Fantasy Jungle STILL HAS NOT PAID?

KOTRAX
Posts: 1181
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 6:00 pm

Fantasy Jungle STILL HAS NOT PAID?

Post by KOTRAX » Tue Apr 07, 2009 9:07 am

THIS IS RIDICULOUS THAT THESE GAME OPERATORS ARE DOING THIS.

RUN THE LEAGUE WITH INTEGRITY AND PAY PEOPLE THEIR MONEY AND IF YOU CAN'T FO THAT DON'T RUN IT AT ALL.

THAT IS WHY I CAN APPRECIATE THE NFFC IS THAT THE WINNERS ARE GOING TO GET PAID AND WITH NO UNNECESSARY B.S.

Route Collectors
Posts: 3525
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 6:00 pm

Fantasy Jungle STILL HAS NOT PAID?

Post by Route Collectors » Wed Apr 08, 2009 3:11 pm

I feel bad for all of you waiting on your winnings. :(

Fly Route
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 6:00 pm

Fantasy Jungle STILL HAS NOT PAID?

Post by Fly Route » Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:27 pm

I took 5th this past year and also won 2 satelite leagues and am owed 5K. I am very frustrated as I have spent a lot of money with the FJ the past few years playing nearly all of their contests each year and now I find myself waiting just to see IF im going to be paid.

This was the best year ever with 420 teams signed up @ $500 each! Where did that money go?! Something has to be done to guarantee the prize money. Unfortunately this will also effect how many leagues I will be playing this coming season and now have to decide wich contests I feel will pay me at the end of the season.

Mike Gustafson

The following was sent to me today in regards to '08 prize winnings wich have yet to be sent:


We just wanted to give an update to the prize winners.

We haven't mailed the checks yet because we are having financial problems and trying to save our company, by means of a sale. This is the easiest way for us to do that, and continue forward with the company. Once that is resolved, checks would be mailed out, but unfortunately we don't have a date for you on when that will be, other than we hope soon and are working on it. It could be next week, it could be a few months and there is also a chance that it doesn't
happen at all. That is a worst case scenario that we are trying to avoid. We don't want to file for bankruptcy and lose the company, we have had it for six years and are doing our best to find a solution that works for everyone, so please take heart in that fact of our efforts to get your checks to you. We are hopeful that we find a buyer for the company, and have been in ongoing talks with a few different people, and have a few other meetings in the near future.

There isn't a lot to update everyone on, as it's a slow process, so that is why we haven't had a lot to say, but we wanted to give you an update with this e mail, and will continue to notify you this way when we do have something of substance to report. We understand your frustration and wanting to know, but this is the easiest and most time efficient way for us to do so, rather than individually respond to e mails in regards to the same thing.

We thank you for your patience, and will continue to work hard on this. Thanks for your understanding and have a Happy Easter.

The Fantasy Jungle

FIGHTINGNOLES
Posts: 82
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2007 6:00 pm

Fantasy Jungle STILL HAS NOT PAID?

Post by FIGHTINGNOLES » Fri Apr 10, 2009 3:51 pm

So, IF they find a BUYER who wants to pay them something substantial for a business which is now a PR nightmare, then they may in a few months be able to pay the winners. If not, they are finished.

I really would like an explaination on where the money went, since it seemed to me also that it was a busy year for them entry wise....As an Accountant, I just don't get it. Short of just keeping the money for themselves or other ventures (really the same thing), how could it get to this point?

I sincerely hope you get paid Fly Route!

Greg Ambrosius
Posts: 36411
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2004 6:00 pm

Fantasy Jungle STILL HAS NOT PAID?

Post by Greg Ambrosius » Sun Apr 12, 2009 4:25 am

Originally posted by Fly Route:
I took 5th this past year and also won 2 satelite leagues and am owed 5K. I am very frustrated as I have spent a lot of money with the FJ the past few years playing nearly all of their contests each year and now I find myself waiting just to see IF im going to be paid.

This was the best year ever with 420 teams signed up @ $500 each! Where did that money go?! Something has to be done to guarantee the prize money. Unfortunately this will also effect how many leagues I will be playing this coming season and now have to decide wich contests I feel will pay me at the end of the season.

Mike Gustafson

The following was sent to me today in regards to '08 prize winnings wich have yet to be sent:


We just wanted to give an update to the prize winners.

We haven't mailed the checks yet because we are having financial problems and trying to save our company, by means of a sale. This is the easiest way for us to do that, and continue forward with the company. Once that is resolved, checks would be mailed out, but unfortunately we don't have a date for you on when that will be, other than we hope soon and are working on it. It could be next week, it could be a few months and there is also a chance that it doesn't
happen at all. That is a worst case scenario that we are trying to avoid. We don't want to file for bankruptcy and lose the company, we have had it for six years and are doing our best to find a solution that works for everyone, so please take heart in that fact of our efforts to get your checks to you. We are hopeful that we find a buyer for the company, and have been in ongoing talks with a few different people, and have a few other meetings in the near future.

There isn't a lot to update everyone on, as it's a slow process, so that is why we haven't had a lot to say, but we wanted to give you an update with this e mail, and will continue to notify you this way when we do have something of substance to report. We understand your frustration and wanting to know, but this is the easiest and most time efficient way for us to do so, rather than individually respond to e mails in regards to the same thing.

We thank you for your patience, and will continue to work hard on this. Thanks for your understanding and have a Happy Easter.

The Fantasy Jungle Mike, I think I can speak for all of our NFBC members when I say that we feel terrible about what happened with the customers who are owed money by the Fantasy Jungle. There is no way that anyone who pays to play a game in our industry should have to go through what you and the other FJ members are going through. This is one year after the AFFL debacle and I'm embarrassed for our industry. I thought we were through with this type of crap.

I'm glad that Mike and Scott are still communicating with the winners, but that update was anything but an update. It's time for Mike and Scott to explain to their customers what happened to the money. Why do you need to have a sale of their company to get your winnings? As you stated, it was a record season for them with hundreds of thousands in revenue and now they don't have any of that to pay back in prizes? Why? Where is it?

I know Mike won't like my post here, but he has said that legally he can't explain what happened to the money, but I think it's time to reveal that for everyone in the industry to understand. Why should the customers hope for a sale when nobody knows what happened to hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money? Was it reinvested in the product and now the product is better? Someone tell Mike Gustafson and the rest of the industry how we got into this mess?

From a game operator's standpoint, it's simple: You take in entry fees, you set aside prize money and you run the rest of your business on the leftovers or investments of your owners. What's so hard about that? And how could FJ do it that way for five years and then screw up so badly that now customers are BEGGING for the government to get involved? Sheesh. That's the last thing we need. But if we can't resolve this one, I'm afraid that the government will see these stupid shenanigans and penalize all of us, even the good customers and good businesses.

It's time for Mike and Scott to come clean and explain to guys like Mike Gustafson where the money went and if they have any reasonable chance of seeing their winnings before the 2009 season. That's the least they can do with their next "update."
Founder, National Fantasy Football Championship & National Fantasy Baseball Championship
Twitter: @GregAmbrosius

Greg Ambrosius
Posts: 36411
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2004 6:00 pm

Fantasy Jungle STILL HAS NOT PAID?

Post by Greg Ambrosius » Sun Apr 12, 2009 4:30 am

Originally posted by Raiders:
Nice writeup Weber.

I'm really tied of hearing that these guys are nice guys. Please stop saying that, because that's far from the truth. They like AFFL ran other contest AFTER they knew they didn't have the money, to me it's just like breaking into your house and stealing.

I would like the Government to get involved and make sure this doesn't happen again year after year. This I believe is the 4 or 5 time that this same thing has happen, not to me and I'm still pissed.

Something needs to be done to protect the Players!

John I will just say that the last thing this industry needs is the government regulating it. In fact, the government probably has more important things to do right now than regulate our industry.

But you are right John, after seeing what AFFL and FJ has done over the last two years, it's time for the industry to police itself again and make this stop. That's why we started the FSTA in 1999 and today I don't see either trade association doing anything to stop this or even inform their members about this. Nobody in the industry came down on Neil or AFFL last year and nobody even wrote a story about that debacle. Now this FJ situation is here again and I don't see the FSTA or the FSA (which I'm the president of) doing anything to bring this to light.

For the players, it's now a "buyer beware" industry. If it looks too good, it probably is. Do your homework on every contest and know the game operators personally. Know more about the companies that run these high-stakes games. Anyone can run a fantasy football game, but it's apparent that not everyone can pay the prizes in a fantasy football game. I'll invite anyone to call me personally and ask about our game, our company backgrounds with NBC Sports and F+W Media, if that helps. We will never have any problem paying back our prizes and I sure hope that our competitors are saying the same thing.

The last thing we need is one more of these companies going down without paying out the winners. Then I'm afraid government intervention will take place, whether we like it or not.
Founder, National Fantasy Football Championship & National Fantasy Baseball Championship
Twitter: @GregAmbrosius

Team Legacy
Posts: 729
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:00 pm
Location: Indianapolis
Contact:

Fantasy Jungle STILL HAS NOT PAID?

Post by Team Legacy » Sun Apr 12, 2009 7:38 am

a buddy of mine lost over a million on a propery investment down in florida. The guys are broke, and a suit now would just lead to bankruptcy. Better to wait and see if they can make something of themselves down the road and then go after em.

I made my thoughts known about the Fantasy Jungle at the 48:30 mark of this Friday's show.

I'll always play NFFC because of the service Greg gives and the backing from Krause.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/f ... -Episode-4
Twitter: @ScottFantasy

Raiders
Posts: 3285
Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2007 6:00 pm

Fantasy Jungle STILL HAS NOT PAID?

Post by Raiders » Sun Apr 12, 2009 7:58 am

Good job Scott, listing now.

Greg, Players need to make better choices, but they need to know what those are. They need to know about NFFC/NBC.

This is off Fantasy Jungke site:

High Roller Fantasy Football PrizesThere is a guaranteed 80% prize payback in each league.
League Champion = $6,000
League Runner Up = $3,500

'guaranteed 80% prize payback' - Really!

Here in lines the problem, the industry needs to do a better job for the players. I'm scared that others will startup a Fantasy Contest to gain easy cash. So buyer beware. I also have other concerns and will myself do a better job in the future when entering a Contest.

Side note two years ago it came down to entering NFFC or AFFL, Thanks to Marc(Diesel) I made the correct choice in picking NFFC, but I could have just as easy joined AFFL.

John

[ April 12, 2009, 03:30 PM: Message edited by: Raiders ]

Team Legacy
Posts: 729
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:00 pm
Location: Indianapolis
Contact:

Fantasy Jungle STILL HAS NOT PAID?

Post by Team Legacy » Sun Apr 12, 2009 8:21 am

Originally posted by Raiders:
Side note two years ago it came down to entering NFFC or AFFL, Thanks to Marc(Diesel) I made the correct choice in picking NFFC, but I could have just as easy joined AFFL.

John Whew... What appeared to be a TOUGH decision, really came down to results that were MILES apart...

[ April 12, 2009, 10:31 PM: Message edited by: Team Legacy ]
Twitter: @ScottFantasy

Post Reply