(Topic ID: 92436)

John Popadiuk update thread……MAGIC GIRL, RAZA, AIW…..

By iceman44

9 years ago


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34 key posts have been marked in this topic, showing the first 10 items. (Show topic index)

There are 24,471 posts in this topic. You are on page 379 of 490.
11
#18901 7 years ago

Anyone who visits John's shop for more than 5 minutes is likely to be announced as "on the team"

Wonder what's up with this new investor... Problem with investors is, they like to gain not lose money.

#18902 7 years ago
Quoted from benheck:

Anyone who visits John's shop for more than 5 minutes is likely to be announced as "on the team"
Wonder what's up with this new investor... Problem with investors is, they like to gain not lose money.

Ahh it's a profit deal, that takes some pressure off!

#18903 7 years ago

Has anyone emailed him under the guise of being an interested party recently? I know even after Bill pulled out he was still courting new buyers for a while. Would be interesting to see what would happen now.

#18904 7 years ago

This whole what is he up to now shit is creepy.Lets hear about the court case.

#18905 7 years ago
Quoted from jackofdiamonds:

This whole what is he up to now shit is creepy.Lets hear about the court case.

I don't see anything creepy in wanting to know "what he is up to", i.e. Did he funnel any remaining money he obsconded with into another venture. Is he working a 9-5? Did he sell the protos and pocket the money? Etc,ect. All valid, non-creepy questions for the swindled to have imo.

#18906 7 years ago
Quoted from Skins:

I don't see anything creepy in wanting to know "what he is up to", i.e. Did he funnel any remaining money he obsconded with into another venture. Is he working a 9-5? Did he sell the protos and pocket the money? Etc,ect. All valid, non-creepy questions for the swindled to have imo.

100% correct. The swindled will want to know whether they can garnish his wages assuming they eventually get a judgement against him in court.

#18907 7 years ago

This story about Hennessey racing has many parallels in a similar story (what's up with seedy people named John?). Yes Hennessey actually made product, but it sounds like he's going down a very slippery slope full of lies:
http://jalopnik.com/ex-employees-say-hennessey-is-a-bigger-mess-than-you-ev-1778134112

“management issues”
"will he pay me? I need the money so badly I need to do operation for my mother. John made my life so bad"
"repeatedly told in emails that the refund was on the way"
"John had to be a rock star"
"If you were out of state, man you were fair game"
"Also on site is the Hennessey Tuning School. That came under fire last year after a Reddit user who said he was attending the school on the GI Bill called it “a ripoff” where the cars they worked on were “pieces of shit” and students did little in the way of wrenching."
"Hennessey is of a hardworking man, a “devout Christian” who never wanted to incur debt and is currently working very hard to make things right"

Money from foreign clients was used to fund other projects and/or builds, or sometimes was used by Hennessey personally, according to a subset of employees, as some of the more rank-and-file employees said they really had no idea where money went. Sources differed on the opinion as to whether taking deposits from overseas clients and not delivering cars were actual, intentional acts, or just the result of mismanagement.

Clients’ cars would sit in the shop for months or longer with little or no work being done on them. The time the cars would be sitting would usually be measured in months, and occasionally a year or more. When the clients would eventually call and complain, they’d be put off or ignored until they threatened to demand refunds.

#18908 7 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

100% correct. The swindled will want to know whether they can garnish his wages assuming they eventually get a judgement against him in court.

If he went bankrupt a year ago, assets were liquidated, perhaps (I'm dreaming) a heart felt apology was made... I think everyone would go on with their lives, and it wouldn't be right then to snoop into what he's up to.

But that isn't the case at all. He's still pretending to be working on it. Some people are suing him. Others, like myself, aren't. We're technically customers in good standing (ha!) and we're the ones he's still working for (ha! again). Since he's got my money, and claims he's working on the games, then I'm in my full right to demand to know what the hell is going on. He won't tell me, so a little google-fu is in order.

#18909 7 years ago
Quoted from toyotaboy:

This story about Hennessey racing has many parallels in a similar story (what's up with seedy people named John?). Yes Hennessey actually made product, but it sounds like he's going down a very slippery slope full of lies:
http://jalopnik.com/ex-employees-say-hennessey-is-a-bigger-mess-than-you-ev-1778134112
“management issues”
"will he pay me? I need the money so badly I need to do operation for my mother. John made my life so bad"
"repeatedly told in emails that the refund was on the way"
"John had to be a rock star"
"If you were out of state, man you were fair game"
"Also on site is the Hennessey Tuning School. That came under fire last year after a Reddit user who said he was attending the school on the GI Bill called it “a ripoff” where the cars they worked on were “pieces of shit” and students did little in the way of wrenching."
"Hennessey is of a hardworking man, a “devout Christian” who never wanted to incur debt and is currently working very hard to make things right"
Money from foreign clients was used to fund other projects and/or builds, or sometimes was used by Hennessey personally, according to a subset of employees, as some of the more rank-and-file employees said they really had no idea where money went. Sources differed on the opinion as to whether taking deposits from overseas clients and not delivering cars were actual, intentional acts, or just the result of mismanagement.
Clients’ cars would sit in the shop for months or longer with little or no work being done on them. The time the cars would be sitting would usually be measured in months, and occasionally a year or more. When the clients would eventually call and complain, they’d be put off or ignored until they threatened to demand refunds.

He seemed like a honest guy on an episode of Jay Leno's Garage last season.....

#18910 7 years ago
Quoted from MrBally:

He seemed like a honest guy on an episode of Jay Leno's Garage last season.....

Leno is known for hard-hitting investigative journalism.... We should encourage JPop to drive his Range Rover over for a chat with Jay and get to the bottom of all this.

#18911 7 years ago
Quoted from fosaisu:

Leno is known for hard-hitting investigative journalism.... We should encourage JPop to drive his Range Rover over for a chat with Jay and get to the bottom of all this.

Like the ridiculous hero worship podcast that was recorded right in the middle of the end of this fiasco.

The only attention he should be getting is from law enforcement officials and or his cell mate.

You're feeding his ego.Hes winning.

#18912 7 years ago
Quoted from toyotaboy:

This story about Hennessey racing has many parallels in a similar story (what's up with seedy people named John?). Yes Hennessey actually made product, but it sounds like he's going down a very slippery slope full of lies:
http://jalopnik.com/ex-employees-say-hennessey-is-a-bigger-mess-than-you-ev-1778134112

That's crazy. I had no idea that Hennessey was having these kind of problems.

#18913 7 years ago
Quoted from RobT:

That's crazy. I had no idea that Hennessey was having these kind of problems.

For awhile now, but looks like it's mainstream.

#18914 7 years ago
Quoted from RobT:

That's crazy. I had no idea that Hennessey was having these kind of problems.

Problems like this with Hennessy go way back quite a few years. For a while John Hennessey was even on forums cussing people out for bringing stuff like this up. Tons of horror stories over the years if you start digging in. Of course people who use Hennessey are idiots with more money than brains anyways, but they still didn't deserve to get ripped off.

2 weeks later
#18915 7 years ago
Quoted from frolic:

Interesting development. I googled the phone number, this came up:
http://www.b2byellowpages.com/company-information/099365272-american-pinball.html
Also found this:
https://app.oneteam.net/Profile/american-pinball-inc-7HK98
Says business start date was nov 2015.
I had heard rumors around that time about another rich guy (next in line of many), and John even told a MG owner I knew that he could have his machine by January (har har).
I googled the name registered, and matched someone in Illinois, and possible connected to this company:
http://www.us-tech.com/RelId/988747/ISvars/default/Aimtron_Growing_at_Home_and_Overseas.htm
http://aimtron.com/who-we-are
Who knows what the status of any of this is today.

I will add another find: LinkedIn record of CEO of American Pinball
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhaval-vasani-ba5bb914?authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=LPAu&locale=en_US&srchid=275262401466205886979&srchindex=1&srchtotal=15&trk=vsrp_people_res_name&trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A275262401466205886979%2CVSRPtargetId%3A50758253%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Atrue%2CauthType%3ANAME_SEARCH

Scroll to the bottom "following companies" Bally & IGT (casino slots) and Raw Thrills (Big Buck Hunter, arcade games).

The distance between the two addresses 39 sangria ct and 1448 Yorkshire Dr? 3 miles apart.

#18916 7 years ago

A sure way to go broke making pinballs

1 week later
#18917 7 years ago

image_(resized).jpegimage_(resized).jpeg

#18918 7 years ago

Too funny.....
What a delusional nincompoop.

10
#18919 7 years ago

I have a few of those notices too that I've kept! What a joke right.

"At your convenience" No detailed invoice or record keeping of any kind.

I'm not sure he had a clue what anybody owed.

I'm gonna frame some of the original stuff as a reminder to not ever be so stupid and suspend all common sense ever again.

13
#18921 7 years ago

I was caught up in the Magic Girl and Alice hype. JPop mailed me all the deposit info for AIW. I came very close to sending him my money.
I would like to thank the skeptics on Pinside for posting just enough for me to not send him a check.

#18922 7 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

I have a few of those notices too that I've kept! What a joke right.
"At your convenience" No detailed invoice or record keeping of any kind.
I'm not sure he had a clue what anybody owed.
I'm gonna frame some of the original stuff as a reminder to not ever be so stupid and suspend all common sense ever again.

And how stupid we were, indeed no receipt/ invoice , no nothing?
We were all under the impression he was doing stuff in a groovy and hipster way?
In retrospect i can't believe i paid 2000 usd just because he send this stupid notice?
I keep this notice for future reference too...

#18923 7 years ago

He probably spent weeks designing the stamp for those envelopes, special ordering it, stamping the envelopes.

I fell for his groovy willy wonka ways as well. Seems so stupid now and hard to believe.

#18924 7 years ago

JPOPS_(resized).jpgJPOPS_(resized).jpg

#18925 7 years ago

How is the JPop lawsuit progressing?

#18926 7 years ago
Quoted from frolic:

He probably spent weeks designing the stamp for those envelopes, special ordering it, stamping the envelopes

He could have modeled the stamp in solidworks (if he knew how to do something like that) and 3d printed a stamp (with the makerbot he already bought). But knowing him he drew it in Autocad and spent the money on a rubber stamp. Wonder how many revisions he had on the rubber stamp before he was satisfied enough to mail it out?

#18927 7 years ago
Quoted from toyotaboy:

Wonder how many revisions he had on the rubber stamp before he was satisfied enough to mail it out?

Based on the various things we have seen as far as revisions, etc, I'd conservatively put the number at 6.

#18928 7 years ago
Quoted from frolic:

I fell for his groovy willy wonka ways as well. Seems so stupid now and hard to believe.

LOL, "groovy Willy Wonka ways" , couldn't have said it better..

#18929 7 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

I'm gonna frame some of the original stuff as a reminder to not ever be so stupid and suspend all common sense ever again.

None of this was yall's fault. You got taken advantage of by one of our own. It could happen to any one of us. Just sucks it was on such a large scale.

#18930 7 years ago
Quoted from Mike_J:

How is the JPop lawsuit progressing?

Has not been an update in awhile on it.

#18931 7 years ago

Another example of a pre-order gone bad. A $100 3d printer project got funded to $600k, partner embezzled most of the money out to buy himself a house. The video is quite sad when they confront him and explain where the money went.
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20160511-peachy-printer-owner-embezzles-of-kickstarter-funds-to-build-himself-a-house.html

Think about how much forgiveness John might have gotten had he filmed a similar video

#18932 7 years ago

Wheres the proto-fiasco game that was at a show?

#18933 7 years ago
Quoted from OLDPINGUY:

Wheres the proto-fiasco game that was at a show?

I wonder who ended up with that?

#18934 7 years ago

Pretty sure that ended up getting shipped right back to JPop after the show. John G, Bill and myself talked quite a bit about the best course of action during/after the show and agreed that it was best to return it; it was toxic and still Zidware property. AFAIK John G. brought the game back to Portland and then arranged to have it promptly returned. Given the amount of time he spent driving to/from Chicago/Seattle to even allow all of us to even see Magic Girl was an enormous sacrifice, and reflects a dedication and sincerity that we can only wish JPop had a sliver of. I am hopeful that after the legal proceedings are terminated there is an epilogue to the story that will finally remove the acrid vinegar flavor from all owners/believers mouths...we'll see. -Dave

#18935 7 years ago

That game was seen back in his shop after that show, unpacked several months later. He never worked on it again.

#18936 7 years ago

I heard he sold it but not sure if true or not

#18937 7 years ago

I heard he's reopening Duke's Neon.

#18938 7 years ago

Just imagine Jpop playing on his magic girl pinball in his garage on a daily basis..the code being all finished and such.
I mean, who knows?
That is a crazy thought?
That we all paid hard earned money and HE is the only one playing a magic girl?

#18939 7 years ago

No there is a guy in the market for these tainted machines and he likely pumped money John's way as well.

#18940 7 years ago
Quoted from CNKay:

No there is a guy in the market for these tainted machines and he likely pumped money John's way as well.

Is that a confirmed rumour?

#18941 7 years ago

I try to come to this thread once a month to keep up because any more frequently and it just gets me upset.

So I did not join the lawsuit against John because I decided not to throw more money at this. Looks like from reading posts, no update on lawsuit or anything (unlike Predator thread where Kevin filed bankruptcy). Is this accurate?

For those not in the lawsuit, because John kept such poor records, I'm assuming we're all just out in the cold. Even if lawsuit finds in favor of plaintiffs they may get something back but rest of us are still SOL. Accurate understanding?

#18942 7 years ago
Quoted from badbilly27:

For those not in the lawsuit, because John kept such poor records, I'm assuming we're all just out in the cold. Even if lawsuit finds in favor of plaintiffs they may get something back but rest of us are still SOL. Accurate understanding?

More likely than not, as is the case with Predator, only those that sued will be paid (if there is any payment) out of settlement or judgement.

#18943 7 years ago
Quoted from pinballrockstar:

Is that a confirmed rumour?

No not confirmed!

Or is it??? reading between the lines and trying to imagine wtf people are thinking is hard.

I guess semi confirmed.

#18944 7 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

More likely than not, as is the case with Predator, only those that sued will be paid (if there is any payment) out of settlement or judgement.

Thanks TigerLaw. I went back and forth on joining lawsuit but then decided against throwing more money at this thing. My quick back of the envelope math, money is gone. His book keeping is so bad as well, that his lawyer will likely just say file bankruptcy.

In my head, John being proud and a tad mad, he won't accept bankruptcy and is building 10-20 games in his mad scientist lab to produce at court and give to the people involved in the suit. Code will be half done, game will have foam ramps, but he can say I told you so.

Sad random thought. Could John produce a dozen Zizzle style games, slap on MG and BHZA and say he met contractual obligations? Other mechs in original design proved too difficult to build.

#18945 7 years ago
Quoted from badbilly27:

Sad random thought. Could John produce a dozen Zizzle style games, slap on MG and BHZA and say he met contractual obligations? Other mechs in original design proved too difficult to build.

I've wondered this as well. No idea, it's an interesting question though.

#18946 7 years ago
Quoted from toyotaboy:

Another example of a pre-order gone bad. A $100 3d printer project got funded to $600k, partner embezzled most of the money out to buy himself a house. The video is quite sad when they confront him and explain where the money went.
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20160511-peachy-printer-owner-embezzles-of-kickstarter-funds-to-build-himself-a-house.html
Think about how much forgiveness John might have gotten had he filmed a similar video

I'd rather John be some flakey guy unable to complete projects whenever there is a lack of proper direction/supervision from others than to hear him admit to being a complete fraudster. "Sorry guys - I spent all your money on a house" is not going to earn any sympathy from me.

#18947 7 years ago
Quoted from rennervision:

"Sorry guys - I spent all your money on a house" is not going to earn any sympathy from me.

In John's case it's more like "Sorry guys, I spent a large chunk of your money on 4 years of my above average salary and shop rent".

#18948 7 years ago
Quoted from frolic:

In John's case it's more like "Sorry guys, I spent a large chunk of your money on 4 years of my above average salary and shop rent".

I heard he spent it all on Dom Perignon and hookers.

11
#18949 7 years ago
Quoted from John_I:

I heard he spent it all on Dom Perignon and hookers.

He's not cool enough to have done that. He sat around putting plastic cutouts of a monkey with a cymbal on a zombie machine.

#18950 7 years ago
Quoted from John_I:

I heard he spent it all on Dom Perignon and hookers.

Would he be forgiven if this were the case?

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