware that in the hottest part of Summer and the coldest part of Winter, shipping conditions must be optimum not only at the origin, but the overnight temperatures at the sorting hub, and the destination. For example, here in California we have had temperatures in the triple digits, and Cincinatti in the upper 80's and low-mid 90's. If it is 93 degrees outside, the temperatures can reach over 110 degrees in the back of a delivery truck. A cold-pack will not address this by the time the package reaches it's destination.

Fast forward to today, and I cannot get any response from Carlos via messages on these forums or even by text.

You seem to be very articulate and most likely one who is inclined to excellent communication, so I can see why lack of communication would be a real issue. May I ask how many days it has been since you have had contact with the seller? Perhaps he is on vacation or his phone is not working? I recently was in a serious auto accident and in the hospital. No one could reach me, either.

Forgive me, but I am not familiar with Suburban Geckos. I am wondering how long you have been a breeder, and how many geckos have you shipped? Trust me, if you remain in this 'business' any length of time, you will experience a plethora of shipping issues and impatient customers. I am not trying to be combative here... just trying to look at your problem from both sides.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

---- By the way, I have sold thousands of geckos over the past 15 years, was an Administrator for this very website, and I have only a couple of iTrader ratings.

 

[Kristi23]

I'm sorry you are having a difficult time with this transaction, and communication is foremost. However, we ALL must be aware that in the hottest part of Summer and the coldest part of Winter, shipping conditions must be optimum not only at the origin, but the overnight temperatures at the sorting hub, and the destination. For example, here in California we have had temperatures in the triple digits, and Cincinatti in the upper 80's and low-mid 90's. If it is 93 degrees outside, the temperatures can reach over 110 degrees in the back of a delivery truck. A cold-pack will not address this by the time the package reaches it's destination.

You seem to be very articulate and most likely one who is inclined to excellent communication, so I can see why lack of communication would be a real issue. May I ask how many days it has been since you have had contact with the seller? Perhaps he is on vacation or his phone is not working? I recently was in a serious auto accident and in the hospital. No one could reach me, either.

Forgive me, but I am not familiar with Suburban Geckos. I am wondering how long you have been a breeder, and how many geckos have you shipped? Trust me, if you remain in this 'business' any length of time, you will experience a plethora of shipping issues and impatient customers. I am not trying to be combative here... just trying to look at your problem from both sides.

Very good post Marcia.

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

Well said Marcia.

Even when Carlos came up here (still Southern Cali) to pick up his gecko it was 103 outside and would not have been a good day to ship regardless. I am one who is always trying to keep good communication with people but we have to understand that this "business" is a hobby for 99% of all breeders and life happens throughout transactions which may disrupt perfect communication. I am sure Carlos will do what is best for the animals and customer relations. Also iTrader ratings have some merit but it also is surely no true testament to someones business quality or their transaction history.

 

[justindh1]

I think Marcia has stated some great points. Temperature is probably the leading reason for shipments being put on hold especially in the summer months. I would hate to jump to conclusion without knowing both sides of the story. The seller has been on GF today so I hope he has communicated with the buyer. Also, it seems a previous buyer had received a shipment just a few weeks ago which seems to be later than the OP had payed for his gecko(s). http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=88877 It does seem like things don't add up right but their could be underlying circumstances that we don't know. I hope the OP does get things resolved.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=88877 It does seem like things don't add up right but their could be underlying circumstances that we don't know

.
Maybe I'm just a suspicious person, but I looked at the above post and noticed that it is the only post made by 'CEEMEE' on these forums. Call me bad, but I'm wondering just who this person is... ?

 

[suburbangeckos]

I'm sorry you are having a difficult
time with this transaction, and communication is foremost. However,
we ALL must be aware that in the hottest part of Summer and the
coldest part of Winter, shipping conditions must be optimum not only
at the origin, but the overnight temperatures at the sorting hub, and
the destination. For example, here in California we have had
temperatures in the triple digits, and Cincinatti in the upper 80's
and low-mid 90's. If it is 93 degrees outside, the temperatures can
reach over 110 degrees in the back of a delivery truck. A
cold-pack will not address this by the time the package reaches it's
destination.

You seem to be very articulate and most likely one who is inclined to
excellent communication, so I can see why lack of communication would
be a real issue. May I ask how many days it has been since you have
had contact with the seller? Perhaps he is on vacation or his phone is
not working? I recently was in a serious auto accident and in the
hospital. No one could reach me, either.

Forgive me, but I am not familiar with Suburban Geckos. I am
wondering how long you have been a breeder, and how many geckos have
you shipped? Trust me, if you remain in this 'business' any length of
time, you will experience a plethora of shipping issues and impatient
customers. I am not trying to be combative here... just trying to
look at your problem from both sides.

As I've stated, I agree wholeheartedly with doing what is best for the
safety of the animal(s). My shipping practice, much like most others
here, is to verify safe temperatures not only from the shipping origin
but the destination, as well. I usually look at the forecast for
multiple days after the expected delivery date as well, in the event
of some unforeseen circumstance with the delivery.

Thank you for the kind words. If my records are correct, it has been
exactly nine days since our last exchange. Again, I agree with you
about extenuating circumstances possibly being the cause of the lack
of communication. Rest assured, I would certainly not wish personal
harm or misfortune on anyone. That being said, where is the formula
for finally acknowledging that there is a problem and that someone is
avoiding the situation? Is that 2 weeks? 1 month? There is no hard
and fast rule for this type of thing and it lends itself to being very
subjective. I am an IT Manager in a Customer Support Center for a
large national grocery chain, so I do value good customer service and
do my best to provide such service for my "gecko" customers, as well.

No apology necessary. Suburban Geckos has been around for 3 years. I've
been breeding Leopard Geckos for the last 6 years as a hobby, prior to taking it to the next level. There is such a demand in the Cincinnati/Kentucky area for Leopards that I rarely had to ship any geckos until the last 2 years. Over the past two years, I've probably shipped in the neighborhood of 50 geckos. I'm by no means the best of the best or the most experienced on this board. It was people like yourself, Pacherp, Garrick DeMeyer and Matt Baronak that I researched in order to make my decision to take this from a hobby to a business.

Maybe there IS a logical excuse for the lack of contact. If there's anyone that hope's that is the case, it would be me. I'm just not getting that warm and fuzzy feeling about the whole transaction, at this point.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Thank you for clarifying what must seem like my interrogation! I think 9 days without any communication from a seller is reason for alarm. The person who posted this: http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=88877 has an IP address in Colorado, and Carlos' IP address is in Southern California. I guess my days as an Administrator on this website makes me suspicious about dual accounts and giving trader ratings to one's self.

It's great to see breeders who not only care about their anials, but their customers, too! I hope you get this resolved soon...

 

[justindh1]

If it is just a coincidence then it may means that Carlos may ship to whom he likes no matter what the temps are. If CEEMEE received a shipment just a couple days before he posted the thread then maybe Carlos doesn't really care about the temps as much as we thought he should. He has been on GF today several times so I believe that his character is speaking for itself since he hasn't contacted Suburban Geckos. Just to clarify, has Carlos contacted you today Chris?

 

[justindh1]

I also wanted to ask if Carlos has been notified of this thread?

 

[suburbangeckos]

I also wanted to ask if Carlos has been notified of this thread?

Hi there,

Sorry for the delay. It was quite a busy weekend! To answer both of your questions, Carlos has not responded to me still and he was notified via text, email and PM of this thread. Still no response...

 

[suburbangeckos]

If it is just a coincidence then it may means that Carlos may ship to whom he likes no matter what the temps are. If CEEMEE received a shipment just a couple days before he posted the thread then maybe Carlos doesn't really care about the temps as much as we thought he should. He has been on GF today several times so I believe that his character is speaking for itself since he hasn't contacted Suburban Geckos. Just to clarify, has Carlos contacted you today Chris?

Just as I thought from the start, he's a scammer. On July 18th, he posted a picture of the gecko I purchased on his Facebook page.

www.facebook.com/.../Animated-Geckos/235002166561121

Attached is the pic he uploaded of the Mack Snow Eclipse that I purchased for $160.00, out the door. Sure looks to me like that gecko is "happy" as he so eloquently states and not going anywhere...

Fear not, a Paypal dispute has already been opened, as well as a Cease and Desist letter being sent from my attorneys. I'm not playing around with this one, especially not with a teenager. I would hope that with behavior like this, that this would constitute being banned from GeckoForums?

 

[NinjaDuo]

I'm sorry you lost money but it happens pretty frequently. I just think getting attorneys involved is a bit much. I could understand if it was a large amount of money, but he's just a kid.

I had a run in with Daniel strong who I lost about 500 to. So I know the feeling, just wondering if hell step up and do the right thing.

Cody Collins

 

[suburbangeckos]

I'm sorry you lost money but it happens pretty frequently. I just think getting attorneys involved is a bit much. I could understand if it was a large amount of money, but he's just a kid.

I had a run in with Daniel strong who I lost about 500 to. So I know the feeling, just wondering if hell step up and do the right thing.

Cody Collins

Hey there,

While 160.00 will not break my bank by any means, there is a principle to be followed here. I used to be a Network Admin for one of the largest lawfirms in the Midwest, so fortunately I can get practically any legal work done, pro bono.

Just a kid or not...he needs to learn a lesson that you can't steal. Not familiar with Daniel Strong. People having similar problems with him on these forums? Sorry to hear you got taken advantage of, as well.

--Chris

 

[justindh1]

I always had a uneasy feeling about Carlos. If this all comes out to be true, I feel like he should be banned from this site. No individual like this should be allowed to be a member of this site when they openly try to cheat someone out of money. He has been on GF several times and I am sure he has read this thread.

I wish everyone good luck in their ventures unless it is done in a way that hurts others. It does seem like this is the case since he hasn't responded and gave his side of the story. I hope that your get things resolved.

 

[justindh1]

I would also post this on the BOI on fauna since he advertises there as well.

 

[katie_]

I'm sorry you lost money but it happens pretty frequently. I just think getting attorneys involved is a bit much. I could understand if it was a large amount of money, but he's just a kid.

I had a run in with Daniel strong who I lost about 500 to. So I know the feeling, just wondering if hell step up and do the right thing.

Cody Collins

I disagree. Money is money, and we all work hard for it.
It doesnt matter how young the person is who is possibly wronging you.

Katie Carr

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Unfortunately doing business with an under-age person, especially online, does not constitute a contract, written or implied. Technically, his parents are liable for the refund, but your best bet is to have his PayPal account suspended or cancelled until this is resolved. I agree with a Fauna BOI 'Bad Guy' post to prevent this from happening to another person. I really hope you get some kind of solution!