Last week things were happening very fast. I took John to KU Med Center for his surgical follow-up and an EEG. The third time we’ve driven across the state since November 18.
Right before we left, I got a message from a woman about a horse I had inquired about. She thought he was sold then the sale fell through. Was I still interested?
When I saw the videos of this horse, he spoke to me and I thought he was a lot like my beloved amateur horse Zandy Parr. Yes, I was still interested.
I called my friend and mentor, Tina, to get her thoughts. The reason the other buyer had passed was a joint issue. He’s 13 and any horse who’s been ridden much will have some soreness. Did she think it could be managed? It was agreed with some solid balancing work and nutritional maintenance it most likely wouldn’t be a problem. So, I committed to him. This was my intuition telling me it would be alright.
As I was sitting in the waiting room at KU Med Center we were communicating. He was in Columbia, MO and we would need to find someone to haul him to western Kansas. She gave me a quote and I might have been able to find a better price. It was worth it to me to not spend the time that would take so I agreed. Then she came back with a quote that was $150 less than the first. She said the hauler wanted the deposit by 7:00 that evening. I filled out all the paperwork while I was in the waiting room, but I wasn’t going to make payment in a public place. I told her that would have to wait until I got back to John’s.
We got back to Lawrence, got dinner, and went back to his apartment. I had messages from her and the hauler. When was I going to make payment? My feeling was that was a bit pushy. I tend to believe the best in people and was ready to make full payment. They insisted on the deposit and since I was using PayPal said to remember to do friends and family so the hauler wouldn’t have to pay any fees. So, I did. When I was doing that, to an email that was different from the hauler’s name or company name, I noticed the email address was unverified. That was a clue as to what might come.
He was still very pushy. Asking had I sent it yet. That was another clue. He was also supposed to pick up and deliver the horse on Tuesday or Wednesday, this was Monday. Another clue. When I had shipped horses in the past the companies always had to work to find a driver that could pick them up or fill a trailer. It never happened in a day.
When Wednesday came, I got a message from Ace’s owner that the hauler hadn’t picked him up. It had been my experience that they were often running behind schedule so that didn’t worry me too much.
Shortly after that, I got a message from the agent who had set up the sale and the hauling. She had been blocked by the shipper and couldn’t reach him. We’d been scammed!
I got online and looked up the company name on the contract. The company didn’t haul horses. They did haul equipment, lumber, and a lot of other industrial items. The contract had industrial shipping companies DOT number on it and a different phone number. I reached out to the email address that I had sent the money via PayPal and got no response. I tried a claim on PayPal to find out that there is no recourse when using the Friends and Family option. I had used my credit card and will file a dispute with them.
Then I got word that the hauler, who they had talked with first and had given the quote that was $150 more, would be picking up where Ace was being stabled still had room. I was given her number and told to confirm with her. When I did, she told me that she doesn’t charge a deposit because that is what the scammers do, and she didn’t want people to think she was scamming them. Yes, she’d pick him up. She was already on her way back from the east coast and would be picking him up on the weekend.
She called Saturday morning letting me know that she had gotten him, and we were in communication a few times more that day. He arrived about 5:30 pm.
I learned many lessons while buying Ace. The biggest being to not be rushed and listen to my intuition. Had I done that and questioned why we weren’t going to use the hauler who was already picking up at the farm I might not be filing a dispute with my credit card company.
Do you ever get rushed and ignore your intuition? The horses can help you learn how to slow down and listen. Connect with me here to find out how.
Trust The Voice Within.
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Onward!
