Red Letter - did I just got scammed?

Ruby
1

Hey guys,

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

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

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

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

Thoughts/ideas?

Thanks,
M.

2

On 5/3/06, Michal [email protected] wrote:

Hey guys,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thoughts/ideas?

Thanks,
M.

Michal Safranek, email:

a=((“a”…“z”).to_a+[“@”,“.”]);p((“%b”%[0x645bbb83a6a496]
).scan(/…/).map{|x|a[Integer(“0b”+x)]}.join.reverse)

–
thanks,
-pate

3

On 5/3/06, Michal [email protected] wrote:

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

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

Thoughts/ideas?

snip

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

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

Cheers,
Benjohn

4

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

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

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

James Edward G. II

5

Hola amigos,

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

So, I’m gonna wait some more …

M.

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

6

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

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

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

James Edward G. II

7

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

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

-Kate

8

On 5/3/06, James Edward G. II [email protected] wrote:

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

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

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

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

James Edward G. II

–
thanks,
-pate

9

[email protected] wrote:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

–
James B.
Editor-in-Chief
Ruby Code & Style

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