What should we do with this forum?

[jalbam]

Apart from the money, he has been ignoring emails from many of us as well as releasing new products and reply other threads while he was ignoring the ones with complaints about him. Furthermore, at first he replied us but only to tell us lies. In my opinion, a person who has been doing this doesn't deserve to get what he wants (he wants to close the forum).

 

[dradee1]

I think the forum should be left open. I bet Rob comes here alot to read only, maybe some of this will sink into his skull.

 

[LuxLuthor]

Greta, whatever you want to do will work out however it does....people move on after seeing the train wrecks.

Consider one thing though, similar to the AWR debacle (and other scenarios), this section/topics is a growing cesspool magnet. You designed the Jeers/Hall of Shame to intentionally contain situations exactly like this.

It seems that this section and series of threads/posts is having a polluting effect on the noble and genteel environment of CPF proper.

LOL! It reminds me of Ghostbusters-II with Vigo's ever-growing rivers of psychoactive ectoplasm invading our CPF city; fueled by, and engulfing the tumultuous emotions of otherwise tranquil members.

 

[bill_n_opus]

Just wanted to chime in here ... I absolutely think it was the correct decision to leave this forum open with a huge warning on the top.

I've been reading up on Rob's behaviour and extremely poor business practices.

CPF and this forum has done what Rob does not want it to do - allow the consumer to access honest and factual information about Rob and Lummi in order to regulate their buying practice.

If Rob got his way he would be able to operate much lower under the radar and allow him to continue to take other people's money.

After all, it's not CPF that has ultimately torpedoed Rob's "reputation" but Rob (Lummi) himself.

 

[Monocrom]

A timely bump from a fellow CPFer.

Just yesterday, over on EDCF, I was thanked by a new member who found Rob's site and was very excited at what he saw. I warned him about what he could expect if he dealt with Rob. He thanked me for helping him not get screwed over. Especially this close to Christmas.

One less notch on Rob's belt.

 

[tsask]

A timely bump from a fellow CPFer.
Just yesterday, over on EDCF, I was thanked by a new member who found Rob's site and was very excited at what he saw. I warned him about what he could expect if he dealt with Rob. He thanked me for helping him not get screwed over. Especially this close to Christmas. One less notch on Rob's belt.

as much as I like my Raws and the work Rob has done in the past, sad to say but you did the right thing warning the uninformed about a disappointment waiting to happen. I only say this because if an order was placed in November as an example, it probably would not have arrived by Dec 25.
all this being said Rob has made some wonderful lights I use and admire daily. I hope he gets back on track asap. this thread should IMHO remain open.

 

[chrsb]

It should be left open, some of us are still waiting on our lights

 

[DrAT]

An e-mail to the address below might help. It will at least make you feel better.Devon Trading Standards:[email protected]

 

[Monocrom]

It should be left open, some of us are still waiting on our lights

I don't mean to sound harsh. But honestly at this point, if you're one of Rob's older customers . . . You're not going to receive anything from him except the two-finger salute, UK equivalent, of the middle finger.

On a different forum, I have heard rumors that brand new customers have gotten lights. Though those claims are being made by new members as well. So, it's likely another con job. Friends of Rob making accounts, pretending to be satisfied customers. Even if the stories are true, once again, it's clear that Rob worships at the alter of the All Mighty . . . The All Mighty Buck. He's made it clear that's all he cares about. He still refuses to do right by his old customers. And, once again, it seems he's selling the lights that they paid for to his new customers.

 

[DrAT]

Sadly, true.Still, if Trading Standards and PayPal get enough complaints, they might act.I make sure I post my experiences wherever I can. I helps shoppers decide on what to buy.There is always the option of court. It costs £30, but if you win you get expenses. Whatever, the 'accused' has to travel, and Devon is quite a distance from civilization.

 

[127.0.0.1]

deleted

 

[rumack]

I haven't done any business with Rob but I would like to throw in my $.02 worth because it is mainly because of this forum and other threads on CPF/CPFM that I didn't order from Rob.

I think Rob's designs are beautiful and on more than one occassion I have heard their siren song calling to me. So I return here to see if things have improved. Reading here about the experience of others who gambled with Rob and are now stuck probably forever in limbo waiting for their lights is what has repeatedly reminded me to not get involved with him.

I think this forum serves a useful ongoing purpose. Whether it should be located here or somewhere else I don't know, but it's important for the information to be available. Hopefully it doesn't degenerate into a moderation nightmare. I can understand people being passionate about losing their money, I certainly would be. I am grateful there is a place where the information can be shared and that people are sharing their experiences. I'm convinced you saved me a lot of grief.

I continue to hope Rob will turn around his business practices as I think he could have been an asset to the flashlight community, but he has been so bad for so long I doubt it will ever happen. Very sad.

 

[Monocrom]

I continue to hope Rob will turn around his business practices as I think he could have been an asset to the flashlight community, but he has been so bad for so long I doubt it will ever happen. Very sad.

Just a quick update:

Rob is still cheating customers. Recent victim was a member on EDCF who had inquired about Rob, his designs, and business practices. While he was warned, he decided that Rob's lights were tempting enough to take the risk of being cheated. (In all honesty, it's not a risk. It's a guaranteed sure thing. Like playing Russian Roulette with a round in every single chamber, pulling the trigger, and hoping for a misfire when the hammer lands on a live round.)

Ironically, a couple of individuals had posted on EDCF that Rob had indeed delivered lights to them. Their stories sounded fishy as Hell. I'm not saying they're friends of Rob out shilling for him. I am saying they posted they were new customers who had received the items they purchased from Rob. However, the individual who posted the inquiry topic and chose to take a chance; well, he's also a new customer. And, Rob definitely cheated him out of his money as well.

If Rob ever decides to become an honest, respectable, businessman again; it doesn't look like it'll be happening any time soon.

 

[fyrstormer]

Honestly the vibe I get from Rob is that he honestly believes he'll make things right for everyone once he gets his business profitable. The problem is that he doesn't have any business-management skill. The couple times I ordered lights from him, I had to remind him what I had ordered and when I had ordered it. He comes up with good designs, but he barely knows how to deliver and has no idea how to run a profitable business, and the most damning thing of all is he's deluded himself into thinking it's okay to screw people over as long as his intentions are good.

One of the last lessons teenagers learn, perhaps *the* lesson that separates teenagers from adults, is realizing that intentions don't matter once you've acted. Once you do whatever it is you've decided to do, if it goes badly, your intentions only affect the severity of your punishment, nothing more. Rob clearly has not learned that lesson yet.

 

[DrAT]

I have no charitable feelings towards Rob. I believed the sad stories to start with. Perhaps they were true, but he has been seduced by the idea of money for nothing. His lifestyle on FaceBook must be expensive. I say 'believed'. I was cleverly conned into feeling sorry for him.If he's never suffered the consequences of his actions, he's going to have a rude awakening before too long. What he does amounts to fraud. Some of the buyers here have been waiting years. He has no intention of fulfilling their orders. He continues to dupe new customers. These aren't the actions of a hapless businessman. He knows exactly what he's doing. Anyone who thinks Rob is going to 'make things right' when his business becomes profitable should remember that he's kept the money discussed here for years. He must make a tidy sum from not providing what he's paid for. If he'd stopped taking orders, maybe. If he'd declared himself bankrupt, maybe. He's morally bankrupt, that's for sure. No, I have no charitable feelings towards Rob at all.

 

[fyrstormer]

I'd be more inclined to believe he's a genuine con-man if he hadn't ever bothered to sell real products in the first place. It seems unlikely he'd go through all the trouble to build up a following for several years just to waste his reputation like this. I think he got himself in over his head and he's too proud to go out of business like a sensible businessman would.

 

[Monocrom]

I'd be more inclined to believe he's a genuine con-man if he hadn't ever bothered to sell real products in the first place. It seems unlikely he'd go through all the trouble to build up a following for several years just to waste his reputation like this. I think he got himself in over his head and he's too proud to go out of business like a sensible businessman would.

Normally, I'd agree. But this sort of thing seems to happen quite often. Individual builds up a reputation on CPF. Things are fine at first. Then all of a sudden, there are delays. The delays get longer, and the excuses start. After awhile, no one gets what they ordered. Their money gets kept. Rob is simply one individual on a short list of former, respected, modders / builders on CPF who have decided it's far easier just to keep the money they've gotten. No one is born a con-man. Some decide to sell out their good name for a very cheap price.

If Rob was at least very slowly delivering on orders, it would be a different story. But, he's not.

 

[DrAT]

The last correspondence I received from Lummi was not what I'd expect from someone full of remorse.
Let's face it. He has £100 of my money. Multiply that a few times and it's a tidy sum.
My advice to anyone thinking of buying an Orb, Raw, Wee or iSticki from Lummi is don't.

 

[Monocrom]

The last correspondence I received from Lummi was not what I'd expect from someone full of remorse.
Let's face it. He has £100 of my money. Multiply that a few times and it's a tidy sum.
My advice to anyone thinking of buying an Orb, Raw, Wee or iSticki from Lummi is don't.

You're in a bit of a better position than some members who placed orders with Rob. Since you're both in the UK, you should have more legal options available to you. Not sure, but I'm assuming the UK has a Small Claims Court for civil suits in which individuals can represent themselves; just as in America. Filing a criminal complaint with the police would help as well. If you send anyone money in exchange for an item which they didn't deliver, that's theft in any country or region.

 

[TadpolePilot]

[Trolling post deleted - DM51]