quote:

Originally posted by Linda Adams:
Wendell:

As far as a smear campaign, it appears that I have been smeared more than you in this situation as I have been verbally attacked, motives and character called into questioned repeatedly, even to the point of name calling by members of this forum.

Linda Adams

"I have been smeared more than you in this situation.."?

You're joking right? Your "smearing," is self inflicted.

Sincerely, thank you for posting your name with this thread. No I know a name to avoid having anything to do with, (professionally or personally,) at all costs.

Linda:

I've pretty well been on your side in this fiasco, but Wendell Reich has told you to print his "threats", thus releasing you from any privacy concerns. If Wendell Reich "threaten" you in any communications I'd like to see them, if not, then you owe him a serious apology for saying he did.

Wendell,

Can you call SCI to see if they know where the parks guy will be? Perhaps he has a meeting that they know of where you can track him down.

Linda,

Feel free to send me the three inches of paper work of which you spoke.

Brett

The African Hunting forum had a thread (Kathi) about the visit by Zim Parks.
Peter.

This thread has gotten beyond ridiculous. However I think there is more than one person to blame. I think Linda brought on a lot of the negativitiy against her in this thread. its been what 2 1/2 years almost three and she has no trophies yet. I definately see where she would be irritated. Heck I would of probably lost my cool a long time ago if it were me.
Wendall, or the outfitter or whoever is at fault here. Light a fire in somebody's a&* go do whatever the heck needs to be done and get Linda and her husband their trophies.

"Parks director-general Dr Morris Mtsambiwa said the delegation to the convention, which runs from January 21 to 24, would be made up of the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources, the Safari Operators’ Association of Zimbabwe and officials from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe."

Sounds like the SOAZ Booth is a good place to start.

And the beat goes on, and on and on and on and on.
I am wondering is the thread some kind of record.
I have heard of beating a dead horse but, WOW

I think the Hein thread beats this one hands down.

quote:

Originally posted by jeff h:
And the beat goes on, and on and on and on and on.
I am wondering is the thread some kind of record.
I have heard of beating a dead horse but, WOW

If it irritates you so badly there is a VERY SIMPLE SOLUTION. Don't open the thread.

it's like a car wreck..you don't want to look, but you just cant not look, then you wish you hadn't looked.

troy

My final 2 cents worth...Parks will be at the convention and hopefully so will Mrs Tariara Musonza from the reserve bank.

Everybody from Zim who is still waiting for trophies- especially out of Bulawayo- go and shout at the Director General.

A shipment from Harare can be done in 3 months. Bulawayo...even if the export papers are issued correctly (and over 10% have to be returned for corrections and another payment made!!!) then investigations want to inspect the shipment. This can take up to six months...

Pay the bribe? (which is after all what is wanted)- Not realistic in this place (they are asking US$200 at each step of the way) and not when there is such a mountain of backlog- some 2000 crates waiting to go from Bulawayo alone.

Parks already take 2% of your trophy fees as a new bit of extra income and fees for export permits have shot right up- Make the DG understand that if he wants your money then he must provide a service!

Oh come on Ganyana! It is obviously Wendell's fault, after all, he is in the USA and is on the Internet, plus he made money on the deal. Open and shut case. It is a sign of Colonial thinking to blame the Africans!
Peter.

Ganyana, 2000 crates? !! You know, my son and I are looking for a good buff hunt for 2010/11. The more I read about Zim, the less the politics bother me, but why would you hunt in a country, where you may never get your trophies back? Why the difference between Harare and Bulawayo[sp]? Can you have the trophies specified as to where you want them shipped from?

Mad Dog

Mad Dog

Harare is close to the seat of government and nobody likes too much slackness here- somebody might actually find the minister or chairman of the parks board. so Head office gets the export processing computers and programe first, head office has 6 staff...

Problem is- there are no taxidermists in Harare and head office refuses to process the export documentations for the Bulawayo based operations - it is too much work and would make them look slack.

Bulawayo had to get a computer donated by taxidermy enterprises, took 3 months to get th programme installed and have one clerk to do the work of 6.

I have one lion mount sitting in bulawayo - been there nearly three years- all paper work correct, no problems and export permit finally correctly issued, now just awaiting inspection .

When the client has forked out over 50k for the safari... at least he has been back each year hunting both with me and others and been to see for himself what the snafu is...

Funny he now just does NT elephants and I bypass Bulawayo

Ganyana,

are you going to be at the SCI Reno convention to take a bullet for your article?

Rich
Buff Killer

Ganyana has explained a lot. IIRC Dudley Rodgers hunts near Bulawayo. I posted elsewhere that I got my trophies quickly. I flew in and out of Victoria Falls. Maybe they do stuff better in Vic Falls than in Bulawayo.

If there is a lot of difference depending on which city you fly or ship out of, perhaps booking agents could tell hunters before they book. Or perhaps for a small fee the trophies could be taken to whatever city ships the fastest. Or...the client offered the chance to pay the $200 fee (bribe?) to get them expedited.

Just another way of saying the people who take your $50,000 should not ignore what happens when the safari is done.

I must admit that I have not read every post on this thread, but have been following it throughout its life.

Still, there is no way I can put the blame on Wendell.

Linda, of course, has every right to ask for her trophies.

Let us hope she does.

I talked with Wendell at the SCI Convention on Thursday morning. All of their stuff cleared African Customs Monday or Tuesday morning, and will be enroute by time you read this. I asked him if he was wearing a bulletproof vest, and he said "no" but they were screening people at the hall entrance. He seemed genuinely saddened by the delays, none of which he could do anything except complain (carefully) to the authorities about. They hand-carried all of the paperwork to the various offices in Harare to make sure it did not get on the bottom of a 36" stack by accident (read sheer laziness by the govt). There is one clerk who had to approve every shipment, and he takes long lunches.

This is going to work out.

Rich
Buff Killer

Well, Rich is paraphrasing a lot of his story it was good to meet him and we both got a good laugh when I invited him to step outside.

In a nutshell, the export documents were re-done, correctly this time, and now we wait on SOAZ to pay the fees (That is how it works) SOAZ has to pay Parks and Dudley pays SOAZ.

Nicky is working with SOAZ to make sure it goes according to plan.

I hope to see them here soon.

Yes, we did have a nice, productive and informative meeting with one of the Zim officials. This a was two or three days after I got word that the export docs had cleared.

Wendell seems to be a straight up guy. All I can say is, I would book a safari with him with no hesitation.

Rich
Buff Killer

Hey Linda,

I mentioned earlier that my trophies from by Moz hunt 43 months ago had finally arrived in the US. They were finally delivered to my door yesterday and shockingly the order was correct and the quality of the work outstanding. I believe you will get your trophies, but you have only been waiting two years?! You have another 19 months to beat my unoffical AR record for delayed delivery for taxidermy! Good Luck!

That's wonderful that it is all working out. Now this thread can die.

Yeah, and I thought me meant he had a bottle stashed in the safari car! Tightwad! Drinks are on you next time! And perhaps a tuskless cow.

Rich
Buff Killer

This is just an update for those that are interested.

In early February of 2009 we seemed to be at a stand still for our trophy shipment, once again.

Our shipping agent went out of business so I hired Lisa Jamnik, from D&LCHB, LLC out of Chicago who is an import/export company. Craig Boddington has used her in the past.

Lisa is a real "tiger"!! She told Freight Consultants on February 1, 2009 that she wanted the shipment in the air within three weeks or she would have her agent in South Africa take the trophies and ship. Finally, once Lisa got involved, things started moving again.

She did not give up as she has sent continuous E-mails almost daily to Freight Consultants. Needless to say, the shipment is almost ready to ship. (So we are told)

The downside is Freight Consultants quoted a shipping price of 1968.00 in January of 2008 and is now charging us almost 2800.00 to ship with no explanation of why the increase in cost.

We are hoping that our "nightmare" with the trophy shipment will end soon.

quote:

Needless to say, the shipment is almost ready to ship. (So we are told)

The shipment is 100% ready to ship. I inquired on March 3, at that time they said they were just awaiting payment for shipping.

Linda & Wendell,

Thanks for the update. Please keep us apprised as things progress. This never should have happened and DR is the at fault source.

Now maybe this thread will finally go Tango Uniform and Wendell and I can continue to plan my up coming trip with fewer distractions.

As far as I'm concerned, this whole trophy delivery business is the biggest turnoff in the hunting business. Why they can't be delivered push-pull-click-click almost immediately, I'll never understand. Linda's experiences, and BigBoreCore's 43 months, are not excusable. Heck, if you go caribou hunting in Alaska in September, it takes until after the first of the year to get your stuff. the powers that be ought to do something.

jetdrvr,

Are you booking with Dudley Rodgers? (-:

I have been doing some searching and talking with Ph's in Zim and it seems this is what is happening to the little guys in Zim..
They are not hooked up or paid up with the political system aka bribes and the bigger operators are getting fast track shipments... The little guys are getting shipments at the whim of the Zim government officials...

Mike

In June 2008, I hunted the Save Valley for Lion, Buffalo & Plains game. By January 2009, my entire shipment was at the Taxidermist! I think retreever is right, alot depends on the operator, but I would not swear to that!

Wendell is ONLY the agent, not the operator, guide, expeditor, or taxidermist. His responsibility, is and can, go only so far!!

So, Aaron, since you waded into this mess -

"Wendell is ONLY the agent, not the operator, guide, expeditor, or taxidermist. His responsibility, is and can, go only so far!!"

What IS your responsibility? How do you see your responsibility to the client who gets your service for "free"? It seems that the operator pays your fee (even though the client is in fact paying it as he is the only means by which the operator gets money), so who does your loyalty reside with?

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:
In June 2008, I hunted the Save Valley for Lion, Buffalo & Plains game. By January 2009, my entire shipment was at the Taxidermist!

That is as it should go. And for those interested, that is how it did go with Linda.

The problem was never delivering the trophies to the Dip & Pack/Taxidermist. The problem was the export docs. The trophies were delivered to the taxidermist in a reasonable amount of time.

Linda's shipment is ready to go. As soon as the stateside agent receives the confirmation that our CDC has issued the import permit for the Baboon (this should be on Monday) then, Linda can pay the guys in Zim. They go through the Customs export process, which takes a couple days. Then they put it on a plane.

IF everything goes as it should, it could be here within 3 weeks or so.

Bulldog Master - My responsibility resides with both parties, as does my loyalty. My point was not that Wendell shouldn't be obligated to help his client, of course he should. And it's sounds like to me, that he has done EVERYTHING he could to help! If a mistake is made with the export docs, and probably an honest mistake at that, is it right to throw the AGENT under the bus for something that is completely out of his control??

Now, if he did nothing to help or try to rectify the problem, then maybe some criticism would be deserved. I'll leave that up to you to decide if that was the case in this matter?

You have no idea how africa works my friend

Peter - Who are you referring to??

Aaron,
Wendell situation aside (yes, it appears he has done everything reasonably possible and that the error lies with Dudley Rogers (sp?) and the export document issue) - my question to you is still -

What IS your responsibility? How do you see your responsibility to the client who gets your service for "free"? It seems that the operator pays your fee (even though the client is in fact paying it as he is the only means by which the operator gets money), so who does your loyalty reside with?


Question 1 - What is your responsibility? No answer here. Let me re-phrase - what service do you provide other than a conduit to an outfitter? Let's assume that you sell a hunt to Mr. A. He is to hunt with Outfitter B. Mr. A makes a deposit. Outfitter B, for whatever reason, changes the area or does not have the quota or does not provide the service promised. Mr. A comes back from his dream hunt upset. Do you refund Mr. A? Do you work with the Outfitter B to get a refund and when Outfitter B does not pay up - do you pay up?

Question 2 - who gets your loyalty? - answer - both parties.

Overall, my question centers on- what exactly are YOU on the hook for? What are you committed to providing? When things go well, all is kisses and hugs. When things do not, what do you do?

I am not picking on you or Wendell. I am sure both of you do your dead level best to see that all goes well and that you have 95% or more happy campers. My question to agents in general is - what are truly on the hook for?

Let me give you a worst case scenario - Mr. A makes a deposit. Outfitter B goes out of business and cannot be found. What do you do as the agent? Do you refund the deposit as the deposit check was likely made out to you. What do you do?

BulldogMaster - Alright, I'll do my best to answer your questions here, and give you my opinion!

First you asked, where does my loyalty lie? I did answer that before! I stated that it lies with both parties. As a client who is paying the BILL, I will go to bat for you, in particular in a case in which, something on the hunt went wrong! It does happen, and when it does, I will be in your corner, doing everything I can to get the outfitter to make it right! However, I am not only an AGENT but an outfitter too, and I've been one since the mid 90's. I know how sometimes the CLIENT can simply be un-reasonable, and impossible to please. Only about 10% of the time is that the case, but when it is, I will be in the outfitter's corner, helping him to rectify the situation to the client's satisfaction! Regardless, as an agent really you are on both sides, and loyal to both parties. It's not about picking sides, it's about doing the right thing, and that is different in every case.

Question 1 - What is your responsibility as the Agent??
As an agent, our responsibility is much greater that just a "conduit", to an outfitter. First, it's our responsibility to do the VERY best we can to ensure the hunt we recommend, is as advertised. That usually entails personal knowledge and experience with not only the outfitter, but the particular type of hunt in which we offer. That experience does not come easy, or CHEAP! For example, my passion is African Lion hunting, that's no secret. On 13 lion hunts I have been fortunate to shoot 10 lions! I also have a good following of clients that rely on me to help them arrange their next LION hunt to Africa, simply because of my knowledge and experience, hunting lion. Gaining that knowledge and experience, has taken not only 13 years, but LOTS & LOTS of money, my money, and time! That knowledge & experience I refer to here, is the first responsibility I have to a client. He knows that when booking a hunt, we've "Been there, done that".

Secondly, the biggest advantage and responsibility of an agent, is to provide the client with the hunt he wants, not the hunt an OUTFITTER needs to sell. In other words, I have numerous hunts to offer, in many different places. If you come to me for that LION hunt you're after, and give me the specifics that would make you happy. I as the agent, then help arrange the hunt that best FITS your criteria, not just the only one I have! Like I mentioned, I am an OUTFITTER, so by no means am I knocking them, but when you go directly to an outfitter, of course he tells you this is the hunt for you, it's the one he's got to sell! Overall, it's our RESPONSIBILITY to help the client get everything he wants in a hunt, and often that includes several potential choices! Especially when dealing with hunts on the other side of the planet.

Third! As an agent, we help the client, especially one new to this type of hunt, or the continent of Africa for example, with all the particulars that are required to make everything go smoothly! ANYONE interested in what some of that includes, please provide me your email address, and I will send you a copy of my 13 page HUNT PLANNER, that is sent to each client. It's quite extensive, with lots of helpful info, and helps us acquire info helpful to the outfitter as well! Sorry, but I cannot figure out how to paste it here, or I would!

Now as for your EXAMPLE, Mr. A and Outfitter B, here's my take. The outfitter "Does NOT provide the service promised", that's a COMPLETE debate and hard to get to the bottom of! Next, If the outfitter changes the area or does not have the quota, "FOR WHATEVER REASON". Well, for whatever reason is the WHOLE DEAL, why the outfitter did that would be the entire case on which I would stand! Perhaps he had a very GOOD reason for why he's doing it, often times it's an attempt to better the hunt, but it's not always seen that way. But for the sake of argument, and the way in which you are posing the questions, let's assume the outfitter DID WRONG, and you want to know how I would handle it?? First I am going to go to the outfitter and try to get him to FIX the problem. I did my job, I provided the booking, I helped arrange all the necessary plans, and facilitated the needs of the client from my end! That of course is assuming I did it all right!! In most cases, the outfitter/agent usually have a GOOD relationship and neither one wants to jeopardize that, so generally a suitable agreement is made with the client, and everyone leaves happy. IF things went from bad to worse, and the client insisted on a refund, and ASSUMING he had a VALID reason for it, I would REFUND the commission which I received for the hunt! Again, I do not have the FULL responsibility of the money, because I am not getting the full money, just a commission. I have a FULL Liability Disclaimer that each client signs, stating exactly that!! If something goes totally wrong, and he is entitled to a refund, GHR is responsible for the compensation in which we received! LUCKILY, I HAVE HONESTLY NOT HAD THAT HAPPEN TO DATE!! Again, I cannot figure out how to attach it here, but anyone who wants a copy of the Disclaimer, please email me and I will be happy to send it to you.

Lastly, regarding your WORST CASE scenario. That's a tough one! I would take that on a case by case basis, but again I would refer back to my Liability Disclaimer, and hope like hell, that never happens.

Aaron
Global Hunting Resources

As for the worst case scenario. If you didn't use an agent and the outfitter went out of business what would you do then?

At least the agent can refund the commission and any funds not paid to the operator.

If you have booked a hunt, do not be foolish. Buy cancellation insurance. Most people drive vehicles that cost about the same or less than a dangerous game hunt.

Is it insured? Of course it is! How foolish would it be to not insure it!

Anyone paying someone for a service in the future (Outfitters, Taxidermist, AIG Insurance policy, etc.) has to understand that their is a certain amount of risk.

This is not a risk-free venture. There is risk at every turn. Cancellation insurance covers the possibility of an outfitter going out of business or absconding with your deposit (or a hundred other possibilities including injury or sickness, accident, etc.). If you do not get cancellation insurance, you are risking your entire investment.

That is foolish.

If you want a guarantee, buy a Cape Buffalo mount on ebay and use Paypal to pay for it. No risk there. If you want some security for your investment, buy insurance for it.

This notion that the agent is infinitely responsible for every single detail on a safari is preposterous. Yes, It is in the agents best interest to make sure everything goes well on your hunt. His future in the business depends on it.

However, it would be foolish not to take some responsibility in protecting your investment. Especially in todays economic climate where there will be operators who will fail! (There will be some booking agents who will fail in this economy as well!)

I believe you can purchase cancellation insurance up to a couple of days before you leave.

Wendell - Not sure I could add much to that, well said!!

Aaron