Dark Force Entertainment Discussion Thread

[Christophah Maghen]

How many of the 2-300 copies of Screams was divided up between, Smackdab, Booberry, Halloweentreats and Thecaliforniakid?

The California kid btw if you look at his location is in Amarillo Texas, could be an associate but more likely just an enterprising scalper seizing an opportunity to make easy money.

[bhorrorfan]

Dumb question... Sort of. Have never bought anything off the Dark Force store and after reading most of the posts here I think Screams and the bundles are sold out. But, everything else that I click on says "add to wishlist", is that how you know a title has sold out? Hope I make sense.

[Sleazeaddict]

we still can't buy the damn thing ?

[whedon]

So what I learnt this week is that it is perfectly acceptable for a label owner to post in a thread and threaten psychical Violence against members, that there is no issue with obvious shills filling page after page with nothing, that the exploitation of a sick man is fine and that a label using scalpers is totally acceptable practice but imply that a label owner is tacky and its good night sweetheart. If I crossed a line then fine but what is irksome is that there's one rule for us regular posters and another for label owners. The lack of consistence is unfortunate as it really gives the message that if you're a label owner you can do what you want. How often has Bill and df threaded users with mods here ignoring it, it became a running joke in the CR thread but I suppose you gotta protect the free review copies as there's no other reason I can for the double standard.

Glad to see the response on Facebook and here is finally seeing a certain company for what they are.

[Christophah Maghen]

Originally Posted by whedon

So what I learnt this week is that it is perfectly acceptable for a label owner to post in a thread and threaten psychical Violence against members, that there is no issue with obvious shills filling page after page with nothing, that the exploitation of a sick man is fine and that a label using scalpers is totally acceptable practice but imply that a label owner is tacky and its good night sweetheart. If I crossed a line then fine but what is irksome is that there's one rule for us regular posters and another for label owners. The lack of consistence is unfortunate as it really gives the message that if you're a label owner you can do what you want. How often has Bill and df threaded users with mods here ignoring it, it became a running joke in the CR thread but I suppose you gotta protect the free review copies as there's no other reason I can for the double standard.

Glad to see the response on Facebook and here is finally seeing a certain company for what they are.

Yeah dude, with all the hate and trash you were spewing you definitely deserve to be treated with the utmost respect.

[whedon]

Oh God, I just realised that if The Farmer ever gets a release then df will most likely be handling it. Can't believe I'm saying this but if that were the case I'd have to say no to getting it as who has the time to jump through hoops while eBay scalpers seem to get most of the copies.

[whedon]

Originally Posted by Christophah Maghen

Yeah dude, with all the hate and trash you were spewing you definitely deserve to be treated with the utmost respect.

What hate? Sorry if pointing out shoddy business practices and possible elder abuse upsets you so much that you news to get your pompoms out. Keep at it and you might get a free blue for your efforts.

I take it you're fine with the df threatening users with psychical violence and being abusive.

[miribeau]

Originally Posted by bhorrorfan

Dumb question... Sort of. Have never bought anything off the Dark Force store and after reading most of the posts here I think Screams and the bundles are sold out. But, everything else that I click on says "add to wishlist", is that how you know a title has sold out? Hope I make sense.

It's not a dumb question. Yes to the issue of adding to your list, instead of a cart. That is how the new store does it. They are sold out of quite a few titles so a lot of items are not able to be added to the cart. Only items that are currently in stock will have an option to add to the cart and purchase.

[Member-222782]

The scary thing is, I don't think a bunch of angry posts on fb or internet forums is going to change anything either way. This way of doing business has probably made DeFalco a bit of extra money, certainly more money than he likely would've made selling through normal channels, so to hell with angry customers - it's the dollar signs that matter. Bill started him on the idea and DF is rolling with it. Why change what works? So I fully expect the same nonsense with future titles.

[miribeau]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

The scary thing is, I don't think a bunch of angry posts on fb or internet forums is going to change anything either way. This way of doing business has probably made DeFalco a bit of extra money, certainly more money than he likely would've made selling through normal channels, so to hell with angry customers - it's the dollar signs that matter. Bill started him on the idea and DF is rolling with it. Why change what works? So I fully expect the same nonsense with future titles.

No. Angry posts won't change anything. However, rational discourse probably will. This whole issue of immediate sellouts isn't how DD sells nor is it how he intended to sell. The SoaWN sales model is entirely owing to having been limited to 225-250 each sale, which in turn is owing to how Bill has always handled his own sales. DD's films, or, rather, DF films, are released, put up at full quantity, taken down only when the site is down for him to catch up on shipping and then put right back up again for sale at the same price, unless it is a holiday and then he does a nice sale price. He also usually tries to have a bundle option on his new title. But all of that is how DD does it, for his own titles.

Previously, with Bill, I always had days and days (and more days) to decide what I wanted, conference, think some more, finalize the list and then have whoever was placing the order go ahead and place the order. Within a month we'd get our haul and split it up. With DF doing the distributing, 5 copies of a title go in a minute. No more days and days. The advertising of DF has changed the ability to get hard to find titles, which means people feel the limited quantity in a way they didn't before, even though it is often a similar quantity being put of for sale. David and Bill are going to have to sit down and discuss a different model for old titles in order to stop what is happening from becoming an ongoing problem.

Either Bill needs to hold on to them and sell them when he has his own store back up, the old way, which worked well for years, at least for me, or, if DF is going to continue being a distributor, Bill will need to think in terms of far bigger quantities. If a title is going up at DF there shouldn't be fewer than 100 copies, ever. If there are ten left in the world, Bill should save them and sell them later. If it is a new title, there should be 400 or 500 available, if not the whole lot. The advertising is too big for the quantity available and that is making people very angry. I got a nasty phone call last night about a couple of titles and "30 G@!!@^^ SECONDS!". Needless to say, it was from a man and wasn't pleasant. The old business model is not working with the new advertising and that is one of those things they'll just have to figure out, the way we all do, when a previously stable system is disrupted.

[Christophah Maghen]

Originally Posted by whedon

What hate? Sorry if pointing out shoddy business practices and possible elder abuse upsets you so much that you news to get your pompoms out. Keep at it and you might get a free blue for your efforts.

I take it you're fine with the df threatening users with psychical violence and being abusive.

Nice cherry pick of what you've been posting here, I'm referring to you calling demon a failed filmaker, failed wrestler blah blah, pretty much trashing the guy in any way you can and then after all that coming over here and crying that you aren't being treated right, see how dumb you sound now?

[miribeau]

Originally Posted by Christophah Maghen

Nice cherry pick of what you've been posting here, I'm referring to you calling demon a failed filmaker, failed wrestler blah blah, pretty much trashing the guy in any way you can and then after all that coming over here and crying that you aren't being treated right, see how dumb you sound now?

He doesn't seem dumb. He seems forgetful and sometimes moody, which everyone can be, but forgetting doesn't make someone dumb. I don't think what Whedon posts here sticks in his mind or is important enough to remember on purpose, otherwise he wouldn't say some of the very angry or more judgmental things that he says, followed up by lighthearted banter. Truly, as soon as he said all the stuff about David, that was personal stuff, he probably forgot all about it.

If everyone here treated DD and Bill better, the point about the comments they sometimes make would be valid. Unfortunately, the anger and inappropriate comments have been going in both directions. Violence should never be threatened but I've lost count of how many people have raised the issue themselves, only to turn around and act shocked when DD raises the issue. For the record, no one should be threatening anyone on the boards.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by whedon

Oh God, I just realised that if The Farmer ever gets a release then df will most likely be handling it. Can't believe I'm saying this but if that were the case I'd have to say no to getting it

Don't worry, someone else will buy the copy you passed on.

[kraven]

Why take the bait?

[HorrorBlu]

Hey mods, how about we lock the Code Red and Dark Force threads, and unlock them only during the brief 15 minute windows that Screams Of A Winter Night are available?

[whedon]

Originally Posted by kraven

Why take the bait?

Why not have a lil fun. At this stage troll and shill are the only ones still defending df.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by whedon

Why not have a lil fun. At this stage troll and shill are the only ones still defending df.

The shilling on here is just sad. DF clearly doesn't want to sell the product like a normal BD. I've been buying BDs for 10 years and this experience is totally different from anything I've been through, as every person on here (outside of the clowns shilling for this garbage) can attest to. Just let people buy the f**king disc. It's pretty simple. There's no greater concern here. Put the disc out, people will buy. It's pathetic that certain people have put making a few extra bucks over the demands of the consumer who props up what they do.

The shills are just the absolute worst. I have no idea what they're getting out of this. A decent payoff wouldn't be enough to humiliate myself like that. Must be desperate people or complete morons.

[JupiterMission]

Is the consensus that they’re scalping their own product on eBay? (Like Bill did with Walt’s product on his own site.) If so, then I think this thread and the the Code Red thread could be justifiably treated differently or moved or removed by moderators. If not, maybe it could just be done for revenge. ;^)

[CrowKiller]

They have a reckless business model. Sure they might be making some decent money now, but it's going to kill them in the long term. Once they have nothing left to please the scalpers and piss off all the people who are actual collectors like me (who would normally keep coming back when there's money to spend), they'll have nothing left and Dark Force will die. In fact, I've never wanted a company to die off as bad as I do Dark Force. Funny part is they suck so bad they make Bill's old cartel ways look like a winning business model by comparison. I will continue to throw my money at those the Dark Force "crew" and Bill hate. Mainly because they don't hate me as a loyal customer and actually want my money. Crazy concept I know...

I hope like hell more do the same. If they continue this business model, they deserve to die as a business. The more people that deny their hard earned money to them, the quicker they will change or go under. This madness can stop if you stop giving these morons your money. I mean... they seem satisfied fleabayers are making more money off their hard work than they are. It's like.... how stupid can you get?

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by babybreese

Jesus Christ ruined, you need it explained to you?
You either get it or you do not.

Yes I need it explained, I'm not a fan of accusing people (in this case DF) of bad things with no solid proof. I did not see any gun held to Bills head forcing him to do any of this. If it's so simple the facts should be easily explained.

If you have no evidence then it's a baseless accusation. All the evidence on hand indicates Bill is choosing to make light of his own situation, while making some cash in the meantime. If you want to consider this exploitation, it's Bill exploiting himself. DF is the avenue Bill is doing this through as Bill has no platform of his own currently. To me it just looks Bill is trying to keep a sense of humor and trying to keep the money flowing in the face of severe medical issuss.