Announcement from EZ Read/Astak Team - Page 12

Solicitous · 09-19-2010, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReaderEatter

I am sorry to those who bought based on what I was posting... counting on my being there for them. The devices are very good... but I do agree that the main thing missing is "communication". Astak never understood (only barely tolerated) my time on MobileRead Forum. "WHY" left me without a clue. The forum was the best thing we had going.... maybe the only thing we had going (at times). Where it should have been praised and fully utilized... it was looked upon as a fault of mine. Many of you did began to get this thru my ramblings on these threads.

Good to have you back Robert, this place hasn't been the same without you. Now please do not be sorry for people buying based on your posts, we should be thanking you (well Astak should be thanking you primarily but we wont go there...).

I really do hope you stick around and keep talking to us. It is sad the events that took place recently, but ultimately it is probably for the best. Hopefully you will find a job very soon that will appreciate your efforts and acknowledge your successes.

Steven Lake · 09-19-2010, 09:42 AM

RobertB was cruelly fired!? Well, now there's a twist. And we finally get some closure on what happened. Which then now leaves me with just one thing to say.
----------------------
Dear Astak,

Thank you for very effectively shooting yourself in the foot....repeatedly. You've completely lost all of my respect, and I will no longer be doing any business with you until you can prove to me that I can trust you again.

Sincerely,
One very p***ed off former supporter.

PS. The next time you want to fire someone, why don't you try firing the idiots who are causing all the problems in your company, and not the ones who are actually trying to *FIX* them! Argh!

eGeezer · 09-19-2010, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Lake

PS. The next time you want to fire someone, why don't you try firing the idiots who are causing all the problems in your company, and not the ones who are actually trying to *FIX* them! Argh!

Silly boy,

First of all, if you are the problem, are you really going to fire yourself? Second, in the corporate culture of America those in charge don't get fired, they get million dollar bonuses for resigning.

Now, if Astak isn't a U.S. company, we may have a whole new ball game.

Joebill · 09-19-2010, 02:46 PM

Actuallamente ( not even sure thats a word...)

Anyways, yes. For myself, I do expect an honest person to realize they are the problem and resign.

Sigh, but this is Planet Earth...

Emotionaly I expect it, intellectually, not really.

Logseman · 09-19-2010, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joebill

Actuallamente ( not even sure thats a word...)

"Actualmente" is, actually

, a Spanish word. However, it means "currently", not "actually".

JSWolf · 09-19-2010, 04:38 PM

So when did retired start to mean fired?

citac · 09-19-2010, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ifantig

Weird stuff is happening. Sorry if this is going off topic, but back to the firmware issue on the Astak site. I just realized that if you go to the ezreader site by typing ezreader.com as the URL, the support>>firmware link has no downloadable links (the firmware files have been removed and the links just say "undefined). However, if you put a www before ezreader.com, the support>>firmware links do indeed have the files available for download. Most sites are configured so that it doesn't matter if you put a www before the name or not, but in this case it looks like Astak has more than one version of their site online. It also looks like they removed the links from one site and not the other. Hope I am making sense.

What about the firmware for the older 6", which is what I have? I only see firmware for the 6" plus!

citac · 09-19-2010, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReaderEatter

I am sorry to those who bought based on what I was posting... counting on my being there for them. The devices are very good... but I do agree that the main thing missing is "communication". Astak never understood (only barely tolerated) my time on MobileRead Forum. "WHY" left me without a clue. The forum was the best thing we had going.... maybe the only thing we had going (at times). Where it should have been praised and fully utilized... it was looked upon as a fault of mine. Many of you did began to get this thru my ramblings on these threads.

Still, though, the Pocket Pro is a gem!!

I am one of those who bought an Astak reader based solely on your recommendation, though I bought the older 6" model, not a 5". I'm not sorry I did, as I'm extremely happy with the device, and my colleagues are envious

. You don't have to be sorry about that. The only ones who have to be sorry are the people who fired you. I hope you'll get a new job soon, one you ll be happy with. All the best!

phenomshel · 09-19-2010, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So when did retired start to mean fired?

Apparently, when Astak and Jenifer lied to us about what really happened with Robert!

Joebill · 09-19-2010, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logseman

"Actualmente" is, actually

, a Spanish word. However, it means "currently", not "actually".

Gracias !

eGeezer · 09-19-2010, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So when did retired start to mean fired?

Ever hear of "euphemism" -- basically saying what sounds better. Like "Waste Engineer" instead of "garbage collector".

Lady Fitzgerald · 09-19-2010, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So when did retired start to mean fired?

It has for years.

Steven Lake · 09-20-2010, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eGeezer

First of all, if you are the problem, are you really going to fire yourself? Second, in the corporate culture of America those in charge don't get fired, they get million dollar bonuses for resigning.

Yeah, and it's typically these "idiots" who also are too stupid to realize they *ARE* the problem, and not all the awesome people below them that they repeatedly step on and poop all over. Trust me, I've been there too many times with too many corporations to not understand that corporate infrastructure is a flow up, flow down system. The money all flows to the top, and all the blame and problems flow to the bottom.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Apparently, when Astak and Jenifer lied to us about what really happened with Robert!

Well, I don't blame Jenifer entirely. As has been pointed out, she's being forced to preach the company line, true or not. Honestly though, if she were smart, she'd stand up to those lying dolts and tell them that they either need to get a clue and allow the truth, or find another stool pigeon for their work. Really, the more this nonsense goes on, the more it hurts their reputation, and ultimate their sales. I don't care how good a company is, if they are so blatantly willing to openly lie to people about something, then I no longer have any reason to trust them. Now if they'd come right out and said, "Yes, we fired him because of reason X, Y, and Z" (assuming doing so is legal), then I might have said something different. But to fire someone in cold blood, and then call it "retirement" is just screaming of unethical dishonestly to the n'th degree.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

It has for years.

Yes, it has, and it needs to stop!

Lady Fitzgerald · 09-20-2010, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Lake

...Now if they'd come right out and said, "Yes, we fired him because of reason X, Y, and Z" (assuming doing so is legal), then I might have said something different. But to fire someone in cold blood, and then call it "retirement" is just screaming of unethical dishonestly to the n'th degree...

Most companies, to avoid risk of lawsuit, will merely report that a former employee did work for them and not give a reason for termination, no matter if the former bemplyee had a glowing work record or was fired. People are quick to read through obfuscating euphemisms such as, "...has left to seek employment opportunities elsewhere," etc. The proper protocol here would have been to have simply said that Robert is no longer involved in support and Jenifer is taking his place.

Davimee · 09-20-2010, 10:49 AM

Wouldn't it have been so much easier to just say Robert was no longer with the company and leave it at that? I mean, sure, we would have speculated as to why, but at least they wouldn't have lied to their customers. With everything going on I will never buy another Astak product, and no longer recommend them. I do like my Pocket Pro, but there is so much going on right now... the lies, poor customer support, no longer offering the ereraders on their website (I know Jennifer has told us here that everything's fine, things will be back up someday, but it just seems fishy being unavailable for so long with no mention on the website that things will ever be back)... I can't recommend them anymore. We had a family gathering over the weekend with three different brands of ereaders represented. I had to say even though I like mine, I can't recommend Astak any more. It's a shame, because it's a good product. But my purchase doesn't end with the product... the customer service and Robert's active role here on the forums are what swayed me to buying the Pocket Pro. I'm not sorry I got it, but I can no longer recommend Astak to others. It's a shame, because it's a good product. But there are other good products out there.

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09-19-2010, 09:42 AM	#167
Steven Lake Sci-Fi Author Posts: 1,158 Karma: 14743509 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Device: PC (Calibre)	RobertB was cruelly fired!? Well, now there's a twist. And we finally get some closure on what happened. Which then now leaves me with just one thing to say. ---------------------- Dear Astak, Thank you for very effectively shooting yourself in the foot....repeatedly. You've completely lost all of my respect, and I will no longer be doing any business with you until you can prove to me that I can trust you again. Sincerely, One very p**ed off former supporter. PS. The next time you want to fire someone, why don't you try firing the idiots who are causing all the problems in your company, and not the ones who are actually trying to FIX* them! Argh!

09-19-2010, 02:46 PM	#169
Joebill Fanatic Posts: 517 Karma: 459442 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Alpha Centauri's Library of Alexandria Device: Pandigital Novel	Actuallamente ( not even sure thats a word...) Anyways, yes. For myself, I do expect an honest person to realize they are the problem and resign. Sigh, but this is Planet Earth... Emotionaly I expect it, intellectually, not really.

09-19-2010, 04:38 PM	#171
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 80,727 Karma: 150249619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	So when did retired start to mean fired?

09-20-2010, 10:49 AM	#180
Davimee Happy Wife & Momma Posts: 532 Karma: 1634 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: USA Device: Purple Astak Pocket Pro! :)	Wouldn't it have been so much easier to just say Robert was no longer with the company and leave it at that? I mean, sure, we would have speculated as to why, but at least they wouldn't have lied to their customers. With everything going on I will never buy another Astak product, and no longer recommend them. I do like my Pocket Pro, but there is so much going on right now... the lies, poor customer support, no longer offering the ereraders on their website (I know Jennifer has told us here that everything's fine, things will be back up someday, but it just seems fishy being unavailable for so long with no mention on the website that things will ever be back)... I can't recommend them anymore. We had a family gathering over the weekend with three different brands of ereaders represented. I had to say even though I like mine, I can't recommend Astak any more. It's a shame, because it's a good product. But my purchase doesn't end with the product... the customer service and Robert's active role here on the forums are what swayed me to buying the Pocket Pro. I'm not sorry I got it, but I can no longer recommend Astak to others. It's a shame, because it's a good product. But there are other good products out there.