Ripoff - don't be fooled

clyde · Post by **clyde** » Jul 10th 2002, 3:27 pm

has anyone else been overcharged, then been given the run around by Anotheruniverse.com??
these guys are dirty.
I don't trust them.
Anyone care to defend them?

We need to be sure we get this DVD...

Jason R · Post by **Jason R** » Jul 10th 2002, 3:47 pm

I will be the first to admit that I am disappointed with some of the errors at AU. My goal is to see more and more "niche" shows released on DVD. I can only do this if the customers trust the retailers.

However, you do not specify how you were given the run around.

Without exception, whenever I have been notified about errors, I have followed up on them to correct them.

I recommend cooling your heels for about 1 day and then reading the press release on BMG.com (it is supposed to be posted shortly). It has not always been smooth, but everything is moving along.

As for the any doublecharges, if you find any errors (and I do recommend that everyone check their credit card bills), please email me at once.

my email: jasonr@mscl.com
also, you can email to mscldvd@anotheruniverse.com

(both of these addresses forward to me).

best
Jason

clyde wrote:has anyone else been overcharged, then been given the run around by Anotheruniverse.com??
these guys are dirty.
I don't trust them.
Anyone care to defend them?

We need to be sure we get this DVD...

clyde · Post by **clyde** » Jul 10th 2002, 4:19 pm

Thanks for responding so quick, Jason. Let me give you a brief rundown. I ordered the set in March. I was charged $115.00 up front, which in itself was a little strange but I understand this is a small company that probably doesn't have a lot of capital ($). Last week I got charged $115.00 again. I called them and was told "we have no idea how that happened, but we will look into it." Since then I have called twice. They have yet to explain what happened AND I haven't gotten my money back.
Do you know these guys personally?? Can you guarentee me that they aren't spending my money in Hawaii, sitting on a beach, laughing like children? This is not how a legitimate company does business. They should know what happened on the second charge. My bank says it was the same company, same account. that accessed the additional $115.00.

I think we are all getting taken...

Though I TRULY hope not.

If you know something please let me know. I hope I'm the unfortunate one and that others haven't experienced the same problem.

-clyde

Jason R · Post by **Jason R** » Jul 10th 2002, 4:35 pm

Please forward your order number to jasonr@mscl.com, and also your name (also phone number, if you don't mind).

I will get right on this.

To answer your questions:

1) According to Ross Rojek, the CEO of AU.com, there was a problem with their credit card merchant account processing company. PLEASE NOTE: this doesn't mean that I don't hold them responsible or accountable. However, I am trying to catch any problems that might have popped up and correct them.

2) I do know them and have met with them personally. They are a much smaller outfit than, say, an Amazon.com. And they have undeniably shown the strain under this project. I also know them well enough that I can confirm that they do read the comments regularly. I would also imagine that they have done a fair bit of cringing.

Part of the problem is this: No commerce platform is properly geared up for pre-order situations. Situations where you take the deposit up front, pre-approve the following charge and allow people to manage their own accounts. If you know of one, please let me know because my current project involves having one built. Most commerce engines are built with the assumption that the product will ship immediately. This is not always the case in the made-to-order DVD business. In fact, this is one of the first real cases of the "made to order" DVD business, ever.

If errors = lessons learned, we are all experts about now. So in other words, your points are well-taken.

Best
Jason Rosenfeld

guest · Post by **guest** » Jul 10th 2002, 6:50 pm

uh oh...

I too was double charged and got the same double talk.

Jason R · Post by **Jason R** » Jul 10th 2002, 6:55 pm

WHAT DOUBLE TALK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? And why is nobody emailing me if there is a problem? If all you are going to do is post anonymously and not email me, what can you possibly expect me to do?

For all I know, you could "getting the run around", but sometimes I have to struggle just to find out who has the problem. I may have no choice but to give the run around in that situation.

EMAIL ME, POR FAVOR

jasonr@mscl.com

guest wrote:uh oh...

I too was double charged and got the same double talk.

clyde · Post by **clyde** » Jul 10th 2002, 7:36 pm

Hey Jason, don't take this personally because I don't know you. It is my understanding after talking to some other people online that you are not affiliated with these clowns. You may have agreed to handle the website questions about the DVD and write some emails, but you don't work for them and you don't know their accounting practices. Correct?

I never intended to have you "save me" by being my advocate, though I appreciate your rapid responses. I will handle this. I was merely wondering if anyone else had experienced a like occurance, and if they had, bring it to other people's attention.

I see no reason to get you involved any further when,

a. you have no authority or power over them

b. I have a perfectly able bodied lawyer on retainer that is currently
sitting on his posterior.

Thank you for your concern. Seriously. I hope this is an anomoly. I hope that we all will be viewing the DVDs around September 1st with no cares, or worries.

But if not...if the DVD set doesn't show by then, or if you experience Phantom credit charges...all I can say is...hope your lawyer is as good as mine.

Jason R · Post by **Jason R** » Jul 10th 2002, 7:55 pm

Take this for what is is worth. MSCLDVD@ANOTHERUNIVERSE.COM forwards to me. For the purposes of this DVD, I am solving problems as an authorized agent of AU.com. I cannot be any clearer. The idea that "AU.com sucks but Jason actually responds" is countered by the fact that they acknowledged they needed help handling the customer service emails by outsourcing some customer service to my firm. However, this does not solve your problem if I cannot find out who you are.

Why complicate things? If you don't want my help, then fine. However, don't complain that your problems are not being solved when I am asking you to point them out to me, and you would rather follow a more circuitous route.

If you would rather pay your lawyer when all you had to do is tell me who you are in a single sentence email, then I think that is very telling. I don't see how waiting until September solves a doublecharge error.

Let me help you. Email me. jasonr@mscl.com

Jason

clyde wrote:Hey Jason, don't take this personally because I don't know you. It is my understanding after talking to some other people online that you are not affiliated with these clowns. You may have agreed to handle the website questions about the DVD and write some emails, but you don't work for them and you don't know their accounting practices. Correct?

I never intended to have you "save me" by being my advocate, though I appreciate your rapid responses. I will handle this. I was merely wondering if anyone else had experienced a like occurance, and if they had, bring it to other people's attention.

I see no reason to get you involved any further when,

a. you have no authority or power over them

b. I have a perfectly able bodied lawyer on retainer that is currently
sitting on his posterior.

Thank you for your concern. Seriously. I hope this is an anomoly. I hope that we all will be viewing the DVDs around September 1st with no cares, or worries.

But if not...if the DVD set doesn't show by then, or if you experience Phantom credit charges...all I can say is...hope your lawyer is as good as mine.

Post by **danguyf** » Jul 10th 2002, 8:17 pm

clyde wrote:It is my understanding after talking to some other people online that you are not affiliated with these clowns. You may have agreed to handle the website questions about the DVD and write some emails, but you don't work for them and you don't know their accounting practices. Correct?

Incorrect.

Whoever these alleged "some other people online" are, they are grossly misinformed.

Jason is a compensated contractor working for AU on this project, and with AU on future projects. AU recognized that they needed help and so authorized Jason to act as their representative. I think they should get at least a little credit for admitting their need.

Jason R · Post by **Jason R** » Jul 10th 2002, 8:23 pm

What Dan said. But also, I have a very personal connection with this project. I was willing to bet my job on it when I was at BMG. I treat it like my baby and I will make sure that any errors are corrected and that nothing stands in the way of a completed box set.

You can probably say that I am obsessed with getting this thing done right. And when you get it in your hands, you'd better like it, dammit!

In all seriousness, though... if AU.com did not come thru with the DVD set, I believe that they would have more to worry about than your lawyer. Namely, BMG's mighty legal department. And BMG is comfortable with this deal or, quite honestly, they would not have made it.

jason

danguyf wrote:
clyde wrote:It is my understanding after talking to some other people online that you are not affiliated with these clowns. You may have agreed to handle the website questions about the DVD and write some emails, but you don't work for them and you don't know their accounting practices. Correct?
Incorrect.

Whoever these alleged "some other people online" are, they are grossly misinformed.

Jason is a compensated contractor working for AU on this project, and with AU on future projects. AU recognized that they needed help and so authorized Jason to act as their representative. I think they should get at least a little credit for admitting their need.

Jason R · Post by **Jason R** » Jul 10th 2002, 9:08 pm

Let the record reflect that I am hanging up my hat for the evening, and my inbox is, for once, totally cleared out.

If you have a problem, I don't know about it.

Jason

Jason R · Post by **Jason R** » Jul 11th 2002, 3:29 am

Please read this.

I will not delete threads or posts from this section. However, as you can probably tell, I am posting this message at 3:15 AM EST. I have been looking into this for several hours now. I have invested a lot of time in this project, and I take any claims as seriously as any customer.

However, my so-called "investigation" uncovered a few facts, and I must share them.

1) clyde and "guest" from this thread both shared the same IP address. The MSCL.com team can verify this if an independent viewpoint is needed. I can read IPs, but I cannot alter them.

2) For legal reasons, I cannot say what the IP address is. However, I will only say that the IP address allowed me to identify a specific individual at a particular company, and I am very curious as to why this individual would want to blind-side the project and AU.com in such a harmful manner.

The complaint in this thread had nothing to do with an order. This was not an unbiased post. Its sole purpose was to create panic.

It really bothers me that there are people who want to destroy something that many people have worked for over 20 months --let alone bring panic to a community that has existed for 7 years. However, they will not succeed.

I will ask the other MSCL.com members with access to the IP logs to verify what I am saying, but please do not identify the source of the post. This is one for the lawyers, and I am not involved with that.

However, please note that I really have received 3-4 emails in the last 24 hours about REAL credit card charge problems. This indicates that there might have been a problem. Check your statement. If you have problems, I encourage you to report them so I can have them fixed ASAP.

thanks
Jason Rosenfeld
jasonr@mscl.com

Ross Rojek · Post by **Ross Rojek** » Jul 11th 2002, 3:56 am

By the way - No one who ordered the set in March was charged $115. That price change didn't happen until we sold out of the collectors set in April. We didn't even know we'd need to raise the price from $99.98 to anything else in March. We were just hoping to get enough orders to cover the amount we had to guarantee to BMG.

I shoulda caught that the first time I read the post.

Nostradamus · Post by **Nostradamus** » Jul 11th 2002, 4:53 am

Interesting... but what does it all mean? Jason says he's heading off a subversive attempt at panic, but his hints make me more nervous than anything "Clyde" may have lied about. I understand the legal need for confidentiality, but the cloak and dagger stuff is very confusing... at this rate, the Freemasons and Illuminati will be sending agents! Still, given the frequency of Jason's posts and the nature of his work, I can certainly understand a bit of paranoia on his part. Is the DVD business really that cut-throat? Oh, well, if anyone can see this thing through to the end, Mr. Rosenfeld's our man

Post by **Natasha (candygirl)** » Jul 11th 2002, 5:16 am

Once again, I would like to hail the mighty Jason. My skin starts to crawl when I see the same repetitive posts repeated repeatedly

The panic-ers, the instigators, and the "I refuse to read any of the previous posts regarding the DVDs that may in fact answer my questions so I'm going to post the 4,253,732,953,264th post asking when the DVDs will finally be shipped" posts.

Like I said, if I ever worked in customer service, it would be hell for the customers AND me.

Jason, you are truly a saint.

If you want to be considered a martyr, however, you will have to begin some ascetic practices. Self flagellation, fasting, or sleeping on a board will suffice.

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