[GB] Phantom Parts and Assembly Services (Update Posted 2018/07/23)

[cgbuen]

The latest spreadsheet has been in Google Docs and as a downloadable Excel file for some time. Included is everyone who has ordered and paid which has been that way since 2 months after the GB finished. That should have been done much sooner and was one of the first mistakes on my parts for the GB.

Just wanted to point this out for anyone who might have missed it - Prof has clarified that all of us listed have paid.

I also wouldn't mind paying some small difference to compensate for exchange rate/higher Cherry costs/shipping directly to me (I paid Prof $67.28 USD for 100 MX Whites on February 1).

EDIT: This message was intended for 7bit regarding the MX White situation.

[metalliqaz]

Only a sucker would give him more money.

[KuhnTang]

The latest spreadsheet has been in Google Docs and as a downloadable Excel file for some time. Included is everyone who has ordered and paid which has been that way since 2 months after the GB finished. That should have been done much sooner and was one of the first mistakes on my parts for the GB.

Just wanted to point this out for anyone who might have missed it - Prof has clarified that all of us listed have paid.

I also wouldn't mind paying some small difference to compensate for exchange rate/higher Cherry costs/shipping directly to me (I paid Prof $67.28 USD for 100 MX Whites on February 1).

Hahahaha, go ahead and send him all the money you like.  This should compensate him for all the hard work he's been putting into this GB.  It's not easy sending updates and packages as frequently as he does.  You're right, we should all send him more money!

[Rendom]

Just send the switches already. What is taking so long? It's always excuses, excuses, excuses to prolong this GB. The price increased and you just stopped doing anything? How much is the outstanding price for me to pay to just ****ing send the switches to Alaric? My LZ-GH has been there forever, and I had to ask boost to change the address from UK to Malaysia, and now with this being dragged on again, with this imaginary "PM's and contacted everyone", when am I going to get my LZGH? And if that's not enough, I have to go back to UK in another 2 month, please don't tell me that you're gonna drag for another 2 month. Wait, of course you won't, there will be another excuse, there will never be a direct answer. Just man the **** up, how old are you?

[KuhnTang]

So what is the next step? We have been stuck in the same spot now which seems like forever.

I have already started contacting people about the next step

What exactly are your next steps?  I haven't received an email explaining what you plan on doing for me.  I've spent over $200 and would appreciate a non generic reply.  Saying your taking steps just adds fuel to the fire.  Good job though maintaining your consistent vagueness. 

[cgbuen]

Only a sucker would give him more money.

Hahahaha, go ahead and send him all the money you like.  This should compensate him for all the hard work he's been putting into this GB.  It's not easy sending updates and packages as frequently as he does.  You're right, we should all send him more money!

I meant send money to 7bit to send straight to us here in the States/wherever else. If you guys read some of our earlier posts, 7bit is still waiting on MX Whites from Cherry, so they're not even in his hands.

[KuhnTang]

For all of you getting excited that prof showed his face in the thread again, I will offer you an option to buy my spot.  You can have my spot for 80% of what I paid for it.

[longweight]

So glad that I bailed on this!

[AKIMbO]

For all of you getting excited that prof showed his face in the thread again, I will offer you an option to buy my spot.  You can have my spot for 80% of what I paid for it.

Lol...forget that.  I'll offer my spot for 60% of cost.

[mashby]

Just To Be Clear

On February 1, 2013, I Paid The Following:
   $65.00 - Lubed switches and assembly
   $05.00 - Desoldering PLU-87
   $80.00 - PLU-87 Keyboard
   $08.00 - Cherry Stabilizers
   $05.53 - PayPal Fees
------------------------------------
   $163.53 Total

The only hard goods that have supposedly been purchased for my order is the PLU-87 keyboard -- although I have seen no proof that you have the boards in hand. Deducting PayPal fees, I've paid you $158 for an $80 keyboard. The remaining $78 is gone because...

Into higher prices and exchange rate changes is my best guess at this point.

The Breakdown
Assuming the spreadsheet on Google Doc is correct, and I haven't seen anyone say otherwise, I breakdown the money that was collected as follows:

Amount	Item
$3,001.35	Switches
$960	PLU-87 Keyboards (12 in all)
$1,255	Assembly Services (basic, spring swap, lubed and desoldering)
$632	Stabilizers (that were never purchased
$156	LED swap outs
$6,004.35	Total Received Payments

In other words you collected:
   $3,961.35 in goods that were alegedly purchased
   $2,043 in services and goods that were never purchased (stabilizers)

And due to the fluctuations in the Euro, we're supposed to believe that the expected $4,000 in goods actually cost $6,000, or 67% more than expected?

I actually think this number is higher. The only evidence we've seen of goods actually purchased are the switches from 7bit. There's been no evidence that the PLUs have actually been ordered, or received. Throw that on the pile and we're now looking at $3000 that is unaccounted for.

If I would have managed this better that wouldnt have been a problem but o wells. Its only another $45 or so total on all 628 switches.

It's not just another $45 you idiot, it's thousands of dollars that have gone missing with no serious answer as to WTF happened to it.


If Only...
I keep saying this over-and-over in my mind trying to make peace with this debacle of a group buy. I know it's just my psyche going through the seven stages of anger, but I can't help it.

If only... you had charged for the hard goods and not the services, then I wouldn't be out as much money.

If only...  you'd admitted that you had made a mistake before spending the money, we could have chosen different options, or at least try and make a course correction.

If only... you'd explained that your estimates were off we could have made up the difference and gladly given you more money. *shudder*

If only... you'd admitted that you didn't know how to add someone could have stepped in and given you a calculator.

If only... you'd admitted you were unqualified to run a group buy, someone would have gladly volunteered to take over, or at least pitch in.

If only... you had communicated like you did before you took receipt of the money there wouldn't be so much vitriol.

If only... you were actually being honest and not feeding us a line of bull****. 

But, You Chose This
There are so many different ways this could have turned out, but you CHOSE to take us all down this road. All throughout this thread are offers of assistance and help, but as you said...

I did everything no one helped me with anything and am glad I did that way no one it getting dragged down with me.

So instead of enlisting help, you've chosen to drag everyone that trusted you with their money down this road of shame with you.

You have chosen to lie and steal and be deceptive. You have chosen to drag this out in the hopes of covering up your mistakes, or to perhaps go undetected. I don't know why you've made the choices you have and it really doesn't matter what they are. In the end, the reasons rarely justify the means in situations involving theft.

So you can continue to drag this out and tell us...

Im working on sending out some PMs and Emails as we speak after that im going to get caught back up on the thread as it seems it gotten awfully personal.

Guys I am alive (contrary to some beliefs) and I wont let you guys be boned (no matter how much some of you seem to want to be).

Hey guys sorry about not getting the response up, life has in no way going my way (murphy's law is a *****). I know what your going to think/say when i say this but ill do my best to post responses and reply to pms/emails before the start of next week. Before you ask I will most likely not be posting anything today as i wont be sitting down near a computer long enough to do so.

I havnt checked out guys you should get a response from me tomorrow starting back with my other post. O and I received another bag of switches today from 7bit.

I can start shipping stuff out to people who just ordered switches using the switches I do have.

Im not blowing anyone off. I am not shipping parts because I dont have them all.

As for an update as to when theyll ship, thats quite hard to say as I dont know when ill have the rest of the parts. And YES I am actively trying to get the rest in.

ROFL funny man, just so you know I havnt replied to anyone or anything this week yet.

But, a big thanks to those who respected my post about being unavailable for GH stuff until the following monday. I appreciate not getting flooded while I dont have the ability or time to answer.

ok here are some verbal updates (I know many you want pictures as well thell be soonish to follow)

hey guys! looks round... wow a lot happens in a couple days doesnt it...

guys Ill get an update, info, replies,  and stuff tomorrow I have good news (I think) and yes I was overloaded but not anymore (I think). Yes,  i am currently busy but with GH stuff for the most part.

If your worried about this not getting done dont worry it will as I have stopped most of my life to straighten this and other GH stuff out properly. On another note I will never be running another GB but will continue with assembly for those who want be to build their board but never a full blown service ever most likely.

everything  metalliqaz said is correct as of Sun May 5th at 1600

Does this mean you're sending out all our orders?

some of them will go out soon, for the people that only ordered parts that is.

yo dudes whats up? I have recovered and am getting back on this today. I have some more inventory that I havnt been able to update you about. Expect a update either late today or tomorrow once I have organized/figured/etc.

The Bottom Line
You can't be trusted. You're not a man of your word and you committed fraud on the GeekHack community.

[Acanthophis]

I, luckily for me, only have like 20 bucks in this GB. I guess I'll never see them again, neither as goods nor as a refund.
Plus, I live in Germany, not much I can do about it anyway.
But what puzzles me is why nobody paid him a visit yet? He can't be the only GHer from Wisconsin, can he?

[KuhnTang]

Well said mashby!

[metafour]

Well said mashby!

Except for the "undected" part.

[TheQsanity]

He hasn't even come up with anything to defend himself... He's got his money. He doesn't care anymore...

[nebo]

He hasn't even come up with anything to defend himself... He's got his money. He doesn't care anymore...

I'm not going to lie, I was super excited when I got an email and a PM but nothing came of it. I just want my switches (white, so he doesn't have those from 7bit) and luckily won't have trouble getting my PCB and plate (he doesn't have those either). Guess I'm out stabilizers and assembly.

[longweight]

Excellent post Mashby!


Basically this guy is taking everyones money, what can be done about it?

[Germiphene]

I'm sharpening my pitchfork! 

[longweight]

Will a Paypal dispute do anything?

[The_Beast]

Will a Paypal dispute do anything?

WAY past the 45 day rule they have

[r3dx]

Updates?....

Edit:
After thinking about this more, this request for updates is aimed more towards the people that Prof should be in contact with, because Prof doesn't seem to think it's fit to update his own group buy more frequently:

• WFD (whom he is getting the stabilizers from and still owes money)
• bavman (whom he is suppose to receive the Phantom PCBs and plates that are to be assembled from)
• 7bit (whom he is getting the switches from)

[TheQsanity]

Is he even in contact with 7bit?

[KuhnTang]

Prof,

You're holding up everyone's projects here.  What's going on?  I have everything I need to build my phantom, EXCEPT the parts that I ordered from you .... MONTHS ago.  When am I getting my parts?

At this point, I am willing to sacrifice my stab's that I ordered and paid for.  If you send me my switches, this week, you can keep the money for the stabs and you'll never hear from me again.

[WhiteFireDragon]

The longer this goes on, the more it looks to be like another Changdrew GB scam: endless excuses and stalling, eventually doesn't respond, people get angered, he eventually gets banned, and that seals the fate of people's money.

I have all your phantom plates and PCBs (I told bavman to send them to me regardless of what Prof said to try to stop it). If this is still a stalemate in a week, I'll start sending them out if you want to cut your losses. For any other parts you paid for, including the assembly fees, there's nothing I can do about that.

yea the euro price went up a bit and its been so long the exchange rates been all over the place so thats got something to do with this as well.

There is obviously more to this than you want to say. Sure exchange rates can fluctuate, but they don't swing 300% at a time. There is a few thousand dollars that are unaccounted for, and it's not exchange rates, especially when you haven't even ordered everything yet.

[nebo]

The longer this goes on, the more it looks to be like another Changdrew GB scam: endless excuses and stalling, eventually doesn't respond, people get angered, he eventually gets banned, and that seals the fate of people's money.

I have all your phantom plates and PCBs (I told bavman to send them to me regardless of what Prof said to try to stop it). If this is still a stalemate in a week, I'll start sending them out if you want to cut your losses. For any other parts you paid for, including the assembly fees, there's nothing I can do about that.

yea the euro price went up a bit and its been so long the exchange rates been all over the place so thats got something to do with this as well.

There is obviously more to this than you want to say. Sure exchange rates can fluctuate, but they don't swing 300% at a time. There is a few thousand dollars that are unaccounted for, and it's not exchange rates, especially when you haven't even ordered everything yet.

I'm good with that, almost prefer it because he disappeared again so quickly. Luckily 7bit has my switches so if I can get those from him I only miss out on stabs/assembly. Do you know where we could get stabilizers?

[r3dx]

Thanks for the update WFD.

I take it you weren't one of the people Prof was supposedly "contacting"?

Edit:

Also WFD, since you are probably out money for the stabilizers you got for Prof, if things don't start moving here I'd probably be willing to purchase stabilizers from you. This way you may be able to recoup some of your losses for picking these up.

At the moment I really just want my switches from Prof because it is holding up my LZ-GH and Phantom builds.

[nubbinator]

yea the euro price went up a bit and its been so long the exchange rates been all over the place so thats got something to do with this as well.

There is obviously more to this than you want to say. Sure exchange rates can fluctuate, but they don't swing 300% at a time. There is a few thousand dollars that are unaccounted for, and it's not exchange rates, especially when you haven't even ordered everything yet.

I'm going with he spent all the money already.  Look at his purchases in the recent past.  A $400 OCZ Revodrive, someone said a Korean custom, and a bunch of other things that aren't cheap.  It sounds like he spent more than his assembly fee and didn't have enough left over to pay for everything else.  Now instead of selling that stuff off or taking out a personal loan to make things right and admit he was wrong, he's blaming it on exchange rates and prices going up and trying to get more money out of people to finish it.

[TheQsanity]

7bit please don't sent the whites to TheProf.

[KuhnTang]

Has anyone received anything from this turd of a group buy?

[eRadicatedZomBiE]

I just want my switches :/ that's all. I like how he always shows online but never updates his post.

[Glod]

[gnubag]

Show Image

*are?

[Glod]

Show Image

*are?

why you got to do that to my joke 

, besides it is semi-correct http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/where's

[Binge]

I want to say something really really snide right now, but to cut it short.

Prof, if you see this..  There was a young man who fought with you to try and get this all resolved.  Do the right thing and be better because of him.

[jdcarpe]

At 25 years of age, you should be able to get a signature loan for enough money to pay for shipping the items that people have already paid you for and entrusted to you. Maybe refund people who paid for assembly. It's only a few thousand dollars. You could pay that off in small monthly payments to your bank or credit union. Rebuild your online reputation while building some credit.

Regarding what Binge posted: What if it had been you? How would you be remembered?

I wonder what would your pastor, Rev. Bill Rishel at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, think about your actions here?

[mashby]

^^^ this ^^^

[metalliqaz]

The bad news this week distracted me from this thread...  looks like it's time to get back on task.

[TheProfosist]

Guys I really would appreciate it if you stopped some of these more personal posts.

Additionally since all of you seem to have major problems with your orders please pm or email me about this. I dont seem to get many of either of these despite all the issues every one is haveing. Please try to be realistic with your requests when contacting me about your order.

For those of you with no stake in the groupbuy, the participants of this groupbuy seem to be handeling this  themselves perfectly fine.

I know at this point many of you will just shrug this off but I fully intend on fixing this GB to the best of my current means and as reasonably quick as possible. Please be on the lookout for pm's and email's from me in the coming days as I try to resolve this and start shipping what I do have on hand.



Note: I will be putting this on the first page of this thread as I think I have some extra/open posts there. If not I will be modifying the OP.

[pasph]

Guys I really would appreciate it if you stopped some of these more personal posts.

Additionally since all of you seem to have major problems with your orders please pm or email me about this. I dont seem to get many of either of these despite all the issues every one is haveing. Please try to be realistic with your requests when contacting me about your order.

For those of you with no stake in the groupbuy, the participants of this groupbuy seem to be handeling this  themselves perfectly fine.

I know at this point many of you will just shrug this off but I fully intend on fixing this GB to the best of my current means and as reasonably quick as possible. Please be on the lookout for pm's and email's from me in the coming days as I try to resolve this and start shipping what I do have on hand.



Note: I will be putting this on the first page of this thread as I think I have some extra/open posts there. If not I will be modifying the OP.

How much longer you will continue to fool us?
Ship what you have in your hands and refund all you can't ship
You want me to write this in ANOTHER email?

[nubbinator]

I think non-participants like myself have made comments because this has gotten way out of hand and you never give real updates.  Give proper updates and be 100% transparent with what's going on.  Give an account of where all the money went, showing your expenses to date for the GB and the give the status of all the parts, ordering, and assembly.  Lastly, for those who have asked you to ship them their order unassembled, do so and give them tracking numbers.  If you did proper updates, accounted for the money, and shipped to some people, people wouldn't be so upset about it and outside observers wouldn't be looking on in horror, feeling compelled to say something.

[Rendom]

Guys I really would appreciate it if you stopped some of these more personal posts.

Additionally since all of you seem to have major problems with your orders please pm or email me about this. I dont seem to get many of either of these despite all the issues every one is haveing. Please try to be realistic with your requests when contacting me about your order.

For those of you with no stake in the groupbuy, the participants of this groupbuy seem to be handeling this  themselves perfectly fine.

I know at this point many of you will just shrug this off but I fully intend on fixing this GB to the best of my current means and as reasonably quick as possible. Please be on the lookout for pm's and email's from me in the coming days as I try to resolve this and start shipping what I do have on hand.



Note: I will be putting this on the first page of this thread as I think I have some extra/open posts there. If not I will be modifying the OP.

**** you. I PM'd you twice at least to offer you to pay for the shipping for MX Clear switches to Alaric, but I never get any reply. I am not handling this GB perfectly fine. I have been waiting for a few months now, and my LZGH is already waiting for me, it just needs the MX Clear switches to complete. I have tried any means to fixing this, but it seems like you just never want to settle things, constantly making excuses and blame.

Please post as much personal information as possible, I will need to know how to get to him.

[mashby]

I know at this point many of you will just shrug this off but I fully intend on fixing this GB to the best of my current means and as reasonably quick as possible. Please be on the lookout for pm's and email's from me in the coming days as I try to resolve this and start shipping what I do have on hand.

If you're being sincere, then I'd like an answer to the following two questions:

   1. When do you plan to ship me my PLU keyboard?

   2. When do you plan to refund me the money I paid for assembly services?

[The_Ed]

I always wondered why people were trusting him to build their keyboards when it took him half a year to mod **** up my capslock. And he never gave a refund for that either. It has been next to me on my desk ever since as a reminder to always mod stuff myself.

Anyone have a guess on how long it would take him to assemble a SINGLE keyboard? A single keycap takes half a year, so let me pull out the calculator... Hmmm... It says we'll have died by then, but that can't be right, he's an upstanding guy right?

[TheQsanity]

I want to say something really really snide right now, but to cut it short.

Prof, if you see this..  There was a young man who fought with you to try and get this all resolved.  Do the right thing and be better because of him.

I was thinking the same thing. He tried so hard to straighten things out. I only wish I could thank him for his efforts. Don't let it go in vain.

[metafour]

Additionally since all of you seem to have major problems with your orders please pm or email me about this. I dont seem to get many of either of these despite all the issues every one is haveing. Please try to be realistic with your requests when contacting me about your order.

At this point I think members are looking for some transparency. This idea that everyone should email or PM you lets you continue to hide behind saying that you are PM'ing and emailing people involved with this group buy when it seems that is not actually happening. There have been some direct questions asked of you in this thread; questions that are of import to lots of people involved that you should just answer in a open manner in this thread. If you really intend to make this right just be open and honest about what you have, where the money went and give a timeline of what is going to happen from your end. Do this now, in this thread so everyone can see it openly. You continue to say you're going to make this right but your actions show otherwise.

I'm not sure what your definition of realistic is compared to those whose money you have but asking you to ship the stuff they've paid you for is a realistic request that you just can't seem to follow through on so I'm not sure what you expect of them at this point.

[KuhnTang]

^^^ well said

I've sent you a couple PM's myself.... shockingly, no response. 

I agree that you asking to have people PM and email privately only allows you hide behind a false sense of "things happening", when you only intend on ignoring everyone, just ignoring them privately. 

EVERYONE and ANYONE:
Post all the personal information you can, lets start with his name and address.

[metafour]

EVERYONE and ANYONE:
Post all the personal information you can, lets start with his name and address.

I don't think this is necessary as I do believe someone is already working on doing what is necessary to pursue legal action.

[nebo]

EVERYONE and ANYONE:
Post all the personal information you can, lets start with his name and address.

I have both and no. I've given out this to one person and one person only so that we can do this in an organized and legal matter. I'm sorry, but with how some of you are handling an online forum I know we'll end up with pitchforks if you're given info.

[KuhnTang]

I'm handling this just about the same way anyone who has been scammed out of ~$200 would handle it.  If legal action is being taken, why are the rest of us not contacted about it?  Don't we need to participate?  I'll gladly participate.

[The_Ed]

Elliot [REDACTED] - A name holds no power I googled his name and his real address showed up, so it does hold some power... A first name can't be tied to an address though.

There are quite a few people who know his address (myself included), but those that haven't had dealings with him shouldn't know his address so I wont post it. I don't want people calling in pizzas and ****, were better than that.

[KuhnTang]

well, I would qualify losing money to him as "dealings", so shouldn't I have it?