Disappointed

[LSUfan4444]

The thing is, sometimes people's opinions ARE incorrect, ignorant, and insulting.

So if someone says "Pete is a great guy and SA isn't anything to worry about, blah blah blah," I'm not allowed to say that opinion is incorrect or ignorant? I'm just making sure I understand what you're saying here.

Now go back and read the comment I quoted and see the difference...


You are fully supported Craig. You are a great guy and a consummate professional. Anyone who says or thinks otherwise is both misinformed and an ***.

 

[soniam]

Is anyone getting old podcasts showing up in the feed? I’m using Apple Podcasts. One from 2012 just downloaded. I wonder if I should be listening for weird clues or if it’s just coincidence.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Hi Katie,

I have cancelled this reservation for you.

Please note for the future travel agents work on commission - so when a guest books, we help plan their trip and answer questions. The commission comes to the company about a month after the guest travels and we get a portion of that commission.

Have a great day

So, don't even think about getting sick, laid off, or having a death in the family. "Bob" might just lose out on fifty bucks...

 

[LisaDKG]

There was so much fighting going on and hurt feelings. I remember crying at some of the arguments. One of the mods husband asked her something like, ‘Why are you crying over what someone named Bunny Foo Foo said? They don’t know you.’ When she told us that something clicked in my mind and I stopped taking comments personally (thicker skin).

Thank you for relaying this! I can understand how hurtful going through this could feel when you believe you’ve become a part of a like-minded community.
It also helps to shed some light, IMO on how the restrictions on this board tightened up and what the intent behind that might have been. I believe PW used that and doubled down for his own gains but I also see how hard it would be for a conscientious mod here to strike a balance between protecting users, preserving the peace and upholding the goals of the forum.
I am really appreciating the past few days’ loosening up of the restrictions in order to learn the facts and speak more freely here.
I also have come to see the value of the existence of the other board that allowed the victims to tell their truths there first. I barely post here and definitely don’t think I have a thick enough skin to participate there but I am glad both exist. Freedom of choice is the key I suppose.

 

[DanielleC]

Exactly..... there never was some huge Scrooge McDuck pile of cash that Werner was sitting on. Add to that his opulent lifestyle and big spending habits, and it is not surprising he ends up owing amex nearly 1 million dollars...

Does anyone really think he was raking in cash if he has financed DC with Monera and racked up $850K with AMEX that he can't pay back?

 

[mefordis]

All my Amex card statements tied to the same social for personal and tax id number for business show up on the same respective portal when I log in. Now I understated the statements seemed to be mailed to Pete’s house but John (who we are told take cares of all the finances and mundane back office work) never logged in and saw a card never getting paid? They send in a paper check for every statement and never took advantage of bill pay?

I can see Pete having a huge expense account via DUT and might even have an arrangement for DUT to pay for their sponsorship of the dis via that account. But to not pay even pay the minimum for so long without anyone knowing makes no sense. Something seems off.

I wondered the same. And maybe it wasn't all Pete's spending? I wonder if there was more than one card issued to that account.

 

[DonMacGregor]

I wondered the same. And maybe it wasn't all Pete's spending? I wonder if there was more than one card issued to that account.

See my comment in post #1,696. The only reason AmEx would come after Werner personally, is if the card was applied for under his SSN, and not the company's EIN. If you are a sole proprietor, then you'd apply for a card using your company's name, but your own SSN, DUT is incorporated and has it's own EIN (and it's own mailing address, that wouldn't include the individual card holder's name in the address either). As an example, even the bills for my business AmEx cards, with my name on them, in my wallet. don't come to my home address, and are addressed solely to the business. In other words, on the business side, the company is the card member, and I am "just" the card holder.

 

[JimmyV_2.0]

Does anyone really think he was raking in cash if he has financed DC with Monera and racked up $850K with AMEX that he can't pay back?

I think there are two separate forces at play here: 1.) Raking in money; and 2.) Mismanaging finances.
Yes, I do believe that ownership in the second largest (by volume) Disneycentric travel agency coupled with YouTube ad money and Google ad money and Patreon subscription money meant that he was raking in money. Sean has suggested what he was earning, and it was significant. But a boorish, piggish lifestyle coupled with the possibility of vices can cause that money to evaporate quickly. Some of that we could see with our own eyes. Yes, he made good money, but not $400 Gucci shirts, $20,000 gold necklaces and Cruise Ship Presidential Suite money. And many of the first-hand accounts from Charles, Sean, JL, and others have told of lavish generosity, none of which appears to be contradicted. So yeah, I think he was raking in cash...and then spending it like a sailor on leave. Bad financial habits can overcome a healthy income in no time. Add in an apparent addiction to to DVC points and BAM! Hello poor house.

 

[Tonyz]

The thing is, sometimes people's opinions ARE incorrect, ignorant, and insulting.

Ok, but let's be honest. It seems that the people who have been staunchly defending the people in charge of this company have been the ones who are much more insulting to those who disagree with them.

 

[RedHead0186]

Let's use some critical thinking here. Have you read the stories from Sean and Dustin on the other website? Do you think they both decided to start posting on some website no one has ever heard about with fake stories of SA to coordinate a takedown of Pete and then hope some big event (the Amex lawsuit) pulled those threads from the shadows of the internet so people here could find out? No.

Everything posted on the other website is credible. They weren't trying to get as many eyeballs on their accusations as possible. They were simply sharing their stories on a forum that wouldn't censor them. If this was some fake scheme it would have been published in places where Dis fans could actually see it immediately.

What you're saying is a cop out to avoid facing the disgusting truth and it's a reason victims often stay silent.

And this is part of why I personally feel people need to read it for themselves. Summarizing everything that's come out in the last week into a few bullet points really minimizes the impact. Reading the victims' words, as they wrote them, gives you a much better sense of impact. You can also see how this played out in real time, some disclosures were made, then other disclosures, realizations, etc. Some of them also talked about how parts of it had been repressed so they didn't even really know what happened to them until recently (or were told by others what happened to them).

Just saying "so and so said they were sexually abused by so and so" is very different, and much easier to question, in my opinion. To each their own, but for me that's why I've been pushing to have people read this for themselves (and yes, I know it's a lot!) so they truly understand the impact of all of this. It's much harder to disbelieve when you take it in that way, see the corroboration in stories, etc.

 

[RedHead0186]

I understand. However, they had to go through the gauntlet on the site on which they originally posted. I think their skin is thick enough now. I also don’t think they are even reading this board. They all seem intelligent enough to not bother.

I know Sean was on this thread at one point, though I haven't seen him in the last day or so (he is on a cruise, so I'm guessing that's the reason). I think we've also seen Fiasco, though it's been a couple of days. I can't remember now if Dustin and Charles were here or on the other site (it's all blurring together, lol). But definitely some of them have been here following along.

 

[take36]

But that's the point. I too have both personal and business AmEx cards (seven total, three for my company), but all of the current business accounts are under my company's EIN number, and don't appear on my personal portal. The bills don't have my name on them, just the company, and they go to the business address. Legally, the company and I are completely separate entities. DUT is a long-established company, and has had an EID for God-knows how long. There's no reason for that account to have Werner's own name and address, and for AmEx to come after him personally, rather than just the company, unless the card was applied for under his SSN. I mean, it's literally the primary reason for incorporating: to insulate one's self from the company's liabilities/debt. Also, it looks like the account was opened just last July, based on the Cardmember Agreement included in the exhibits to the suit.

Maybe they use his address as it mainly work from home and they can write off square footage? But that's not the big deal imho. The problem is when I log on to Amex I see all the cards associated with my company's EIN and I can turn them on and off, pay them, and check the purchases all from my phone. Even if Pete somehow sneaked a card in without approval and got the statements sent to his house (versus say they using another official business address) whoever is paying managing the cards should see it.

Maybe Pete is managing the accounts and paying the bills online (unlikely as he has almost dismissed anything financial and threw it at John), John should be able to log on (as a co owner and also whoever they delegated this task to) and see a growing bill. It might've been overlooked as it might have started small but it tells you when a card is past due and it looks like not even the minimum was applied. Furthermore if they had a Platinum card, the gold cards for additional employees and users are "free" but still required approval by the main account holder (Dreams Inc). So even if Pete snuck it by John and got an additional gold card, why would he as he must already have a company card, unless that is maxed?

Did Dreams Inc stop paying on Pete's cards as they disagreed with how he was spending? It seems like a focused effort not to even pay the minimum, they must know how this affects the company and Pete of all people knows the dangers of runaway credit card debt (Sean mentioned he helped him out of it) and even if Pete didn't care and relapsed, he didn't bother to pay the minimum just to keep the tab going?

 

[khertz]

And this is part of why I personally feel people need to read it for themselves. Summarizing everything that's come out in the last week into a few bullet points really minimizes the impact. Reading the victims' words, as they wrote them, gives you a much better sense of impact. You can also see how this played out in real time, some disclosures were made, then other disclosures, realizations, etc. Some of them also talked about how parts of it had been repressed so they didn't even really know what happened to them until recently (or were told by others what happened to them).

Just saying "so and so said they were sexually abused by so and so" is very different, and much easier to question, in my opinion. To each their own, but for me that's why I've been pushing to have people read this for themselves (and yes, I know it's a lot!) so they truly understand the impact of all of this. It's much harder to disbelieve when you take it in that way, see the corroboration in stories, etc.

ALL OF THIS. Reading it in their own words is so much more impactful than bullet points from an anonymous poster

 

[mefordis]

Is anyone getting old podcasts showing up in the feed? I’m using Apple Podcasts. One from 2012 just downloaded. I wonder if I should be listening for weird clues or if it’s just coincidence.

Yes, I am. And I'd recommend anyone wanting to binge watch old Disunplugged videos for whatever reason, do it now. I'm 99% sure all of those with PW are coming down soon.

 

[gmi3804]

Maybe Pete is managing the accounts and paying the bills online (unlikely as he has almost dismissed anything financial and threw it at John)...

So Pete was Walt and John is Roy?

 

[soniam]

I know Sean was on this thread at one point, though I haven't seen him in the last day or so (he is on a cruise, so I'm guessing that's the reason). I think we've also seen Fiasco, though it's been a couple of days. I can't remember now if Dustin and Charles were here or on the other site (it's all blurring together, lol). But definitely some of them have been here following along.

He’s supposedly on a cruise right now. He hasn’t posted on the original site lately either.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Maybe they use his address as it mainly work from home and they can write off square footage? But that's not the big deal imho. The problem is when I log on to Amex I see all the cards associated with my company's EIN and I can turn them on and off, pay them, and check the purchases all from my phone. Even if Pete somehow sneaked a card in without approval and got the statements sent to his house (versus say they using another official business address) whoever is paying managing the cards should see it.

Maybe Pete is managing the accounts and paying the bills online (unlikely as he has almost dismissed anything financial and threw it at John), John should be able to log on (as a co owner and also whoever they delegated this task to) and see a growing bill. It might've been overlooked as it might have started small but it tells you when a card is past due and it looks like not even the minimum was applied. Furthermore if they had a Platinum card, the gold cards for additional employees and users are "free" but still required approval by the main account holder (Dreams Inc). So even if Pete snuck it by John and got an additional gold card, why would he as he must already have a company card, unless that is maxed?

Did Dreams Inc stop paying on Pete's cards as they disagreed with how he was spending? It seems like a focused effort not to even pay the minimum, they must know how this affects the company and Pete of all people knows the dangers of runaway credit card debt (Sean mentioned he helped him out of it) and even if Pete didn't care and relapsed, he didn't bother to pay the minimum just to keep the tab going?

That's a whole lot of "what if's" (I doubt the 400 Sf garage office at Werner's house even if used 100% for DUT, really presents any measurable tax benefit for a company with revenues into low 8 figures) , and it still doesn't answer why John Magi (or the third partner) isn't named as an individual co-defendant, whereas Werner is.

There has been some suggestion, given the recent opening of the account, that the $800K was rung up rather quickly, and the possibility that someone at DUT did, in fact, see it, may also be the reason the balance wasn't paid.

Again, while all of this is speculation, the fact remains that AmEx has sued Dream Unlimited Travel, and Peter Werner as an individual. They did not name either of the other partners. Even if someone were to come along and creatively argue "Well, they named him because even though it was a corporate card, he was the individual who made the charges", then that still supports the argument that it's his debt. If there were some other card holder out there on that account, using that logic, that individual would have been named as well.

 

[Jason_V]

Now go back and read the comment I quoted and see the difference...


You are fully supported Craig. You are a great guy and a consummate professional. Anyone who says or thinks otherwise is both misinformed and an ***.

You are correct. In my haste, I responded to the wrong person.

 

[JimmyV_2.0]

So Pete was Walt and John is Roy?

I don't need that image in my head!

 

[dangeresque49]

Sites like the other one exist so folks can speak freely. I know this might burst the bubbles of diehard PW fans who have been with him for years, but up until a week or 2 ago, if Dustin or Sean said something here their posts would have been instantly removed to save brand face.
Because those other forms are free to say what you want the entire story can get out.
PW has not come forward to address anything. I get the Amex thing is pending litigation but rather than defend himself from what Dustin and Sean have said, he has deleted most of his social media and chose to ignore or hide.
Some past and current employees have all chimed in as well about all this now that it is open.
Yes change is difficult and you might feel you can't believe what's going in but with the amount of upheaval going on clearly PW isn't a good guy. Being a jerk to folks on the podcasts was always attributed to him being from NJ according to him... clearly it wasn't NJ and just him being himself.

The world changes constantly. Keep hope that Craig, Ryno and the rest of the team find their footing in their new freedom to run the DIS the way it should be.

While it was a place for Dustin and Sean to get their story out, just looking around the rest of the site it seems like the main point of that place is hate and speculation with little to no basis for it. I mean I certainly get tired of boards where no one is allowed to be critical of Disney even when they deserve it, but there is so much talk there that is just making fun of people for their weight, appearance, voice, etc. Some people talk there like they stalk these vloggers and have intimate knowledge of their personal lives off camera. That kind of talk can spiral out of control to a point where someone is suing the site for it. Also people who aren't haters on that site and tend to point out people being unfair tend to get banned. If it were a free forum people would be allowed to tell someone that fat shaming or other related things aren't ok. While we can verify Dustin and Sean there are many other people over there who just make stuff up to fuel hate.