my brother got a buffallo awhile back. took to a taxidermist in upstate ny. been 3 years, can't get it back. he won't answer phone, ect. my brother even had a lawyer send him a letter w/ no response. what should or could my brother do about this. i don't think he should have to accept this type of bussiness practice after all, taxidermist charge good money.
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Seems like this situation comes up every once in a while. By chance have you tried to go to him face to face? It always interests me because it happened to me before I started to do taxidermy myself. I took a raccoon to a local guy, gave him 50% down and he said "see ya in six months". A few months later, I went by his shop and it was empty with a for rent sign in the window. I called the number on the sign and the landlord said he skipped out owing two months rent. I put on my private eye cap and started to track him down. Now I'm definately not a legal expert here and the laws change state to state, so I hope others will chime in. What I was told by the Washington state attorney generals office was that it was a personal contract between me and him. Even though he had a business licence and gave me an invoice. Also, the hide/horns etc. remain the customers property at all times, (UNLESS A LEGAL SIGNED AGREEMENT SAYS OTHERWISE), and as such they have a legal right to claim their property whenever they wish. Where it gets fuzzy for me is that the customer and a legitament business both have rights. Like the business is entitled to his money. A customer can't just say I'm not happy and not pay. Understanding all of it and especially enforcing it is the hard part. Oh for the days when a handshake and a mans word were enough! BTW I did get my raccoon and my money back and he's mounted on the wall in my den as a reminder of an exciting night of hound hunting! Good luck to you, Carl
You've asked a LAWYER, and now you're asking US? "Taxidermist charge good money" strikes a discordant note with most of us here. We charge what we've decided our own self-worth and talent to be. We simply provide a service, and like your barber who may be cheaper or higher than the one across town, we don't drag you into our shops. It's incumbent upon YOU to decide who's reputable and who's not. Your lawyer should be sufficiently schooled in who should be contacted in New York state to handle your situation.