I understand where you're coming from Conrack and I think it's kind of the same place that Steve_Vie (Matt) is also. This story is largely about Schifter and the raffles but all stories have subplots and stories within stories. This one is no different. While many are outraged over the raffles, others also have their own outrages that are apart from the raffles. For this is not just a matter of Schifter on one end and enthusiasts on the other. So, I'm going to tell two stories. I'm not going to give names so don't ask. The names may not be who you think they are anyways or there may be more than one.
First Story
Schifter had many circles that surrounded him and his organization. There were the buyers who never were part of any forums. Mail order type folks if you will. There were casual buyers, active forum members, forum members that provided rationalizations for every misstep so Schifter didn't have to, and some forum members who were close enough to Schifter that they became privy to information. Sometimes it was accurate information and other times it was not so accurate. But this particular group was walking with two pairs of shoes - his and theirs - and in the aftermath there are folks questioning things like 'whose side were you on'?
There were folks who bought certain speakers on the promise that the line would be fleshed out in the near future. So, they bought a pair of mains and looked to eventually buy the intended center channel, rears, and even the matching sub. A review of AV451's various product lines will show that in many cases, the product life cycle was inordinately short and the promised surrounds, center channel, and subs never materialized. For those on a budget who looked to have a complete set as funds became available, they were SOL.
In situations such as I described there was never a shortage of the many faithful who would rationalize things. But there were also a few who were forum members and enthusiasts that also had the sort of access to Schifter that was unique. They'd have long personal conversations that spoke of AV451's business plans and at various GTG's around the country would be present at relatively private meetings. In these meetings matters such as the discontinuance of particular models would be discussed, the imminent parting of ways with old vendors, and future plans. Now, if you're at that meeting and even ones more private and restrictive, you know full well that those center channels, surrounds, and subs aren't going to be made. If you're also posting on the AV451 forums then a reasonable question might be what do you do when a person posts they've only got the money for so and so and plan on buying the rest later? If you look to guide them away from the purchase you're doing that person a favor. However, this runs the personal risk or consequence that you'll no longer be privy to inside information. If you stay quiet, you're a good corporate trooper, but are you an asset or a friend of the forum members?
Second Story
Early on in my involvement in this clusterphuck, I was PM'd by an individual that more or less said I didn't know what I was talking about. That there was another side to the story or at least part of the story I was talking about and since I'd never had the sort of closeness they had with Schifter (meeting with him, talking on the phone, emailing, travelling to GTG's), I was speaking from ignorance. They offered me their phone number to discuss the matter more fully. Who that person was is not important nor will I discuss it publicly but what was said is IMO important.
The matter of Sean came up and his leaving the employ of AV451. I was informed that the reason Sean had left was because he was discharged. Fired if you will. As a result he was not entitled to any financial compensation for any sales he had made that were still pending. Once he left, whether it was because he quit, was canned, or just plain died, the efforts he had expended in making the sale and processing it were not going to result in a future check acknowledging his role. Also, with respect to Sean, I was told that the reason he was discharged was because he had developed a drug dependency that made him difficult to work with. He was said to be disruptive and was interfering in the proper performance of other employees as well as the organization as a whole. IOW, the reasons for his leaving was because he was a screwup.
This person also had some comments on the raffles and in particular those raffles that were intended to benefit a particular forum member. While he acknowledged that Schifter had indeed
underfunded the particular cause, it was suggested that I should not be so hard on Mark and that the intended raffle recipient wasn't really that badly underfunded. The reason? Well, I was told that the raffle recipient had sold several AV451 products in the classified section over a period of time and it was Mark who was outright giving the products to this person so he could raise cash. IOW, Mark wasn't a total skunk and the raffle recipient ought to be grateful that Mark had reached out to him in this way.
All this may not help in justifying what people do. Or it may. But it may help in understanding matters and that this is not a simple issue if you're one of the people who straddled one side more than the other or who tried to straddle them both. So, there's going to be some arguing amongst people who were once friendly. Mark for sure has done some terrible things but there were a lot of stories being played on the sidelines that were making their way through the grapevine. As you can see from above, these weren't especially nice stories and they were fed and promulgated by people who still were drinking the Kool Aid at that time. So, if there's some shots being taken by people at other people, I understand there's still a lot of things that were and are still unsettling.
