http://penny-arcade.com/resources/just-wow1.html

I like all of his comments in this vein: "I know the people who run the city inside and out watch the way you talk to people you never know who they know it’s a small industry and everyone knows everyone." .....Oh shi---video game mafia!!!!11

Two lessons to take from this

1, Good customer service and legible emails are worth the time they take.
2, Don't mess with Penny Arcade - by the way, there was an update from Gabe which went up yesterday...

Don't these people understand the age we leave in?

You really don't wan't to mess with someone like Penny Arcade, it is not worth the bad press you're going to get...

The guy is selling in the 10's of thousands of controllers a month... Is there even 10's of thousands of PS3's in the world?

MAN, I've gotta read more than just the PA comics from now on. LOL

Eric

adameast wrote:The guy is selling in the 10's of thousands of controllers a month... Is there even 10's of thousands of PS3's in the world?

Estimated over 55 million since September, according to Wikipedia. And some people need more than one, especially if they're "angry" gamers. Despite (or perhaps because of( Sony often being weird, the PS3 was the best Blu-Ray player for many for a while as it is kept updated unlike most budget players.

That's a bit hilarious. I love the closing sentence of the update too.

I love the fact that as soon as Mike said he owns Penny Arcade he immediately starts to try to be his friend and Mike just tells him to basically screw himself.

The thing that makes me love this all the more is that ass hat was beaten down at his own game. You have to love it when the "nerd" destroys someone that tries so hard to bully people.

Balance wrote:

adameast wrote:The guy is selling in the 10's of thousands of controllers a month... Is there even 10's of thousands of PS3's in the world?

Estimated over 55 million since September, according to Wikipedia. And some people need more than one, especially if they're "angry" gamers. Despite (or perhaps because of( Sony often being weird, the PS3 was the best Blu-Ray player for many for a while as it is kept updated unlike most budget players.

Was a bit of a joke to be fair, but I can't imagine a company making a 3rd party controllers is selling 10,000's of controllers.

I don't even think Turtle Beach sell in the 10's of thousands a month.

I wouldn't be surprised in the least.

Eric

I loved the update to it as well. My wife sent this link to me and it just seemed fitting.

If someone missed this, you can find the sales guy's apology to the customer here:
http://gamerfront.net/2011/12/ocean-marketing-a-study-on-how-to-destroy-your-reputation-with-just-a-few-emails/15199

Mr. Roid Rage wrote:
Also I had a really bad day losing a friend to an overdose and the stress of my newborn baby and the Holiday ,missing my family and just stressing on getting product out to everyone and why it was held up in customs wore me out.

Wow! A close friend overdosed, there's a newborn baby, the holidays, he's missing his family and stressing about the product!

Also, I've no idea whether this is true or not, I just think this is hilarious:
http://kotaku.com/5871400/cut-paul-oceanmarketting-christoforo-a-breakhe-probably-just-has-roid-rage

"When these donkey-caves threaten me or Penny Arcade I just laugh. I will personally burn everything I’ve made to the fething ground if I think I can catch them in the flames."

What a LEGEND!!

Some more discussion on this and a funny video.

http://venturebeat.com/2011/12/27/ocean-marketing-how-to-self-destruct-your-company-with-just-a-few-measly-emails/

Like any deserving idiot in the Age of the Internet, Paul Christoforo became an instant Twitter sensation. In mere hours, many of the media outlets he had name-dropped in his emails had publicly disowned him.

This has turned into a textbook example of how you can destroy your own company with 5 emails... Wow!

I'm serious, this case should be taught in Marketing and PR classes has an example on how not to do things, priceless!

Good Sirs and Madams, i do believe this would be Classified as a FAIL OF EPIC PROPORTIONS x) thanks you've made my day!

As my pupils like to say when they get a bad grade...

F*

I'm glad the way things worked out. There is a reason why they say "The customer is always right"

akira5665 wrote:"When these donkey-caves threaten me or Penny Arcade I just laugh. I will personally burn everything I’ve made to the fething ground if I think I can catch them in the flames."

What a LEGEND!!

Yeah, you don't mess with Gabe. Dude beats people with his fists. He has only lost to the Devil, and he has taken out Mimethulu.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
They updated the comic about this

WARNING: NSFW!

Sad how this guy ruined his own life.

As a MSNBC summed up this whole situation:

"Christoforo's downfall came because he broke the biggest rule in sales: He went after the customer. Even if the customer isn't always right, the customer deserves to be treated with respect. "

And yeah, this makes GW seem saintly. Their customer service has always been excellent despite other stupid policies they undertake.

Harriticus wrote:Sad how this guy ruined his own life.

As a MSNBC summed up this whole situation:

"Christoforo's downfall came because he broke the biggest rule in sales: He went after the customer. Even if the customer isn't always right, the customer deserves to be treated with respect. "

And yeah, this makes GW seem saintly. Their customer service has always been excellent despite other stupid policies they undertake.

And yet Battlefoam is still around after the owner mouthed-off in a thread and basically called a concerned customer a lying troll that should attempt to contact him again for the third time instead of the other way around....after he had already taken the guy's money.

Yeah, the laws of marketing don't always work I guess...

That or it wasn't spread as easily as this case?

Yeah, I don't think Battlefoam Guy had Penny Arcade in his corner.

Harriticus wrote:...Even if the customer isn't always right, the customer deserves to be treated with respect. "

Or at least smug disdain, which really should be covered by the mandatory training of retail/CS employees.

Also, I love that the Ocean Marketing guy got in a pissing contest with a dude who runs what is not only the single most popular gaming web comic in existence, but one that is also known for its, shall we say, "trollish" sense of humor.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

agnosto wrote:
Yeah, the laws of marketing don't always work I guess...

The best marketing is a desirable product.

Man, I don't think anyone came off looking good in this one. The guy probably lost his job, the customer was in fact kind of a jerk, PA threw it's weight around... we have all been cheapened by this experience.

this is insane

first off you NEVER talk like that to a customer, NO MATTER WHAT


secondly, talk about making yourself look the fool. First off 38 is not at all old, and even if the other person was younger, then handled themselves like an adult, and not some punk ass kid

PA did throw its weight around, but it was done masterfully, with minimal expenditure of effort and many lulz.

So...many...lulz...

"He called me a bully, but he was being a bully ... especially when he emailed me out of the blue, saying 'That's f***ing s***ty, you're banned from PAX,' I was like 'Who the f*** are you? That's how you introduce yourself? ... I dont want to call him out, but he could have gone about that a totally different way, he could have said, 'Hey, I run the show, that email was a little unprofessional, if you don't do something to apologize I don't want you at my show.' But he just came at me and said, indirectly, 'Hey, f*** you, you're banned from PAX.' Is that what you'd call professional? I wouldn't."

Regarding the litany of names Christoforo's e-mail called up as potential supporters - a list that included everyone from Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski to the mayor of Boston - he said the tactic was meant to "impress, not to threaten" and didn't come through correctly because "you can't see tone of voice in email."

"I don't know the mayor of Boston," he admitted. "That was taken totally out of context, I was just joking around. I am from Boston, though, and I know a lot of people people who own clubs. I know some influential people, like the guy who runs the door at the convention center.

he isn't perusing legal action because
there is none to take, any lawyer will take your money and try for you, but there is no winning for him, just them. He failed HARD THERE. Don't gak with the interwebz

Absolute idiot, BS artist, and liar. Still misrepresenting himself and what happened. Still not learning from the experience. He's a piece of human sputum floating in the toilet of life.

The customer started to be a jerk after, I believe four to five emails blowing him off, and the jerkweed at the company telling him not only would there be no consideration or even apology for the delays, if the customer cancelled their order he'd just sell the controllers himself on eBay. F that guy. F him right in the neck,

I'd like to clarify that it's not that I feel bad for the guy, per se - he surely made his own bed and should have lost his job - but he just seems like a pitiful, small man not quite worthy of gassing up the Internet Hate Machine.

The gaming industry is replete with people that aren't necessarily up to professional snuff. There are many, quite significant, gaming journalists/websites/players that exemplify this.

That being said, the attached comic was completely warranted, even if it was picking an easy target (that has since been taken down).

Well, the comic was hilarious.

The Grinch face on Mike is classic.

I am amused.

Well this made me smile....now if we could just get penny arcade to go on a crusade againsted GW's price rises....maybe we could get some results [/sarcasm]

Sorry dude, I have zero sympathy for you. I understand what you said about being stressed but if you are a professional you should know better. All you did was try to be a 'internet tough guy' and it backfired hard on you.


Rule #1 Customer is always right

Rule #2 Even if the customer is wrong he's still right


Maybe he was reading the ferengi "Rules of Aquisition" Rule #1 Once you have their money, never give it back

You know, I´m actually kind of shocked how this whole thing evolved.

Yes, that guy should never have been involved in any kind of PR or customer relations situation. It´s a mystery how a guy who treats customers like that even gets the idea to start a PR firm. And he seems like a major *Insert swear word of choice here*. He deserves most of the stuff he got.

Still? Stuff like involving his Steroid abuse or alleged domestic violence (as some sites did)? Who the heck cares and how is that relevant?
Threatening his family? Even worse than anything that guy did in this case. Seriously, who threatens a 2 month old (or whatever) over some customer service suckery, no matter how bad?

Don´t get me wrong, I like karmic justice as much as the next internet user, but the internet hate machine is a terrible thing and it got blown out of proportion.

Woah!

He knows the guy on the door at the convention centre!

That bloke is like... king of the world!

Is this Paul fether 10 years old or something?

Wow, what a waste of my time. Can't believe I read all that.

Albatross wrote:Wow, what a waste of my time. Can't believe I read all that.

This, I got to the end and I still had no idea why this was reposted.

corpsesarefun wrote:

Albatross wrote:Wow, what a waste of my time. Can't believe I read all that.

This, I got to the end and I still had no idea why this was reposted.

Because we all hate those customer service people who treat you like gak, and this one got owned.

Im still floored by the way that donkey-cave replied to the kid in the first place. Sheesh

Love this - just goes to show you should try to treat everyone with respect as you never know who you are talking to - not to mention being nice for the sake of being nice

SilverMK2 wrote:Love this - just goes to show you should try to treat everyone with respect as you never know who you are talking to - not to mention being nice for the sake of being nice

Actually its more like this-

Love this - just goes to show you should try to treat everyone with respect as you never know how much more of an donkey-cave the other guy is - not to mention being nice for the sake of saving your own ass.

When I first started reading this I couldn't tell who was being an arsehole.

Everybody in that entire affair is an arsehole.

Arsehole.

I guess everyone, or at least most people, enjoy a bit of schadenfreude even though we probably shouldn't...

Medium of Death wrote:When I first started reading this I couldn't tell who was being an arsehole.

Everybody in that entire affair is an arsehole.

Arsehole.

So the customer who had his money stolen from him isn't justified in being an Arsehole?

An event organizer isn't justified in being an Arsehole to someone who pisses on a friend of his?

Slarg232 wrote:

Medium of Death wrote:When I first started reading this I couldn't tell who was being an arsehole.

Everybody in that entire affair is an arsehole.

Arsehole.

So the customer who had his money stolen from him isn't justified in being an Arsehole?

An event organizer isn't justified in being an Arsehole to someone who pisses on a friend of his?

Please don't feed the Trolls, we keep a special kind of ration just for that purpose.

Hoho now this what we can call a fail rigth?

Ouze wrote:Man, I don't think anyone came off looking good in this one. The guy probably lost his job, the customer was in fact kind of a jerk, PA threw it's weight around... we have all been cheapened by this experience.

QFT Good shout Ouze.

You people wouldnt understand you aint high enough up the corparate food chain. Such a great line.

PhantomViper wrote:

Slarg232 wrote:

Medium of Death wrote:When I first started reading this I couldn't tell who was being an arsehole.

Everybody in that entire affair is an arsehole.

Arsehole.

So the customer who had his money stolen from him isn't justified in being an Arsehole?

An event organizer isn't justified in being an Arsehole to someone who pisses on a friend of his?

Please don't feed the Trolls, we keep a special kind of ration just for that purpose.

But I brought my special Spoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon!

I can think of better things to do with my time than get into a gak slinging match with somebody that has my money.

The owner revealed himself to be a complete moron. The customer was an entitled prat. The Penny Arcade guy probably enjoyed compensating for his harsh life by getting involved in a way that wasn't professional. He even confessed that he had bullied the guy. You'd think a guy that had to move repeatedly due to bullying wouldn't get involved regardless of how 'justified' it was.

It doesn't matter that the guy that was selling these pads is an arsehole. If you deal with people like that in the same way it just makes you an equally massive nugget of creamy ass.

Perhaps i'm getting something different from this article. I don't pity the guy mind you.

Ouze wrote:Man, I don't think anyone came off looking good in this one. The guy probably lost his job, the customer was in fact kind of a jerk, PA threw it's weight around... we have all been cheapened by this experience.

I'm going to disagree slightly. I think PA came out looking like a hero.

Eric

MagickalMemories wrote:

Ouze wrote:Man, I don't think anyone came off looking good in this one. The guy probably lost his job, the customer was in fact kind of a jerk, PA threw it's weight around... we have all been cheapened by this experience.

I'm going to disagree slightly. I think PA came out looking like a hero.

Eric

That's what the shame of the whole sordid ordeal is, PA was an ass as well and they look like a hero. The guy said that his 2 month old and his wife were receiving threats in one of the apology letters and all Mike responded with was this, and I am paraphrasing, "feth them I don't give a gak, my life was tough so their lives should also be miserable.".

So, didn't feel bad that his mass spreading of this message caused a two month old infant to receive death threats, that's no bueno.

Medium of Death wrote:The customer was an entitled prat.

Of course he was, because when someone takes your money and insults you after you politely enquire where is the product that you already paid for, then you should send them a bouket of flowers.

Medium of Death wrote:The Penny Arcade guy probably enjoyed compensating for his harsh life by getting involved in a way that wasn't professional. He even confessed that he had bullied the guy. You'd think a guy that had to move repeatedly due to bullying wouldn't get involved regardless of how 'justified' it was.

He didn't have to move because of bullying, he moved alot therefore was bullied alot because kids usually pick on the "new guy" the most. Also I really doubt that the founder of PA actually has a "harsh life" by any standards.

Also not getting involved in something you consider unjust because you were bullied as a child screams "damaged personality" to me, and if you think that Gabe was compensating for anything, then you don't "get" PA. When he said that he would gladly burn everything he owned if it ment that the other guy was also caught in the fire, he really meant it.

Medium of Death wrote:
It doesn't matter that the guy that was selling these pads is an arsehole. If you deal with people like that in the same way it just makes you an equally massive nugget of creamy ass.

No, it makes you someone that sticks up for himself and for what you think your rights are.

I guess it all depends on how you feel about bullied.
I believe that a bully deserves to have his @ss handed to him. It just takes someone with the ability to knock them down a peg to actually knock them down that peg.

That is what PA did by getting involved and publicizing the whole thing. Dude was a jerk to the customer from the get-go, while the customer acted rationally and politely until the guy went too far.

Do I agree with the threats on the guys family? Nah. 'Course not. I don't blame anyone for that, though, except the idiots that did the threatening.
Do I feel bad for the guy's family? Yep. It's awful.
Do I feel bad for HIM for the extra stress he's going through because of it? Nope. Not a whiff.

Anyone remember "My Bodyguard?"
In this case, Christoforo is the bully, and PA is the big guy that the wimpy kid hired to stand up for him.

Eric

halonachos wrote:
That's what the shame of the whole sordid ordeal is, PA was an ass as well and they look like a hero. The guy said that his 2 month old and his wife were receiving threats in one of the apology letters and all Mike responded with was this, and I am paraphrasing, "feth them I don't give a gak, my life was tough so their lives should also be miserable.".

So, didn't feel bad that his mass spreading of this message caused a two month old infant to receive death threats, that's no bueno.

So the fact that he was lying through the whole process wen't right over your head?

The guy is a lying sack of crap that by that point was willing to say anything to try and save his reputation, I sincerelly doubt that the "threats" part to be true since mostly everything that he said was partialy or completely false.

Also Mike didn't say anything of the sort that you are posting, what he actually said (and I'm not paraphrasing in any way), was:

I don’t know if anyone is actually attacking Paul’s wife and kid. Honestly I don’t even know if he has a wife and kid. Maybe the mayor of Boston is his wife? Anyway, If they are real, none of this is their fault and I think we can all agree that they should be left alone.

I think I lost a few brain cells reading that garbage.

Actually, this is how he responded and I don't see your quote anywhere, the guy was lying about what? His product got pushed back, that happens all of the time. Was he lying about it being pushed back? Was he lying about having a family? Mike and Dave both looked the guy up on his facebook and googled him and made fun of him due to the noise complaints he had against him. Both parties were asses, but it just goes to show that PA is a much bigger ass thanks to the internet.

(Paul)Hey Mike,

I just wanted to apologize for the way our emails progressed I didn’t know how big your site was and I really didn’t believe you ran Pax , So for what’s its worth I am very sorry. Your post has obviously made my life very difficult and I have not slept yet dealing with all the spam and personal information intrusion as well as my family being smeared on the internet.

If you can please accept my apology and anything you can do to help if not me my son and wife please do. I have apologized to Dave and apologized to you what else can I do please tell me so I can make things good. I obviously care or I would not be emailing you.(/Paul)

(Mike)I think there is a big difference between being sorry and being sorry you got caught. I have a real problem with bullies. I spent my childhood moving from school to school and I got made fun of everyplace I landed. I feel like Paul is a bully and maybe that’s why I have no sympathy here. Someday every bully meets and even bigger bully and maybe that’s me in this case. It’s the same thing that happened with Jack Thompson. It might not always make the most business sense and it is a policy that has caused us some legal problems, but I really don’t give a gak about that. When these donkey-caves threaten me or Penny Arcade I just laugh. I will personally burn everything I’ve made to the fething ground if I think I can catch them in the flames.(/Mike)

Also, Penny Arcade isn't funny.

I think this whole situation could have been avoided if only the Ocean Marketing fella knew how to use periods and commas.

Difference is this: Chistoforo was a complete arse when he thought he would get away with it. Mike was an arse when he already knew everyone was watching. I fall down on the side of Mike.

halonachos wrote:Actually, this is how he responded and I don't see your quote anywhere, the guy was lying about what? His product got pushed back, that happens all of the time. Was he lying about it being pushed back? Was he lying about having a family? Mike and Dave both looked the guy up on his facebook and googled him and made fun of him due to the noise complaints he had against him. Both parties were asses, but it just goes to show that PA is a much bigger ass thanks to the internet.

(Paul)Hey Mike,

I just wanted to apologize for the way our emails progressed I didn’t know how big your site was and I really didn’t believe you ran Pax , So for what’s its worth I am very sorry. Your post has obviously made my life very difficult and I have not slept yet dealing with all the spam and personal information intrusion as well as my family being smeared on the internet.

If you can please accept my apology and anything you can do to help if not me my son and wife please do. I have apologized to Dave and apologized to you what else can I do please tell me so I can make things good. I obviously care or I would not be emailing you.(/Paul)

(Mike)I think there is a big difference between being sorry and being sorry you got caught. I have a real problem with bullies. I spent my childhood moving from school to school and I got made fun of everyplace I landed. I feel like Paul is a bully and maybe that’s why I have no sympathy here. Someday every bully meets and even bigger bully and maybe that’s me in this case. It’s the same thing that happened with Jack Thompson. It might not always make the most business sense and it is a policy that has caused us some legal problems, but I really don’t give a gak about that. When these donkey-caves threaten me or Penny Arcade I just laugh. I will personally burn everything I’ve made to the fething ground if I think I can catch them in the flames.(/Mike)

He knows the Mayor of Boston, has talked to the people behind PAX, and he would sell Dave's item if he repurchased it.

Yeah. Let's totally overlook the fact that the guy initially acted like an ass to his customer and NONE of this would've happened, had he just treated the guy with the minimal courtesy expected of people in customer facing positions.

Another thing compounding my inability to feel sorry for the guy is that nearly everything he says is passive aggressive and back handed.

"It's caused me more annoyance than anything else..."

It didn't help him to realize how WRONG he was... it was just an annoyance.

"It hasn't affected my business yet," he said. "Clients have brought it up, but they've mainly laughed about it. I haven't lost any clients."

"My clients all think it's stupid" is basically what he's saying here. Or, "Ha! Ha! You tried to hurt me financially, but FAILed!!!"

"I didn't know who that guy at Penny Arcade was," he admitted. "If I had known, I would have treated the situation a little better...."

He'd have treated him better *IF HE KNEW WHO HE WAS.*
In other words, when you're "Joe Schmoe," you get the garbage treatment. When you're someone with influence, you get respect.
Scumbag.

"...He has a lot of connections, ones I want too."

I just... I don't even...
Ugh.

"...I dont want to call him out, but he could have gone about that a totally different way, he could have said, 'Hey, I run the show, that email was a little unprofessional, if you don't do something to apologize I don't want you at my show.' But he just came at me and said, indirectly, 'Hey, f*** you, you're banned from PAX.' Is that what you'd call professional? I wouldn't."

I'm reminded of a saying about a pot and a kettle.
He's got some ego, daring to criticize how unprofessional SOMEONE ELSE was. Really, dude? The whole premise of your self defense is predicated on the idea that only people with clout should be treated well, and the rest of us should know our place.

"Not that I don't have respect for anybody, but if someone's badmouthing me or being a little punk or being a jerk, they don't deserve respect,"

So, here he's admitting that he doesn't deserve respect? I mean, after all, HE is the one who started being an ass first.

"...I trust everybody until they give me a reason not to respect them. I'm not a tough guy, not a bully, but at same time not going to take s*** if it's uncalled for..."

Note the wording... He will TRUST them until they give him a reason not to respect him. He won't RESPECT them... just TRUST them. it may seem petty to some, that difference, but you can (accurately) read a LOT into what someone is saying if you just take the time to note the actual words they use in a sentence. Even if it's unintentional, it's still there.
Also, there's another saying about a goose and a gander. If *HE* isn't going to take "...s*** if it's uncalled for..." then he shouldn't expect others to, either.

"I don't know the mayor of Boston," he admitted. "That was taken totally out of context, I was just joking around...."

Liar.

"...I know some influential people, like the guy who runs the door at the convention center..."

Umm... LOLWhat?

"Ultimately, if I was able to control the customer, it never would have happened..."

Whew.
Dang, buddy. Is there enough space in that room for you AND your ego?
Control the customer? Geez. How about SERVING them, instead.
Wow.

"I still love the gaming community, and this is not going to change my mind," he said. "I do think these people were a little bit excessive with the spam, digging up personal information, calling me..."

I love the gaming community even if they're prying, nosy little jerks.

"...Not to put anyone down, but I don't know what kind of lives these people have..."

Not to put anyone down, but I'm going to follow that up with an inferred insult.

"...I don't have any hate or bad will for them, but it's a little bit sad that they didn't have anything better to do than attack me."

I don't feel anything negative about them, other than this insult right here.

"I'm not depressed at people making fun of me," he said. "It's like a parody of Barack Obama..."

Yeah, dude. You're EXACTLY like the President of the United States. You should totally start campaigning.
I mean, there's absolutely NOTHING egotistical about trying to compare yourself to the PotUS.
lulz

"[Legal action] is something I'm not interested in doing because the community would be more pissed at me,"

I'd do it if I could get away with it. Since they'd just slam me on their site again and cause me to lose MORE money, I'd better now.

"I could have nipped this all in the bud by being a little nicer.

Ah, Yes! Finally! It's sinking in.

You never know who knows who, and lesson learned..."

Whoops. Wait. My bad. Apparently, you're all about being nice to everyone... with the power to ruin you.

"At the end of the day, I'm a human being, and it feels like the entire world was bullying me,"

Good. Then you got what you deserve. Now, stop being a d***, treat your customers better and, before you throw your weight around at strangers, make sure they don't have MORE weight to throw back.
Hmm... Come to think of it, just stop trying to throw the damned weight around in the first place.

Eric

Albatross wrote:Also, Penny Arcade isn't funny.

Oh come now, they have made me chuckle on the rare few occasions

MagickalMemories wrote:Yeah. Let's totally overlook the fact that the guy initially acted like an ass to his customer and NONE of this would've happened, had he just treated the guy with the minimal courtesy expected of people in customer facing positions.

Another thing compounding my inability to feel sorry for the guy is that nearly everything he says is passive aggressive and back handed.

Except you're ignoring the first 3 email exchanges:

Dave wrote:Any chance of getting an update of when these items will ship?

Ocean Marketing wrote:Dec 17

Dave wrote:Can you clarify whether my particular order already sent or if Dec 17 was the first day shipments went out?

Ocean Marketing wrote:They still haven’t shipped yet on the way here from china

Dave wrote:So then delivery to customer doors by December 24th is no longer likely correct? Do you have an estimated date of when units will arrive in California? Thanks.

Ocean Marketing wrote:They are in the USA now in customs so its wither before or after Christmas.

First of all, this is poor (almost incomprehensible) grammar and poor customer support. He should have been fired as a "Marketing" representative for those failures alone. If a customer emails you and asks "when does X ship" you don't just send him a date. You apologize for the delay and explain when the products can be expected, etc.

Anyway, we next see Dave (the customer) escalating the issue.

Dave wrote:You’ve had my money interest free for nearly two months, yet now ANY new order will get $10 off….meaning I should just cancel my order for 2 controllers, get my money back, then re-order.

And yes, Ocean Marketing's reponse was unnecessarily snippy. Yet another reason to fire them. But then consider Dave's next email. He escalates the issue, yelling (ALLCAPS!) at OM and attacks him on various fronts (like updating the website).

Again, OM's response was less than stellar. But given the context of Dave's email, not entirely unforseeable.

Enough to fire the guy (like I said, the first email was sufficient to fire a marketing person), but not to the level that's being suggested.

Honestly, Dave kinda comes out looking like the bigger ass here.

halonachos wrote:Actually, this is how he responded and I don't see your quote anywhere, the guy was lying about what? His product got pushed back, that happens all of the time. Was he lying about it being pushed back? Was he lying about having a family? Mike and Dave both looked the guy up on his facebook and googled him and made fun of him due to the noise complaints he had against him. Both parties were asses, but it just goes to show that PA is a much bigger ass thanks to the internet.

(Paul)Hey Mike,

I just wanted to apologize for the way our emails progressed I didn’t know how big your site was and I really didn’t believe you ran Pax , So for what’s its worth I am very sorry. Your post has obviously made my life very difficult and I have not slept yet dealing with all the spam and personal information intrusion as well as my family being smeared on the internet.

If you can please accept my apology and anything you can do to help if not me my son and wife please do. I have apologized to Dave and apologized to you what else can I do please tell me so I can make things good. I obviously care or I would not be emailing you.(/Paul)

(Mike)I think there is a big difference between being sorry and being sorry you got caught. I have a real problem with bullies. I spent my childhood moving from school to school and I got made fun of everyplace I landed. I feel like Paul is a bully and maybe that’s why I have no sympathy here. Someday every bully meets and even bigger bully and maybe that’s me in this case. It’s the same thing that happened with Jack Thompson. It might not always make the most business sense and it is a policy that has caused us some legal problems, but I really don’t give a gak about that. When these donkey-caves threaten me or Penny Arcade I just laugh. I will personally burn everything I’ve made to the fething ground if I think I can catch them in the flames.(/Mike)

What you are quoting is Gabe's general reply to all the people that have threatened PA in the past, how you can jump from that generalisation to "feth them I don't give a gak, my life was tough so their lives should also be miserable.", is beyond me.

You missed the latest developments:

http://penny-arcade.com/2011/12/28/i-wwebsite-as-on-the-internet

And he was lying about everyone that he supposedly knew and that could vouch for him (including the Mayor of Boston), he was lying about pursuing legal action he could perfectly be lying about the threats part. Even if he wasn't, the internet is full of dirtbags, PA can't possibly be held accountable for what a third party decides to do on his own accord.

Also, it wasn't HIS product, the guy was just the representative of a PR firm that the manufacturer (N-Control) hired.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

biccat wrote:
And yes, Ocean Marketing's reponse was unnecessarily snippy.

I don't consider

put on your big boy hat and wait it out like everyone else.

and

Feel free to cancel we need the units were back ordered 11,000 units so your 2 will be gone fast. Maybe I’ll put them on eBay for 150.00 myself.

as "snippy"! In fact, considering that these guys by this point had blown through 2 release dates and had the guys money for close to two months without any communication or apology whatsoever, I find those two comments incredibly rude which in my mind at least, justifies the angrier email that Dave sent afterwards.

But then again, I actually expect the people that I give my money to to treat me with some amount of decent courtesy and respect, must be one of the reasons why I stopped buying stuff from GW.

biccat wrote:

MagickalMemories wrote:Yeah. Let's totally overlook the fact that the guy initially acted like an ass to his customer and NONE of this would've happened, had he just treated the guy with the minimal courtesy expected of people in customer facing positions.

Another thing compounding my inability to feel sorry for the guy is that nearly everything he says is passive aggressive and back handed.

Except you're ignoring the first 3 email exchanges:

I'm not ignoring them. You and I just have different interpretations of the exchange. I see Dave's frustration growing at OM's seeming unwillingness to communicate anything helpful, lack of basic customer service skills and compounded by the company offering a discount to anyone who had NOT ordered yet, as opposed to those who did.

Everything after my initial paragraph, however, was based on the interview/article linked earlier in the thread.

Eric

MagickalMemories wrote:I'm not ignoring them. You and I just have different interpretations of the exchange. I see Dave's frustration growing at OM's seeming unwillingness to communicate anything helpful, lack of basic customer service skills and compounded by the company offering a discount to anyone who had NOT ordered yet, as opposed to those who did.

That line was mostly in response to this:

MagikalMemories wrote:Let's totally overlook the fact that the guy initially acted like an ass to his customer

He didn't "initially act like an ass." He responded to the customer's question. It took him a little while to build up there.

I don't think his initial response of "Dec. 17" was him acting like an ass. He had probably gotten a ton of emails about late shipments and instead of actually writing up a decent form letter, just responded quickly.

The Internet Hate Machine is a dangerous thing, and shouldn't be used capriciously.

biccat wrote:

MagickalMemories wrote:I'm not ignoring them. You and I just have different interpretations of the exchange. I see Dave's frustration growing at OM's seeming unwillingness to communicate anything helpful, lack of basic customer service skills and compounded by the company offering a discount to anyone who had NOT ordered yet, as opposed to those who did.

That line was mostly in response to this:

MagikalMemories wrote:Let's totally overlook the fact that the guy initially acted like an ass to his customer

He didn't "initially act like an ass." He responded to the customer's question. It took him a little while to build up there.

I don't think his initial response of "Dec. 17" was him acting like an ass. He had probably gotten a ton of emails about late shipments and instead of actually writing up a decent form letter, just responded quickly.

The Internet Hate Machine is a dangerous thing, and shouldn't be used capriciously.

Communication mishap again. By "initially," I meant "first."
My point was that he initiated the ass-hattery (IMO).

Eric

There is no reasonable defense for Paul here.

Basic professional customer service would have avoided this entire situation. Paul was given three chances by the increasingly-impatient customer to do his job and do it right, BEFORE there were any insults or rudeness. He failed all three times to give an adequate response. His job was to answer the customer’s questions fully and establish clear expectations for when the product would ship or when further info would be available. His total and repeated failure had absolutely predictable results: an angry customer.

This is a textbook example of why we train people not to communicate like Paul. There’s a principle in call center management called First Call Resolution, where you teach your people to try to resolve all of the customer’s problems and questions in one go. Even if it makes the call (or in this case the email) take a little longer, you (the company) still save time and money over leaving unanswered questions, which force the customer to call you again, eating up more CSR time while the same greetings, explanations, and interaction closings are repeated, and dollar costs accrue in staffing time (and often 800# charges).

Okay, so that’s failure number one. This would just result in a poor grade (probably a 1 or a 2 on a 5pt scale) if evaluated by a supervisor or CS trainer, on any of those first three emails. If said supervisor or trainer were aware of the whole exchange, they might give him a verbal or written warning, as the manifest evidence of the time wasted and customer goodwill squandered stared them in the face.

So, then we get to Paul’s sarcastic and insulting email. Where he tells the customer that the customer is not special, to “put on his big boy pants”, and that not only does the customer not qualify for the same financial consideration/discount as a new order, that if he even tries it Paul will cancel his order and maybe sell his controllers on eBay. This is straight up abuse. In some companies this email right here would be grounds for termination. In any professional customer service center, it’s at least a warning, and it goes in your employee file.

Once again, the response should have been predictable. Customer gets angry and starts complaining. Now Dave was a bit over the top, but he’s angry and yelling directly as a result of how he was treated. This is a situation entirely of Paul’s creation.

Now, how does he respond to it? In any CS center, the training for handling an angry customer is to apologize (even if the customer is angry for NO GOOD REASON or for a reason which is NONE of your responsibility), empathize, validate the customer’s feelings, establish what you can do (within the boundaries of company policy) to help, reassure them that you will do what you can to help them, and then start problem solving. Paul does none of this. He not only gets angry (which can be a reasonable personal reaction), he commits the never-allowed-ever foul of expressing anger back at the customer. This might be slightly understandable in a verbal exchange. Human emotions being what they are, even seasoned pros can’t always keep their own vocal tone in check. But even in those circumstances you’re never permitted to insult the customer, even if they personally insulted you first. Paul has the luxury of doing this via email. He has all the time in the world, if he’s upset for some reason, or stressed-out, to pause and get back to this customer in a professional manner. But no, he decides to further abuse the customer in an absurdly over the top manner. His next email was an unquestioned termination offense in most CS centers on Earth.

-----------------

So, that's just Paul's utter lack of the basic customer service skills you learn in your first week at an entry-level customer service job.

-----------------

Some people feel some sympathy for Paul, thinking that Dave was a jerk or Mike Kruhalik also a bully. That may be their opinion, but it's a wrong opinion.

If Paul's family or child (a child who Paul has, in different places, referred to as a newborn, a few months old, or a couple of years old) had actually been dragged into it, that would clearly be wrong. Both Mike and Dave have clearly and publicaly stated that would be wrong. But the only person who has even suggested that they might have been is Paul; a person who has lied repeatedly and often. Using his family as a shield is a predictable tactic, and has been used by other jerks (*cough* RedStarOne *cough*) before him, and no doubt will be long after him.

I lost my last shreds of sympathy for Paul when I read his interview afterwards. He clearly takes no responsibility for his actions, and does not see anything wrong with his bullying and abusive behavior and attitude. He openly lies about the sequence of events, claiming that Mike insulted him first, and swore at him, both of which are complete and obvious BS. He is at the very least a compulsive liar and scumbag, and possibly a sociopath.

Some of the folks interested in it dug up another story of him abusing customers from earlier this year. What's the over/under for him doing it again? Six months?

This story is great. There are a few company owners here who post a great deal that SHOULD learn from this.

"bigger and better shows"

There's bigger and better shows than PAX?

beowulfhunter wrote:This story is great. There are a few company owners here who post a great deal that SHOULD learn from this.

Don't be stingy tell us more...

"I will personally burn everything I’ve made to the fething ground if I think I can catch them in the flames.(/Mike)"


I think that is the best line I have ever read on the 'net.

Sympathy for OM = 0. I also love the fact that he resorted to the old interwebz stand by of " Someone close to me died/ is in the hostpital / family member sick etc etc etc". I have seen that in so many scammer's and rip off artists excuses for why they act like a douchebag when they 'get caught' that it is a wonder anyone does any business on the internet. Seems as soon as you get someone's money 90% of the time someone dies. Hell I would be weary of doing business on the 'net since I see it so much


Honestly the last time I remember reading a PA comic was in the back of some gaming magazine, glad to see it still funny as hell. I loved Mikeys grinch face " You have the power Mike"

The MSNBC interview just let him lie and didn't call him on it.

The Forbes article makes more clear what a ridiculous liar and tool he is.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnyegriffiths/2011/12/29/from-control-to-ko-paul-christoforo-interviewed/2/

Forbes:And at that point, when you realised you had all of these people talking about you, tweeting about you, posting to blogs about you – how did it feel?

Paul C: Well, at first I couldn’t believe how fast it was spreading, and then, as the emails started coming in, that’s when I realised …

Basically, what Mike [Krahulik] did is this: If you were in a bar, drinking and hanging out with a bunch of people, and in that group of people was one guy that you didn’t know was a mixed martial arts champion. He knows he can kick the **** out of anyone in that bar, and you happen to pick a fight with him. He doesn’t tell you what he is, you take a swing at him and the next thing you know you have a broken jaw and you’re on the way to the hospital.

Let's be clear right here. The guy's idea of defending himself, of portraying his innocence, is to compare himself with someone who assaults a random stranger in a bar, and then blames the VICTIM for punching him out, when it turns out that the guy he assaulted is actually a better fighter than him.

Leaving aside, of course, that Mike actually did warn him. When Paul started picking a fight with him, he told him his name, told him PAX (the biggest electronic gaming expo in the country) is his show, and invited him to google him. So in Paul's scenario was actually happened was that Paul the guy who punches random strangers in bars walked up to Mike Tyson, said "F your mother", and Mike said, "I'm the heavyweight champion of the world", and handed Paul a copy of Ring magazine with his face on the cover. THEN Paul took a swing. And Mike's the bad guy for knocking him out.

Mannahnin wrote:...and then blames the VICTIM...

If it wasn't me it would have been someone else.

Though you're right, of course. The man is a complete ass.

http://kotaku.com/5871776/ocean-marketting-jackass-earns-10-discount-for-all-pre+orders

As a result. LOL

I'm going to have to side with the people saying the entire situation wasn't worth reading into.

I read everything I could regarding this for the past two hours or so. Absolutely hilarious and good to see a person with horrible grammar, let alone a prick, get what was coming to him. You reap what you fething sow.

I found the emails from Customer Dave and Mike were mature well written.

Some people have to learn the hard way, and apparently this Paul dude is one of them.

VermGho5t wrote:Some people have to learn the hard way, and apparently this Paul dude is one of them.

The schadenfreude is strong in this article.

However, the idea that Paul C has learned anything from this is ridiculous. He's clearly reveling in the spotlight and trying to twist around the story to make himself look near faultless.



While Mike K. could've certainly handled it more diplomatically, he had no real obligation to do so, and at least is honest about how and why he is an ass in this whole thing.

So, that's just Paul's utter lack of the basic customer service skills you learn in your first week at an entry-level customer service job.

Having similar background customer service experiences, I completely agree. If I saw/heard a rep respond to the customer in any of the ways that this this guy did (even just the 2 word e-mail), there would be problems.

Some people feel some sympathy for Paul, thinking that Dave was a jerk or Mike Kruhalik also a bully. That may be their opinion, but it's a wrong opinion.

Having a strong opinion about bullies, I'd say that standing up to a bully is not bullying in itself. People saying Mike is a bully are just missing the point.

So in Paul's scenario was actually happened was that Paul the guy who punches random strangers in bars walked up to Mike Tyson, said "F your mother", and Mike said, "I'm the heavyweight champion of the world", and handed Paul a copy of Ring magazine with his face on the cover. THEN Paul took a swing. And Mike's the bad guy for knocking him out.

The 'You picked the wrong guy this time' idea is strong here and definitely appeals to my sensibilities. If only more bullies picked the wrong guy...

Personally, I don't have the weight to throw around in these kind of interactions, but I do have my knowledge of the internal workings of the customer service industry, which often serves when dealing with most CS organizations. It is amazing what you can get done when you know what the magic words are. I managed to get a ridiculous set of medical bills waived earlier this year based on this less showy version of 'Oh honey, I'm sorry you had to be the one who answered my call'.

While Mike K. could've certainly handled it more diplomatically, he had no real obligation to do so, and at least is honest about how and why he is an ass in this whole thing.

Yeah, I don't really feel like he has anything to apologize for. For better or worse, PA is a force of nature on the interwebs. They crawled up from a lowly web-comic to a true brand, but still seem to have kept their roots. I appreciate that when I read something from them it still feels like it is coming from the kind of guy I would want to hang out with. If one of my buddies was treated like this, please believe we'd find a way to get one in on the guy who did it.

Mannahnin wrote:The MSNBC interview just let him lie and didn't call him on it.

The Forbes article makes more clear what a ridiculous liar and tool he is.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnyegriffiths/2011/12/29/from-control-to-ko-paul-christoforo-interviewed/2/

MSNBC fails, but what's new about that?

They're like fox if fox was slightly less biased and and much less competent.

Doctadeth wrote:http://kotaku.com/5871776/ocean-marketting-jackass-earns-10-discount-for-all-pre+orders

As a result. LOL

Hehe... the company is really hanging him out to dry...

"I can't worry about the fact that there isn't a bus big enough for me to throw Paul Christoforo under" said," Moisés Chiulian, the Austin, Texas-based consultant now retained by N-Control to oversee its sales and marketing. "The Internet did that for me. I think they set him on fire, too."

That was a good read.

Albatross wrote:Also, Penny Arcade isn't funny.

QFT

That is distilled laconic awesomeness. In fact that is the funniest thing related to penny arcade i have ever read.

Why can't this happen to RedStarOne?

Perkustin wrote:

Albatross wrote:Also, Penny Arcade isn't funny.

QFT

That is distilled laconic awesomeness. In fact that is the funniest thing related to penny arcade i have ever read.

Bah, you two don't know whacher talkin bout.

They are, for the most part, a political comic, just change the word Political to Gaming. That's how you have to read them, in my humble opinion.

Indeed, they don't have a proper continuity (even joking about it quite often as "the dreaded continuity"), so you shouldn't read it like a comic that does.

Man, I don't think anyone came off looking good in this one. The guy probably lost his job, the customer was in fact kind of a jerk, PA threw it's weight around... we have all been cheapened by this experience.

Aside from the final P.S. in his last e-mail how did the customer come off as a jerk? The guy was being yanked around by the company, fed lies, getting shafted, had his credit card charged early in violation of how things are supposed to work, then gets bitched out by an internet tough guy? The guy was positively restrained.

And the guy didn't lose his job, he owns the company. He did lose the account through.

And all PA did was step in after this guy starts to name drop and be a dick head telling him any booth he may have at PAX is canceled. When he kept it up, Gabe put the e-mail chain up and let the internet do the rest.

So really, not seeing how anyone in this looks like a dumbass except for Ocean.

but he just seems like a pitiful, small man not quite worthy of gassing up the Internet Hate Machine.

No, this guy was worth it. Did you catch how he's responding to this? Broadcasting on Twitter that he'll sell off people's credit card info in retaliation. This guy got what was coming to him.

However, the idea that Paul C has learned anything from this is ridiculous. He's clearly reveling in the spotlight and trying to twist around the story to make himself look near faultless.

But it won't work. Even the barest glance at the facts paints him as a horrible customer service agent AT BEST. At worst he's a lying, barely literate, steroid abusing, wife beating, internet bully, who finally got caught and had it blow up in his face.

While Mike K. could've certainly handled it more diplomatically, he had no real obligation to do so, and at least is honest about how and why he is an ass in this whole thing.

Because it's funny.

Moisés Chiulian

This guy is tap dancing in the rain trying to dodge the drops and actually managing to do it. He's got just enough of a sense of humor and is willing to sell Paul down the river in such a manner that might just leave this steaming pile solely in Pauls lap and let N-Control more or less slide with an apology about hiring the wrong goon.

In other words, Moises Chiulian is the right man for the job?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Tyyr wrote:Did you catch how he's responding to this? Broadcasting on Twitter that he'll sell off people's credit card info in retaliation.

Wow. Uhm. Wow.

Geeze, I thought he deserved the internet hate machine before. But this possibly deserves criminal liability.

Moises Chiulun is the guy replacing him?

All I read was what was put on PA....

In a sense. Paul owned his own company which handled customer relations, and thus he isn't fired per se. But they aren't using his services anymore, they're using another guy's.

Melissia wrote:In other words, Moises Chiulian is the right man for the job?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Tyyr wrote:Did you catch how he's responding to this? Broadcasting on Twitter that he'll sell off people's credit card info in retaliation.

Wow. Uhm. Wow.

Geeze, I thought he deserved the internet hate machine before. But this possibly deserves criminal liability.

In N-Control's released press statement, they clearly stated that Ocean Marketing never had any access to credit card info, or personal data of that nature (besides replied emails).

I don't really see how people have the opinion that Mike Krahulik or whatever his last name is, was an donkey-cave about his decision to deny a booth to this Paul character. He clearly stated that PAX is his deal. He owns the event or is the main director, obviously that gives him end control over probably almost every aspect of it (since successfully managing a large event requires being a good delegator or micro manager), aside from public safety and what not. How can you argue against that?

He still threatened it.

It's not the capacity but the threat itself that is ott.

Melissia wrote:Indeed, they don't have a proper continuity (even joking about it quite often as "the dreaded continuity"), so you shouldn't read it like a comic that does.

So it's funny, in a non-continuous sense?

Everything Mannahnin said a page ago is spot on. The Tyson analogy was particularly apt.


People need to learn about the power PA has. Gabe might not be able to control that power (it's like an avalanche once it gets going), but he sure can direct its power towards something. The sooner people learn this, the better.

And yeah, it was Paul's fault here. He's the one who started with 'big boy hat' and 'I'll sell your gak on eBay sucka!'. None of that was called for, and once he did that he deserved everything he got.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Everything Mannahnin said a page ago is spot on. The Tyson analogy was particularly apt.

Thanks! But I thought about it later and realized it's imperfect. To be accurate, Paul would have to be beating up some little schmoe first, then the little schmoe taps Mike on the shoulder and says "can you help me?" And when Tyson hands Paul that copy of Ring Magazine, Paul says "Oh yeah? Well I'm friends with Hulk Hogan, Manny Pacquiao, George Foreman, and I can punch out Vitali Klistchko."

H.B.M.C. wrote:People need to learn about the power PA has. Gabe might not be able to control that power (it's like an avalanche once it gets going), but he sure can direct its power towards something. The sooner people learn this, the better.

I would hope that fudgenuggets like Paul's takeaway would be "I should not abuse people, because something like this could happen at any time."

Jazz is for Losers wrote:

Melissia wrote:Indeed, they don't have a proper continuity (even joking about it quite often as "the dreaded continuity"), so you shouldn't read it like a comic that does.

So it's funny, in a non-continuous sense?

Yeah. Unlike say Order of the Stick or Dominic Deegan, which are intensly story based, Penny Arcade is Exactly like two dudes talking about random things and making pointed observations about Games (and other things).

Just some examples, the Only Mortal Kombat strip they did for MK2011 was this one:



This was made because of the fact that they tried as hard as they might, but they could not perform a fatality, something which a fair few people can't do. So it's funny to people who play the game, but not so much for people who don't.

Now this:



Alot of people (Myself included) can't keep up with the pace of Starcraft, and can't defend themselves against a Zerg Rush. Again it's funny for someone who plays Starcraft, but not so much for people who don't.

Mannahnin, I always liked you, and this thread explains why.

Your servant, sir. I am particularly flattered, as you are clearly a person of taste.

It's kind of surreal to hear about this in real life at work. Some guy emailed some other guy and now, hundreds of miles away, I'm talking about it with some dude. The internet is scary.

Bad business...

Mannahnin wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:Everything Mannahnin said a page ago is spot on. The Tyson analogy was particularly apt.

Thanks! But I thought about it later and realized it's imperfect. To be accurate, Paul would have to be beating up some little schmoe first, then the little schmoe taps Mike on the shoulder and says "can you help me?" And when Tyson hands Paul that copy of Ring Magazine, Paul says "Oh yeah? Well I'm friends with Hulk Hogan, Manny Pacquiao, George Foreman, and I can punch out Vitali Klistchko."

H.B.M.C. wrote:People need to learn about the power PA has. Gabe might not be able to control that power (it's like an avalanche once it gets going), but he sure can direct its power towards something. The sooner people learn this, the better.

I would hope that fudgenuggets like Paul's takeaway would be "I should not abuse people, because something like this could happen at any time."

I'd suggest another slight modification, upon being given the magazine, he then tells Tyson that he doesn't believe that he is who the magazine says he is, and then goes off about who he knows.

Which makes Paul all the more stupid in my opinion.

Medium of Death wrote:When I first started reading this I couldn't tell who was being an arsehole.

Everybody in that entire affair is an arsehole.

Arsehole.

Agreed, including this PA guy whoever he is.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

MagickalMemories wrote:

Ouze wrote:Man, I don't think anyone came off looking good in this one. The guy probably lost his job, the customer was in fact kind of a jerk, PA threw it's weight around... we have all been cheapened by this experience.

I'm going to disagree slightly. I think PA came out looking like a hero.

Eric

No he looks like a smarmy twit that finally got to use whatever power he thinks he has.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Mannahnin wrote:The MSNBC interview just let him lie and didn't call him on it.

The Forbes article makes more clear what a ridiculous liar and tool he is.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnyegriffiths/2011/12/29/from-control-to-ko-paul-christoforo-interviewed/2/

Forbes:And at that point, when you realised you had all of these people talking about you, tweeting about you, posting to blogs about you – how did it feel?

Paul C: Well, at first I couldn’t believe how fast it was spreading, and then, as the emails started coming in, that’s when I realised …

Basically, what Mike [Krahulik] did is this: If you were in a bar, drinking and hanging out with a bunch of people, and in that group of people was one guy that you didn’t know was a mixed martial arts champion. He knows he can kick the **** out of anyone in that bar, and you happen to pick a fight with him. He doesn’t tell you what he is, you take a swing at him and the next thing you know you have a broken jaw and you’re on the way to the hospital.

Wow this has made it to Forbes?

Let's be clear right here. The guy's idea of defending himself, of portraying his innocence, is to compare himself with someone who assaults a random stranger in a bar, and then blames the VICTIM for punching him out, when it turns out that the guy he assaulted is actually a better fighter than him.

Leaving aside, of course, that Mike actually did warn him. When Paul started picking a fight with him, he told him his name, told him PAX (the biggest electronic gaming expo in the country) is his show, and invited him to google him. So in Paul's scenario was actually happened was that Paul the guy who punches random strangers in bars walked up to Mike Tyson, said "F your mother", and Mike said, "I'm the heavyweight champion of the world", and handed Paul a copy of Ring magazine with his face on the cover. THEN Paul took a swing. And Mike's the bad guy for knocking him out.

I think a few 40k accessory manufacturers who know who they are need to take careful note of how much they sound like Paul C in their emails and dealings with us.

*cough*battlefoam*cough*

Dear Rented Tritium,
Why don't you pull on your big boy pants and wait like everyone else. Whether before or after. If you cancel your order I'll sell it on EBay because we are super successful at marketing our product but not as successful in gauging immediate demand for our product. Pomegranate. So if you're done whining and crying right now I have to get back to my golf game you so rudely interrupted with your stupid email filled with stupid questions. That's right I golf, with Mike Tyson.
Sod off
Paul

Dear Users,

Why don't you stick to the topic and leave other companies out of it.

A moderator.

Frazzled wrote:No he looks like a smarmy twit that finally got to use whatever power he thinks he has.

In the industry in question PA has quite a bit of power.

dogma wrote:

Frazzled wrote:No he looks like a smarmy twit that finally got to use whatever power he thinks he has.

In the industry in question PA has quite a bit of power.

Indeed.

Yes. PAX is the biggest video games convention in the USA, I think, except for E3 which is an industry event.

They also do a massive charity every year called Child's Play, which takes donations of money and stuff to provide game equipment for children's hospitals in the US and UK.

They are into tabletop games as well.

Frazzled wrote:

dogma wrote:

Frazzled wrote:No he looks like a smarmy twit that finally got to use whatever power he thinks he has.

In the industry in question PA has quite a bit of power.

Indeed.

Imagine, if you will, 4Chan getting a head representative whom is the face of 4Chan. I don't care what you say, that dude holds a whole lot of power.

Kilkrazy wrote:Yes. PAX is the biggest video games convention in the USA, I think, except for E3 which is an industry event.

They also do a massive charity every year called Child's Play, which takes donations of money and stuff to provide game equipment for children's hospitals in the US and UK.

They are into tabletop games as well.

I thought E3 had died a while ago

Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote:It's kind of surreal to hear about this in real life at work. Some guy emailed some other guy and now, hundreds of miles away, I'm talking about it with some dude. The internet is scary.

What's scary is that you live hundreds of miles away from me, yet you look remarkably like one of my friends who still lives in my area.

Slarg232 wrote:

Frazzled wrote:

dogma wrote:

Frazzled wrote:No he looks like a smarmy twit that finally got to use whatever power he thinks he has.

In the industry in question PA has quite a bit of power.

Indeed.

Imagine, if you will, 4Chan getting a head representative whom is the face of 4Chan. I don't care what you say, that dude holds a whole lot of power.

Kilkrazy wrote:Yes. PAX is the biggest video games convention in the USA, I think, except for E3 which is an industry event.

They also do a massive charity every year called Child's Play, which takes donations of money and stuff to provide game equipment for children's hospitals in the US and UK.

They are into tabletop games as well.

I thought E3 had died a while ago

It's back.

Melissia wrote:He still threatened it..

No he didn't. That particular statement was made by one of the myriad fake twitter accounts that popped up.

Pshaw. Amateur stuff, predating Paul trying to hold the company's website and email addresses hostage, and him continuing to answer customer emails to them even after he was fired.

Wow Read this article wow. I can't believe people are that dumb

What article, the OP's article or what?

It doesn't take a business man to realize that your customer-base can make or break your company.