I just wanted to post an update with some of the stuff that has happened over on my end with regards to all this Ocean Marketing stuff.
Around midnight last night Paul sent me a mail saying that I could expect to hear from their attorneys. As of right now that still has not happened and honestly I don’t expect it will. Our attorneys (who are real people with an office and everything) are ready should it get to that point though.
At 7:12am this morning I got another mail from Paul. It was one line and simply said:
“You have the power Mike Please make it stop”
The reality is that once I had posted the emails I didn’t have the power anymore. The Internet had it now and nothing I said or did was going to change that.
An hour later I got a more complete apology:
Hey Mike,
I just wanted to apologize for the way our emails progressed I didn’t know how big your site was and I really didn’t believe you ran Pax , So for what’s its worth I am very sorry. Your post has obviously made my life very difficult and I have not slept yet dealing with all the spam and personal information intrusion as well as my family being smeared on the internet.
If you can please accept my apology and anything you can do to help if not me my son and wife please do. I have apologized to Dave and apologized to you what else can I do please tell me so I can make things good. I obviously care or I would not be emailing you.
I think there is a big difference between being sorry and being sorry you got caught. I have a real problem with bullies. I spent my childhood moving from school to school and I got made fun of everyplace I landed. I feel like Paul is a bully and maybe that’s why I have no sympathy here. Someday every bully meets and even bigger bully and maybe that’s me in this case. It’s the same thing that happened with Jack Thompson. It might not always make the most business sense and it is a policy that has caused us some legal problems, but I really don’t give a shit about that. When these assholes threaten me or Penny Arcade I just laugh. I will personally burn everything I’ve made to the fucking ground if I think I can catch them in the flames.
-Gabe out
I really like
I will personally burn everything I’ve made to the fucking ground if I think I can catch them in the flames.
Sig to mucho Grande!
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KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
That's a great turn of phrase.
However I hope it's not ever put to the test because I like my PA un-burned
Then they do a comic print promo and it's all back. It's nice to have that kind of following. Which this guy will never experience.
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CambiataCommander ShepardThe likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered Userregular
edited December 2011
Can I tell you guys someting insane that happened to me early this morning, regarding the Paul Christoforo fiasco?
So like the rest of you I read Gabe's link and thought the guy was insanely unprofessional. I sent out a couple of tweets about it, then I decided to send a snarky email as well. This is that email, if you're curious:
Is the correspondent at this email address a 12 year old? Why would a company allow a 12 year old to reply to customer emails? Aren't they afraid that a child that age won't know how to properly read and write in a professional manner, and especially that said child won't have the first clue how to be diplomatic? It seems like a terrible risk to give the job of your company's public face to a 12 year old. I mean, I've know some very nice 12 year olds, but they can be tactless and rude without meaning to, simply because they haven't matured to the level to understand what is appropriate and what is not. I suggest you fire that little boy Paul Christoforo. You're probably breaking child labor laws by employing him anyway.
Hoping you appreciate the advice,
[withholding my real name for the purposes of this post]
After that email I thought it over a little bit and I realized: practially anyone would be better at PR than this guy. So I went to avengercontroller.com and found the contact link and sent another message. This time, I talked up the fact that I have 10 years of customer service experience, am a lifelong gamer, a Penny Arcade fan, and know how to use spell check - I would be perfect to be the PR director for avengercontroller.com! I also provided links to my Penny Arcade profile, my facebook profile, and my twitter account.
I didn't expect anything to come of it (especially after my snarky email above), but around 6am CST (my time) I got a call from a Florida number. Not recognizing it, I didn't answer. The caller left a voicemail saying that if I'd like a customer service job to call back. No name given. Shortly thereafter I got a text message from the same number, again querying me regarding whether I wanted the job or not. I reply to the text saying that as long as I could do it as a second job, then absolutely I would be interested. An hour later I get another call, from the same number, and this time I answer. As suspected, it was Paul Christoforo himself. He spent the first 10 minutes of the call trying to justify himself to me, saying "I don't want you to think I'm a bad guy..." and that he just "had a bad day" and that he's "not even supposed to be taking emails, he just does it to help the company out." He talked for a long time trying to explain himself, and I just stayed silent and wondered what he wanted from me - absolution? Inside of his story did seem to be a job offer to answer emails, though, so he wasn't just calling to explain himself as it first seemed. Anyway, he seemed to want an answer from me as to whether he's "a bad guy" or not, so I gave him some free customer service advice - that his emails seemed to me unprofessional in the extreme, that of course everyone gets mad at customers now and then, but you never talk to a customer like that, especially in writing, not if you want to keep your job. Although he assured me that he sells so much for the company that they'd never fire him (we'll see, I guess).
Anyway, after this extremely weird conversation, he asked for my resume, just to answer emails (though I did say I could take calls as well) didn't give me a clear salary indicator (I will put my salary demands in my email, you can be sure I won't be cheap), but he also said that they don't need my W2s that this can just be 'under the table' and I don't have to report it. Charming. If he makes me an offer I'll be sure to write up a contract for my work so that I actually get paid. I also pointed out that I work for a large telecom and would have to clear this second job with my HR before taking it, as they would not permit me to work for a competitor (it shouldn't be a problem, but my company does make "games" for their set top boxes, so they might see it as competition).
This is by far the weirdest phone call I've ever been a part of. And I've gotten 4am drunk calls before!
Edit: Anyone know how to contact someone within the actual company?
Nother edit: Oh yeah, he did give me the CSTROPHIC at HOTMAIL.COM email address to send my resume to. If anyone was wondering if that's his actual email or not.
Cambiata on
"If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
Great Cambiata, now he'll have about 126 dedicated people to run PR, Blogs, Articles, Videos. You have no clue who he is.
I have a clue he's pretty crazy.
Actually, strike that, what he appears to me is: extremely insecure.
Cambiata on
"If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
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CambiataCommander ShepardThe likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered Userregular
edited December 2011
The truth is, what I wanted was to help out Avengercontroller.com. Because it seems like they have a really amazing product there. I wish I could get ahold of someone other than Douchey McDoucherstein, to offer my services.
Cambiata on
"If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
I got it because I work for the company as its Marketing , PR , Sales and Representative . How about you ? your bending the x in ways its not supposed to be bent horrible review. Go to kotaku , Gizmodo for an accurate review
The review isn't even really negative. It was more like, "Meh, not for me, but I can see why someone would like it."
Kind of ignores the point of the system, though. From what I gather it's made for people who have a physical problem with using the controller as it is, not as a normal use item.
Can I tell you guys someting insane that happened to me early this morning, regarding the Paul Christoforo fiasco?
So like the rest of you I read Gabe's link and thought the guy was insanely unprofessional. I sent out a couple of tweets about it, then I decided to send a snarky email as well. This is that email, if you're curious:
Is the correspondent at this email address a 12 year old? Why would a company allow a 12 year old to reply to customer emails? Aren't they afraid that a child that age won't know how to properly read and write in a professional manner, and especially that said child won't have the first clue how to be diplomatic? It seems like a terrible risk to give the job of your company's public face to a 12 year old. I mean, I've know some very nice 12 year olds, but they can be tactless and rude without meaning to, simply because they haven't matured to the level to understand what is appropriate and what is not. I suggest you fire that little boy Paul Christoforo. You're probably breaking child labor laws by employing him anyway.
Hoping you appreciate the advice,
[withholding my real name for the purposes of this post]
After that email I thought it over a little bit and I realized: practially anyone would be better at PR than this guy. So I went to avengercontroller.com and found the contact link and sent another message. This time, I talked up the fact that I have 10 years of customer service experience, am a lifelong gamer, a Penny Arcade fan, and know how to use spell check - I would be perfect to be the PR director for avengercontroller.com! I also provided links to my Penny Arcade profile, my facebook profile, and my twitter account.
I didn't expect anything to come of it (especially after my snarky email above), but around 6am CST (my time) I got a call from a Florida number. Not recognizing it, I didn't answer. The caller left a voicemail saying that if I'd like a customer service job to call back. No name given. Shortly thereafter I got a text message from the same number, again querying me regarding whether I wanted the job or not. I reply to the text saying that as long as I could do it as a second job, then absolutely I would be interested. An hour later I get another call, from the same number, and this time I answer. As suspected, it was Paul Christoforo himself. He spent the first 10 minutes of the call trying to justify himself to me, saying "I don't want you to think I'm a bad guy..." and that he just "had a bad day" and that he's "not even supposed to be taking emails, he just does it to help the company out." He talked for a long time trying to explain himself, and I just stayed silent and wondered what he wanted from me - absolution? Inside of his story did seem to be a job offer to answer emails, though, so he wasn't just calling to explain himself as it first seemed. Anyway, he seemed to want an answer from me as to whether he's "a bad guy" or not, so I gave him some free customer service advice - that his emails seemed to me unprofessional in the extreme, that of course everyone gets mad at customers now and then, but you never talk to a customer like that, especially in writing, not if you want to keep your job. Although he assured me that he sells so much for the company that they'd never fire him (we'll see, I guess).
Anyway, after this extremely weird conversation, he asked for my resume, just to answer emails (though I did say I could take calls as well) didn't give me a clear salary indicator (I will put my salary demands in my email, you can be sure I won't be cheap), but he also said that they don't need my W2s that this can just be 'under the table' and I don't have to report it. Charming. If he makes me an offer I'll be sure to write up a contract for my work so that I actually get paid. I also pointed out that I work for a large telecom and would have to clear this second job with my HR before taking it, as they would not permit me to work for a competitor (it shouldn't be a problem, but my company does make "games" for their set top boxes, so they might see it as competition).
This is by far the weirdest phone call I've ever been a part of. And I've gotten 4am drunk calls before!
Edit: Anyone know how to contact someone within the actual company?
Nother edit: Oh yeah, he did give me the CSTROPHIC at HOTMAIL.COM email address to send my resume to. If anyone was wondering if that's his actual email or not.
Why the fuck is this giving me the weirdest sense of deja vu?
@vgreminders - Don't miss out on timed events in gaming! @gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Agreed. That guy can spell way better than the real Paul.
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CambiataCommander ShepardThe likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered Userregular
Well after reading this post, I just sent an email to CSTROPHIC at HOTMAIL.COM stating that since he's no longer associated with the company then of course he can't offer me a job there. I also requested the contact info for David Kotkin so that I can offer my services personally. Ha!
"If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
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TheevilpplzSo Amateur It HurtsNew ZealandRegistered Usernew member
I got it because I work for the company as its Marketing , PR , Sales and Representative . How about you ? your bending the x in ways its not supposed to be bent horrible review. Go to kotaku , Gizmodo for an accurate review
The review isn't even really negative. It was more like, "Meh, not for me, but I can see why someone would like it."
Kind of ignores the point of the system, though. From what I gather it's made for people who have a physical problem with using the controller as it is, not as a normal use item.
I remember reading on the site that the controller is designed to give you an edge in FPS games, since using more fingers than you do with the normal supposedly gives you faster reaction times, and more able to do multiple things at once.
Whew. We saw Dark Jerry in the TV series, and I think today we caught a glimpse of Dark Mike.
"When these assholes threaten me or Penny Arcade I just laugh. I will personally burn everything I’ve made to the fucking ground if I think I can catch them in the flames."
Dang.
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CambiataCommander ShepardThe likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered Userregular
I feel no sympathy for Paul, but many people are overreacting to this and going overboard in tormenting him.
Truth.
Such is the internet, however. She offers many delights and free marketing advantages to those who know how to wield her, but she will smite you with the fire of a thousand suns if you scorn her.
Cambiata on
"If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
I don't see any reason to bother this guy as he's already going to get what is coming to him. This whole post by Mike just reminds me why I love Penny Arcade, PAX, etc.
I really hope people remember that this whole incident isn't from the actual controller company, just some asshat in a PR firm. He certainly deserves whatever he gets, the Avenger company on the other hand does not. I'd really like Mike to acknowledge the company and support them a little more, cause right now they need it.
Well, the actual controller company deserves some amount of blame for employing/contracting this type of individual in a PR/marketing capacity. But I think it's fair to say at this point they've suffered enough for that mistake. Sadly the association in people's minds will not be easily removed.
Gaslight on
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CambiataCommander ShepardThe likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered Userregular
Well. Reading some of this stuff I do begin to feel a little sorry for Christoforo. Despite presumably owning a social media company, he doesn't seem to have the first conception of how the internet actually works (like asking Mike to use his magic internet off-switch to "make it stop"). At the same time, he was trying to make the internet his money-making tool and doing that without first understanding how it works is like trying to run a nuclear power plant without first gaining some education in nuclear physics and engineering. Yeah, seeing a guy scalded by radiation from head to toe ain't pretty, but then finding out that he though "high school physics would be good enough" just makes you facepalm. (to use an extended metaphor)
"If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
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KlykaDO you have anySPARE BATTERIES?Registered Userregular
Well, the actual controller company deserves some amount of blame for employing/contracting this type of individual in a PR/marketing capacity.
This is also true. When you see a public flub like this, what it means is that either the wrong person was put in frontline customer support, or that person was not given the resources they need to do their job effectively; both are ultimately the company's fault. The company needs to take ownership of the issue as well and issue a mea culpa if they want to move forward.
"If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
I have been a long time reader, first time to the forums. I've worked in Customer Service for a while now and was completely appalled at the thread posted. I've always been baffled by some company's Customer Support. It's not hard, simply ask yourself "How would I want this answered if it was me?" In any case that I can't do that for someone, I apologize to no end and do anything else in my power to try make them happy.
I especially loved seeing this because I was able to forward it to a bunch of Agents as a fantastic example of what not to do.
Although I have contemplated changing my signature to have "Welcome to the Internet, Bitch." I'm sure customers would love that.
Posts
I really like
However I hope it's not ever put to the test because I like my PA un-burned
So like the rest of you I read Gabe's link and thought the guy was insanely unprofessional. I sent out a couple of tweets about it, then I decided to send a snarky email as well. This is that email, if you're curious:
After that email I thought it over a little bit and I realized: practially anyone would be better at PR than this guy. So I went to avengercontroller.com and found the contact link and sent another message. This time, I talked up the fact that I have 10 years of customer service experience, am a lifelong gamer, a Penny Arcade fan, and know how to use spell check - I would be perfect to be the PR director for avengercontroller.com! I also provided links to my Penny Arcade profile, my facebook profile, and my twitter account.
I didn't expect anything to come of it (especially after my snarky email above), but around 6am CST (my time) I got a call from a Florida number. Not recognizing it, I didn't answer. The caller left a voicemail saying that if I'd like a customer service job to call back. No name given. Shortly thereafter I got a text message from the same number, again querying me regarding whether I wanted the job or not. I reply to the text saying that as long as I could do it as a second job, then absolutely I would be interested. An hour later I get another call, from the same number, and this time I answer. As suspected, it was Paul Christoforo himself. He spent the first 10 minutes of the call trying to justify himself to me, saying "I don't want you to think I'm a bad guy..." and that he just "had a bad day" and that he's "not even supposed to be taking emails, he just does it to help the company out." He talked for a long time trying to explain himself, and I just stayed silent and wondered what he wanted from me - absolution? Inside of his story did seem to be a job offer to answer emails, though, so he wasn't just calling to explain himself as it first seemed. Anyway, he seemed to want an answer from me as to whether he's "a bad guy" or not, so I gave him some free customer service advice - that his emails seemed to me unprofessional in the extreme, that of course everyone gets mad at customers now and then, but you never talk to a customer like that, especially in writing, not if you want to keep your job. Although he assured me that he sells so much for the company that they'd never fire him (we'll see, I guess).
Anyway, after this extremely weird conversation, he asked for my resume, just to answer emails (though I did say I could take calls as well) didn't give me a clear salary indicator (I will put my salary demands in my email, you can be sure I won't be cheap), but he also said that they don't need my W2s that this can just be 'under the table' and I don't have to report it. Charming. If he makes me an offer I'll be sure to write up a contract for my work so that I actually get paid. I also pointed out that I work for a large telecom and would have to clear this second job with my HR before taking it, as they would not permit me to work for a competitor (it shouldn't be a problem, but my company does make "games" for their set top boxes, so they might see it as competition).
This is by far the weirdest phone call I've ever been a part of. And I've gotten 4am drunk calls before!
Edit: Anyone know how to contact someone within the actual company?
Nother edit: Oh yeah, he did give me the CSTROPHIC at HOTMAIL.COM email address to send my resume to. If anyone was wondering if that's his actual email or not.
I have a clue he's pretty crazy.
Actually, strike that, what he appears to me is: extremely insecure.
now he's threatening people with identity theft
Although all the misspelling is starting to take its tole on me.
Kind of ignores the point of the system, though. From what I gather it's made for people who have a physical problem with using the controller as it is, not as a normal use item.
Why the fuck is this giving me the weirdest sense of deja vu?
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Agreed. That guy can spell way better than the real Paul.
I remember reading on the site that the controller is designed to give you an edge in FPS games, since using more fingers than you do with the normal supposedly gives you faster reaction times, and more able to do multiple things at once.
This may just be the greatest sentence ever written by a human being.
I wish I knew where that mysterious "real internet" was. What a wondrous place it must be.
/me shakes fist at air
It's almost got Greek tragedy written on it, but I don't feel sorry for the guy.
(I didn't feel sorry for Oedipus either, that guy was a douche).
"When these assholes threaten me or Penny Arcade I just laugh. I will personally burn everything I’ve made to the fucking ground if I think I can catch them in the flames."
Dang.
Truth.
Such is the internet, however. She offers many delights and free marketing advantages to those who know how to wield her, but she will smite you with the fire of a thousand suns if you scorn her.
I really hope people remember that this whole incident isn't from the actual controller company, just some asshat in a PR firm. He certainly deserves whatever he gets, the Avenger company on the other hand does not. I'd really like Mike to acknowledge the company and support them a little more, cause right now they need it.
This is also true. When you see a public flub like this, what it means is that either the wrong person was put in frontline customer support, or that person was not given the resources they need to do their job effectively; both are ultimately the company's fault. The company needs to take ownership of the issue as well and issue a mea culpa if they want to move forward.
Moral of the story: don't be a dick!
word from further up this page is that that is a fake account
I especially loved seeing this because I was able to forward it to a bunch of Agents as a fantastic example of what not to do.
Although I have contemplated changing my signature to have "Welcome to the Internet, Bitch." I'm sure customers would love that.
I dunno, I wouldn't trust any twitters personally.
Not after I got burned by http://www.twitter.com/BarackObana
XBL: Torn Hoodie
@hoodiethirteen