Homebrew NIntendomax Wii dev Compo 2012, Why you SHOULD NOT participate...

[Disizdream]

I'm the co-creator of the nintendomax.com website, and I left the website a few years ago. I'm saddened to see the way you were treated, the worst thing being Cid2Mizard not giving any excuses and telling he is not to blame. He was the organizer of the compo, he should have taken his responsabilities...

 

[Cid2mizard]

Anything, before judging should be listening to the version of both parties. Moreover, the co-creator who speaks French, which can very well understand my explanations.

I'll try to summarize the situation.

- Garrote wins first place in the contest.
- Our three sponsors send their prizes to Garrote, to the address Garrote sent me via PM.
- A single package reaches Garrote, the two others returned to sender. Of shipping costs (2 * 30 € for nothing).
- The remaining two parcels are sent back home Garrote, after I convinced sponsors to send batches.
- A package reaches Garrote but the second returns again to the sender. again € 30 postage for nothing.
- Despite my insistence in Assentek, they decide no longer send the lot to Garrote because they paid 2 times 30 € for nothing. The package garrote is a plush $ 5.
- I apologize for Garrote and tells her he will not receive the last package as there is a concern with the address.
- Garrote begins to tarnish the reputation of nintendomax everywhere.


It's frustrating on my side because I volunteer, I understand the disappointment of Garrote, but not this hatred.

The homebrews are used by 0.001% of the players, competitions are a boon to the amateur scene, ruining the only annual competition on Wii for a plush € 5 is pitiful.

Nintendomax is gained nothing by organizing competitions and sponsors either, I spent much of my time volunteering. If it is to get dirty, I prefer to end the competitions that I am trying to organize. The 2012 competition is maintained because the lots are already promised, but we will see the end of the competition if it's worth it to 'organize others.

 

[JornTenge]

Anything, before judging should be listening to the version of both parties. Moreover, the co-creator who speaks French, which can very well understand my explanations.

I'll try to summarize the situation.

- Garrote wins first place in the contest.
- Our three sponsors send their prizes to Garrote, to the address Garrote sent me via PM.
- A single package reaches Garrote, the two others returned to sender. Of shipping costs (2 * 30 € for nothing).
- The remaining two parcels are sent back home Garrote, after I convinced sponsors to send batches.
- A package reaches Garrote but the second returns again to the sender. again € 30 postage for nothing.
- Despite my insistence in Assentek, they decide no longer send the lot to Garrote because they paid 2 times 30 € for nothing. The package garrote is a plush $ 5.
- I apologize for Garrote and tells her he will not receive the last package as there is a concern with the address.
- Garrote begins to tarnish the reputation of nintendomax everywhere.


It's frustrating on my side because I volunteer, I understand the disappointment of Garrote, but not this hatred.

The homebrews are used by 0.001% of the players, competitions are a boon to the amateur scene, ruining the only annual competition on Wii for a plush € 5 is pitiful.

Nintendomax is gained nothing by organizing competitions and sponsors either, I spent much of my time volunteering. If it is to get dirty, I prefer to end the competitions that I am trying to organize. The 2012 competition is maintained because the lots are already promised, but we will see the end of the competition if it's worth it to 'organize others.

Thats a good explained post.

 

[newo]

Yes, I aggree with Cid2mizard, it was not fault of nintendomax, just bad luck with the shipping. No need to disrupt the competition!

 

[obcd]

They could have shown some prove of the shipments returning.
Most shipping companies have a tracking system for their packages nowadays.

And if a 5$ plush has 30$ shipping cost, they better had offered to pay 5$ in cash. Unless it's a real special item.

Without being able to check which version of the facts is most true, it's difficult to jump into conclusions.

It could help to know the experiences of the other winners that needed items from the same sponsor...
If there are issues, it usually aren't standalone cases. Altough, they like you to believe so.

 

[giantpune]

i dont see how a $5 stuffed animal could cost $30 to ship unless it is one of the oversized ones you win at the fair. ive sent items around the world and even after paying the customs fees, it came in at like $15. the usps has flat-rate international shipping boxes for like $8 that you could easily smash a stuffed animal into.

 

[Costello]

i dont see how a $5 stuffed animal could cost $30 to ship unless it is one of the oversized ones you win at the fair. ive sent items around the world and even after paying the customs fees, it came in at like $15. the usps has flat-rate international shipping boxes for like $8 that you could easily smash a stuffed animal into.

International package shipments in France are quite expensive, to say the least.
I speak from experience! My folks send me parcels every now and then (from France to China) and it costs them between 30 and 50€.

 

[Sicklyboy]

Yes, I aggree with Cid2mizard, it was not fault of nintendomax, just bad luck with the shipping. No need to disrupt the competition!

The point isn't that it wasn't nintendomax not sending out a prize, nintendomax was the host and Cid2mizard was the organizer, and nobody acted as an intermediary as they should have. It was up to Garrote to nag (not in a negative light, mind you) the sponsors for what he was promised, and after repeatedly contacting Cid2mizard, he was blown off and has yet to receive something he was promised. The way I am seeing it, the way I would see it if I were in his shoes, it wouldn't even matter whether the prize was worth $5 or $500, it's on principal at this point.

Granted, I don't know both sides of the story, but Cid2mizard has done very little to back himself up.

 

[Cid2mizard]

I also have other info to give, delivery in Spanish is the only in Europe not to be connected with others, when a package arrives in Spain, the original followed number is replaced by a new specific for Spain, it is then impossible to have information on the package.

Then I explained the problem that undergoes Garrote, its excessive complaints on all the forums are not justified in my opinion. I sincerely hope it will stop its actions so as not to jeopardize the new competition.

 

[Sicklyboy]

But from what was stated by Garrote, there was little to no communication concerning that fact. Like he said, it would have been one thing if you guys had simply sent him a "We're working on it", but from the sounds of it you just completely left him in the dark.

And I don't quite understand what you mean. I've only had experiences with shipping from China, but as far as I've come to see, a tracking number is a tracking number; your courier gives the tracking number, and you track it via that courier's website. And in the same light, an address is an address, anywhere in the world. Yes, I am well aware that the mailing address structure differs between the US and that of, say, China, as I am sure it does in many many other regions of the world. Fact is though that with the mailing address he gave you, he did get one shipment from one of the sponsors, then after much hassle on his end, provided the same address to another sponsor and got that shipment too.

 

[Cid2mizard]

I do not speak Spanish, I think the sponsors either, so we communicated in English, it is difficult thing to understand when the two sides speak very little English. I explained the major points of this story, for 4 months time, I find not very long when you know the whole story, four months with 2 back to internationnal that's okay. I do not see what I could add....

 

[XFlak]

You don't need to add anything more dude, the time for you to address this issue has come and gone. To me it sounds like you're putting more effort into "damage control" after the fact than you did to assure Garrote that you hadn't forgotten about him when the issue was actually ongoing.

People make mistakes, and I think you did make a mistake. I don't think it's your fault for the shipping issues, and I don't think you did a poor job of organizing the competition (I really don't know, but I assume you did a good job), but I do think it's your fault that Garrote got as upset as he did. If you had just gave him some reassurance then from the sounds of it he would have never escalated the issue publicly.

I understand you probably feel the need to defend yourself, but I personally would have more respect for you if you admitted you made a mistake and that you plan on learning from it and making sure it doesn't happen again in the future. I think that would go a long way to restoring the full confidence people had in you and your site.

I hope you're not discouraged from holding future competitions. Hopefully the 2012 competition goes more smoothly (especially now that everyone should have learned something from the 2011 competition) and you'll feel motivated to hold further competitions in 2013.

 

[newo]

Many competitions nowadays are open only to people in the USA or in EUR because the organisers don't want to deal with complicated shipping. I live far away from both places so I rarely get things shipped to where I live. I think whats done is done and we need to move on from this event. Its becoming pointless to continue arguing this topic.

 

[obcd]

Shipping from France to Spain shouldn't be complicated. Both countries are next to each other.
So basically you are saying, if a shipping doesn't arrive. Live with it?
The best way to move on is not replying. The post will move away from the active topics and will soon dissapear from our view.
You are basically just creating the opposite thing..
You don't need to reply to this. It doesn't matter if you agree or not....

 

[Garrote]

Anything, before judging should be listening to the version of both parties. Moreover, the co-creator who speaks French, which can very well understand my explanations.

I'll try to summarize the situation.

- Garrote wins first place in the contest.
- Our three sponsors send their prizes to Garrote, to the address Garrote sent me via PM.
- A single package reaches Garrote, the two others returned to sender. Of shipping costs (2 * 30 € for nothing).
- The remaining two parcels are sent back home Garrote, after I convinced sponsors to send batches.
- A package reaches Garrote but the second returns again to the sender. again € 30 postage for nothing.

Well, excuse me, I decided to not post about this anymore, since I already said all I wanted to say about this, but that is just not true...plush aside (Again, I doubt that a 50cm doll its only worth 5$, but whatever, thats not the point), I received the 3DS and lot because it was me and my friends on Facebook who "convinced" them (more like "publicly ashamed them") to send it, and man, you know it. I had to do it because I was only getting vage answers or no answer at all from you (During 4 months).

- I apologize for Garrote and tells her he will not receive the last package as there is a concern with the address.

Whoa, dude! Im a guy!

By the way, shipping problems aside (real or not, nobody ever showed me any proof of anything being sent), you could have apologized on the way you constantly avoided me and treated me like some kind of forum troll. You still lack the good will of taking down that video of the old version of my game displaying Assentek publicity (Or at least editing out that part of the video) from your Youtube channel.

About your "apology", it consisted on rudely calling me out for apparently "not having a normal address", smugly teasing me for not offering to pay for shipment costs to this people who didnt deserve it, and closing the forum thread.

- Garrote begins to tarnish the reputation of nintendomax everywhere.

Sorry, but I only exposed the facts, if someone tarnished the reputation of Nintendomax it was only you, not with the supossed shipment problems, but with your attitude, always ignoring me, avoiding any responsability and treating me the way you did...even a co-founder of your site agrees with me on this...I already said this, but I could have accepted if the sponsors failed both of us...bad luck, shit happens, etc...your behaviour is my main complaint.

Its kind of sad that (as XFlak pointed out) you are now much more talkative defending yourself than back in the day when I needed your help and you just always ignored me unless I forced you to answer by posting on your forums...

Also, I dont have any interest on discouraging you on organizing future contests, but as you can understand, you cant let things like this happen again.

P.D : LoL wut?

 

[Annieone23]

Don't insinuate, even for a minute, that Garrote is doing this because of a measly $5~ dollar plush toy. He is doing this to warn other people that in his situation Nintendomax did not care, or seem to care, about doing the right thing. They got the publicity, yet Garrote did not get his promised reward. That might have been the sponser's fault, but it certainly was Nintendomax's fault in how they mismanaged the situation.

If everyone at Nintendomax cared so much about Garrote shaming them, they shouldn't have made him do so much extra work for his just rewards. It wasn't right, and then trying to undermine his claims is not right either. He has proof, his address was obviously correct (or else Nintendomax messed it up somewhere along the way) or else the Aussie shipment wouldn't have arrived, and while the sponsor certainly carries some blame, Nintendomax's dismissal and annoyance at his claims is really just as bad.

Sure, there are two sides to every story. Yet Garrote's has some pretty damning proof. Even if this was just a big string of mistakes, its good that is gets aired so Nintendomax (hopefully) won't make the same mistakes again.
People should be held accountable, and potential devs should know the history of a competition before spending time, money, and work on a project which will ultimately bring publicity to somebody else!

 

[Snailface]

In reading through this thread, I begin to see why Costello didn't feel up to doing a Homebrew Bounty this year.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

Let me get this straight...

1. Dude wins homebrew compo
2. Dude gets no prizes.
3. Dude gets blown off for 4 months, eventually airing it on the forums and getting banned because the organizer keeps blowing him off in PM and email.
4. Dude shames one of the sponsors by putting them on blast on their facebook page, and gets his 3DS
5. Organizer backpedals saying there was some massive shipping errors, even though no prrof was ever presented that the prize(s) were even shipped
6. Dude presents all this as a warning on GBAtemp
7. Organizer shifts the blame completely on the sponsors and (in so many words) calls dude a whiner for wanting all of the prizes he is legally entitled to.

Did I get all that?

K. look. No matter WHY he went into the competition, if he won, he's entitled to those prizes in a somewhat timely manner. (4 months isn't timely at all). The Organizer is responsible for the payout of the prizes, whether or not the sponsors backed out or had a "shipping error". There should have been a contingency plan in case that happened.

Even if there was no backup plan, some reassurance would have went a LONG way with resolving the situation, and some skepticism on the part of the sponsors would have helped too (no proof of shipping, yet the organizer takes their word as fact)

When it comes to claiming your prizes, there shouldn't have to be a game of Shift-The-Blame-Ping-Pong for 4 months on end (and still going).

I hope a lot has been learned through this, and I hope that EASILY AVOIDED mistakes like this will not happen in the future.