82 replies to this topic

[Drew]

Thanks Jim. I'm quite sure all this drama could've been avoided if he had engaged this incident with a different attitude and tone. It does nothing for the industry in general to have these sort of issues in public but it does seem that quite a few contests have problems with prize giving. It really shouldn't be the responsibility of winners to have to chase organizers for prizes, although I'm sure there are many reasons why this would happen.

[BDSC]

Old Pete and Brad could learn a lot from you Jim. Very nice response to the situation. I don't think you ever had to worry about the reputation of your company in all of this but if there was even a hint of anything negative at all by cosponsoring an event with Dive Chronicles, you have laid that to rest.

[Snaphappy]

I just spoke with Brad briefly about the contest and will speak with him in more detail this weekend at the Bay Area dive show. While Backscatter is a main sponsor of the contest, we do not have any control over the running of the contest or the awarding of prizes. However, I will ensure that the winners of the Backscatter prizes will have them awarded after I meet with Brad this weekend. Rest assured there will be no question about this.

Specifically regarding Robyn's situation, I asked Brad what is going on. Brad said that he did not receive a payment from her. On this thread, Robyn confirmed that her card had not been charged. Brad said that as soon he receives the $10 entry fee from Robyn, he will send out the prize. Hopefully this particular issue can be resolved quickly, and Robyn can receive her prize.

I've known Brad for a while, and I don't think he is intentionally trying to cheat anyone out of prizes. The prizes are certificates in envelopes that are sitting in a desk drawer that have no value to anyone besides the prize winner. In the past he has always delivered the prizes Backscatter has supplied for previous contests. Obviously, the organization of this contest and the prize distribution was far from optimal, and he needs to take responsibility for that and enact a resolution for the prize winners. I think it is fair to say that if someone who won a prize did not have their entry fee collected (for whatever reason, be it a no fault of their own, or a clerical error, declined card, etc.) that payment of the entry fee now should release their prize. It's not fair to the people who paid an entry fee and did not place in the contest to have someone receive a prize who did not have their fee collected.

I hope how this particular contest was handled doesn't deter anyone from entering other photo contests that the sponsors of this contest support. I have not had any problems with other contests regarding prize delivery.

Best regards,

Jim

Thank you Jim for looking into this matter and for offering a reasonable solution to a distressing problem for those who were told they had supposedly won prizes in the above-referenced photo contest(s), only to be let down.

I'm one who likes to put mistakes in the past. It's like a former supervisor of mine once told me, "mistakes are an opportunity for improvement." I'm hoping that Brad Nolan (and Pete?) will see it as such.

I'm going to contact Brad's office tomorrow and give my cc# (not Amex!) to pay my fees. My prize is supposed to be a 4 night/5 day stay at the Divi Resort in Bonaire. At first I was seeing airfaires of >$1000 RT from S. FL. That, coupled with the fact that I think I'm still responsible to pay for a dive package and food, led me to believe that I wouldn't be able to use my prize.

Just today, I learned that I might be able get a flight out of MIA on the new Curacao-based 'Insel Air' for less than $400 RT. If this is the case then I might be able to enjoy my prize. We'll see! I'll post a follow-up on what happens.
Thanks again for all your help, Robyn

[rtrski]

Meanwhile, the meltdown continues on the other forum. And to think I tried to be a voice of moderation at one point....(sigh)

Robyn: Glad you got the attention you deserved; please let us know how it does work out in the end. I might be interested in entering contests in the future, so would be good to know if ultimately commitments were satisfied. (Jim certainly appears quite on the level, so I'm not questioning the sponsorship in the slightest!)

As for the rest, ach, all the drama!! Wonder if I'm the only one deciding SB just ain't worth my time anymore over all this.

[BDSC]

Yes. Please let us know how it works out and I do hope you enjoy your prize. I was in Bonaire this past February and the diving was great.

As far as the other thread, Pete is now doing everything possible to make himself out to be the victim now and somehow the entire internet world is against him. He's a trip for sure.

[drako]

SB tends to have a lot of drama....it has a lot of info. But too many people make it.....conflicted.

[echeng]

Hey guys. I'm really glad this all worked out.

I just spoke to Brad, and hope to be able to put all this drama behind us. I had been waiting for (and pushing for) a resolution before committing to doing the film festival presentation this coming Friday night at the Bay Area Dive Show (I just committed).

See you Friday night, if you're going!

Robyn -- I hope you are able to make the trip to Bonaire.

[BDSC]

We need more people like you running these internet sites Eric!

Edited by BDSC, 15 April 2009 - 05:16 PM.

[Tom Winters]

This was all pretty entertaining. When I was in the dive biz, I dealt with all sorts of people. The vast majority were upfront straight-shooters, but there were plenty of scurrilous types too. The names are different now, although a lot of the same rascals (that's much more polite than referring to them as "weasels" as I used to do) are still out there in the biz in one form or another.
I sure hope this all works out everyone involved, and this guy Brad stops being such a wea.... ooops....rascal. Interesting stuff over there on SB too.

[scott_nielsen]

Hey guys. I'm really glad this all worked out.

I just spoke to Brad, and hope to be able to put all this drama behind us. I had been waiting for (and pushing for) a resolution before committing to doing the film festival presentation this coming Friday night at the Bay Area Dive Show (I just committed).

See you Friday night, if you're going!

Robyn -- I hope you are able to make the trip to Bonaire.

Eric, you have mail.

[Snaphappy]

Hey guys. I'm really glad this all worked out.

I just spoke to Brad, and hope to be able to put all this drama behind us. I had been waiting for (and pushing for) a resolution before committing to doing the film festival presentation this coming Friday night at the Bay Area Dive Show (I just committed).

See you Friday night, if you're going!

Robyn -- I hope you are able to make the trip to Bonaire.

Thank you for your understanding and support Eric,,,,it's very much appreciated! I know that the other contest winners appreciate it too.
I won't be able to make it to the show this weekend, but I hope you have a great time and please say hello to everyone for me.
I'll post a follow up on what happens with the Bonaire trip.

Best Regards,
Robyn

[Nakedwithoutcamera]

Take me. I'm always trying to get something for nothing.

[rtrski]

Then it's finally over?

I see the cowardly f-tard (yes, he has "risen" in my estimation) over on SB left a haughty "I accept your apology, HA" flip-off post AFTER another admin closed the thread. Definitely not going back to SB "evah!"

Yeah yeah, I know, no net board really "cares" about losing one member - especially one who wasn't (currently, although I had been in the past) a paying member. But darn sure I'll post all future trip reports etc. here instead and give WP the intertube search traffic for their eyeball/click count.

What a maroon.

Edited by rtrski, 17 April 2009 - 05:56 AM.

[BDSC]

I knew when I made the post that he would probably do that. I had hoped he would see that and think a minute about what he had said and implied about Robyn and her character and apologize to her. But he pretty much showed what an a total jerk he is by getting in the "last word". I would imagine when he was small he was like a little kid that when things didn't go his way, he would pick up his ball and go home.

It amazes me how so many people called him out for what he said and yet I became his #1 enemy. But if making me out to be the bad guy to take the heat off him somehow made him feel better about himself, then more power to him. I don't really know how he ever expected anyone to believe that when he made his references to Robyn with terms like "bogus card" "wanting something for nothing" and "probably wouldn't have paid if she had not won" he was only stating facts and meant nothing more.

In all honesty, he really is a very pathetic person.

Ashley (BDSC)

[Snaphappy]

As promised, I'm posting this to let everyone know how things turned out.

After speaking with Brad and giving him my MC number instead of the Amex number that was originally accepted, my certificate for the free 4-night stay at the Divi Resort arrived in the mail. Bonnie H. from the reservations dept. at the Divi helped me to build a week-long dive package around the free stay I had won and everything went without a hitch.

I returned from my trip a few weeks ago and was it ever a BLAST!

Here's a link to my trip report and images if anyone wants to take a peek:

Another Vote For The Divi!

The moral of the story is that it pays to be persistant. Thank you Bonnie P. for giving me the nudge I needed to pursue this and thank you everyone for your support! Robyn

[ornate_wrasse]

Robyn,

Glad it all worked out in the end for you. Thanks for letting us know.

You didn't give up and you got your just reward. Your images from the trip are spectacular as usual

Ellen

[rtrski]

Glad to hear it...would be curious as to when it finally arrived (I realize you are posting now as you finally got to take the trip). But that's sheer voyeurism on my part even implying curiosity, so I don't really expect an answer...

I've stuck by my 'so long Scubaboard' that resulted from the (ahem) defense of Dive Chronicles actions up to my preceding posting in this thread...and frankly am seriously considering skipping the DC dive show even though it's in Dallas this year for the same reasons. I'm very glad it all worked out, but you shouldn't have had to go public to get things resolved, and the knee-jerk responses you got first with their snide insinuations still rankle.

Best regards and hopes for a happy and productive 2010,

rtrski

[Snaphappy]

Thanks Ellen and rtrski. Although I'm not sure of the exact timeframe for the arrival of my winning certificate, I do remember that it didn't take too long. Maybe a week or less.

As far as Scubaboard goes, it's never been my favorite board but I do lurk there every so often only because their members offer some outstanding posts. As far as their administrator goes...I think I'll reserve comment on that one.

I think you'll find it interesting to know that the above-mentioned board co-sponsored a photo contest subsequent to the one I entered through Dive Chronicles and nobody got their prizes either. Birds of a feather???

Here's what I'm talking about:

Win Free Memorykick

I guess I'm way too trusting because I entered this one too and so did two of my friends!

That's it, I'm done! If I'm going to enter any more contests from now on, I'm taking a close look at the sponsors!

A happy, healthy new year to you too and thanks again for all your support. Robyn

[Nakedwithoutcamera]

Here's what I'm talking about:

Win Free Memorykick

I guess I'm way too trusting because I entered this one too and so did two of my friends!

And what gets me is that the 3 of us posted questions about the status of that competition and never got a reply. It was just ignored.

And I must thank Robyn again, publicly, for sharing her "ill-gotten gains with her bogus credit card" with me. It was a great trip to Bonaire.

Edited by Nakedwithoutcamera, 05 January 2010 - 07:07 PM.

[Snaphappy]

And what gets me is that the 3 of us posted questions about the status of that competition and never got a reply. It was just ignored.

And I must thank Robyn again, publicly, for sharing her "ill-gotten gains with her bogus credit care" with me. It was a great trip to Bonaire.

...and thank you for 'aiding and abetting' in all of the fun Ellen! Robyn