My namibian taxidermist sold my trophies!!!

Yes it's not a joke but I made a fantastic trip in Namibia with my wife and some friends. The trip was really successful and my wife shot her 1 st Gemsbock and her 1st Koudou (after three years of dream, patience and saving monney).
After the trip, the outfitter bring us to his friend taxidermist to visit his workshop. My friend Jean Charles paid for all his works (2 zebra skin + 1 koudou shoulder mount + shoulder mount Oryx) and I said to the manager that I will pay in one year due to some little financial problem but we will keep in touch by mail.

No problem.

After 1 year my friend commit a suicide and I send to the taxidermist a mail. I explain him that Jean Charles was dead but that he had to send the shoulder mount at his parents house excepted the Oryx that i will keep as a souvenir. (He was my best friend since 20 years!)
I told him to send me a quotation for my animals and I didn't receive any news during more than 6 month.
After 2 years without news, I decided to pay for my animals and, by mail, the taxidermist told me that it was not necessary to pay because all my trophies was sold because he can not keep the trophy in his workshop more than one year!!!!!

THIS IS HIS ANSWER dating from 28 of jully 2010: [I]Thank you for your note. We only keep trophies for two years. If clients do not pay us and do not get in touch with us, we normally sell them to recover our costs. I have to check whether your trophies are still with us. This will take a couple of days.

Yours truly

After two years he can sold them to find back the monney he spent to keep my trophies?............

- So this gentleman sold my trophies and he never send me a mail to explain me this situation, he never explain to me that he will do this if I don't pay or something like that! Any contract was sign between us to explain such things!
- He sold the Jean Charles trophies shoulder mount and the zebra's flat skin to an other client but J.C harles already paid everything 2 years back and the taxidermist never try to contact him! He take advantage of his death to sell the trophies two times!

I don't want to give, to the forum, his name but I just want to find a solution to find back my wife's trophies. Even the NAPHA never give me news after that I explain this situation to them! I don't know how to do and if somebody can help me I will really appreciate any kind of help.
Lio

Sorry to hear your problems Lionel, boy is that a problem.....It's TIA problem for sure! Again sorry to hear the bad news!!!! I always tell people communcation is a two way street...let me know what road on, once in a while!

my hunter from Azerbaijan hunted with me in namibia, after we gave all to taxidermy, BUT my hunter did not send payment (only 50)and after 2 year taxidermist many times ask me to inform hunter that his trophy are ready. But hunter was busy and ...and...taxidermist sold it.

Many thanks guys for your help.
I can understand EVERYTHING if the man in charge told me this before but nothing was explain, if not, I can tell you that i willl pay and take a loan if necessary! And concerning my best friend trophies, he paid everything and we don't receive any news from this taxidemrist? I am outfitter and professional hunter too and I can not understand this situation... Especially the one from the NAPHA who know this problem and who don't say anything? What can I do?

Lio i will ask my pertner in Namibia maybe thay can help. By the way i sent you email today.

This sounds like a major bummer. I am the opposite, i constantly hound and harass my taxidermist. I bet he thought that you were gone since you didn't leave a significant deposit and didn't contact him. As for your buddy, yes, i think he took advantage of a bad situation. Totally awful.

Even though I have seen some good-quality taxidermy work come out of African shops, it's issues and misunderstandings like this that keep me from having it done there. There are too many opportunities to have a problem....

Man, I am really sorry to hear this !!!
He should have been in contact with you numerous times before this happened !! Like what said above, communication is a two way street.
I would never think of selling a clients trophies without trying to contact the clients by phone,certified letter and regular mail.
And this taxidermist should have never sold your friends mounts since they were paid for up front.
This is one of the reasons I like emailing pictures of clients mounts during certain stages of the mounting process. For one reason, it helps me keep in contact with the clients. Plus the clients enjoy seeing their trophies being worked on and how they are coming along.
Once again I am truly sorry to hear this !!

ONE TIME MORE THANKS for your advice and your reaction...

Did somebody know a phone number or an e.mail to contact somebody who can help me in NAMIBIA, the NAPHA don't answer my mail, the taxidermist also, the outfitter also...

To take my money they was on my back during all the pre-reservation but now that I need them!!! Nobody answer...

Thanks for all your help to solve my little problem, and sorry to disturb you.

Lionel

Did somebody know a phone number or an e.mail to contact somebody who can help me in NAMIBIA, the NAPHA don't answer my mail, the taxidermist also, the outfitter also...

Lionel, you must remember that just about everyone (including NAPHA) in Namibia, goes on vacation for most of December, and I would also not think they will come back to you during January, as then most is attending hunting shows in USA, Canada, Germany.

You are welcome to phone/ email me, and I will try and assist you, but as the taxidermist sold everything, I cannot promise anything.

lio! hello did you get my email????

Sorry to high-jack the thread...but the way you run your business Heath Cline, is the way I would too if I was taxidermist....The more professional you are...the more business you should have...and I have looked at your prices they are very good too...considering all the work you are doing...to ensure happy Clients .

The taxidermy shop that runs for profit only...and they are out there... I wish you would disappear...because the memories for that hunt are going to bad . And that is sad to me at least.

And communication is so important in business...it takes so little time to keep a relationship going! Some people are very poor at it!

Thanks for all, the outfitters told me that he will do the necessary things to find a solution after one month because of the holidays time right now. I wait two years so I can wait one month more but I am sure that the trophies are already sold... We will see and thanks for your help.

Lio, Sorry to hear about all of this, feel free to contact me as well, I can also try to help you... Just let me know.

Hi Lionel

That sounds really terrible.... maybe the worst you can expect from a taxidermist....
It is supossed that he should contact you SEVERAL times before taking the decission of selling your trophies.... amazing.
Your Outfitter in namibia didn´t checked anything ????
He doesn´t wants any responsability ???

Bad luck Lio
Jose