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Post by Bogatan on Mar 9, 2012 15:31:14 GMT
I don't know, it seems to me that it would take fewer instances of porn sent to a family home than of credit card fraud (which banks almost always deal with) to tarnish the reputation of a kid's toy brand. Hasbro and FP are surely hoping it doesn't become widespread and get reported in more mainstream media. FP may be unfortunate, hacking can happen to anyone, but we dont know how seriously the club take there online security. It seems given the amount of cards and period they had been used, either the site was compromised for a year or so, which is really bad, or FP were storing peoples credit card data unnecessarily and possibly without permission also really bad. Either way really bad and is FPs issue. But yeah if a few hundred members details have been sold to some company sending porn spam out in the post its only a matter of time before some 8 year old in middle america gets sent some and then it could get interesting.
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 9, 2012 18:08:04 GMT
I don't know, it seems to me that it would take fewer instances of porn sent to a family home than of credit card fraud (which banks almost always deal with) to tarnish the reputation of a kid's toy brand. That is my feeling. The fanbase are sheep-like enough that they'll put up with anything (if FP lost the licence someone else would just run Botcon, also: other North America conventions are available so I don't understand the anxiety) but at the end of the day even though the fanclub is aimed at adult collectors there is an ad for it on the packaging of almost all TF's sold to kids. -Ralph
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 9, 2012 18:29:21 GMT
but at the end of the day even though the fanclub is aimed at adult collectors there is an ad for it on the packaging of almost all TF's sold to kids. -Ralph You know I'm sure the club is or should be aimed at kids at least as equally as adults. At least for Americans $40 is not a massive sum for a parent or who ever to spend on a gift to a child. They get a toy and a comic. Admittedly the non comic parts are very adult collector based and the advertising for Botcon and expensive club exclusives are likely out of the range of most young members but overall its a good package.
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 9, 2012 18:44:01 GMT
I agree that such a club should be aimed equally at kids. I've just never got the impression that it is from the magazines and also the set-up. Would kids tolerate having to wait up until 11 months to get a toy after joining (depending on when they sign up) or a 6-page comic that only comes out every second month? The website has never seemed particularly enticing for a kid audience. It's always felt like an adult-orientated collector thing to me.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 9, 2012 19:36:56 GMT
which in turn is inherited from the GI Joe collector base that FunPub initially served.
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 9, 2012 19:38:36 GMT
I remember my brother being in a fan club for something or another and it was pretty much a magazine every couple of months. Its not a lot worse than the 1 month for 6 pages from Titan and the rest of the TFCC content is probably more interesting than the random junk Titan pad each issue with. Not sure about the toy, in terms of gifts its likely as not to be a Christmas present so it's 3-5 months. I guess some kids will not like it but others wouldn't mind.
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Post by Toph on Mar 9, 2012 21:16:02 GMT
Definately agree that the club should be equally aimed at kids. And what surprisies me is the number of adult fans who act hostile towards that concept. There are lots of things that could be done. Games added. Crossword puzzles, word searches... if not in the magazine, then on the site and printable. Word puzzles... hell, they could get some of the better fan artists to draw up simple pictures that could be put up on the site for kids to color. I mean, I was doing stuff like this well into my late teens... hell, I'll *still* do stuff like this. Really this kind of stuff is more interesting to me than an ultra generic interview with a hasbro employee that really doesn't provide any kind of insight to anything. INTERVIEWS WITH THE CHARACTERS! Have an interview with Waspinator, or Skybyte! That'd be fun to read for all fans, young and old! There's a shitload of stuff that can be done with the club that FP is simply way too lazy and uncaring for! They get their mandated club membership from Botcon, why do they need to "keep us?" My personal feelings are they treat us with contempt, and I think the club only exists because hasbro told them it *has* to.
What's worse, is Pete actively rejects any kind of suggestion. Even ones that would not cost him any time, or FP any money. That's one reason why I treat him with contempt. I've spent years trying to suggest things to make the club more of a club. And many of them would not have cost him or FP any time or money.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 16, 2012 9:31:26 GMT
The TFCC has done an unforgiveable thing to me this week: they sent me another copy of their magazine.
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kayevcee
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
The Weather Wizard
Posts: 5,527
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Post by kayevcee on Mar 16, 2012 16:51:21 GMT
The fiends! Does their debauchery know no ends?
-Nick
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 16, 2012 17:18:50 GMT
Tis the 16th the membership deadline has passed. I resisted the urge to renew despite still wanting Runamuck. I feel relieved.
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 16, 2012 18:13:28 GMT
Good man. Renewing means allowing your bank account to be reamed.
Phil: you poor bastard. It must be a Swincon booby prize!
-Ralph
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Post by mellowshade on Mar 16, 2012 19:11:25 GMT
Tis the 16th the membership deadline has passed. I resisted the urge to renew despite still wanting Runamuck. I feel relieved. Actually no, the deadline has just been extended to Wed 21st March. Least they could have doe I suppose.
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 16, 2012 19:13:23 GMT
Just read that, 5 more days of temptation. The timing does rather suggest memberships are down to, I cant imagine them rushing all this out if memberships where meeting expectations. Then again they still have lots of convention packages to sell so it had to be done sooner than later.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 16, 2012 19:17:47 GMT
Good man. Renewing means allowing your bank account to be reamed. Phil: you poor bastard. It must be a Swincon booby prize! -Ralph I've got all the ones I've received here. This is the worst of the lot, despite a Levar Burton interview. I expect new toy pictures in a mag hat comes out after toyfair!
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 16, 2012 19:35:23 GMT
Just read that, 5 more days of temptation. Where is the temptation? The toys can be procured cheaper from Ebay, with better buyer protection and the customer not being talked down to by the supplier. BOGATAN WATCH BEGINS. -Ralph
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 16, 2012 19:56:59 GMT
Just read that, 5 more days of temptation. Where is the temptation? The toys can be procured cheaper from Ebay, with better buyer protection and the customer not being talked down to by the supplier. BOGATAN WATCH BEGINS. -Ralph Normally, but I have the feeling Runamuck is going to be expensive. It may work out cheaper getting a US membership sent to someone in the US. I dont think I will though unless something more changes.
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Post by Toph on Mar 16, 2012 21:31:06 GMT
Where is the temptation? The toys can be procured cheaper from Ebay, with better buyer protection and the customer not being talked down to by the supplier. BOGATAN WATCH BEGINS. -Ralph Normally, but I have the feeling Runamuck is going to be expensive. It may work out cheaper getting a US membership sent to someone in the US. I dont think I will though unless something more changes. RESIST! RESIST THE TEMPTATION!!!! But if you do cave, you can use me. Hell, I'll be at Botcon, if you want in the meantime, you can go ahead and have stuff shipped to me (club or not) and I'll just bring it to you.
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 16, 2012 22:51:46 GMT
Fun Pub will have no incentive to change their business practices in anyway whatsoever if the internet pisses and moans about them but then keeps giving them money anyway.
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Mar 17, 2012 22:19:40 GMT
Vote with the wallet. If you don't like how someone does business, then do business with someone else. For me it is as basic as that. Hence why I won't ever be getting a club membership or attending Botcon. (Plenty of other good 'Cons exist if I was going to the US at any point).
Karl
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Post by Toph on Mar 17, 2012 22:31:57 GMT
According to TFW, FP has sent out an email saying that they;'ve changed everyone to renew automatically, unless you remove your credit card information from them.
I never gave them my current card number, so I'm safe.
Pretty damned low.
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 17, 2012 22:39:41 GMT
Did that mean all current members have had their credit card info transferred to the new system (proving they were in fact storing the info without permission in the first place) or is it for anyone renewing now?
Either way a stupid bloody move for a company that has just been forced to admit their entire old setup was unsafe.
The new system is still using the old sites passwords, not sure what harm that can do at this point as long as everyone who chooses to use it changes the password themselves but again seems rather dumb.
And to top it off, it appears not to b working for people whose memberships have expired and IS NOT SET UP FOR INTERNATIONAL MEMBERS!!!!!
The more I hear about it the more certain I am that this half arsed job has only been set up because memberships are way way down.
Another fine mess FP.
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Post by legios on Mar 17, 2012 22:40:40 GMT
According to TFW, FP has sent out an email saying that they;'ve changed everyone to renew automatically, unless you remove your credit card information from them. Varying contractual terms to take money from someone unless they specifically say they no longer want to be a member. Without discussion with or permission from their customers. Yeah, that is not something that endears them to me. Karl
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 17, 2012 22:43:50 GMT
Indeed.
If people seriously want the fan club to change, voting with wallets is the only way to effect change. Stop giving them money, they will either shape up or Hasbro will get shot of them.
Andy
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 17, 2012 22:47:21 GMT
Vote with the wallet. If you don't like how someone does business, then do business with someone else. For me it is as basic as that. Hence why I won't ever be getting a club membership or attending Botcon. (Plenty of other good 'Cons exist if I was going to the US at any point). Karl Generally agreed, but I have now accepted that the club I wanted to join does not exist. I do not believe FP will ever become it and it appears Hasbro are uninterested in getting involved. So the question is simply if Runamuck is worth $40 to me. If it is I pay the money for it and am done with them As usual the main reason for any indecision is Botcon I can't pretend that despite problems (and a real dislike of FPs management) it isn't a hell of a lot of fun, if I go to Botcon next year I'd have to renew as its cheaper than not so I might as well get Runamuck out of it too rather than whatever they put out next time which probably wont care about.
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Post by Toph on Mar 17, 2012 23:06:52 GMT
The more I hear about it the more certain I am that this half arsed job has only been set up because memberships are way way down. in all the years they've had the lisence and run things, they never cared about simplifying renewels for existing members in such a way before. I agreement with you. This reeks of panic that they're hemoraging memberships, and this is an extremely underhanded way to try to keep some of them, against their will.
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 18, 2012 0:15:59 GMT
I am quite single minded these days with companies. If I don't like how they do business I don't buy their products even if those products are nice things in and of themselves. I can always get something else instead.
Similarly, if I try a company out and their product has a fault or doesn't work well I don't buy from that company again.
We are spoiled for choice as consumers.
-Ralph
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 20, 2012 15:02:41 GMT
Just to derail the thread on to its original topic, the club toys. For everyone who ordered I apologise for not getting to you with final cost, but I've spent the last few weeks working on my showreel and a transformers cartoon for the film contest at Botcon which I had to get in the post today to make it for the cut off date. I think I've spent around 100 hours on it just in the last week so I haven't had time to do anything else.
Checking all the TFCC figures for missing and or duplicate or broken parts and working out the prices after customs and fees takes hours so I haven't had the chance to get to it. I'm going to get some sleep then get to inspecting them tomorrow.
Then get in touch with everyone.
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 26, 2012 21:30:42 GMT
PMs sent to everyone I think, if I missed you lmk.
Andy
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 26, 2012 21:32:47 GMT
Still have to get through them all to check for defects, its brain numbing and takes all the fun out of new toys so I'm taking it slow, so not to miss anything. So far so good though.
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Post by Toph on Mar 28, 2012 1:13:11 GMT
Well, while still dodging the blaim directly, FP has finally admitted that the credit fiasco was caused by their obsolete and archaic software getting hacked. Which is what we were telling them for months.
How they dodge the blaim this time is saying a security program they had installed failed.
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