that one time i got banned by rudy of alpha investments...
FOLKS! i've been a fan of rudy of alpha investments for a while now. ever since i got back into magic (right before the kaladesh block) and jumped into the speculation side of things, i've enjoyed watching his youtube videos talking about the financial side of collecting cardboard.
a few months ago, a spot opened up on rudy's patreon, and i joined at the $15/month subscription level, even though my spending on magic: the gathering was at its lowest point.
a friend of mine hyped me up about the metazoo x sanrio collab, and rudy sent a message notifying patrons that he was going to offer a kit. on november 24th, the kit went on sale, and i replied to the post claiming a spot. rudy responded to the post with my order number and instructions to send payment through paypal.
a week or so later, rudy offered more kits but at a cheaper price. i hadn't received a tracking number on my order and assumed he wasn't going to start shipping until he sold out his inventory.
so, i waited. after another week, i checked the comments thread for the metazoo x sanrio drop i took part in and saw that rudy had responded to one buyer who wanted status on shipping.
"these left a long time ago," rudy responded.
on december 22nd, i dm'd rudy through patreon, providing my paypal account email and the transaction id for the purchase. he responded back the next day.
i was disappointed that i wasn't offered an immediate refund and couldn't get another kit as it had sold out.
i didn't see anything on the horizon i wanted to put that money towards, and i didn't want my money tied up in someone's makeshift credit account.
after considering my options and rudy's future release slate, i asked for a refund.
four days later, with no response, i asked again.
three days after that, and a full week of no responses, i went on paypal to see what my worst-case scenario remedies were. i had no intention of doing a chargeback -- i've always tried to resolve disputes with communication and only use chargebacks when it's the only solution. and besides, there was no option for a chargeback -- paypal said i could open a dispute in a few months if no amicable resolution could be found in the meantime.
i clicked a link to message rudy through paypal, but it took me to a page that said the seller was not open to messages.
there was an option to "report a problem," and i clicked it to see where it went.
i was able to communicate with rudy there.
before i could submit a message, i was asked to link to rudy's refund/cancellation policy -- which i couldn't find. i was asked to describe the issue i was having, and then i had an opportunity to upload screenshots and "evidence" regarding the issue. i posted a screenshot of rudy admitting he had made a mistake.
before i submitted the message, i was given a notification that the seller would receive the screenshots and the problem i described. it was clear that i was starting a conversation with rudy, not initiating a chargeback. there was also a note from paypal to use this step as a way of resolving the issue amicably directly with the seller.
well, it took only 10 minutes for rudy to reply to this message.
not only did rudy refund me the money, he also banned me from his patreon.
and then he went too far and said he shared my personal information with other stores.
i've only ever resorted to chargebacks or disputes after a lengthy amount of non-communication and inaction. as a person who has bought, sold, and traded cards and comics, i know that maintaining a business -- especially online -- is difficult.
in fact, i have another online seller who currently owes me two cases of another tcg. while this seller had absolutely no timetable for when they'd have the product in stock, their constant and clear communication with me has built trust, and i told them i was willing to wait so long as they don't ghost me.
i would have gladly worked this out with rudy and tried doing so. it's a little ironic that rudy suggested to me that i "allow people to work with me" when his reaction to my reaching out was to completely burn the bridge by closing my account, labeling me a chargeback offender, and then sending my personal information to others.
all this in response to a simple question -- can i get a refund?
anyways, since i no longer can message rudy, i hope that he sees this one day.
first, i apologize. i didn't initiate a chargeback/dispute; i messaged you to get some communication regarding a possible refund. my hope was to work it out in a civil matter. second, i would suggest you practice what you preach.
for example, a few days ago, you posted a video which prompted a pretty severe response from metazoo games and legend story studios after you criticized how they were doing business. you messaged the patreons, saying you had taken down the video and hoped the companies wouldn't completely turn their backs on you.
perhaps consider how this former patreon supporter hoped you would respond to a simple request as you tell your youtube viewers not to give interest-free loans to businesses.