10/22/2015
Adam Wiedman, 20 Oct..
tax•i•der•my noun the art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals with lifelike effect. Gray Taxidermy is an unethical business, a fantastically orchestrated scam to con people out of their money, and a complete rip-off. Let’s start with my first qualm: The name “Gray Taxidermy” would imply that Gray actually practices taxidermy, but the fact of the matter is that every fish that they ship from their facility is a reproduction - a poorly painted, mass-produced fiberglass mold. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problems with reproduction replica mounts - I’m a stout believer in catch-and-release fishing - but when it’s implied on your fishing charter that the fish you caught will be used in the final product, you expect that your catch will be used. The replica does not even come close to capturing the natural beauty of your fish - the originally gorgeous spots on my original catch look like haphazard paint splatters and the ultra high-gloss finish makes it look extremely unnatural. Also, they don’t even take the time to add an eye to the reverse side of your catch, which is noticeable if you mount it in a traffic area within your home. “The Captain’s Choice” is a great tagline for Gray Taxidermy, because the amount of commissions that the charter’s captains probably make from helping swindle tourists out their money has got to be more than enough incentive for them to continue practicing further fraudulence. Here’s how the scam works: first, you catch your fish and the deckhands immediately persuade you to consider having it mounted. They tell you that they “will send the fish to the taxidermist” and “everything will be taken care of for you.” If you agree, they will then ask you for an immediate deposit of half of the total cost of the mount, and an email will be sent to you in a few days with instructions on how to pay for the other half of your purchase. What they don’t ever tell you is that you will end up paying more than half on your next payment, and that you will also be receiving a crating charge and another shipping charge on top of that. In my particular case, the crating charge for a 38” Dorado was $170, and the crate itself merely consisted of a thin cardboard box, a small piece of wood, and two screws. Add another $120 for shipping and you’ve almost accumulated another $300 in undisclosed fees. I can only imagine what the exorbitant crating and shipping fees for a much larger fish would be. Long story short - I got scammed. I’m happy that I purchased the fish to represent the memories of my honeymoon, but I couldn’t be more displeased with the deception, the communication, the attention to detail, and the overall experience with Gray Taxidermy.
