Scam of Pet Deposit

[Donna Crenshaw]

In July, I sent  $500 via PayPal to be placed on a wait list for a goldendoodle that was supposed to be bred in either August or September.  Just getting an e-mail reply receipt of my deposit was like pulling teeth.  As of the end of September, there still was no breeding.

In the meantime, my home situation changed and I no longer was interested in being on that wait list for a litter that wasn't even bred yet, so I contacted the breeder, a recommended breeder on goldendoodles.com's website, and she informs me that the deposit is nonrefundable, even though NO contract was ever signed between us.

I feel like I have been taken advantage of.  What options do I have to get my $500 back????  I also did a search on this website yesterday and found that the same breeder has done this before.

Help!

[Adrianne Matzkin]

What did the receipt for your deposit say? Did it include anything about being non refundable?

did she ever inform you that there was no August or September breeding? Did she tell you why there wasn't?

You have a friend that is an attorney to send a letter for you?

[Donna Crenshaw]

After I sent the $500 via PayPal, I emailed her to ask her for some kind of acknowledgment that she had received the funds.  All I got back from her was a reply to that email of "yes, I received it."  There was never any kind of paperwork signed or exchanged between us, on the $500 that I sent her.  When I emailed her in August and September to ask if the planned breeding was still on for that time, she said yes.  It was very, very difficult to get her to reply to my emails.

 

Then last night I went on this forum and search her name and found someone had written in about the same breeder and the same situation.  She would not return her $500 deposit.  I'm thinking now that this is something that may be going on with a lot of people.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I would also contact Paypal and let them know about this situation.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I would write the Better Business Bureau. Good luck!

[Ginny Nightingale]

This does happen but I am not sure what happens when there is no breeding at all-- you would think that she would give you your deposit back in that case...usually though if there is a problem with the litter, they put the deposit on the next litter. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I am sorry this happened to you.

The breeder being listed on the goldendoodles.com website really doesn't mean much, because those are owner recommended breeders. There is no real criteria for being listed there. This is why breeder recommendations from other ownrs don't mean a whole lot; everyone loves their doodle and therefore most people think their breeder is wonderful. We have had people here on DK recommend known puppy mills as being a good place to get a doodle puppy.

On most breeders websites, where they give the information about how to submit a deposit on a planned litter, they usually also have terms regarding whether the deposit is refundable or not, and under what circumstances. Did this breeder have that information on her site, and if so, did it say the deposit was nonrefundable?

In this type of case, your best bet is to have an attorney send her a letter. The cost for that should be less than $500, and that is usually enough to make most people refund the deposit, since they do not want to have to pay an attorney to fight the issue.

Good luck.

 

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

I think in this situation PayPal will actually step in and get your refund. They always say if you don't get what you paid for they will intervene. My DD and SIL both got money back when purchases did not happen correctly. I would start there, check out their policy. That is one of the purposes of the system, you buy with less risk. The Seller does not want to lose the right to use PayPal and if PayPal gets complaints that are unresolved that is what they will do.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

I just looked this up on their website https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/paypal-safety-and-security

Good Luck.

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[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

I am assuming that it is against DK policy to let you tell us who this breeder is.  I wish we had a way to be able to discuss these types of breeder issues because this breeder, who you say has done this before, most likely will do it again and again and again.  Why shouldn't you be able to give a fair warning to others?  If I go to a breeder to purchase a puppy and find it to be a puppy mill - why can't I come out and say so?  Is it a legal issue for DK?  I don't think anyone can sue for Libel if it is the truth. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I happen to know who the breeder is, and on the website, it says that she will refund the deposit if she cannot provide you with a suitable puppy within a reasonable time, which she deems to be 12 months from the time of the deposit.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think this is so sad. I suppose I could start collecting deposits tomorrow on a litter I plan to breed, never mind that my dogs are spayed and neutered. These big broker sites like goldendoodles.com are worthless. I hope everyone learns to deal with an individual breeder they have researched.

[Adina P]

Goldendoodles.com is not a broker site.  And this is a real breeder who a well known DK member has a dog from.  This breeder does breed real dogs and is well known in the world of doodles.  I don't know everything about her specific breeding practices, they may be just fine.  But her refund policy is a little ____ I can't think of the word, but BAD for the buyer :/  Sorry to the OP...that really sucks.

As to Jane's question.  I don't want breeder reviews here until I can find a way to make them really streamlined and not a 'discussion' -- I would love a breeder review section that looks like Amazon's review section.  Stars for different aspects, commentary where it's needed, but not someone coming on to vent followed by a long 'he said, she said' dialogue.  I guess the biggest reason I don't want breeder reviews is that we don't allow breeder recommendations except in a very specific way in one group.  It is not really fair to not allow breeder kudos and allow breeder 'vents' because then they are one sided without starting a big argument about it.  That isn't what this site is for.  And anyone can PM the poster if they want more info.