Paul Christoforo v the Internet

[skaar]

http://kotaku.com/5872042/a-beatdown-where-no-one-threw-the-first-punch

So, no thread about this whole situation yet at all? Or did I glaze over it.... A few days later still nothing.

Opinions DP?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

All involved (Customer Dave, Paul Chistoforo, and Mike Krahulik) only have themselves to blame for their actions the fallout and whatever the future brings from it.

The customer service emails and subsequent fallout from those emails was mildly amusing, but I don't champion any involved in a contest of "clearly this guy was 100% free of blame".

I think all three parties acted silly, impatient and rash respectively.

[XYXZYZ]

I read about that yesterday. It's amazing how one email can do so much damage.

[InsaneDavid]

I think all three parties acted silly, impatient and rash respectively.

Agreed. This is another example of how people in the current society need to calm the hell down before they open their mouths, or type, or screw around with their phone or whatever.

[heybtbm]

All involved (Customer Dave, Paul Chistoforo, and Mike Krahulik) only have themselves to blame for their actions the fallout and whatever the future brings from it.

The customer service emails and subsequent fallout from those emails was mildly amusing, but I don't champion any involved in a contest of "clearly this guy was 100% free of blame".

I think all three parties acted silly, impatient and rash respectively.

Exactly. It's refreshing to see other people picked up on the fact that all three parties acted like idiots.

I've lost a little respect for Mike over this incident. There's really nothing more vomit-inducing than a "celebrity" telling someone what a big deal they are. Even when that someone is obviously a douche. No need to rub your status in someone else's face.

"Do you know who I am?!"

Puke.

[The Shawn]

I read up on this 2 days ago and thought about posting but decided...meh.

I thought they all sounded like pricks.

However after reading the whole story I watched this Video and was really cracking up about it. NSFW-Due to language.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=ocean%20marketing%20videos&source=web&cd=3&sqi=2&ved=0CGUQqQIwAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgamerfront.net%2F2011%2F12%2Fa-day-at-ocean-marketing-nsfw%2F15241&ei=QvX9Tu7jOobL0QGDktXZCQ&usg=AFQjCNHBYNkoH0ppXIsEiJw6YgMR-wGpCA
"I know the yellow power ranger and Richard Nixxon! Are you guy's gonna be at NAMBLA this year?"

[j_factor]

I don't think Dave did anything wrong. He was treated badly, and was understandably upset. That said, although Christoforo was definitely a douche, and deserved getting fired, the internet pile-on has been a bit much.

[TonyTheTiger]

I don't think Dave did anything wrong. He was treated badly, and was understandably upset.

Yeah, I don't see how the customer here could be called out for anything since he was perfectly respectful until Christoforo went into the belittling "put on your big boy hat" thing, which coming from an official rep would take me a hell of a lot more by surprise than from a forum user or such. Forwarding the email out? Well, I'll tell you that if I ever ended up in a conversation like that with somebody supposedly in a professional PR position I'd probably spread the news, too, if only to warn other people not to do business with the guy. I dunno if I'd send it to Kotaku or whatever but I'd probably let people know here, for instance.


I've lost a little respect for Mike over this incident. There's really nothing more vomit-inducing than a "celebrity" telling someone what a big deal they are. Even when that someone is obviously a douche. No need to rub your status in someone else's face.

"Do you know who I am?!"

Puke.

I read it a little differently. While Krahulik did pull that stunt it seemed in the context of turning the tables on somebody who was doing that very same thing to a "little guy" who hadn't been asking for it. A bit of vigilante justice on his part but not something entirely mean spirited. More like ironic comeuppance. A bit childish? Maaaaybe. But I know that if somebody was acting like Christoforo and using me as a namedrop to wave his dick around I'd probably want to kick him in the ass, too.


That said, although Christoforo was definitely a douche, and deserved getting fired, the internet pile-on has been a bit much.

This I can agree with. It was an issue that happened, got dealt with, and finished in about 48 hours. Let it drop. Which it really seems like it will be fairly soon.

The worst thing that happens in situations like this is how the Internet always fails to distinguish between a fair target and unjustified collateral damage. Christoforo image macros? Funny. Massive negative reviews of what is otherwise an innocent and probably decent product sold by a separate and distinct company? Absolutely not funny or fair. Threats against the man's family? Genuinely criminal behavior.

[Hep038]

Mike only pulled the " do you know who I am" After the guy bragged about getting a booth at PAX, Mikes show. But I am not surprised to see this message board find a way to blame all parties involved.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Yeah, I don't see how the customer here could be called out for anything since he was perfectly respectful until Christoforo went into the belittling "put on your big boy hat" thing, which coming from an official rep would take me a hell of a lot more by surprise than from a forum user or such. Forwarding the email out? Well, I'll tell you that if I ever ended up in a conversation like that with somebody supposedly in a professional PR position I'd probably spread the news, too, if only to warn other people not to do business with the guy. I dunno if I'd send it to Kotaku or whatever but I'd probably let people know here, for instance.


As somebody who has spent over 20 years in Customer Service/Management, I've probably got a jaded perspective on the matter but I think Customer Dave could have gone about things a bit differently and had at least one opportunity to attempt to escalate his concern in an alternate fashion.

That does NOT excuse Christoforo's behavior, but as I stated in my initial post - I cant give Customer Dave a "100% guilt free" pass. He participates equally in the heated exchange once it has begun with no attempts to circumnavigate or escalate the concern to a higher level within the Avenger Controller company. He just keeps plodding on with Christoforo in what he must have realized was a futile exchange.

He's a victim of circumstance and poor customer service, absolutely. But he could have handled the situation differently if he wanted to.

The only thing that I give Krahulik credit for is being very transparent about his reckless behavior on his Penny-Arcade posts.

He acknowledges the fact that what he's doing isn't strictly the right thing to do but that it's what he's typically prone to do.

I'm not of the opinion that bullying a bully is the best or most effective course of action in cases like this (or at all) ... but it was indeed effective in costing Christoforo his job (where Christoforo's poor customer service skills are ultimately to blame) and it brought the situation to the attention of the internet masses (unfortunately inciting a wave of trolling behavior).

Lots of rash and opportunistic in-the-moment behavior from all involved. Amusing to a degree, but no big winners IMO.

[TonyTheTiger]

It's not really customer Dave's responsibility to diffuse a situation he didn't cause, though. I'm sure if he forwarded the emails to N-Control or the people who hired Christoforo it would have resulted in much the same thing (Christoforo getting the boot) but in a private, non-dramatic way. But, depending on who Dave thought he was talking to (doesn't Christoforo use the title "President" or something?) it's not really his responsibility to follow any kind of protocol with respect to how he makes others aware of his situation.

Some people find bugs in their soup and quietly wave the waiter over. Others may jump up in a frenzy. If you serve soup with a bug in it you're risking the latter. The former would be a gratuity from a customer going above and beyond, I think. If I found a bug in my soup I probably wouldn't make a scene but I wouldn't say somebody who does make some bones about it isn't well within their right to. It's more a case of getting blindsided and feeling the need to make somebody know somehow.

As for Krahulik, I can't say I'm entirely against bullying a bully provided it's done within reason and is proportionate. Using Christoforo's tactics designed to belittle and berate a "little guy" against him and maybe make him feel the same way he made somebody else feel can be an effective lesson. "There's always somebody bigger/better/etc." In this case, I freely admit it didn't quite work. But not really for the same reason. It didn't seem to work because, based on his responses, Christoforo seemed to interpret the whole thing as "don't be a dick to people who may be important" instead of what was probably the intended lesson of "don't be a dick to anybody."

Maybe Krahulik was just fishing for a justification to involve himself and simply wanted to intervene regardless of any PAX reference but I'm pretty ok with people who have power standing up for people who don't, whether it's their business or not.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

It's not really customer Dave's responsibility to diffuse a situation he didn't cause, though. I'm sure if he forwarded the emails to N-Control or the people who hired Christoforo it would have resulted in much the same thing (Christoforo getting the boot) but in a private, non-dramatic way. But, depending on who Dave thought he was talking to (doesn't Christoforo use the title "President" or something?) it's not really his responsibility to follow any kind of protocol with respect to how he makes others aware of his situation.

Some people find bugs in their soup and quietly wave the waiter over. Others may jump up in a frenzy. If you serve soup with a bug in it you're risking the latter. The former would be a gratuity from a customer going above and beyond, I think. If I found a bug in my soup I probably wouldn't make a scene but I wouldn't say somebody who does make some bones about it isn't well within their right to.

No, it's not the customer's "responsibility" to do anything other than pay for product/service and have reasonable expectations of said product/service.

However, there's a reality that most sensible people are capable of understanding: when you're faced with somebody in a customer service position who is openly, actively treating you like an asshole it's not advisable to continue in a heated dialogue with them. There is likely somebody in a position above them (or of a similar rank, perpendicular to them) that can better address your concerns IN ADDITION TO whatever you've dealt with from asshole representative.

Customer Dave unfortunately took the bullying bait that Christoforo put forth and in doing so (and actively passing his private correspondence to what some would consider to be generally subjective, sensationalist news outlets) he, in my opinion, removed himself from a 100% guilt-free scenario.

[TonyTheTiger]

I think that's asking a lot of people, though. It's hard enough to get people to not feed the trolls in the context of online forums where that kind of stuff is pretty common and the trolls are just random people. It's an entirely different thing to be in a situation where you're 1) in what should be a professional environment/conversation and 2) not on equal footing.

When a customer talks with a company rep the rep generally has the upper hand in the conversation, especially when the customer is looking for information about something he or she paid for. Had Dave not already been invested and not paid for the thing he probably would have just walked away and found another outlet. But if the guy has his money and won't give him a straight answer? The frustration fires up ten fold and it becomes pretty personal. So while Dave may have taken the bait I kinda understand why.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I think that's asking a lot of people, though. It's hard enough to get people to not feed the trolls in the context of online forums where that kind of stuff is pretty common and the trolls are just random people. It's an entirely different thing to be in a situation where you're 1) in what should be a professional environment/conversation and 2) not on equal footing.

When a customer talks with a company rep the rep generally has the upper hand in the conversation, especially when the customer is looking for information about something he or she paid for. Had Dave not already been invested and not paid for the thing he probably would have just walked away and found another outlet. But if the guy has his money and won't give him a straight answer? The frustration fires up ten fold and it becomes pretty personal.

*shrug* It's only my opinion that Customer Dave is not free from some measure of guilt, but I'm a type B personality and a conflict avoider by nature/experience.

I may I expect too much of people or have too idealistic an outlook as to how civil people should act in these situations, which probably comes from having personally experienced so much from both sides of the service scenario and knowing what the most likely outcomes are.

I'm sure that I'm not alone when I say that I've been treated in a similar fashion as a consumer by service reps in my life and I've never resorted to measures like this to get my situation resolved - and have frequently found satisfying resolution without such epic silly public drama.

[TonyTheTiger]

I don't think that Dave's problem could not have been resolved had he gone in another direction. Not fighting you on that at all. I just think that in a case of uneven bargaining power, when his money is being held, it's at least understandable that somebody who may otherwise be peaceful would get sucked into a fight. Maybe it's not right but I think it's understandable. Even without supporting his methods, I can sympathize.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I don't think that Dave's problem could not have been resolved had he gone in another direction. Not fighting you on that at all. I just think that in a case of uneven bargaining power, when his money is being held, it's at least understandable that somebody who may otherwise be peaceful would get sucked into a fight. Maybe it's not right but I think it's understandable.

I don't question or fail to understand Dave's motivation.

It's simply never a course of action that I would personally take or advise.

[Tupin]

Wait, so a guy paid for a 360 peripheral and was promised it before Christmas. When he asked the company about it, they made fun of him and called him unrealistic. This customer then went to Krahulik because they were at PAX, and Krahulik says they will never be at PAX again. Is this the right stream of events?

I don't get why Christoforo acted in the way he did. A person gives you money, you give them a product. If you can't make your deadlines, don't advertise them in the first place. After all of this, I would say that his career is ruined.

The whole company as well as the controller are doomed now, it's already being spammed with one-star Amazon reviews.

[skaar]

The reviews will get pulled. Amazon isn't that stupid.

[j_factor]

i'm a type b personality and a conflict avoider by nature/experience.

o rly?

[G-Boobie]

*shrug* It's only my opinion that Customer Dave is not free from some measure of guilt, but I'm a type B personality and a conflict avoider by nature/experience.

He's totally free of guilt. He was lied to and abused by a company which had taken his money and given him the runaround. He used the tools at his disposal to take action. If Christoforo had acted like a rational, intelligent adult, the internet wouldn't have destroyed him.

Dave is, at worst, Mrs. Leary. The controller he bought and never received is the Cow, and Christoforo is the entirety of Chicago. That's as far as I can torture this metaphor without feeling guilty.


I may I expect too much of people or have too idealistic an outlook as to how civil people should act in these situations, which probably comes from having personally experienced so much from both sides of the service scenario and knowing what the most likely outcomes are.

Except that Dave had already been on the receiving end of some of the worst customer service I've ever seen by the time this went viral. Christoforo refused to act like a big boy, and was disintegrated by it. Oh well.


I'm sure that I'm not alone when I say that I've been treated in a similar fashion as a consumer by service reps in my life and I've never resorted to measures like this to get my situation resolved - and have frequently found satisfying resolution without such epic silly public drama.

I agree, but then again, I've never been treated that poorly by someone in customer service before. To clarify, I've been in some bad customer service situations over the phone or email, but the other party is usually some poor dude working for ten bucks an hour who isn't allowed to deviate from his script. There's no point in getting angry with them. You just try and get as much closure as you can while staying polite.

If, on the other hand, I was treated as poorly as Customer Dave was, by one of the actual PR representatives of the product I had purchased, then I would do everything in my power to destroy them.

You know what would have avoided this whole thing? If Christoforo had responded to the original email with an apology, a much better shipping estimate than, "either before or after December 17th", and a bit of humility. Spell check would have helped, too.

To be fair though, I'm not terribly impressed with total strangers (allegedly) threatening his family and spamming his company with hate mail either. So I guess in the end it's a wash.

[BlastProcessing402]

However, there's a reality that most sensible people are capable of understanding: when you're faced with somebody in a customer service position who is openly, actively treating you like an asshole it's not advisable to continue in a heated dialogue with them. There is likely somebody in a position above them (or of a similar rank, perpendicular to them) that can better address your concerns IN ADDITION TO whatever you've dealt with from asshole representative.

Customer Dave unfortunately took the bullying bait that Christoforo put forth and in doing so (and actively passing his private correspondence to what some would consider to be generally subjective, sensationalist news outlets) he, in my opinion, removed himself from a 100% guilt-free scenario.

That's like saying a battered woman shares the blame for daring to talk back to her abuser.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

That's like saying a battered woman shares the blame for daring to talk back to her abuser.

No, it's not.

Not at all.

You have drastically misinterpreted my position to an insulting degree.

But to address your metaphor, it's like saying that the battered woman would be better served by going directly to the police and filing a report rather than recording an abusive shouting match, calling the local news and asking them to run it on TV in hopes of gathering an angry lynch mob.

[ProgrammingAce]

But to address your metaphor, it's like saying that the battered woman would be better served by going directly to the police and filing a report rather than recording an abusive shouting match, calling the local news and asking them to run it on TV in hopes of gathering an angry lynch mob.

See, i disagree. I think it's been shown time and again that complaining about poor customer service on the internet is far more effective then just doing a chargeback on your credit card.

If the customer hadn't sent this email to Penny Arcade, Ocean marketting would still be handling the account for the Avenger controller. Paul would be free to go on abusing customers at will.

Using "proper" channels, how do you propose a customer would go about complaining when the only contact Avenger offered was through Paul himself?

If you give me poor customer service, i'm going to complain about it on the internet. If i can goad you into acting like a jackass in the process, all the better. If you own your own marketing company and this is how you respond to an angry customer, you deserve to have your career ruined. I know if i ever treated a client like that, i'd never get another job in this industry.

[kedawa]

I hope all involved get syphilis.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

See, i disagree. I think it's been shown time and again that complaining about poor customer service on the internet is far more effective then just doing a chargeback on your credit card.

If the customer hadn't sent this email to Penny Arcade, Ocean marketting would still be handling the account for the Avenger controller. Paul would be free to go on abusing customers at will.

Using "proper" channels, how do you propose a customer would go about complaining when the only contact Avenger offered was through Paul himself?

If you give me poor customer service, i'm going to complain about it on the internet. If i can goad you into acting like a jackass in the process, all the better. If you own your own marketing company and this is how you respond to an angry customer, you deserve to have your career ruined. I know if i ever treated a client like that, i'd never get another job in this industry.

If Paul Christoforo was in fact the only person handling 100% of the customer service calls/emails for The Avenger Controller, I still would not personally advocate "goading" him into doing anything with the intent of making a public spectacle out of it on the internet.

Not over a shipping delay on a $50 product.

Regardless of what the intended end result, unlike many, I don't have any personal drive to "punish" and/or "humiliate". I've done well enough in resolving plenty of customer service issues that I've run into without having to attempt to have anybody lose their job.

In my repeated review of the matter (which can be revisited here for anybody who hasn't read the ACTUAL exchange between Dave and Paul) ...

http://www.penny-arcade.com/resources/just-wow1.html

... unless there are emails in this correspondence chain that have gone un-published I see no evidence whatsoever that Customer Dave even ATTEMPTED to escalate the matter to a supervisor, manager, corporate officer or any other person within the the company, N-Control, Kotkin Enterprises, LLC., etc.

That would be a start as to how I would approach resolution. "Is there someone else that I can speak to?" is how the phrase is commonly worded, and while it is not always effective, there are no points lost for attempting.

If your position is that "complaining on the internet" is the best way to handle instances of horrible customer service, then you and I will just agree to disagree.

Make no mistake. I advocate good customer service.

Paul Christoforo provided terrible customer service, this is empirical.

However, instead of attempting to take some alternate route, ANY alternate route to resolve the situation (and receive deserved compensation of some type) - I believe that Customer Dave instead threw a temper tantrum, passed his situation to several gaming news outlets and has potentially impacted the integrity/profitability of a company in a very negative fashion.

Even if after taking all of that into consideration, any person chooses to call Customer Dave "completely blameless" in the exchange, that's fine - but I do not personally think that he came out spotless.

That's all my opinion, now exhaustively stated.

I really have nothing else to add/I don't care to debate it any further.

Nobody needs to agree with me and I'm not saying anybody is wrong in thinking different but I've said all I care to.

[SegaAges]

Frankie: I have about 5+ years of doing customer service and technical support for multiple outlets and have experience in phone calls, e-mails, and standard web forms and have dealt with everything from low end customer service calls up through escalated manager calls/e-mails/web forms/etc. I tell you my background so that you can understand that I know that side of playing field like the back of my hand and know it very well.

Here is the truth:
Most people do not realize that they can escalate. I mean, if you have ever been on Reddit, check out r/gaming and look at how many people dealt with shitty customer service from Origin and not a single person ever tried to escalate. Most people do not try to escalate. Most people do not realize you CAN even escalate.

If an agent treats a customer badly, most of the time they will not ask to speak to a supervisor or anybody higher.

Also, from a customer service standpoint, was there anybody higher than Paul? If Paul was at the top of the food chain for customer service, he can say that, and does not need to escalate a damn thing even if the customer requests it.

When I dealt with managerial escalations when I was doing tech support and customer service for Earthlink, there was nobody higher. If they got me, they talked to me. They would not talk to my boss or anybody at Earthlink. I was it.

To say that homeslice should have tried to escalate does show that you should study up on the way call centers (which include e-mails and web forms) work. It is not an insult, so don't take it that way. I am saying that most people from the outside will shout that the dude should escalate, but that dude did not know he even could, and chances are that if he tried, it would not work.

He passed it to gaming outlets because he tried customer service and after multiple e-mails, they failed. What do you do when you try to get as close to that company as possible, to be stopped by some douche who does not help you? In this day and age, you do the right thing, which is reach out to the internet.

To put any blame on Dave is not correct bro.

Dave did nothing wrong, and felt like he had nowhere else to go. Trust me, do you know how hard it is to deal with customers that want to cancel their internet service from having shitty customer service and then they feel as though they have no other outlet?

The average customer will think that they tried the company and it has failed. Since the company failed, they need to reach out to get help.

The outcome is also more than perfect. That dude is gone (in fact, check Reddit's AMA section since the dude who is trying to clean up the mess is doing an AMA about the mess). People are now in motion to correct this issue. Had the person, who felt the company was not helping and being super douchy, just kept trying, or tried to escalate, than Paul would still be around being a douche to people again and again.

Customers give companies the money they need to survive. If you cut that line, you do not have the money you need to survive. Somebody like Paul could have easily twisted it in his favor to the main company, while at the same time cutting off customers.

[ProgrammingAce]

If your position is that "complaining on the internet" is the best way to handle instances of horrible customer service, then you and I will just agree to disagree.

You're putting words in my mouth, and:


You have drastically misinterpreted my position to an insulting degree.

At no point did i claim it the best way, i said it's the most effective way. Words do have meaning, I bid you pay attention.

Dave sent an email asking why he wasn't eligible for the $10 coupon, and wondered why the product had missed 3 shipping deadlines already. Paul replied with


put on your big boy hat and wait it out like everyone else. The benefit is a token of our appreaciation for everyone no one is special including you or any first time buyer . Feel free to cancel we need the units were back ordered 11,000 units so your 2 will be gone fast. Maybe I’ll put them on eBay for 150.00 myself.

When the CEO of a company sends me an email like that using the official company email account, i'm not going to worry much about proper escalation procedures.

I don't really care about the internal structure of some marketing company and what they think the proper reporting methods are. It's not the customer's responsibility to make sure the CEO is treated fairly.

Paul Christoforo is a crook, and he continues to prove it: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114994-Ocean-Marketing-Attempts-To-Extort-Former-Client

[E Nice]

Paul Christoforo is a crook, and he continues to prove it: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114994-Ocean-Marketing-Attempts-To-Extort-Former-Client

Wow. As if the business damage he caused to the makers of that controller wasn't enough but to then learn about an attempt to control another company's stuff? That's just adding more fuel to the fire. Why do I think he became more helpful with the stalled transition because he received papers from an attorney.

[ProgrammingAce]

http://i.imgur.com/Zhm8C.jpg

[Old_Skool_Fool]

Exactly. It's refreshing to see other people picked up on the fact that all three parties acted like idiots.

I've lost a little respect for Mike over this incident. There's really nothing more vomit-inducing than a "celebrity" telling someone what a big deal they are. Even when that someone is obviously a douche. No need to rub your status in someone else's face.

"Do you know who I am?!"

Puke.

I was just talking about this today at the office. I indeed feel as if all 3 of these individuals acted out of place (or written out of place). Yeah, the guy is a tool for the way he handled that customer, but Mike "the almighty" really didn't have to feed the fire. 3 Wrongs don't make a right. Especially with all those cut and paste faeries on the internet favoring certain peeps. We certainly don't have access to those emails to see "everything".

If anything though, this indeed gave both this guy a ton of press as well as that FUGLY Avenger controller if you had no idea what the hell that thing was to begin with!

[Gameguy]

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/9549/thethreestooges1.jpg

[Sunnyvale]

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/9549/thethreestooges1.jpg

In the 4 months I've been here, this is the best post of yours yet :D

Me rikey rots of!

[kedawa]

I don't see any problem with how this all played out. Everyone involved should be at least a little bit ashamed, but at the end of the day, an arrogant asshole got his comeuppance. That doesn't happen nearly often enough.

[ProgrammingAce]

In the 4 months I've been here, this is the best post of yours yet :D

Me rikey rots of!

Why do you keep posting inane ramblings?

[Sunnyvale]

Aha! Another post by Sunnyvale420 that isn't perfect! Nevermind he was complimenting another post that happened to also be, well pointless. No one can have fun on DP but me!!! Fuck you, Sunnyvale420!!!

Fixed it for ya, trolly-o ;)

[Jorpho]

I still haven't looked into all the details of this fiasco, but I wanted to add: I would probably have never heard of this Avenger controller otherwise.

[dendawg]

Why do you keep posting inane ramblings?

Okay wait...let me get this straight...

The other day you posted a thread demanding either you or another DP member be banned, and you have the gall to talk about inane ramblings? @_@

[ProgrammingAce]

Okay wait...let me get this straight...

The other day you posted a thread demanding either you or another DP member be banned, and you have the gall to talk about inane ramblings? @_@

Considering he's sending me homophobic slurs over PM, yes. So far, punching the little q-bert hasn't been that effective.

[Sunnyvale]

OK, this is getting to be retarded. I told you once to 'blow your gay lover'. Where you then proceded to imply I act in innappropriate ways with my son, as your sig now lightly implies compared to our PM's. Which I haven't sent in a couple days, I let you have the last word... And again, I insulted you 'homophobicaly' once. Dude, chill the fuck out. You don't like my post count (sorry to mention this mods), cry about it on a PM. I won't respond, but this public 90210 shit is getting stupid. You think I don't contribute to the community, sorry. I feel I do, perhaps not in a manner you approve of.

BTW, I won't be crying about your sig, despite it's exceptionally insulting insinuations. I have testicles.

[ProgrammingAce]

I insulted you 'homophobicaly' once.

You've got to stop posting retarded shit, man. I'm running out of space in my signature.

[GarrettCRW]

I have testicles.

Quoted for lulz.

[PapaStu]

S T O P. Both of you. Prog, he did stop the PMs. 'punching the qbert' made us aware of the PMs. Additional ones would have lead to more. Now you're baiting.

Sunnyvale, bringing it UP AGAIN doesn't help things either, because you've now brought it up twice. Cut the shit out both of you. Everyone gets a break in 2 days, don't make me start your break sooner.

[skaar]

A thread about assholes is attracting assholes..... like flies to honey.

Seems like the internet is getting bored of this guy, anyway.

[The Shawn]

Yes, it is dooable.

[shopkins]

All I know is I've been bored with Penny Arcade lately and felt like I was just reading it out of habit, and have been looking for an excuse to quit.

This'll do.

[OldSchoolGamer]

After Meltdown, Former N-Control PR Rep Attempting to Extort Company


http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/after_meltdown_former_n-control_pr_rep_attempting_extort_company

[The Shawn]

What a tool.

[Hep038]

All I know is I've been bored with Penny Arcade lately and felt like I was just reading it out of habit, and have been looking for an excuse to quit.

This'll do.

You should e-mail and let them know......

[The 1 2 P]

From what I read of this several days ago the Dave dude was in the right, the Christoforo dude got what he deserved and the Penny Arcade dude was doing his civil duty to help out the little guy. Atleast thats how it appeared to me. Were there other ways this could have been resolved? Probably but this is the way it happened and hopefully more people in Christoforo's kind of position don't try and take advantage of paying customers the way he did.

[JSoup]

All this has done is made me question....again.....how Penny Arcade went from an unfunny webcomic to an unfunny webcomic that holds the gaming communities collective opinion makers by the balls.

[portnoyd]

You have drastically misinterpreted my position to an insulting degree.

Holy crap, a simple 'That's not what I meant' would have sufficed. This isn't Scrabble here. Geez.

[TRM]

Holy crap, a simple 'That's not what I meant' would have sufficed. This isn't Scrabble here. Geez.

This is much more poetic though.

[Gameguy]

All I know is I've been bored with Penny Arcade lately and felt like I was just reading it out of habit, and have been looking for an excuse to quit.

This'll do.
I haven't checked in on Penny Arcade in months, so I decided to see what comics I missed out on.


http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/2610/izgsxjbnl.jpg



Maybe I'm not smart enough to understand their genius, I just can't see why that's funny.