Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/05/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a 7 month old doberman from Cerberus Dobermans LLC on Sat June 29th 2024.
  I returned the dog the next day on Sunday June 30 2024 due to some unforeseen behavioral issues. Which the “breeder” agreed too.
  She agreed to refund our money if the dog did not get rehomed in a few months.
  It is now Dec 5 of 2024 and I do not have my refund yet.
  She just had a litter of pups 6 days ago and text me that if the dog does not get rehomed by the time this litter is sold then she will refund my money.
  
  That was not the original agreement.
  
  I have reached out to her several times over the last few months and she will not return my phone calls. Any text messages are usually returned late night when Im sleeping or the next day which results in me responding to her text, in which then results in her texting again late in the evening or the next day. So there is no progress being made.
  She also added tax unto the price a day before we picked up the dog. No mention of added tax anytime prior.
  I have spoken to 3 other reputable breeders about this, not mentioning the “breeders” name, they all agree, she should have refunded my money when the dog was returned.
  Do your research and pay attention to red flags when you see them.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/06/2024

  I’ll separate this into 2:

  1) Tax’s- ******* (wife) submitted a Application on 6/12/24, which clearly states a associated sales tax fee of 6.5%
  

  2) ******* also signed my Contract, which states “If, following receipt, “Breeder” decides to rehome the puppy/dog, “Breeder” may at her sole discretion elect to refund “Buyer” a portion of the rehoming fee after deducting associated expenses. “Buyer” acknowledges that the refund amount, if ANY, may be significantly less than the puppy/dog’s original Purchase Price. The rehoming fee is determined based on health, behavior & age
  
   - If “Breeder” elects to refund a portion of the rehoming fee, “Buyer” will be reimbursed AFTER the puppy/dog has been rehomed

  As a courtesy I waived associated expenses. I’ve also tried to place her in a timely manner, which unfortunately hasn’t happened, so instead of continuing to wait, I offered to refund once my current litter goes home, if she’s still not placed 
  

  - Per the Contract, their technically not entitled to a refund, but I offered it in hopes of rectifying the situation 

  3) Communication- I may have not answered all of ****** phone calls, but I have responded to every text w/ in 24 hours & have continuously provided updates along the way 

  - Screenshots in attachments 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/07/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  
  

  I will respond in 3 parts:

   

  1) To her point 1....Our communication with the "breeder" concerning final payment after the initial downpayment of $1000 has always been discussed in final numbers. We have always agreed how and when the final $2500.00 would be payed. Never did we talk about the final $2727.00. Leading up to the day before we are to meet to purchase the dog, ******, the "breeder" and I talked about payment options. The discussions were always about $2500, not $2727. Most, if not all, professional breeders INCLUDE the tax into the price of the dog. 

  2) To her point 2...The contract does not state ANYWHERE a time when the buyer would receive their refund back if the dog does not rehome. So, the buyer could potentially NEVER receive their refund if the dog is not rehomed. Keep in mind, we had possession of this dog for 24hrs. and returned her. 

  To her point about reimbursing AFTER the puppy/dog has been rehired and as a courtesy....Besides my above statement. The "breeder" has changed her conditions under which she will refund the money from rehoming the dog and refunding us to, homing her new litter that was just born the last week of Nov. 2024 then refunding us. This puts her well past her timeline of "several months" Her original statement was to refund the money after the dog rehomed OR several months has gone past and she was not able to rehome her. We are now 6 months into having returned the dog back to her.  Selling her new litter of pups was never part of the agreement. That is a new stipulation on her part. 

  - Per the contract, no, she does not have to refund us. But, she agreed to the day we brought her back. We had the dog for 24hrs. Unforeseen behavioral issues is a breech in policy/contracts. EVERY professional breeder knows this. 

   

  3) Communication...She has not returned a single call since July...JULY. We have agreed via text to times when she would be available to talk. I call, no answer. She texts another time that would be convenient...I call, no answer.  She has not called me once to talk. Not once. Even after she has returned a text, I call knowing she just returned my text...no answer. My phone and text records show all this. 

  I find this to be an extremely unprofessional way to conduct business.

  Fact of the matter is this...I purchased a dog, I returned it after 24hrs with the seller agreeing to the terms. Those terms have expired and are being further changed/manipulated by the seller. 

   

   

  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** *******
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/03/2025

  This is the last time I’m responding, as I’ve already provided ample proof & this point, it’s a useless debate in regards to proven facts:
  1) Final Payment- A application was submitted by ******* (wife) on 6/12/24 which clearly outlined all payments are subject to sales tax. I didn’t reiterate it afterwards, because again, it was already clearly outlined 
  Speaking of final payments, I also made it very clear that it should be cash. They repeatedly mentioned that they didn’t feel comfortable doing cash, claiming safety, so I made another courtesy (4) to help accommodate 
  2) Refund & Contract- My Contract simply doesn’t outline a timeframe, because there’s no way for me to predict one. As previously stated, if I didn’t have a interest in refunding, my Contract wouldn’t obviously offer one, nor would I personally go against it, to offer accommodating terms or courtesies 
  Said Contract also states there aren’t any warranties against behavioral or training issues. Our 1st meet & greet consisted of ****, ******* & some of their children at a busy park for about 1 1/2 hours. During this timeframe, ******** didn’t show any troubling behaviors. She was a little nervous w/ them, but it’s to be expected. Pickup was at the same park & pasted around 2 hours. Again, ******** acted the same. After they took her home & made claims, I didn’t question them despite said events & personally not witnessing claimed behaviors during her time w/ me (since 6wks of age) 
  W/ that said, I’m not implying that they’re false, as I personally wasn’t there. Instead, I’m pointing this out in leu of the behavioral & training warranty in my Contract, then making a courtesy 
  I made the offer to refund once my current litter goes home, if ******** isn’t placed prior, so the timeframe wouldn’t be prolonged several more months, which contradicts another claim 
  3) Communication- Again, my Application asks if they’re ok communicating via text, which was answered w/ yes. All pertinent information was provided accordingly. During phone conversations **** kept pressing issues, so I felt the need to not persist. **** also had 0 issues communicating via email, which arguably in 2024, is outdated & less valued than text. At this point, it’s just another irrelevant factor to argue over 
  Had **** decided to wait until the timeframe stated above (litter going home or ******** placed in meantime) these complaints would’ve be justified. The mentioned Contract also outlines that any disputes should be handled personally 1st, or it avoids the Contract. We can argue that **** tried doing so prior, but in reality a set timeframe was never stated on my end, again refer to above & previous reply w/ screenshots. At this point, I’m considering how to move forward. I suggest he/they do the same 
  

  - More screenshots included as proof 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/25/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  
  

  "This is the last time I'm responding".

   

  1) Final Payment response...Yes, an application was submitted. In that application under the "Pricing" box where you sign, it states... "Exact pricing will be disclosed prior & is based on the breeding..." We agreed on an "Exact Price". In her "Reservation Agreement" the reservation fee says..."Reservation Fee: $xxxx... Remaining Balance: $xxxx." I agreed to pay the Reservation Fee and REMAINING Balance. If the "breeder" did not add the tax to the final price, that is on "breeder". As a customer, I am responsible for the stated Reservation Fee and Remaining Balance. Furthermore, on the last page of her application packet it states "The reservation fee is deducted from the total amount." Her reservation agreement states the total amount. Reservation fee plus the REMAINING balance equal the total amount. If the remaining balance was a different amount owed, it should have stated such.

  Speaking of final payments...the Reservation agreement, on the first page, states directly below the PickUp Date..."Payment Method: Cash App." We payed the Reservation Fee with Cash App. The "breeder" had no objection to this. 

  2) Refund & Contract concerns...As stated in my original complaint. The "breeder" agreed to refund our money after several months starting on June 30th 2024. She does not deny these terms. They are in writing both through text message and email.  Read original complaint for any further info. This offer to refund monies after her new litter goes home was not offered until Dec 2. (several months later) and that "time frame' was Jan 13-Jan 20. Nor did I agree to it. Nor will she tell me if the dog I had is still with her, which is part of the original refund agreement. Nor will she tell me how many pups she has under reservation/still to be sold. Again, a break down in communication and further manipulating our agreement. 

  "If I didn't have an interest in refunding, my Contract wouldn't obviously offer one..." So honor your original refund agreement that I excepted. 

   

  3) Communication response...Her application does ask if the buyer is ok communicating via text, but, it also states, "Your welcome to call anytime." The unfortunate events that have unfolded require phone communication to resolve.   Again, no return or answering of my phone calls, even when text between us agreed on a time...several times. Yes, I started emails thinking my texts where not getting through to her. 

  Yes, we initially handled this dispute through negotiation which was agreed the night I returned the dog and confirmed during a phone call on Aug 8, and further confirmed through text and email. But once that "refund timeframe" was getting to the expiration date, communications with the breeder became exceedingly difficult and she made a new offer on Dec 2, via text, which I did not agree to. This new offer could certainly push us well past what the original refund offer stated. I will not state the dates for this new offer as those dates, based on todays date,  would have been exceeded anyway had I excepted it.  

   

  When a consumer has a dispute with a business and that business refuses to answer phone calls so the two partys can discuss/negotiate, a BBB complaint is going to get filed. No question about it. Funny how a business will ignore a consumer they agreed to refund money to (months ago) and claim the "buyer" would have been justified with said complaints if they did this or did that. No...YOU AGREED TO REFUND ME under agreed terms. 

  I don't care what a contract says or how many text messages or emails are going back and forth. Nothing gets resolved through typing. Its easy to avoid/deflect direct questions when reading an email/text (and not answer them). Adults talk on the phone to adults. Kids hide behind their phones and computers. We are both adults. 

   

  "At this point"...I've considered how I'm moving forward. I suggest she/they do the same. 

  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** *******