Blacklisting buyers? Rant about a buyer

[Chickenaddict]

I had been emailing back and forth with a person who shall remain nameless for about 1 week over a serama cockrel I had on Craigslist. He wanted to meet up today to pick the bird up, he was about 1 1/2 hours from me. I gave him 2 spots to meet and asked which one then waited to hear back from him. I get a call from him at 1:30 telling me he was at one of the meeting places I had mentioned. I said I thought he mentioned 2 pm and never got back to me on the location he preferred. I raced to the car with said bird whom is extremely fleighty btw and took off trying to make a 20 minute drive in about 10 minutes. I get there and get out of the car to meet him and he had a cardboard box in his trunk. I said ya better tape it up or your gonna have one wild bird running loose in your car. I get an email from the buyer at 4 pm approx 2 hours after I had sold the cockrel to him. He tells me the bird flew out of his trunk and down the block and was now lost in the neighborhood, wanted another bird asap. Didn't wanna go try to catch the iny little guy who wouldn't survive a night in the wild, just wanted to cut losses and make the trip back to buy another one and risk the same thing happening even tho he was made well aware of the fact this cockrel was nuts and would make a break for it. Now I put alot into raising my birds, lots of hands on so this cockrel was used to me but not a stranger. The thought of that poor boy being out there scared to death all by himself is literally killing me, I am floored the guy had the guts to ask for another! I am not comfortable selling birds to anyone who could care less about them if they happen to get loose like that. It breaks my heart to part with any of the birds here but sometimes ya just have to and this is what happens, then the guilt eats away at ya

I understand things happen and birds have tragic ends but this is one WAS preventible. If the shoe was on the other foot and I paid good money for a nice bird I wouldn't just let my "investment" up and get away like that. I begged the guy to get out there with a few hens he could easily round back up and use them for bait but he just said ehhh he is lost, I won't be able to find him....

Am I wrong for feeling this way? am I wrong with caring about the homes my birds go to? How would YOU feel if something similar happened to you? Its one thing to loose one to a predator, or illness or what not but sheesh!

 

[HyLinda]

I would block his number from my phone - I'll bet your roo is better off on his own than with this no-mind. Don't even talk to him again.

 

[kla37]

Don't do business with that idiot again. What a schmuck.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Well, what if the rooster got loose on him and he couldnt catch it again. If the bird really didnt like him I dont think he would have been able to catch him anyways. If he knew that right off the hop he might not have gone looking and then asked you for another?

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

You have to think if he was really telling the truth... or just crazy. You warned him and he didn't listen - that's his fault, not yours. Don't let him convince you to give or sell him another.

 

[michickenwrangler]

It's the guy's own fault. There's nothing you can do. He bought a bird, it got away from him.

Hopefully, you'll hear on here one day, "Hey, I found a cute little serama rooster wandering around. I've named him Frank and wanted to know what kind of treats he might like?"

The rooster is obviously smarter than the guy, he may be better off running feral.

 

[Chickenaddict]

I won't be selling to him anymore I have made him feel guilty for giving up on the rooster and let him know I am not comfortable selling him any more seramas. One cold snap and this little now feral rooster will die

I thought for sure the rooster would follow the sound of chickens and go toward them and the guy could catch him that way but he didn't even wanna try. I know I shouldn't feel bad but I do, every bird I raise here leaves with a piece of my heart.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Did you ask him where the bird escaped? Maybe you can go catch him. But if you do, DO NOT return him to the person who was willing to let him be coyote/raccoon/wild animal feed.

 

[Chickenaddict]

I wish I could have gone over there and grabbed him but the person lived in a different state about an hour and a half away. He said it flew down the block, he went down the block, didn't see the bird so he went back home. He hopes the bird will show up in the morning, I think not as the bird is in unfamiliar territory. God I feel horrible. I didn't have a good feeling about this transaction to begin with and now I wish I would have listened to my gut and kept the bird back until I found a more suitable buyer

 

[SilverPhoenix]

I raise seramas, too, and this story makes me so sad and angry.

Poor little cockerel! It sounds like this guy doesn't care nearly enough about the birds he purchases and I certainly wouldn't sell any birds to him either. If I lost a bird I had just bought (or any bird, period) like that, I'd be all over looking for them and thinking of ways to try and find them, probably even setting live traps in the area, luring with hens and food, and so on. This guy sounds like he didn't have it together and is not knowledgeable about chickens and transporting animals.

for you, OP, I would be feeling awful if I was you as well. It wasn't your fault, really, but it's hard not to feel guilty in situations like that.