Zantsumei, I will attempt to provide some counter-points to Bob's claims (sorry in advance for how long this post is).
Videobob wrote:Yes, I know about the guys at GB Fans, that is the only place I am "banned".
Although he wasn't banned from the RPF, he was banned from being able to sell his Proton Pack shells there. The RPF staff felt they were unauthorised copies and as such were against that forum's rules, more on that decision can be read here:
LINK The RPF is also home to members who are unwilling to refer him to anyone due to his shady past:
The RPF: Bobspropshop.comVideobob wrote:Why? Because I am their greatest competition and since they can't out sell me they totally make up shit.
Bob's popular counter-point to the criticism he receives is that it's all motivated by business jealousy. Whilst GBFans has offered many components for Proton Packs and other props over the years, it has never attempted to market a full Proton Pack... There's some speculation that a full Proton Pack/prop replica would be more likely to get shut down by Sony, so traditionally only components have been offered in the past... There may not be any basis to that line of thinking, but it hasn't steered us wrong so far.
GBFans has never offered full Pack kits, but that doesn't stop Bob from insinuating that's why we'd banned him. Likewise it's not so much been about beating him in terms of numbers, but on quality. Notice how he doesn't actually address the accusation of recasting, instead he brings up a completely different reason for being banned from here.
Videobob wrote:We sell one to two packs per week on eBay and we don't have a single negative feedback. NONE.
eBay can and will remove negative feedback if they feel the feedback was unfair. It was also
noted in a post in Bob's feedback forum back in 2014 that he had a habit of setting up new eBay accounts, these two habits would help him maintain a 0% negative feedback score.
Videobob wrote:You will also not find a single complaint from an actual customer.
The only people talking smack are internet trolls who are jealous that we have our own TV show
Here Bob interjects an irrelevant factoid to try bolster his credibility. He's talked about his own show for years - I honestly don't know if he actually has something on TV, or if he's just trying to "Big up" his YouTube channel. I am aware of one legitimate television performance, on Pawn Stars, where he tried to flog one of his Proton Pack replicas.
Videobob wrote:I made a cameo in the new Ghostbusters movie, I work with Ernie Hudson regularly and I have a certificate.
He appears at the front of the crowd during the Mayhem bust (large guy with the red suspenders and bald head), which isn't quite a "cameo" as say, Daniel Reitman appearing as the metalhead that shouts beside Rowan, or Katie Dippold appearing as the real estate agent - Bob has no lines in his "cameo" appearance, and is a blink-and-miss-it appearance if you don't even know what he looks like.
He's worked with Ernie, but given Ernie's extremely generous nature, and friendliness with fans, he's worked with a lot of them over the years, including filming a promo for
Ghostbusters: The Board Game II, note that Bob didn't actually state in what capacity he'd worked with Ernie.
As noted by TK5759, Ghost Corp certificates (if that's what Bob is claiming to possess) were issued to any groups who applied for them.
Videobob wrote:So imagine you are GBfans and you sell proton pack shells and complete packs,
-Again, GBFans itself has never offered completed Proton Packs for sale.
The closest that Bob's claim comes to the truth is in the form of full/complete Packs that have been sold by forum members through the Marketplace, one of which is Vincenzo, who are Bob's main competition - and who he'd have an ulterior motive in running down.
Videobob wrote:you have as many as 30 people waiting in line to buy your stuff.
Then some guy comes along with a direct casting of the screen used original and offers them not only cheaper but ready to ship immediately.
A lot of the people who shop with the GBFans store in the build up to Halloween, and most people who buy items via his store on eBay, will be arriving fresh-faced to the community and without knowing a lot of the back-story on Bob, unfortunately a lot of his business will come from people who simply don't know better - which is why we always work to educate and warn fans of his past actions.
As for Bob's shells, despite his claims that they're a direct casting of a screen-used original, they aren't.
The Anovos "Spengler" Pack is a direct cast, as it was cast with permission by Sony from the "Super Hero" Proton Pack prop, that was formerly on display at Sony's corporate headquarters.
The master for Bob's Pack has a dubious history, one thread I was able to dig up may indicate what Bob used to produce his run of shells, here is one of the relevant posts:
LINK Another (
LINK), presents an attempt at reconstructing the lineage of a number of "direct cast" shells, including Bob's. The proposition from the summary is that Bob's current offerings are anything from a 4th to 6th generation casting of the originating shell. Even if Bob's original offering was somehow a direct casting, considering he is believed to have acquired his first shell circa 2012, it's probably unlikely he's still using the same mold five years later.
Bob has never had the ability to make casts of the screen-used Proton Pack props, all he has had access to are shells with uncertain lineages - however, it helps an item sell better if you suggest it comes from the original molds as the screen-used props, and it's likely that despite his claim about their source, he doesn't actually provide any proof to back up his claim on his auction listings/website.
Videobob wrote:I totally destroyed their business and they lost their minds and started talking all this bunk to try to kill my sales, the more they tried, the more I sold!!
Again, it was never about the sales - Bob was originally banned back in 2011 following accusations of recasting parts made by other sellers. The accusations continued through 2012, reported by a number of sellers who had sold items through the Marketplace, but weren't members of GBFans staff.
A brief history of these accusations can be found here:
LINK Bob uses the "business competition" explanation as it can lend credence to his proposal that his removal was based on professional jealousy, rather than on questionable practices.
Videobob wrote:Don't you think we would have a bunch of negative feedbacks, lawsuits, reports, etc.?
Negative feedback removal requests, and new accounts would help him expunge his past record of poor sales.
Nobody is going to sue Bob over the recasts - the creation of Ghostbusters prop parts and replicas exists in a legal grey area which Sony has thus far turned a willing blind eye to, but this circumstance may not be a permanent one.
Still, when it comes to lawsuits, Bob himself had threatened a number of members here, including this forum's admin, on trumped-up charges:
LINK - the legal claim (which was not pursued by Bob) also included the lie that reference photographs of screen-used Proton Packs featured on GBFans had been stolen by this forum, when in fact they had been taken by a GBFans member, who also happens to be one of Bob's main competitors in the Proton Pack market.
Bob's claim over the photos can be seen here:
LinkVideobob wrote:GB Fans does have a huge fan base, but they operate out of a basement, literally, it's just AJ Quick and a few of his friends.
A warehouse, actually. Being UK-based I haven't seen it in person, but AJ has posted plenty of photographs of his new business facilities.
Videobob wrote:I run a million dollar company, I own this 5000 sqft building, we have a LLC Corporation and a DBA in the city of Duncanville Dallas.
A claim made without a quarterly or annual profit statement, a claim made without a property deed or listing, a claim made without the appropriate LLC or DBA documentation - we only have his word that any of these are true.
Videobob wrote:Those guys aren't even a REAL business!!!!
An allegation made by a disgruntled, barred former member of this forum.
Videobob wrote:We have a premiere business Paypal account and we are eBay Power Sellers.
Neither of which will be based on a personal investigation of Bob or his business - nor would be reflective of the quality of his parts.
Videobob wrote: Every single one of the other "builders" out there are working from their house, in the garage, on the kitchen table.
For many people the production of prop parts starts out as a hobby, and they start offering the pieces because they know their fellow fans might be interested in the parts they've made. We all have to start somewhere, and productions often have humble beginnings. A good production can come out of a house, garage or kitchen, likewise a bad production can come out of a 5,000 square foot warehouse/workshop.
Videobob wrote:Most of these guys don't even use their real name.
All GBFans marketplace sales require the seller list their name and location, and AJ's name is listed at the bottom of each forum page.
Videobob wrote:You have no idea who they are or where your money goes or when you will get your pack.
By the same logic, you have no idea where your money would go once you've paid Bob and his team. GBFans marketplace sellers are held to a standard to update their customers in a timely fashion, and to ensure the products paid for arrive in a prompt fashion. Whilst it is regrettable that some sellers do fall short of the mark, this would be the case with most marketplaces.
Videobob wrote:Listen to what all the other reviewers have to say, how much they regretted buying from someone else first instead of ordering from me.
Bob presents no links to his happy customers to bolster his "this is why you should buy from me" argument, all he does offer is vague tales of no-named sellers who aren't Bob, who miss shipping deadlines, or don't send items at all. He's scaremongering and applying pressure because he's worried he might be losing you as a customer.
Videobob wrote:They were like you, skeptical, and they bought the $1500 pack that was a pile of shit, crooked, glued, wood, paste, shity paint, crappy paper labels, etc.
Some more of the scaremongering, suggesting customer regret from not buying from Bob. It's similar to suggesting someone else is in talks to buy the item you're after, or that they're "limited stock left", it's a con designed to pressure you into a sale with Bob.
Videobob wrote:If you want the BEST, you want ours plain and simple.
- Bob
Some examples of Bob's "BEST":
-
Source (A comparison with Bob's bumper, and one he was accused of recasting) -
Source (Would a professional businessman put this on their products?) -
Source I would have more photos to show you, but a lot of them were eaten when Photobucket changed their policy and locked out third-party linking.
And here's a final thought: if Bob is as successful as he claims, if his products are as excellent as he boasts, if his connections with Ghostbusters production alumni are as significant as he makes out, why was Anovos given the chance and permission to offer licenced Proton Pack replicas, and not Bob?