of the two of us, one is personal fiends with at least pete. nothing anyone says will change your mind on this. that was well established last time we went through this. that's fine. i'm happy with my friends in the community. but i don't understand your call for a list of people pissing contest. also, both you and hh went right by dr.prime commenting that he has experienced and witnessed shitty treatment as well.

lies, poor treatment of individuals, inappropriate comments, coverup of theft. i mean, those are definite red flags

again, there are people who used to like the club (i bought their stuff) that acknowledge brian's comment (which the club has acknowledged and apologized for). so pointing out facts shouldn't be considered manipulative. and who would like them after that? people who do have found a way to compartmentalize ("that's not racist to me") deny that shit was said/done, so why would they "call them out"?

ya. that's it. we can't afford the toys :|

 

Of the two of us, one personally despises at least Pete & Brian. And that's exactly what I thought.
As far as dr.prime I'm curious as to whether or not it was actual staff or volunteers.. FunPub staff are beyond cordial and some of the nicest people. Volunteers can be ... Less cordial at times. Also let's not forget that over the weekend they are all at work making sure everything runs as smooth as possible. Some of them have very little time for small talk.

Lies? About what exactly? `And do you have any legitimate (not any of this "oh I read somewhere" BS) proof to back this accusation?
Poor treatment of individuals? See staff vs volunteers above..
Inappropriate comments? All up to the people interpreting (or taking out of context) things that are said. Probably needs a check-up on sense of humor.
Cover up of theft? What are they stealing? What have they stolen?  

The reason the club acknowledged and apologized for it is likely because some thin-skinned, humorless sap wrote a four paragraph article about how their feelings were hurt because they couldn't take something in context. The club/Brian had NOTHING to apologize for. But that didn't stop the typical hate-train from rolling with it. Compartmentalize it?! It wasn't racist. Not "it wasn't racist to me," but it was not racist. Period. Pick up a book, or do a Google search before you go repeating/believing something you read online.

 

I must admit that I'm not bothered by it shutting down as they never really tried to get international members a reasonable deal that I saw, hopefully any official replacement will take that into account more

 

While some of the issues that people who dislike FP I think are a little extreme, I don't think affording the toys is high on the list of reasons dislike FP. The reasons people have given are justified, the difference is some chalk it up to no business is perfect while others hate the business.

I think I acknowledged Dr. Prime's experience.

I've had good experiences, others have had bad experiences, there is no doubting that. Hardreturn is totally justified in disliking the club. I don't think a person is "shitty person" just for some bad customer service.

There have been too many reports of poor interactions with FP, for it to not be an issue. Where we differ is what too many is and how those poor interactions reflect the overall business. I have had horrible experiences at various restraunts and while some have stuck with me, I don't fault the restraunt itself for a waiter/waitress being rude. No body says the right thing all the time and after years of doing business, you're going to piss people off.

I'm not sure what lies they've told. I know they weren't transparent on many issues, but no business is.

Poor treatment I believe is an issue but as I said before, it happens is every business.

Inappropriate comments, I know the picture that was "liked" is a issue to some people. While some declare it as racist, others do not. I personally saw a picture of a teenager with their pants pulled down. I don't equate that trend with any particular race as at least around me is prevalent by many teenagers of all races. Maybe it was African Americans that started the trend, I don't know. There is no doubt about racism is still very much around, not as bad as pre 1970's, but it's still there and in someways much harder to see clearly.

The "cover up of theft", I assume is the CC issue that happened years ago. Did FP come out and say "it was us"? No, what business would, until they know for sure. I totally understand that people won't deal with a business that has had CC theft. However I don't see too many people bringing up the CC issue for FP, also refuse to do business with Target, Sony, Home Depot, Blue Cross, the list goes on. All of those are MUCH bigger companies and have people who are paid to make sure that doesn't happen. FP is a small business of maybe 10 employees and yet are expected to be able to stop CC thefts that happen to multi million dollar corporations. Unless someone has evidence that the CC hack was an inside job.

For sure there are club members who have turned around and stopped supporting the club, there is nothing wrong with that. If others don't see it that way, it doesn't mean they're bad people. Is Transformers racist because the leaders have never been voiced by an African American?

I've seen that same picture that is viewed as "racist" years ago, it spread across the internet for a while. However this is the only place I have ever seen it declared as racist. FP apologized for the liking the picture, that's what businesses do, when people are upset about something they apologize. I keep coming back to the almost all the people I have seen say FP is racist are people who already disliked them. There may be some who that picture was the breaking point and they dislike them for that reason, but I haven't seen it.

The cost of the toys I think is an issue, but I don't think it's the only reason why people dislike FP. There are those who view them as over priced repaints, and it's true, the figures are crazy expensive. I didn't attend Botcon last year and I won't be attending this year, because the overall cost isn't worth it anymore. It's a set that I'm not a huge fan of, even if the money is also going to pay for the attending the the convention. I don't hate FP because of this, I'm disappointed that it hit a point that I just don't think it's worth it.

If the cast of the new RID were guests, my son and I would be on the first plane to Kentucky.

 

Yeah, the international folks had it hard. I remember there being reports of ridiculously high postage and I don't recall there ever being a resolution to that issue.

 

I wasn't there, but I remember reading that this was brought up at Roll Out Roll Call last year, and Pete said it was being looked at. Of course that was before the recent news (still speculation until an official announcement has been made), so it's unlikely it will be addressed.

 

Actual staff. I've attended Botcon for 6 straight years from 2009-2014. I am not going to go into naming names but they are some of the highest of the higher ups at FunPub. When setting up lines for Botcon, it is like they are hearding cattle and they treat you that way. I felt like I was in elementary school being yelled at by the teachers or principal. I have had direct interactions with them and their tone is just awful. Simply not professional and not how you should treat people who are spending a ton of money.

I am also not going to go into specific detail, but generally speaking, the entire staff of FunPub has poor (I'd go as far as to say very poor) public relations skills. Their e-mails to fans are demeaning and condescending...."DO NOT CALL US ABOUT yada yada yada...." In addition, when they have had issues in the past, and there have been many, but I will site the credit card dilemma as an example, what they should say is something like, "We apologize for the issues and are looking to resolve them ASAP......". Instead, countless times, they say, "this is not our fault......" Denial is not professional.

You know what? Crap happens and thats ok, but they did not act professionally and hold themselves accountable. I will also say that I have defended the club for years when everyone was crapping on them for mistakes they have made or bad boxsets or exclusives (i.e. - Machine Wars). I love the Machine Wars boxset and I am not afraid to admit it. But the straw finally broke the camels back.

And to HH, yes, when you attend the Con, the boxset is actually a good value. I have been telling people that for years. $400 for a box of 5 toys and registration cost is actually a great deal!!! I attend a conference for work almost every year and the registration costs over $500, AND I DON'T GET NO TOYS!!!   Paying for it as a non-attendee, however, is not a horrible value, but not a great one either.

 

When you go to that yearly conference fill out a survey and mention they need more toys. I've been in those lines as well, it's frustrating, I know I felt like cattle. I've been to Disney conventions and other pop culture ones, and have felt the similar.

I agree that FP took a while before they took full responsibility regarding the CC issue. I still don't really hold them accountable for the CC issue itself, but they could have handled it a lot better.

I don't think FP overall is great, I think they have done some great things, but they have more than their fair share of mistakes. I don't agree with some of the things that people are condemning them for.

 

that picture is not what we've been talking about.


https://twitter.com/tfu_info/status/480474203133870080?lang=en

i don't want to get into a longer back and forth quote fest with you. based off of this poll, multiple peoples experiences and the amount of words it takes to defend multiple different things they've done (remember, there was more than one time they've lost cc data) i think there is a solid enough foundation to be wary of them. unless you don't want to. that's fine.

the good news is people as divisive as them are no longer in charge of something that was, and could be, a huge part of this community and are, at best, going to be relegated to some mail-away repaints in an age where MP figures and unlicensed toys are taking a large chunk of collectors money.

and again, just citing the poll, most here find that to be good news.

 

yes, we're all thin skinned saps and brian and pete are infallible.

most of what i know and have heard comes from in person interactions with people, but anecdotes aren't proof which is why i try use what is publicly available. but ok, i'll pick up a book on funpub management missteps (?) next time. although it doesn't seem like it'll matter much longer  

 

HH, that comment was meant as a facetious jab more than anything  

Dr. Prime, I see where you're coming from. Although as far as the lines go, I've never taken any of that personally, as I don't think it was intended personally. The goal is to get as many people through as possible, be it for package pick up or autographs, yet they still maintain 2 autographs & a picture per person, and that's something I respect. I know I'm not the only person in line and that's how I view it.
As for the emails... Its perceived tone. I never viewed "DO NOT CALL US" as Brian screaming at me like a child.. I viewed it as "hey, this is important, please pay attention."
I've only had about 15min of conversation with Brian, and he's as cordial as could be. Very soft spoken and as nice as could be. Couldn't see the dude just outright yelling at his customers  
But I totally see where you're coming from.

And hardreturn...
Of course they are not infallible. Which is why when these SLIGHT missteps happened, that have been blown completely out of proportion as it was clearly not intended to be racist (seriously, google the term), they made sure nothing like that was said again though and the company has since issued apologies for any missteps. Multiple times on multiple platforms. But that isn’t good enough for people like you. You, and sites like TFU.Info and a few others people on Twitter just want to keep drudging up the past over, and over, and over again.

I mean, how many times do they have to apologize? They have put on a really great show the last 3 years, people have had a blast there yet these select few people here and elsewhere who just want to bash on them anytime news and/or reveals about the Club come out. It has gotten old and the vasty majority of people would, I bet, prefer just to enjoy their show and the Club. But every fandom has to have those people who want to tear others down. I get it. Comes with the territory I guess.

 

again, the majority (and since we only have this poll to go by, not conjecture and anecdotes) seem happy that they're shoving off.

and wait…was their apology sincere because they actually felt they did something wrong, or pandering to "some thin-skinned, humourless sap(s)". because it can't be both. you seemed, and i rather agree, to think that it's the latter which makes their apology ring hollow.

i hope you enjoy their last show.

 

I agree this poll does say a lot about at least part of the fandom, especially when you consider some are on the fence or unsure. Though the attendance hasn't seemed to be affected. Though that's hard to tell as the show moves around and it's hard to determine if any lower attendance is a result of people being fed up or the location.

It's hard to tell if their apology was sincere. I'd like to think it was, cause very few people aren't sorry when someone is offended. When something is said in writing it's up to the reader to interpret the tone of which the writer was trying to convey. A simple "I'm so sorry" can be interpreted as sincere or sarcastic.

 

I'm certainly interested in seeing what happens next. I also agree that FP is very divisive and not having them in control will probably be better for the community as a whole.

I don't remember a second time there was a credit card breach.

Sorry I assumed the "racist" thing was regarding the image, I vaguely remember something about the comment, I'm not on twitter and only occasionally on Facebook, so that one must have slipped past me. Truth be told I don't even quite know what he was talking about, "something not fitting into a neck", perhaps I need to know the context for which it was said.

Clearly there are aspects of FP that I wasn't full aware of, I still think overall they're still good people, just not very good with business relations and customer service.

 

Perhaps you are confusing my opinion with their sincerity. I believe the apology was not needed, however I believe it was sincere. Since you're having trouble separating the two.

To help clarify... Brian was talking about the language barrier they face when dealing with the factories. So when something isn't going as planned, it is sometimes difficult for either side to convey what exactly isn't working.
In this case specifically they were talking about the 2014 Scorponok and the issues with trying to get the headmaster gimmick to work. So a harmless comment to explain such a barrier was taken completely out of context and warped into something it very clearly wasn't.

 

Oh hey Primal Sabbath. I remember you from the last topic we had on this. Wasn't it you that said Pete or Brian is your personal friend? So you're coming into this with a personal bias. This would be akin to someone calling out my friend's store and me rabidly defending him. If you're the main spokesperson for your company or high up on the ladder you should act like it. Tim Cook and Satya Nadella don't go around bickering with people or making ignorant comments. It would look bad upon their company. Whereas if the guy working as an intern shuffling papers at Apple or MS can talk crap if he wants, doesn't look bad on the company as he's so far down on the ladder. Carry on though. Tell us more about your great friends.

 

No bias. Just facts  
But do go on about how my opinions are irrelevant and how a friendship that doesn't have anything to do with any of this somehow negates everything I say.

 

I never believed that FP lost their license, more like it was not renewed. I'm sure there will be something new taking over, Hasbro may do it in house or they could license it out again, either way I'll consider going.

 

They covered up their excessive overcharging of international shipping when they were confronted with it and promised to voluntarily refund the difference in future... but instead, a month later their packages no longer declared the postage, so we could no longer chase up the excessive charges, and they NEVER voluntarily refunded any after that either as they had promised.
(they themselves admitted that postage charges were NOT including a handling fee, and even if it was, it wouldn't be up to $73 on individual orders on top of the postage fee).

Both Pete and Brian were confronted about the new company policy to hide the over-charging of postage (by up to 80% extra - not just a couple of dollars, but adding up to hundreds of dollars in just half a dozen Club orders), and both then refused to answer it. Pete never got back to us here with an answer despite promising twice, and Brian at BotCon last year when asked in person, didn't want to answer the question and said to contact customer service about it (as it seemed that the new Company Policy of hiding excessive charges that he would have approved or instigated as the Business' Director, was not something he wanted to answer publicly at their Club panel).

I would say it qualifies as "covering up theft", when you tell someone that you would start refunding hundreds of dollars that were over-charged (which they should have been doing voluntarily from the beginning, because they admitted to checking all orders before shipping them, to allow them to re-charge people who didn't pay enough postage), and then suddenly stop declaring the postage to prevent us from even knowing that we were being over-charged, because they were not fulfilling their promise of refunding us voluntarily.
How can you trust someone who says they will refund you excessive over-charging by hundreds of dollars, but then doesn't do it, and instead, hides the postage to prevent the customer from chasing them up later when they don't refund it?
Would you shop from a business that does that?

In summary...
Fraud - knowingly keeping the money being excessively over-charged by their postage calculator by hundreds of dollars, and admitting that they check the orders to know if enough postage is paid to see the excessive over-charging.
Lying - promising to refund from that point, and to refund the hundreds of dollars over-charged from past orders (after refunding the two recent examples I gave them), but then never refunding anything after that promise.
Deception/cover-up - suddenly no longer declaring the postage on the boxes after 7 years declaring it, just because they were now caught out and liable to thousands of dollars in refunds, that they promised, and never fulfilled.


I still love BotCon as an annual event... and I love most of the exclusive Club toys... and I even like the Club magazine. Also, up until this happened in 2012 I was ordering thousands of dollars of items from the Club Store on behalf of other Australians, and heavily promoting the Club in my country for fans to buy their products and register as members. But after this issue happened, many Australians like me stopped ordering from the Club Store, and most memberships were only renewed for Subscription sets or for Convention sets (attending & non-attending). I would also only actively support or promote the Convention from that point on at the Australian fansite, but not the business behind it or their Club Store, as they can't be trusted with our money and I didn't want Australian fans to blame me for encouraging them to use a business that I had proven was cheating us of money and covering it up to prevent us from getting it back.

 

so they must have sincerely believed that the comment was inappropriate. glad that's settled.

the comment was also made while feigning a stereotypical asian accent that many in person found offensive, as referenced by at least 2 reactions on twitter. and, as we've established, brian and funpub actually thought that they did something offensive because they apologized for it as well.

all you've given are opinions, no facts ¯\_(ツ)_/¯