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Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka




Manchester UK

Also, Penny Arcade isn't funny.

 Cheesecat wrote:
 purplefood wrote:
I find myself agreeing with Albatross far too often these days...

I almost always agree with Albatross, I can't see why anyone wouldn't.


 Crazy_Carnifex wrote:

Okay, so the male version of "Cougar" is now officially "Albatross".
 
   
Made in us
The Last Chancer Who Survived





Norristown, PA

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

 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut






The ruins of the Palace of Thorns

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.


Though guards may sleep and ships may lay at anchor, our foes know full well that big guns never tire.

Posting as Fifty_Painting on Instagram.

My blog - almost 40 pages of Badab War, Eldar, undead and other assorted projects 
   
Made in us
Veteran ORC







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.

I've never feared Death or Dying. I've only feared never Trying. 
   
Made in us
Nasty Nob on Warbike with Klaw





St. Louis, MO

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

Black Fiend wrote: Okay all the ChapterHouse Nazis to the right!! All the GW apologists to the far left. LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE !!!
The Green Git wrote: I'd like to cross section them and see if they have TFG rings, but that's probably illegal.
Polonius wrote: You have to love when the most clearly biased person in the room is claiming to be objective.
Greebynog wrote:Us brits have a sense of fair play and propriety that you colonial savages can only dream of.
Stelek wrote: I know you're afraid. I want you to be. Because you should be. I've got the humiliation wagon all set up for you to take a ride back to suck city.
Quote: LunaHound--- Why do people hate unpainted models? I mean is it lacking the realism to what we fantasize the plastic soldier men to be?
I just can't stand it when people have fun the wrong way. - Chongara
I do believe that the GW "moneysheep" is a dying breed, despite their bleats to the contrary. - AesSedai
You are a thief and a predator of the wargaming community, and i'll be damned if anyone says differently ever again on my watch in these forums. -MajorTom11 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






Burtucky, Michigan

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



Oh come now, they have made me chuckle on the rare few occasions
   
Made in us
Warplord Titan Princeps of Tzeentch





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.

text removed by Moderation team. 
   
Made in pt
Tea-Kettle of Blood




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.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/12/29 19:42:41


 
   
Made in us
Nasty Nob on Warbike with Klaw





St. Louis, MO

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

Black Fiend wrote: Okay all the ChapterHouse Nazis to the right!! All the GW apologists to the far left. LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE !!!
The Green Git wrote: I'd like to cross section them and see if they have TFG rings, but that's probably illegal.
Polonius wrote: You have to love when the most clearly biased person in the room is claiming to be objective.
Greebynog wrote:Us brits have a sense of fair play and propriety that you colonial savages can only dream of.
Stelek wrote: I know you're afraid. I want you to be. Because you should be. I've got the humiliation wagon all set up for you to take a ride back to suck city.
Quote: LunaHound--- Why do people hate unpainted models? I mean is it lacking the realism to what we fantasize the plastic soldier men to be?
I just can't stand it when people have fun the wrong way. - Chongara
I do believe that the GW "moneysheep" is a dying breed, despite their bleats to the contrary. - AesSedai
You are a thief and a predator of the wargaming community, and i'll be damned if anyone says differently ever again on my watch in these forums. -MajorTom11 
   
Made in us
Warplord Titan Princeps of Tzeentch





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.

text removed by Moderation team. 
   
Made in us
Nasty Nob on Warbike with Klaw





St. Louis, MO

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

Black Fiend wrote: Okay all the ChapterHouse Nazis to the right!! All the GW apologists to the far left. LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE !!!
The Green Git wrote: I'd like to cross section them and see if they have TFG rings, but that's probably illegal.
Polonius wrote: You have to love when the most clearly biased person in the room is claiming to be objective.
Greebynog wrote:Us brits have a sense of fair play and propriety that you colonial savages can only dream of.
Stelek wrote: I know you're afraid. I want you to be. Because you should be. I've got the humiliation wagon all set up for you to take a ride back to suck city.
Quote: LunaHound--- Why do people hate unpainted models? I mean is it lacking the realism to what we fantasize the plastic soldier men to be?
I just can't stand it when people have fun the wrong way. - Chongara
I do believe that the GW "moneysheep" is a dying breed, despite their bleats to the contrary. - AesSedai
You are a thief and a predator of the wargaming community, and i'll be damned if anyone says differently ever again on my watch in these forums. -MajorTom11 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Tilter at Windmills






Manchester, NH

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 message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2011/12/30 05:59:01


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Reeve




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





USA

"bigger and better shows"

There's bigger and better shows than PAX?

The people in the past who convinced themselves to do unspeakable things were no less human than you or I. They made their decisions; the only thing that prevents history from repeating itself is making different ones.
-- Adam Serwer
My blog
 
   
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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...

 Avatar 720 wrote:
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Made in ca
Battle-tested Knight Castellan Pilot






"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"
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Tilter at Windmills






Manchester, NH

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.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/12/30 06:13:44


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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.

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

As a result. LOL

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

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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.


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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.

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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.

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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."

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/12/30 15:19:42


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That was a good read.
   
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.


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