Sorry, these '500 Internal Server Error' messages are making it extremely time-consuming to post replies...if at all.
So, what did he report for, and why?
Jack made a comment on the forum that I don't have business license a few years ago.
So I did a little research into his "business". Turns out that the city where he lives does not allow for manufacturing in the neighborhood he lives in.
I called them up and said I was interested in buying a house on Jack's block and if I would be ok to make leather cases there in my garage. They said no, it's not zoned for any kind of fabrication business.
I said ok thanks. Then I sent Jack an email and told him to knock it off because he was operating a business out of his house illegally. Glass houses -throwing stones that sort of thing.
He told me to go ahead and report him. So I did. I was pretty sure nothing would come of it but I wanted to show him that he can't continue to screw with me and not have some consequences.
The fact is that Jack IS operating illegally. That the zoning commission or whomever is responsible for enforcing it CHOOSES not to bother with it in Jack's case doesn't mean it's not illegal.
People need to realize that when they take things to new levels that they should be prepared for all that comes with it. You want to call me out on every possible level you can think of? All right, let's go there and see who comes out of it.
All this comes down to the idea that I am some sort of mega corporation trying to trample the little guy. All bullshit.
I started out with less than $100 in my attic and moved to a basement room that was almost too small to turn around in. From just me, to a few helpers I have grown my very REAL business into something that affects the LIVES of many people.
Over the twenty years I have been in this business I have been responsible for the employment of dozens of people directly and profits from our cases have contributed to the employment of hundreds of people, thousands actually.
So when Jack knocks me with lies and innuendo, when the Jack Pack takes their lead from him and knocks me with lies and defamatory statements I take it seriously.
And I hit back.
Jack Justis makes cases as hobby out of his Florida home. He has no real business. He operates on a "home office" license because he cannot get a business license to manufacture leather goods in his home due to the zoning laws. He competes with case makers who do operate as licensed businesses with overhead and employees in commercial spaces.
Ok fine, so what, this is a free country right, work where you want and how you want.
I agree.
I AGREE
But don't go off making remarks to insinuate that your competition is operating illegally IF you are already operating illegally.
THAT's the POINT.
If you want to ratchet things up to those levels then don't be surprised at what stones get overturned and what is revealed. All this could have been avoided if two things would not have happened,
1. Jack didn't make bullshit fake excuses to cover up his lack of protection when challenged on it.
2. Jack didn't make false allegations and continued lies about me and my products.
If I were a retired hobby case maker making all the cases I chose to make out of my house with no overhead and those cases were not that great to start with - ok - but not great - then I would simply shut the hell up and enjoy the reputation and orders and not try to stir up the hornet's nest.
A very simple statement of, "I build the cases the way I think works best" would have been enough and we wouldn't be here.
How could I argue with that? I build the cases the way I think works best is all he had to say......fair enough Jack, keep up the good work, you do make some very pretty cases, see you at the next show, let the customers examine all choices and make their choice. We can be friends and disagree about the way a case is built, no problem.
Instead, what we get are lame excuses as to WHY he builds the cases the way he does all in an attempt to not have to change. When in fact he didn't have to change in the first place if he has a line of customers who are HAPPY with what he makes.
Cues need airflow - BUSTED
Cues need to move - BUSTED
Snug fit damages finish - BUSTED
Restricting movement is bad - BUSTED
Padding for the bottom is not needed - BUSTED
Do you know WHY I started offering replacement interiors for Justis case?
I did it because when all this crap started I then started to take a much harder look at the Justis cases and I found out that the interior tube fits very loosely in the skin. So in the course of the heated exchanges I mentioned that I thought that this was sloppy work to have a super loose leather bag with a tube dropped in it.
I thought and still think that this was done to make it super easy for Jack to put the tubes in. If so then smart for him but lousy for the customer in my opinion.
But then Jack came back with the "reason" given that he DELIBERATELY makes the case so loose so that the customer can easily remove and replace the interior if they need to.
So I thought well ok then if that's true then I will make a version of our interior and offer that to Jack's customers. And I did.
BUT that would have NEVER occurred to me to do if not for this ongoing feud that Jack started and which he continued to fuel with snide remarks motivating me to investigate his product and practices more and more.
I have never made a single remark about my product that I am not prepared to back up 100%. I don't make up bullshit excuses as to why I do what I do, I have practical and TRUE reasons for what I do and not all of them are good ideas. When I find that I have done something that turns out to not be a good way to do it I change it.
I change it. I don't make up bullshit stories to justify it, I change it.
Now, if I were in Jack's shoes I would not want to have ANY discussion at all about protection or quality. None. I would want to keep as quiet as a church mouse and enjoy the fruit of my labor without anyone looking too closely at my stuff.
In my shoes I want everyone to look closely at my stuff, I want it examined, poked, prodded, dissected, and criticized fairly.
So yeah I called the "man" to go pay Jack a visit. And the JackPack has said they will retaliate by calling the Chinese police to make sure my "papers" are in order, has said they will call US Customs and Homeland Security to harass me at the border, and said they will call Queer Eye for the Straight Guy to criticize my fashion choices.
Point being if you choose to take it to unreasonable levels then unreasonable things happen.
If the Jack Pack continues to raise the bar then I will continue to be more motivated to do whatever I feel I need to do. I have tried many times to simply stop and ignore them but they are very good at throwing their jabs and snide remarks, almost like a game between them to see who can get me to break first.
Well boys I don't know who won the bet but the consumers are the big winners with a $300 Justis Replica coming soon. Hope you're happy now. And jsut for you I will STAMP Made in China right on it in such a way that people will be proud to show off the label.
