Hall of Shame
In many areas of our site we exemplify our contestants, sponsors, supporters, and members of the military community. In this section we highlight the opposite side of the spectrum. These are companies who are scammers, rammers, or simply have poor practices when it comes to the military. Companies on this list have the opportunity to have their names removed but only after changes to their products or practices. They cannot simply pay for removal. Without further ado, in no particular order:
1. Luminox
Luminox is owned by Barry Cohen out of San Rafael, CA. It is time someone calls these guys out. When we started out this was the first watch company that we thought about partnering up with. We quickly realized Barry was a fraud. We couldn’t find any Seals, EOD or Deep Sea guys wearing the watches. The watches fell apart, stopped glowing and the face scratches if it rubs across damn near anything. We bought twelve of them and handed out another dozen. If there is anyone responsible for putting Luminox out in Coronado it was us. Let’s just say that stay was brief. If you look at their website it definitely is leaning on some relationship with the trident or teams to make the watches look hard. They are cheap watches that will never stand a chance of being on the wrists of anyone that matters without a complete overhaul in their business philosophy and product quality. Barry was told this point blank and decided to play dumb. Using the trident to sell watches is pathetic. Check out the propaganda piece here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXu0uKEMbOQ
2. Jaeger –LeCoultre
These guys are equally as bad as Luminox but from the opposite end of the spectrum. These guys make fantastic watches. They are a Swiss watch company that makes $100,000 plus watches. You obviously have reached the level of Super Don with one of these on your wrist, just not a pink gold $11k US Navy SEAL version. Yes, Switzerland is a neutral country. But so is Sweden and there are at least five fallen Swedish heroes in the last ten years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am not seeing one from the Swiss team. The reason I mention this is that on this side of the pond there is something called patriotism, honor and commitment to your country. Your company using the logo of our community to promote your bourgeois watches to the polo grounds crowd is a scam. SEALS don’t wear pink gold watches. You do not have a relationship with the SEALS other than it appears you toured the NSW museum and handed out a couple of these babies to a couple of cool guys. Back in the navy we called that greasing the skids. In other words, there is going to be some friction and something needs to stop the squeaking.
We called directly to the Manhattan office and spoke with Kate Montini, national marketing manager for Jaeger-LeCoultre about this relationship. She told us it was classified and she couldn’t tell us. Well Kate, we have friends at the top of the SEALS, EOD and US Deep Sea commands. No one can verify your classified story. We asked Kate about possibly donating a watch to US Navy SEAL Dan Cnossen after Dan’s suffered a double amputation from stepping on an IED in Afghan. We were given hats, shirts and bags with their JLC symbol…All were wood. But now they have taken the US Navy SEALS watch off their site, off of Youtube and are trying to run through the rest of the watches off the books through internet watch brokers. Yup, caught you speeding guys. Their watches? We wouldn’t buy em’, wouldn’t wear em’, wouldn’t recommend them or have them in my store simply because what JLC is doing with their marketing is a slap in the face to our fallen heroes who can’t say anything in return because they are active duty. Check out these links:
http://www.prestigetime.com/item/Jaeger-LeCoultre/Master-Compressor-Divi...
http://www.thefinestwatches.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/catalog.viewProduct...
http://www.swissluxury.com/jaeger-le-coultre-watches-master-compressor-d...
3. Family Gym
Joe Ochoa and Rudy Roids. Wow, these guys tried to pack it in our cheeks for sure. They offered to host our second event and donate $5,000 to the cause. As you can witness by the video we held up our end of the bargain. We did a walk through, an interview, a video and posted it on our site and have Joe’s signature on a signed contract. Joe showed up to McP’s for 5 minutes and walked out when we had only four people as entrants. Joe felt as if there should have been more participants. Unfortunately, no one came to watch, or participate, from Family Gym either. Again we handed out gear, praised our contestants and paid out the prize money. All we got from Joe was $500 down payment on the credit card. There have been several postings about these guys. If they would like to clear their tab and change a couple things about their business acumen we might take them off the list. But for now, we call it as we see it.
4. Hotel del Coronado
The Hotel Del is one of the most beautiful hotels in America if not the coolest. It sits right on Coronado Beach and has a beautiful view of the pacific ocean. It has been there since 1888. Technically, they were there first. But in 1987 the navy commissioned Naval Special Warfare Command to share some of the beach for training. This odd combination has created spectators on the beach watching guys go through BUD/s. How fun to watch guys get beat down in the surf while sipping champagne with your sweetheart from a lounge chair. We have to admit that we like sipping champagne, kissing girls and watching guys get beat down too. So instead of rolling up your shirt sleeve to see if someone is noticing your over priced Jaeger-LeCoultre try digging in your pocket for a donation. We called these guys on the phone twice and they flat out said no way. Then we called them out about it at the event. After the event Curtis was approached by two females who were pissed that we threw them under the bus in front of the whole crowd. We won’t name names. The long and short of it is one of them was a marketing manager for the Hotel del Coronado and the other was a cutie from the foundation who seemed offended that we might actually be raising a dollar on the island without their knowledge. Please. I asked them for a donation on the spot and they both refused to even buy an inexpensive t-shirt. The Hotel del Coronado recently fell on hard times since they are down $260 million. No wonder we didn’t get a donation. Try embracing the community instead of ignoring it.
http://lansner.ocregister.com/2011/01/14/hotel-del-coronado-escapes-fore...
5. Fiji Water
We reached out to Fiji water because our champion Tiko Crofoot is from Fiji. We told him they slapped us down and he told us that they have the worst reputation in Fiji. Mind you Fiji is a tiny island in the middle of the pacific. As greedy as they possibly come was what Tiko said. They pay almost nothing for the water in Fiji and they sell it for $4 a bottle in the USA and do next to nothing for the local Fijians. They paid a fraction of 1% for the taxes on the water. When the Fijians increased the taxes on them they closed the factory and threatened to leave. Then they realized they couldn’t get Fiji water anywhere else other than Fiji so they acquiesced and paid the taxes. Stewart and Lynda Rae Resnick. American billionaires who have now also recently purchased Paso Robles, CA winery, Justin. Of course not only do they not like paying taxes, they elected to not give us a donation either.