Everyone knows there are good deals and bad deals. There are also some complete rip-offs. Realistically there is little OnlineHobbyist.com can do to get your money back or get you satisfaction. We are not attorneys, mediators, or members of a law enforcement agency. We can and we do strictly enforce our Terms of Service and fraud and theft certainly violate those policys so if you feel you have been ripped off or de-frauded make sure to contact and file a complaint with our abuse coordinator.

Please note that due to Privacy issues and laws in the United States, we cannot reveal any customer data, nor can we let you know the status of your complaint, nor the actions taken against individuals or businesses using our system, by us or law enforcement agencies that may be involved . We can tell you that we act on all vendor complaints and violations of our Terms of Service are dealt with according to the rules put forth in the Terms of Service.

• If a deal looks too good to be true, it usually is.
• If a deal looks illegal it probably is.
• Ask them where THEY got it and then check.
• Ask for a photo of the animal.
• Ask them to fax you a copy of their drivers license.
• Ask them for references in the industry.
• Ask them for local references.
• Look up their name and address on the internet white pages.
• Ask for their phone number
• Ask for references in rec.pets.herp

First determine whether it was just a bad deal or a complete ripoff cause once you start some of this there no turning back....

• Make copies of the advertisement on your local hard drive. Try to get a copy of the logfile transcript that shows this users post
  
• Complain to the persons Internet Service Provider that the advertiser is posting fraudulent advertisements and ask the Internet Service Provider to terminate his account for violating it's Terms of Service Agreement
  
• File a complaint at Internet Crime Complaint Center
  
• File a complaint at ScamBusters
  
• File a complaint on the National Fraud Information Center
  
• File a formal theft complaint with their local law enforcement authorities
  
• File a complaint at the Better Business Bureau
  
• Post a complaint on the pubic USENET forum . Do NOT post them to private forums such as OnlineHobbyist.com's where the website may suffer liability because of your post.
  
• File a formal complaint with the US Postmaster General. (This works best if you sent the person a US Postal Service Money Order). Mail Fraud is a FEDERAL OFFENSE and there are lots of people in PRISON for committing MAIL FRAUD. If you sent your check/money order via US Postal Service to him and he accepted it congrats thats mail fraud.
  
• File a complaint with the Site Administrator. Make sure to include the URL of the post and do it as soon as you know you've been scammed. Please for a Pethobbyist.com complaint.
  Please include both your contact info and all the contact info of the individual or business you are complaining about. Please note that we can only enforce our Terms of Service, and cannot mediate or act as an agent on your behalf.