Probably nothing I can do

A while back, I sold my 07 pastel female (dumb!) because she was aggressive and I didn't have any plans for her during my first few breeding seasons. I sold her to a friend of a friend for $150. (she was still really small) Well the woman only paid part of it (She was doing payments and she was going to pay me the last $60 the week after she took her home. I figured, I see this woman all the time and I trust her, right? Wrong! I got a few messages from her saying she was trying to get the last payment to me, and then nothing. Finally today I sent her a message saying I'd be willing to pay for her back, but she says "I love her and won't give her up."

I don't have any receipts or any emails/IMs since the entire transaction was done verbally. I know I'm screwed. I can't do anything legally and there is no way I can make her sell me Jora back. And since have no evidence of the transaction, I can't really make her (legally) pay the remaining $60.

I suppose this could serve as a word of warning to people selling to "friends" and giving them deals and trusting them money-wise. :(

.....I miss that little python. I miss her a lot.

Too many deadbeats...not enough integrity, sad.

I am sorry you had to learn this way, I do not even really trust family when it comes to sale (money matters). I had to learn the hard way too, with a family member, like they could hide from me. lol

Mostly, I just want her back. I'm even willing to offer her more than she actually paid so she'd end up making money on her. Even my husband misses this little girl and he doesn't even mess with the collection at all.

I'm pretty sure you can still do something if you have witnesses, in most states a verbal contract still a contract. Look into your state laws depending on where you live.

The only witnesses I have are my husband and two friends. One of those friends lives in another state now and the other is the friend that introduced me to this woman, so I'm pretty sure he would not want to be in the middle of it. I sent her another email, offering her money for the pastel. We shall see what happens.

Hope you can get her back :)

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

The only witnesses I have are my husband and two friends. One of those friends lives in another state now and the other is the friend that introduced me to this woman, so I'm pretty sure he would not want to be in the middle of it. I sent her another email, offering her money for the pastel. We shall see what happens.

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I don’t know the laws of your State, but it is free to find out if you have any legal grounds to stand on. Phone your local police department, or better yet, visit in person, and ask to speak to a detective that deals with fraud. They might be able to give you some idea about where you stand.

Don’t settle for talking to somebody working the desk.

I know that in my neck of the woods, when money has changed hands regarding a property sale it is considered fraud for the other person to stop payment. Contract or no contract. Don’t forget to tell the detective if you have any communications from this person (phone messages, texts, emails) in which she mentions outstanding payments. That's proof. Your friend knows that you sold the snake, so if you need a witness s/he can be compelled to give testimony (although ideally they would volunteer an affidavit).

If you contact her again, perhaps a bit of terseness in your tone might help. For example, if she loves the snake so much than why can’t she finish paying for her? After all, you have bills too.

I don’t know if you can get the snake back, but at the very least you will take a valuable life-lesson from this experience.

I wish you the best.

maybe u can trade her a snake??

Well I can understand how someone can become attached to a particular snake. I know I could never sell or trade away several of my snakes. I'm just going to try and convince her to sell her to me.

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

Well I can understand how someone can become attached to a particular snake. I know I could never sell or trade away several of my snakes. I'm just going to try and convince her to sell her to me.

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Put fear in her? Tell her that you will be contacting whoever and you have a witness to the verbal agreement that she is to pay u $xx.xx if she doesnt return snake she will face legal repercussions

I would rather have the snake back than the $60 and I have a feeling she will either pay me the $60 (which I won't refuse but still would rather pay her for the snake back) or stop talking to me and I won't be able to find her again.

*sigh* I have definitely learned my lesson and will never do anything like this again.

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

I would rather have the snake back than the $60 and I have a feeling she will either pay me the $60 (which I won't refuse but still would rather pay her for the snake back) or stop talking to me and I won't be able to find her again.

*sigh* I have definitely learned my lesson and will never do anything like this again.

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Its idiots like this lady that make it hard to trust anyone :mad:.I hope you get her back :gj:

Thanks. Me too. :(

i hope this is no reflection of the how she is treating ur snake!!

Good luck, it hurts when people are so untrustworthy and you can't turn your back for a second.

I know. We re-homed our sugar gliders to her over a year ago. Then I sold her my pastel female. After we sold her Jora, we later found out through a friend that the sugar gliders had died in her care, so yes, I am very worried about the care she is giving the python. I am only just now getting back in touch with her after almost a year. She has moved since the last time I've been to her house so I have no idea where to find her if she decides to stop talking to me.

Got another email from her. She says

i'm not willing to give her up i will pay you the last 20 dollar payment but i can't part with her i'm attached my normal ball died shortly after my mom passed away so i drew closer to her i can't give her up.

I told her she owes me $60 not $20. And to know her other ball python died...ugh! Now I really REALLY want to get Jora back. Who knows what kind of condition she's in or how her other ball python died (it was only a few years old)

Dang I'm so sorry about this, I know how it feels. A while back I did give up my Dumeril's boa and she was such a sweet girl. I kinda regret it now because she was so beautiful and a great example of a Dumeril's boa. And that the fact she was a very calm girl when she was being handled. So sorry about the Pastel, I feel your pain!:tears:

Just playing the Devil's adocate here. Why would you sell her the snake if you were leary about how she would care for it and sugar gliders under her care died?

Sorry to be blunt, but it kind of looks like you set yourself up to be taken advantage of on this one -- sounds like it's time to play hard ball on this one instead of trying to work with her....

You sound like a really thoughtful and caring person -- just the kind of person a dishonest person would like to take advantage of...

Good luck!

Maybe if you try talking to her about getting the snake back and refunding her money would be best. Tell her you really miss the snake and you have some exciting breeding plans for her in the future. It wouldn't hurt to talk to her about it, but if she disagrees you might not want to go any further to anger her about the situation.

You can ask anyone I have given or taken payments from the animals stay in my care and keep getting fed like normal until payment is done friends or not its good practice.

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Originally Posted by Royal Morphz

You can ask anyone I have given or taken payments from the animals stay in my care and keep getting fed like normal until payment is done friends or not its good practice.

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Exactly my thought on this as well. No matter what the sale involves, keep the product in your own hands until the sale is final. People mysteriously seem to have a lot easier time coming up with money for something they don't have in their hands yet.

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Originally Posted by xscorpio

Exactly my thought on this as well. No matter what the sale involves, keep the product in your own hands until the sale is final. People mysteriously seem to have a lot easier time coming up with money for something they don't have in their hands yet.

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I couldn't agree more.

Well I know that now. :( I just wish there was some way to get her back.

I'm sure this won't be a popular statement, however, it sounds to me like this has little to do with anything other than seller's remorse. The $60 seems to me to be just your excuse to try to take it back. You sold this person the snake because it was too agressive for your taste...let's not forget that it was your doing here and that imo, your reason for selling her the snake was a bit selfish. Now for whatever reason, you woke up and figured, I want a pastel so now you want her to give you back the snake she fell in love with to fill a craving you have? Sounds a bit selfish again.

I did sell the snake because at the time I didn't need a pastel female. She was a tad aggressive but nothing I couldn't work with. Yes, I do regret selling her the snake but that is mostly due to the fact my husband and I were attached to her. This girl has not paid me the last payment on her and now I have learned her other ball python has died. I am worried about the condition she is being kept in. Yes I will admit. This is partly sellers remorse. I should not have sold her this snake. But when you take into account that we have now found out that not only did the sugar gliders we adopted out to her die (we found this out AFTER we sold her the snake) but now her other ball python died in her care, you can't exactly blame me for trying to buy back the snake. Once I found out the sugar gliders had died, I have been trying to contact her ever since. I only just now got a hold of her. I know I won't get the pastel back.

Now, this will end up one of two ways. A: She pays me back the $60 and that is that. B: She disappears and I don't get anything back.

I posted this as a warning to others who might do what I did. Trust a friend with money.