Breeder fraudulent, avoided me after sale & threatened to kill me! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

pauldo · 03-31-2006, 06:13 AM

Breeder: Cissye(Merri) Chaffin
Chaffin Raised Kennel (Atoka, Oklahoma)

I’ve noticed other YT members sharing stories about unethical breeders, so I thought I might as well share my bad experience.

Last fall I was looking for a small male terrier (2-3 lb.) to breed with my female terrier and use as a stud dog. I could only find 4-5 lb. males in my area of Canada, so I went looking on the internet. (I had purchased 2 yorkies in the past and things went smoothly during and after the sale – so I was pretty trusting). I fell in love with a male yorkie advertised on www.yorkiebabypup.com (Chaffin Raised Kennel). Advertised as 13 oz. at 7 weeks, it was the smallest and was the most expensive male they had (out of about 10 male puppies). ($1500 US) The breeder, Cissye Chaffin told me the puppy was the smallest in the litter, one of the smallest males they ever had and mentioned several times how the dad was 2 ½ pounds. (I was told mom was 5 lbs.). She discussed how she thought the puppy would be small like the dad (I did the 3x 8week weight and sure enough it worked out to a 2-3 pound adult). He was adorable, the right size and I bought him. There were some red flags at this point already that should have made me suspicious:

1.Cissye sent me the 8week old pup on a 12 hour journey to Canada (now I know that the tiny yorkies need to stay with their mom much longer before attempting such a flight)
2.Cissye didn’t show me a picture of the mom (just the adorable 2 ½ pound dad) even though I asked for a picture.
3.She had about 20 yorkie pups at that time for sale, and also maltese and brussels griffin pups (does this mean it was a puppy mill?)
4.She didn’t ask me any questions to qualify if the puppy was going to a good home or what I planned on doing with him.

Well I got the puppy – he was adorable like all yorkie pups – but seemed just as big as my five pound yorkies had at 8 weeks. Plus he had these huge paws. My husband immediately told me that the puppy was not going to be a tiny adult. We weighed him and it appeared he had almost doubled his weight in about a week (now was 1 ½ lbs.). I emailed Cissye letting her know that the puppy was cute but why was he so big? Cissye always emailed back quickly b/f the sale, now I waited 3 days with no reply.

Finally I got a hold of her by phone but she couldn’t talk b/c she had a migraine. She told me to phone the next day. I did, but she told she hadn’t had time to look at his weight chart, and that her husband would phone me (he never did). She also told me to buy some stuff from Walmart to deworm him b/c maybe he was full of worms and that was why he was so heavy. My vet rolled her eyes about that one and questioned the puppy’s rapid growth as well?

By now I was becoming suspicious -- they were avoiding me, and the puppy was not the small puppy they had promised and that I had payed extra for. I again looked at the date that their ad first ran on the internet and the date of the puppy’s birth and realized that the puppy was actually 5 weeks old (and not 7 weeks as they claimed) when he was 13 oz. I recalculated his adult weight and discovered his adult weight could reach the 5 lb. range (5 lb. male dogs are $800 in Canada – I paid $1500 U.S. and with shipping, exchange etc. the puppy cost me $2300!!!).

I emailed the Chaffins again stating that I now realized they had given me false information and that I wanted to pay for what I had actually gotten (i.e. I wanted a partial refund). I did not want to exchange the puppy b/c at this point I didn’t trust them: they already had my money, and now I was going to send back the dog??? Plus Cissye had originally told me that it was the smallest male they ever had. So how could they send me a smaller one? Also I didn’t want to put this puppy back on a 12 hour plane ride ( he had arrived with runny eyes, a cough, a horrible smell that lasted weeks, and was diagnosed with an ear infection). I told the Chaffins that if they refused to reply I would report their fraudulent actions to the AKC. Again they did not reply.

I waited a couple days – got up my courage and phoned them again – Cissye was abrupt and told me she didn’t take kindly to threats. Her husband grabbed the phone from her and started yelling at me and verbally abusing me. He kept yelling “WHAT DO YOU WANT” but wouldn’t let me talk. He told me I was nothing but a complainer, a scam artist like all the other scam artists they have to deal with and that I was lucky I didn’t live close by, that I was force feeding the dog, that I knew nothing about yorkies, and that $1500 was the going price for yorkies in the U.S. and that he could have charged me more. When I realized I was getting no where with him, I said I would exchange the pup (didn’t want to do this but didn’t know what else to say) but I asked that they pay for the shipping, since it was their false information that caused the reason for the return. Mr. Chaffin refused. I then asked him to at least split the cost b/c in Can. $ it was going to cost me another $600 to send the puppy back and receive another one. Again he refused to help out and said it wasn’t his fault the Canadian currency was so rotten. At this point I was so frustrated, overwhelmed, and feeling victimized that I started to cry. Mr. Chaffin told me he had better things to do with his time then listen to me cry. I finally lost it, swore at him (I never swear), and told him I was reporting their service to appropriate organizations. It was then that Mr. Chaffin told me that when he comes to Canada to go hunting he’s going to coming looking for me with his gun. He then hung up on me.

On the phone, Mr. Chaffin was totally out of control and sounded like a lunatic. Since I don’t know him from Adam, I decided I should bring his threats to the attention of law enforcement agents. This incident has been reported to the Canadian police and Atoka sherrif’s department. They have dealt with this matter with Mr. Chaffin and commented that Mr. Chaffin to has a “I’m right and every one else is wrong” attitude. He was rude until he was told that a further threat would have him turned away at the Canadian border – according to the police office, Mr. Chaffin suddenly became civil.

When my male puppy finally reached 5 lbs, I got a letter from my vet verifying the weight and e-mailed a copy to the Chaffins letting them know my instincts had been correct, and that I was not the “complainer” and “scam artist” I was accused of being. I asked them one more time if we could work something out. They did not reply - I wasn’t surprised – they already had my money.

My male puppy is now six pounds – a breeder in my area told me to neuter him b/c he will be too big to breed with my 5 lb. female. I have debated selling him and starting over with a new male, however, I will only get $800 for him if I’m lucky. Also my kids have become attached to him, and he to us … Unfortunately I want to stay as a small breeder and I am not in the position to own terriers I cannot breed. I am now in a real dilemma.

One thing I’ve learned from this experience is that it’s not what happens during the purchase that makes a breeder a good, ethical breeder but how the breeder acts after the sale. In my opinion, the Chaffins just want to sell a puppy, and don’t care about the purchaser’s needs or the puppy’s well being. I’m hoping by bringing our experiences into the open, that breeders like the Chaffins will think twice before misrepresenting facts/scamming and abusing their purchasers.

red98vett · 03-31-2006, 06:31 AM

Oh my God.

YES...you were taken by a greedy lunatic....to tell someone go to walmart and fill him up with a dewormer is SICK.

I would report them to ANYONE you can ...PLASTER THEIR NAME ALL OVER THE INTERNET and file a report with the BBB...AKC and anyone else who will listen.

I don't have a problem with his size...thats the chance everyone takes when they have a preset notion....Any breeder, if unethical, can show you ANY picture of parents - doesn't mean it's for real

The first red flag for you should have been multiple breeds - often they are brokers....and some kennels filled with Multiple Breeds are just feeding grounds for all sorts of parasites.....you take a big chance buying from someone like this.

BUT...I sure have a problem with them shipping a FIVE WEEK old puppy and telling you to deworm him - that is just SICK.....

Poor baby - I hope he will find love with you ....but that breeder scammed you royally.

elegntorchid · 03-31-2006, 06:32 AM

that is horrible. i keep seeing more and more of these. makes me never want to purchase a yorkie without being able to go and see them on site. i think i will stick with locals.

rrosenberry · 03-31-2006, 06:39 AM

Wow, what a story. I don't think I could ever buy a pup that I have not seen him/her and his/her parents, because of this, Scammers can say and do anything these days, and do! As you know.
Sorry for all your bs.. but It was a learning experience,and I'm sure you won't do it again, I too would spread the word about these breeders to ANYONE who will listen,,and we always listen.

Jan L. · 03-31-2006, 06:40 AM

How awful. Those people are the ones that give good breeders a bad name.

Wish they were all locked up a small cage w/wire under them.
Sorry for you. Wish I could help.

AmandaG · 03-31-2006, 07:01 AM

This is awful. I sent you a PM.

rrosenberry · 03-31-2006, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam

Hey, Im just giving good advice. I wont be mean to anyone, I promise, anyway, I think the forum should be something else like about business and jobs and also importantly, about schoolworks.

My two cents worth my advice.

THEN~ that would be a business, jobs, or schoolwork, site, not one called YORKIE TALK!

DaisyMaesMom · 03-31-2006, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrosenberry

THEN~ that would be a business, jobs, or schoolwork, site, not one called YORKIE TALK!

Adam · 03-31-2006, 07:08 AM

Yes, you are right there.

Im just giving this guy an advice to solve his problems... Is that any sin by doing that?

And by all means, comments are welcome.

AmandaG · 03-31-2006, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam

Yes, you are right there.

Im just giving this guy an advice to solve his problems... Is that any sin by doing that?

And by all means, comments are welcome.

I encourage everyone to IGNORE this person, and get back to the POINT of this thread. He is obviously here to start trouble.

YorkieRose · 03-31-2006, 07:16 AM

You hit the nail on the head...it is how you are treated AFTER the sale that counts.
We, as breeders can have problems and make mistakes, but for goodness sakes fix it!!!
My best advise is to place your male and start again. I have yet to meet any breeder who did not have a number of false starts...sometime when you have a few hours, call me...I can tell you about all the dogs I have bought in 35 yrs and how many were real rip offs...LOL

Jan L. · 03-31-2006, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YorkieRose

You hit the nail on the head...it is how you are treated AFTER the sale that counts.
We, as breeders can have problems and make mistakes, but for goodness sakes fix it!!!
My best advise is to place your male and start again. I have yet to meet any breeder who did not have a number of false starts...sometime when you have a few hours, call me...I can tell you about all the dogs I have bought in 35 yrs and how many were real rip offs...LOL

Amen to that.

I know it's hard to give one up, but sometimes we have to.

Esp. when we are striving to breed quality Yorkies.

brosie1823 · 03-31-2006, 07:24 AM

I just wanted to say how sorry I am for everything that you have gone through. I live in Oklahoma, about 2 hours north of Atoka, and that part of our state is notorious for puppy mills and bad breeders. It's very unfortunate. If you need any help with anything here on the Oklahoma side, please don't hesitate to PM me. I hate to see people scammed like this.

Edited to say: I went back and re-read the website that they advertise. Unfortunately, they are in the paper every week selling anywhere between 3-10 yorkie puppies for outrageous prices (and maybe other breeds too but I never looked for that). The going price in Oklahoma is about $500-$1000 US for AKC registered pups with Ch. bloodlines (of course that is at least how they are advertised). There pups in the paper are almost always around this price range.

JeanieK · 03-31-2006, 07:43 AM

Well Adams life was short lived. Now maybe he can go out and get a real life.

chachi · 03-31-2006, 07:44 AM

I am sorry this happened to You. I think this is the worst breeder story I have ever heard. Both of my dogs are way bigger than the breeder said they would be and one I paid more for because she was supposed to be a tiny. We just chalked it up to a bad experience but I wont buy from her again. So other people have been through what you have to. I would sell the pup and start over.

03-31-2006, 06:13 AM	#1
pauldo Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 117	Breeder fraudulent, avoided me after sale & threatened to kill me! Breeder: Cissye(Merri) Chaffin Chaffin Raised Kennel (Atoka, Oklahoma) I’ve noticed other YT members sharing stories about unethical breeders, so I thought I might as well share my bad experience. Last fall I was looking for a small male terrier (2-3 lb.) to breed with my female terrier and use as a stud dog. I could only find 4-5 lb. males in my area of Canada, so I went looking on the internet. (I had purchased 2 yorkies in the past and things went smoothly during and after the sale – so I was pretty trusting). I fell in love with a male yorkie advertised on www.yorkiebabypup.com (Chaffin Raised Kennel). Advertised as 13 oz. at 7 weeks, it was the smallest and was the most expensive male they had (out of about 10 male puppies). ($1500 US) The breeder, Cissye Chaffin told me the puppy was the smallest in the litter, one of the smallest males they ever had and mentioned several times how the dad was 2 ½ pounds. (I was told mom was 5 lbs.). She discussed how she thought the puppy would be small like the dad (I did the 3x 8week weight and sure enough it worked out to a 2-3 pound adult). He was adorable, the right size and I bought him. There were some red flags at this point already that should have made me suspicious: 1.Cissye sent me the 8week old pup on a 12 hour journey to Canada (now I know that the tiny yorkies need to stay with their mom much longer before attempting such a flight) 2.Cissye didn’t show me a picture of the mom (just the adorable 2 ½ pound dad) even though I asked for a picture. 3.She had about 20 yorkie pups at that time for sale, and also maltese and brussels griffin pups (does this mean it was a puppy mill?) 4.She didn’t ask me any questions to qualify if the puppy was going to a good home or what I planned on doing with him. Well I got the puppy – he was adorable like all yorkie pups – but seemed just as big as my five pound yorkies had at 8 weeks. Plus he had these huge paws. My husband immediately told me that the puppy was not going to be a tiny adult. We weighed him and it appeared he had almost doubled his weight in about a week (now was 1 ½ lbs.). I emailed Cissye letting her know that the puppy was cute but why was he so big? Cissye always emailed back quickly b/f the sale, now I waited 3 days with no reply. Finally I got a hold of her by phone but she couldn’t talk b/c she had a migraine. She told me to phone the next day. I did, but she told she hadn’t had time to look at his weight chart, and that her husband would phone me (he never did). She also told me to buy some stuff from Walmart to deworm him b/c maybe he was full of worms and that was why he was so heavy. My vet rolled her eyes about that one and questioned the puppy’s rapid growth as well? By now I was becoming suspicious -- they were avoiding me, and the puppy was not the small puppy they had promised and that I had payed extra for. I again looked at the date that their ad first ran on the internet and the date of the puppy’s birth and realized that the puppy was actually 5 weeks old (and not 7 weeks as they claimed) when he was 13 oz. I recalculated his adult weight and discovered his adult weight could reach the 5 lb. range (5 lb. male dogs are $800 in Canada – I paid $1500 U.S. and with shipping, exchange etc. the puppy cost me $2300!!!). I emailed the Chaffins again stating that I now realized they had given me false information and that I wanted to pay for what I had actually gotten (i.e. I wanted a partial refund). I did not want to exchange the puppy b/c at this point I didn’t trust them: they already had my money, and now I was going to send back the dog??? Plus Cissye had originally told me that it was the smallest male they ever had. So how could they send me a smaller one? Also I didn’t want to put this puppy back on a 12 hour plane ride ( he had arrived with runny eyes, a cough, a horrible smell that lasted weeks, and was diagnosed with an ear infection). I told the Chaffins that if they refused to reply I would report their fraudulent actions to the AKC. Again they did not reply. I waited a couple days – got up my courage and phoned them again – Cissye was abrupt and told me she didn’t take kindly to threats. Her husband grabbed the phone from her and started yelling at me and verbally abusing me. He kept yelling “WHAT DO YOU WANT” but wouldn’t let me talk. He told me I was nothing but a complainer, a scam artist like all the other scam artists they have to deal with and that I was lucky I didn’t live close by, that I was force feeding the dog, that I knew nothing about yorkies, and that $1500 was the going price for yorkies in the U.S. and that he could have charged me more. When I realized I was getting no where with him, I said I would exchange the pup (didn’t want to do this but didn’t know what else to say) but I asked that they pay for the shipping, since it was their false information that caused the reason for the return. Mr. Chaffin refused. I then asked him to at least split the cost b/c in Can. $ it was going to cost me another $600 to send the puppy back and receive another one. Again he refused to help out and said it wasn’t his fault the Canadian currency was so rotten. At this point I was so frustrated, overwhelmed, and feeling victimized that I started to cry. Mr. Chaffin told me he had better things to do with his time then listen to me cry. I finally lost it, swore at him (I never swear), and told him I was reporting their service to appropriate organizations. It was then that Mr. Chaffin told me that when he comes to Canada to go hunting he’s going to coming looking for me with his gun. He then hung up on me. On the phone, Mr. Chaffin was totally out of control and sounded like a lunatic. Since I don’t know him from Adam, I decided I should bring his threats to the attention of law enforcement agents. This incident has been reported to the Canadian police and Atoka sherrif’s department. They have dealt with this matter with Mr. Chaffin and commented that Mr. Chaffin to has a “I’m right and every one else is wrong” attitude. He was rude until he was told that a further threat would have him turned away at the Canadian border – according to the police office, Mr. Chaffin suddenly became civil. When my male puppy finally reached 5 lbs, I got a letter from my vet verifying the weight and e-mailed a copy to the Chaffins letting them know my instincts had been correct, and that I was not the “complainer” and “scam artist” I was accused of being. I asked them one more time if we could work something out. They did not reply - I wasn’t surprised – they already had my money. My male puppy is now six pounds – a breeder in my area told me to neuter him b/c he will be too big to breed with my 5 lb. female. I have debated selling him and starting over with a new male, however, I will only get $800 for him if I’m lucky. Also my kids have become attached to him, and he to us … Unfortunately I want to stay as a small breeder and I am not in the position to own terriers I cannot breed. I am now in a real dilemma. One thing I’ve learned from this experience is that it’s not what happens during the purchase that makes a breeder a good, ethical breeder but how the breeder acts after the sale. In my opinion, the Chaffins just want to sell a puppy, and don’t care about the purchaser’s needs or the puppy’s well being. I’m hoping by bringing our experiences into the open, that breeders like the Chaffins will think twice before misrepresenting facts/scamming and abusing their purchasers.

03-31-2006, 06:31 AM	#2
red98vett Yorkie Kisses are the Best! Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Houston TX Posts: 33,590 Blog Entries: 1	Oh my God. YES...you were taken by a greedy lunatic....to tell someone go to walmart and fill him up with a dewormer is SICK. I would report them to ANYONE you can ...PLASTER THEIR NAME ALL OVER THE INTERNET and file a report with the BBB...AKC and anyone else who will listen. I don't have a problem with his size...thats the chance everyone takes when they have a preset notion....Any breeder, if unethical, can show you ANY picture of parents - doesn't mean it's for real The first red flag for you should have been multiple breeds - often they are brokers....and some kennels filled with Multiple Breeds are just feeding grounds for all sorts of parasites.....you take a big chance buying from someone like this. BUT...I sure have a problem with them shipping a FIVE WEEK old puppy and telling you to deworm him - that is just SICK..... Poor baby - I hope he will find love with you ....but that breeder scammed you royally. __________________ Villette, Chanel & Cheri www.DesignsByVillette.net Custom Address Labels and Note Cards using YOUR Photos! Just Click HERE!

03-31-2006, 06:39 AM	#4
rrosenberry & Bailey & Bella Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,164	Wow, what a story. I don't think I could ever buy a pup that I have not seen him/her and his/her parents, because of this, Scammers can say and do anything these days, and do! As you know. Sorry for all your bs.. but It was a learning experience,and I'm sure you won't do it again, I too would spread the word about these breeders to ANYONE who will listen,,and we always listen. __________________ Rhonda, Bailey, Josie and my angel Bella Rue' "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~Anatole France~

03-31-2006, 06:40 AM	#5
Jan L. Donating YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: North Carolina Posts: 547	How awful. Those people are the ones that give good breeders a bad name. Wish they were all locked up a small cage w/wire under them. Sorry for you. Wish I could help. __________________ Peace, Jan Click HERE for Photo Album

03-31-2006, 07:01 AM	#6
AmandaG Delilah's Momma Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,406	This is awful. I sent you a PM. __________________ Delilah loves Boss! Macey 12/18/04-12/05/05

03-31-2006, 06:32 AM	#3
elegntorchid YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: florida Posts: 348	that is horrible. i keep seeing more and more of these. makes me never want to purchase a yorkie without being able to go and see them on site. i think i will stick with locals.

03-31-2006, 07:08 AM	#9
Adam BANNED! Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Why do you care? Posts: 2	Yes, you are right there. Im just giving this guy an advice to solve his problems... Is that any sin by doing that? And by all means, comments are welcome.

03-31-2006, 07:16 AM	#11
YorkieRose No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: South Florida Posts: 8,577	pup You hit the nail on the head...it is how you are treated AFTER the sale that counts. We, as breeders can have problems and make mistakes, but for goodness sakes fix it!!! My best advise is to place your male and start again. I have yet to meet any breeder who did not have a number of false starts...sometime when you have a few hours, call me...I can tell you about all the dogs I have bought in 35 yrs and how many were real rip offs...LOL

03-31-2006, 07:24 AM	#13
brosie1823 Linus - Master & Commander Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Norman, OK Posts: 917	I just wanted to say how sorry I am for everything that you have gone through. I live in Oklahoma, about 2 hours north of Atoka, and that part of our state is notorious for puppy mills and bad breeders. It's very unfortunate. If you need any help with anything here on the Oklahoma side, please don't hesitate to PM me. I hate to see people scammed like this. Edited to say: I went back and re-read the website that they advertise. Unfortunately, they are in the paper every week selling anywhere between 3-10 yorkie puppies for outrageous prices (and maybe other breeds too but I never looked for that). The going price in Oklahoma is about $500-$1000 US for AKC registered pups with Ch. bloodlines (of course that is at least how they are advertised). There pups in the paper are almost always around this price range. __________________ Linus on Dogsterhttp://www.dogster.com/?150058 Lucy on Dogster http://www.dogster.com/?150061 Check out our bows! www.littledogbows.com Last edited by brosie1823; 03-31-2006 at 07:27 AM.

03-31-2006, 07:43 AM	#14
JeanieK Donating YT 12K Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Council Bluffs Iowa Posts: 12,552	Well Adams life was short lived. Now maybe he can go out and get a real life.

03-31-2006, 07:44 AM	#15
chachi I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 37,147	I am sorry this happened to You. I think this is the worst breeder story I have ever heard. Both of my dogs are way bigger than the breeder said they would be and one I paid more for because she was supposed to be a tiny. We just chalked it up to a bad experience but I wont buy from her again. So other people have been through what you have to. I would sell the pup and start over. __________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431 Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427