"Open Letter from Tony Reidy of Wargames Factory" Topic

Except as Tony was the "boss" Lonny would be the one perpetrating any "operational undermining".

Didn't someone say that George Sivy had already take over the reins earlier in the year though, so wouldn't he have been the "boss" by then?

I'm perplexed by the use of "whistle blower" here

You possibly chose to be so; the definition is quite applicable.

Regardless of what you call him, the point still stands.

However, if we follow your 'logic' and Tony was the boss, it seems rather odd that he sacked himself and his crew, whilst leaving Lonnie with a job…

I'm perplexed by the use of "whistle blower" here

You possibly chose to be so; the definition is quite applicable.

Regardless of what you call him, the point still stands.

No it doesn't. In fact, your "whistle blower" point has already been proved to be specious. There was no "whistle" to blow. Complaints about a supplier's failure to supply expected goods are not some sort of nefarious plot to damage a company, even when the supplier is a stakeholder. A "whistle blower" reveals incidents of criminal activity, safety violations, or corporate malfeasance that harms the public at large. Griping about shipping problems and production mistakes doesn't fit that description. I can speculate that Tony may have expressed his desire to buy back the stakes (as his letter implies he wished to do and thought he had the option to do), along with a wish for a different supplier. Now, you may call revealing that information to be "whistle blowing." I don't— I call it self-serving betrayal.

Here's the bottom line for me:

Tony started the company with several partners, none of whom included Lonnie or this George character or, for that matter, anybody from China. And they started with an effort at great customer service and interest in the consumer and the wargames market. (And were praised for the same, consistently, for a significant period.)

Now Tony and his partners are all out on their butts and the company is run by two guys who had nothing to do with its founding, and owned by a Chinese corporation who clearly couldn't give a rat's patoot about wargamers or the customers of Wargames Factory.

That tells me all I need to know about who did what to whom and why, and who is on the right side and who is not. And I'll bet the facts will bear me out.

If the reputation of the company is damaged and the current controlling parties "clearly couldn't give a rat's patoot about wargamers or the customers of Wargames Factory" then what advantage do they have from trying to fulfill orders and continue running the company? I am confused. They cannot believe they will become rich making plastic toy soldiers can they?

Now Tony and his partners are all out on their butts and the company is run by two guys who had nothing to do with its founding, and owned by a Chinese corporation who clearly couldn't give a rat's patoot about wargamers or the customers of Wargames Factory.

That tells me all I need to know about who did what to whom and why, and who is on the right side and who is not. And I'll bet the facts will bear me out.

And what are you prepared to bet? Your house? Your car? Your life? If you have any sense the answer is none of them, and if you aren't prepared to bet that high then you should never state anything as a certain fact. If you were a cop and you'd brought this 'evidence trail' across my desk I'd be thinking you weren't taking much notice on your basic investigation course.

Anyway, like many others I think this is probably a good time to go. My best wishes to Tony and his guys. I've been tight on the inside in a similar situation and then suddenly been a casualty of a situation beyond my control, so I sympathise and hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Sadly, sometimes passion and dedication isn't enough in the world of Uncaring Capitalism that we in the West seem to have blindly stumbled into inhabiting. Like Bruce Hornsby said: that's just the way it is.

There was no "whistle" to blow.

It was all a dream and Bobby is in the shower!

And I'll bet the facts will bear me out.

The only certainty in this sorry saga of angst-ridden middle-aged melodrama is that the facts will never be known by anybody, including the list of actors, let alone the audience.

1) This letter by Tony was a massive mistake, short-sighted, wilful and childish. It, more than anything else, has ensured the thing he supposedly cares about the most will go down the pan. If it doesn't the credit will lie entirely elsewhere than with him, so either way he loses.

2) He'd have been much better off making private apologies, kow-towing where required and getting on with running the company, rather than public grandstanding and casting the blame onto everybody else but him and his chums. See point 1 above.

3) If you want to produce plastic wargames figures go to the UK and Renedra.

4) Plastic figures wont make you money in the short-term. Take on-board and plan accordingly. Arrange proper financing in advance. Introduce grand-ideas and personal-projects when you can afford to, not as your opening gambit.

5) Don't let anybody called Lonnie act as your rear-guard, especially if they have a stash of paper cups on them, mutter to themselves, and are anywhere near the email server…

6) People who say things like "And I'll bet the facts will bear me out." on page 10 of a thread should be dog-housed for their own protection.

(that was a joke, just in case…)

ttfn, I'm outta here.

I'm amazed that people who were not involved at all with the situation feel they can legitimately argue with people who were there about what happened and who is to blame.

It's not like they are arguing the other side of the story as there's no other side that's been given other than alternative "What-ifs" spoken here.

It's like telling the eye witness to a traffic accident they are wrong about what happened when you were miles away at the time and only heard about the accident from a friend (who didn't see it either).

↑

Indeed.

"If you were a cop…"

Don't be absurd. It's an internet argument, not a criminal investigation, much less a trial. Don't confuse the legal process with an opinion debate. You're setting up a standard of proof that simply doesn't apply and isn't reasonable for the discussion.

If one must approach it in your version, then call what I am putting forth "reasonable suspicion" to warrant investigation— a "hunch," if you will (although far stronger than that), or "circumstantial evidence" or what have you, or "motive, method, and opportunity," etc.. I am under no illusions that we have heard from all parties here or have access to the complete facts, but given the time line of events and the way they have played out, the benefit of the doubt weighs more heavily in my mind on the side of Tony, Howard & Co. (who have a positive track record) than Lonnie, George and Ghost Studio. I know of the former, who they are and what they've done. I do not know of the latter, but the odd congruence of disaster combined closely with their arrival on the scene… well, where there's smoke, as they say. Let's put it this way: if a beat cop passes by a house with two cars outside and everything's nice and quiet during his first four passes and then, hours later, there are three new cars outside and the place is on fire with people running out screaming, who is it reasonable for him to assume is responsible for the chaos? No, it ain't proof, but it's probably a safe bet.

As to what I'm willing to bet, it's a figure of speech, Old Bear. I'm sure you've heard of those? But actually, I do have an idea what I'd be willing to entrust to Tony & Co… but that's none of your business.

As for the company not giving a rat's patoot, I see that evidenced by their failures to supply and ship the right products in a timely manner, and then to even examine or consider the market in their subsequent decisions. I suspect they had no clue how tightly connected the wargaming community is, nor what that market expects in terms of service, nor what the market's limits are. Can anyone tell me that the current state of Wargames Factory shows any evidence of careful examination of the market, the company's presence within it, or appropriate planning, much less simple foresight? I'm not saying Tony & Co. were perfect at that, but they top the "new management" by a country mile.

As to LH99's observations, I don't think he has any clue at all as to what business plans and financial preparations Tony made at the start of WF (which preceded the world-wide economic crash, I might point out), or what unforeseeable events (such as said crash) motivated Tony to make other decisions later. So to accuse Tony & Co. of poor business decisions is a pathetic example of 20/20 hindsight based on no knowledge at all.

Wow 10 pages of comments, this must have broke the GW complaint record…

465! Come on, we can take this absurd trainwreck right to 500 posts, can't we?

Do it for the blobby plastic figures!

(my forked tongue was firmly in both cheeks whilst the above was being written)

I'm amazed that people who were not involved at all with the situation feel they can legitimately argue with people who were there about what happened and who is to blame.

It's not like they are arguing the other side of the story as there's no other side that's been given other than alternative "What-ifs" spoken here.

It's like telling the eye witness to a traffic accident they are wrong about what happened when you were miles away at the time and only heard about the accident from a friend (who didn't see it either).

Well more like telling the driver of the car what they did wrong, so that others will not repeat the same mistakes.

I wonder what Hitler would have done???…….

(offers opportunity to close thread with Nazi gambit)

:o)

Drat. not on page 11 yet.

Are we one page eleven yet?

No, few more posts to go yet, come on folks. The popcorn is lovely.

Must remember to bookmark this before it slides off the front page!

Hitler would have had Mullins eliminated for impertinence. No, that's Doctor Evil. I guess I'm unsure of what the Reichsfuhrer's actions would be in this situation.

(I did bookmark this thread, sort of.. it was on my facebook status page yesterday which makes it easy to find).

There is now a statement of intent from George Sivy
Corporate Manager, Wargames Factory LLC
link

Current orders will be shipped as fast as possible with a targeted completion date of March 31st.

I am afraid that if a manager spoke to me like this, I would be suspicious, sounds like spin rather than real.

To Infinity and Beyond!

oooh.. a WWHD thread!

Fahbulous!

Now, where did I leave that link to the Downfall clip…..

"”We continue to hope there will be a means to create a productive, cooperative and rewarding relationship with Tony, Tim, Howard, John, Lonnie and others whose efforts went toward developing War Games Factory."

Kinda makes it sound like Lonnie is no longer with the company.
One post they are heading for legal action, and the next they are looking for a "rewarding" relationship.

Quite a show.

George Sivy et al. are dumping Triangle and moving operations to Utah.
I have said before, I know people at Triangle. This does not make me a happy camper. And this will only hurt people who are already vulnerable.

"We continue to hope there will be a means to create a productive, cooperative and rewarding relationship with Tony, Tim, Howard, John, Lonnie and others whose efforts went toward developing War Games Factory."

That is encouraging – it sounds like a peace offer.
Mick

Well this certainly is the thread that keeps giving!

(Picking up shotgun)

"I'll do it Pa!"

(Commencing long walk to shed)

Come back!
You forgot to take the thread with you…

Oh Dear!…

MEDIC!!!!

"I am afraid that if a manager spoke to me like this, I would be suspicious, sounds like spin rather than real."

Yeah. I have not heard a peep in response to the two seperate emails I sent about my order following the first announcement's instructions.

At this point, I will be pleasantly surprised if my order turns up or I get my $25.00 USD back but I am not holding my breath.

Golly what a lot of corporate buzzwords….

"Yeah. I have not heard a peep in response to the two seperate emails I sent about my order following the first announcement's instructions."

If you're trying to obtain resolution with the "new team", you probably need to check the WF Web daily, since things seem to be changing almost that rapidly. See the "Edits" reference e-mail addresses on the front page, and resend:

wargamesfactory.com

A bright glint of comedy gold in this mire of pathos can be found on the WF forum:

"Heck, there's a new pro-business governor right up the pike in Maine, and plenty of places to start-up a new company. Who knows but there might be some start-up funding available up here in Maine to go along with it."

LePage? Bwahahahahahahahahaha!!! Put the bottle of Allen's Coffee Brandy down (nowt to do with me, by the way) and sober up, son.

Allen

I sent my missing order information (again) to the new email, customerservice@wargamesfactory.net and lo and behold I got a response. Not much in the way of details but at least it was not a robo response.

But it looks like March 31 is the new drop dead date.

Start picking the plot, then, 'cause I expect that's when the coffin will get the last nail.

Folks, one thing that keeps cropping up is that money for pre-orders is "lost" if they don't provide goods.

Remember if you paid by credit card just contact your banking institution and tell them you have paid for goods not delivered.

More likely than not you will get your cash back.

"We continue to hope there will be a means to create a productive, cooperative and rewarding relationship with Tony, Tim, Howard, John, Lonnie and others whose efforts went toward developing War Games Factory."

That is encouraging – it sounds like a peace offer.

It sounds like somebody realized that the bad P.R. was gonna hurt the company way more than any "to the fullest extent of the law" nonsense was going to help. It's a bone toss to the angry customers, only I can't see any actual meat on it.

Bring back Tony.

@burlesonbill

You really don't see it do you. Whatever your relationship with WF as was, unless an active business partner, you are NOT the person I want to hear from (I am as fed up with your cover up response as you are with my request for information). You just hash out the same old story time after time. You tell me what happened…..
Well guess what I ALREADY KNOW THAT

I already know that to the tune of $150 USD lost via PayPal. (after 45 days you cannot file against the supplier even in cases of potential fraud…I have asked)

What I want to know is WHY; with sufficient sprues in hand and a printed statement of "Figures will be sent as soon as available" on the pre-order announcement, my order, made and paid for the same day as that announcement, was not filled.

I think the reason no-one will answer this question is that to acknowledge deliberately not sending out a paid order when sufficent product was in hand, but rather re-selling that product again without refund or concession is showing someone at WF to have had a complete disregard for customers.

"If you're trying to obtain resolution with the "new team", you probably need to check the WF Web daily, since things seem to be changing almost that rapidly. See the "Edits" reference e-mail addresses on the front page, and resend:

Missed that. Thanks Allen. Email sent.

Hmmm, looks like they are relocating to my neck of the woods. Wonder if $25.00 USD worth of plastic orcs is worth a road trip……

There's a new letter up on the Wargames Factory site now from George.

It looks like he's a corporate-babble-speaker-insert-your-new-buzzwords-kind-of guy. Hopefully he will be competent, and we'll see some stuff.

Too bad he can't spell the name of his new company correctly…….

Binky says "Wargames is one word"

Hmmmm only 10 more posts to go

RobH.

WHY? You ask… Quite clearly they robbed Peter to pay Paul and have pretty much copped to it. They needed cash and assumed upon the information given to them that a replacement shipment was on its way. Figured they would slag off the mail customers a week or two longer and then make it right. Things got boogered when the shipment got held and then wasn't found to contain what was promised.

Is it really that hard to understand? Unless I am really missing something in this trainwreck.

I hope your wrong is redressed and you get your product or your money, but you have already gotten the WHY.

8

will one more post put his at 11 pages???

drat, guess not…

maybe now?

Can you not recoup your monies from a bank or credit card company even if transferred via Paypal?

Paypal had to remove the monies from somewhere in order to pay WGF.

Personally, I would try pestering them daily and if you get no response – threaten them with legal action and/or a call to the law enforcement authorities. If you are in another State this will surely be a Federal matter? Nobody wants to have those types sniffing around them.

Regarding the pre-orders and selling spare sprues at shows. I am not in the USA atm but this struck me as poor-form back when I heard of it last year. Sadly such activities are common these days, people seem to regard pre-orders as safe money and then relegate them to second place.

I dislike pre-ordering and will not change my opinion even if petty incentives are offered.

Don't like the buzwords. Call us customers, not consumers. (as an aside, if I were to consume all the lead I've bought in the last 3 years, I would be long dead and no good as anybody's customer.

I will not buy anything form them for at least 6 months. Lets hope that things settle down until then.

While the work with Triangle has been a great collaborative effort the actual amount of work appropriate for the work force has been minimal.

Really???

Stop posting.

If this reaches 500 posts I will owe 4 quatloos to the other Providers!

Only two more to go…

Actually counting this one, one to go…

500 Nooooo

500 YESSSSSSS!!!!!

Is this a new record???

Its probably not a record for length but perhaps speed of growth? Its approximately 1 post every 14.5 minutes. 502 posts in 119 hours

You guys still betting trifles like quattloos?

Leland R. Erickson