? on getting refund , if burnt - Page 1

friend and I were talking about how nice some gs pups were on the web/sites...a few questions that came to mind, when ordering a pup persay from coast to coast.....what if ?  the seller kept saying, forgot the papers and never sent them ?  what if, they sent the wrong pup that ya picked out ?   something was wrong health wise ?  the sire and dame on site are not the same as you were told.....my point is....has anyone ever had some of these things happen to them ? if so, how did ya handle the situation ? 
imo, the buyer would be stuck unless they had the funds to go the sellers place..also, wouldn't it be less stressful if ya only bought local or within driving distance ? thanx in advance for all replys

You're right. It happens all the time. You can read about it here on PDB. 99% of the time you just love what you wound up with and move on. It's not worth the hassel. I think Mystere posted a list of things to do to minimize your risk buying a dog posted here a few months ago. You could do a search and pull it up for reference.

Dog1,

I believe you are way off track here. There are certainly more deals done, that turn out to everybodys satisfaction, than the other way around. You just dont hear about the good deals as much as you hear about the deals gone sour.

gamekok,

It does not matter wether you buy local or from oversea or from one or the other side of the States, you can get burned everywhere. The trick lies to a mayor part on your side, do your HOMEWORK !! And then, when you have found the breeder of you desire, then comes the tricky part, you will have to esteblish some TRUST ! Not easy, I know.
The other mayor point is, get everything in writing, this will help if a dispute arises, but may still not be worth the paper it is written on. We read it on here on a daily basis, which is very frustrating and tiring by the way.

Beside that, the old saying remains : " A puppy is & always was a crapshot ! "
But you can turn the odds in your favour by selecting the right breeding pair, and doing your HOMEWORK !

Ulli

I'm a breeder and I have bought & sold dogs from this database...and I can say....I have been pleased.
You will find dishonest people EVERYWHERE.
Not EVERY dog that we have purchased, was EXACTLY what we expected......but overall, I cannot complain much.
There are respectable breeders out there....search for them.  "They do exist"....
However Dog1 is also correct......there are some cases that are pure & simple "scams".....do the research first.
JMO

Caveat Emptor!!!!

The whole puppy selection thing reminds me of the old military rule of "the six P's":  Prior preparation prevents piss poor performance.

I know of one breeder that has an incredibly good/liberal return policy, but he's in the minority.  Your pre-purchase research is vital to get a pup that will be a good fit to you.  One way to cut back your risk is to buy a repeat breeding of a particularly good litter, and even then, I'd try to see the puips interact so I can get the one with the behavior best suited to me.  The GSD that would be ideal for a 25 year old might not be quite so good for a 50+ year old.

I know a really experienced GSD person who went to Czechland to choose a puppy from a really well known breeder with a good rep. Because of the heat, the airlines didn't want to ship the puppy right away, so the breeder sent it two months later. Except it wasn't the same dog...or it had been starved, beaten, de-drived, and de-socialized during that 2 months. Either way sucks.

It happens to lots of people. I would NEVER get a dog from anywhere without picking it up myself. In fact, because of the legal ramifications, I'm starting to think I would never get a dog from outside my state. At least then I have recourse if something bad happens. I don't know what the hell the dog laws are in other states and countries, and I don't want to have to go to court somewhere far away, either.

Echo most of what others said... and also BE SURE that the puppy contract details exactly what is covered. and what the results will be.   For example... don't sign one that just says "Puppy's hips are guarenteed"... it should read something like Hip X-rays must be done by te time pup is XXXX age, and must be graded XXX by Pen Hip/OFA/OVC... if hips fail to pass this standard 50% of purchase price (or some other specific fully described exchange) will be returned upon Veterinary certificate that the dog has been altered/spayed.... Or whatever the conditions are that you agree to. Some breeders demand return of the puppy, others guarentee for "Crippleing Dysplasia" which again must be defined more completely by some standard.

Too many buyers AND breeders get "Stung" because contracts are poorly worded, and the conditions not clearly defined.  It's much harder to define "Show Quality" as some feel it's meerly an absence of disqualifying or severe faults... others want a finishable dog, or one which will Grade at least V or SG.  Again the manner of training, number of shows, necessity of a professional handler or not etc must be considered.  

I've bought or sold GSD's for over 30 years, and have been burnt a LOT more as a breeder than as a buyer.  One bitch I sold on a co-ownership, with a contract that SPECIFICALLY stated she was not to be bred to one particular dog as I knew he had both temperament and hip issues.  The buyer lived @ some distance... and went on to breed to that male, and sell the puppies. When I  refused to sign the litter papers they apealed to the AKC that my refusal to sign the puppy papers was a hardship.  AKC overruled the contract as the  paternity of the litter was not the question, and allowed the papers to be provided with just one signature!!!  AKC informed me that if I wanted I could file a civil suit for loss of $$ from the sale, as the co-owner also kept 100% of the sales income.  As my issue was more that it was an unsuitable breeding, and not  any conserned over cash... that did me no good.  After that I kept the AKC papers in my name until the terms of contracts were completed... I've also had my signature forged by co-owners when they sold puppies without my knowledge! 

I feel the same way as ( crhuerta ). I have bought and sold from this data base without any issues arising. As for buying a puppy locally or across the country shouldn't matter except that purchasing one locally will only save you shipping. As long as you feel comfortable with who you are dealing and you build that trust with the breeder than there shouldn't be a problem unless the breeder is pushing for a sale or a deposit than this would make me a bit leary.

there are good and bad breeders out there, i would do your research , get ref. and talk to people who have brought dogs from   which every breeder you are intrested.
 

i have  had good and bad luck with breeders, it does happen........

In 1993 I bought a GSD from a breeder, 18 month later they called me to have the dog,s hips XRayed as there might a problem, well we did find a bad hip but it was not bad,breeder affered another dog. I was OK with the one i had anyway seven years later when he passed away i went back to the same breeder for another  GSD, I had paid for the dog and when I went to Pick him up the breeder gave me back the money that i had paid him for the GSD in 1993. have joust bought my third GSD form Them