Red Letter - did I just got scammed?

ruby-talk
1

Hey guys,

I bought "Red Letter" subscription after initial announcement
and have been waiting for the magazine to come out ever since.

Even worse -- "Sam" doesn't reply to my e-mails, so I'm getting
a bit weirded out that I got scammed.

Am I the only one who bought the subscription and never heard
back?

I feel I got scammed and considering chargebacking on the
transaction ... but I guess that it wouldn't hurt to get
"second opinion" before I do that.

Thoughts/ideas?

Thanks,
             M.

···

--
# Michal Safranek, email:
a=(("a".."z").to_a+["@","."]);p(("%b"%[0x645bbb83a6a496]
).scan(/...../).map{|x|a[Integer("0b"+x)]}.join.reverse)

2

Hey guys,

I bought "Red Letter" subscription after initial announcement
and have been waiting for the magazine to come out ever since.

Even worse -- "Sam" doesn't reply to my e-mails, so I'm getting
a bit weirded out that I got scammed.

Am I the only one who bought the subscription and never heard
back?

I'd contacted Sam about writing for the magazine, and pestered
him occasionally about information. I also submitted an article
outline in the late February timeline.

Initially, he seemed responsive, but I've not heard back from him
since I submitted the outline. So, while I didn't buy a subscription,
I'm also feeling a bit weirded out by the whole thing -- which makes
me feel doubly bad because I 'spread the word' with a blog post
about Red Letter.

I feel I got scammed and considering chargebacking on the
transaction ... but I guess that it wouldn't hurt to get
"second opinion" before I do that.

I'd be interested in hearing more responses, but I don't think
this would be a bad idea.

···

On 5/3/06, Michal <lists+rubytalk@box.cz> wrote:

Thoughts/ideas?

Thanks,
             M.
--
# Michal Safranek, email:
a=(("a".."z").to_a+["@","."]);p(("%b"%[0x645bbb83a6a496]
).scan(/...../).map{|x|a[Integer("0b"+x)]}.join.reverse)

--
thanks,
-pate
-------------------------

3

Hola amigos,

I just got reply from Sam basically saying that it will just
take a bit longer to get off the ground (first issue in June).

So, I'm gonna wait some more ...

M.

PS: He's [still] looking for content (authors), so if you have
    something valuable to add, please drop him a line
    [samDOTflywheelATSIGNtherubyjournalDOTcom]

···

On Wed, 03 May 2006, Michal wrote:

Hey guys,

I bought "Red Letter" subscription after initial announcement
and have been waiting for the magazine to come out ever since.

Even worse -- "Sam" doesn't reply to my e-mails, so I'm getting
a bit weirded out that I got scammed.

Am I the only one who bought the subscription and never heard
back?

I feel I got scammed and considering chargebacking on the
transaction ... but I guess that it wouldn't hurt to get
"second opinion" before I do that.

Thoughts/ideas?

Thanks,
             M.
--
# Michal Safranek, email:
a=(("a".."z").to_a+["@","."]);p(("%b"%[0x645bbb83a6a496]
).scan(/...../).map{|x|a[Integer("0b"+x)]}.join.reverse)

--
# Michal Safranek, email:
a=(("a".."z").to_a+["@","."]);p(("%b"%[0x645bbb83a6a496]
).scan(/...../).map{|x|a[Integer("0b"+x)]}.join.reverse)

4

you have a limited time to challenge a credit card charge. It may only be 30
days. Check with your card provider.

My recommendation is to challenge the charge asap. Better safe than sorry.
When you challenge a credit card charge the merchant has to prove that you
got what you paid for. Since you obviously haven't they can't prove it. I'm
speaking from experience here having had a number of merchant accounts over
the years.

-Kate

5

*snip*

I thought the Red Letter journal sounded great, and considered a sub my
self. I think the most likely scenario (having worked in small
companies) is that the founders have encountered considerable problems
of getting it off the ground. I don't think it's necessary to assume any
malicious action; I'm afraid it's really easy to ignore your customer's
problems when the creditors are trying to take your servers.

My advice would be that if you've not had any useful communication, then
you should cancel the payment - you really don't have much choice. It's
perfectly reasonable behaviour, and it certainly doesn't imply that the
intention of Red Letter has been anything other than legitimate and
good.

Cheers,
  Benjohn

···

On 5/3/06, Michal <lists+rubytalk@box.cz> wrote:

I feel I got scammed and considering chargebacking on the
transaction ... but I guess that it wouldn't hurt to get
"second opinion" before I do that.

I'd be interested in hearing more responses, but I don't think
this would be a bad idea.

Thoughts/ideas?

6

I requested one of the columns with a detailed breakdown of how I wanted to run it. I never received a response of any kind.

James Edward Gray II

···

On May 3, 2006, at 6:16 AM, pat eyler wrote:

I'd contacted Sam about writing for the magazine, and pestered
him occasionally about information. I also submitted an article
outline in the late February timeline.

7

I've been pretty put off by the (lack of) process though. :frowning:

James Edward Gray II

···

On May 3, 2006, at 9:17 AM, Michal wrote:

PS: He's [still] looking for content (authors), so if you have
    something valuable to add, please drop him a line
    [samDOTflywheelATSIGNtherubyjournalDOTcom]

8

> PS: He's [still] looking for content (authors), so if you have
> something valuable to add, please drop him a line
> [samDOTflywheelATSIGNtherubyjournalDOTcom]

I've been pretty put off by the (lack of) process though. :frowning:

I'd have to agree. I'd love to see it come to pass, but I'd like
to see more movement before I jump back in.

···

On 5/3/06, James Edward Gray II <james@grayproductions.net> wrote:

On May 3, 2006, at 9:17 AM, Michal wrote:

James Edward Gray II

--
thanks,
-pate
-------------------------

9

benjohn@fysh.org wrote:

I feel I got scammed and considering chargebacking on the
transaction ... but I guess that it wouldn't hurt to get
"second opinion" before I do that.

I'd be interested in hearing more responses, but I don't think
this would be a bad idea.

Thoughts/ideas?

*snip*

I thought the Red Letter journal sounded great, and considered a sub my
self. I think the most likely scenario (having worked in small
companies) is that the founders have encountered considerable problems
of getting it off the ground. I don't think it's necessary to assume any
malicious action; I'm afraid it's really easy to ignore your customer's
problems when the creditors are trying to take your servers.

Indeed. My experience with the Ruby Code & Style[0] webzine is that it is quite challenging to get a publication up and running. I have to
believe the difficulties are compounded when trying to sell subscriptions & advertising while offering writers a fixed fee for material. There are numerous variables that all need to balance for the venture to succeed.

Ruby Code & Style has taken a different approach. It's free to read, with revenue (so far) derived from advertising. And author payments are based on what we have in reserve, not what we hope to get.

The down side, of course, is that initially there were no funds for the writers (or editors, for that matter). Nonetheless, we had outstanding submissions from respected members of the Ruby community. This helped get the magazine off the ground, and drew enough eyeballs to attract the interest of advertisers. I'm happy to say that we can now begin offering payment for new material.

The current rate is $100.00 for new material (visit the site to get an idea of the typical length). My hopes, of course, are that the zine grows and attracts greater advertising and sponsorship, allowing us to offer more to the writers. The plan is follow a self-sustaining process, to never have to rely on creditors.

I wish Red Letter all success, but I also want to remind everyone that Ruby Code & Style is here, now, and looking for readers and writers.

It's driven by and for the Ruby community, and depends on your involvement; if you are interested in writing for us, please let me know off-list.

[0] Ruby Code & Style: Ruby Code & Style

···

On 5/3/06, Michal <lists+rubytalk@box.cz> wrote:

--
James Britt
Editor-in-Chief
Ruby Code & Style

http://www.ruby-doc.org - Ruby Help & Documentation
http://www.jamesbritt.com - Playing with Better Toys