I have been a loyal patron at Flying Phoenix for the last 2 years. I would drive up from Madison every weekend for their X-wing tournaments. During the covid lockdowns I purchases hundreds if not at least $1000 dollars from this store to help support it during this time. Like I did several other local game and hobby stores. Never again. Not a single cent of my money will being going to this store after the owner flat out told me to my face that I am not a customer, because I was buying items from him to flip on Ebay. Even though I buy and flip on Ebay to purchase items to play with. Just like anyones else does, say with magic cards. He also told me that my patronage wasn't needed anymore, because more people from the player community were starting to come in now that he loosened his Covid restrictions. After this incident I blocked him on Facebook and left his store group chat, because I didn't want to get harrassed by him about not going to a game demo that he was expecting me to attend later that week.
I say harass, because when my brother, who was also a big patron and supporter of his store started complaining about his "reward" system being BS and being screwed over by him several times in winnings and prizes for tournaments and the owner found out. He said that he was going to send a lawyer after my brother for defamation and then also had the audacity to demand that my brother attend game activities at his store and buy some of his overpriced product to gain his "forgiveness" for speaking out against his store.
He knew full well, that I bought things to flip, and even tried to trick me several times to purchase his old inventory that wasn't moving, because he charges full MSRP for everything. When you can just go down to Adventure down the street and buy the same thing for 20% less. In a non dust covered cramps store with an unkept dirty bathroom. On several occasions even as I was going to buy something, he would even jack the price on me right in front of me if it was something he thought I may potentially be able to flip.
After I blocked him, he started to then engage in the hypocritical and double standard behavior of defaming me, like he accused my brother of, to the local player base that I am a part of telling them that "I bought out his entire inventory, 6 or 7, all on one thing." Total BS, I bought 3 at most over the course of a month or two and then several other things.
I will not patron the store of someone whos is unethical and overall just a very poor business man. I kept quiet about all the unethical things I encountered with this businessman over the course of a year. Even giving him the benefit of the doubt when it came to the story of how he and his former business partner (owner of Adventure Games - his competitor split). I now see that all those unethical and extremely poor business decisions and practices were true.
I even expect some sort of BS response to this negative review. First off, I have every right to post it, secondly you are defaming my character now and this negative review is in response to it, and if the said defamation continues or the owner engages in any form of harrassment towards me like he did my brother. I entirely plan on contacting the BBB about this business and filing a complaint, along with escalating things as high as they need to go if necessary. Because I am not like my brother, I am not the little goat that cowers and gives into the bridge troll. I am the big rammed goat that gives the troll my horns right in its ass if decides to try and pick a fight with me when I am just trying to cross the bridge and mind my own business and go on my way freely. read more
