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Who is Eric Caserri?


caserri

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First of all, the answer to the most asked question... IT IS NOT ME! I am not trying to reincarnate myself or this forum elsewhere on the web.

 

I've been getting a lot of PM's recently concerning "Eric Caserri" and his new vending forum that he cleverly named "The Vending Forum" or "TVF". I'm sure most of you reading this are aware of what I'm talking about. If you don't, you soon will even without this post so it's no big secret.

 

I am going to offer this explanation to hopefully clear up some confusion that some of you have. Note that this post is not meant to attack anyone. It is simply meant to answer some questions that many of you have asked me privately over the last two days. I figured it would be easier to post this out in public rather than keep answering PM's with short answers. This explanation is from my point of view and I will explain the best I can given the facts available to me.

 

A few months ago, "Eric Caserri" contacted me with an offer to purchase TVF. I don't remember specifically what my response was but obviously, I rejected his offer. Apparently, Eric decided that if he could not purchase TVF directly from me, he would start his own "TVF", quite literally.

 

Much to my dismay, Eric decided it would be a good idea to create a replica of our forum. If you look, You'll notice that he literally copied our categories and our subforums complete with forum descriptions almost word for word.

 

Eric Caserri's TVF Vending Category

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Steve Caserri's TVF Vending Category

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Eric Caserri's Specialty Category

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Steve Caserri's Specialty Category

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As you can see here, he also copied most of the introductory post I made in July, 2007, the day TVF launched. He did add a bit or two here and there to personalize it.

 

Eric Caserri's Intro

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Steve Caserri's Intro

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Eric did not stop there. As most of you know, he also used my screen name (caserri) in his own email address. Something he admitted doing because he felt it would ensure that people would read his emails.

 

Speaking of emails, Eric also gained access to a list of most, if not all, TVF member email addresses. I know this to be true because the member who provided Eric this list has confessed to doing so. I must apologize to every member that this affects. TVF assured you when you joined that your email address would NOT be sold or distributed to any 3rd party. Unfortunately, this is what happened and it was done without my knowledge.

 

Let me take a moment here to say that TVF has never claimed to hold a patent on vending forums. In fact, we have peacefully coexisted with other vending communities during our entire existence. From Vending Chat to now defunct forums such as Bulk Vending Forum, KickStart Vending, Vending Boards, and Vend Talk. All the while, we never considered ourselves in competition with any of them. We know that membership will utilize all resources available to them. Most will drift from one community to the other and back. Some will settle on the one they like best. There is no rigid, one size fits all template for vending forums. Everyone is different and everyone is free to choose where to spend their time. So, I argue Eric's claim that these two "TVF's" are in competition with one another. He may be in competition but we choose to peacefully coexist.

 

If I could speak to Eric, I would simply ask why he chose to build his forum using deception and by harvesting the efforts of others. Why did you not build your forum from the ground up, as I did? Why couldn't you take the time required to attract a good quality member base, like I did?

 

I hope this post was able to shed some light on what exactly is going on here. I did not post this to start a cross forum war but only to clear up some confusion that our members obviously have. Like I said, I've been getting lots of questions and I thought a public explanation was in order.

 

Everyone here is welcome to draw their own conclusions and make up their own minds about Eric's motivations. However, I would be very hesitant to join, participate, and support a forum whose founder has publicly admitted to deception by using my name. Who clearly, intentionally, and unapologetically copied content from our TVF to his TVF, and most importantly, who gained access to our members private information without their consent and used it in his recruiting efforts.

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Well Steve it is strange thing. I wondered how "Eric" got my email. Hmm, I would think that the person that gave him my email would know who he gave it to?!?! :ph34r: Not a big thing for sure but at the very least the email giver could be a standup person and own up to it to those whose trust he betrayed, but that won't happen will it.

 

Anyway I don't think the whole thing will effect anything here.

 

Keep up the good work.

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Not a big thing for sure but at the very least the email giver could be a standup person and own up to it to those whose trust he betrayed, but that won't happen will it.

That would be up to the individual. I'm not going to reveal any names because there would be nothing to gain from it. What's done is done.

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I don't personally think there is an Eric at all, it seems to me that someone on the other forum possibly has multiple names and is answering themselves just to add content so that its not completely bare. I have built and ran a forum before, and I know that its tough when its brand new and there are not many if any members, so its tempting to add some "content" by being a few people and just answer yourself. I have no way to know that for sure, and I definitely don't know who, but I think its probably a member here. 

 

I really don't see the point honestly, especially when the exact same forum titles are used.

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Thanks very much for clearing this up, Steve. I have received a mail form "Eric" as well.  I was wondering what it was all about. 

 

In the guitar world, there was a guy named Bill Lawrence (who recently passed away). There was another guy named Bill Lawrence who tried to 'horn in' on his business. There were legal fights and so forth.  This just reminds me of that situation.    

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maybe someone from BVF? I noticed that the off topic section was named the spill tray, which is what BVF used.

A person named "EricC" also currently moderates every forum on BVF... Also the member list is quite interesting. It pretty much explains everything.

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A person named "EricC" also currently moderates every forum on BVF... Also the member list is quite interesting. It pretty much explains everything.

That's because he bought the BVF domain and database.

Hey, if you can't build it yourself, buy it or steal it from others!

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  • 3 weeks later...

What's BVF ?

BVF was another vending forum started by a few TVF members. (However, not affiliated with TVF)

They were online a bit over a year and I thought they were in it for the long haul. It is my understanding that they closed because they could not justify spending money on a forum that wasn't thriving.

Even though I, and TVF, were spoken about negatively on BVF, I did admire what they were accomplishing because they were creative enough to do it themselves without "taking" anything from here.

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Even though I, and TVF, were spoken about negatively on BVF, I did admire what they were accomplishing because they were creative enough to do it themselves without "taking" anything from here.

 

slap-7372.gif

BVF was another vending forum started by a few TVF members. (However, not affiliated with TVF)

 

It was more of a blog than a forum.

I think you have to have more than a few active members posting to qualify as a forum.

Calling that place a forum is like saying that guy talking to himself behind the liquor store is having a conversation.

 

;D

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  • 2 weeks later...

slap-7372.gif

It was more of a blog than a forum.

I think you have to have more than a few active members posting to qualify as a forum.

Calling that place a forum is like saying that guy talking to himself behind the liquor store is having a conversation.

;D

I agree with both that it's cool they set it up. And that it was really just a blog. I was on there few times a week. I actually got booted off there haha. But my wife is an internet genius so she got me on with out them knowing with a new id and ip they couldn't trace to me.

But again I'm sure it's a big undertaking and Steve has my respect for building what he has here. It has taking his time and personal resources.

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