DO NOT BUY anything from AV123

[Jed M]

I am sure this is going to make Suzanne's day to see her prized piece of evidence posted for the public to see, but here it is. As you can see its a cleared 10k check for the Hurricane Katrina raffle to The Red Cross. I do remember Sean posting this way back then, but I had forgotten. In the long run I am sure it did what it was supposed to do.

And to answer your original question, of course that person would have been burned at the stake for suggesting such a thing, but IMO that would happen anywhere. Lets say you go over to a friends house and they are having a cake raffle or something to help out a friend with cancer. Now lets say you start questioning about their legal authority to run their friendly raffle and/or question the intentions, I doubt that would go over well under any circumstances. I understand about the insane fanboyism over there (and it used to embarrass me how people would get "jumped"), but I think what you are asking would happen anywhere. Maybe its a social norm, but I think there is an expression about crapping in someone's Wheaties that would apply to that line of questioning under those circumstances.

 

[gonk]

A check from AV123's account? Another thing that ties the corporation to the raffles.

 

[Jed M]

A check from AV123's account? Another thing that ties the corporation to the raffles.

This is what I don't understand. All the raffles went through AV123 until maybe the last few. I am having a hard time understanding why I am the only one who has these receipts from the company. The power of gmail and its never ending memory I guess.

 

[Chu Gai]

How many of these types of receipts do you have Jed?

 

[Stereodude]

A check from AV123's account? Another thing that ties the corporation to the raffles.

I'm pretty sure VA321 collected the funds directly for that raffle.

I've even got an e-mail confirmation from VA321 for my order of 2 raffles tickets for that one, and then later correspondence from Greg letting me know that I needed to submit 2 orders if I wanted two tickets.

 

[Stereodude]

This is what I don't understand. All the raffles went through AV123 until maybe the last few. I am having a hard time understanding why I am the only one who has these receipts from the company. The power of gmail and its never ending memory I guess.

FWIW, I've only got receipts from VA321 for two different Hurricane Katrina raffles. Everything else I contributed to after that went to TADG's dog's paypal.

 

[abboudc]

I am sure this is going to make Suzanne's day to see her prized piece of evidence posted for the public to see, but here it is. As you can see its a cleared 10k check for the Hurricane Katrina raffle to The Red Cross. I do remember Sean posting this way back then, but I had forgotten. In the long run I am sure it did what it was supposed to do.

And to answer your original question, of course that person would have been burned at the stake for suggesting such a thing, but IMO that would happen anywhere. Lets say you go over to a friends house and they are having a cake raffle or something to help out a friend with cancer. Now lets say you start questioning about their legal authority to run their friendly raffle and/or question the intentions, I doubt that would go over well under any circumstances. I understand about the insane fanboyism over there (and it used to embarrass me how people would get "jumped"), but I think what you are asking would happen anywhere. Maybe its a social norm, but I think there is an expression about crapping in someone's Wheaties that would apply to that line of questioning under those circumstances.

I wonder who took the tax deduction...

Nice system. Other people give $10,000, you get (possibly ) get a $10,000 tax deduction because you sent it in...

 

[gonk]

The tax deduction is small potatoes compared to the other $30,000 raised for Katrina relief that we don't have a returned check for.

 

[Chu Gai]

I'm pretty sure VA321 collected the funds directly for that raffle.

I've even got an e-mail confirmation from VA321 for my order of 2 raffles tickets for that one, and then later correspondence from Greg letting me know that I needed to submit 2 orders if I wanted two tickets.

Are you saying the tickets were tied to ordering product or that that you had to make two separate and distinct donations in order to receive two tickets?

 

[Stereodude]

Are you saying the tickets were tied to ordering product or that that you had to make two separate and distinct donations in order to receive two tickets?

No, not tied to product, but each raffle ticket had to be purchased via a separate order through their checkout system.

 

[droht]

I wonder who took the tax deduction...

Nice system. Other people give $10,000, you get (possibly ) get a $10,000 tax deduction because you sent it in...

The tax implications always bugged me a bit. Not that I would have cared to miss out on the slight benefit of a $50 contribution, or whatever, but I always figured that mls was making out nicely at tax time. How little I really knew...

 

[dwayland]

Speaking of taxes...

Just so everyone knows, I reported every dime I received from the AVxxx raffles to the IRS on my 2009 taxes.

Some of you may think I was crazy to do so, but considering all of the tax implications MLS is going to have to answer for, I wanted to make 1000% sure that what I did on my end, was totally on the up and up.

D

 

[Chu Gai]

The tax deduction is small potatoes compared to the other $30,000 raised for Katrina relief that we don't have a returned check for.

This was TheMonk's posting on 10/19/2007:

2004

A. Rocket Package Number 1
Reason - Gracie's Ballet Company
Started - October 18, 2004
35 dollars per ticket x 150 = $5,250.00
Winner - CyCole

2005

B. RS850 based ULTRA System (2 pairs RS850's, 1 RSC200 and 2 ULW10s)
Reason - A Friend In Need (Brucer)
Started - January 17 2005
50 dollars per ticket x 200 = $10,000.00
Winner - James M. Crane (jcrane)

C. LIVE AUCTION for Tsunami Relief - 4 pairs of RS750 Signatures
Reason - The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Started - January 26, 2005
Each auction started at $600.00 - (Craigsub donated $1500.00 on first auction)
1. Pivoman - $1000.00 (Rosewood)
2. Jed M - $900.00 donated (Jed M asked for and got a ULW-10 and 200.00 cable credit with the rest being donated
3. nothing - $909.09 (Rosewood)
4. Chris C - $1100.00 (Ebony)

D. 1 pair RSC1000's, 1 pair RS250's and a RSC 200
Reason - The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Started - May 21, 2005
50 dollars per ticket X 150 = $7,500.00
Winner - Eugene C. (etcarroll)

E. 20 ULW-10’s in White Shadow Maple
Reason - The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Started - May 21, 2005
10 dollars per ticket X 50 X 20 Raffles = $10,000.00
Winner(s):
1. CRAIG R. of Colorado Springs, CO (craiglan)
2. Joshua K. of Jersey City, NJ
3. Jack B. of Tuscon, AZ
4. Brian S. of Seattle, WA
5. Conor C. of Birmingham, AL
6. John R. of Cincinnati, OH (oneblue)
7. James M. of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (JamieM)
8. Dale H. of Jackson, TN
9. Alan P. of Boise, ID
10. Unable to locate

F. Special Edition Onix H34 Tube Integrated Amplifier and a set of Special Edition Onix Reference 1.5 Piano Rosewood
Reason - American Red Cross - Hurricane Katrina Relief
Started - August 31, 2005
50 dollars per ticket X 200 = $10,000.00
Winner - Christopher M

G. Epiphany Audio 12-12 Line-Source Loudspeaker System (Value = $15,000.00)
Reason - American Red Cross - Hurricane Katrina Relief
Started - September 2, 2005
100 dollars per ticket X 300 = $30,000.00
Winner - Dallas M

H. 1 pair RS850 Speakers, 1 pair RSS300 speakers, 1 RSC200 Center Speaker, UFW-10 x 2 and Emotiva Emotiva LMC-1 and a LPA-1
Reason - Ballet Nouveau Colorado Charity
Started - October 24, 2005
50 dollars per ticket X 200 = $10,000.00
Winner - Thomas N (Thomas Nichols)

2006

I. Winners Choice: Package 1 - Two sets of RS 760's Front and Rear and One RSC 200 Center or Package 2 - One set RS 550 MKII Front, One RSC 200 Center, One set RSS 300 Rear and UFW-12 Subwoofer with R-DES
Reason - Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Started - January 25, 2006
50 dollars per ticket X 100 = $5,000.00
Winner - Brandon Noeldner (weirdzen)

J. 1 Raffle turned into 2 Raffles - A set of RS 450's X 2 (Initial Thread, Raffle Thread and Winner Thread)
Reason - Annual Tennis Event for Breast Cancer - Curtis Chang
Started - October 17, 2006
10 dollars per ticket X 100 X 2 = $2,000.00
Winner(s):
Brian Harris (Timothy B)
Amanda (mandigrace)

K. 2 pairs of RS450's (1 set donated by Mark L. Schifter and 1 set donated by Craig Chase aka Craigsub), One RSC200 Center (donated by Craig Chase aka Craigsub), 1 x-sub (Kurt aka kia303 - raffle organizer)
Reason - Fallen Officer's Memorial
Started - November 30, 2006
50 dollars per ticket X 200 = $4,000.00
Winner - Nick Artieri (The Nick)

2007

L. 1 pair of X-LS's and 1 X-Sub
Reason – Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)
Started - February 23, 2007
10 dollars per ticket X 100 = $1,000.00 ($1,100.00 Raised)
Winner - (Trekker)

1. 1 pair of Strata Mini's in Rosewood, 1 pair of REF 1LE's and one REF 100 Center Channel
Reason – The Children of Khabarovsk, Russia
Started - May 17, 2007
25 dollars per ticket X 160 = $10,000.00
Winner - Thomas Schmidt (TomS)

2. Sub Mersive Sub (Courtesy of Mark Seaton) including Mr. Seaton set-up and calibration
Reason – The Children of Khabarovsk, Russia
Started - May 20, 2007
25 dollars per ticket X 200 = $5,000.00
Winner - Sean Dempsey (Loophead)

3. Pair of Strata Mini’s (Courtesy of Hugh Nguyen)
Reason – Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Date – May 22, 2007
25 dollars per ticket X 200 = $5,000.00
Winner - Thomas Choong (ThomasC)

4. EMOTIVA package of the RSP-1 (pre-amp) and the 400-watt brute - The RPA-1 (Courtesy of Dan Laufman at Emotiva)
Reason - The Children in Khabarovsk, Russia
Date – June 11, 2007
35 dollars per ticket X 100 tickets = $3,500.00
Winner - Richard Vitzthum (rav)

5. EMOTIVA package of the RSP-1 (pre-amp) and the 400-watt brute - The RPA-1 (Courtesy of Dan Laufman at Emotiva)
Reason - The Children in Khabarovsk, Russia
Date – June 12, 2007
35 dollars per ticket X 100 = $3,500.00
Winner - Randall Harris (TechFan)

6. Titan XL Subwoofer - Inlaid Cherry Finish(Courtesy of Mike Dzurko at ACI)
Reason - The Children in Khabarovsk, Russia
Date – June 16, 2007
30 dollars per ticket X 100 tickets = $3,500.00
Winner – Unknown (Brad Judy)

7. PS Audio Quintet (Courtesy of Paul McGowan at PS Audio)
Reason – The Children in Khabarovsk, Russia
Date – June 23, 2007
15 dollars per ticket X 100 = $1,500.00
Winner - Eugene Carroll (etcarroll)

8. 1 pair of Mini Strata's or Rocket HT Package #3 (1 pair RS450s, 1 pair RSS300 and 1 RSC200) - Winner's Choice! (Courtesy of Craigsub and wife)
Reason - The Mrs. R Daneel Leukemia Cure (donated to the Triathlon Team)
Date - March 6, 2007 (although the date doesn't fall in sequence I'm going with it for now)
20 dollars per ticket X 100 = $2,000.00 (Actual donations totaled $3055.00)
Winner - (Jonathon Janusz) - Mini Strata's were chosen

9. One pair RS1K, Two pair RSS300 (One pair donated by the winner of raffle #10 DanNay), a RSC 200 in Rosewood, and a MFW-15 (donated by a mysterious forum member)
Reasons
- The Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for David Fabrikant Family(50%)
- The Children in Khabarovsk, Russia (50%)
Date – July 4, 2007
50 dollars per ticket X 150 = $7,500.00
Winner - Scott (Skeeter99)

10. One pair RS760, One pair RSS300 and a RSC 200 in Rosewood
Reasons
- The Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for David Fabrikant Family (50%)
- The Children in Khabarovsk, Russia (50%)
Date – July 4, 2007
35 dollars per ticket X 150 = $5,250.00
Winner – (DanNay)

11. Mark’s Sub Mersive including setup by Mark Schifter and Mark Seaton
Reason - The Children in Khabarovsk, Russia
Date – July 30, 2007
25 dollars per ticket X 200 - $5,000.00
Winner – (Horseman)

12. 1 pair RS1000’s, 1 RSC 200 Big Foot, 1 pair RS450’s (for the rear channels), 1 pair RS250’s (for the side axis channels) and 2 UFW-12’s with installation by Mark Schifter and Mark Seaton
Reason - DW Family (DW's Daughter)
Date August 28, 2007
25 dollars per ticket X 500 = $12,500.00
Winner – New2AVS

13. 1 pair RS1000’s, 1 RSC 200 Big Foot, 1 pair RS450’s (for the rear channels), 1 pair RS250’s (for the side axis channels) and 2 UFW-12’s with installation by Mark Schifter and Mark Seaton (Courtesy of
New2AVS)
Reason (re-raffle) - DW Family (DW's Daughter)
Date October 18, 2007
25 dollars per ticket X 500 = $12,500.00
Winner – TBD

14. 1 pair LS-6 demo set from the 2007 RMAF
1 set of Complete Acoustic Room Treatment Set: 2 Bass Trap Tables and 4 Veneered Framed Acoustic Absorption Panels.
(The room treatment set is courtesy of Santiago and Cali Team)
Reason - "DW Daughter"
Date October 22, 2007
50 dollars per ticket X 200 = $10,000.00
Winner - Craig Chase (Craigsub)

15. The LS4 Raffle for Ballet Nouveau Company
Reason
- Ballet Nouveau Colorado Charity
Date – December 12, 2007
50 dollars per ticket X 150 = $7,500.00
Winner - TBD

16. The LS4 Raffle for The Children's Hospital (Denver)
Reason
- The Children's Hospital (Denver)
Date – TBA
50 dollars per ticket X 150 = $7,500.00
Winner - TBD

2008

17. An MFW-15 Raffle For Our Dear Friend Hugh and The Angelwish Foundation
Reason - Hughs best friend Thanh battling liver cancer
Date - January 31, 2008
35 dollars per ticket X 100 = $3,500.00 X 3 raffles = $10,500.00
2.50 for every ticket sold will be donated Mark and Lynn to The Angelwish Foundation = 750.00
Winner 1 - TBD
Winner 2 - TBD
Winner 3 - TBD


Grand Total
$213,564.09

 

[wshuff]

Hey, maybe this raffle business is worthwhile . . .

http://consumerist.com/2010/04/man-sells-50000-in-raffle-tickets-for-house-then-doesnt-hold-raffle.html

 

[JoshK]

New Ricket Line

Yup http://forums.av123.com/showthread.php?t=43858

 

[Chu Gai]

I wonder what happened to the subs?

 

[Stereodude]

Yup http://forums.av123.com/showthread.php?t=43858

Whatever... They look like a rehash of the old Rickets, except they can buy these drivers (for now).

On a related note, I can't believe that Danny is still willing to work with them.

 

[JoshK]

Esthetically they look the same to me too.

Having Danny onboard could make for interesting conversation.

 

[T2T]

Yup http://forums.av123.com/showthread.php?t=43858

If there's one positive thing I can see in this revamped line is that the speakers appear to have a wider stance than the previous version of Rickets. Even with carpet spikes, the original Rickets were ... well, pretty rickety ... and, not too stable. Compared to Monitor Audio - which supplies a pretty hefty plinth base for their speakers; they're very stable if compared to the Rickets.

 

[MinusTheBear]

A Ricket lineup would be an appropriate way to market specialty cracked veneer and fissure finishes.