Article: Re: CREEPSHOW starts today!!!

[Rzeznikk]

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Judging by the hope and optimism by some . . . he still have his supporters and he's blocking anyone on Facebook who is critical of him.

Yup, I can see where this is going.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[mooveefreek]

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Judging by the hope and optimism by some . . . he still have his supporters and he's blocking anyone on Facebook who is critical of him.

Yes, which brings credibility into question. An accusation was publicly made against a customer that he was refunded and then blocked so he could not defend himself. The customer claims he was never refunded nor were his emails answered. The cheerleaders can hope all they want as nothing will be proven until someone has a figure in their hands. And after 5 years all I have seen are a few figures (3 maybe) and a few Sylvia heads ALMOST done. Let them hope if it makes them feel better. Time will tell...

 

[DeltaForceChung]

Yes, which brings credibility into question. An accusation was publicly made against a customer that he was refunded and then blocked so he could not defend himself. The customer claims he was never refunded nor were his emails answered. The cheerleaders can hope all they want as nothing will be proven until someone has a figure in their hands. And after 5 years all I have seen are a few figures (3 maybe) and a few Sylvia heads ALMOST done. Let them hope if it makes them feel better. Time will tell...

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It's OK.

I believe in karma.

The loyalists/supporters will go silent when they finally realize they're screwed with nothing and likely too embarrassed to comment further.

I've seen it happen before throughout the years.

I offer no empathy to those who blindly remain loyal and supportive with nothing to show for . . . after five years. They chose the route they're taking regardless of the all the signs. I speak from experience on this matter and learned the hard way.

 

[mooveefreek]

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It's OK.

I believe in karma.

Oh, same here. And I firmly believe it has already come around. I know this is a fickle business to get into and it relies on delivery. He also aspires to do make-up effects for films and word gets around very quickly when you don't deliver. I fail to see how the career he has chosen for himself will prosper with this albatross hanging around his neck.

The loyalists/supporters will go silent when they finally realize they're screwed with nothing and likely too embarrassed to comment further.

Some already have. I know of quite a few that had been infinitely supportive over the years yet are now at wit's end. One is tired of the embarrassment of looking at friends in the eye who laugh at him when he tells them, "It's coming." From what I have noticed, he had posted very nice things about him over the years but is fed up at this point. I don't see how anyone can blame him.

I've seen it happen before throughout the years.

I offer no empathy to those who blindly remain loyal and supportive with nothing to show for . . . after five years. They chose the route they're taking regardless of the all the signs. I speak from experience on this matter and learned the hard way.

Well, I will not badger those that wish to have hope, the same as I will not accept those that have that hope to admonish those that are now fed up. If they want to offer Dooley that supportive banter, so be it. Hopefully it just may offer him the motivational tool to deliver what he promised.

In all honesty, from what I have gathered these past months I do not think Brian set this up as a scam with the intent to rip anyone off. I believe he had it in his mind he could pull this off. HOWEVER...more evidence shows some sort of mental imbalance which leads me to conclude he is more of a dreamer than a doer. And he made some grave mistakes along the way. One such mistake is continuing to take orders after he was advised to give up. I was one that ordered after the fact directly from the now defunct website with no knowledge of the legal issues that had taken place. Had I known this I never would have made the purchase. Let that be a lesson for me, I guess.

Another is surmounting evidence that the design was never perfected before setting up for sale. I have seen numerous posts regarding fixing a flaw that sent him back to the drawing board. To put this figure up for sale without fixing any flaws in the design is unacceptable in my opinion. Others include his attitude and the customers having to rely on his Facebook page for any information.

Nevertheless I will not publicly admonish him on his page, but I will call out any BS. One such nonsensical allegation is that numerous detractors are disgruntled kids whose parents were refunded because they will not sell to them. I do not know where this underage fanbase exists - and I suspect it does not - but I can say that my son and his friends had never heard of "Creepshow" until I showed it to them. They did not even think the "Father's Day" segment was scary; they found it rather, in their words, "goofy."

The 35th Anniversary of "Creepshow" is this year on November 2. It would be nice if he could make this deadline as the 30th Anniversary is now behind us. If not...well, there's alway the 50th Anniversary. I will speak with my attorney about the possibility of willing this purchase to my future grandchildren should I expire prior to that date. And I will stipulate that they at Shrunken Head Studios cannot rescind the purchase due to the age of the beneficiary.

 

[galactiboy]

This was an update/post from a week or so ago:

<<<FAQ>>> Is Brian a thief or con artist?
No. He is Jersey stubborn and refuses to give up even though all of his friends, family, and CPA told him to. If Brian wanted to steal your money, he would have filed bankruptcy anytime after 2013, when he had to take legal action with the Chinese factory originally making Nathan. His CPA strongly suggested he close up shop and give up because the cost of doing everything in the US was more than what he had left after legal fees. Originally, Nathan, his clothes, & packaging would have been $59 each to mass produce in China and take about 4 months. Nobody planned or wanted to sit on this for years.

Not only is he NOT stealing your money, but filling and shipping orders out of his own pocket. Each new Nathan is $213 to produce in the US, more than twice what existing customers paid for it. -T

I don't doubt that his initial cost was $59 per figure and I'm not surprised the cost has now ballooned up to $213 per figure... but a lot of that seems to be on his determination to make this crazy one-off zombie body. I don't know how much that has cost him to produce; but I can't imagine it's less than the $20 you might spend on a KO hot toys body like everyone else is using these days... and I'm sure he'd be able to get them for less if bought in bulk.

If I'm not mistaken he has all of the outfits... just put the head, hands and feet on a standard body and get these out the door. While the desiccated body is cool, it's totally pointless since the figure is fully clothed.

 

[Godfather1408]

If I'm not mistaken he has all of the outfits... just put the head, hands and feet on a standard body and get these out the door. While the desiccated body is cool, it's totally pointless since the figure is fully clothed.

I said this a while back and even said to Dooley! He was set on the custom body as he's changed the adapters for the neck etc seriously would save time and effort and everyone would be happy!

I've supported him from the start and even I'm starting to give up hope! This point I'd rather he did just slap on a normal body...Who gives a s**t about the dam custom body anyway! I just want my figure that I paid for and have waited 5 years for so do the rest of us! Hell I'd settle for a figure without the dam body if it meant I got the dam thing!

The stupid thing is he's got the bulk of the outfits and Boxes + Sleeves if he just used normal bodies he could start shipping them now! What he's doing has no logic at all? Full custom zombie body for a figure that is fully clothed!

 

[galactiboy]

Yep, that's my feeling as well.

And he'd be smart to offer this as a "kit" to anyone willing to do the work of painting and assembly themselves; I'd gladly take one that way and feel satisfied with my $100 investment.

 

[pixletwin]

Yep, that's my feeling as well.

And he'd be smart to offer this as a "kit" to anyone willing to do the work of painting and assembly themselves; I'd gladly take one that way and feel satisfied with my $100 investment.

Ditto that!

 

[mooveefreek]

I said this a while back and even said to Dooley! He was set on the custom body as he's changed the adapters for the neck etc seriously would save time and effort and everyone would be happy!

This was you?

"A quick question would it not be easier to scratch the zombie body and go with a standard knock off body? It would make your like a hell of alot easier! Not to mention no one is gonna display nate naked. The suit covers all the body make it easy on yourself man. I don't think anyone would fault you for doing that. Like I said it's mega load off your back then not to mention you save money on casting. I really don't see the need for a fully sculpted zombie body? Maybe you should ask people and see what the feedback is? My order is staying put and I'll support you but i really do feel by using a knock off body it will eliminate alot of work load."

I see he was pretty committed in his response:

"Oh I agree it would save me a lot of time using a pre-existing body. But if I changed it now I'd have to re-engineer all the body parts to fit it... head, hands and feet. Unfortunately at this point I'm committed to what I have and get them out to you all."


Admittedly I know nothing on designs of action figures yet it sounds like he committed himself to a proprietary design, one he never perfected. On one hand I must say I have to offer kudos for ingenuity - going against the grain, thinking outside the box...yadda, yadda, yadda... On the other, to do it at the expense of the sanity of his clientele was not a brilliant decision.

 

[karamazov80]

Modding those kinds of appendages is easy enough to do with a little effort, but might be a deterrent to some.

 

[galactiboy]

Or just don't have tried to make a one-off body in the first place... generally any hand, neck or foot can be modified to work with whatever body you have on hand. Sometimes it just takes a bit of sanding or drilling, other times a bit more creativity.

But at the starting point... just modify the original sculpt and make the casts from that. HT parts are very easy to work with; I can't see any reason that could not have been done to get these figures done quicker and at significantly less of a cost.

 

[DeltaForceChung]

I can't see any reason that could not have been done to get these figures done quicker and at significantly less of a cost.

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I guess Brian is certainly coming up with much rebuttals for that observation/question. He had five years to do so.

 

[mooveefreek]

Well, there have been updates on the FB Page:

"I know the first 5 will be shipped out no later than Monday, sooner depending on whether the separate boxes for the Tombstones arrive tomorrow as expected. Brian was afraid that they'd get damaged if he put them loose in the box. The boxes will be large: They will contain the original Nathan box, a box for the Tombstone, and an extra boxed gift Brian is throwing in. I cannot remember who at the moment, but someone told us to put a note to toss their box over the fence. We will not do that because after all this, we don't want Nathan damaged.

I am reprioritizing the list so that the consistently negative customers will be shipped last. Squeaky wheels will not get oil in my universe. This wagon was kept going by the other 3 wheels that kept encouraging Brian during the really hard times. - Tom"

I find the italicized part particularly bothersome. This was a major fear of some that prevented them from speaking up. I honestly fail to see how they think they are in any position to be upset with anyone that finally got fed up. So now they intend to hold the figures hostage simply because they are displeased with complaints. I certainly hope word gets out regarding their business practices.

And then there is this dubious claim:

"I find it funny that the loudest haters on this page are people who were already issued refunds."

I find it quite funny myself. So according to this claim we are to believe that in this plane of existence there are those whose lives are so completely devoid of any meaning that the only fulfillment they have is to continuously harass for numerous years a poor, innocent toy-maker that takes over five years to fulfill purchase orders for an item that they were already refunded. YUP! Sounds viable.

 

[pixletwin]

Re: CREEPSHOW starts today!!!

He's no t talking about people who shared their honest opinion. He is talking about the trolls that continuously slagged Brian off and actively tried to get others to slag him off.

 

[mooveefreek]

Re: CREEPSHOW starts today!!!

He's no t talking about people who shared their honest opinion. He is talking about the trolls that continuously slagged Brian off and actively tried to get others to slag him off.

I'm not familiar with the term "slag off," but I presume you mean insult or harass. Sorry, but whether the customer supported or complained he/she is entitled to get what they paid for and not be put at the back of the line. Give them their merchandise and be done with it. The choice to be vindictive in such a fashion has no basis IMHO. This was a monster of their own making particularly with the foolish choice of using social media such as Facebook as a platform for handling business and the sporadic updates.

Now from the comments I had read I did see some claims on the licensing issue and the filing for bankruptcy which made for some serious allegations. I never really looked into that as my major concern was the SOL for fraud. I never really saw that as a issue to begin with. I had cautioned those not to make those claims publicly without any type of legal evidence. But people will do what they want. As far as encouraging others to "slag him off," I don't think anyone should be held accountable for the actions of others. People will choose to do as they wish with or without encouragement.

 

[mooveefreek]

"This page is for horror fans and current/future customers. We do not value the opinions of anyone outside those 2 categories. Profiles like Gildersleeve (Greg Lyons) was cancelled and refunded years ago but his hobby is to incite internet mob attacks. We have found those who have joined with his tirades have already been cancelled and refunded, yet they leave harassing comments daily for the last few years. Admittedly, this page was not monitored very well. We are chalking their participation on this page as internet troll enthusiasts."

This is a complete a total lie. NO refunds have ever been issued to anyone. "Internet mob attacks" as a hobby? Yeah, okay. Notes were compared and people were free to act as they wanted. Proceeding with caution and backing off was even advised. The group banded together in February but "harassing comments daily for the last few years" were made? Well, I really wanted to give the benefit of the doubt and have them make good but they have confirmed they are liars and scam artists.

 

[Mcdee]

I have just been banned from the site as well and I'm not here to bash anyone.... I would simply like to know why? Of course after waiting 5 years people get a little ticked off about not getting what they paid good money for a half a decade before, but hang in there we did. Only to be informed today that My order was cancelled a long time ago ? Oddly enough I've had PM conversations with Brian only 2 months ago and they weren't hostile at all, as a matter of fact he informed that my wait was just about over and the Creepshow Nathan would be shipped to me soon..... Having never received a refund(I originally paid in full with Paypal 5 years ago) and not asking for one either... I just want what I paid for and that is the Nathan figure. Can I please get it ?

 

[galactiboy]

"This page is for horror fans and current/future customers. We do not value the opinions of anyone outside those 2 categories. Profiles like Gildersleeve (Greg Lyons) was cancelled and refunded years ago but his hobby is to incite internet mob attacks. We have found those who have joined with his tirades have already been cancelled and refunded, yet they leave harassing comments daily for the last few years. Admittedly, this page was not monitored very well. We are chalking their participation on this page as internet troll enthusiasts."

This is a complete a total lie. NO refunds have ever been issued to anyone. "Internet mob attacks" as a hobby? Yeah, okay. Notes were compared and people were free to act as they wanted. Proceeding with caution and backing off was even advised. The group banded together in February but "harassing comments daily for the last few years" were made? Well, I really wanted to give the benefit of the doubt and have them make good but they have confirmed they are liars and scam artists.

Well according to Anton here you're wrong... I'm not really sure what your point is posting here either. Clearly you have some issues with SHS; so either proceed with your lawsuit or stop yammering on about it. But you making false claims to prove that SHS is making false claims isn't really helping.

Aside from Anton I've seen other post here and on FB that they received refunds. I'm still in, the $100 was sent 5 years ago if it's gone then so be it. I'm honestly not going to get bent out of shape over it.

I requested a refund and got one. That was many moons ago tho. Now I come to this thread simply to see if someone, at some point, will actually get theirs and be happy. Hasn't happened yet. But hey----Nate's rose from the dead before.

 

[mooveefreek]

Well according to Anton here you're wrong... I'm not really sure what your point is posting here either. Clearly you have some issues with SHS; so either proceed with your lawsuit or stop yammering on about it. But you making false claims to prove that SHS is making false claims isn't really helping.

Aside from Anton I've seen other post here and on FB that they received refunds. I'm still in, the $100 was sent 5 years ago if it's gone then so be it. I'm honestly not going to get bent out of shape over it.

I was referring to the ones of late that were cancelled and he stated were given refunds. I guess I should have worded it more carefully. My mistake. No issues with SHS other than false promises and their business practices. I could provide details but what point would there be? It's already been enough. I also never made mention of any lawsuit, rather I discussed the filing of criminal charges. Nevertheless you are right, I should, and will, stop "yammering" about it. I had made that decision last night after my post. My apologies to you or anyone else who became irritated by my posts. I have been given contacts with the LA county DA office. I will proceed from there. Good luck to you and everyone else. I hope you get your figures.

 

[Dr. Anton Phibes]

Wow. This saga just becomes more convoluted and devastating as time continues to march on. One thing is for sure: for all of you who held onto your order for years: the figure will be rarer than hen's teeth I would imagine.

EDIT: I have no horse in this race anymore. More or less gave up the ghost on buying any future figures either. I have read the Facebook stuff though....and....it isn't pretty on any fronts. Besides the enraged customer base, this particular reply raised an eyebrow to say the least. If one refers to their customer base this way....wouldn't the sweeter revenge simply be to say "No cake for you!" rather than keep people you consider jerks's money?

The post from SHS on their FB page as it reads:

Shrunken Head Studios: Not sure about individual sales, but I have a couple wholesale companies who ordered very early on. It is a first come, first served...with jerks moved to the back of the line.