Geraldine is right in her added point here. When people find her story on the Internet, and see how she was completely blown off, that won't just taint the people she was dealing with, but rather it will taint everyone in this hobby.
People wonder why there are only around 10,000 active movie poster collectors, as compared to ten or 100 times that amount in almost every other field. Maybe it is this kind of treatment that helps explain it. No one *HAS *to buy collectible movie posters the way they have to buy food or gasoline. If they are treated rotten, then will quit collecting. Bruce On Wed, May 23, 2012 at 5:43 PM, David Kusumoto <[email protected]>wrote: > I submit to all members of MOPO that one should not be diminished for > stating a topic that may be relevant to the poster community. Granted ... > airing out what some may describe as dirty laundry ... there may be a more > appropriate method / venue to resolving issues. BTW .. should a member > disagree ... simply activate your delete key. > > ** What is it with some of you guys, selective amnesia? I agree with > Allen and Craig on this. I don't like the inference that Geraldine's > original post should be banned from MoPo or not tolerated. I've been on > this list since the 1990s and of course it's SO predictable that when stuff > like this appears - some members, based on their alliances and/or their > good or bad experiences as business people - will bitch about "the airing > of grievances." So talking about problems that surface in our hobby is a > "sacred cow?" We "shouldn't" talk about things because attorneys are > involved? I've had a lot of experience with people pissed at my MoPo > posts. In my view, what some think is "bad form" is just a difference of > opinion. If I do get angry in public, it'll usually be when I feel a > "disagreement" isn't a rebuttal based on facts - but a sarcastic insult or > personal attack demanding a response. Sometimes I've been guilty of "bad > manners" by getting equally personal. Other times I don't have time nor > care to respond. > > * In sum, people tend to stand up for their friends. Grey is a friend. > But he can defend himself publicly or privately if he so chooses - without > the reflexive testimonials about his good character. Grey is a good man. > But I don't like the "piling on" that sometimes occurs against someone we > don't know as well - because at the end of the day, what matters most - is > whether a person SIGNS their name (instead of using an alias or a friend as > a "tool" to stir up trouble) - AND - whether an "allegation" about > something I MAY OR MAY NOT CARE ABOUT - is TRUE. If you don't care about > the truth or falsehood of a post, hit the delete button instead of > attacking the messenger. > > * It's hard to be "impartial" when our friends are involved. When you > read a nasty post against a person you DO like - just replace his/her name > with that of a person you DON'T like. It's then easier to see the > collective hypocrisy of "group think" behavior. (See exhibits, i.e., > DePrenda, Eugene Hughes, T. Loce, **Haggard, **Rodxmorgan, **infamous You > Tube videos by Rawls, etc. - vs. exhibits involving names that are > "universally beloved.") -d. * > > ------------------------------ > *Date: Wed, 23 May 2012 15:01:40 -0700 > From: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Missing posters > To: [email protected]* > > > You may not need to read emails about someone you view as a colleague, > whom you like... but there are other people in the hobby and other people > who have been enamored of movies but haven't had enough money to get into > the hobby who do need to hear it. > > I say this for a very specific reason -- you probably have a relationship > with Heritage and Grey because they are -- let's face it -- so large. > You've probably bought and sold posters from him. You may feel that though > you may have had differences, over the years, you've worked them out and > have developed a professional respect for one another. You know that you > can contact Grey and X, Y or Z will happen because there is professional > respect -- or at least, a professional relationship. (I'm giving everyone > the benefit of the doubt and assume Grey respects you, but let's face it -- > in business, there are some you respect and others you tolerate....). > > Still, because you are in the business and not a newbie or a fly-by-night, > Grey and Heritage have responded to you in a professional manner. > > This was not true in my case. Our posters were not properly inventoried, > and I can prove it. I can and will prove it. I mean -- I couldn't even get > an email reply saying this was all the posters we had of yours. > > After our posters went missing, I started looking into complaints against > Heritage. Given the sales numbers that Heritage does, the complaints > admittedly are small in numbers. What I noticed was that the majority > seemed to be from the weak -- seniors like ourselves, or, in another case, > a guy with Parkinson's. The complaints weren't from their professional > colleagues but average Joes who felt taken. > > You're saying it doesn't matter to you -- which is fine -- but there are > others to whom it would matter. Others who will come to this list looking > for a way to sell their parent's collection. These average Joes and Janes > won't be in the "industry". They'll be the fly-by-nights. They will be the > one shot consignment who will contact an expert and be funneled into an > auction house, not knowing what posters they have or their true value. They > won't know how to photograph their posters to document what they have, nor > will they even now what a one sheet is. > > My emails and posts are for these folks who -- through the power of the > internet -- will come here looking for what to do with their posters. > ------------------------------ > Date: Tue, 22 May 2012 21:09:43 -0700 > From: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Missing posters > To: [email protected] > > > I am glad to see Robert Rogovin and James Greshin found their "missing > posters". > > I wish I could say the same. > > After posting here (March 31 & Apr 3, 2012) that Charlie Lippincott and I > were missing posters from Heritage, Grey offered to handle our auctions > without a commission. No longer thrilled with our relationship with > Heritage, we refused. > > Next, Grey Smith offered to donate their estimated value to charity -- > which we also refused. > > Grey then sent back a batch of posters. > > Upon receipt, I emailed asking if these posters returned were all the > posters held by Heritge. No reply. > > On May 7 our attorney sent Grey Smith and Heritage a letter requesting the > names of the bonded staff member who had received our poster shipments and > the names of both staff members who double checked the inventory. > > I repeated my emails to Grey requesting to know whether he had shipped > back everything we had sent to heritage. No reply. > > Finally, on May 8, I sent an email with the heading 5TH REQUEST. > > Grey Smith replied the next day, but did not affirm the return represented > ALL our inventory. It took two more emails before he said everything had > been returned. > > As of May 18, Grey Smith claims they have not received a letter from our > attorney. > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ How > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: > [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF > MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > -- Bruce Hershenson and the other 26 members of the eMoviePoster.com team P.O. Box 874 West Plains, MO 65775 Phone: 417-256-9616 (hours: Mon-Fri 9 to 5 except from 12 to 1 when we take lunch) our site <http://www.emovieposter.com/> our auctions <http://www.emovieposter.com/agallery/all.html> <http://www.emovieposter.com/unused/signature/20111028Frankensteinemployeegroupphotosignature.jpg> Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
