NobleKnightGames is getting PATHETIC • Page 4 • Collecting General • The Acaeum

The Acaeum Forums • Collecting General

NobleKnightGames is getting PATHETIC
	Page 4 of 8 • 1 2, 3, 4, 5 6 7 8

Author

Gnat the Beggar
Grandstanding Collector
JG Valuation Board
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 5029
Joined: Oct 11, 2004
Last Visit: Jan 16, 2017
Location: Texas

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:47 am

Obviously they still cannot be bothered to post an ACTUAL Picture of the ACTUAL item being sold. Even when the item is BINed at $600...
Wow... just Wow...
:?:

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

Charter Member of the ATM

Last edited by Gnat the Beggar on Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

Blackmoor
Long-Winded Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 3601
Joined: Dec 20, 2003
Last Visit: Jan 13, 2026
Location: Canada

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:49 am

tiro wrote:

Well, now they've got a picture of a 2nd print Chainmail on the auction, but, lo and behold, it happens to be the one from this site, stains and all:

** expired/removed eBay auction **

Wow pathetic is an understatement. These guys are getting lazier by the minute. Buying a premium item from NKG is a shot and the dark.

Games can get you through times of no money but money can not get you through times of no games!!

Gnat the Beggar
Grandstanding Collector
JG Valuation Board
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 5029
Joined: Oct 11, 2004
Last Visit: Jan 16, 2017
Location: Texas

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:55 am

I sent a note asking why they cannot be bothered to use a pic of the actual item and instead steal one from another web site...

Got a fast replay.

Dear aneoth,
Hello,

Your concern is noted, however we received permission years ago from the Aceum to use their photos for our products.

Best regards,
Matthew Starch

Noble Knight Games
"Where the Out-of-Print is Available Again"
http://www.nobleknight.com

OK, I can believe this, but I am willing to bet the agreement was that KNG would acknowledge the Acaeum when using a picture from this site.
There is no such note in that listing.

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

Charter Member of the ATM

Invincible Overlord
Verbose Collector
JG Valuation Board
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 1624
Joined: Aug 19, 2008
Last Visit: Aug 21, 2023
Location: Chicago, IL

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:59 am

With respect,

Who has the authority on the Acaeum to release pictures?

Wouldn't it be the website admin?

I'm relatively new to the boards...

RPGâ€™s, D&D in particular has had a major influence in my life. Itâ€™s bonded me together with life long friends...itâ€™s that bond in life not just as friends, but in our jokes, our mannerisms, and what we find funny. Invincible Overlord

mbassoc2003
Grandstanding Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 7050
Joined: Jan 03, 2005
Last Visit: Jul 24, 2026
Location: UK

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:07 am

I wonder if they have a token asshat they roll out to deal with negative publicity online, or whether they just leave bad press like this to fester and get catalogies by the Google bots.

Will they give us some schmuck to answer queries and feed us BS platitudes, or will Aaron put in one of his rare appearances? Given the history of failures by Troll & Toad's monkey boys in their thread, NKG are probably wise just to scurry away and hide under their chosen rock.

I does surprise me how little people understand about the internet and the impact forums and blogs can have on these company's profiles. I assume it's either the age of the owners, or the lack of intelligence in the underlings. I suspect the next generation of online stores will be bigger and smarter about controlling and marketting their online image.

This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

mbassoc2003
Grandstanding Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 7050
Joined: Jan 03, 2005
Last Visit: Jul 24, 2026
Location: UK

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:09 am

Invincible Overlord wrote:With respect,

Who has the authority on the Acaeum to release pictures?

Wouldn't it be the website admin?

I'm relatively new to the boards...

I'd assume so. Or a collective of VB members and Moderators.

This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

Kingofpain89
Long-Winded Collector

Posts: 4756
Joined: Oct 31, 2004
Last Visit: May 02, 2025
Location: Caddo Mills, TX

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:09 am

So I sent a message to NKG about the auction, basically stating that not only can they not be bothered to use an actual photo of the item but they also are using the scan from The Acaeum and putting their watermark on it, which I think is pretty laughable. This is the reply I got:

Hello,

Thank you for your concern. We were given permission years ago by the Acaeum to use their photos for our products. Our listings on eBay are automated from our website and use the same pictures that are used there.

Best regards,

Matthew Starch

Really?!? Even if Foul gave them permission to use The Acaeum's scans, why on Earth would they do so? I took photos of my entire collection a couple of years ago and I continue to take photos of everything I buy. It doesnt take all that long to get it done. Dumping them into auction listings or to a website takes some time but that is why you have employees. You pay one person to take those pictures and update the website when it needs to be. It doesnt take a genius to do that. And it also doesnt take a genius to figure out that people are going to be upset when a company with a good reputation starts cutting corners and doing business the wrong way.

If this were a common item, I wouldnt be bugged about it. But this isnt a common item for chrissakes.

You don't like your job, you don't strike. You go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way. - Homer Simpson

Gnat the Beggar
Grandstanding Collector
JG Valuation Board
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 5029
Joined: Oct 11, 2004
Last Visit: Jan 16, 2017
Location: Texas

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:10 am

My guess would be Scott and Scott alone is and always has been the only guy who would be authorized to give such permission...

Even so, (Agreeing with the post above) Permission or not, that still does not fix the biggest problem with that listing.

We all know what a 2nd Edition Chainmail looks like, but what does the copy being sold in the listing look like?
So, they cannot be bothered to post an actual picture, even for a $600 item?
Can they not afford to buy a $30 digital camera from a place like Wal-Mart?

One of my inquiries to NKG asked about using the wrong photo (when they had the pic of a 3rd Editon Chainmail posted) and the response was that they have tens of thousands of stock photos and sometimes the wrong one gets posted to a listing...

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

Charter Member of the ATM

Last edited by Gnat the Beggar on Thu Feb 02, 2012 1:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Kingofpain89
Long-Winded Collector

Posts: 4756
Joined: Oct 31, 2004
Last Visit: May 02, 2025
Location: Caddo Mills, TX

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:17 am

Gnat the Beggar wrote:One of my inquiries to NKG asked about using the wrong photo (when they had the 3rd print posted) and the response was that they have tens of thousands of stock photos and sometimes the wrong one gets posted to a listing...

That is also inexcusable. Normally when a company updates their website, they have a quality assurance employee go through the website links, photos, etc to make sure it works and everything looks the way it is supposed to. If there is a problem, they either fix it or report it to another employee that can.

It's either laziness or they cant be bothered to care if they get it right. Either way its pathetic.

You don't like your job, you don't strike. You go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way. - Homer Simpson

Invincible Overlord
Verbose Collector
JG Valuation Board
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 1624
Joined: Aug 19, 2008
Last Visit: Aug 21, 2023
Location: Chicago, IL

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:23 am

::chuckle::

(Snipped from their front page of their website)

Welcome to Noble Knight Games, mail order experts in new and out-of-print Role Playing Games, War Games, Board Games and Miniatures!

We here at Noble Knight Games are perfectionists. We take our jobs very seriously. Since 1997, we have helped thousands of gamers from around the world save money, and find exactly what they need. We are committed to providing a safe and convenient shopping experience. Your satisfaction is guaranteed!
-------------

Perfectionists my ass... PDT_Armataz_01_37

mbassoc2003
Grandstanding Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 7050
Joined: Jan 03, 2005
Last Visit: Jul 24, 2026
Location: UK

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:24 am

Permission to use a photo does not necessarily translate into permission to claim ownership of an image by adding your own monikor or watermark to that image. Without specific permission to do so, that's getting pretty close to theft, but I suspect NKG couldn't give a F and they know there's FA anyone can do about it.

I doubt there is any QA at NKG. If there is, someone needs sacking.

We take our jobs seriously my ass... PDT_Armataz_01_37

Aaron may be an idealist, but he's never found anyone capable of doing a decent job since he gave up doing the job himself. I don't think he has a clue what's going on in his own company, and to be fair to the guy, so long as he's getting money out of it, why should he give a shit? There's always someone whole buy, and they collector market isn't their market anyways.

This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

Sea-to-sky-games
Prolific Collector

Posts: 808
Joined: Dec 31, 2005
Last Visit: Jul 28, 2026
Location: Dallas, TX

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 12:36 pm

It's one thing to use a stock picture, but I was disappointed they couldn't use a stock picture of the actual item being sold. Someone is going to be misled to buy this thing and get a $25 book and a $5 hardcover.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TSR-AD-D-1st-Ed ... 1e6a3f372d

ogsponge
Collector

Posts: 5
Joined: Aug 13, 2010
Last Visit: Apr 30, 2013

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 12:37 pm

Hello Acaeum,

Just a quick introduction, I am Rick Lannert and have been working at Noble Knight Games for going on 10 years now and I am Aaron's first employee. I want to start by saying that Aaron is currently out of town but will be back soon. The next thing I would like to say is that due to a combination of emails we have received and this thread, I have pulled the listing for the Chainmail from Guidon Games. This is not an attempt to try to hide anything, simply a measure to address the issue at hand. I completely understand the frustration over an item of this value having a stock photo listed on eBay and will be making Aaron aware of this situation as soon as he returns.

In the meantime, if anyone has any comments, thoughts, questions, or concerns about this issue or any other issue you may have, I would invite you to email me directly at rick@nobleknight.com and I would be more than happy to address those for you.

Rick Lannert
Noble Knight Games

Badmike
Grandstanding Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 8079
Joined: Jun 23, 2003
Last Visit: Jun 24, 2026
Location: DFW TX

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 1:07 pm

ogsponge wrote:Hello Acaeum,

Just a quick introduction, I am Rick Lannert and have been working at Noble Knight Games for going on 10 years now and I am Aaron's first employee. I want to start by saying that Aaron is currently out of town but will be back soon. The next thing I would like to say is that due to a combination of emails we have received and this thread, I have pulled the listing for the Chainmail from Guidon Games. This is not an attempt to try to hide anything, simply a measure to address the issue at hand. I completely understand the frustration over an item of this value having a stock photo listed on eBay and will be making Aaron aware of this situation as soon as he returns.

In the meantime, if anyone has any comments, thoughts, questions, or concerns about this issue or any other issue you may have, I would invite you to email me directly at rick@nobleknight.com and I would be more than happy to address those for you.

Rick Lannert
Noble Knight Games

Thanks for coming on here Rick. I guess most of the frustration isn't over using stock photos per se (I do it all the time when selling an item I have multiple copies of), but the fact you are using stock photos for relatively "unique" items that sometimes run into 4 figures. It would seem to me this would only lead to problems when the item doesn't match the buyer's idea of what he thinks it should look like. I would think a policy of individually photgraphing/scanning items over, say, $500, wouldn't be that difficult or time consuming to implement, and perhaps even lead to more sales among the collectors here.

Mike B.

"THE MORE YOU THINK ABOUT WHY i DONE WHAT i DONE THE MORE i LAUGH" Cougar
"The Acaeum hates fun" Sir Allen
"I had a collecting emergency" Nogrod
Co-founder of the North Texas RPG Con
NTRPGCON

mbassoc2003
Grandstanding Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 7050
Joined: Jan 03, 2005
Last Visit: Jul 24, 2026
Location: UK

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 1:13 pm

Sea-to-sky-games wrote:It's one thing to use a stock picture, but I was disappointed they couldn't use a stock picture of the actual item being sold. Someone is going to be misled to buy this thing and get a $25 book and a $5 hardcover.

** expired/removed eBay auction **

Yep. But then, if they buy they are idiots anyways. I'm sure the employees don't have a clue and couldn't care less. If they hook some sucker, so much the better. Maybe what they should do is post the name of the employee who lists an item, the company phone number, and a statement the the effect that the listing is the best that employee is capable of, or the most the owner is willing to pay for, and if the buyer wants to take a chance, just be aware that the company couldn't give a F. At least then they'd be being upfront and honest with the idiots who buy.

Besides, Rick (above) has worked for them for ten years. Maybe he understands the difference and gives a shit. Maybe he'll pull the listing and get one of his computer monkeys to concentrare. Or, maybe, just maybe, he'll take charge of it himself.

Rick Lannert has the chance to set NKG appart from the God awful service and attitude Troll & Toad display towards their buyers. So let's see what NKG do now.

Badmike wrote:I guess most of the frustration isn't over using stock photos per se (I do it all the time when selling an item I have multiple copies of), but the fact you are using stock photos for relatively "unique" items that sometimes run into 4 figures.

Or the use of stock images depicting expensive items ofered at a resonable price, and then hiding in the descrptive text that that's not what you intend to ship to the customer, and in fact you're gonna ship to them some cheap alternative that you're price is overflated on. Deceit is deceit, even when it's accidental. You can't blame everything on employee or customer errors, when it's the buyers you're trying to rip off.

This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

Improv
Verbose Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 1123
Joined: Aug 14, 2004
Last Visit: Jul 10, 2026
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 4:21 pm

ogsponge wrote:Hello Acaeum,

Just a quick introduction, I am Rick Lannert and have been working at Noble Knight Games for going on 10 years now and I am Aaron's first employee. I want to start by saying that Aaron is currently out of town but will be back soon.

So I read from this that he is not contactable and has left someone in charge (ie the ability to make decisions) as any business owner would when away. Given you are the one responding and have 10 years of service I can only assume that is you Rick.

ogsponge wrote:The next thing I would like to say is that due to a combination of emails we have received and this thread, I have pulled the listing for the Chainmail from Guidon Games. This is not an attempt to try to hide anything, simply a measure to address the issue at hand. I completely understand the frustration over an item of this value having a stock photo listed on eBay and will be making Aaron aware of this situation as soon as he returns.

Rick, here is a suggestion. Rather than waiting for a discussion with Aaron why not actually fix the problem and relist the auction with an actual image or two or three? Be proactive and put this issue to bed once and for all. The issues being discussed here are not difficult to solve. So just do it. After all you are in charge.

ogsponge wrote:In the meantime, if anyone has any comments, thoughts, questions, or concerns about this issue or any other issue you may have, I would invite you to email me directly at rick@nobleknight.com and I would be more than happy to address those for you.

As this has become public discussion lets keep it that way.

"... and may I remind you that this ain't the end. I can still kick some ass." - Tom Petty

Blackmoor
Long-Winded Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 3601
Joined: Dec 20, 2003
Last Visit: Jan 13, 2026
Location: Canada

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 4:41 pm

ogsponge wrote:Hello Acaeum,

Just a quick introduction, I am Rick Lannert and have been working at Noble Knight Games for going on 10 years now and I am Aaron's first employee. I want to start by saying that Aaron is currently out of town but will be back soon. The next thing I would like to say is that due to a combination of emails we have received and this thread, I have pulled the listing for the Chainmail from Guidon Games. This is not an attempt to try to hide anything, simply a measure to address the issue at hand. I completely understand the frustration over an item of this value having a stock photo listed on eBay and will be making Aaron aware of this situation as soon as he returns.

In the meantime, if anyone has any comments, thoughts, questions, or concerns about this issue or any other issue you may have, I would invite you to email me directly at rick@nobleknight.com and I would be more than happy to address those for you.

Rick Lannert
Noble Knight Games

Just like Troll & Toad

Lip service nonsense

Scratch them off the list of online dealers, nothing will change

Games can get you through times of no money but money can not get you through times of no games!!

mbassoc2003
Grandstanding Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 7050
Joined: Jan 03, 2005
Last Visit: Jul 24, 2026
Location: UK

Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 5:44 pm

What Improv says.

Let's see someone take action rather than wait for daddy to come home so he can ask permission to post a real picture instead of one that has been cleaned up/doctored/proxied.
Does this guy actually need Aaron's permission to tell the truth in writing on eBay? Where are his testicles and his spinal chord?

This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

The Acaeum Forums • Collecting General

Page 4 of 8 • 1 2, 3, 4, 5 6 7 8