(Topic ID: 92436)

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

By iceman44

9 years ago


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Topic index (key posts)

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

Display key post list sorted by: Post date | Keypost summary | User name

Post #7211 Zombie Yeti (Jeremy Packer), first post on the Magic Girl/JPop fiasco Posted by zombieyeti (8 years ago)

Post #20523 Link to legal documents with allegations & responses Posted by DennisK (7 years ago)

Post #20526 Third amended complain document Posted by c508 (7 years ago)

Post #20532 Summary of complaints & responses in legal documents Posted by DennisK (7 years ago)

Post #20626 MG is now ready! Posted by TecumsehPlissken (7 years ago)

Post #20631 Scott Goldberg mail on MG completion Posted by TecumsehPlissken (7 years ago)

Post #21819 Information on webpage dedicated to Magic Girl Code Features. Posted by applejuice (7 years ago)

Post #22024 moderation notice Posted by Xerico (7 years ago)


Topic indices are generated from key posts and maintained by Pinside Editors. For more information, or to become an editor yourself read this post!

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#40 9 years ago

I made my first payment(on BHZA) of $2k? $2500? I can't remember except that right after I made the payment, he announced that the first payment deadline was pushed back, so my payment was not needed yet. Should I check the status or are we still in a holding pattern? I figured I would get contacted if they needed more money or anything, but you never know. I have not been on the blog in over a year.

#54 9 years ago

March 2013! That was my last email from Zidware. After I sent payment. I shot them an email today, wonder if they lost all my account info or just forgot?

#117 9 years ago

JPop emailed me this morning/last night , TWICE! I knew it of course - just mad scientist keeping track of stuff issues. Well , that and ME being the other party. My life is crazy. I should be back to the blog today...

You see...

I secretly did not want an update for a year. I am about to take a trip in an RV, my first RV trip ever, and I wanted several KILLER things to keep me occupied. Going through 12 whole months of updates on that blog is gonna be (I know I should not use this word here) epic.

#143 9 years ago

Ummm...I just looked at the top page only, saving it for the trip really. WTF!!! You should not have started this thread man...how the hell are we supposed to NOT talk about that stuff? in this thread?? It's called a "honey pot" , or , as Admiral Ackbar so succinctly put it - "It's a trap!" A thread like this could generate some SERIOUS cash for some lawyers doing the circle jerk sue(tm). All you need is to add one clueless insurance company into the mix and you got a batch brewing!

4 months later
#825 9 years ago

Get a lawyer and you can get a refund. But first ask nicely in writing. Refunds are available when a contract is breached. No one should be held in at this point if they want out.

#828 9 years ago

I am gonna stay in as well. But anyone who wants out should not feel held hostage IMHO.

5 months later
#5990 8 years ago

What possible reason can anyone offer not to begin legal proceedings to recover money from John Popiaduk? I ordered BHZA and the deadline has way passed and he no longer appears to be even attempting to finish his first game. This appears to be a giant scam.

With this and Predator - there are people on this board who have helped to fleece members here for over $2 million.

When will it stop?

When will Pinside STOP being the preferred media used by scammers to bilk the pinball community?

This needs to stop...no more Scamside.

1 week later
36
#6663 8 years ago

I have asked for a refund and received no response. After Predator, it is time to go ahead with legal action to recover my money. What else are we buyers, who now appear to be victims, supposed to do?

He won't respond at all.

No progress has been shown to us.

We hear of others not getting their money back.

This is circling the drain and I need a lawyer. Start with demand letters and move it up the scale with ic3 report of fraud if he does not respond followed by...can't believe this...filing suit where he lives.

What has happened? Pinball is now lawsuits and attorneys and police reports? A Legend in the game is doing this to FANS?

Sick.

15
#6804 8 years ago

I can't say it loud enough. I asked for and have not received a refund along with many others here. Don't keep on your blinders. The time for action is now to recover your money. I will be moving on this with counsel from the predator scam right away. One of the goals will be to put together a litigation package that all victims can use. If any of this has not been totally legal, including the use and distribution and non distribution of funds and refunds, then bankruptcy proof judgements could be achieved. In my humble opinion there may be evidence of him receiving funds without intent to deliver anything among other questionable statements and actions or inactions .

We need a standard "I got JPopped and all I got was __ " meme

#6912 8 years ago

Jpopped

JPop did not refund my money yesterday.

#6961 8 years ago

Hey. I am done waiting on ... Anything. If I am first in line so be it, but the line is starting.

#6985 8 years ago
Quoted from Mr68:

Thats the easy part and costs $$$. Collecting the judgment is a whole new nightmare. It then becomes a question of throwing good money after bad.

Collections are easy as long as you have a good crew. They need to be intimidating and visiting the home is step one. Visiting the relatives at their places of employment is next, usually two guys.

I collect. Some guys have to pay by the month , but then they get occasional contact until paid off.

No reason not to collect a debt. Jpop says no or won't refund - hire a collector.

What stops most people is they won't go there, all the way there. I will. Have repeatedly and have the judgments and $25 monthly checks to show for it.

That good money after bad argument separates the wolves and the sheep. Wolves eat, cost matters not.

Let me just say there are some people who really do a fine job collecting based out of Chicago . You can sell an "un collectable " debt to these guys also as long as you have name and address.

Besides, why should you not do something just because it's difficult?

Edit: transients are difficult to collect from. But people with wives and homes? Easy peasy.

#7042 8 years ago
Quoted from boo32:

Lack of business acumen does not equal criminal intent. A call to the police about john would be answered - take it to civil court this is a contract dispute not a criminal case.

This is so wrong. Taking money with no intent to deliver a product is fraud. IMHO With all of these four machines following the same pattern, we have a very strong case for fraud. Of course he will claim, "hey I am just stupid john Popadiuk " , but the authorities and the pinheads know better now. It is time to get a detective for john Popadiuk as well. IMHO This has been a scam from the beginning.

It's still a scam going on RIGHT NOW in my opinion!

I will have a contact for us at cook county or elsewhere by next week if no one else steps up before then (please do).

Did he say he would deliver ? Did you send money based on that? Did you request a refund? Did you not receive said refund? IMHO there is fraud right there and I KNOW the LEOs will agree.

So please let's stop mealy mouthing this. IMHO He has my money , he won't refund it .

#7055 8 years ago

No response from JPop today or yesterday. I asked for a refund and he is ignoring me. I asked for a refund on Facebook yesterday and still have no response, although at least now I know he has seen my request for sure on FB and ignored it.

17
#7184 8 years ago

I just want a refund. No more leaps of faith for me. Tired of the recriminations, no updates, broken promises...just tired of it all. Jpop let me off this ride!

#7370 8 years ago
Quoted from Tharizdun:

What capital?? This is why you're all screwed.
This "Boutique Pinball" stuff is better than anything a Nigerian "businessman" came up with since inheritance scams.
Just looking at pictures of this guy and the Predator pin guy… I wouldn't give a quarter to these guys if they approached me in a parking lot asking for change. Neither would you probably. They look like shady characters from bad 70's cop shows. Seriously.

From the mouth of babes...

#7425 8 years ago

This could not happen to a nicer group of pinheads. I hope yall realize the company you are in here. Some legendary pinheads are in on this project - if it is true that misery loves company then there is that at least.

We were the JPOP dreamers! (Meme needed) (maybe Internet cat?)

Now i can't get a refund.

#7455 8 years ago

Should we change the thread title now to all about aurich art ? Seems off to be seeing this here. I can't get a refund. No way am I trying some other boutique no matter who does the art.

#7602 8 years ago

Does this mean I can get a refund now ?

#7672 8 years ago

Are refunds going to be issued ? Ever? Soon? I wish someone who visits him or is in his ear would really get a definitive answer on that. I could not wait any longer so I just hired an attorney to get my refund.

Wouldn't it be great if all you had to do was ask for a refund? I have to pay $275 / hour to get my refund. Sucks.

#7709 8 years ago
Quoted from benheck:

You can't refund money that doesn't exist.
John's gambit was take pre-orders, make a bunch of pretty art and patents, and get bought out/hired before he actually had to produce anything.
Didn't work. And now any investor has to deal with 500-600k of unfunded liabilities (building games owed) on top of however much labor it would take to actually finish them.

If what you say is true then he used DECEPTION to get me to give him money. He told me/us that HE was going to build the games, not create a speculative pinball model to SELL to someone else. In fact he said YOU and him both would show up to complete the build. If that was all a lie...the word for that begins with an F and ends in criminal court.

-10
#7744 8 years ago
Quoted from rai:

The term Nazi was not meant literally and you know that too. Today the word is used as to mean someone who wants absolute power or to control things with an iron fist. It's commonly used not referring as antisemitic, even Seinfeld TV show used the term so don't bringing the holocaust into this is overreacting, and you know it too. You are escalating the term out of proportion and bringing the Holocaust in is really low IMO.

Wrong. So wrong . It is an anti-Semitic reference. Please stop using it.

#7749 8 years ago

I don't think Pinside is the place for this kind of political reference that clearly some here find offensive.

This thread is the only place we can come and get updates on where my money is and whether or not we are going to see a pinball machine out of all this or not. It would be great if we could talk about that.

#7843 8 years ago
Quoted from Ballypinball:

Last I heard jpop offered his designs with a royalty of $125 per machine to the larger manufacturers
The problem was who was going to supply the money for the already paid games.
Crickets???

What?!?! OMG I thought this could not get worse. Surely this is just rumor.

#8158 8 years ago

I applaud your optimism.

1 week later
#9128 8 years ago

The lawsuits were started early this month or month before. We are just witnessing the wake...

I hope there is positive news and games get made. That won't stop the lawsuits, though it may all just be part of what has to happen to get the games made, lawsuits and all.

A few refunds should not kill the project if it's going to get done.

What happens will happen regardless of trying to get a refund, so I am going to keep trying through counsel. It's out of my hands anyway.

#9130 8 years ago
Quoted from fosaisu:

If you receive your refund within 90 days of the bankruptcy filing, it's possible that you'll be required to turn that money back over to the court to be shared among all the creditors along with the rest of Zidware's assets.
http://apps.americanbar.org/buslaw/blt/2010-03-04/taylor-henderson.shtml
Kind of a moot point here though, since you don't read much about JPop handing out refunds these days.

That's a rather huge if followed by a massive it's possible . Certainly would not want to discourage someone from seeking a refund. As slow as jpop is 90 days might be the impossible hurdle for him.

13
#9212 8 years ago

IMHO He is robbing us right in front of our eyes, in front of everyone. And blaming us for not liking it.

#9422 8 years ago

What if there is no investor? What if this is just a tactic to stall and maintain the long con for another 4 years and another million?

#9441 8 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

Are you prepared to spend 10k on a legal retainer? I should say "waste"
Try and find a lawyer that will represent you on a % basis. Come on, let's get real here. There is no choice

Retainer won't cost 30% of that. Usually 10 hours up front will do it. I don't think you need $1,000/hour attorney here.

#9656 8 years ago

Not keeping track of the money is criminal. Ask the IRS.

-36
#9823 8 years ago

Pinside has played a part in all this. It has helped facilitate two of the largest scams in pinball history. Something should change.

#9862 8 years ago

We are all Pinside. Not just the mods. Not just the manufacturers. Not just the players. All of us are Pinside and WE allowed these guys to come on here and rob us. I think something should change. But ymmv.

37
#10222 8 years ago

Bill called me and said I killed the whole project. I only mentioned to him that in a bankruptcy or even pursuing assets for recovery that any revenue streams would be explored and that if he was MG licensee to not take it personally if my or the bankruptcy lawyers added him to any recovery attempt. He went ballistic. Jeckyl and Hyde. He said the project was over and that I single handedly killed it.

His words.

I told him repeatedly thank you for what you are doing and best of luck. But he left me the impression that one second he was committed, then he faced someone not on same page and he folded. That does not sound like someone who in the face of adversity has to do something hard gets it done, like build a pinball machine. It sounds like someone who when faced with negative...quits.

Then this morning he changed his tune and now it's back to ME - according to him I am the ONLY person who wants a refund instead of the new deal. Am I in the twilight zone?

Can I really be the only single entity who won't go along?!?!

I just want out of this crap. Now after waiting all this time I have some nobody accuse me of being the thing that killed MG? Shit I did not even BUY MG. what is going on?!?

10
#10267 8 years ago
Quoted from Skins:

Is this the same guy?
http://www.bravotv.com/the-millionaire-matchmaker/season-2/bill-brandes-heidi-cornell
Excerpt: "Patti’s other client this week is tall, dark and handsome Bill Brandes, a 45-year-old Canadian hotel executive who has flown into Los Angeles from Canada just to meet with Patti. Although he’s charming, Bill is also an ageist. He wants children and a large family, and as such, has no interest in dating a woman even close to his own age because “her eggs are dried up.” Bills wants to fly his date on a private plane to Vancouver Island where he will pamper her at his resort. But, can Patti find an age appropriate woman he will accept?"
I'm not judging or mocking in any way but holy hell. This whole jpop fiasco is crazy and getting crazier by the day.

Just...wow. I AM on the twilight zone. This is too weird to be real. This is the guy who I talked to on the phone? This is the ... I just don't have words.

No one is going to believe this story outside of pinside Y'all.

#10285 8 years ago

Fear seems to have been the catalyst this time ... The lawsuit hits and BAM progress.

#10296 8 years ago
Quoted from Pinballs:

Yes, the lawsuit from Bruce Zamost was filed 7th May. Et voila.
Does Jpop think his bizarre, AIW-esque new agreement will prevent another dozen lawsuits? He would be a Mad Hatter to think he could pull that rabbit out of the hat.

Somehow I don't think you are new...but...hey new guy that is really funny! Lmao. Thanks for that eloquent, light hearted , ballon for our overburdened spirits.

18
#10307 8 years ago
Quoted from Rarehero:

Bill, without having a manufacturer yet, people are going to be skeptical & still afraid of losing their money. There's no guarantee you'll be able to find someone to finish and build these things. You're just not going to get all the buyers on board....especially with this big question looming: "Where's the f*cking money?" (To quote The Big Lebowski). If you're going to make this work, you have to find out what John did with the money. If you don't, he gets off and has scammed everyone. If you truly plan to finish this project, that's noble - but IMO a better plan would be to refund everyone first. Make everyone whole. John's gotta still have some of the money - get it back to buyers. Whatever he doesn't have, pay them back yourself as part of the "Zidware buyout." No one will be mad or sue at this point. Everyone's happy, John is out, you have a game you beleive in - get the plans in place to finish and manufacture ....offer it for sale. If you truly believe this game is so amazing and worth saving, this seems to be the route to go.

I will drop all legal action when I get my money back. I'll cover the attorney fees so far out of pocket. I just want out, I don't care who is going to "get it done". I think what bill is doing is noble and thank him for his efforts. I wish him and anyone who wants to stay in the best of luck.

#10365 8 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

When you get your penny back Rommy, let me know, I'll double it for you!
I'm also for John paying the maximum price, maybe you can squeeze blood out of a stone, now that would be "magic".

Doug I may be out and made whole. Someone is buying my spot. I will of course drop all legal crap if that happens. Still gonna make good on the double offer?

#10429 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

Again, click "ignore" for this guy. Now he is spewing false information - the letters say 2 years for MG, not 4. The only forum comments this guy has made per his profile is on this thread, so this account was solely for trolling this thread.

That sentiment is real enough. He is saying how easily 2 years has turned into 4 already and it likely would happen again. Hardly spewing anything.

#10516 8 years ago

Bill is not an accountant and has not claimed to be an expert accountant forensically. If john did not show him bank account statements from his and his families personal accounts he nor anyone can know if the money is gone. In fact , as part of an unknowing shill in a con, this step is crucial. The participant, one of us, goes in and verifies a rumor. John shows him " the books". But how do we know what was really shown ? I mean what if John did not want you to know everything? This is where he gets ground to stand on, by having a supposed expert examine supposed books. I am sorry but that is exactly how I got embezzled, fake books. Bank statements and tax returns are what must really be examined.

If jpop does not have records of all our payments it's hard to imagine a world where he reported those payments correctly to the irs . What if he did not report it at all?

Best of luck to all who stay on board, I hope you get a game of some kind.

#10645 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

I apologize for my rant on major, pinballs and sad sack. Major, I know you are a victim in this. Besides, regardless on being $ at risk or just a pinsiders, as a group, we deserve justice as a community. Emotions got the best of me yesterday - and I posted poorly , venting behind the keyboard.
Also, Major, thank you for your service, I do feel bad about my comments, and want to be on everyone's side looking for some positive outcome.
Thanks for reading - I truly am sorry.
Dan

Classy.

#11095 8 years ago

RAZA is way far along, has ramps, looks actually further along and a better shooter / better play field than MG. but I am no engineer or expert so I just know how it "looks" . It looks farther along than MG just by looking at the playfield. But then again if all the art has to be redone, what do I know. And no idea what's under.

RAZA looks awesome though. Like really really cool. Plus the theme for me is better than magic girl which I just never could get into. At one point it was zombies but now I don't know. In the new deal it is still unclear to me if this title is going to get made, or a series of "if"s have to be made.

Can it all be done with just the original (13,17,19, or 20) guys? Or does there HAVE to be new sales to make it work? I think if the $$ works with just the original guys and a handful more then the MG people are in a better position than the other people. So if you are in on MG or were one of the originals I get why they support this. If you are RAZA or AIW and not MG it makes more sense to,want some resolution prior to the nebulous 4 years maybe.

On a side note - getting the owners to split and be against each other , if you were wanting to deflect heat and get owners to blame other victims...seems to be working.

#11346 8 years ago
Quoted from centerflank:

Pretty sure everyone meant deepthroat.

I'm...going...to...fall...out!!! Lmfao! It's all timing man.

#11524 8 years ago

This is all surreal. It's like there are two trains at night and neither knows they are speeding towards a head on collision.

#12073 8 years ago

Nail meet coffin.

#12361 8 years ago

There are two realities working here. There is the certainty of Zane Smith lawsuit. Anyone not seeing that is averting their eyes. Then there are owners who still Believe! Even right now as we speak. I conclude that there will still be Believe!ers even while they are auctioning Zidware and John Popadiuk items.

The lawsuit marches on. Some of the Believe!ers stay on board with John. To quote a fellow pinhead , "Pinball, ladies and gentlemen." =)

#12376 8 years ago

IMHO There is no "if" about Zidware going belly up. Only when. And that is soon.

#12377 8 years ago

bidding war!

Quoted from jwilson:You could name your price for that backglass.

#12429 8 years ago
Quoted from ChrisVW:

Really? You haven't mentioned it before so that's news to me. That would mean lots of vendors (yeti, cointaker, glm, applejuice) and customers(YOU) get nothing or next to nothing. Well at least you aren't gloating about it.

IMHO this is the only chance to get money back to victims. mister Brandes is not prevented from giving deposit credits by bankruptcy.

Things are looking up IMHO . Stuff is coming together, the show is coming up, machine is getting ready . Bankruptcy was always a possibility from the start with mister Brandes and I bet he has that base covered.

Do you really think a businessman would go into this without a contingency plan for bankruptcy? I think not. He is just not sharing that plan yet.

You expect me to gloat over me getting robbed? I think not. I got robbed. Am currently being robbed. The only way to stop the theft is court. John won't respond to our refund requests.

Rationally - if you are a victim your only recourse is a lawsuit.

You can ignore it and take the loss if you like, but I will not.

You heard it here - bankruptcy won't stop Pintasia . They have spent too much already. The protesting about bankruptcy from Pintasia is to assuage john Popadiuk . Pintasia always knew bankruptcy might happen. They don't appear to be stupid, so why would they not have contingency ready? I would have.

21
#12431 8 years ago

I think pre-pay and pre-order should die.

-1
#12436 8 years ago

Can we start speculating now on what treasures jpop may have after all these years? He will try to hide stuff , of course, and he will fail badly at that. So what juicy items are in his collection after all these years that we now get a shot at?

MG and RAZA and AIW art, that's a given.

But what else?

#12460 8 years ago

It also appears to me that john is succeeding in splitting the community. There are some great pinheads that are MG victims, some of the best in the hobby . It's starting to look like they are pitting themselves against the RAZA and AIW victims. Now that is quite a nefarious accomplishment.

I hope in the end ALL blame is sternly and permanently assigned to John Popadiuk. Don't shoot the messenger (s) !

#12464 8 years ago
Quoted from ChrisVW:

It's not black and white, it's a complicated situation. He will not win the lawsuit, no. The plaintiffs won't "win" either. Just getting sick of reading the same "zidware is going bankrupt, stop denying it" and "call Zane smith if you don't believe" crap non stop. No one is denying he's going bankrupt. I figured he was going bankrupt when it was posted multiple times on every one of the last 30 pages.
I don't want to rain on the schottenfreude party here though. So carry on...

I won't ever mention it again and apologize for saying it what was clearly at least one too many times. I should be more sensitive to the other victims.

#12482 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

I agree the liabilities exceed assets by a long ways. My understanding is Pintasia is offering you to transfer your Zidware liability (i.e. your pre-order $) into Pintasia credits towards a machine by 6/30. I don't have any Pintasia terms, except what's been posted in this god-awful long thread 200 or so posts ago. Even if all customer liabilities of Zidware transfer their prepay $ to Pintasia, there are probably liabilities to vendors left against at least some of the parts ZIdware has on the shelves.
My view is that if you don't transfer your ZIdware liability to Pintasia (which also requires your agreeing to not leave any legal claim against Zidware), your liability will likely be wiped out in any collection effort after Zidware bankruptcy.
You have until June 30 to decide where the best chance of getting something - as a Zidware liability worth 0 or as a Pintasia liability that might get you a game (or at least your deposits" worth towards a game).

He does not have until June 30th.

#12496 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

9. I didn't / couldn't take any pics b/c none of the art, parts, designs, etc. belong to John/Zidware any more - all the IP is owned by Pintasia.

What does this mean? You mean everything in his studio does not belong to him anymore?

That's not cool at all.

#12725 8 years ago

If this thread gets closed we will just start a new one titled - " john Popadiuk , here he stole our $$ and lost his reputation " or some such nonsense. Best leave it open IMHO .

Quite the rant last night! I think that one should go down In the halls of legendary ice meltdowns.

As I somehow got personally mentioned , I thought I would mention one thing ...

...

...

I want a refund .

I don't see anything in all those alcohol soaked , bravado filled posts that points me towards refund money. Got anything like that ?

28
#12730 8 years ago
Quoted from Whysnow:

agreed. Even low for lowepg.
Everyone please take note that he is the sort of guy to publish PMs (PERSONAL messages) that you send to him. Pretty disgusting forum behavior.

I disagree. If Doug is carpet bombing someone with PM that say " come and fight me Internet tough guy" - I say put that out here for all to see.

Listen just because you send me a private message does not mean I agree to keep it private. If I agree to keep it private that's one thing. But there is no implied confidentiality for personal attacks via PM here.

Personal attack PM are fair game for publication IMHO .

Now on to what we all really want to know - does Ice spend mornings after hung over? Or does he have some sort of hangover cure? Cuz after that one last night , if it was me, my head would be like a football!

It's ok for there to be disagreement here. Some people got robbed and have to pursue that. Others will hang on through the lawsuits and that's fine too. To each his own . We should not turn on each other - focus! On John!

John Popadiuk is a villain. Get him boys!

10
#12733 8 years ago
Quoted from Whysnow:

that is what moderator forum is for. If you are getting abusive PMs there are easy solutions:
1. put the person on ignore (pretty sure this prevents them form PMing you
2. Open a moderator thread
Posting PMs in public is not the answer and VERY poor form on a forum.

I disagree. PM does not mean you get to hide personal attacks. Put another way - you sent the message to me, it is mine now. You better trust me or avoid sending PM altogether. I might not keep your secret .

This is all moot anyway - he will wake up and be in a better mood is my bet.

#12736 8 years ago

The morning crowd is distinctly different tone than the late shift...

#12753 8 years ago

Haha!

Wish i was in redondo right now...breakfast at the cozy...hit the strand,,maybe bike to hermosa...do a little rc truck bashing in the sand...eat lunch...nap . GAH! I want to go back!

#12767 8 years ago

The topic drain feature was one of the coolest additions ever. It totally changed my experience. Shows I lack self control though

#12860 8 years ago

it is my dream that john Popadiuk attempts to represent himself in litigation. He has no money , huh ? Just watch. He will hire an attorney soon and that guy won't be pro bono so then we will all know he has money. If he has money to defend himself then he has money for refunds.

#12871 8 years ago

Pics like that are daggers...daggers I say !

12
#12883 8 years ago
Quoted from zombieyeti:

The issue was john said HE could have it ready long before you got involved. Unless he planned on your help all along. I applaud what you guys have done - but john had outright misled all along - I can see it for what it is now.

Deception is in every part of what John Popadiuk did on this project from the very beginning, spread like bread crumbs along this twisted path. His goal was to make money and not produce anything. He never cared for pinball , or us, or anything except himself. Python had it right.

#12885 8 years ago
Quoted from benheck:

They haven't slid it into the cabinet in that photo because it would reveal the "oh shit!" mistake of the ramps blocking the patented screen.

No way...

#13096 8 years ago

Yeti - you 'bout to make up some ground . Strong work! And I love it, but I am no art critic.

So you did copperfield work? That's some weird / in their own universe shit right there man. Do tell

#13116 8 years ago

If it turns out John Popadiuk was the nefarious thief in all this and Kevin refunds people...just face palm again. Kevin is the buffoon in the basement while John is the evil grinch stealing from the community. Wow. It's still a big "if" to me as I have not received a refund from anyone.

#13417 8 years ago

I have no idea on numbers- but he has filed suit. I verify that .

10
#13972 8 years ago

We need some place to discuss. We need some place to vent about john Popadiuk robbing us. This thread holds the history , good and bad , and if there is a resolution I would like to see it here. Ymmv. But if we close it another will open in its place.

14
#14094 8 years ago

John Popadiuk has assets. There is money left. He is still soliciting victims as we speak. He got paid for the licensing deal. He knows he is not making the games and is still taking in money from unsuspecting marks. IMHO that is fraud , but ymmv . He is trying to smoke screen victims and the community to avoid consequences. The very best option for this victim is to cut through the BS speculation with a lawsuit. Thats the only clear path to recovery of anything.

Continuing to say John has no money does not make it true. Continuing over and over to say John is a nice guy does not help anyone. Saying John is just a doofus might be more than speculation, he may have people here actually discouraging others from filing suit.

The path forward is clear.

#14204 8 years ago
Quoted from Manic:

Actually this really IS the only unsubstantiated claim and could be complete BS designed to give you even more drama to rant about...
The guy that wrote it probably hoped a whole bunch of people would then run with it... unfortunately he only got you.
It may or may not be true but this little second-hand note *proves* absolutely nothing.

You are wrong . Ask RotorDave. Or even better , contact John Popadiuk now and ask to sign up for AIW . We have evidence he is still attempting to victimize additional pinheads. We have ZERO evidence he has stopped. He has not even claimed to have stopped taking in money , that is just unsubstantiated rumor with no evidence. All evidence points to him continuing the scam.

#14260 8 years ago
Quoted from dgarrett:

Bill said the Pintasia letter, supercedes John's letter.

As a victim I have only received the first letter, officially. its really up to the courts now "which letter" is official, not Anyone else, if they even care about it at all. That's according to the lawyers, not me. It may be that the letters are just more smoke screen from John Popadiuk anyway. The only way to know is to bring legal action and force disclosure that way. He will never reveal what he has otherwise.

Ps-after checking again - the first letter is the only offer on the table from Zidware. There has been no second offer or counteroffer , legally. There have been rumors, suggestions, but nothing official from Zidware except letter #1. (It could be that the rumored offer is only to certain people and not to all victims. I mean he could have made the rumored second offer to everyone but me.)

#14264 8 years ago

Several people have received a second offer. I can't elaborate because I did not get it either

Assuming there has been another offer - one can see why it would be frustrating to hear about it and then not get it yourself. Some people might sue over that. Just another example of how incompetently this has all been handled. Can't even track down all the victims to make offers. Talk about shooting yourself.

#14276 8 years ago

Either a new Facebook page that is even more secret than the original one has been formed and all discussion is taking place there , or most everyone gave up. I strongly suspect the discussion has been moved to the more secret FB group. So there is literally no space where positive discussion about this project is going on, unless the more secret page is where it is all happening. The silence is deafening. It's like once the proto made it to the show-radio silence was implemented.

#14326 8 years ago
Quoted from DreamTR:

superultramegaderp

You win the internet for today

32
#14662 8 years ago

Some had $30k + in on this. Bought MG , and RAZA - paid in full those. Then made a deposit on AIW.

It's a sad day for pinball .

I apologize for ever encouraging anyone to be involved with John Popadiuk . Wasting my own family's money is one thing, and I will pay for that, but encouraging fellow pinheads to participate in this scam was inexcusable . Won't ever do it again.

#15007 8 years ago

ADMIN NOTE: This is not a quote from John Popaduik. This is the poster's opinion on what he thinks John would write.

From John Popadiuk -

Zidware marches on! Most people don't know what I know , and what I know is people buy million dollar paintings every day. And my deal costs way less! So why wouldn't a millionaire angel investor just walk in and take over? It could happen today. Pintasia may not see the light , but there are smarter, better business men out there (please stop in for tea and pinball whispering anytime if interested). All we need is one of those millionaire painting buyers to walk in and carry the ball. We are 95% done anyways. Lawsuit shmawsuit ... We will have another investo-sucka in here before you can say Zane Smith! - paraphrase from the mad hatter down the hole.

Sad...but that's where he is now .

#15020 8 years ago

I was just paraphrasing. John has continued to focus on himself and continues to ignore refund requests or any other requests for that matter. To him , this is just another small bump in the road.

Now...how does that jibe with the email he sent out where he said he was done?

I can't figure it out. Seems ... Almost ... Schizoid. Or just death throes? The struggle and flailing at the end?

I mean how do you send out that email and then turn around and say Zidware is going to continue? Nothing to see here I will figure something out?

I predict he won't even hire a lawyer.

#15028 8 years ago

i don't think anyone is on John's side here. And surely anything that appears to be rooting for John vs the victims is just a misunderstanding.

I don't know anything about my case specifically except what everyone has read here posted publicly. Well , I know more names have been added but that's it. Later I'm sure I will know more but at the moment there are no secrets. The lawsuit is public record.

#15050 8 years ago

Well thank God it's not up to us lol. There are clear laws covering what he has done and if he crossed a line I certainly hope he gets the full penalty recommended by the courts. If that includes jail time I hope he serves every day.

14
#15161 8 years ago

There is a strong possibility for jail time. IMHO He had intent to make nothing from the beginning and when the facts come out we will all see that. He just wanted to sell the whole whole package to someone and have them build it. That's not what he told me to get my money. He said he would make them HIMSELF. He even offered to come to my house to complete the machine! IMHO He never intended to build these himself and the truth will come out . IMHO , three months in jail would be a big deal to john Popadiuk . I relish that thought...

And let's not forget the beauty of Illinois bankruptcy law soooo much better for us and worse for him than say...Arkansas or California.

Please stop victim blaming. Please stop john Popadiuk mollycoddling. We get that some of you are, for some reason (maybe CYA?) , not interested in John Popadiuk being punished. Please respect the victims that want him to be punished severely for stealing from our families.

Let there be a clear message - if you take money for a pinball project and don't deliver We will try to put you in jail.

21
#15219 8 years ago

There is money left. I will get some of it through a lawsuit. Others will get money that file lawsuits. IMHO There is a case for embezzlement, fraudulent transfer, and other criminal misdeeds. All of that will be pursued...every detail...until we find it. IMHO , given his track record, there is ZERO chance that there is no criminal activity.

If you really can't see taking people's money for one project and using it for something else as a crime I suggest you brush up on fraudulent transfer and embezzlement. Embezzlement is not hard to prove. IMHO Neither is fraudulent transfer in this case. I mean on the very face of things money used to build MG taken from RAZA and AIW depositors is fraudulent.

Some guys won't ever see the light and that's cool. Clearly, some here don't want anything bad to happen to john Popadiuk . Hate to break it to you fellas - you are wrong. Just watch

Call Zane if you have doubts

-3
#15221 8 years ago

Gah ! He looks like a girl...a homeless girl.

11
#15223 8 years ago
Quoted from lowepg:

Not sure if your post was supposed to be sarcastic?
I know many were looking for any shred of hope in this mess, but honestly, that pintasia plan never seemed like it made sense from day 1. From the horrible initial email from jpop, to the request for protection from lawsuit, to the announcement of the "expert team" that included a ponzi expert, to the general lack of detail, etc, etc.
What came after followed an unfortunately standard gameplan:
1. A faithful and overzealous supporter(s) floods the conversation
2. Any critical comments are furiously and shrilly refuted
3. The critics themselves are discredited as "unbelievers"
4. The victims are given hope that "something's better than nothing"
5. Disagreement rises to the level of "hating pinball"
6. Rinse and repeat.

How can we stop that? As a community I mean, not moderation. Let's talk about how to stop people from robbing us.

It just feels like the community ... helped ... these guys rob our own community. I want that to stop. There are a couple of pinsiders who IMHO are guilty of supporting John's lies as well, right up to a few days ago. Hell - there are some guys in this thread encouraging people NOT to sue. That should be VERY suspicious to everyone here. What is their goal in preventing people from joining a lawsuit? The lawsuit is filed, done deal, can't be stopped, so what are they doing? Encouraging victims to "just move on" or "just take it and enjoy it as a life lesson" is totally insane.

You got robbed. Do something about it!

Assuming that you can just file as a creditor later leaves out so many steps and is so naive that I'll let others discuss that, have to learn sometime I guess, just hate for people to get victimized twice. Once by John Popadiuk and again by armchair internet lawyers giving bad advice right here in this thread, repeatedly.

People like me now don't need any help lol. Eyes wide open staying in this long for sure. I think rai got a refund ~ 6 months ago so I certainly could have gotten one then as well. But the new guys...IMHO as a community we should do a better job.

31
#15418 8 years ago

Just to stay one ahead of one of john popadiuk's biggest supporters. There is money left, that is a fact. IMHO John Popadiuk fraudulently transferred money and embezzled among other things. IMHO His wife helped him. Both are in serious trouble. There is a group of victims that are going to try and put them in jail. That is a fact. Whether it works out or not is another issue, but we should be supporting the victims trying to recover and get justice.

If victims can get jail time for john Popadiuk and/or his wife and anyone else that participated In this scam that would be a great thing. The courts will determine the outcome not armchair lawyers in this thread. Don't you WANT john Popadiuk to be punished for what he did to us?

To those of you that want us to all walk away and just forget being victimized - shame on you.

No one is suggesting throwing away money. In this entire debacle $500 seems like a reasonable sum to find Out what the hell happened to your money. IMHO it is irresponsible not to but ymmv. It is certainly irresponsible trying to convince ther victims to just lay there and take it. It's STILL going on and will continue unless some victims stand up and stop it.

#15464 8 years ago

John Popadiuk was clearly worth zero salary. It was unreasonable for him to pay himself a dime. No one should take salary for a start up. Anyone hiring Popadiuk and paying him anything at all would be quite stupid. His market value is negative. He will now have to pay $$ to be associated with any project to make up for the negative equity he brings with him. His salary is -$100,000

#15474 8 years ago

Don't get mad... Get even

I hope we can bleed him for everything. I hate thieves!

Edit : getting even in this country legally means suing.

#15476 8 years ago
Quoted from woodworker:

$7500 a month salary
$2500 a month rent, expenses and utilities
x 2 years
_______________
$240,000
Magic Girl = $16,000
x 13 machines
_______________
$208,000
Really look at those numbers and let them sink in. There is being a bad businessman, and then there is fraud. NOBODY is this bad at math. I haven't even added in John's toys like his CNC machine, 3D printer, wide-format printer, vacuforming, computers, metal tools, parts, signs, prototyping, etc. You can't just pay yourself all of the money and expect to build a product.
The smoking gun is the unfinished games. Don't want to go into production? Never finish the games! Even John could finish a game after 4 fucking years. It became apparent from the NW pinball show that John had never even played the game complete with all of the parts hooked up and working at any point.

IMHO He NEVER intended to build anything. Only continue the long con and maintain his lifestyle. Just look at the numbers.

#15481 8 years ago

His experience prior to Zidware will be the rope we use to hang him. He was very experienced and presented himself that way. Look at all the guarantees over the years. The "I don't do business that way" and "I refund promptly if customers not happy" statements. He worked at Williams. He knew what it took to build a machine. Inexperience in this case , if that's his plea, will not be a defense here. He has more experience than most people on the planet.

12
#15517 8 years ago
Quoted from BackFlipper:

I hate to quote myself, but it was the best way to provide this update:
I am proud to say that 2 people have provided proof of their purchase from Zidware and I have decided to help both of them. I will not say who they are, what they wanted, how they wanted it or even if they participate on Pinside. If they ever want to share any of that information, that will be up to them.
$1000 is honestly a small price to pay for the great things that pinball has brought me. Heck, $1000 is only 1/3rd of the profit I made when I sold my TRON LE. I have lost $1000 in a day at a casino. It will not change the quality of my retirement. I am really happy to have been able give back.

I am humbled by this mans generosity. I have seldom seen this kind of selflessness in a hobby. This restores some of my faith. I can't thank you enough. I wish I could give you 1000 thumbs up.

#15547 8 years ago

Anyone who can't see the greatness of John Popadiuk has only lost , or perhaps never got issued , their special pinball whisperer earbuds. When these babies Are used, well, let me tell ya , you simply can't hear reason.

I'm just happy to have had the opportunity to ride in the boat. $6,500 for part way there.

#15794 8 years ago

John said he was going to build these games himself. He even said he would come to your house to complete assembly. He promised to make these himself and we relied an that promise when we gave him money . It was a lie. He never intended to build these himself. He represented that he would build these himself and on that basis victims gave him money.

In addition I paid for RAZA , not for MG to be developed and built. The math now shows he never intended to build MG with MG money but that he had to divert funds from victims, in an Ongoing fashion, in order to keep,the lights on. He intended only to keep going. He never intended to build a machine. That means he lied and sold that lie to convince victims to give him money .

10
#15804 8 years ago
Quoted from flynnibus:

its just part of the sales pitch which is non-binding and could be changed as conditions dictated.

I didn't realize you were a lawyer and qualified to give legal advice here. I mean if you are going to be the judge I guess you can save us all a lot of time and money. Would you mind calling Zane Smith and explaining the futility of his legal case? Then all victims can turn to you here. I guess "lay down and take it" is at the top of your agenda? No consequences for anyone involved? There are a lot of conditions in that contract and since you are the expert on its contents you already know he promised to make them himself. But your advice, again, is lay down and take it, drop all legal action, oh and try to be nicer to john Popadiuk ?

#15866 8 years ago

More plaintiffs are being added. As far as I know, we don't know who John Popadiuk counsel is yet.

#15990 8 years ago

You rock! Tyvm for the update!

#15992 8 years ago

Yup. He could potentially just get a second mortgage and pay off all the plaintiffs and be done with it. That would allow him to keep Zidware going.

#16007 8 years ago

Is anyone else surprised that out of ~120 customers, however many vendors, that only 11 are in the lawsuit ? Or do the lawdogs declare that typical , 10% or so ?

#16010 8 years ago

If that's all that are going to try and get their money back through the courts...I'll have to revise my thinking on outcomes here. This train could definitely keep on rolling. Just silence those 11 and we go back to business as usual for Zidware.

He could even ramp back up.

Very surreal where this is all going.

#16032 8 years ago

Rational or not, it's what he said he would do. Keep zidware going, bankruptcy not an option.

We can assume anything, but the fact is - there are only 11 claimants. No one else has made any claims whatsoever so this suit marches on with just the 11. At this point the most likely outcome is he takes care of the lawsuit as is and keeps going. You can assume more will file but they have not up to now. I don't see anything changing that. Everyone knows about the lawsuit. 11 chose to make claims. I think that's it.

3 weeks later
#16755 8 years ago

I'll give another summary - Jpop got spanked first time in court. Not only that he got upbraided by the court. He has made two HUGE legal errors right out of the gate that will cost him $$ no matter the outcome.

To me it appears he is handling communications with his attorneys in the same way as he handled clients. They are left in the dark without the whole story. He is not even going to defend one of the causes of action so that one will be default judgement IMHO. Apparently , the lawyers are hired to represent zidware. Anything else was viewed as frivolous, so no defense.

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, is he? Lol, go go gadget pinball scammer

3 weeks later
#17125 8 years ago
Quoted from PinballHelp:

Why should he pay anybody back?
His victims are willing to let him run away with the money, even though what he's done is clearly criminal.
A civil lawsuit doesn't mean squat. Worst case he declares bankruptcy and starts over. Everybody thinks he's crazy but he's actually playing the perfect role to pretend he's still doing stuff. Everybody would have been paid if his victims had lobbied for criminal investigation/prosecution. I spoke to a few of the people who paid him. They all have weird personal reasons for not wanting to come forward. He picked a good group of people to take advantage of. None of them are willing to inconvenience themselves enough to hold him criminally-accountable - and make no mistake, he could be if his victims weren't so apathetic. So be it.

You are 100% wrong - about there being no attempt to hold him criminally responsible. You are also 100% wrong about the impact of civil proceedings against him, his wife, and all his companies.

I am suing. I gave gone as far as I can with the FBI, the locals, and the state AG. I have one more criminal card to play which I will keep close to the vest until financial blood is already spilling.

You think you can do better? Send him a deposit for AIW and start legal proceedings to recover your money. I bet you can get in for $500.

#17151 8 years ago

Mike you could do all of those things yourself and help everyone here out. Why don't you? You don't need legal standing to help your fellow hobbyists right a wrong. You know what happened. IMHO you are now complicit by inaction - like not helping a drowning friend. You claim to "know" what to do - so do it. Help. Just sitting pointing out what should be done by others indicates a really ego centered personality and I think you could do better. You even used examples to show your expertise in these matters. Use it!

-4
#17161 8 years ago
Quoted from PinballHelp:

I'm not arguing that there may not be bigger fish to fry. I'm saying, this fish could be fried if people want it fried.

You are wrong until you prove otherwise.

You could help. But you won't. I guess ... Thanks anyways? For not helping.

Your callous comments show no empathy or compassion for families that have been scammed out of thousands of dollars. And you say you could help , but say you won't .

Let's be clear - I presume you are blustering/not being truthful. If you are not fabricating - then prove it, help these victims. That's what this should be about, right? Justice for the victims? Or do you feel like victim blaming is better for everyone?

IMHO - We cannot continue to blame victims here on Pinside. There are scammers here - we should recognize that and call em out when we see them. And if someone like Mike could get off his stump and actually DO something we might see real results, maybe. But commenting on a Pinside thread does not seem to me to be much action. There are guys here who have gone MUCH further to try and deal with this - including me.

3 weeks later
#17425 8 years ago
Quoted from PinballHelp:

If his victims really sought justice, he'd be under indictment for fraud.

This is 100% wrong. Justice is being sought by the victims. If you cannot see that you are blind.

If you really cared about anything but "I told you so" you would help the victims. It appears you will not lift a finger except to type out "I told you so" drivel. HELP THE VICTIMS MIKE! These are real people with families that got robbed. Not some sideshow for your amusement.

3 weeks later
#17605 8 years ago

The damage he is doing to the hobby and people like C2C cannot be overestimated. If Nate gives jpop publicity that enables him to rip off more pin heads then he will be a casualty as well. Jpop wants to spread the damage around so he can garner more apologists - people who will have their reputation damaged if they don't defend him. On the other hand the more people that find out this is a scam to get money and produce nothing the better. I am suing him so that's where I stand

4 weeks later
12
#18268 8 years ago

Look - this is too involved and went on for too long. He never intended to make a pinball machine. He spent his time figuring out how to scam the next group of suckers, and like mike said - it worked. Over and over it worked. Maybe at the first he intended to sell to,some big company . But by the time RAZA came around he had figured out it was about getting people to send him money - it was NOT about pinball. I learned a lot and I agree this is an indictment of crowd funding in general. The sad thing for me as well is once you look under the hood - coin op is pretty shady. There are people who use coin op for illegal shit and there are people who are the industry that pander to those interests and this general shadiness trickles into everything. I have had an accounting firm refuse to do the books for our corporations because I have this minuscule pinball hobby that I incorporated! I actually felt fear coming from this guy, like he was told to refuse but was now scared to do so because of what we might be involved in. Ridiculous! Between money laundering , tax evasion , and now crowd funding I would say the silverball has been misused many times. But this JPop guy is special. In the end I bet we will find much more method than madness to this fleecing of the pinball community.

2 months later
#18438 8 years ago

I still predict there will be a settlement and a NDA . Those in the lawsuit will get paid but will not be able to comment. And jpop will continue as he is now .

8 months later
11
#19427 7 years ago

Seriously? What the hell...my spot is totally for sale y'all.

#19428 7 years ago

And NO. If he sent out 24 games my lawsuit perseveres.

#19431 7 years ago

Hard to believe. This solidifies my opinion that what John is really good at, going back to the 1990s, is the con. Python knew. But if American pinball is not a front for popiaduk - oy vey we found a mark.

#19764 7 years ago

[Post redacted by legal advisor]

Edit : [Also redacted , nice try ]

2 weeks later
#20099 7 years ago

More lies and more people conned out of money. It is SURREAL that this keeps happening. At this rate he will have (someone help me with numbers here) pins promised and not delivered by this time next year!

Given the number of people this has happened to, I am afraid there is only one conclusion to draw at this point - John is good at convincing people to give him money for nothing. Very good. If you look at it a certain way he conned the whole pinball community from WCS. Or even before that by convincing us that his prior efforts were essentially one man shows, all done by him, and that's why he could do 4 or 5 pins, or even more, all by himself and be successful. When now it turns out he can't even properly layout a playfield, design shots, or even do the artwork himself. RIP.

1 month later
#20444 7 years ago
Quoted from pinballrockstar:

I think if john delivers the mg's to it's customers, there is a bunch of cash coming in and zidware can proceed building the other stuff.
Still don't understand why he doesn't open up to the public to tell us how he plans to struggle forward.
Any news is welcome at this point?

LOL

1 month later
#20600 7 years ago

I have received no certified mail in this matter as of business yesterday.

1 week later
#20730 7 years ago

I would never have one of these in my collection - unless I was an original buyer. Same with Predator. And any JPop machine ever again. He ruined part of pinball for several people. Turned a hobby into ... litigation. No one should ever forget that. John Popadiuk is the worst.

The very idea of getting one of these then having to struggle with any issues...I would never want him to ever lease that much brain space from me again. Maybe AP will offer support in the end.

What about pinheads not paid in full on MG? Is there anyone who would pay up on an invoice from Zidware at this point? God help you if you do because no one else will.

1 week later
#22059 7 years ago

I wonder if John used any of my RAZA money to complete MG? I think he might have. Definitely suing over this. Oh wait...

#22469 7 years ago

This is a total win for MG buyers. I would never unbox it. Start the sales process now but don't be in a hurry. If it's gonna go up, it could be north of $40k in a month. Hard to see the downslope from here. What, if anything, could cause it to drop in price now? The market is fully informed. If nothing could cause a drop in price, I would argue that then it is destined to go up with sky (pinball market sky) as limit. Inevitable.

Congratulations Universe....You win.

#22665 7 years ago

This seems so easy but I have gone through this so let me give it a shot.

Jpop takes my money to make me a RAZA. He uses my money to make a pinball machine for someone else...not for me. I am mad.

There.

IMHO there is no question about the MG machines as assets will get attached, they will, it's just, once again, IMHO, the court will end up coming up with an equitable(means money) settlement(for this single issue as part of a larger case) as opposed to attempting to regain possession of the machines. SO - that means that I would have beef with JPop, and JPop estate would have beef with the possessors of MG, were I able to obtain my pound of flesh from JPop. If it were in a bankruptcy, it would be the trustee in charge and for sure the trustee would get money or the machines, that's just how it works. It's not in bankruptcy. Moot point.

But say the bankruptcy is filed within a reasonable amount of time from MG deliveries, you better believe they will be attached and accounted for by the trustee...ask Keith. Once again though, no bankruptcy, moot point.

Surely everyone can see if he used MY money to make YOUR machine...I have beef. With JPop. Not you. If I sue JPop and the court sees the delivery of that MG made with my money as an unfair transfer, even potentially fraudulent, they may go after whoever JPop gave assets to. That's just what they do.

So if a court were to order a possessor of MG to either pay the court an equitable amount or surrender the machine, it would be JPOP, not the other victims, that would once again be the villain.

#22818 7 years ago

Morning Rob! You are up EARLY son.

#22934 7 years ago

Take a break from Pinside for say, a year. Come back, and this will still be page one. SUCKS. It would be so much better if I was just a spectator.

Do the math someone. JPop delivers MG - so for the sake of argument ONLY - let's take that off the table for settlement $$. That means there is a pretty strong argument to be made for refunding the lawsuit participants for RAZA and/or AIW. That could raise a very strong argument that would question damages and maybe even further standing. It could end the lawsuit immediately.

My point being - it might be far cheaper now for JPop to issue refunds to end the lawsuits, there are only 29 or so participants so it won't be that much cash. I know some in the lawsuit are only owed <$5,000, maybe way less. Nowhere near the total anyway. Then he could resell those spots in the wake of this new high. Hell, he could even reverse the order. Fool a bunch of new pinheads into preorders, use that cash to buy off lawsuit, then he has another (number of years) to do same thing again.

What am I missing?

#22948 7 years ago

Plus, and I mean I don't know this, but anyone in the lawsuit who only ordered MG, their grounds are disappearing. There may be no one like that though.

4 months later
#23655 6 years ago

Just reporting facts. I got deposed by my team yesterday. Opposing counsel no show. Just my lawyer, me, and the court reporter via Facetime. Typical depo, fast and professional. I basically had nothing to add that the whole world does not know already, public information. I was expecting opposing counsel. Discovered that if you close the door in my new office with the aquarium in here it turns into a sauna after an hour.

#23656 6 years ago

This is way worse than Skit B. The people who got their MG also got hosed so badly. They have to look at that POS, and maybe they even try to play it occasionally which must sting. Somehow it seems better to have been 100% screwed over by Jon Popadiuk like me(not in on MG). He has ZERO excuses for guys like me. Just an email telling us our money is gone and progress may happen...NEVER.

Did this really start 5 years ago? What a stain on the hobby. If you missed this whole thing count yourself lucky and take my advice - If you can't drive off with it immediately, then it's not a pinball machine.

3 months later
10
#23767 6 years ago

What the actual F. They used my name. And said I was involved in a sham , in court no less. And published that false crap where anyone can read it ?? Consider the bear...poked.

4 months later
10
#23942 5 years ago

BOOM!!!! We won. JPop eats it.

66
#23946 5 years ago

Hey Hilton! Could you help me out with something? I would like to see how much F#$%^ng money we pinheads have collectively WASTED, or thrown away to these sheisters. Is there some way you could produce an estimate of how much the (four?) big failures have cost us? I can't come up with reliable estimated sales for the latest failures. Anyway....

We were in court in Cook County yesterday. Me and the rest of the claimants were there to have an actual trial FINALLY. There were 6 of us representing the entire class. Jpop was there as well. He brought a whiteboard? I think it was magic girl but I did not see it actually used, just sat there. Still no shooter lane...

My testimony was very straightforward and took 5 minutes. I paid, he did not produce, give me money back. In the end that is what the judge agreed to for me. I get all my money back. I am not going to discuss the other claimants settlements, although I will say no one got less than me. Defendant attempted to squeal about more than one issue. For example at the outset he attempted to split the claims into 26 separate small claims (side note - in a VERY BUSY courthouse like Cook County suggesting that increasing the workload by a factor of 26X to a judge does not seem like a smart tactic). In my opinion defense did not present any defense at all. Just procedural shenanigans.

Also personal liability was found, corporate veil pierced. Told ya JPop. If you don't run it like a business you can't use it to hide behind. That is what the Court found.

Just to make sure everyone knows the kind of person we were dealing with. Zidware sued us. Last week I think, or week before. Two separate lawsuits each for $50,001. Demanding full payment. He paid over $1,000 to file those lawsuits. He actually demanded that we f&^%$ng pay up for machines that are never going to be made. Dismissed I think. But still, the nerve to demand that I pay more money at this point.

tldr - we won, judgement against jpop. time to collect. does anyone remember me saying that collecting was my FAVORITE part? Gonna be a fun ride , get ready ! I think I may know a guy...

#23953 5 years ago

yes those 4. DP included. it's just for posterity anyway and besides I am curious. Like from my personal perspective I could have had one or two real machines YEARS ago if I had avoided these clowns. I am wondering, for instance, how many REAL machines could have been purchased if all the money those 4 ... groups... had not sucked our collective money down their collective toilets.

#23970 5 years ago
Quoted from wcbrandes:

I can give you two. One million us at Zidware, and say about 200 machines at average 9k at DP or just say 2m so there is 3m US

Grrrrrr. Devil's advocate - if one were to collect over a million $ , and then have to give back only <20% , what would you call that? LOTTERY WIN. This is the part I really hate.

#24115 5 years ago
Quoted from Rarehero:

Mike, I believe you're projecting a bit. You've stated your "hatred" of many people with your anti-American, homophobic and racist statements, and then hide under the "virtue" of "not being politically correct". That's your choice and you're welcome to make it, but you can't turn around and get upset about it if your public statements result in people viewing you in a negative light. While you and some people might consider "anti-PC" as a virtue, plenty of other people see it as code for "I just want to be mean without consequence". I wouldn't have a negative word to say about your company if you, as the head of the company, didn't constantly put yourself out there with negative things to say about potential customers. You like to say that Gary and Jack "have opinions" behind closed doors, and somehow they're lesser people than you for not saying these things publicly...Noooooo! They're smart business people. You don't mix potentially catastrophic personal views when trying to sell a product, unless you're absolutely OK with decimating your sales.
I'm not the reason people don't post on Pinside. This is a hobby forum. People who work for manufacturers are running a business. They have no reason to be here, really...unless they consider this forum to be an important marketing tool. Stern has social media for marketing, and the fans provide them with "free marketing" here. You could use this forum for positive marketing, but you never take too long before you do the opposite. Don't blame me or us for that...take responsibility for your own actions.
One quick story: I hired an electrician from a well known local company. He's not in my house for 10 minutes or so, and he makes multiple racist statements like "you'll be glad you hired me and not some beaner". As a white man in a white man's company, he assumed he was with someone of similar opinion. He could not be more wrong. I scolded him for what he was saying and demanded he get out of my house. I've never done business with that company again and have guided others away from it. This is EXACTLY what you do, Mike. You assume you're in like company...that your statements will be seen as "funny" or "agreeable", when they're not. This is a teachable moment, Mike. Become a better person...for yourself & the sake of your business.

Down here, it’s not hispanics. Check this out - both the President of my company and the Exec VP (two highest positions under CEO) are black guys. I go to get my new aquarium installed - it’s a HUGE contract - and right out of the gate the head guy hits me with darkie jokes. He gets two out before I wtf up. It was like for a minute I had gotten tased. I was stunned. He was way into it, so I just dropped a quick text and the prez shows up. The prez is also a former RB for the UofA so he is like a STOUT dude. This aquarium guy...as soon as he sees the prez his face just DRAINS to full zombie. He is glancing over at me and I am like not gonna help. The prez comes in and drops a fast quartet of pretty hardcore combo fat/cracker jokes. The type of thing GUARANTEED to set off a racist. It was funny...

I have more stories like these - down here we don’t call it “institutional” racism, it’s just racism big and loud LOL. Y’all should hear the latest El Dorado, Ar stories. Those people HATE my guys. We had to come up with a DWP - designated white person just to do business with city hall. That is not a joke. DWP , I claim the TM.

1 week later
#24143 5 years ago

Yeah. Meeting fellow pinheads rocks my world. Absolutely one of my fav things to do. Even in this circumstance.

image (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpg

2 weeks later
12
#24161 5 years ago

Once , there was a Pinhead. This particular pinhead fell into the trap of the wicked witch of the Midwest , who is also a dude. That dude hired this particular lawyer. When the Pinhead did research he found out that the lawyer had a particular specialty. One which, in this case, is worth exactly jack squat. See the strategy of this lawyer had been to wait until a case is finished, then, hoping that all opposing coffers are now bare, file an appeal, and win by default as opposing pinhead is supposed to be out of money. It had worked for lawyer in the past, you and pinhead can see the logic. But in this case...NAH. LOL

Ps- I dare the wicked witch to DRAG me up to Chicago again. Double dog dare. I love Chicago .

4 years later
#24400 1 year ago

Long road. Thank you Kim for all you have done. You brought this home. So glad I got to meet so many of you. I also cannot speak highly enough of Zane.

Pinball rocks.

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