You guys I strongly, strongly doubt that this was one big giant con set up behind Michael's back. Michael knew about mjjsource, I remember some recorded statement that he'd made telling fans that it would be the new hub for accurate mj info. The trial popped up and when everyone saw how serious the situation was, like any person would do, any side projects got sidelined. Sometimes when emergencies happen, responsibilities get lost in the shuffle. Hear me out lol...
That said, it's extremely messy and unprofessional that fans weren't refunded for goods/services that were never received. I'm not ok with that happening, hell I'd be pissed off if I was out my hard-earned fifty bucks. But to say that it was a giant scheme to swindle fans out of money behind Michael's back is just way too extreme. A possible couple of thousand dollars' gain WOULD NOT have been worth risking a close relationship with Michael; fake "insiders" do those kinds of schemes lol, real "insiders" have too much at stake to be bothered with such chump change cons (if they're the type of people to even con others to begin with).
Put it into perspective guys.... Michael didn't know if he'd end up having to serve a long prison sentence. He'd loose his kids, his homes, his career, credibility as a humanitarian, friends, his fortune, the Jackson family would loose their number 1 bread-winner, etc. His WHOLE LIFE was being threatened to be erased from right his feet. He had a lot of very serious, very POSSIBLE real life worries getting thrown at him from every angle at 100 miles per hour. Honestly, of everything thing that was on Michael and his staff's minds at the time, I'm sure refunding a group of fans for a project that fell through was at the very, very, very, very, very bottom of that list of things lol.
Was it the site's staff and ultimately Michael's responsibility to do right by his fans and refund them? ABSOLUTELY YES. Was it sh-tty business practice? ABSOLUTELY YES. Was this scam orchestrated? I honestly don't think it was. If anything, with the enormous drama of the trial that unfolded, it was sadly one of those little administrative snafus that ended up slipping through the cracks.
Now I don't understand what Karen ever did to Michael that was so vile and vicious to deserve such.... to be real, hatred from fans lol. She's flubbed a judgement call or two (at least in my eyes), but she's allowed to, she's human. I can't hate her for anything, one I'm not close enough to her to be that emotionally invested either way, and two I haven't seen/heard her doing anything that deserves "hate". I'm not even going to go into the AEG days as far as she's concerned lol, 'nother discussion for another thread lol. I met her a couple of times and she seemed perfectly nice and personable. For the record, I'm not a "Karen supporter". I'm not a "Karen hater" either. I just try to give respect (or dole out blame) in an amount befitting the situation. From what I saw at the trial with my own eyes, Randy and Karen were both present, often. Maybe they were too involved with supporting Michael in his dark time to fuss over details of botched business ventures? Think of it like this:
You come home from work one day to find out that you've been accused of murder. Your face is splashed all over the evening news. Your boss calls and tells you that you're fired. Your kids are staring up at you wondering what's going to happen to them if mommy/daddy goes up the river. Your mortgage note is due. Your car note is due. There's a freeze on your bank account and your family is blowing up your phone trying to get information out of you. So you try to calm yourself and formulate a plan of attack. Can any of you honestly say that in that scenario, in all of that chaos, one of your first tasks to accomplish would be to get that $32 dollars that you owed a friend for dinner six months ago back to him/her??? lol
I'm not excusing Michael and staff of their liability. They were totally in the wrong. I'm so sorry that some of you lost your money over a blown-out deal. But given the circumstances of the time, I think Michael and his staff kinda had bigger fish to fry. If I gotta leave work early because my family member has been rushed to the hospital, much to my company's chagrin lol, the rest of my work ain't getting done that day lol; if you catch my drift...
I hope I didn't step on any toes, definitely wasn't my intention. I just felt really strongly that a step back in order to get some perspective couldn't hurt. Please forgive me if I've offended you... :agree: