gmneil = scam artist

[cromag27]

after having seen @gmneil sell numerous "lemon drop" bubble tip anemones on r2r, i decided to order one from him. big mistake. what i received was, unfortunately, a colorado sunburst. he's assured all of us that his "lemon drops" are the "real deal". i hadn't seen any previous negative feedback about his nems and i know i've seen him sell close to a dozen in just over a year.

so now is a good opportunity to clear up some confusion on just what is a lemon drop bta. the very first one i saw was back in 2009 and it was from a wild caught shipment. back then i had my own anemone propagation business and i was cutting 100s of anemones a year. unfortnately that particular specimen perished. in 2010 i saw a few of the same looking anemones for sale on another forum and they were being called "lemon drop" anemones.

so what makes these different than a colorado sunburst? a true lemon drop has predominantly yellow tentacles and may have some green towards the base, and on the oral disc. the column and basal disc are red. a colorado sunbust can turn yellow under certain lighting (kessils) but the column and basal disc are purple instead of red. sunbursts will also have a hint of orange or red in the tentacles, whereas lemon drops will be yellow. just yellow. lemon drops will also not shift color.

So, next question.....are some people calling colorado sunbursts that are in a yellow phase, "lemon drops"? yes, it seems like it. is this misleading and just plain incorrect? yes.

i contacted the seller and advised him what he is selling is indeed a colorado sunburst and not a lemon drop. he claims he's never had a colorado sunburst and his are lemon drops. he also said he keeps them under "chinese" black box leds. according to a photo/video found on his facebook page, he actually keeps them under kessils. he also has several more than he leads us to believe, which is how he has had so many "natural" splits over the past year and a half.

I offered the seller a very generous resolution – refund $300 (i can get sunbursts for $200) and we’ll consider the matter resolved. As of today there has been no voluntary resolution on his end.

I hope the other buyers who feel ripped off by this individual will speak up. He is the type of reefer we do NOT need on r2r.

@CJ7 , @esongt , @tamu2010 , @m0nkie , @Akida17th , @mikeple , @mvm , @CFC_Surge , @TDO2525 , @A Reef Creation , @SkullV

 

[cromag27]

He conditions them under kessils so they become super bright yellow. it can take months before the color shifts under different ighting.

 

[hybridazn]

Everyone,

The staff of R2R understand the frustration when a transaction does not go well, but in feedback threads outside comments are not allowed. Comments are for the OP and the seller to deal with it publicly.

 

[gmneil]

well i wasnt going to comment on this at all, but since you want to publicly "attack" me let me just say this, i purchased a lemon drop anemone, thats what it was sold to me as and thats what i have, thats the only nem i have and sell splits of. i purchased mine with a receipt saying exactly what i purchased a "lemon drop nem".

i have a chineese led over my tank, thats what the mother lives under, as far as my mother she has never been anything but a bright intense yellow. over my fuge i have another chineese led and a kessil, when i get splits i move them from the main tank to the fuge tank so they dont attach to the rocks it makes them hard if not impossible to get off, this makes them easy t get out to sell. they dont live in the fuge and i have multiple people looking for them all the time so they usually arent in there for more than a week before they are sold.

as far as a video on facebook, that wasnt even of my tank and any "opinions" about that video are purely speculation, i made a video of an anemone farm that i found fascinating. not any where did it say or show that it was my tank, so your source shouldn't be making those assumptions. and neither should you.

3rd after multiple text messages from a group of people who seemed to be trying to gang up and extort me out of $300, by threatening me saying if i didn't give them $300 they would file paypal claims against me. by the way they also sent me screen shots of the whole organized plot against me. and harassed me with text upon text upon text contaning threats as well as other personal information that wasnt necessary. once the paypal claims were filed i followed the advice in the texts which clearly stated that if 3 people all decided to make the same claim against me then pay pal wouldn't believe my side and i would automatically loose, so they would let paypal handle it, so i gave paypal all that info, and on top of that the original lemon drop i purchased was done so on paypal, paypal sided with me. i was done arguing and done being ganged up on, as well as being threatened. i also thought it was funny how everyone wanted me to send them money back but keep the nems. a little fishy if you ask me. but i let paypal handle it.

lastly, i guess its impossible to make everyone happy, but all i have is a real 100% lemon drop nem and that's all i will sell splits of. i have sold splits as they come for 2 years now, and the only 3 complaints i have had have been from this group of 3 people. since then i have had no complaints, and many people who have purchased splits from me in the past have sent their friends and some have even bought contacted me to purchase 2nds and 3rds from me. i have had no issues since these 3, and since these 3 i have sold other splits all with happy customers. i would also like to add that one of the 3 contacted me just this weekend and extended an apology as he learned that this is indeed a true lemon drop nem. and i want to publicly say i appreciated him reaching out with the apology as it was reassuring to know that even with other people trying to influence decisions that the truth overcame that.

scam artist i have never been and never will be, and i would appreciate it if you watch how you address me now and going forward. it took me years to find my lemon drop and i am just happy to be able to get this nem out there so others can enjoy its beauty as well.

and i might add i don't try and convince or beg anyone to purchase these nems when they are available, but i do my best to make sure they get healthy, fully healed nems and i pack and ship to ensure the nems arrive safe and healthy to everyone who purchases them.

and as far as saying who belongs on reef2reef. who gave you the right to decide who does and doesn't belong on here. get over yourself. that's a pretty harsh statement just because you aren't happy for whatever reason doesn't make someone else a bad person or a scam artist.

never was i out to scam or rip off anyone, if you are looking for reasons to hate or discredit a purchase i simply suggest you don't make the purchase.

 

[cromag27]

Scam artist, plain and simple. and every time you try to con someone else, we will be there to properly inform them. you were fully aware these were not lemon drops yet you continue to sell them as such.

I've seen your receipt and all it proves is that YOU typed in that description. shall we get Josh's opinion on what he sold you?

 

[Tahoe61]

Everyone,

The staff of R2R understand the frustration when a transaction does not go well, but in feedback threads outside comments are not allowed. Comments are for the OP and the seller to deal with it publicly.

 

[gmneil]

Actually thats your opinion. Ask him for our emails. I talked to him about a lemon drop nem it was never called anything else. Or described or claimed to be anything else other than a lemon drop nem.

 

[gmneil]

By the way that was 2 years ago as well and you are the only person in these 2 years to claim it as anything else.

 

[cromag27]

The receipt is from less than two years ago. if I'm the only person to say it isn't a lemon drop, then you've been selling to some very uneducated hobbyists. not my problem.

 

[cromag27]

Now that you've been officially advised you are selling sunbursts, what is your next move? how do you plan on conducting yourself on r2r in the future?

 

[cromag27]

This sure is a lot of "natural" splits from one anemone....

3/29/15 - MY TRUE LEMON DROP FINALLY SPLIT SO I HAVE A CLONE FOR SALE
3/29/15 - thanks for looking,, nem is sold. i should have another split soon.. so feel free to check back with me if anyone may still be interested..
4/26/15 - well my true lemon drop nem split again a couple weeks ago it is all healed up and ready to ship.
5/5/15 - just sold the one listed. however i have a smaller split that looks like it will be fully split by the morning.
5/20/15 - currently all splits are sold, however the mother looks ready to split again in the very near future
7/2/15 - looks like a split will be ready soon
7/28/15 - i have another split for sale as of now
9/17/15 - i have 1 split available again
11/4/15 - i have a split that took place last week so i have 1 available if anyone is interested
1/28/16 - i have a split available again
3/18/16 - i have a small split for sale
3/22/16 - looks like ill have a split ready any day again

 

[Tahoe61]

No I am sorry but only post by buyer or seller are allowed.

 

[Tahoe61]

No linking to FB or posting of private communications. These are the same rules that apply to all feed back threads regardless of who the seller or buyer is. The point of the feed back thread is to offer your personal experience with either buyer or seller and find some resolution if able.

 

[cromag27]

Here's the "lemon drop" I bought from Neil. why is it half red? lemon drops don't change color.

 

[Gonzo]

I cannot find the original emails. but Neil did send me the paypal receipt where he put lemon drop nem. but I can not find the emails where I stated it was. But if Neil has that then I must have said it ? I don't recall ever selling mine as lemon drops, What I do know is at MACNA in Denver I sold around 15 sunburst nems. 3 or so went to NY with ARC. Now From what Neil has said is they called them Lemondrops, and in fact they where all sold as Sunbursts at Macna. So I am not sure if Neil put that in the receipt because ARC was selling them as lemondrops. Neil did state that ARC where in fact calling them Lemondrops. This is where the confusion may come from. I wish I had the original email. So I guess Neil is under the correct assumption that he did get a lemon drop. I just have a hard time thinking I said they where. So obviously Neil did think he was getting a lemon drop.

 

[cromag27]

....

Thank you for clarifying that you've never sold lemon drops.

 

[gmneil]

Cromag who are you to determine what something is called. I do not need your permission 2 sell something by the name it was sold 2 me as. I purchased a lemon drop anemone and thats what i will call it when i sell the splits because thats what i purchased it as and i have proof of that.

Who gave you the authority to say the name i am calling something. Which is what i purchased it as cant be used.

Problem here is i have proof and you are wrong to determine what i can or can not call what i am selling. If you dont like what i sell dont buy anymore. Plain and simple.

 

[Gonzo]

This thread is from Mar 2014, nem was bought in Oct 2014. I just cant recall ever calling them a lemondrop. I need the emails lol. When my site was changed to the new one so was all the emails and server. I lost my whole contact list in the move. over 2000 emails gone. 7 years of work poof.

I offered Neil to send back the nem today and I would refund him for it. He declined.


http://reef2reef.com/threads/yellow-sunburst.151927/

 

[gmneil]

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. AS MY RECEIPT FROM 2 YEARS AGO STATED BEFORE ANY CONFUSION OR ANY ISSUES AND BEFORE I EVEN KNEW OF THE INTEREST OF THESE NEMS.. I PURCHASED A LEMON DROP ANEMONE. AND CROMAG IF YOU DISAGREE WITH THE NAME THAT SOUNDS PERSONAL. BUT AS STATED I HAVE A LEMON DROP NEM. THATS WHAT I BOUGHT AND WHAT I WILL CONTINUE 2 CALL IT. DONT LIKE WHAT I CALL IT OH WELL. BUT I DO HAVE PROOF TO BACK UP WHAT I CALL IT AND WHY.

AND THANK YOU GONZO FOR CLEARING THIS UP.

AND CROMAG NOW I THINK YOU SHOULD CHANGE THE TITLE AS I HAVE NEVER AND NEVER WILL BE A SCAMMER.

 

[gmneil]

And yes i declined to send the nem back as i love it. Its bright yellow in my tank and beautiful. It suites the name as i bought it "lemon drop"

I have never had an issue with this nem or with the seller. Gonzo is a great seller.

And weather cromag calls it a lemon drop or not it is beautiful. So going forward i will call it. Gmneil's lemon drop.

Problem solved.