Flashback Overlays: Intellivision Productions & Psycho Stormtrooper

[soporj]

 

 

From Seller - Intellivision Productions, Inc.

2/12/2015 16:33 PST

Will you be reselling these? (just curious)

 

That patented Keith Robinson paranoia strikes again!

[Rev]

 

That patented Keith Robinson paranoia strikes again!

Yeah, thats interesting.

 

 

Actually, I bought 10 sets. But 3 are for Flashbacks that I gave to people. 7 are for me. Im keeping 2 Dollar General, 2 Regular, 2 Sams Club, 1 CGE exclusive.

 

 

So, I should buy some more sets just to have some spare. Not to resell.

 

But really, is it wrong for a person to resell them? Maybe Keith should charge more.

[soporj]

 

But really, is it wrong for a person to resell them? Maybe Keith should charge more.

 

I don't think it's wrong at all. I'm sure a lot of people have "flipped" items on eBay.

[+thegoldenband]

Go back and read the thread

 

I did, and it's an irritating read. But frankly I find Eric7100's complaints and triple-posts far less grating than the equally-frequent posts from you and freeweed complaining about him and his complaints -- or more generally just objecting to anyone posting updates (especially negative reports), despite the fact that quite a few other posters said "Actually, I'm grateful for the information".

 

At one point a poster reported that Keith specifically confirmed orders were being sent out in the order they were received, and yet there were multiple posters who noted that didn't seem to be true: people who ordered weeks later were getting their orders first, with no explanation. Naturally, when Eric posted about that, you tore him a new one for, in essence, taking Keith at his word. Not a classy move on your part.

 

In other news, I went back and checked my credit card receipts. Yep, Intellivision Productions charged me $51.89 in March 2011 for the items I bought, and sent them without any warning or explanation 14 months later, in May 2012.

 

That's why I believe the "Have patience, they're overwhelmed" mantra is...let's be polite and say "an insufficient description of the dysfunction" over there. They weren't overwhelmed in those 14 months; they had the items in stock, they had my money, and they sure as hell did a lot of promotion for various things in the ensuing year-plus.

 

They just didn't want to be bothered sending out my order, or even acknowledging my existence in any way (I waited two months to contact them with an inquiry, which I think is more than reasonable for a $50+ order, so don't claim I somehow alienated them with pestering requests or walls of invective).

 

You keep exhorting us to remember that they're human beings, but that's a two-way street -- customers deserve to have their humanity respected too. Did IP bother to check whether I had moved in those 14 months? Send a note or a freebie to apologize for the delay? Any of the small acts of politeness that, at least in my book, reflect basic human decency? They did not.

 

You can make excuses all day long for why that was, because you like Keith personally or for whatever other reason. But in life you either do the right thing or you half-ass it. When it comes to my order, IP half-assed it, and did so unrepentantly. But hey, at least they packed it well.

[soporj]

 

freeweed complaining

 

Yeah, I think freeweed needs to start paying for his weed. The free stuff isn't helping him.

[pimpmaul69]

So i had to file a paypal claim because i was sent overlays instead of playing cards. They responded said they would send them out. Nothing happened. I filed a complaint on my first order i had not received hoping they would send my playing cards. They sent me the overlays. At the same time they sent the tracking to paypal they sent a response to the other claim. Not sure what they said but paypal ended up refunding my money. Not sure why they didnt just send the playing cards. Now i am going to have to re order the playing cards again. I however am not in any way upset with this. Shit happens.

[+DZ-Jay]

 

I did, and it's an irritating read. But frankly I find Eric7100's complaints and triple-posts far less grating than the equally-frequent posts from you and freeweed complaining about him and his complaints -- or more generally just objecting to anyone posting updates (especially negative reports), despite the fact that quite a few other posters said "Actually, I'm grateful for the information".

 

At one point a poster reported that Keith specifically confirmed orders were being sent out in the order they were received, and yet there were multiple posters who noted that didn't seem to be true: people who ordered weeks later were getting their orders first, with no explanation. Naturally, when Eric posted about that, you tore him a new one for, in essence, taking Keith at his word. Not a classy move on your part.

 

In other news, I went back and checked my credit card receipts. Yep, Intellivision Productions charged me $51.89 in March 2011 for the items I bought, and sent them without any warning or explanation 14 months later, in May 2012.

 

That's why I believe the "Have patience, they're overwhelmed" mantra is...let's be polite and say "an insufficient description of the dysfunction" over there. They weren't overwhelmed in those 14 months; they had the items in stock, they had my money, and they sure as hell did a lot of promotion for various things in the ensuing year-plus.

 

They just didn't want to be bothered sending out my order, or even acknowledging my existence in any way (I waited two months to contact them with an inquiry, which I think is more than reasonable for a $50+ order, so don't claim I somehow alienated them with pestering requests or walls of invective).

 

You keep exhorting us to remember that they're human beings, but that's a two-way street -- customers deserve to have their humanity respected too. Did IP bother to check whether I had moved in those 14 months? Send a note or a freebie to apologize for the delay? Any of the small acts of politeness that, at least in my book, reflect basic human decency? They did not.

 

You can make excuses all day long for why that was, because you like Keith personally or for whatever other reason. But in life you either do the right thing or you half-ass it. When it comes to my order, IP half-assed it, and did so unrepentantly. But hey, at least they packed it well.

 

Let's all grab some pitchforks and torches to avenge Intellivision Production's 2 year-old transgression against thegoldenband!

[+thegoldenband]

How about we save those pitchforks and torches for people who quote a whole post without bothering to meaningfully reply to any of it?

 

You know, DZ-Jay, would it cost you that much to acknowledge that there's such a thing as shitty customer service, and that people are entitled to compare notes about it so they can figure out what to expect and decide what to do? To just say "You're right, that sucks" for a change?

[freewheel]

I poke fun every few days (as opposed to certain people who post 3, 5, sometimes 8 in a row) and suddenly I'm circling wagons?

 

We get it - some of you hate Keith and think the world needs to know - and hate him with you. Any chance you guys can start up a thread specifically to bitch about that, and stop shitting on every other thread with any possible connection to him? Personally it would have been nice to actually discuss, you know, the overlays that most of us have been enjoying, but unfortunately any mention of that is quickly drowned out by MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

 

Chirst, if those of us who had positive dealings with our overlays posted updates about our experiences 1/10th as much as some of you, this thread would be 300 pages long by now. Is this why things like walmartsucks.com exist? Because it simply never occurs to people to STOP SHOPPING THERE IF YOU HATE IT SO MUCH?

 

This is beginning to remind me of that classic XKCD comic. Except with many more strawmen.

[freewheel]

You know, DZ-Jay, would it cost you that much to acknowledge that there's such a thing as shitty customer service, and that people are entitled to compare notes about it so they can figure out what to expect and decide what to do? To just say "You're right, that sucks" for a change?

 

That was taken care of weeks ago. And I've repeated it at least a dozen times since, because so many people seem to have never experienced a problem with customer service in their life before this event: if you don't feel like waiting, cancel your order - via Paypal or your credit card company (depending on how you paid) - and complain to Keith. There's literally nothing else you can do, short of filing a complaint with the BBB and/or perhaps taking him to small claims court over $15 per set ordered.

 

Grinding your own personal axes in this and other threads doesn't accomplish much beyond working out your own personal vendetta. Yes, Keith has fucked up and continues to fuck up. Welcome to small business.

Edited February 15, 2015 by freeweed

[+thegoldenband]

In fairness, freeweed, at least you've occasionally leavened your posts with levity and jokes at your own expense. That makes a big difference.

 

That said, it's really not up to you or DZ-Jay to decide what this thread is about. If people want to post about their order status, deal with it: this isn't your personal thread, or anyone's. And it's completely dishonest to say this thread is about people who "hate" Keith or IP!

 

Look, for me it's as simple as this: people reported order and communication problems. You and DZ-Jay basically said "STFU, I don't want to hear about it -- and in any case I'm going to insist with no evidence whatsoever that these cases are the exception, not the rule -- and anyway, they're overwhelmed so you should just wait and be grateful for whatever you get whenever you get it. Also, I'm going to repeatedly post snide and nasty comments because, hey, it's the Internet, what are you going to do about it?"

 

I posted to say "Actually, I had a bad experience too with IP several years ago, and to tell the truth it was among the worst customer service experiences I've ever had, so I don't think this is just a matter of them being overwhelmed. Also, you guys are kinda being dicks."

 

That's all. No hate on my end. Perhaps some disgust at the circlejerk of people dogpiling onto Eric7100 -- but hey, it's the Internet, what's he going to do about it?

 

EDIT: You do realize that a torrent of PayPal and CC complaints could easily ruin IP, right? If everyone did as you said, it could royally screw their business over -- accounts frozen, etc. I'd think a lot of people in this thread are/were looking for reasons to avoid that. As I pointedly said earlier, I really do wish Keith and IP well; that doesn't contradict the fact that they gave me the worst customer service I've ever gotten from an online merchant.

[m-crew]

Can we not all play nice together..name calling taking sides man this is like high school relived.....

 

Just let it go here on AA. Just agree to disagree and lets play and enjoy the system we grew up with..

 

Cheers to all lets all have .....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ1gg96vTik

[+DZ-Jay]

You know, DZ-Jay, would it cost you that much to acknowledge that there's such a thing as shitty customer service, and that people are entitled to compare notes about it so they can figure out what to expect and decide what to do? To just say "You're right, that sucks" for a change?

 

Why? Would it make you feel better? What is this pathetic obsession with having strangers in the Internet agree with you and share in your hurt? Want a hug too? Jeez. Get some perspective.

 

-dZ.

[SoulBlazer]

As I've said all along, I'm not angry or pissed off or upset about not getting my order yet. It's a small amount of money, I know Keith is very backed up, and I'm sure I'll eventuly get them. I'm just annoyed at this point that there's been zero communication with me about anything since I placed the order on Dec 1st, that it took filing a PayPal dispute to even get a tracking e-mail for a package that hasn't gone out, and that despite what we were told orders are NOT being sent out in the order they were received, like 99 percent of other companies out there.

 

And I DO want to hear about other people's experiences, both good and bad. As I said, there's been zero communication with me, so this is the only place I can get information from.

 

I apologize to DZ-Jay and the others if it seems that I'm complaining more then what a $15 order calls for. I'm just weighing in with my thoughts about the whole process -- freedom of speech, read if you want, etc. -- and giving a update on my own situation every week or two so that others in the same boat (and I KNOW there are others like me, thanks to the posts here) know what's going on.

 

A little communication goes a long way.

[+thegoldenband]

Why? Would it make you feel better? What is this pathetic obsession with having strangers in the Internet agree with you and share in your hurt? Want a hug too? Jeez. Get some perspective.

Actually, DZ-Jay, I'd love a hug, thanks for asking! Where shall we meet up?

[Eric7100]

I would like to point out that I ordered copies of Rocketeer and Mars Minis a long time ago, but do you see me posting/complaining about their non-arrival every day? No, because I actually trust Groovybee. He actively posts here, and he always answers the occasional inquiry about the status of these games. There are no communication problems with him. With Keith, some people receive his emails and some people don't. What is up with that? Furthermore, shipping notifications and product arrivals are mostly happening after disputes have been filed by Keith's customers.

 

I also trust Groovybee because he is honest about his games not being completed due to other projects. In contrast, what does Keith do? He tells an AtariAge member that his products are being shipped in the order they were received, which is a blatant lie. That is not what is happening at all.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Eric7100

[freewheel]

That said, it's really not up to you or DZ-Jay to decide what this thread is about. If people want to post about their order status, deal with it: this isn't your personal thread, or anyone's. And it's completely dishonest to say this thread is about people who "hate" Keith or IP!

 

And likewise, if I want to point out how overboard some people have gotten: deal with it You'll notice that neither DZ nor myself are exactly running to the moderators crying about this; we're simply observing how far into hyperbole land this entire thing has gotten. I think it's a shame that discussion about the overlays themselves (which even a quick re-read through on this thread tells me that more people have received than not) has been basically drowned out by constant complaints from what seems to be around a half-dozen people. Make a complaint thread about Keith and IPI; no one's stopping you.

 

 

Look, for me it's as simple as this: people reported order and communication problems. You and DZ-Jay basically said "STFU, I don't want to hear about it -- and in any case I'm going to insist with no evidence whatsoever that these cases are the exception, not the rule -- and anyway, they're overwhelmed so you should just wait and be grateful for whatever you get whenever you get it. Also, I'm going to repeatedly post snide and nasty comments because, hey, it's the Internet, what are you going to do about it?"

 

With all due respect, that is a gross mischaracterization of how things went down. Except for the last part - correct, it IS the Internet. People are welcome to whine every hour upon the hour, just as I'm welcome to poke fun at them for doing so

 

For the record, while I won't put words in DZ's mouth, I think he'll agree that what the 2 of us have been saying has not been "STFU". It's "here's how you deal with this; complaining here will literally solve nothing". Which I find hard to argue against. Unless people are going to seriously claim that this thread is the IPI complaints department and THIS is the best way to get this matter resolved.

 

 

I posted to say "Actually, I had a bad experience too with IP several years ago, and to tell the truth it was among the worst customer service experiences I've ever had, so I don't think this is just a matter of them being overwhelmed. Also, you guys are kinda being dicks."

 

That's all. No hate on my end. Perhaps some disgust at the circlejerk of people dogpiling onto Eric7100 -- but hey, it's the Internet, what's he going to do about it?

 

Circlejerk? Heh.

 

Look, have you ever been in a restaurant and not had your food come as ordered? Or worse, you see the table next to you, who ordered after you, getting their food first? Or worst of all, your order just seems to never come and you try to ask and ask but none of the serving staff give much of an answer and 2 hours later you're sitting there feeling like a chump for sitting around?

 

Maybe you guys just never get out of the house, or maybe you've just been blessed with perfect customer service until dealing with Keith. Either way, if you haven't had the above experience, imagine that it did happen. What do you do? Do you run around the restaurant for hours afterwards, telling EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER about it? And when someone says "Oh I don't know, my food arrived in a timely fashion and is quite tasty, actually", do you then start saying "hey, stop circlejerking and circling your wagons around this place"?

 

 

EDIT: You do realize that a torrent of PayPal and CC complaints could easily ruin IP, right? If everyone did as you said, it could royally screw their business over -- accounts frozen, etc. I'd think a lot of people in this thread are/were looking for reasons to avoid that. As I pointedly said earlier, I really do wish Keith and IP well; that doesn't contradict the fact that they gave me the worst customer service I've ever gotten from an online merchant.

 

Again I'll ask the same question that I've asked seemingly dozens of times - what, exactly, do people think that complaining in this thread (and going on a witchhunt against Keith) will accomplish? It's not going to get the overlays to you any quicker. It's not going to get your money back. If a merchant does not deliver on their promise, you take it up with them. If that fails, you take other measures. There is literally no other option. Presuming your intent is to get your merchandise, or money back, that is. If your goal is to slander a business, this thread is a great way to do it.

 

Because I'm pretty sure that comments of "Keith is the most crooked businessman ever" (quoted near-verbatim) might do just a little bit more damage than a reversed Paypal charge.

[Rev]

Actually, DZ-Jay, I'd love a hug, thanks for asking! Where shall we meet up?

 

 

All I know is Im not meeting the two of you, ya'll are freakin me out!

[freewheel]

Furthermore, shipping notifications and product arrival are mostly happening after disputes have been filed by Keith's customers.

 

Completely and utterly untrue. I think it's comments like that this that have mostly gotten me frustrated with many of you. You're taking selected anecdotes and making an entire case out of them.

 

Re-read the first 10-12 pages of the thread. Plenty of people received their overlays without disputes. Hell, I think only a handful of you have even mentioned filing disputes, let alone seeing things move along after a dispute. And at least one person (I won't name names) filed a dispute only to see it have zero effect on things.

 

Look, if you guys want to set up a poll on this, I'd be all for it:

 

1. I ordered, and my stuff came.

2. I ordered, I had to email Keith, but my stuff eventually came.

3. I ordered, had to file a dispute, then received shipping notifications.

4. No matter what I try, that asshole has ripped me off!

 

Or whatever options you like. I'd be genuinely curious as to the reality here. Because what I see is far more people receiving their stuff, and a small handful who have not, who post way out of proportion to the rest. Which makes it seem like the sky is falling.

 

It's hard to say what's actually happening, because the vast majority of people who experience good customer service aren't exactly rushing to Internet forums to post about it. But those who receive poor service, certainly do like to talk about it (and understandably so). Who was the guy whose CIB game got lost in the mail, and posted 100 times about it? Out of 100+ shipments, ONE got lost in the mail but I recall a recent thread where close to 50% of the posts were that one guy complaining on a daily basis that he hadn't received his game. And it got sorted out once the actual people responsible (the seller) got involved.

[+thegoldenband]

With all due respect, that is a gross mischaracterization of how things went down. Except for the last part - correct, it IS the Internet. People are welcome to whine every hour upon the hour, just as I'm welcome to poke fun at them for doing so

I'm not interested in doing a long gloss of your posts, but I stand by my characterization. Among other things, if you repeatedly drop hints about "unless people are lying" or "maybe they're lying", it comes off as a passive-aggressive way to insinuate that you think people are lying without having to take the heat of actually coming out and saying so.

 

Either way, if you haven't had the above experience, imagine that it did happen. What do you do? Do you run around the restaurant for hours afterwards, telling EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER about it? And when someone says "Oh I don't know, my food arrived in a timely fashion and is quite tasty, actually", do you then start saying "hey, stop circlejerking and circling your wagons around this place"?

In the case of a restaurant, if the service were that bad, I probably would tell my friends and/or write a review online. That's the world we live in today, and I trust myself to know the difference between terrible service and someone's misplaced sense of entitlement -- watching privileged people berate waiters nauseates me.

 

If someone said "Hey, my food was tasty" I'd have zero problem with it; if someone stridently and repeatedly insists that my story has to be either a lie, a reflection of some character flaw of mine, or should go unheard because they like the owner, I'd have a problem with that -- and might start to suspect they were either working for the restaurant, or hoped to be someday.

 

Again I'll ask the same question that I've asked seemingly dozens of times - what, exactly, do people think that complaining in this thread (and going on a witchhunt against Keith) will accomplish?

I can think of tons of things, actually:

• deciding to wait it out vs. pursue a refund immediately, based on what's happening with other people in the same boat ("I got my stuff!" vs. "Nope, still nothing here")
• trying to figure out if there's been a technical issue via comparing notes, and how to fix it
• trying to figure out why it's been happening, and whether it can be expected to get better (i.e. person X is in the hospital)
• etc.

I personally think the problem is that either Keith, or one of his assistants, goes through stretches where they can't be bothered to send out orders for some reason. In my case, that's the only explanation I can come up with: someone got depressed, overwhelmed, or otherwise incapacitated/demotivated, and just kept putting it off. If they meant to rip me off, they wouldn't have sent the order at all -- it went well past the point where I could get a refund.

 

(I'm not sure what the time limit on that even is -- in the case of my order I waited two months to contact them, and thought I was being nice in doing so.)

 

Look, this is the age of the Internet. People use online spaces to do things, and have conversations, that happened in person in the past. If we have a bad experience with a retailer, we post about it to figure out whether it's just a one-off, or whether we should write that retailer off. We may even decide to warn other people away from doing business with that retailer, or least caution them about what to expect.

 

I don't see that as a terrible thing; maybe you do?

[SoulBlazer]

 

Look, if you guys want to set up a poll on this, I'd be all for it:

 

1. I ordered, and my stuff came.

2. I ordered, I had to email Keith, but my stuff eventually came.

3. I ordered, had to file a dispute, then received shipping notifications.

4. No matter what I try, that asshole has ripped me off!

 

Or whatever options you like. I'd be genuinely curious as to the reality here. Because what I see is far more people receiving their stuff, and a small handful who have not, who post way out of proportion to the rest. Which makes it seem like the sky is falling.

 

It's hard to say what's actually happening, because the vast majority of people who experience good customer service aren't exactly rushing to Internet forums to post about it. But those who receive poor service, certainly do like to talk about it (and understandably so). Who was the guy whose CIB game got lost in the mail, and posted 100 times about it? Out of 100+ shipments, ONE got lost in the mail but I recall a recent thread where close to 50% of the posts were that one guy complaining on a daily basis that he hadn't received his game. And it got sorted out once the actual people responsible (the seller) got involved.

 

I'd be very interested in that poll myself, to see how common the problems are. I myself fall into option #3. But that really should be a new thread at this point.

[Eric7100]

Or worse, you see the table next to you, who ordered after you, getting their food first?

 

If the restaurant personnel had specifically told me (or another customer) that they serve food in the order that food orders are received, then I would expect that statement to NOT be a blatant lie.

[Eric7100]

Presuming your intent is to get your merchandise, or money back, that is. If your goal is to slander a business, this thread is a great way to do it.

 

What if our intent is simply to vent, and to be able to communicate with other customers regarding our experiences?

[+thegoldenband]

Eric7100, small suggestion -- do consolidate your replies into a single post, or edit your posts to include them in one. I don't agree with the way people have treated you in certain threads, but multiposting like that is a legitimate irritant.

[freewheel]

Look, this is the age of the Internet. People use online spaces to do things, and have conversations, that happened in person in the past. If we have a bad experience with a retailer, we post about it to figure out whether it's just a one-off, or whether we should write that retailer off. We may even decide to warn other people away from doing business with that retailer, or least caution them about what to expect.

 

I don't see that as a terrible thing; maybe you do?

 

 

 

What if our intent is simply to vent, and to be able to communicate with other customers regarding our experiences?

 

 

I don't see it as terrible at all. Start up a complaint thread about IPI, by all means.

 

People had actually begun to discuss the overlays themselves at one point. I for one was curious what people thought about the quality etc, but those posts have long since been drowned out.

Edited February 16, 2015 by freeweed