Bergdorf Goodwill's status

Originally Posted by fatherseanfan

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In an ideal world, this travesty would only reflect badly on BG as an individual but sadly it is a stain on SF's record.
I disagree that it is in any way a "stain on SF's record."

Originally Posted by fatherseanfan

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Can the moderators take some kind of action on behalf of those screwed?

Like what? I think it has always been pretty clear that SF is not a nanny-state miniature, and that private commercial transactions among members are just that. I don't think anyone could reasonably expect (nor do I think it would be a wise policy) that the forum serve in any way the guarantor for sellers (or buyers) who post here. In an egregious case like this I suppose the moderators might ban BG from further sales posts (although that doesn't seem to be an issue), but I'm not sure what sort of action on behalf of those screwed you'd contemplate.

Which is not to say that I lack sympathy for those who have gotten screwed by BG's unreliability, just that people need to live and learn rather than expecting j or the mods to "fix" things for them.

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

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I disagree that it is in any way a "stain on SF's record."

+1; though it re-emphasized to me that a long history of posts doesn't make a member trustworthy.

Originally Posted by fatherseanfan

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In an ideal world, this travesty would only reflect badly on BG as an individual but sadly it is a stain on SF's record. Can the moderators take some kind of action on behalf of those screwed?

I completely disagree on all counts. It's a shame you perceive this as a stain on SF's record but you have to remember these are the actions of one member and represent a very small fraction of the transaction that occur as a result of SF. The great stuff and deals people get here vastly outnumber and overshadow the couple of bad apples so let's not get carried away here. The mods cannot police each seller, nor should they be held responsible for the outcome of each transaction - that's just not a realistic expectation.

True--I'm a relatively new member, but I've had numerous successful transactions and interactions with many members here. I've also had successful transactions with people who post here solely to sell something. SF posters and sellers have courteous, helpful, and dare I say it, professional.

I was occasionally in contact with Berg at the beginning of this issue and talked to someone who saw him in the middle of it, and I don't think his intent was malicious or to scam anyone. It sounded like he was really depressed and got overwhelmed with the project and sort of gave up. I don't know if that helps anyone but that's all I know. Obviously after this I would ban him from selling on the forum anymore - in fact I would have banned him entirely but I hoped he might come back and use the forum to communicate with his buyers. Anyway, I doubt he feels happy about how this all went down. I wish I could help more but there isn't anything more I can really do from here.

Originally Posted by j

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I was occasionally in contact with Berg at the beginning of this issue and talked to someone who saw him in the middle of it, and I don't think his intent was malicious or to scam anyone. It sounded like he was really depressed and got overwhelmed with the project and sort of gave up. I don't know if that helps anyone but that's all I know. Obviously after this I would ban him from selling on the forum anymore - in fact I would have banned him entirely but I hoped he might come back and use the forum to communicate with his buyers. Anyway, I doubt he feels happy about how this all went down. I wish I could help more but there isn't anything more I can really do from here.

J,

Thanks for the update.

I should state that I do not think that BG's intent was to scam people - I do believe that his (initial) intentions were honest. However, he either lost control of his inventory management (as he was listing things on eBay that he had already sold here, for example) or something else went awry somewhere along the line.

I really do wish that BG would come back or respond to communication and make a genuine attempt to sort things out. I don't expect him to send out all the goods that people bought from him tomorrow, but the best way to manage a big task is to break it down into chunks and start with the smallest chunk. Send out an order for two ties today, send out an order for four ties a couple of days later, and then continue on filling orders.

I don't hold SF responsible for this situation at all. After all, we're pretty much all adults here and we are free to choose with whom we associate.

I simply think that it is an unfortunate outcome. SF has lost a valued and amusing member who made some worthwhile contributions in the past, and other members feel disgruntled and betrayed. Sadly, I don't feel any hope that the situation is going to be reversed, so it's best to accept it and move on.

Originally Posted by fatherseanfan

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According to his profile, Bergdorf Goodwill checked in here today. It is infuriating that he is visiting the fora while igoring PMs and that he is not fulfilling his contractual obilgations and sending out paid-for merchandise. Another forum member suggested a class action lawsuit. Maybe its not such a bad idea.


I suspect the problem is that BG is broke, so he can neither refund purchases nor pay damages in a lawsuit. The phrase "you cannot get blood out of a stone" seems to apply here.

Let it go.

I'm pretty sure it went quite beyond losing control of his inventory management. From what I know, he lost control of his life. Like I said, I'm sorry if you got screwed in this, but I'm pretty sure your loss of a $40 tie doesn't begin to compare to his troubles.

I didn't buy anything from him, but I'd like to add my two cents. From what little I know of him, he was a fairly young guy. Maybe this is why I can relate to him, somewhat. Last year I was caught in a rut. July I was laid off. Then I got in a car accident. I still owed $1500 on the car. Driver of the other car had no insurance and I had liability only, so it stayed in disrepair. Few weeks later, I couldn't afford to renew my license so I lost that. I walked and biked to thrift stores to try and sell stuff to get back on my feet. I had no way of going to the post office and had to have my parents drive me when they had time. It did get a little out of hand when Paypal kept robbing me with their damned fees and I lost track of a few packages. However I did keep in contact with my customers and eventually got everything out to them. I feel remorse for him because I've been there and only recently got my life back on track. He, however should atleast speak with his customers, especially if he checks in here every so often.

Originally Posted by fatherseanfan

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In an ideal world, this travesty would only reflect badly on BG as an individual but sadly it is a stain on SF's record. Can the moderators take some kind of action on behalf of those screwed?

I bought a lawn-chair off craigslist and it fell apart the next day. I'm suing Craig.

Originally Posted by fatherseanfan

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Can the moderators take some kind of action on behalf of those screwed?

Maybe the moderators can be the lead plaintiffs in the forthcoming class action suit.

And furthermore, a SF Lawyer (of which there are many), should do the case pro-bono.

I hope he reaches out for help.

I can tell you right now that I'm not leading a class action lawsuit to sue a broke-ass twenty-something to get a miniscule amount of money owed for used clothing.

I bought items from BG and received them uber fast. It may have been because of my mod status that he was careful to be on top of things.

It surely sucks and obviously he should be banned from selling on this forum, but I agree with J and others who basically have been saying, "you losing $40 is nothing compared to the **** storm he is dealing with." This isn't some guy who signed up to sell stuff on the forum; he has at least a thousand posts, he's a funny guy and I heartily believe he was well-intentioned.

Originally Posted by rnoldh

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Maybe the moderators can be the lead plaintiffs in the forthcoming class action suit.

And furthermore, a SF Lawyer (of which there are many), should do the case pro-bono.

Not touching that one, he'd just mock and generalize me into submission.

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

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Not touching that one, he'd just mock and generalize me into submission.

Well played!!!