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Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith

Posted By: spudmonkey

Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/20/15 09:40 PM

I don't like doing this but it is the only way Matthew responds. Matt has been a huge disappointed and has lied and intentionally mislead me. When after three years we were about to conclude our transaction he became belligerent and took the mounts out of my vehicle and left. It has been several months and he has not responded to my calls, texts, emails. He has $450 of my money and two mounts. The worst part of this is that I was did my part, I was patient and understanding and he took advantage. The turkeys he has are more than just a trophy, they were my 9 year old son's first turkey. Something I can't replace. I give this warning in hopes that no one else loses their trophies. I don't hold any ill will for Matthew but I want to get my property back and pay the remainder of the money for his services.
Posted By: cmc

Re: Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/21/15 10:43 AM

I dealt with him once, only once, and it's sad because he does good work but I don't need to deal with the kinda crap it brings with it.
Posted By: EddieWalker

Re: Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/21/15 01:03 PM

That's a shame. I never heard of him so I looked up his website and thought the pictures looked pretty good. His site says he is not taking on any more customers while trying to catch up on his backlog.

Why did he become belligerent and take the mounts out of your vehicle? Did you pay for them, or did he load them up, ask for his money, and when you didn't pay him, he got upset? Saying you still owe him money has me wondering why you didn't pay off the balance when you picked up the mounts?
Posted By: spudmonkey

Re: Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/21/15 05:52 PM

He does good work, that is why I went to him. The problems started when he stopped retiring my calls, texts, emails. He only would reply when I posted here looking for him. He provided reasons on why he was not returning calls but after three years my patience ran thin. When we finally were able to meet he brought out the first mount, placed it in my vehicle and I commented that it was not what we had discussed. We had discussed that the Turkey would be strutting and pointing slightly downward. He became irritated and stated that he had put a lot of work into the mount and that he overlooked the negative comments I posted. I corrected him at that point because I had never until now posted a single negative comment. I trusted him and gave him the benefit of doubt so all I ever did was post on THF to see if anyone had valid contact information for him. When I told him that and that I was disappointed that he had lied to me he pushed past me, grabbed the mount and said he'd fix it. I told him, no, I didn't want him to fix it, that all I wanted to do was pay him the money and be done with it. I showed him the envelope of cash to prove that I was ready to be done. He took the mount back into his house and started threatening me to get off his property. He said he'd call the police if I didn't leave. I told him several times that I was done and all I wanted was to pay him and get my mounts. He continued to threaten so I called the police. That is when he got into his truck and left. When the police arrived I explained the situation and showed them the money. The police knew who I was talking about and had his number. They tried to work it out as well to just have him come back so we could conclude the transaction but Matt refused. Since then Matt has not responded to any calls, texts, or emails.

Again, all I want is to get my two mounts and pay him the remainder of the money. That's it, he has his life to live and I want to be able to give my son his trophy.
Posted By: spudmonkey

Re: Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/21/15 05:59 PM

I will go a step further...if anyone can reach him and gets him to either contact me or even provide time and date I will meet him with cash in hand. I don't hold any grudge or ill-will, I just want to complete the transaction and have each of us go our separate ways.
Posted By: Bdontexoma

Re: Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/22/15 03:53 AM

Man that sucks about your sons first bird. Sad to see that happen to you. Hope you can eventually get your mounts back.
Posted By: TonyinVA

Re: Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/22/15 04:20 PM

If you have a receipt/contract ..and a copy of the police report when the incident happened (in case you need it)...I would think you could take him to court based solely on the fact that (1) you have a signed contract, (2) he has your deposit and (3) he has not provided the contractual services. No drama, no discussion of quality of work, etc.....just contractual.
Posted By: Creekrunner

Re: Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/22/15 04:38 PM

Anything taking that long is crazy and entirely unprofessional.

Lots of bad taxidermists out there. Just because a person can make something look "lifelike" (eventually) doesn't mean they should be in business.
Posted By: hoof n wings

Re: Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/23/15 12:27 AM

I had Matt do a couple mounts for me3 years ago. He even bumped up my sons so they would be finished together. Great work, but he needs to work on the customer service side of things from the post.
Originally Posted By: Creekrunner
Anything taking that long is crazy and entirely unprofessional.

Lots of bad taxidermists out there. Just because a person can make something look "lifelike" (eventually) doesn't mean they should be in business.
Posted By: LuckyHunter

Re: Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/23/15 05:35 AM

Over the years I have found some first rate taxidermist. True Artist. However I too would wait 2 - 3 years. Some game I never saw again. mad

Then as I got older and wiser I took a smarter approach. I found the key is to find a taxidermist who is both an artist and a businessman.

My life got a whole lot better. clap

I don't know why I thought they went hand in hand dunce

I hope you get your mounts. However on his website he makes it clear he does not need any new clients, he works on his schedule only, and he offers select customers the privilege of his consideration.
Posted By: spudmonkey

Re: Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/23/15 05:48 PM

Looking back, there are definitely things I would have done differently. I understand the need to be patient for quality work and I know he did have several personal emergencies that arose during this time but I wish he would have been upfront with me and set realistic expectations. The lack of communication and the constant last minute changes to schedule, and the general apathetic tone is what finally wore out my patience.

Again, I wish him well in what he does, all I want to to get the mounts and pay the remainder of the money. The work has been done for several months and he is at this point holding them hostage.
Posted By: LuckyHunter

Re: Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/24/15 12:21 AM

Originally Posted By: spudmonkey
Looking back, there are definitely things I would have done differently. I understand the need to be patient for quality work and I know he did have several personal emergencies that arose during this time but I wish he would have been upfront with me and set realistic expectations. The lack of communication and the constant last minute changes to schedule, and the general apathetic tone is what finally wore out my patience.

Again, I wish him well in what he does, all I want to to get the mounts and pay the remainder of the money. The work has been done for several months and he is at this point holding them hostage.


What really makes it even worse is he obviously does not care!
Posted By: EddieWalker

Re: Beware: Birdworks- Matthew Smith - 09/25/15 02:38 AM

Thanks for clarifying what happened. Sure does sounds like his ego is getting in the way of his making money. Sad that he is his own enemy and will be the cause of his failure in business.
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