A woman reported she got burned when attempting to purchase a poodle through Nextdaypets.com.
A 60-year-old Ocala woman on Monday told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy she replied to an advertisement for a red miniature poodle on Nextdaypets.com. She said she spoke to a seller and they agreed upon the price for the dog. They also agreed that the victim would deposit into the seller’s account and pay the rest upon receiving the dog. The victim deposited the amount into the the seller’s account on Aug.15 and the seller advised that the dog would be at her residence the following Wednesday. The victim then advised that the seller, who is a go-between for the breeder, began to make excuses, advising the dog had to go to the vet and had worms. The victim and the seller began going back and forth over email and text message, and talked over the phone as well.
The victim then advised the seller she was tired of waiting and wanted a refund. The seller sent her a form that advised the deposit was non-refundable and the transaction could not be canceled. The seller later advised she would give the victim a refund and sent a form via email, instructing the victim to sign the form and return it via email to receive her refund. The victim advised she did not want to sign the form and told the seller to just send her the dog, but the seller advised she had already given the dog to another buyer due to the victim wanting to cancel the sale.
The deputy attempted to call the seller, but did not get a response. He then advised the victim that due to her canceling the sale and requesting a refund, the incident appeared to be a civil matter, according to the report. The deputy provided the victim with the state’s attorney general consumer protection information and advised her on how to file a report.