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thosedarnsqurls

Mr_Firefly~NEGATIVE

Oh boy, Am I battin' a thousand.

(This is my SECOND bum trader in about a month!)

I was kindly warned about this guy, via email, from fellow Gardenwebbers. Unfortunately, I shipped his very valuable box of variegated/pricey succulents BEFORE I read the emails.

He was pushy, demanding precise sizes and values, and got some choice variegates from me, WITH some pretty costly "Bonuses" I just had to go and throw in, too! Grrrrr!

Anyway, I'm pressing charges.

For any of you who have been PURPOSELY scammed or cheated, there IS action you can take.

It is a federal crime to use the USPS as part of a "Theft By Deception" Scam.That IS what this is called.

You can go to this link

https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx

And file formal charges.

This particular guy (Michael) has been getting HIS kicks (And rare plants) this way for awhile. It must stop.

I think I'll just being buying the plants I want from now on,......

Comments (10)

  • 18 years ago

    I made a trade with Michael sent him the first box and was waiting on my box then a week passed and nothing so I tried to contact him and he said that my box was was returned. well I got a little worried and ask him that if we should finish the first trade before we started another one and he was really rude. he stated tht the second box that he sent to me (which never came)he said he spent 30.00 to ship. I said I will gladly pay the shipping. I just would like to have the schick echinopsis that you promised me. which was 34 for the first trade. I never recieved ANYTHING from him. he is a cheater and a liar. I sent him pictures and let him pick what we would trade for I never mislead him at all. I had his other box packed and ready to ship but we agreed to wait until I recieved the first. Then he would not accept any phone calls or emails and brags about making 6 figure income and he doen't need our cheap cactus that we think are so grand.
    So PLEAE BEWARE OF THIS GUY HE IS BAD. DO NOT TRADE WITH HIM HE WILL TAKE WHAT YOU HAVE AND NOT GIVE NOTHING IN RETURN. HE ALSO STATE THAT HE HAS MANY LAW SUITS IN HIS OWN STATE AGAINST HIM FOR THE SAME THING AND NO ONE CAN TOUCH HIM SO HIS LAWYER AND THE LAW HAS TOLD HIM. I AM PRAYING YOU HIM HARD. GOD CAN GET TO HIM.

  • 18 years ago

    I too sent this jerk several cactus which were supposed to be a trade for echinopsis schicks.This was before Christmas.I got one box from him with some seeds and two small plants that were NOT what we traded for.
    He claims my boxes were returned to him not once....but TWICE.He then called my house and claimed he had shipped them "Fedex" this time. Again nothing came.Finally after SEVERAL attempts to contact him he emailed several very rude emails to me claiming nothing can be done to him.
    He has consistantly LIED.
    This person is someone you want to avoid. Dont send him anything but a pile of crap...you wont even get that in return. So far there are 4 people that I know of that he has ripped off.I'm sure he will change his name and try again, but I have kept his address in my file, so you can bet I will be checking closer about anyone from that State.
    It's a shame people like this ruin things for all the honest people out there.
    I'm sure his 6 figures is another lie as were all the others.I've kept his emails and there are alot of them in those.
    I want my plants back!

  • 18 years ago

    searching this guys name.....I came up with poizzuniv that was doing this very same thing back in May. So people need to keep updating these things.

  • PRO
    18 years ago

    ~~~~~~~~NEW DEVELOPEMENT~~~~~~~~~

    Mr. Firefly AKA poisunIV AKA POWDERTIGER is SELLING our stolen plants on EBAY!

    Many have already been claimed/id-ed
    See if any of yours are here at the link provided below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: PowderTiger's Auctions on Ebay

  • 18 years ago

    My two cents!

    I was ripped off by this punk last year.He's lucky he lives out of state and not closer to me, or I'd be at his door for a visit!

    I can't understand why GW dosen't ban this idiot. I know you trade at your own risk, but, when someone does this over crap over and over again and changes their screen name to do it (something I thought you couldn't do before)then he needs to go!
    Ebay should be informed of this jerks theif pratices as well. I don't know if it will do any good though.

    I hate this guy!

  • PRO
    18 years ago

    Greatigerdane,

    Ebay HAS been notified.( I filed the SELLING STOLEN GOODS claim, myself.)

    He has taken down the auctions on all the plants that people have laid claim too. Still 2 auctions up, but one already had bids on it and couldn't be taken down, the other, nobody has claimed ownership to, yet. He keeps writing me with his threats, saying he is not the ebay seller "Powdertiger" Just coincidence.

    As for me, I know I'm never going to see the plants he promised me, OR my own plants returned, as I asked.
    (He says they arrived frozen. That's why he doesn't owe ME anything in return, AND won't send me my supposedly "dead" plants back as proof, either.)
    Funny thing is, That Monday I shipped him his plants? RECORD BREAKING warm spell! All week!

    So now, because I've caused this guy so much grief, ruined his little "STEAL-N-SELL" racket? Tipped everyone off to him,......
    I get the great pleasure of being threatened by him.
    Yes. Michael is making it his mision to destroy my humble little mail-order nursery, now.
    He is going to take every moment of his spare time to bad mouth my nursery/me, to anyone who will listen, saying I ship dead frozen plants.

    POINT here is,...YES! HE NEEDS TO BE BANNED!
    He needs to be banned from Gardenweb AND all garden sites with tradeboards. He is a vile disease, spreading like wildfire throughout the gardening community.

  • 18 years ago

    thosedarnsqurls,

    Sorry to hear about what that idiot is doing to you!That tells you even more about that person doesn't it? I hope you will be able to block all his emails and threats.

    Selling plants huh? WOW! I had no idea that was going on!
    I was promised three nice size cuttings of three different philodendrons. I sent a 6" pot of a hard to find succulent to this guy. It wasn't a big trade, but when, you get ripped off, it's the same as if it was. VERY FRUSTRATING!

    I emailed him after a week of NOTHING in the mail and asked about my philos. He wrote back and said he didn't get his package either (liar) and that it should be arriving in a couple days. Nothing. Three days later I emailed again asking about the philo and if he got my package, he never emailed me back. I wrote a few choice words, I think strangle was one of them... Nothing!

    If all plant sites prohibited people who joined from changing their email address (unless for a VERY good reason) sites where people are complaining about an individual on "exchange forums" And ebay should boot cheaters and thieves off after ONE warning, no second chances, no questions asked, then we wouldn't have these problems which takes the fun out of trading for many.

    Ebay now has what I believe is a "new" forum. It's a list of "Bad Ebay Sellers" I recommend if anyone gets ripped off by this guy (sold your plant on ebays) or anyone else for that matter, to put their "Seller Id Address" on that list for ALL the world to see!The more bad, or neg list out there for us to use on these kinds of people the better!

    Look up "Bad Ebay Sellers List" on the web if you have any trouble locating it on ebay.

  • 18 years ago

    Do you have any updates for us? I would love to hear that a scammer has finally had to pay for his illegal dealings.

  • 18 years ago

    I was ripped off by this guy last year and glad to hear that something has been done to stop him selling these plants on Ebay. He probably sold my plants there and I did not know it.

    I have met some really nice people on this web site and done quite a bit of trading, but I reckon there are some dishonest people out there waiting to take advantage of others. Please pray for him and others like him.

    Annette

  • 18 years ago

    Sorry to say, PowderTiger AKA Mr_Fireflym is still on ebay. This jerk is still selling, saw a few cactus. wonder if they would look familiar? (No wonder people have moved away from that place) Complaints mean nothing I guess! The last transaction was May-11-08.

    Billy

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