Everyone in the pet industry is so nice, right? We’re all animal lovers!  So we tend to be trusting and flexible when our customers make special requests.

 Just this week we found out that we  were duped by a wholesale “customer” in Washington state.  This individual, a first time buyer, called to place a nice-sized order with us and she asked that we send it COD.

Just a week or so later she called back with another order. 

Just a few days later we got this long elaborate email from her indicating that her assistant wrote the check out of the wrong check book and the check was going to bounce.  Sure enough, checks for both of the COD orders bounced.

 Again, another long, very odd email was sent to us (See below)

We called and called… nothing. We turned it over to a collection agency.  The Customer said she was sending a bank check… which never arrived.

Well, just a couple of days ago we received her notice of bankruptcy case filing… so basically we’re screwed!

Lesson learned- unless we’re dealing with long-term customers, have personal references from reps or a credit card on file we can’t do COD for new customers.  Now we’re beginning to see why the big companies have to be so litigious about everything and all the annoying bureaucracy is in place. 

Certainly we aren’t planning on being that annoying, but it’s sad that there are people out there who will screw anyone for a buck.  It’s not like happytails is a multi-million dollar company. Here are stories of others who have experienced COD scams

The old send a box of rocks scam

Delivery man scam

You’ve won a prize

Bad cashiers checks

Anyway, please let everyone you know NOT to do business with this company

Shadows Gourmet Doggie Bakery and Boutique

They are claiming they are in Spokane Valley, WA but as far as we can’t find any reference to them except their own website and a bogus craig’s list post.

Here’s the email that she sent… seems very similar to those emails from Nigeria!

Hello, this is Jennifer Swaywith Shadow’s Gourmet Doggie Bakery & Boutique, we are new to Happy Tails and we have placed two orders with you.  It was called to my attention yesterday when I was straightening the receiving area her in the store and just happened to notice a company check that Sarah or

Salemdid not put away.  This check was from our old account.  This account is not active nor current, I kept the checks in my office safe to show the because for printing purposes sometimes they need you to fax the company logo so they can copy it.  I do understand how she could have mistaken the old ones for the current ones because they are both marble green with the same logo in the same spot and look exactly the same, never the less this has proven to be an extreamly embarrassing and costly mistake that should have been avoided.  Never the less I am presently schredding all of the old checks from that account.  Emailing all suppliers which were affected and seeing that payment go out for the supplies we purchased.  Please do not charge the credit card, as yesterday I made a quite sizable purchase on it for the store.  I am sending you a cashiers check for the total of the two orders plus any fee you may charge.  I am so sorry, Sarah should have looked at the account numbers, she should have never gotten anything from my safe in my office, and I should have distroyed the old checks as soon as we got the new ones and had the old account closed. Never the less I am out of the office tomorrow monday but I will be in Tuesday and I will have the exact date I will send you the payment or if you prefer I can make a deposit onto the credit card I gave.  I beleive that I gave you my visa, if I am correct. Anyway do email me and let me know the total of both orders and the charge for the checks and I will gladly take care of that immediately.  I am so sorry, this happened, especially to a new supplier. 
 

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