posted on July 6, 2001 12:54:55 AM new
Well, I had high hopes for gegy until today.
As reported by AuctionBytes.com, gegy has business ties to AuctionEagle.com which was shut down yesterday for spamming. The CEO of gegy denied any relationship with AuctionEagle. Later, he admitted he owned part of AuctionEagle and essentially purchased a very nice article about gegy that was sent as spam.
I personally do not mind spam as much as I do telemarketers and junk mail. However, I do have trouble with dishonest business. Writing an article about yourself, purchasing another company to publish it, and denying any involvement is dishonest. Beginning to wonder if the 7 figure advertising budget is just hype.
posted on July 6, 2001 11:08:31 AM new
...still waiting for a gegy representative to respond to this thread. You were always so quick to answer questions here. What happened?!
posted on July 6, 2001 11:14:44 AM newBeginning to wonder if the 7 figure advertising budget is just hype.
...they never said "7 figures to the left of the decimal point", did they? Also bear in mind that the smallest (but un-minted) unit of money in the US is the mil, 1/10 cent. So the 7-figures may be of the form $xxxx.xxx. Brings it into the believable range.
-gaffan-
posted on July 6, 2001 11:23:46 AM new
Gaffan, they're e probably talking Canadian dollars too so multiply your amount by 2/3.
(Gottaknow88: There was a question and answer session yesterday on the a Geggy forum. That's where the Gegy owner admitted he had lied about his association with AuctionEagle and responded to questions. I think the thread was to have been locked last night though.)
posted on July 6, 2001 11:51:41 AM new
Now, now, now--let's not get TOO critical here, folks--after all, we would like the folks from Gegy to come over and defend themselves on this, wouldn't we? (All tongue-in-cheek intended.)
My sister and I started looking at Gegy a little while back and reading their message boards and the live chat they held about 10 days ago.
Sis said she smelled a rat and since we've been sisters for going on 40 years now I know when she smells a rat it's time to get real cautious.
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posted on July 6, 2001 12:29:29 PM newGaffan, they're e probably talking Canadian dollars too so multiply your amount by 2/3.
Excellent point, Irene. Come to think of it, I don't believe a unit of currency was specified... lemme see, a million Italian lire is what... about $500?
-gaffan-
posted on July 6, 2001 12:39:51 PM new
I found the thread and read most of it. A bunch of malarky (sp?) to say the least.
I now see gegy as a small operation (2-3 people max) pretending to be a massive corporate presence with a massive corporate plan. They also seem to have no internet savvy (harvesting emails? spam?). Just big business men trying to buy an auction site the way they'd buy a strip mall using questionable tactics.
This is no different from BidBay, ePier and Bidville. Nobody knows what goes on behind the scenes at any of these wannabe sites. At least two of these seem to be honest though.
posted on July 6, 2001 12:56:12 PM new
i've left a couple of message for gegy - regarding #s signed up, beta testers, etc... no reply...
but- bargainandhaggle still moving well for me
posted on July 6, 2001 01:11:10 PM new
I sincerly hope that gegy isn't a bunch of hooey as I'd really want to see what a site can do with a sizable advertizing budget. It does sound too good to be true doesn't it ...
posted on July 6, 2001 03:26:49 PM new
This truly gets weirder and weirder.
The Pres (CEO) apparently claims to have turned Auction Eagle into their bandwidth provider for spam.
Then the article at Auction Bytes states other information.
None of this makes any sense at all.
From what I've been able to read on their message boards I don't think I'd trust them as far as I could throw down.
-----------------------------------
We are still waiting. You posted here for days with prompt responses when the flavor was positive. Surely you haven't vanished because the tide is turning, have you?
posted on July 7, 2001 03:32:54 PM new
The advertising budget is in the million dollar range. I do believe that this is a very viable option for those who do not want to list on ebay. Hey it is worth a shot no one else has come close to touching Ebay yet.
posted on July 7, 2001 03:34:26 PM new
Doubt Tracy (the only Gegy rep who has posted here) is going to respond regarding Troy's (the Gegy CEO) stunt. You'd have to get an answer from Troy himself on the Gegy forum. If it introduced Gegy to a million users (was that the user base of AuctionEagle?) free of charge then it'll be water under the bridge in a few months if buyers flock to the site.
Why did he choose an email list that reaches a million users and why run such a shoddy deception??? There are people selling CDs with 10 MILLION email addresses that he could have used!
Hope Gegy remains above board and forthright with its users from here on in, since that inability is what soured users to eBay and PayPal!
posted on July 7, 2001 03:44:18 PM new
Personally, I don't mind spam. I think it is a damn good way to get the word out cheaply.
I do mind the fact that gegy had a personal interest in AuctionEagle that printed such a fine review of the site. I especially mind that gegy denied any personal interest in AuctionEagle when questioned and eventually admitted they owned part of it. These tactics are unacceptable.
posted on July 7, 2001 04:01:58 PM new
gottaknow88 >
I don't mind spam. I think it is a damn good way to get the word out cheaply.
That sure explains alot.
I routinely forward spam to the ISP whose mail server from which it originated for account cancellation, and traceroute the website touted in the spam to the upstream provider for website removal.
posted on July 7, 2001 04:02:44 PM new
I don't know the formal rules governing spam, but is an email sent to a large group with an opt-out clause considered spam? Anyone know?
If that isn't spam it might be a good idea for Troy to get ahold of those lists with 10 million email addresses and fire away opt-out emails! Someone probably has all of AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo and eBay's email addresses harvested somewhere. Preferably send out some sort of value added e-Zine offering other information in addition to a Gegy promotion --- slide the Gegy ad in there nonchalantly. If they offer something along the lines of PayPal's signon bonus or Half.com's $10 rebate for 1st purchase, fewer people might get up in arms. I figure they'll do something like that in order to entice people to signup for GegyPay.
posted on July 7, 2001 06:21:05 PM new
Dimview - there is a delete key on your computer. Very easy to use.
I'm wondering, do you call every retail outlet that sends you junk mail complaining? Do you call back telemarketers complaining? Not be accusatory, just asking.
There are no real laws against spamming. In fact, it is not illegal. But, a spammer's website can be shut down because it violates their hosts TOS. (Example, AuctionEagle.com. Go there and you'll see what I mean.) Also, if you spam, it is likely that your email addresses will eventually be completely blocked from reaching their intended hosts. You get placed on "spammer lists" and email gateways reject any mail coming from you.
posted on July 7, 2001 06:58:18 PM new
If anyone read the statements the CEO made AFTER being confronted, he admitted to the following:
1) Owning an interest in auctioneagle.com after claiming no affiliation.
2) Placing an add in a usenet/newsgroup looking to hire someone to harvest emails from pre-selected sites. He has denied that such a person was ever hired though.
3)Spamming said usenet/newsgroups on behalf of auctioneagle.com. He pleaded ignorance to the spamming.
posted on July 7, 2001 07:44:08 PM new
Okay--here's some facts:
Fact 1: My sister received an e-mail from Auction Eagle that contained an article about Gegy in it.
Fact 2: She had never heard of Auction Eagle before receiving that e-mail.
Fact 3: The only place that e-mail address has ever been used for is eBay.
Following are things that I've read within the last couple of days.
Gegy CEO (aka Emperor) allegedly claimed no involvement with Auction Eagle.
Later he allegedly admitted involvement, and in fact part ownership of the site.
And yet on his very own message board on his very own site, allegedly stated that he himself had turned Auction Eagle in for spamming and made sure their site was shut down. Along in what I read he also allegedly stated that any one trying to give them a bad reputation with mis-reported information would be receiving the same treatment.
I really do wish I had saved the article I read on Auction Eagle about Gegy because it was a very nice article and in no way derogatory.
I'm trying to do a little digging on spam laws to see whether or not spam is illegal. Currently I can find that IT IS ILLEGAL in the state of Washington (incoming or outgoing). So far I can't find any other states that have followed Washington's lead.
However, the sending of unsolicited e-mail is against almost all ISP TOS, almost all web hosts, and almost all on-line e-mail accounts. Since it is against such rules, if a person uses those services and breaks those rules it in the very least shows that they are willing to use unethical practices to grow their businesses. Is this the type of person you want to deal with?
Somewhere, and I can't remember where, I remember seeing that the domain name for Auction Eagle had been registered in May of this year--barely over two months ago. Yet they boasted thousands of subscribers. Where would a newsletter gain thousands of subscribers in two months' time?
I am subscribed to Tag Notes and if memory serves they have somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 subscribers (possibly more). I write a newsletter myself and have just under 200 subscribers, every one of them opt-in.
When I first heard of Gegy and their plans I was excited. I was hoping this would be a site that would be different--a site that would use morals, values and good judgment to please their users.
In looking over what I've seen in the past few days I don't believe these are people to be trusted. Time will tell, I suppose, but they've already stumbled on a huge stone IMHO.
-----------------------------------
posted on July 7, 2001 07:56:38 PM new
When you receive junk mail in your mail box, it's the company sending it that is paying the postage. On the other hand, when you receive unsolicited e-mail, it's the recipient's bandwidth which is being used. If there was no e-mail spam at all, I imagine our internet connection costs would go down a fair amount.
posted on July 8, 2001 08:12:01 PM new
I am reminded of the movie "Frankenstein" .. You remember, the mob scene towards the end? All the townspeople gathered their pitchforks and their torches and hunted the big green guy mercilessly... killing him in the end.
Why don't we adopt a bit more of a "wait and see attitude", is it a good idea to try and kill this thing before it gets off the ground? Who would benefit from that other than eBay?
I am NOT a paid endorser of the site. I am just waiting for a good alternative to ePay. If these guys are able to do what they say they want to do, I am all for it.
As far as questioning their credibility, who among the "big boys" of the auction world has any credibility to begin with? And should we really care? Business is business folks, I for one, am all for a new up and comer to smite the large gorilla.
We will have to wait and see if they've learned their lesson about the spam. If this is the worst of their sins... big deal?
We will have to wait and see if the Emperor has learned his lesson about lying to the auction community... again, is this such a big transgression of morals? This is done in the business community all the time. (NOT by me! )
I for one, am leaving my pitchfork and torch be for now.
I for one, am waiting to see if the green guy has any redeeming values.
I for one, am willing to test the waters and see if someone has the chutzpah to take on Pierre and Meg and show them what for.
Caution is always a good thing, but before passing such a harsh judgement on anyone, why not keep your eyes, ears, and mind open to new ideas?
Climbing down from my soapbox now, start flaming... I'm ducking!
edited for typo
[ edited by sugar2912 on Jul 8, 2001 09:29 PM ]
posted on July 8, 2001 09:49:35 PM new
Once upon a time (June 1999) a spammer came to AW raving about a credit card service called WeCharge. The poster said they had used the service for numerous transactions and was very pleased. The fees were much lower than the competition (CCNow).
Everyone was very excited (this was prior to PayPal), but there were a number of people that were skeptical and somewhat concerned about telling their customers to trust their credit card numbers with this unknown company. They got bashed for their negativity by other posters. However, skeptics persisted.
They did some digging and found that the same poster raving about the service had been raving about another service called Legalservices(sp) a month earlier. That service had run into difficulties. They also discovered the WeCharge had only been in business for 2 weeks (how could the spammer be a long time customer?). They wondered if there was any connection between Legalservices and WeCharge.
It was also discovered that some of the web pages at the WeCharge site were STOLEN from CCnow. The proof was that some of the links on the WeCharge site actually led to CCNow web pages (they hadn't been changed!). It was also discovered that you could see a list on the WeCharge site of all the people who had signed up for the service.
The head of WeCharge came to AW at least twice (Matt I think his name was). Matt was smooth and very convincing but finally the inconsistencies couldn't be ignored.
There were also questions being asked at another message board (that board no longer exists, moderators). The owner of that board arranged a special WeCharge forum where Matt was invited to explain himself and answer questions.
Matt finally came clean. He and a couple of other college students were behind Legalservices. When that company ran into difficulty, they started WeCharge. Matt was very, very contrite and very, very sorry for the deceptions. He said that professional management had been obtained and (I forget the rest).
Sellers forgave and signed up for the service.
Six months later, Matt was on the run from the police and sellers were out thousands of dollars.
=================
When the Gegy saga was unfolding, I was reminded of the WeCharge saga. The lies, followed by a contrite apology, when lies were revealed and couldn't be ignored.
It is only common sense to be cautious about future dealings with a company whose owner has revealed unethical practices in the past - particularly when that company is offering a payment service.
It's up to Gegy to prove itself to us. Until then, caution is advised.
Irene
[ edited by stockticker on Jul 8, 2001 09:54 PM ]
posted on July 8, 2001 09:51:22 PM new
The fact that a few individuals are willing to lie for the sake of money is not so surprising as the large number of people who accept that behavior. "He lied, so what?" when said of a business partner, confuses me.
. Internet Pioneers
posted on July 8, 2001 09:58:59 PM new
Amen, Twinsoft.
Adults who behave in an unethical manner don't magically become ethical unless they undergo some sort of life altering experience. They may decide to act in an ethical manner in future only because they see it is to their financial advantage. If it ceases to be in their financial advantage....
posted on July 8, 2001 10:06:38 PM new
wow, what's blowing my mind is that somebody out there actually said "I don't mind spam"--- I invite them to trade email accounts with me, due to my owning a web design business, I sometimes get well over a *hundred* spam emails a DAY.....
(All tongue-in-cheek intended.)
