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  • WillsC
    Admin / Owner
    • Feb 2015
    • 4949

    #26
    It is simply a scam.......I do believe he started out with the intention to ship, he needed money badly and saw a way to get it. I was fooled also, at the start I thought he was a decent person. This is nobodies fault but his yet he blames everyone but himself. I mean wrap your head around this..........He was preselling plants of varieties in many cases that he did not even HAVE then using YOUR money to buy cuttings of those varieties from myself and others. He used your money to fuel his collection while all the while telling people he was doing this to help people. So his plan was to sell you trees.......use your money to buy cuttings of those varieties............root them...........grow them out to a size where he could take 50 cuttings of that tree...........root those..............grow them out to a size they could be shipped.............all of that in 6 months? He KNEW that would not work so he was stealing your money, period. It was criminal. All we can do at this point is try to keep him from stealing from more people.

    To do so........

    call Paypal at 1 888-221-1161 Tell them [email protected] was his old paypal address and that he was banned from Paypal for fraud and that he is now back using [email protected] as his new Paypal payment address and that he has defrauded 100's of people with Paypals help and demand they terminate his new account.

    Each time he pops up with a new Paypal address we report it and we repeat. I just got off the phone with Paypal, I have done my part.

    If you call their customer service number 1 888-221-1161, it will walk you through and give you an automated response pulled from a database. Just say no to each one. It will then ask you to describe your issue simply say 'Agent'. Then it will connect you to a REAL person after a couple more questions, explain the problem to the real person and they will transfer you to the right department. When you call if they are busy you can have them call you back and they tell you approx when they will call back. In my case they called back 37 minutes later. Good system and you don't have to wait on hold.

    Comment


    • BrooklynMatty
      BrooklynMatty commented
      Editing a comment
      just did my part, they said they "took care" of that account already so he might be banned now.
  • samsaraedu
    Senior Member
    • Aug 2017
    • 163

    #27
    I commend you for taking a stand and explaining everything clearly so there is no question of your actions being justified.

    I support this forum more than I did the other one. Thank you
    Zone 7 NYC

    Comment


    • Rafaelissimmo
      Rafaelissimmo commented
      Editing a comment
      Hi Samsara! Hope you are well.
  • Garlic_Mike
    Fig Phenom
    • Dec 2015
    • 1547

    #28
    For those past 180 days

    Paypal will "persue" a refund after you file
    a dipute with your bank for items not recieved.

    Bank goes after PP, PP after James. Will take a while. I laid out the scenario and circumstance, liability and their failings here. If they were honest when I called months ago, it would have fallen into the 180 days but it was like reasoning with a politician.

    The Feds will probably have him before the refund, but it is on record, for what it is worth.

    Comment

    • adipose
      Member
      • Sep 2016
      • 53

      #29
      Just FYI, I filed a dispute with PayPal who refused based on 180 days. I then filed with BofA who contacted PayPal. PayPal confirmed the charges were good. BofA denied my claim (3 separate times). So, mileage may vary...

      Comment

      • WillsC
        Admin / Owner
        • Feb 2015
        • 4949

        #30
        Complain to Godaddy they host his domain, call them or email at [email protected]

        Complain to Blooger here https://productforums.google.com/for...!forum/blogger they host his site. Make a post in the help forum. Their report an issue system is useless for this as there is no option for crooked sites.

        Comment

        • BigO
          Junior Member
          • Oct 2017
          • 16

          #31
          For what is worth, I placed a new order for James 7 gallon Figs. He refunded me the money because he said his inventory/accounting system wasn't set up right and informed when to place the order again. I genuinely don't believe James is looking to steal money, I just feel he was in over his head with the whole fig cuttings to viable plants project. I am not here to ruffle feathers I understand a lot of people's frustrations.

          Comment

          • WillsC
            Admin / Owner
            • Feb 2015
            • 4949

            #32
            Originally posted by BigO View Post
            For what is worth, I placed a new order for James 7 gallon Figs. He refunded me the money because he said his inventory/accounting system wasn't set up right and informed when to place the order again. I genuinely don't believe James is looking to steal money, I just feel he was in over his head with the whole fig cuttings to viable plants project. I am not here to ruffle feathers I understand a lot of people's frustrations.
            I agree with you, at the start of all this he had good intentions but he did not start this to help anyone, he was desperate for cash and saw a way to get it.........but greed does things to people and James crossed over from "in over his head" to dishonest and a crook long long ago. He has destroyed his reputation, it is just a sad situation.

            Comment

            • Tony Brown
              Banned
              • Jun 2017
              • 15

              #33
              At some point we just all have to agree to disagree and move on.

              Comment

              • Taverna78
                Vetern Member Fabio
                • Mar 2015
                • 4474

                #34
                Way to put that one to bed🤥🙊
                Zone 5 Chicago IL Wish list:
                1) Rest peacfully Amico Bello Buddy 👼🏼.
                2) This weeks ebay auctions.

                Comment

                • MattCDA
                  • Aug 2017
                  • 25

                  #35
                  I am so thankful for posts like this, why? Because I was actually planning an order from there. Emphasize WAS.... whew! Anyway, I like reading about figs too. But the title: Im DONE with this whole figcuttings.com scam,

                  Kinda makes it clear what it is about.....right? Probably not about figs. But don't worry, there are 100's more posts about figs. Although this post is about figs, the getting of figs.....or rather lack of getting in reality.

                  I like reading about figs, then getting figs (then eating said figs). That is the point, IMO.....this post supports what we are all looking for, the getting of what we are talking/reading about. I see it as a warning from someone not afraid of telling me the truth, Thanks, MattCDA
                  WL Sodus Sicilian, MBVS, Laradek's Brown Turkey, Improved Celeste, Green Michurinska, Ronde De Bordeaux, Nordland, Brooklyn White. NERO600 DONE! (THX BILLBOARD) AND FLOREA DONE! (THX Zone5figger)

                  Comment

                  • Robert_K
                    Member
                    • Aug 2016
                    • 96

                    #36
                    "For him to say well I need the new money to send out the old orders.." a Ponzi scheme. It might appear there Paypal related e_mail "greenmadoff@gmail " (a joke)
                    Figs, Jujubas, Persimons, Paw Paw, Mullberries, Chestnuts, Cherry trees.

                    Comment

                    • WillsC
                      Admin / Owner
                      • Feb 2015
                      • 4949

                      #37
                      Originally posted by Tony Brown View Post
                      At some point we just all have to agree to disagree and move on.
                      He is still taking money from people and has not shipped the plants and cuttings that he owes from two years ago nor has he returned the money he has stolen so this is an ongoing scam and not time to "move on".

                      Comment


                      • lewi
                        lewi commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Amen
                    • ramv
                      Fig Phenom
                      • Apr 2017
                      • 3279

                      #38
                      BigO,
                      Welcome to ourfigs. It looks like you dont have any other posts here. Can you share a bit about yourself?
                      Best regards.

                      Comment

                      • tyro
                        Senior Member
                        • Feb 2015
                        • 231

                        #39
                        Amusing subject if you haven't orders hanging with no recourse.Let me think?Ship delayed orders or heat the hoop house's?Is it that time again?
                        James couldn't define "ethics" if you placed the definition in bold print 6" from his face.
                        Paul Robert,Simi Valley,Ca. 9b

                        Comment

                        • drew51
                          Fig Phenom
                          • Nov 2015
                          • 1600

                          #40
                          I'm so tired of this subject and find the thread far from helpful. Disruptive at best.

                          Comment


                          • Taverna78
                            Taverna78 commented
                            Editing a comment
                            VERY SO AGREED! Time to remove the thread. It’s like politics and religion.

                          • Ortegojeffrey
                            Ortegojeffrey commented
                            Editing a comment
                            If you don't like it, don't click the thread and read it... simple enough, right?
                        • figwood1
                          Veteran
                          • Jul 2016
                          • 584

                          #41
                          I was a supporter at first I ordered in early 2016. If I'm honest with my self though. He took money for plants he took it for shipping. That money should have covered it all. None were high dollar trees he could have sent out small rooted cuttings easily and made money still. His defense is I needed the money for other stuff. I'm sure bank robbers need the money too. If he needed his business funded he should have said that. I'm done telling my self lies to justify his taking the money! I did call PayPal they gave me the run around again. Guess I'll be looking for those cuttings of the trees I ordered this fall. At least if he would have robbed a bank we would have been federally insured :-)

                          Comment

                          • BigO
                            Junior Member
                            • Oct 2017
                            • 16

                            #42
                            Originally posted by ramv View Post
                            BigO,
                            Welcome to ourfigs. It looks like you dont have any other posts here. Can you share a bit about yourself?
                            Best regards.
                            I did reply to this, but I guess my post was deleted. I hope you caught it earlier.

                            Comment

                            • hammerwood
                              Senior Member
                              • Sep 2015
                              • 110

                              #43
                              Wow, I guess I’m one of the lucky ones because I got my money back from James. It was a while ago and I guess before the roof finally fell in on him. There is only one reason to go into business and that is to make a profit. I kind of thought James was doomed from the beginning because I didn’t think he had a clear understanding of his costs and time requirements. I think he found himself working long days with nothing to show for it. The hole he originally dug just kept getting deeper. Sorry to hear some of you got stiffed.
                              Rick - Port Isabel, Texas / zone - 10a

                              Comment

                              • P450
                                • May 2016
                                • 4

                                #44
                                So I guess I'm not the only one to be scammed it seems... 1 year ago I placed an order for 3 figo preto cuttings in Oct 2016, I thought this was an incredible deal. Time went by and no delivery, then came the excuses, and now I can't even get a response from James Sperman. I saw a post on here about calling the St George Police Dept at 785-457-3353 and I spoke to an officer named Justin Mcmutt and explained my complaint. He said he would drive over to talk with James Sperman but to take further action I would have to file a complaint with local law enforcement in my local jurisdiction in Fl which would then reach back to Justin's jurisdiction and further the process against James Sperman. I also called paypal and filed a complaint against him which they said would inititiate an investigation. Reading many other complaints about this scam from others on this forum is disheartening. I would appreciate it if others could reply to this post on how they were scammed and by how much so we could consolidate info as to the degree and size of scam, me personally it was 60$. My cousin is a lawyer in NY and also an avid fig collector and with enough response I think he would love to get involved.

                                Thanks,

                                Joe

                                Comment


                                • Ortegojeffrey
                                  Ortegojeffrey commented
                                  Editing a comment
                                  Everything you are discussing has already been fully discussed and solutions have been made. Just read the entire thread, not just the 2-3 most recent posts. Your talking about local police and all this, the procedure has been in place for months now. The state attorney has had an ongoing investigation for months. It's all contained in this thread, just read further up.
                              • YATAMA
                                Fig Phenom
                                • Sep 2017
                                • 4572

                                #45
                                Regrettable but interesting info.I am hearing comments here from several people who say they ordered and received nothing,What I do not know is how many if any DID receive their orders.Local cop will not be effective,he visits "local boy" who shows extensive fig patch and says"heres what I'm growing to satisfy my orders,y'know how farmin' is sometimes crops are a bit late,I will ship when plants are ready", cop goes back to HQ by way of krispy kreme.
                                Lawyer friend in NYC knows bringing civil action against anyone who lacks significant assets is called"recovery proof"
                                only assets we believe are in KS are a couple hoop greenhouses full of containerized figs growing on someone else's property.maybe small bank account.
                                Any state officer investigating would face same presentation local cop received,AND would not have hard data as to EXACT EXTENT of "failure to deliver product".State agency probably has only heard from handful of ardent and rightfully militant complainants.

                                To get action state agency would need a list of as many persons who did not receive orders with date order was placed ,how many plants, and total each complainant paid for undelivered product.

                                This data would be readily collectable and tabulated if:
                                A NEW THREAD WERE INITIATED ON THIS FORUM SOLICITING ONLY THE THREE BITS OF DATA REFERENCED ABOVE WITH THE FORUM NAME OF COMPLAINANT.Thread should NOT include ANYTHING else.Result would then be suitable for filing as evidence with state agency investigating,otherwise agency will have no info on extent of any problems with greenfin. However in the real world,most injustice is never revenged,or penalized.I am out 96 ,myself.But, having had far worse in my life,am simply glad I found you all here,as I now am overwhelmed with GREAT figs,and continuing figucation!
                                Z8A NC SANDHILLS

                                WISH LIST ZAFFIRO, THERMOLITO

                                Comment


                                • Ortegojeffrey
                                  Ortegojeffrey commented
                                  Editing a comment
                                  Everything you are discussing has already been fully discussed and solutions have been made. Just read the entire thread, not just the 2-3 most recent posts. Your talking about local police and all this, the procedure has been in place for months now. The state attorney has had an ongoing investigation for months. It's all contained in this thread, just read further up.

                                • blindesign
                                  blindesign commented
                                  Editing a comment
                                  I see nothing wrong with YATAMA contributing the above statement. It's no different than members complaining about Greenfin's treatment of our orders. Everything YATAMA has said about the treatment from local authorities is very accurate.
                              • Garlic_Mike
                                Fig Phenom
                                • Dec 2015
                                • 1547

                                #46
                                For those still seeking a refund this is how I did it after 180 days Refunded @2 weeks ago.


                                From an earlier post. Hope it helps.

                                #19 10-11-2017, 04:20 PM

                                WillsC,

                                I mentioned what you said the first time I called, about being postponed etc.. It was obvious the person was really not helping and ignored when I asked to speak with a supervisor.

                                After reading of crap cuttings today, I tried again. This time I started by saying how I had talked to my bank about the fraud. and that they said because the dates had been repeatedly postponed they should be able to reset the date of purchase. I also noted I believed the original account was closed for fraud, and gave the new/newer account.

                                I was transferred to security, where I spent 20 minutes on the phone to Ireland. In less than an hour the full refund was made to my account.

                                Make no mistake, I said the same things a week ago with no luck. I think mentioning I had spoken with my bank, and that I got transferred to the security division, made the difference. It could also be the person you get. The woman did tell me the people you are initially connected to, do not have the authority to issue refunds over 180 days.

                                My Pay Pal account is tied to a debit card which has less protection also, for those who did the same.

                                I asked if there was a reference I could use for others who have been affected by these circumstances and fraud? She said no, they are all handled on an individual basis and was "glad" I was persistent.

                                I informed of other accounts and after the money was refunded, I was assured the account was closed.

                                I was also told this by the person that was no help last week.

                                Now if there were only more squares left, lol.

                                Good luck all, Mike

                                Comment

                                • Tony Brown
                                  Banned
                                  • Jun 2017
                                  • 15

                                  #47
                                  I ordered cuttings 10/17/2017 received fresh cuttings 10/21/17

                                  Comment


                                  • unnie
                                    unnie commented
                                    Editing a comment
                                    Wow congratulations. Wish I could call some of the cuttings I got as "fresh". My whole order wasn't questionable just my most expensive cuttings and shipping. hm. Hopefully the cuttings are true to order! Only time will tell...
                                • Tony Brown
                                  Banned
                                  • Jun 2017
                                  • 15

                                  #48
                                  What crap cuttings ?

                                  Comment


                                  • Garlic_Mike
                                    Garlic_Mike commented
                                    Editing a comment
                                    The ones people commented on, in the thread this post came from.

                                    It is actually aggravating that he is still operating. I can't imagine the back orders have been filled.

                                    If they have been great! If they haven't he should be shot!

                                  • WillsC
                                    WillsC commented
                                    Editing a comment
                                    They have not been filled. I can't agree with his being shot though lol.
                                • arachyd
                                  Fig Phenom
                                  • Sep 2016
                                  • 1578

                                  #49
                                  They haven't been. I'm still waiting.
                                  7B Southern NJ
                                  Wishlist: Well Sweep fig cuttings

                                  Comment

                                  • raimeiken
                                    Junior Member
                                    • Sep 2017
                                    • 21

                                    #50
                                    A friend of mine told me a couple days ago that she sent him and email asking about an update on the trees she had ordered in the past.

                                    He emailed back, surprisingly. He told her that the trees will not be ready until next year winter! And if she doesn't want to wait, he offered to send her cuttings instead of the trees.

                                    Which she did agree on, since she's tired of waiting for the trees. She received the cuttings today with a few extras.

                                    Next year winter is waaaay too long. I tried emailing him about changing mine to cuttings instead also since I've gotten good on grafting over the years of waiting for my trees. but no reply yet from him.

                                    Comment

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