BUYERS BEWARE of Caesar777

[Caesar777]

I can't fathom how nobody can see this in my eyes. Apprently any Tom, Dick, and Harry can say anything they want, and it'll be eaten up like candy; yet when their claims are proven to be FALSE right in the very thread they've posted, and when it's made obvious that they are melodramaric people that maybe have some kind of fetish for arguing and causing chaos in other people's lives as well as their own, and when they post flat-out LIES to pad their stories, STILL people side with them.

[sherm71tank]

Caesar777 - Your ranting is not helping you out here. It is the sellers/shippers responsibility to file claims - regardless of whatever else happened or didn't happen before or how the tank was shipped. You should have just taken care of it without all this racket. If the zoos I bought from you had arrived dead I would have expected you to make it right. Just make it right and let it go.

[SOREVIV476]

i agree with sherm. i think the one who is over reacting is ceaser777. i noticed that you sell alot on nanoreefs.com you have lots of tanks,frag packs, and other dry goods on sale thier so, in my opinion you are a experianced seller. in the past when i have traded or sold something i wait to make sure that the package arrives safely before i spend the money i got from the sale. i work for fed ex also and the shipper is the one who makes the insurance claim and collects on the insurance money. who ever helped him must not have known what he/she was doing. this is also the reason why you dont spend the money until you are sure the package arrives safely. that way you still have the money if somthing go's wrong. i also think its strange that you will only take paypal through a bank account and not through a credit card. is because with the credit card the buyer has some sort of chance to get their money back when somthing like this happens. because we all know that paypal is no help when you make a complaint and if you pay with credit card at least you have a chance with you credit card company. i think you as seller should own up to this and take care of it. you sell alot on the other forum so somthing like this is bound to happen again. hopefully somthing was learned by both parties.


good luck

[Caesar777]

SOREVIV476 - Strange? I can't accept credit cards because I have a personal Paypal account--not a business account--so I literally can NOT accept credit cards. I'd make the jump to a business account, but first off, I'm not a business, and second, I'd be charged ridiculous fees to be able to accept payments. It's not as though I'm making huge profits, just selling off my old equipment.

sherm71tank - Wow, instead of saying, "I've dealt with Flo, she's a great seller--the corals were well-packed and survived priority shipping with no problem!", you say what you've said above. Interesting angle, so it's no wonder you say what you do.

Now, also....you wanted your corals shipped priority mail AND a live arrival guarantee? Come on, not even the big retailers do that! Of course I do what I can when things go wrong, which is VERY rare; I've had one doa so far, and I re-shipped at MY expense, even though the BUYER wanted the cheap priority shipping. That was an exception to fix a problem with the buyer who was more REASONABLE (good trade).

Besides, excuse me for "ranting", but I'm simply trying to defend myself. I've been trying to build a good reputation--I feel that I have great customer service, as MOST of my buyers will attest--and it's people like him that come along and try to ruin it for their own amusement. He'll be getting his money back from Fedex. He's already filed the claim--I can't go back and file it for him. So that's really a null point. What do you expect me to do? I can't see what else you possibly expect me to do. I've obviously run out of patience. I've been NICE and POLITE to him despite all the pointless mudslinging, and if you'd recieved the emails he's been sending me, and reading his b.s. posts, you'd respond the same way, or worse.

Either way, when I sell a coral or piece of equipment and something goes wrong, I do my best to fix it. But most sellers here--non-stores--won't guarantee live arrival of corals, especially when shipped priority mail. You pay more to go to a store to get that kind of thing. I go beyond that, and do what I can. This is just ridiculous.

[Caesar777]

That's rich... I'm making a racket. Heh.

[sherm71tank]

Excuse me! YOU wanted the corals shipped priority - I offered to pay for the next day so don't try pinning this "cheap guy" image on me. I have my own business and do lots of selling. I have had to take things back before - even though I offered no guarantee to do so, it is called good business practice. You trying to chase away more potential buyers here or what? You did send me some nice corals and they are doing great and I posted in the thread stating that. What does "so it's no wonder you say what you do." mean anyway? I'm just trying to tell you that you are not helping your image out here at all by posting things like this. A simple - "I will work with you and Fed Ex to resolve the broken tank and get your money back to you as soon as possible" would have gone so much further. Yes, you are making a racket.

[Caesar777]

"A simple - "I will work with you and Fed Ex to resolve the broken tank and get your money back to you as soon as possible" would have gone so much further."

The funny thing is that that's EXACTLY WHAT I SAID TO HIM.

Besides, as far as the corals, I ship however people want. Why would I make people have them shipped priority if they want overnight? I'm not sure what your problem is, but you're really not helping anything, nor making any real points at all.

"I have had to take things back before - even though I offered no guarantee to do so, it is called good business practice."

Yes, didn't you read where I did that too?

I just wanted this issue to be resolved without a huge racket, but obviously Craig is the kind of person that loves to make a scene for no reason. Everything seemed fine, and yet he suddenly started up with all of the crazy accusations. I'm just trying to protect my reputation. Excuse me if you consider that to be "making a racket"; I highly value my "business practices" (and I'm not even a business) and always treat the customer right, so it really gets under my skin when people try to make me look like that isn't so.

[Caesar777]

By the way, on the point of refunds, someone else (AJP, I think it was?) brought up in another thread:

"It is standard that you would not get a refund of the shipping you paid him, and you have to pay to ship it back. Look at most major on-line stores. A lot will also charge you a 25% restocking fee."

And that's for a WORKING item, NOT a broken one. You really expect me to return him $200, including the $40 I paid for shipping, AND I wouldn't get the broken tank back? So he'd have a free tank and $200, and I'd be out a $160 tank and $40 cash. And he'll be getting his money back from Fedex, regardless. I've BEEN helping him out with that however I can. But, hey, it's easy to "make a suggestion" when it doesn't involve you.

[sherm71tank]

Oh jeez, the only reason I read this thread is cause your name was in the title. I had every intention of helping you out if I could by telling of the VERY GOOD experience I had with you. After reading the several posts from you " ranting" or whatever you wanna call it I thought I'de offer you some helpful advise . I don't have a problem. I was trying to help you out. Some customers are going to be irrational, maybe he was scared or this was the first thing he ever bought online, who knows. I think the people as a whole are going to recognize that here. When you respond the way you have and then start arguing with people it only makes the matter worse. I apologize if any of my posting came across any other way and I wish you the best.

[Caesar777]

My last post wasn't in reference to you, sherm. I'm talking about everybody who thinks that I should refund him the full $200--it's ridiculous.

I've dealt with customers who were scared or who hadn't bought online before. This guy is NOT scared--he's angry and hostile, as well as being unstable. It's very difficult to deal with, hence the frustration.

[sherm71tank]

FWIW, I still think your a great seller. I just don't think you handled the response very well. Thats all. Again, my apologies and have a GREAT weekend!

[billpa]

Originally posted by Caesar777
So what's your point? Look, I'm not a store, I'm a hobbyist.

Actually...you tend to sell livestock and gear on RC as well as nano-reef.com on a regular basis. Im not accusing you of running a business but you definitely do a large amount of buying and selling on the boards.

I think your reactions kind of sum up your whole approach to selling. I bought a dosing pump from you a few months back that didnt work. I actually contacted you through ebay because you outbid me on a lot of 3 dosing pumps. I offered to give you the amount you paid for all 3 in exchange for one WORKING pump. You even said you would throw in some dripsets for the pump.

Just a day or two after you shipped the pump out, I see someone selling the same pump on RC. I put two and two together and realized it was the same person. In the thread, you said that you would include some dripsets...and there was a photo of them. I noticed right away that they were the wrong brand...they were Kangaroo dripsets...the pump was a Compat.

So I dropped a friendly line in your thread...just saying that those were not the correct dripsets. Perhaps I should have contacted you via PM. But I was just being helpful. I wasn't trying to start any commotion...the tone of my post was friendly. I also emailed you to give you a heads up on my post just in case you didnt see it.

WELL...a few hours later I get a scathing email telling me I dont know what Im talking about....HOW DARE I POST THAT ON HER THREAD! Dripsets are just tubing...doesnt matter what kind it is (duh...then why would people buy 3 dollar dripsets when they can just get airline for a few cents a foot) etc. etc.

I must say...at that point I felt a little uneasy. If she did not know those were the wrong dripsets, how did she know the pump she sent me was functioning properly? I mean you need to hook up the dripset to test it out...she said she would test it out.

Long story short. I got the pump...had the free Kangaroo dripsets that were worthless to me. Luckily I had the same dosing pump on my small reef tank so I pulled that out of the chain and hooked up the new one. It dosed for a minute and then beeped and shut down. I reprimed, and it shut off after a few seconds....tried multiple times with the same result. I even bought a case of the correct dripsets a couple of weeks ago and tried a brand new set on the pump last week....same result.

At this point (after the initial testing) I was a bit ticked off. I emailed her telling her that the pump was not fuctional...that it was obvious that she didnt test it because she didnt even know how to work it. She came back at me saying that she did test it for power (not exactly what I stated. Functional and Powers Up are two different things altogether)...that it wasnt her fault...and bashed me for giving her negative feedback later down the road. There were several exchanges of emails...and never once did she offer some sort of refund or anything. Not until I post negative feedback that she comes back at me saying I ruined here reputation and...how dare I do that...and that she would have resolved this if I would have given her the chance.

You did have the chance.
I didnt ruin your reputation.
And frankly...I think you do that fine on your own.

Im sure you are just peachy when deals go the way they are planned. But when something goes wrong, and its your responsibility to make it right...you really fall short. At least IME...and granted...its only one experience. But it was a bad one.

If you want to continue to sell as much as you do on RC and NR, I suggest you be a bit more cordial when a "customer" has a problem. You have to understand, and more importantly, deal with mishaps and diffuse the situation....not add gasoline to the fire.

JMO,
billpa

[bob0110]

I happen to agree with Ceasar on this. They buyer is totally over reacting. Get off your a$$ and call Fed Ex and get it straightened out. It takes no more than a few weeks.

[Caesar777]

Look, Bill...Here we are again. You wanted one of the two working pumps. That's what I sent. If you'd bid on the Ebay auction, that's what you'd have recieved. You and this guy, AlphaPhi, are one and the same.

Excuse me for getting irritated at the tank buyer--perhaps you can see my frustration. I go above and beyond as a seller, and everyone on Nano-Reef, at least, knows this. Honestly, I DON'T sell a whole lot of stuff--I just occasionally thin out my corals or pass on good deals I find on corals and snails, for example. And I have some surplus equipment to sell. Regardless, I keep my convictions, and I'm an honest seller. I think my buyers--all but the ones who overreact about things, you two--can easily see that.

[billpa]

The pump did not work Flo. What part do you not understand?

The whole deal left a sour taste in my mouth. I am merely sharing my experience. Im sure there are many people with good experiences....mine wasn't one them.

Please dont paint a scenario where I overreacted. That was not the case. Im just not sure what you are trying to prove here. I received a pump that did not work. I complained. You copped a tude and never tried to make things right. Then I went ahead and posted on RC.

If I would have won the Ebay auction, I would have received 3 pumps...all listed as Powers On. I knew I would be taking my chances there but at least I had a better chance of getting a working one. And thats what I asked from you...a working pump. Working means functional. It means...well...it works! Hello!

I've learned my lesson from this experience. I definitely have to make sure and spell it out for people.

billpa

[Puddlejumper]

Hopping in here,

...but in the picture with the water and the pleco... there are at least 3 lines, originating under the airpump that APPEAR to be cracks to me...(update) closer look shows one, possibly 2 airlines.

Original poster mind posting pics of the tank as it was recieved from the same angle?

[Caesar777]

The tank was NOT broken!

That's not even an issue! Have you looked at ALL of the photos? Of course it's an airline (far right line in the pic), as well as a string that was holding a flat piece of rock horizontally (two left ones, one barely visible from the glare). And on the left side, that's a piece of glass taped inside to contain the heater (so that nobody would burn themselves on it). Look, I assure you, the tank was not broken. Look at the second pic - you can see two white lines--not sure why they're even there, maybe condensation or reflection of something? But if they were cracks, you'd see them in the third pic, yet it's crystal clear.

Let's not keep beating a dead horse, here.

[Ulric]

Why don't you chill then Ceasar... ever heard the phrase '...thinks he doth protest to much'.

You're photos do not give good representation of the section I was looking at. We can note, as mentioned by others the top near the brace does appear to be warped. We have a photo with the clamp-style light fixture placed on the surface of the 'tank. Those lamps get pretty darn hot.

As for the shipping claims, as most the others have pointed out... Myself included. Damaged items recieved, i've been directed to have the seller work with the shipper.

Summary, while the status was/is in dispute... you appear to have done more to fighting to avoid doing anything than actively working to try to resolve the issue/conflict...and skipped over that whole part where it was asked if the reciever could/would provide pictures of what he claims to have recieved.

[Caesar777]

Look, I'm just irritated because some people think exactly that: that I don't want to do anything. LOOK, I've been doing EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to fix this situation. Trust me, I'm an honest and hardworking seller, and I'm just selling off old equipment and coral clippings, not even doing it for a living. I VALUE other human beings, and do everything I can to make things work. Most of my sales have gone flawlessly, or have had minor problems that were fixed quickly. Talk to anyone I'd sold to--I always go above and beyond. DOA zoos? I replace them. Equipment broken in shipping? I offer to file the claim. With this tank, I never tried to get out of filing the claim. I've filed claims as a buyer before, and since they want to see the broken items, packaging, etc., I thought it would be easier for him to file--especially since it's his item and his money on the line. BUT I simply suggested the idea, and noted that I could just as easily do it, but that I thought it'd be better that he do it, considering the facts above, and he agreed without a problem. That's why I don't quite understand why he politely agreed and went ahead and started filing the claim, only to start with these strange theories midway through.

Also, I never skipped over the part about the photos of the broken tank. I emailed him asking to see the photos, since it's gone to a point where I don't even believe that the tank ever broke and he hasn't responded. In fact, we haven't spoken since he posted this thread. I don't know if he's even reading it, whether he even cares. And, frankly, I'd rather not talk to him anyway. He's really a pain to deal with--and as someone who greatly values good customer service, having been both the buyer and the seller many times, even I have had my fill with him. Really. You should see the emails. I've posted some nice tidbits already--those friendly quips and threats and what not. Even Gandhi himself might run low on patience with this fellow.

Can you see why I'm getting a little short on patience? We're just going in circles. What irritates me the most is that people I've never even spoken to are trying to imply that I'm some kind of bad person. Again, talk to ANYONE that I've sold to, including the ones where something may have gone wrong. I do EVERYTHING that I can, and, trust me, it takes a LOT of effort on my part, but I do it because it's the RIGHT THING TO DO.

Now, the only things I'm fighting are these ridiculous accusations about pre-broken tanks, doctored photos, and claim-filing. I don't know how else to prove that I'm not the kind of person that he's trying to make me out to be. I pride myself in being an honest person and a reputable seller. I could quote other threads and post the PM's from many of my buyers who have been extremely pleased with transactions. Yoshiod, for example, bought my Iceprobe chiller with temp controller--$100 plus some zoos--and he said it was the most well-packed item he'd ever recieved, even posted on one of my for-sale-threads for any potential buyers to see. That's straight from a post on NR. And there are plenty more.

[paulpp187]

caesar777 i would have made him ship it back his expense filed the claim got the 400 or whatever you paid for it give him the 200 back and try to resell it the way it is for 50 bucks.you make out better that way

[yourreeftank]

Caesar777, I could not agree more

[NewMariner]

Originally posted by paulpp187
caesar777 i would have made him ship it back his expense filed the claim got the 400 or whatever you paid for it give him the 200 back and try to resell it the way it is for 50 bucks.you make out better that way

I think this is the most logical answer..one that would benefit both of them, however the seller refuses to do this....kinda shady....

[Caesar777]

Uh, I didn't refuse to do that. The claim was for $200. How is it shady to let him keep the tank and file the claim--WHICH HE AGREED TO DO WITH NO PROBLEM!--rather than to make him ship back the tank for another $40, which I KNOW he wouldn't do because he's completely irrational and thinks that I should give him back the total $200 including the $40 it cost me to ship it to him. Doesn't that sound extremely complicated, if not OVERLY so?

PLUS, you all think you know all about filing claims, but you forget that when Fedex gives you the claim money from the insurance, the item becomes the property of Fedex. I know this for a fact--I do have the big, fat "user's" manual. (Really, they basically bought it off you with the claim money, so why shouldn't they get it to do something with?) And besides, even if that wasn't the case, it would only cause more complications to ship it again. Maybe if this were a regular, run-of-the-mill customer, that could be an option. But why? I don't care, I don't need to sell the tank again to make more money--I don't need more money, and honestly, I'm done with it. He can have it. He said he was going to use it as a sump anyway. And even if Fedex wouldn't be taking the tank, I think the customer should get to keep it for his troubles. Think about it: the insurance money gets paid to him, so he breaks even (spent $200, got back $200) whereas I already made my money off the tank. So why should I inconvenience him even more by making him re-package the tank--which took me an hour to do--just because I feel like I need MORE money? That would be rude and greedy to make him ship it back so that I could make MORE money by selling it again. And how would it benefit him? If anything, THAT, to me, sounds shady. Greedy = shady, they're one and the same. That's the thing--some people sell things solely to make money, and those are the people you need to watch out for.

Newmariner, try to think about things before you say, or post, them. It's easy to say anything without explaining, isn't it? It doesn't require any cognitive thought on your part. They call that BASHING.

[Caesar777]

Also, everyone keeps using the word "REFUSES" in reference to me. The only thing I have refused to do is to refund him the money, because that would be ridiculous. Now even more, since he's already filed the claim, thus he'll be getting the money back.

I didn't REFUSE to file the claim. I didn't REFUSE to make him ship the tank back to me--on the contrary, it would be RUDE to demand that he do so, since I would get MORE MONEY out of it, and he would get NOTHING. Interesting principles some of you have--they're complete paradoxes.

[ghever]

guys, the internet can be so amazing, but it also might end up being one of the worst things that ever happend to mankind....

People no longer interacting face to face but through emails, IMs, discussion boards...what is this, fantasy land?

I know through internet chat, issues just arent explained well, and usually not responded to well...people hear one side, not the other...or dont hear everything.

We can see why buyer was mad, but can also see why seller is irritated...having people jump on your back on the internet is frustrating because you have to defend yourself without having face to face interaction.

Lets leave this issue alone already...let the seller move on, let the buyer move on.....stop giving opinions on an issue we clearly dont know everything about...you can believe this person or that, but unless you are the buyer or seller, you just dont know. Reasonable people come to a reasonable sollution.... one of the involved parties is unreasonable..i will not judge ... just let them resolve the issue... if as a buyer you are afraid of buying from Caesar777, that is your right...