Since Daniel has not replied to any of the many posts about his behavior, i will post this open letter to him:
Daniel,
You once had a good reputation. In the 80's and 90's you were reputed to be an expert on vinyl and had a lot of repect. You also, with 2 others, had a company in the 90's producing very high end equipment, including about 10 Apolyt turntables. But the company went out of business and you returned to writing technical papers for your living.
On the side in the 90's tho you began to damage your reputation in the vinyl world by making false claims and demanding extra lps in sales. Then that escalated around 2006
when under the name Kasugi you and Axinia market a book you required prepayment for and never delivered. That ebay thread is referenced by others above. Because no one
publicly called you out in the 90's, in 2006 you outright defrauded people. And then disappeared, and everyone forgot.
And because you got away with it twice, in the last couple of years you are back in action. THAT IS ONE VERY BIG REASON TO KEEP THIS THREAD ALIVE. YOU MUST NOT BE ALLOWED BY THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE A 3RD LIFE.
You do not have a company that has employees. You make your living by technical writing in German and English, but on the side you sell used equipment and you occasionally produce the Omnigon. Because the Apolyt was of high reputation, you have been able to piggyback on the reputation of several well known audiophiles and begin to drum up interest in your speaker, the Omnigon, and the Apolyt. You have cannibalized the reputation of especially one person with the promise of eventually delivering the Apolyt which he wants badly. You used him and his reputation to attract the interest of people like me. Unfortunately, he did not divulge that he knew what you do to people. But because of his posts raving about your Omnigon and other gear, I got in contact with you, and eventually PREPAID the Omnigon. 8 months later it was delivered. I found out this is how you work. You demand prepayment, people do on the basis of the people around you, and then they wait and wait. Some people have waited more than 2 years and still do not have the Omnigon. Daniel, this is bad business, and is furthering damaging the reputation as one who promises, keeps the money and does not deliver.
I took the 8x8 on approval basis. Others, like me, have mails that state it is on approval, and if not liked, returned for a full REFUND. I told you days later i did not want it.
But refund? see the mail posted below. Suddenly you say it is payment towards the Apolyt. that is simply dishonest and mail we have shows it.
I bought the Omigon with 4 step ups in it. Of course i did not need the Syntax step up from you and the agreement was refund when Omnigon delivered. I have been waiting
5 months and no money. Then you send the mail below that it is tied up in production of the Apolyt and you promise to refund this when sales happen. Daniel, that is fraud.
My wife and i show you great hospitality on your 3 visits. In fact, you want to go to Macy's to buy ralph lauren clothes. I take you. Turns out you are short money, so you want me to use my credit card and will paypal me $241. so i trust you. No paypal comes.
The debt piles up. I finally refuse to send more money for the Apolyt which is promised in writing for April. I say why should i when you have so much money you HAVE NOT REFUNDED THAT IS OWED ME.....and why should i when i find your reputation is you do not deliver and people wait several years. In fact i waited for the Omnigon with all kinds of excuses from you.....as did others i know, and so i refuse to pay more. Then i get this letter from you that offers me exit from the Apolyt with no conditions.
On Feb 16, 2012, at 11:28 AM,
shepherd.a@t-online.de wrote:
Dear Mike,
Please kindly let me know any concerns on your side now.
You are about to try bi-amping now and you will most likely do this with
the Gakuoh and not the ElectronLuv.
What if you like the sound?
What if you do no longer want to trade in the Gakuoh?
This has become an unpredictable situation for me.
If you want to call the deal with the Apolyt EVO off, I am fine with
this, - I just need to know now.
It will put some additional stress on me, but we will be able within a
few weeks to refund your payment of January.
I am fine too, if you decide to stop now, wait till the Apolyt EVO is
finished and maybe even taking a look and a listen first here in August
before finally deciding to buy it or not.
In that case you would now - with the already paid for air-bearing -
have already the “ticket” for the Apolyt EVO.
If you want to continue and if you want to complete the deal with the
Apolyt EVO now and till mid April, - then please let me know how we can
handle the selling of Allnics and Gakuoh in a way that I can be sure
that I can ship the components in time in case I have sold them.
I need to know this and I need to know this very fast.
Best,
Daniel
You promise a REFUND in January 2012. It is May. No money. Nothing paid back of anything you owe me. I ask for it. I am not sending you my Kondo and Allnic when you already owe me such a big refund, so i say i out of the apolyt. but then you go silent. Disappear. Nothing.
________________
Then a week ago i go to hook up the new sub i bought to replace the Edgar i sold just before your 2nd visit in January to deliver the Omnigon. And i find that the 4th output on it does not work. It is not wired. i write you. I state that the manual says there are 4 outputs, nothing about it being in reserve as one of your replies says. Now keep in mind as you see these letters that you had been in my home 4 days in December along with Syntax. You and he knew my system. You knew i used a sub. You are the one that built the crossover that excluded the sub. you knew i would probably bi-amp....that was OUR plan and discussion all along.......and that my super tweeter had its own crossover and need and output. So you knew when you were here i would need 4 outputs. You assured me the Omnigon does have. well, it does but one is not wired. Here are the letters and you twisting things so that you never are at fault or owe money.
Mike,
as written yesterday - guess you've received the email? - it will go off
today.
Last time you mused about the number of outputs, you were still at the
state of mind of using either only one poweramp or 2 poweramps the most.
That you return to tri-amping now plus subwoofer is all new to me.
Anyway - you can have the 4th output wired in parallel to the other 3
outputs in 10 minutes.
It will be send registered airmail letter post in about 2 hours.
Regards,
Daniel
-----Original Message-----
Date: Thu, 10 May 2012 07:30:09 +0200
Subject: daniel, may i hear from you on confirmation
From: Mike Ladra <msrljoh@comcast.net>
To:
shepherd.a@t-online.de
daniel, daniel,
come on my friend. Must i post on this?
i need the silver wire and proof it sent. i need this quickly
I paid a lot for this preamp + import. and it was clear that i needed 4
working outputs as per the MANUAL, (do i need to post he mails etc and
the manual?)
SO , i really would want
the tracking number
quick post
can we move on and you deliver and communicate. I had no trouble
hearing from you when you wanted money;
only when you owe me and need to deliver.
Let us move on, and honor your lifetime warranty in an good fashion.
thank you,
mike
Mike,
apparently you already have had the 4th output wired - so a waste of
time to discuss why I have hold the 4th output in reserve.
Your plans and ideas with your system have changed so often.
The tubes back in November were part-payment - I took them from you as a
trade-in.
The reason why you never mentioned them in the past 6 months .... till
now.
There simply was never anything "due for them".
Reason too that I phoned my friend in Germany back in November to make
sure ahead, that he really wants them and that I will get my money back
from him.
Anyway - what is your Paypal-account ?
Regards,
Daniel
Daniel this is theft.
Notice daniel that you twist this as if i should not have had the 4th wired. What am i to do? Leave it non-functional. I have asked you to pays the $75 bill + i remind you again of the NOS tubes you took in December to sell to a friend that we agreed you would paypal me 1400. Never did. so i remind you again. And now i am told were taken as prepayment! For what! Daniel, in the 90's you got away with it, and then in 2006, but no more. You can not suddenly say money you owe me is prepayment unless you have it in writing.
show me it in writing. You can't because it is untrue. Daniel, this is fraud, and is very serious.
Your manual states 4 outputs. no qualification. You knew my system, but now you try to DISTRACT from the truth. Anything to avoid YOU PAYING MONEY TO SOMEONE.
Then finally i get this letter promising refund. But look closely what is missing and what in the end does it mean when the April delivery date of the Apolyt has passed, and no one has one because it does not exist. And i know for a fact some have waited almost 2 years. Look at this letter: Do you really think I should wait till the end of time for my almost $50,000? Do you really think you can twist the truth about refunds for the 8x8 and syntax step up and your clothes and all the rest, and say, 'wait to i sell the apolyt?' You conveniently FORGET THAT IN THE LETTER ABOVE YOU PROMISE THE APOLYT REFUND IN JANUARY. this is what you do. Make promises, don't refund, then go into amnesia and spin doctor facts. Your letter:
Well Mike,
Rest assured, that I am very well prepared to answer all arguments
against me should we meet in a legal case soon.
Why i am so confident?
Simply because I know that it is not the way it seems to you based on
the internet gossip and the fact that I did not act the way you expected
and demanded.
I told you before that you will get refunded for your down payment as
well as the 8x8 - I told you too, that right now it is simply not
possible, as all our money is in the current project.
Again: simply not possible now at this moment.
Daniel
daniel again you promise but you omit the Syntax step up, the clothes, the Crossover, etc etc...... amnesia of things earlier admitted. Pay me my money.
THIS IS THE BIGGEST REASON THIS THREAD NEEDS TO BE KEPT ALIVE. LET THE AUDIO COMMUNITY KEEP HIM ACCOUNTABLE. WILL HE EVER REFUND MONEY? HE NEVER HAS, SO LET US KEEP THIS THREAD UP AND LET PEOPLE CHECK IN WITH ME AND OTHERS HE OWES MONEY TOO LIKE alf apparently. Let us SEE IF HE KEEPS HIS PROMISE.
IMO OPINION THE WORST THING IS TO CLOSE THIS POST. THEN FOR THE 3RD TIME HE WILL BE ALLOWED TO DEFRAUD -- THE 90's, 2006, and again? WHY SHOULD THIS FORUM ALLOW THAT.
WHAT IS THE HARM IN KEEPING IT ALIVE AND CHECKING IN TO SEE IF HE HAD KEPT HIS PROMISE? WHY LET HIM GET AWAY A 3RD TIME AND CONTINUE THIS BEHAVIOR?
that is my opinion. i could be wrong, but this is not just about me getting my money. It is about keeping a member of the community from cheating people.
one other thing: His 3rd visit in January, i confronted him on my patio about lies he had told to people in Texas I knew of. He started crying. He said people falsely accuse him.
I am a soft hearted person, so i forgave him. Then we had to rush to the airport. but before we walked out the door, i went to my home office as he packed.
When i came back for the airport $2000+ in silver wbt's were missing. they were in a bag on the floor. i mailed him and asked if by mistake he took them. he said no. they are on the floor. they are not. they cannot get lost in my dedicated audio room. I hate to say this of anyone, but the stole them. I can only guess that he was upset i confronted him and he cried, and somehow justified stealing from me as compensation. That they are missing is a fact.
I often say that if a person cheats once in golf on the scorecard and gets away with it, it starts a habit. You don't just steal once. You don't just defraud once if you get away with it . It seems like fraud pays, so you do it again and again. I am not the first victim. There is a long line.
THAT IS THE REASON TO KEEP THIS THREAD ALIVE. We must hold him accountable and see if he keeps the promise to repay people.
It is NOT MERELY THAT ENOUGH HAS BEEN SAID OR IS THERE NEW INFORMATION. I RESPECTFULLY SUBMIT this is about the community keeping him accountable.
I can see no harm in keeping the thread alive so the community knows what happens or does not happen
csl
