Jul 9, 2009

One Big Happy

Thanks to a fellow eXprizer for the following tale of woe:

Seems a former ePrizer went to work for PrizeLogic in a different role than they held at ePrize. This person has a wife and kids to support, but that didn't stop ePrize from suing him and his employer for a breech of a non-compete clause!

Can you imagine, in this economy, those fuckers would actually deny a man the ability to provide for his family? Hey, didn't Josh Linkner always refer to ePrize folks as "family"? I guess he has no care if they starve.

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very, very sad. Yes, they push that "family" thing but the minute you're no longer needed you're excommunicated like you did something wrong. It's like a cult now that I think of it. Looks like more may have been excommunicated today, by the way.

Anonymous said...

I think it's absoloutley unthinkable to keep a man from being able to support his family.

Class act ePrize, class act

Anonymous said...

I hear there are more layoffs coming down today. Guess the "sales numbers" aren't there, so they're going to cut people before their first quarter bonus gets paid out.

Anonymous said...

No surprise there.

Anonymous said...

If this person was laid-off, that's one thing. But if he was lured away by the competition for higher pay, etc... I have very little sympathy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure ePrize hates children and family and unicorns and rainbows, but it sounds like he made his bed.

Anonymous said...

No, he didn't make his bed by jumping ship for $$$. He was laid off. Plain and simple. Non-compete 'agreements' usually come as a condition to receiving a severance package. Unfortunately, they are usually "we'll give you three months salary for signing away a years worth of your right to work." Not a fair trade and it seems to be exploitation of the terminated employees weak position.

By the way, I really wish people wouldn't be anonymous. If you have an opinion, put your face on and let's talk.

IE6 Rocks! said...

I wish that the severance package was three months. They gave me two weeks' salary along with the "CYA" document. "Sign this and you'll get severance, don't sign it and you get nothing" is how it was put to me. I don't know how legal that necessarily was.

Keep us up to date with the layoffs. They're so numerous these days that ePrize gets lost in the shuffle.

Anonymous said...

Do you get to fill a bag full of free soda before they kick you to the curb?

Anonymous said...

So no money for bonuses...no money for actually keeping the people they hire...but money and time to sue someone who is no longer there. Nice priorities.

Anonymous said...

instilling fear - reminds me of the bush administration

Anonymous said...

in my opinion, it's absolutely a fear tactic. i'm sure their legal team is aware that non-compete's rarely hold up in court.

Anonymous said...

The number is 22 blown out. Gotta be closing in on 100 over the last year or so...

Anonymous said...

That's sure a lot of people. Sucks.

Anonymous said...

The number I heard (as I was one of them) was 30.

Roy said...

I heard the final number was 22. It is unfortunate but I've been there.

Anonymous said...

we lost our best writer. crap... we're screwed now

Anonymous said...

Gabe Karp is on class act!

Anonymous said...

@anonymous you've been screwed 4 a long time now

Anonymous said...

I overheard Gabe telling Josh that he wanted to kill and eat the small children of anyone they fire. Then they started arguing about who got to eat the babies hearts. Real class acts.

Anonymous said...

Om nom nom nom

Anonymous said...

It's weird that there's the will to can people, but not the will to make fundamental changes to how the company's run. Company's have problems, fight through them, emerge leaner, blah blah blah, but I have zero confidence in these people, anymore. They just don't seem to know what they're doing. Firing people saves money in the short term, but then there needs to be a plan to actually get shit straightened out. It's to the point where I truly think that a handful of the smartest underlings could do a better job running ePrize than the people currently in charge. I like that Sprinkle guy, though. I'll keep him.

Anonymous said...

I like sprinkles on donuts & cupcakes.

Anonymous said...

The best defense is often a good offense. Most bullies rule by fear and intimidation, until one day the quite guy or stranger gives them a bloody nose. They then quickly retreat with their tale between their legs. Remember BIFF , from Back to The Future! I wonder who acts like him?

Anonymous said...

Oh man, it’s funny how people forget. Well here’s a refresher. Roy was always another example of what was wrong with ePrize. He’s the “employee” everyone talking about on this thread. When he was here everyone on his team either hated him or laughed at him and thought he was a complete fucking joke. Not to mention everyone else. A shame they didn’t get rid of him sooner. And you can say Josh and Gabe eat babies (although the “om nom nom” post was hilarious) but calling them bullies is wrong. When Roy signed his contract the only place they said he couldn’t work for was PrizeLogic. They actually said that. Then after he left ePrize, Gabe was actually helping Roy to try to get a new job. But I guess that makes him a bully. And it was PrizeLogic who fired Roy as soon as they found out about his noncompete, not ePrize. So I’m just saying it’s real easy to blame someone and call them names, but to say they’ve kept him from supporting his family is wrong. Roy has been looking for 8 months and still can’t get a job even though everyone else who’s left ePrize has. Hmm, maybe that’s because Roy is an idiot. Of course, that truth just hurts too much to admit right? It’s funny how people on this blog can glorify one of the worst leaders ePrize ever had just to rip on the big bad corporation.

Anonymous said...

Sucks to be Roy 'the hammer'!

I do agree that if he willingly signed a contract that specifically said I will work anywhere but HERE, and then you go there, you will get some sort of a legal response.

But maybe after a while if enough bills pile up and there is a spot just waiting for you, ya gotta take the risk?

Anonymous said...

Excuse me, but there are many people who "left" eprize months ago that have yet to find new jobs.

Anonymous said...

I'll second that last comment. Big, big mistake.

Anonymous said...

TO Anonymous from 7/12/2009 4:11 PM

Anonymous from 7/12/2009 4:11 PM

Interesting points, but you lose credibility when you hide behind your anonymity. I wonder why it is that so many people that post here both pro and con DONT sign in. Is it fear of retaliation from ePrize, or is it that you just dont have the moral courage to put your name behind your words?

Anonymous said...

Well, I can only speak for myself Dean but having been both critical of ePrize here and having defended it a bit (Btw, this is my first post in a long time), it's not fear of retaliation or an unwillingness to stand up for my comments that makes me post anonymously. It's simply I gain nothing by doing so and I do potentially lose something. Specifically, prospective employers may Google my name along with past places of employment and stumble onto my 2-3 posts here. I doubt it would have any real impact, but I think it's possible it might color their impressions of me if they saw I was speaking ill of a former employee (which I don't think I've done, but that's open to interpretation). If my posts here didn't hang around forever or were not viewable by the general public, I'd have no problem posting my name next to them.

Anonymous said...

A good point made above. I would also say that the words can stand on their own. Is a point any less poignant because it doesn't have a name attached to it? Not to mention that whenever someone is mentioned by name, it doesn't take long for the "Well x was the stupidest fucking person I've ever met" comments to roll in. Why subject yourself to that when there are so many mean-spirited people on here?

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous re the post about ROy

Nice post Jordan. I didn't know you read this blog. And now you participate too. Won't be long untill you're ass is on the street to.

Roy said...

Dean,

It's very easy to hide behind anonymity, especially when you trash someone else.

to Anonymous 7/12/2009 4:11 PM -
Maybe I'm an idiot? Maybe I was the worst leader that ever stepped into ePrize. One thing I can tell you for sure though, is that I never shied away from receiving input to what I needed to fix. I stand by it to this day. Tell me how I was a complete idiot, please. I'd love to hear. But of course, can you do it without hiding behind anonymity?

As for everyone thinking I was a complete joke, well, so be it. If everyone's feelings on your team is the measurement for success, then according to your account, I was a failure. Funny thing is though, I always thought success was measured in performance and numbers. For that, I have the numbers to show success. I'm happy to share, but I know you've already seen them.

Bottom line, there were three people on my team that hated me, and about 14 that still thank me for the impact I had on their professional development. Whoever coward ANONYMOUS 7/12/2009 4:11 PM is, ask yourself if you have had the same impact. I hope so, because it's very rewarding.

Chris said...

Roy may have been a little cheesy back in my day, but he didn't get anywhere near the point where I would wish this situation on him, very few do. I simply remember him as a PM/Sales type guy, and any personality quirks that got me sort of went part and parcel with that ;) I agree that if someone signed a contract then they've got to hold to that contract... but I still feel for the guy.

Dean Stevenson said...

I don't know who this "Dean Ditto" is, but it's not Dean Stevenson, who worked at eprize. I just needed to clarify that. I'm still looking for work, but the posts here are at best an interesting read, from positive to negative. That's pretty much all I have to say about it, except that I've had nothing to post here before, and probably won't post again...except that I'm NOT Dean Ditto...don't think that it's me. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

No one said that you were. Dean Ditto was before your time, asswipe.