Business ProfileforMissouri Mule Company

One or around May 1, 2022, my husband and I traveled from Oklahoma to the Missouri Mule Company to look at a possible mule to buy. We placed a $4000 deposit on a mule to hold her until we were able to go back and pick her up three weeks later. We were told numerous times that if the mule didn't work out, or if the deal fell through, all money would be returned including the deposit. One two separate occasions, Bob Bingham, owner of Missouri Mule Company, call asking if I would meet him in Joplin and Tulsa to give him the remaining balance owed on the mule. He was told both times we would bring him the remaining cash on the day we returned to pick the mule up. On May 29th, we returned to pick up the mule but the mule was very uncooperative, and I was never able to gain enough control of her to be able to ride her out of the barn. Mr. ******* then went out and brought in another mule, which I actually liked better and decided to purchase him. Mr. ******* asked my husband what he was thinking on the price, and we offered him $10,000. Mr. ******* accepted the offer and was paid an additional $6,000 in cash which he gladly took and pocketed. We loaded the mule in the trailer and was just about to drive off the property when Mr. ******* called my husband saying he needed a total of $23,000 for the mule. My husband told Mr. ******* that he had agreed to $10,000 and that was all he was going to get. Mr. ******* protested, so in order to avoid a confrontation, we decided to simply unload the mule and get our money back. The $6,000 cash was returned, but we were told he didn't have the other $4,000 because he had already spent it, and we'd just have to trust him to send it to us in 3 weeks. When the money didn't come in as promised, we called and was told he could send some it now, but he didn't have the entire amount. It's our belief that there is no intention to return the deposit.