Hucker Magazine Complaint Thread

[DavidSauls]

So you have proof this was unintentional?

And once Hucker realized the couldn't produce what the promised (and charged people for), how do you excuse them from refusing to even contact people that were requesting a refund?

I'd suggest you go read (or reread) Hucker's FB page and the comments. Hucker, as a company, was selling advertising and merchandise even AFTER they failed to produce the magazine subscription they had initially promised.

I don't have a shred of proof of his intentions. I think the burden is on the person charging him with a crime. But I take as evidence that he did put out one issue, and may have intended (or hoped) to put out another.

Otherwise, virtually every business that ever closed, every tenant that ever didn't pay rent, every person late on a bill payment of any kind, is guilty of fraud.

This is a rip-off. A breach of trust. Maybe a breach of contract. A civil matter. I suspect that, legally, the magazine's owner owes a lot people money. A court would probably rule in favor of the customers, order him to pay, award a judgement if he didn't. (Not that it would be worth their while to take it that far). I can't imagine it would convict him of fraud, though.

 

[B3NDER]

I feel like Todd Wiley is somehow involved.

opcorn: opcorn:
opcorn: opcorn:

 

[Scared_Discless]

I feel like Todd Wiley is somehow involved.

opcorn: opcorn:
opcorn: opcorn:

Funny because it's true :hfive:

 

[DanJon]

If the guy knew it was going to cost $8,000 for 1,000 issues then why wasnt he charging $10+ for a single issue?


Im sure he could have sold 1,000 issues at $10 a pop on Facebook or E-Bay.

 

[discguy42]

If the guy knew it was going to cost $8,000 for 1,000 issues then why wasnt he charging $10+ for a single issue?


Im sure he could have sold 1,000 issues at $10 a pop on Facebook or E-Bay.

I am willing to pay $10 for a copy and nobody seems to have one to part with.

 

[Jukeshoe]

Except UB....

 

[wkelly42]

This is the type of thing that Kickstarter was made for. New company trying to bring a product to market, little starting capital, niche market. Get the commitment to purchase up front, get it in a way that you know you'll get the money, then produce the product. The customer is assured that if the product doesn't happen, they keep their money, and the company is assured that if the goal is met they have enough funding to make whatever they're trying to make. There have been some problems with Kickstarter, but very few when compared to the number of projects that are funded there every day.

The biggest risk in investing in a new company is that you can lose your money. It wasn't really phrased this way, but in reality the people who bought that $20 subscription were investing in the company. Looks like they tried to keep it going, and failed. Personally, I think anyone who is trying to create a print magazine today is a bit loony, but that's just me. A digital magazine behind a pay wall, maybe with some digital coverage to take advantage of the medium they're using, would have been a lot better, and probably would have succeeded.

 

[Three Putt]

Except UB....

I think what you need to do is go Full Sherlock on this. If it's a business they have to have a license someplace. Each State has some sort of registry of business licenses. Figure out where they are registered, get a gander at who is listed as the owner(s) on the business license. If the UB guy isn't on the business license, his story that he was an employee and not an owner checks out and we can stop with the not-so-subtle finger pointing.

Until somebody does that, we are just speculating about arrangement we don't know anything about. We have UB's side of the story. I have no reason to believe what he is saying is not true.

 

[B3NDER]

Super sleuth Juke, on the case.

 

[shroom]

Speaking of Fraud.
Who changed the title of my original thread?

 

[MarkDSM]

Someone please scan a copy to .pdf and put up a torrent. I would seed it for awhile.

As it sounds like this remnants of this failed venture do not have a pot to piss in, let alone organizational competency, it is not very likely a lawsuit would ever follow.

 

[ZAMson]

We have UB's side of the story. I have no reason to believe what he is saying is not true.

My only input here is that at the time of Hucker's sponsorship push / launch, UBDG was b's-deep with DN in stamping/distribution. Anything UB was automatic hotlist for a sales push. Yet Hucker wasn't part of the equation at all and DN didn't choose to advertise, no biggie no pressure. I didn't sense any vested financial interest like it was UB's magazine branch. It's a small world and many of us have wholly unrelated tentacles up in various companies.

 

[TROTTER]

I paid for advertising and was told there would be way more issues published then actually were... looking back thru messages it looks like I paid $225.00 - So I know there was at least one paid advertiser. I was told there was going to be thousands printed and then I was told 1,000 printed and 500 subscribers - now I guess it was 300 subscribers... Lesson Learned. Link to add we ran... https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd...._=1422488349_30fd85cbc250cd83066c5458bae3aa9b

... wish I knew how to change the size of images here on dgcr.

 

[DanJon]

300 subscribers at $20 a pop.

Plus $225 from you.

And $1000 from Kilgus.

Thats pretty close to the magic $8,000 number for those 1,000 issues.

Something smells fishy on Huckers part.

 

[ohtobediscing]

Speaking of UB, I just held a UB putter and driver today, at the MS state tourney at Hiller. I believe the putter was called Hand Candy.

 

[tbird888]

The putter is named the Lex. Their drivers are the Procul and Monstrum.

 

[nolangherity]

Hand candy sounds naughty

 

[AndyJB]

I knew that there wouldn't be a second issue when I, as an associate editor and writer, got an email saying "I will get back to in two weeks with some new article ideas"

The vagueness showed me right away that there was no firm plan for a second issue. That was the last contact I had with the publisher. I haven't heard from him since, and no one else I have spoken to has either.

I think UBs portion in this is that the owner of UB, who is an accomplished graphic designer, got a bunch of issues for his work and tried to make good to people who got hosed; not that he had to do that in any way.

I don't want to see UBs name dragged through the mud for trying to do something he felt was right. He got caught up by a scam artist (at worst) or someone with no idea about publishing (at best). Sounds to me like UB got screwed just as much as Salient and more than I.

 

[UBdiscgolf]

My wife always says Hand Candy sounds like a dildo company :/

 

[rocthecourse]

300 subscribers at $20 a pop.

Plus $225 from you.

And $1000 from Kilgus.

Thats pretty close to the magic $8,000 number for those 1,000 issues.

Something smells fishy on Huckers part.

$8,000 was just for printing, it doesn't include the other costs to make the magazine.



"Originally Posted by Michael Brouphy/UB Disc Golf
We were a part early on and quickly realized it would be too much for me to handle by myself and that I would rather just do design work, I do know that there were about 300 subscriptions and te first issue cost 8,000 to print 1000 copies any qty less would have cost more then 8,000. The owner came out of his pocket a large chunk to cover shipping cost and not a single company wanted to advertise making it very hard to make anything happen. I am willing to send a Procul to people that didn't receive anything first. I don't want anyone to feel like the got got but I know the owner has no way to make up for anything because it put him in the hole as it is"