[jmathai]

Absolutely terrible.

I have the feeling that Jordan knows exactly what he's doing. The amount of $20,000 is a lot but it's not that much once you start to hire lawyers and file a suit or go into arbitration. Sounds like he's stringing them along waiting to see how much more cash they're willing to invest to recoup that $20,000.

Even worse Jordan might be setting himself up for a settlement of less than $20,000 where he keeps some of the money but knows it's a better offer for Andrew and Rajiv than hiring lawyers.

Been there. Done that. I'll never look at a purchase or legal document the same again. Jordan's got the upper hand here.

[asdfaoeu]

> I have the feeling that Jordan knows exactly what he's doing. The amount of $20,000 is a lot but it's not that much once you start to hire lawyers and file a suit or go into arbitration. Sounds like he's stringing them along waiting to see how much more cash they're willing to invest to recoup that $20,000.

I'd say they are just on the verge of bankruptcy and probably have similar experiences with other customers and just attempting to string them along enough that they can keep going.

[wpietri]

> I have the feeling that Jordan knows exactly what he's doing.

Not to excuse him, but this sounds exactly like a business noob who doesn't know what he's doing. He started on dreams and bluster, somehow got people to send him lots of money up front, and now is discovering that starting a company is actually hard.

The first test most businesses face is being able to talk a good line. But that's not the last test, so it's pretty easy for fast talkers with no real skills to get in over their heads. And I think they really don't know what idiots they are, because they've grown up being able to talk their way out of their problems. Turns out actual customers (and the Reddit rabble) are not as forgiving as their moms.

[flyinglizard]

I wouldn't say Jordan has the upper hand. Managing the reputation of the company is critical for the survival of a startup. Andrew may lose, at worst, $20k, but Jordan can lose everything (unless its a scam or they already made a substantial profit from these machines).

[thor800]

Managing the reputation is important, but not nearly as much as shipping a product that actually functions and owning up to your shortcomings.

When customers are treated unfairly and dicked around, they post stories on HN and Reddit. Good luck trying to manage your reputation from there.

[jellicle]

Let's recap the situation:

Andrew: has no money

Jordan: has all the money

Which side were you saying is losing again?

[kaoD]

> Which side were you saying is losing again?

His investors.

[rasz_pl]

> Jordan's got the upper hand here.

Not if someone breaks his hand first with a baseball bat.