Craiglist people are nuts

[Jennasis]

More tails of woe from the CL community...though, I must say, I brought this on myself.

I am selling a horse for one of my clients, She is sick and unable to do it herself. One of the many places I advertise is CL. Gotta weed though the nuttys to get the legitimate people, but lots of exposure. So after about 6 responses from morons asking me to give them the horse for free or to accept close to nothing for it, I finally snapped. One person e-mails me in broken English (I honestly thought at first glance that it was a Nigerian scam. The language was so poor). She goes on about how she is a widower and has no money to afford our asking price ($1800 or best offer), and would I accept payments. No...no we won't. How I need to take pity on her situation and she's just a dental hygienist and can't afford insurance for herself and life is rough without a husband and she can provide a loving home and great care and that this horse is her dream horse (It's unrideable...unbroke, and she's never actually seen it. Just the photo online).

Note: I have received so many scam responses from CL ads that I can spot them a mile away. While her use of the English language was atrocious, this was definitely not a scammer.

So (mea culpa) I send back an e-mail saying that if she can't afford our minimal asking price or something thereabouts, she can't afford a horse period. WHICH IS ENTIRELY TRUE. But I should've just left sleeping dogs lie...

So I get another nasty broken English reply with her all in a tirade about how dare I judge her and she has SIX horses, an $80,000 horse trailer and FOUR horse farms that are paid for in full....hmmm, but you have no money to buy a $1000 horse? She hurls a few insults my way for good measure.

So I'm still thinking it's a scam or a punk kid or whatever and I go on my merry way only to find this morning that all of my ads have been flagged (removed) from CL. I have reposted them and they are flagged every time they go back up.


PLEASE, no lectures on how I should not have sent her the reply I did. I KNOW I brought his on myself by engaging this nutbag. But I just wanted to say that I HATE PEOPLE...sometimes. I really do.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

That really sucks! I wonder how she got you flagged?

 

[Aisling]

PLEASE, no lectures on how I should not have sent her the reply I did. I KNOW I brought his on myself by engaging this nutbag. But I just wanted to say that I HATE PEOPLE...sometimes. I really do.

Aw, don't get so worked up. Just try to laugh it off. Don't hate her. She tried to get the horse for free, it doesn't hurt to ask (although it takes a nervy set of jingle bells), and you said no. Don't let her spoil your day.


By the way, I can't stand craigslist...too many beggers on it that won't let up.

 

[Jennasis]

That really sucks! I wonder how she got you flagged?

ANYONE can flag ANY ad at ANY time. I could go in right now and go down the list in any category and just flag everything if I wanted to. CL is unmoderated.

I'm not mad about her asking for a free horse...wait..no...I AM mad about that. But I am MORE mad that the nervy jingle-belled chick is flagging my ads.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

ANYONE can flag ANY ad at ANY time. I could go in right now and go down the list in any category and just flag everything if I wanted to. CL is unmoderated.

I'm not mad about her asking for a free horse...wait..no...I AM mad about that. But I am MORE mad that the nervy jingle-belled chick is flagging my ads.

Oh well that is crap. Now you have a psycho stalker!

 

[agnes!]

IMO *she* is the one who should have all her communications removed from CL. And I don't get it...she's crying the blues about how she can't cough up $1800 (or LESS) and doesn't have any money
YET she has all this expensive equipment plus owns all this land with improvements plus she has enough money to feed & pay for vet-care for all her SIX horses?...wow and all this on a dental hygienist's salary too.

Sheesh, I want to smoke what she's smoking.

Though the thought does occur to me - why does she have four horse farms (ooooooo, all paid-for too) but only six horses? AND how in the world can she afford "all this" and yet she can't afford insurance for herself?

agnes!

 

[Jennasis]

IMO *she* is the one who should have all her communications removed from CL. And I don't get it...she's crying the blues about how she can't cough up $1800 (or LESS) and doesn't have any money
YET she has all this expensive equipment plus owns all this land with improvements plus she has enough money to feed & pay for vet-care for all her SIX horses?...wow and all this on a dental hygienist's salary too.

Sheesh, I want to smoke what she's smoking.

Though the thought does occur to me - why does she have four horse farms (ooooooo, all paid-for too) but only six horses? AND how in the world can she afford "all this" and yet she can't afford insurance for herself?

agnes!

I know, right?

 

[DWGal210]

She sounds like a nut. I'm sorry you have to deal with this.

I find it VERY hard to believe that someone with no insurance and no money has all of that stuff. IF she really does, perhaps she should sell it so she can buy herself some insurance. Just a thought.

 

[Jockaroo]

On the off chance this person (she/he) is legit, I would bet the first email was to play on your sympathy to get the horse free/cheap. I'm surprised she didn't throw in an ill child who's only wish and desire is a horse. When this didn't work, you got the insults and the "I can afford this horse; I have horse experience." If any of the latter email is true, and parts of it could be, then my guess is this person was trying to get your horse for nothing and then turn around and sell the horse for a hefty profit. Obviously, the person would need a way to transport the horse and a place to keep it had you fallen for the sob story. Sorry you are getting flagged.

On a more important note, I hope your client's health will improve soon. I'm sure selling the horse is hard on her.

 

[Darsa]

Holy moly, that sounds scarily like some of the people that call our office wanting to sue anybody for anything to get "easy money". I am VERY sorry you're having to deal with this. Is there any way to show Craig's List that this person is getting your posts flagged for no good reason, and asking them to stop it from happening? (sorry, I don't really know anything at all about CL)

for you!

 

[Jennasis]

Holy moly, that sounds scarily like some of the people that call our office wanting to sue anybody for anything to get "easy money". I am VERY sorry you're having to deal with this. Is there any way to show Craig's List that this person is getting your posts flagged for no good reason, and asking them to stop it from happening? (sorry, I don't really know anything at all about CL)

for you!

I don't think so. CL is essentially unmoderated and self-governing. I bit the bullet and sent an apology to this freak a while ago. I gave her the "you were the umpteenth person to ask for the horse for free/cheap and I just snapped. " blah blah blah.

Miraculously, the flaggings seem to have stopped. I must've put the ad up FIVE times today and each one got flagged. Then after I grovel to the loon suddenly their good to go.

I really HATE people.

The horse's owner has fibromyalgia. Needless to say, riding a horse (or even brushing it, handling it) is out of the question. She is so sad over the decision to sell it. The horse would be worth 3x's that asking price in a better economy just based on her breeding alone. I'm not even taking a commission on the sale. I just want to help her out. FWIW, I don't buy and sell horses...so not a horse trader. But I do help my boarders and students out when they ask me to.

 

[yoopermom]

I think you've really done a good deed. As a former horse owner (in an odd coincidence recently diagnosed with fibromalgia), I would be forever grateful to have a friend like you to help me find a good home for my horse.

And I know some "crazy horse people" who have tons of horses and all their "stuff" that still don't have insurance So it's possible!

for helping!

Terri

 

[locolala]

What part of NC are you in? I know some people down that way who might want to take on a project horse

 

[bballmom56]

So (mea culpa) I send back an e-mail saying that if she can't afford our minimal asking price or something thereabouts, she can't afford a horse period. WHICH IS ENTIRELY TRUE.

I would have said the same thing. I see it all the time. Good grief, the cheapest thing about a horse is the purchase price. It's the maintenance, vet bills, shoeing, dentist, etc. that really costs! If she can't afford a one time $1800, she can't afford the horse. I think the rest of her story was full of holes - yeah, right, 4 horse farms, $80,000 trailer (hmmmm), 6 horses? Not buying it.

 

[Jennasis]

What part of NC are you in? I know some people down that way who might want to take on a project horse

I'm just outside of Winston-Salem. The middle of the state.

 

[Val]

You might want to explain to her that farms and horses on Farmville don't count! I am thinking those are the only farms and horses she might actually have!

 

[tuckerkeys]

why don't you try the equine marketer ( equinemarketer.com ) or dreamhorse.com? It's where I found my horse 6 yaers ago! good luck!!

 

[agnes!]

You might want to explain to her that farms and horses on Farmville don't count! I am thinking those are the only farms and horses she might actually have!

!!!
agnes!

 

[TaraPA]

You might want to explain to her that farms and horses on Farmville don't count! I am thinking those are the only farms and horses she might actually have!

OMG I was thinking the same thing! Better watch out, she may have put a hit out on you in Mafia Wars...

 

[SanFranciscan]

Aw, don't get so worked up. Just try to laugh it off. Don't hate her. She tried to get the horse for free, it doesn't hurt to ask (although it takes a nervy set of jingle bells), and you said no. Don't let her spoil your day.


By the way, I can't stand craigslist...too many beggers on it that won't let up.

Craig's List does give me the impression that it is a cess pool. A few people that I met at a Chamber of Commerce meeting were using it to look for a job. I went in and looked at the supposed jobs advertised there. Over and over I saw advertisements that looked like scams to me.

I cruised on in to the discussion boards on a day off when it was raining and I was bored. It appeared that the section supposedly put there so that people could socialize was filled primarily with people insulting each other.