Spoke to Ross on the phone....

[GordLacey]

I spoke to Ross on the phone Sunday afternoon, and here's what he had to say:

The lunchboxes are done and should have shipped yesterday. He expects it will take 3 weeks for them to arrive, so let's be nice and say a month. The delay is due to the lunchboxes failing inspection twice. He is going to try and get the name of the ship carrying the boxes so he can track it.

Now that the lunchboxes are shipping they are going to have the bonus disc produced. The 1.5 hour Bedford Falls interview will be on there, and the Radio & Television interview is being held up until they can get everyone to sign off on it (half have done so). Ross says the bonus material will now ship on 2 DVDs, the Bedford Falls in a double case, and the R&T will come later.

The new AU website will be appearing soon. They're working on the new backend right now.

Ross hopes everything will be wrapped up by the end of next month (which is July, since we spoke on Sunday).

Ross said that he expected to have an email out to everyone on Monday.

These are the facts as Ross told me. This post has been judgement and comment free.

Gord

[Natasha (candygirl)]

This post has been judgement and comment free.

...which leaves the rest of us free to express our weary disbelief that Ross will EVER deliver anything that he promises.

I would love for everyone to get their lunchboxes and bonus discs, but given the Rojek pattern of claiming that our product is "in process" and then not delivering, I can't say that I believe the latest update.

So the lunchbox delay was due to "failing inspection twice." No mention of the fact that AU neglected to pay the balance to the manufacturer which caused the lunchboxes to be put into storage. Maybe if AU had had the funds to pay them on time LAST YEAR, the lunchboxes would have been inspected, corrected, and shipped by now.

Remember the last time Ross said the lunchboxes were on their way? And the time before that? The Bedford Falls interview will be included - does that mean someone finally paid the people who shot the footage and had BF sign the waivers that AU failed to obtain from them in the first place? Way to get on the ball. I hate to be the cynic here, but AU has had my money since February 2002. I think they had plenty of time to get the necessary signatures for the MTR session sometime in the last 17 months. This claim seems to contradict his previous statement that the bonus discs were already authored. Lies, lies, always lies from AU.

(but I do still hold a tiny glimmer of hope that this time Ross is telling the truth and my AU order will one day be completely filled and my ordeal with them over - hope springs eternal)

[Spartacus]

The FTC has very strict regulations. When there is a delay, it is the responsibility of the seller to contact the buyer on a MONTHLY basis.

I'm happy to see that Ross has changed his ways and that we will now be receiving not one, but TWO bonus discs.

Last I heard they were on their way to the factory. Did they fail inspection as well?

Did he say if he would email customers again? If so, when?

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Ross said that he expected to have an email out to everyone on Monday.

The email that was sent out:

From : "Colleen McNiece" <freakbiscuit@yahoo.com>
Reply-To : admin@anotheruniverse.com
Subject : My So-Called Life Update
Date : Wed, 2 Jul 2003 00:19:45 -0800

At long last the My So-Called Life lunchboxes are arriving at Another Universe. After failing inspection twice (once in December, once in February) and one long delay with the factory and export company not letting the freight forwarder know that the lunchboxes were ready for pick up; the lunchboxes are done, looking good and headed into the Another Universe warehouse. We expect them to arrive in California within 3 weeks and then a couple of days through customs and shipping to Sacramento.

As soon as they are received, Another Universe will be shipping them along with the 1-hour interview with Marshall, Winnie and Ed. We apologize for all the delays in shipping the MSCL bonus material, but are glad to finally get it to you.

If you have had an address change since you received the MSCL boxed set, and have not yet informed us, please e-mail us at update@anotheruniverse.com with your old information and the new. Include your order number (if you have it) to expedite the change.

If you are owed a refund from Another Universe for your order or cancellation, please e-mail us at refunds@anotheruniverse.com for a refund application and provide us:

Name
Address
City, State, Zip Country
Order Number

We will process your request in the order received.

Again, we apologize for the delays in the bonus material. We are pleased to finally be able to get it to you.

Another Universe

[blueone]

Haha, I don't believe a single word of what Ross says.

[Megs]

I didn't get that e-mail.

[Jason R]

Thanks for the update, Gord. Especially for the update on the new AnotherUniverse.com site. Afterall, Christmas is right around the corner. We want to be sure to get our orders in for 2005, so let's place them now.

I would just like to note what an AMAZING crock of POOP this email is.

We've been told on at least 3 other occasions that the lunchboxes were shipping from Hong Kong. Suddenly, they are back in Hong Kong again?

As for the bonus disc, they were supposedly on their way to the manufacturing plant 4 or 5 months ago? Suddenly, there is no notice of the Museum of TV and Radio footage?

Let us not forget the things that Ross promised customers to stem the flood of cancellations:

1) Free T-Shirt
2) Certificate of Authenticity
3) AnotherUniverse.com gift certificate (as if)

Oh yeah, and the mysterious "something else" that they were working on and that they would announce once it was finalized.



Last, but not least, what about the credit card refunds for the long-term interest free loan that the MSCL customers unwittingly provided?

I'm not doubting that Ross told you all of this. I'm just telling you that you will not receive these items in one month.

I'm not saying that you will never receive them, mind you. I think that the complaints to the Attorney General and IFCC are putting pressure on AU.com to deliver. If you have not already submitted a complaint, I recommend that you do it now. AU.com does not deserve any additional delays.

Jason Rosenfeld

[laurablunsdon]

Does anybody know if those of us that live outside of the US will have to pay a customs charge when this is delievered? (Thats hoping that this is the real thing!)

I, along with quite a few others have already paid about £28 in charges and won't be happy if we have to pay again!

Anybody know anyway of getting around it?

[KrokRos]

As spoken of before, there is a way we can lose the shipping charge but only if AU remembers to sign the orders as shipping already charged (since we already charged for the whole amount, said on the receipt I got).
I will never order through UPS again, that's for sure. (And as you understand, not from AU either).

I interpret this "2 bonus discs" as one now and one with the rest of the material later. And "the rest" meaning one more thing, not all we were promised from the beginning, of course. But that's just what I read out of Gord's report from Ross.

Btw, I figured, this is just a way for AU to make us remember them(waiting around for many years on an order)

[dTheater]

Personally, I interpret the "2 bonus discs" to mean "ZERO bonus discs." I'm definitely convinced by his phone conversation with Gord and the new e-mail sent out by AU that Ross is not just in this for the money; he's in it for the torment and mental anguish of the customer. He's not a common thief; he's pure evil.

[Natasha (candygirl)]

I definitely can't argue that point!

RR=the devil

[GordLacey]

At one point Ross said that he wants to get this over with and move on. I really believe he means it. Hell, *I* wouldn't want a bunch of pissed off MSCL fans dogging me everywhere I went. Then again, I wouldn't do anything to piss off a group of fans.

At one point I asked about the refunds and he said something, to which I responded with "Good to hear" and he said "yeah, good to hear we're doing something and not sitting around?" I laughed.

Gord

[Jason R]

Please share his response about the recent judgment against him. I think it tells us what we are up against.

Best
Jason

At one point Ross said that he wants to get this over with and move on. I really believe he means it. Hell, *I* wouldn't want a bunch of pissed off MSCL fans dogging me everywhere I went. Then again, I wouldn't do anything to piss off a group of fans.

At one point I asked about the refunds and he said something, to which I responded with "Good to hear" and he said "yeah, good to hear we're doing something and not sitting around?" I laughed.

Gord

[GordLacey]

When I asked him about the 6 figure judgement against him he replied something to the effect of "Nothing that I'm dealing with right now"

So, I don't know if he's lying about the judgement, or he's just saying that he's not dealing with it right now....just ignoring the thing.

Gord

[vapspwi]

I didn't get that e-mail.

Yeah, me either. But I haven't gotten any e-mail from them for like a year, ever since my e-mail address changed, despite mailing them repeatedly trying to get them to update their records.

JRjr