australia :: melbourne :: shopping

[lotek01]

yeah regardless of how serious this is, this forum isn't the best place to vent. it's ultimately a shallow forum about fashunz after all (3).

i've been in the position of being part of a store that ended up owing people money, at the same time being one of those owed money by the owner due to several reasons so i can sorta see the frustration on both ends.

this is where mixing up business and personal issues/funds/etc becomes a really bad thing... hope everyone gets their shit sorted out. all this talk makes for a great read (hah) but it's not the most considerate thing to put on a public forum.

[Ivans On High]

Let me start by saying I am not ABG. I'm sure it probably crossed some of your minds, seeing as most of you know I am owed a substantial amount by Joe.

Secondly, claiming someone has a personality disorder is pretty stupid, but clearly not the most important thing here. So we should just move on from that.

Lotek has it right, mixing up business and personal issues is a tough one, because lets face it if this was any other store, the bitching would be welcomed. We are, after all, a community. And bringing to light bad business practices is something good for the community.

As far as neverend goes, I have been primarily quiet about the situation on the surface. I have made known facts about the situation to various members as well as moderators, and I in-turn have been contacted by several members regarding issues with Joe. I have also been in contact with several past members, and also designers (international and local) in an attempt to find out what is going on. I kept it quiet for this exact reason - I didn't want Joe to feel threatened enough to cut and run, and I didn't want Mitch to come on here and condense 1686 pages of discussion (fashion or otherwise) into two lame comments about CCP and my Rick Owens laces (what ever the fuck that means).

So, with that being said, I am not going to get into the details here - the relevant parties have all the relevant information at this stage.

Joe has given me his word that he is trying to pay back the money he owes, but around every bend there is another delay and another excuse. I made the payment for the Augustas in November last year, and it is not a small amount of money. And yes, I have heard the stories regarding issues with Telstra etc. and sympathize, but at the end of the day Never End is a retail store and is accountable for my (and other peoples) money. Imagine this was David Jones for example?

As for the Augustas themselves, the order was sold-through by Augusta due to Joe not paying. I spoke to Luigi (reputable SA from Atelier, now working for Augusta) personally and he explained the situation - there is no getting around the fact that there has been serious mismanagement of funds, and the end result is what you now see. Will it be considered fraud? That is up to the bank dispute investigation team to decide, who will then pass the information on to the police.

I hope you now no where myself and ABG are coming from (JBone is also owed upwards for $5k AUD), and can understand that this is a burden on us also. It is not easy to be out of pocket that much money with seemingly no path to recourse.

[selkies]

If it's purely about money owed then why make a timeline of incorrect information referencing people who have absolutely nothing to do with the situation?

Let me make one thing clear, I understand never end owes some of you money. If you are prepared to do pre-orders then you have to be confident that you can obtain the goods, simple as that.

The timeline and the extremely harsh email make it all seem like there is something else going on here.

[fenrost]

and I didn't want Mitch to come on here and condense 1686 pages of discussion (fashion or otherwise) into two lame comments about CCP and my Rick Owens laces (what ever the fuck that means).

hammered with work, thought to respond to nick and others.. sorry guys for the neglect.

it was a matter of time the pandora box will open. and its i think this is just the beginning

i would like to add some comment to the hilarity mitch have made, just to make it clear, not everyone here likes ccp/julius/etcetc. singling out some of us here is just as stupid.

cant b bothered to add more.

anyway, most of us here are in good terms despite conflict opinions. lets watch world cup guys.

[Ivans On High]

Well I have nothing to do with the time line, simple as that.

Secondly, are you trying to put this on us? The punter who is taking a retailer at his word? You have to be kidding. If you are prepared to offer pre-orders, you have to be confident that you can obtain the goods, and most importantly, you don't spend the money that is required to purchase the order!

I don't know what the email said, but it can't be any worse than the blatant lies that I have received. I have 6 emails and several PMs telling me that the Augustas are on their way, or will arrive at the end of the week, or will be shipped next week. The whole time knowing that they hadn't even been paid for.

[lotek01]

Ivans is spot on, a business owes it to their customers to not owe them money, and any personal funds should have been protected such that if the worst happens, monies relating to the business that are owed can be paid out (ESPECIALLY to customers) and the business itself shut down rather than accumulating debt that has to be settled from personal funds.

Sure, the business owner has his troubles but the customers themselves are also missing these fairly substantial funds for a long time that could result in them having personal problems too. And it's not their fault or something that could have been prevented, because the customers aren't always informed beforehand about everything.

I've witnessed firsthand unprofessional fund handling (and investors not holding up their end of the bargain) resulting in soured personal relationships with designers, many people including me being owed a fair amount of money for almost a year and the business shutting down completely; the latter of which should have happened a long time before and none of these would have happened. It's very frustrating for the business owner, but I am facing financial problems on a personal level as a result of the whole affair and that isn't right.

That said, whatever the personal issues are here, a business is a business and should have been conducted as such from the start. We all have our own personal issues but there is a trust bound to customer/business relationships that should never be breached, which is why laws exist to protect against such problems.

[notsicknorwell]

hammered with work, thought to respond to nick and others.. sorry guys for the neglect.

---cut---

anyway, most of us here are in good terms despite conflict opinions. lets watch world cup guys.

no problem man, tonight sailang Japan win ^_~

[nlim3482]

not sure of the reasons why he closed but I think he is a columnist for SMH/The Age now

[Ivans On High]

I thought you were talking about James Cameron vs BP hahaha.

[lotek01]

loved that label, although most of the time i went in i just talked about how inconvenient his name must be

[selkies]

Ivans.. I was saying that if Joe was prepared to take pre-orders he should of been confident in knowing that he would be receiving the product from the designer.

And I was referring to the let's end never end email address.

If I was owed 5k I'm not sure what I would have done, I personally think you have handled the siuation quite well ivans considering this is the only true info the public have been offered in regards to the situation.

[Ivans On High]

Mitch, OK. Some misunderstandings there, and I agree the email address is absurd and not the right way to go about things. Pitchforks would be far more civilized... hahaha.

Unfortunately I still don't know what I'm going to do. Joe has said that he has been organising a sale thread/update of the website, of both remaining stock and personal items to try and recoup some of the funds. Unfortunately he has been saying this for 2 weeks now, and given the amount of money he owes, I don't think he will be able to pay his debts. If I were in his position I would borrow money from my parents to at least pay the customers; it appears the designers have been capable enough to on-sell the unpaid-for goods so as not to be in debt.

I am sure the LUC delivery needs to be paid for too, at least half of it anyway.

[fenrost]

haha nick. yes japan : )

people. whatever left the discussion pls take it into private. whatever published in this very open forum may be accountable for slander.

move along now.

[fenrost]

I discover a new awesome msian restaurant.

Chai cafe at belham st/ swanston st.

Across seasons apartment.

Decent portion and price. They have satey chicken too.

[50_lions]

I don't feel it necessary to say too much but this shit that's going down

doesn't sit well at all - I really hope all those owed get your $ back asap.

edit: oh yeah food – I had fried lamb chops tonight, home made/highly recommend.

[fenrost]

sorry its pelham.

here's location: tho google havent updated that the construction is actually completed. heh

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&q=pelham+street+carlton&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Pelham+St,+Carlton+Victoria+3053&ll=-37.803138,144.964664&spn=0.010461,0.019119&z=16&layer=c&cbll=-37.802547,144.964051&panoid=Wz2uhWb2MCLkel_Xr6tpBw&cbp=12,189.39,,0,5.1

[DJI]

cheers Rob, I think the last time I had real satay was back in Malaysia a couple of years back now so could definitely go some!

Dave does Don Tojo have the same menu as Don Don on Swanston? still need to try the ramen at Don Too, they need to open a place in the Docklands...

[eversuns]

Anywhere in Melbourne that I can scope out for really thick hot chocolate.

[lotek01]

Anywhere in Melbourne that I can scope out for really thick hot chocolate.

http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/DiningandNightlife/Cafes/Chocolate/Pages/1013.aspx

heard real good things about this place

[eversuns]

Cheers. Will definately hit it up when I get to melb next month

+rep

[50_lions]

Anywhere in Melbourne that I can scope out for really thick hot chocolate.

e that is seriously the most random thing to plan 1 month in advance - hot choc addict?

[eversuns]

Haha. Yeah most definately. Guess what I just finished making in the kitchen

Would kill for a good, thick and authentic hot chocolate.

Edit: I should probably mention I am planning my itinerary ATM, makes me seem less random. Haha

[034936]

im flying in tomorrow morning!

what are your recommendations for good bookshops?

and so nasi lemak house is the malaysian joint i shouldnt miss?

[fenrost]

if you like art/design

http://www.metropolisbookshop.com.au/

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=metropolis+swanston+st&gl=au&hl=en&cd=1&ei=suopTL-IO9CjkAW2sLGbAg&sig2=e3kYgsYa3ofK53twGgXKHA&sll=-37.81227,144.965753&sspn=0.00128,0.002411&ie=UTF8&view=map&cid=14216058596705974770&ved=0CEcQpQY&hq=metropolis+swanston+st&hnear=&ll=-37.811566,144.964744&spn=0,0.002411&z=19&layer=c&cbll=-37.811583,144.964679&panoid=n8jkgJwBMGzKcWNSx4wyKQ&cbp=12,139,,0,-11.69

tall buliding at that row

[kuugaia]

Haha. Yeah most definately. Guess what I just finished making in the kitchen

Would kill for a good, thick and authentic hot chocolate.

Edit: I should probably mention I am planning my itinerary ATM, makes me seem less random. Haha

I personally hate San Churros, but you could try that if you really like thick hot chocolate. I think a lot of the chocolate out these days is too sweet. Enjoyed Koko Black when I was in Melbourne.

[Ivans On High]

When I was in Melb I went to this little Latin pastry cafe on Brunswick for Churros (you guys love that shit down there!) and Mexican spiced coffee, it was the tits. They had several types of hot chocolate form memory, highly recommend.

I also, from some hole in the wall Churros place in the city, had a peanut butter filled churros, hot off the press. Sooooo gooooood.

[notsicknorwell]

I personally hate San Churros, but you could try that if you really like thick hot chocolate. I think a lot of the chocolate out these days is too sweet. Enjoyed Koko Black when I was in Melbourne.

if you really want a Melbourne-only hot chocolate experience, you have to go to Monsieur Truffle in Collingwood on Smith St, serious. end thread. Monsieur Truffle has been doing chocolate for the longest time in Prahan Markets and is now in Collingwood, and his hot chocolate is like the Alien Chocolate God impregnating me with it's seed orally for it to gestate in my belly.

Koko Black is worth a punt like two escorts + cocaine (you have to do it at least once in your life) but it is still a chain in the end, if you go to Koko Black go to the Lygon St one as the menu is expanded.

When I was in Melb I went to this little Latin pastry cafe on Brunswick for Churros (you guys love that shit down there!) and Mexican spiced coffee, it was the tits. They had several types of hot chocolate form memory, highly recommend.

I also, from some hole in the wall Churros place in the city, had a peanut butter filled churros, hot off the press. Sooooo gooooood.

Adam, that's San Churros I believe, they have stores in Glebe/Chatswood/Bondi now.

[eversuns]

Must spread rep. Cheers for the awesome info guys. I am sure I will be sick of hot chocolate by the time I get home.

[Ivans On High]

Adam, that's San Churros I believe, they have stores in Glebe/Chatswood/Bondi now.

No, the one I went to on Brunswick St. was called Michell's Latin Pastry's or something like that lol.The hole in the wall one was something else as well.

But you are right, San Churros has expanded in Sydney. The one in Glebe has been there for yonks though.

[Daaave]

I personally hate San Churros, but you could try that if you really like thick hot chocolate. I think a lot of the chocolate out these days is too sweet.

If you need a really good hot chocolate in Perth, there's this little place called Brownhaus in Subiaco that I can't get enough of.