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Penny-Arcade: "Marketers of the Avenger Controller are thieves and liars".
- Thread starter SpeedingUptoStop
- Start date
Probably because the guy started to namedrop PAX.
I hope Ocean Marketing Paul Christoforo faces repercussions for this.
Backpedal like a pro.
Art Teitlebaum
Member
Haha, what a hypertrophic ego this Ocean asshole must have. This Dave guy and Mike look so civilzed in this argument in comparison.
Note to myself: Never buy anything from these suckers.
Note to myself: Never buy anything from these suckers.
I've heard he knows people.
Mike said:
Paul "The Douchebag" Christoforo said:
:lol
You can always tell someone is full of it when they namedrop like that.
Edit: Oh yeah, could someone rehost a picture of their product. I want to see it but but don't want to contribute a hit. Thanks.
Edit 2: Also maybe this should be in the gaming forum?
echoshifting
Banned
Pretty much. I always enjoy Mike's little internet squabbles but he never comes across all that great.
Haha! He has 125+ employees, that's totally why he's doing customer service e-mails himself and even doing floor-level promoting at a "nothing show" like PAX like in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIAQ4-TBC1A
Also, WTF is this product? It looks fucking retarded. Why would you need huge levers and shit so you can reload on the move in CoD? You shouldn't even be reloading on the move, you'll be killed!
I'm generally very sensitive about speaking to customer service agents with respect, but I disagree that he came across poorly. If anything he exercised extreme restraint when his question about the arrival date for a product he paid for 2 months ago was met with "Dec 16th".
Corporate guy seems pretty awful, but his responses don't seem *that* out of line with things the customer said/did first.
"I'll cancel my preorders and use the apology coupon to get a discount" -> "That's against the rules and we're backordered so you wouldn't get any if you tried that"
"I'll email my favorite media outlets. Welcome to the internet, bitch" -> "Nobody will listen to you because you're just a little kid and I'm a big shot, bitch"
Then Mike decided to "calm" the situation by banning corporate guy from PAX, getting into a pissing match, telling him he's going to write an article about him, and then demanding that he stop talking only *after* his head apparently cools and he asks for peace?
Just to reiterate, this corporate guy seems like a grade-A douche who has no place running a company let alone working PR or customer service, but it seems like *everybody* could've handled that a fair bit better.
"I'll cancel my preorders and use the apology coupon to get a discount" -> "That's against the rules and we're backordered so you wouldn't get any if you tried that"
"I'll email my favorite media outlets. Welcome to the internet, bitch" -> "Nobody will listen to you because you're just a little kid and I'm a big shot, bitch"
Then Mike decided to "calm" the situation by banning corporate guy from PAX, getting into a pissing match, telling him he's going to write an article about him, and then demanding that he stop talking only *after* his head apparently cools and he asks for peace?
Just to reiterate, this corporate guy seems like a grade-A douche who has no place running a company let alone working PR or customer service, but it seems like *everybody* could've handled that a fair bit better.
XANDER CAGE
Member
As I posted in the thread gaming-side, everyone comes off poorly in this exchange. Dave (WITH A V!) comes across as a petulant manchild, the PR rep is just terrible, and the Penny Arcade dude appeals to his own authority. It's a clusterfuck of stupid.
Frankenstrat
Member
How this guy has a job in fucking PR of all things is mystifying me. How does this happen?
Well, just cancelled my small store's order of these. The product is good, and does exactly what it says, but I cannot in good conscience sell something from a company that treats its customers this way.
Yeah, Dave's PS was a mistake on his part, but even if you go with everything above that email, this is a company I simply would not do business with.
Yeah, Dave's PS was a mistake on his part, but even if you go with everything above that email, this is a company I simply would not do business with.
Garcia el Gringo
Member
Oh man, I initially ignored Gabe's tweet when the link just led to a big wall of email text. I'm glad I finally read it.
This Ocean Marketing guy might as well be a crook when he's not explaining when the product is going to be shipped in his very first reply to the customer's question. It took him way too long to fess up when the customer was going to get the items he paid for in advance. And the marketing guy got really hostile when his customer suggested he might cancel his order and place it again so he could take advantage of a new discount. The customer was being super civil up until the Marketing dude decided to start mocking him. Ocean dude should have thanked him the customer up and down, that he was even still considering doing business with their tardy-ass company.
I think this Ocean Marketing guy is putting too much faith in his relationships with the blogs and game sites. Gamers, enthusiast press and decent people in general don't like bullies. His product isn't Call of Duty or Mario, it's a little niche piece of plastic. There's no need for these blogs and sites to give this jerk free advertisement. And the people that would be aware and interested in a niche product like this are very likely to be in tune to stuff like Penny Arcade. He should have been more careful. IMO, he should consider a new job where he doesn't have to interact with customers. He obviously can't handle it. Dude's way too aggressive towards people that gave him money alreay, I can't imagine how he'd treat people who aren't his customers. And he mentions that he has a kid, yikes.
This Ocean Marketing guy might as well be a crook when he's not explaining when the product is going to be shipped in his very first reply to the customer's question. It took him way too long to fess up when the customer was going to get the items he paid for in advance. And the marketing guy got really hostile when his customer suggested he might cancel his order and place it again so he could take advantage of a new discount. The customer was being super civil up until the Marketing dude decided to start mocking him. Ocean dude should have thanked him the customer up and down, that he was even still considering doing business with their tardy-ass company.
I think this Ocean Marketing guy is putting too much faith in his relationships with the blogs and game sites. Gamers, enthusiast press and decent people in general don't like bullies. His product isn't Call of Duty or Mario, it's a little niche piece of plastic. There's no need for these blogs and sites to give this jerk free advertisement. And the people that would be aware and interested in a niche product like this are very likely to be in tune to stuff like Penny Arcade. He should have been more careful. IMO, he should consider a new job where he doesn't have to interact with customers. He obviously can't handle it. Dude's way too aggressive towards people that gave him money alreay, I can't imagine how he'd treat people who aren't his customers. And he mentions that he has a kid, yikes.
The first several responses from the PR guy were horrible, and were way out of line. He knowingly lied to Dave and ignored the questions being asked. I understand Dave's frustration by the time the company's site changed to offer $10 off to any new orders.
More Fun To Compute
Member
Oh no. Cliffy B and the Mayor of Boston are going to destroy Penny Arcade because they side with the little guy against companies. What can we do?
Garcia el Gringo
Member
You can tell that that PAX venue is beneath him. You can just tell.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I love how he just keeps digging that hole... Going from the inability to be nice to a single customer to probably bringing down his whole company's reputation.
Jive Turkey
Unconfirmed Member
PumpkinPie
Banned
So... what's it got to do with Penny Arcade? If I read Hooters, should I write to them if one of the games I ordered doesn't turn up?
RobbieNick
Junior Member
I believe these folks had a booth at PAX 2011. Mike has decided to not let him have another one next year.
Discotheque
Banned
i got ma boys strapped up at pax, ces, e3 shiiieeet.
Corporate guy didn't have the answers the customer wanted, but he did seem to basically convey all the info he had at the time, he just didn't say anything to explain the info or soften the bad news.
(no longer "early" December)
"Any chance of getting an update of when these items will ship?"
"Dec 17"
(After Dec 17)
"Can you clarify whether my particular order already sent?"
"They still haven’t shipped yet on the way here from china"
"Is it going to miss Christmas?"
"In USA customs now, don't know if it'll miss Christmas"
When his company did have solid answers, they apparently updated their site and offered a weak apology coupon.
He's pretty terrible at customer service and PR, but I don't think he was *that far* out of line until the others started going there too.
Ocean Marketing isnt the company that makes the controller thing. they're a for hire advertising place that appears to be just one guy, this asshole paul. reading the website i imagine this guy used to work for a firm but got fired for being a POS and started his own at home business.
ScientificNinja
Member
Dear Arrogant Marketing Guy: Sometimes, no matter how right you think you are, it's just not worth having the last word.
Zero-Crescent
Member
Well, I'm sure anything would move units when the retailers he mentioned clearance it out at $0.99 to free up some shelf space.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
AnkhWeasel
Member
So, is that guy supposed to be the company's end-consumer mouthpiece?
Because, um. He's pretty goddamn terrible at it.
Wasn't going to buy, won't be buying, will be sharing, all that fun stuff.
Also, there is such a thing as bad publicity.
Because, um. He's pretty goddamn terrible at it.
Wasn't going to buy, won't be buying, will be sharing, all that fun stuff.
Also, there is such a thing as bad publicity.
Freshmaker
I am Korean.
I've never heard of hardcore gamers wishing for dental tools glued to their controller buttons.
Edit: Why was Tony Hawk at Best Buy?
Unhandled Exception
Member
I KEEP IT REAL MOTHERFUCKER
Freshmaker
I am Korean.
Dude, he KNOWS Donald Trump. He totally stood next to him in an elevator in Atlantic City once.
Just imagine, all of this could have been avoided with a $10 credit :lol
oh and
https://twitter.com/#!/ScottLowe/status/151594656700973056
lmao
oh and
https://twitter.com/#!/ScottLowe/status/151594656700973056
lmao
Dynamite Shikoku
Congratulations, you really deserve it!
lol. classic.
Unhandled Exception
Member
Holy shit the best part is when you look at his company's twitter and realize he puts up links on there to the shit he's selling on ebay.
To clarify, do not take this out on the makers of the Avenger, N-Control.
This is the result of the poor work of Paul Christoforo and Ocean Marketing.
What would make my day would be if Penny Arcade helped out N-Control and helped in some way to hook them up with a half-decent PR company. They're trying to do something noble like make controls for handicapped kids for chrissakes.
This is the result of the poor work of Paul Christoforo and Ocean Marketing.
What would make my day would be if Penny Arcade helped out N-Control and helped in some way to hook them up with a half-decent PR company. They're trying to do something noble like make controls for handicapped kids for chrissakes.
BoobPhysics101
Banned
Lol. This guy is going to sell 4 of these controllers because people are going to mistake them for sex toys and then run out of business. Sounds like a pathological liar. Highly doubt he knows even 10% of the people he 'name-dropped.' He probably used a urinal after CliffyB and thinks they're best friends because of it.
That answer was sent on December 16th, so he was knowingly lying to Dave, since he was aware that the product hadn't even arrived from China.
It honestly took me three reads to understand what he was saying. Originally it looked as if he said that they hadn't even shipped from China, making the email the following day about it being in US customs look even more absurd.
The coupon wasn't an apology...it wasn't for the people who had already paid and been waiting. It was a ridiculous slap in the face for those people.
So Dave says "what the hell...why don't I just cancel my order and rebuy my two controllers for $20 less?" which is an absolutely valid thing to ask. This response, however, is WAY out of line:
So, yeah, Dave lost it after this response, but this is after a company took his money, failed to meet their promise of an 'early December' deadline, then lied to him, then failed to deliver any useful dates with Christmas coming, and then offered discounts to other customers.
Unhandled Exception
Member
https://twitter.com/#!/OceanMarketting/status/124712531225870336
I wonder if those 120 employees will see any of that.
I wonder if those 120 employees will see any of that.