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Luis Torres - BEWARE!

Rich Z

Rich Z

Administrator
Staff member
No, I don't really want to bring the Board Of Inquiry to this site, but this guy screwed me out of money on some animals I sent him, and I just talked to someone on the phone who Luis is apparently trying to buy corn snakes from.

So apparently he has not just dropped out of the snake business, but has only conveniently selected to forget about the debt he owes me.

Here's the thread on the BOI I posted about Luis Torres:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80246

I am going to make an exception (executive privilege?) and post this HERE to warn everyone I can about this guy.
 
Thank you for posting the link Mr Executive.. I rarely read the BOI, but I think Rich has made an excellent point, Seller Beware, and stick to your guns ( Terms in this case )..

Regards.. Tim of T and J
 
It was actually a phone conversation this morning with a member here who Luis is trying to buy snakes from that brought this onto my front burner.

Coincidentally enough, Luis is looking for some mates to the animals he stole from me. He specifically asked that I breed Lavender Blood Red to Butter (I actually used a Hypo Lavender Blood Red instead) and he was going to buy the entire clutch. He paid a small deposit with promises (of course!) to send the rest of the money later. That was nearly TWO YEARS ago. So obviously his intentions are clear about that debt.

So anyone having some genetic traits that would go well with these animals, beware that Luis is looking for that sort of stock. So beware of ANYONE from Utah offering to get animals from you. Even if he offers cash up front, please recall that he will still be using the animals he stole from me with YOUR animals to further his ambitions. Certainly I cannot stop anyone from doing business with him, but I would consider it a personal favor if you would consider just telling the guy to take a flying leap instead. IMHO, If he has the money to spend he SHOULD be settling up with ME instead.

Thanks.
 
Thanks for the warning Rich.

:-offtopic What does FWIW mean? I have seen it a few times but haven't figured it out.
 
Thanks for the heads up, Rich. It sucks the guyrobbed you. Isn't there some wayto go after him?

Oh, and Dave...FWIW means "for what it's worth"...
 
That was me Rich Z was talking to on the phone. Yea, Louis called me back in nov . He wanted to buy my hypo breeding pr. that are het for lavender, blood, caramel, . they are from the mystery project. I never recived any payment talked to him in jan. but no money ever came so I reposted the animals back up for sale.

I sent him a email with the link provied in the p.m.
 
Hey Rich, Do you mind if I copy your post and post it on another forum?
Just to get the word out?
 
It's bad enough that people scam others like this guy has done, but it takes a special kind of stupid to scam the owner of the BOI and corn snake forum. I can't even imagine the type of character it would take to rip off and disrespect someone who has gone out of their way for you like Rich did for this jerk. If I even owed someone five dollars I'd go out of my mind with guilt if I didn't have it repaid as quickly as possible. The worst part is that this shows those poor snakes are nothing more than dollar signs to him. Anyone who genuinely cared about those animals would've been unbelievably grateful for the time and work Rich put in and would've *wanted* to repay that as quickly as possible.
 
stangs13 said:
Hey Rich, Do you mind if I copy your post and post it on another forum?
Just to get the word out?
Click to expand...

Sure, be my guest. I am of the opinion that I probably will not be the ONLY person Luis Torres will steal from. But not if I can help it.
 
wow that is really awful, when I first started getting into herps i bought a pair of corns and I was kind of shocked when I asked if I could do some sort of payment plan to receive them and the seller said it wasn't possible. She then explained to me that she had been burnt pretty bad several times by people who have done the same thin this guy did to Rich. I assured her I was not like any other person and could never possibly rip someone off like that, and she finally was able to believe me. I paid the animals off in a matter of months and everything was cool. However I do now understand the policies and such people have in place. People just have no respect for another person or their work.
 
I know what you mean onelife. I have dealt with 2 breeders on this forum (both WONDERFUL experiances btw) and always paid first and asked questions later. Just because I have heard of this kind of thing happening before.
 
SnakeNbake said:
but it takes a special kind of stupid to scam the owner of the BOI and corn snake forum. I can't even imagine the type of character it would take to rip off and disrespect someone who has gone out of their way for you like Rich did for this jerk.
Click to expand...

I agree totally. As I started to get more into corns I was so glad to see so few scams going on, and I was happy there was so much trust cosidering I've been sending $150-$500 to people before resieving a snake. This guy sort of ruins that feeling.
 
tbtusk said:
I agree totally. As I started to get more into corns I was so glad to see so few scams going on, and I was happy there was so much trust cosidering I've been sending $150-$500 to people before resieving a snake. This guy sort of ruins that feeling.
Click to expand...


tbtusk, MOST of us are fine to deal with. Word gets out about the bad ones.
 
con artist

This is nothing new . I been breeding corns and other ,herps for 22 years. I been doing the Fish , breeding African cichlids since 1980. All the stories that you hear. Don't trust him , He will take good care of you, Oh he will screw you in a heart beet . Bla, Bla, Bla. Some times people will screw you over that have been good people all along. Other times someone that is a well know crook can give spome people good deals and hook them up . I don't care what you breed, never the less If you are in the game long enuff you most likely will get screwed every once and awhile . It has happend to me more than once. I'm sure It won't be the last time R.Z. , me or some other breeder will get screwed. This is why threads like this and BOI is a useful tool in spreading the word, so we can be warned about people like this. Con artist are everywhere in life , it is their job to gain your trust. All you can do is keep your gaurd up and hope for the best.

Good Luck To All, Vinny Ritchie
 
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The reason I did that was because the guy is obviously still in "business". Several people have contacted me claiming Luis is attempting to buy animals from them. I find this interesting because obviously he must have some money available, which he is choosing to invest in other animals rather than paying off that standing debt to me.

Early on I was kind of reluctant to post something like this publicly about the guy, thinking maybe he had come upon hard times or such, and just COULDN'T pay me. But after getting those contacts, then that pretty much knocks that theory out of the water and makes it pretty obvious that Luis's intentions are to simply stiff me for that money and be on his merry way. If he is interested in buying animals, he most likely is interested in selling them too, at least at a later date. And I have to ask, if someone like this would lie, cheat, and steal from me as Luis did, what are the chances he will treat YOU any better if given the opportunity? Hence the more VISIBLE warning about this guy.
 
Get it in writing that is your best bet to prevent things like this because if they don't pay you at that point you have better grounds to take them to court.
 
Sanebedlam said:
Get it in writing that is your best bet to prevent things like this because if they don't pay you at that point you have better grounds to take them to court.
Click to expand...

Taking someone to court, especially across the country, is VERY expensive to do, and basically not a feasible plan. Unless the "damages" are $100K or above, I doubt most attorneys would even want to talk to you.

I seriously doubt Luis will ever pay me the money he owes me. Surprises me, because I've known the guy a pretty long time. Just goes to show you, it's only the people you trust that can screw you. So when you are in business, it actually is better to trust no one. Unfortunate, but those few bad apples (especially those that are bad on the inside and look good on the outside) spoil it for everyone.
 
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