We found a bulldog puppy on petfinder.com yesterday. The "breeder" said they were AKC registered. We emailed a few times about which puppy we wanted and what their terms were. The advertisement didn't say where they were located. We thought they were in our area (midwest) because we did a search for our zip code. It turned out they were in California. He told us he could ship us the dog for $250. Since he was only asking $500 for the puppy we thought it was doable. $500 is very low price for a bulldog puppy. He said he was selling them for less because he is not a breeder in it for the money. He told us he would arrange things with the company Pets-Uship in the morning.
I was surprised to get contacted by them and they said they already had the puppy and all we had to do was pay the $250 and they would have him on a flight that day. The man Richard I spoke with was very hard to understand. He had an accent which I couldn't identify. I checked their website and saw a BBB accredited A+ symbol. I checked out the name on the BBB website and found a business called Uship which has a pet shipping division, with an A+ rating (not the same company but I thought it was). Although their website Pets Uship.com said they accepted paypal, which is traceable, they asked for us to pay with a reloadit card, which I have never used and now know is not traceable. So I went out and bought one and paid them over the phone. The next thing I know I get an email from them saying I need to pay $645 for pet travel insurance or they will not ship the dog.
We got suspicious here and decided to do more digging through the BBB. In order to do a search on the BBB you have to know the companies zip code. I contacted the shipping company Pets Uship and told them I needed it, but they refused to give it to me. They told me they needed to be in business for 12 years to have a BBB accreditation (not true). I called the BBB and gave them the companies phone number 315-675-7793 and 800 632 6874, 800 254 5521 which is out of Cleveland NY. They are not listed with the BBB. I found out the shipping company is located in Australia so you can't make a complaint with the BBB. I then checked with the AKC to see if they had a breeder in California by the name Long J Westerfield or JCB Bulldogs at jcbbulldogs.com They don't.
My husband contacted the breeder and told him we don't wish to use that shipping company and had arranged different travel arrangements and that we needed his address so we could finalize shipment of the puppy. We have never heard from him again. When my husband spoke with him on the phone he noted that he had an unusual accent. Also, his phone number came up as AR (Arkansas) and he is supposed to be in San Jose, CA. My husband asked him about this and he said he got the phone when he lived in AR but has kept it since he relocated. [email protected] 501-570-6778
We contacted Pets Uship http://www.pets-uship.com/index.html and told them we want a refund for the $250 and they said sure. Of course, we never saw that money and they have not contacted us again.
The BBB and the AKC are now aware of these people.
By the way, I tried to contact Reloadit card to notify them of the fraud and recover our money. They are supposed to have a live person there to speak to during business hours but I tried and tried and just kept getting disconnected. I didn't fare any better on their website.
I was surprised to get contacted by them and they said they already had the puppy and all we had to do was pay the $250 and they would have him on a flight that day. The man Richard I spoke with was very hard to understand. He had an accent which I couldn't identify. I checked their website and saw a BBB accredited A+ symbol. I checked out the name on the BBB website and found a business called Uship which has a pet shipping division, with an A+ rating (not the same company but I thought it was). Although their website Pets Uship.com said they accepted paypal, which is traceable, they asked for us to pay with a reloadit card, which I have never used and now know is not traceable. So I went out and bought one and paid them over the phone. The next thing I know I get an email from them saying I need to pay $645 for pet travel insurance or they will not ship the dog.
We got suspicious here and decided to do more digging through the BBB. In order to do a search on the BBB you have to know the companies zip code. I contacted the shipping company Pets Uship and told them I needed it, but they refused to give it to me. They told me they needed to be in business for 12 years to have a BBB accreditation (not true). I called the BBB and gave them the companies phone number 315-675-7793 and 800 632 6874, 800 254 5521 which is out of Cleveland NY. They are not listed with the BBB. I found out the shipping company is located in Australia so you can't make a complaint with the BBB. I then checked with the AKC to see if they had a breeder in California by the name Long J Westerfield or JCB Bulldogs at jcbbulldogs.com They don't.
My husband contacted the breeder and told him we don't wish to use that shipping company and had arranged different travel arrangements and that we needed his address so we could finalize shipment of the puppy. We have never heard from him again. When my husband spoke with him on the phone he noted that he had an unusual accent. Also, his phone number came up as AR (Arkansas) and he is supposed to be in San Jose, CA. My husband asked him about this and he said he got the phone when he lived in AR but has kept it since he relocated. [email protected] 501-570-6778
We contacted Pets Uship http://www.pets-uship.com/index.html and told them we want a refund for the $250 and they said sure. Of course, we never saw that money and they have not contacted us again.
The BBB and the AKC are now aware of these people.
By the way, I tried to contact Reloadit card to notify them of the fraud and recover our money. They are supposed to have a live person there to speak to during business hours but I tried and tried and just kept getting disconnected. I didn't fare any better on their website.
