RapidPod & GenCon?

[Steve Conan Trustrum]

A public forum such as this is a terrible place to resolve such issues. If I were Ken, I would have restricted my response to pointing out that I am not the same Ken Whitman cited earlier and would have avoided responding to other accusations / questions.

The problem with that is it allows Ken to start up yet another business whereby he'll burn more people. It's not like RapidPOD is the first company he's done this with. I had peers in the industry warning me about his business practices before RapidPOD got under steam. People need to hear about these bad experiences so that they'll shunt their business off to safer risks.

 

[Paradigm]

The problem with that is it allows Ken to start up yet another business whereby he'll burn more people. It's not like RapidPOD is the first company he's done this with. I had peers in the industry warning me about his business practices before RapidPOD got under steam. People need to hear about these bad experiences so that they'll shunt their business off to safer risks.

I said nothing about others airing such issues, nor did I say anything about sharing concerns. I merely pointed out that it isn't going to bring any resolution.

 

[Steve Conan Trustrum]

I said nothing about other airing such issues, nor did I say anything about sharing concerns. I merely pointed out that it isn't going to bring any resolution.

True, true. But if Ken stops responding people would miss the opportunity to see how often his own posts conflict with what he's said earlier

 

[TheLe]

I said nothing about others airing such issues, nor did I say anything about sharing concerns. I merely pointed out that it isn't going to bring any resolution.

My original post was not for resolution, but was for clarification. The original thread on Rpg.net claimed that Rapid Pod honored some shipments on Sunday, the last day of the convention - but no one could confirm it. So I posted the message here, and there we go.

Yes, there are some people who support Ken, like yourself and Phil Reed, and there are many who do not. I couldn't care less about how much you like Ken or how much other people do not like Ken. My question has been answered - Rapid Pod failed to deliver to a number of Vendors on Con Day, and worse it seems that Rapid Pod cashed several checks and did not deliver books to those vendors at all.

More disturbing is the fact that Rapid Pod has been sold off, and this wasn't announced until after this thread started to bring these issues to light (if we hadn't forced the issue, when exactly would they have told us?). And yet even more disturbing is Ken's comment that he only honored four publishing agreements. As one of the honored four, I accept your desire to stick up for Rapid Pod and Ken, but the non-four publishers have just as much right to voice their frustrations.

Is this all relevant? Yes it is. Ken and Rapid Pod have been heavily advertising on these forums, and have been touting their services and professionalism. I think other publishers have a right to hear from actual consumer (Publisher) experiences with this company.

Publishers need to make up their own mind about Rapid Pod and Ken (the two will always be intimately linked to one another) and decide on their own if they should work with them. And threads like this one will help them make that decision.

History of Ken's Rapid Pod announcements:

(8/13/2006) "Want to start your own POD Company?"
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=171431

(9/10/2006) "Rapid POD Printing, Inc. wants to print your books!!!"
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=174279

(5/14/2007) "[Rapid POD] Account Represenative / Sales"
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=196459

(5/16/2007) "Rapid POD to open its Publishing Doors This June"
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=196680

(8/24/07) "Rapid Pod Printing To Close Its Publishing Division "
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=205327



~Le

 

[philreed]

Yes, there are some people who support Ken, like yourself and Phil Reed, and there are many who do not.

I was only trying to provide my own experience. I'm not attempting to claim that anyone is right or wrong in this matter.

 

[Paradigm]

Yes, there are some people who support Ken, like yourself and Phil Reed, and there are many who do not. I couldn't care less about how much you like Ken or how much other people do not like Ken.

I am not supporting Ken. I explained exactly what RapidPOD provided for Paradigm Concepts, and what I thought the negative impact of their service cost my company, and what I witnessed at Origins.

 

[DaWizard]

Hey everyone,

I belive it is everyone right to post how they feel. To most people feelings are truth, even if there is little to no facts behind them.

Did RAPID POD, under my managemnet, get in over its head a few time during convention season...yes. Did RAPID POD, under my managemnet, give full refunds or free product if a problem arose...yes.

When a problem arises, should I give someone their money back AND print all thei books for FREE and ship them for FREE? Thats just not a reasonable expectation.

If you guys miss a freelance writing deadline (which is 50% of most freelances), do you turn in the project and expect no royaly or to ever be paid? Hell no.

So, post whatever you like about me, just please spell my name correctly and if you dont mind post my website also.

 

[DaWizard]

Well, the sad truth is it takes a bit longer to make the money when you're not scamming other people for it. And for someone who made so much money, it's interesting how you were begging fellow entrepreneurs to loan you $22.5K for ink.

http://www.prosper.com/lend/listing.aspx?listingID=70067

I found it interesting that site lists you as having a "high risk" credit history of non-payment and an 84% debt-to-income ratio (with 20% being the "high end of normal") for someone who made so much money and was supposedly raking it in with RapidPOD.

When you have 350k in equipment, and your bank limit is maxed out, AND you have to pay some bills, sometimes one has to be creative. Unfortinatly Propser does not allow clients in KY to get a lone for higher then 7%, thus making the debt to income look REALLY crapy!

Hope that helps you out with your quest to discover somthing about poor Ken Whitman. I'm sorry if my measely 350k credit limit dosent impress you at all. But then again, I guess I could care less.

__________________
Thanx,
Ken Whitman
www.kenwhitman.com
ken@kenwhitman.com

 

[lmpjr007]

Did RAPID POD, under my managemnet, get in over its head a few time during convention season...yes. Did RAPID POD, under my managemnet, give full refunds or free product if a problem arose...yes.

When a problem arises, should I give someone their money back AND print all thei books for FREE and ship them for FREE? Thats just not a reasonable expectation.

If you guys miss a freelance writing deadline (which is 50% of most freelances), do you turn in the project and expect no royaly or to ever be paid? Hell no.

But if I do pay i advance, as I did in my last job with you and RapidPOD, I do expect you to return my phone calls when I call, especially if their was an issue with you meeting the deadline we agreed on. You DID NOT do this on my last book printing with you. When a problem arises, I do expect you to contact me, instead of having me have to chase you on issues on it.

Ken, the issue I am having is that you are attempting to take the "high moral ground" in this forum on this topic while at the same time knowing how I was treated when dealing with you. Sorry Ken, you can't do both.

 

[DaWizard]

But if I do pay i advance, as I did in my last job with you and RapidPOD, I do expect you to return my phone calls when I call, especially if their was an issue with you meeting the deadline we agreed on. You DID NOT do this on my last book printing with you. When a problem arises, I do expect you to contact me, instead of having me have to chase you on issues on it.

Ken, the issue I am having is that you are attempting to take the "high moral ground" in this forum on this topic while at the same time knowing how I was treated when dealing with you. Sorry Ken, you can't do both.

Two things here...

1. I am no longer with Rapid POD, so how I treated you make not one bit of difference. from this point on.

2. During company buy-out negoteations we had reduced staff to one office worker, and we were not taking orders. We did your books as a special favor. And thus, this is what I get forhelping someone when I should have sent you packing.