Publishers

Victim: “Conlan Press has no intention of refunding my money”. Feel hurt and cheated? We’ll give you a voice.

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“Conlan Press has no intention of refunding my money… I, along with many other Last Unicorn fans, have been scammed by Conlan Press… Never, ever, EVER buy anything directly from Conlan Press.” – New victim report (9/30/15)

There is help:

See how the offender, Connor Cochran, struggles to reject accountability since this site exposed his ten year history of scamming customers:

  • Whistleblower employee Michael Bolger was trashed as a coverup – until Cochran’s story fell apart.  He was forced to renounce it and remove Bolger.
  • Public pressure forced Cochran to make a public refund promise to every cheated customer in December 2014.
  • Refund promises were broken again and again.  The scandal continues NOW.

More from September 30, 2015:  “CONLAN PRESS FRUSTRATIONS”

The show was this April (2015)… After the show we had Peter S. Beagle sign a few prints we purchased and we also pre-ordered a print.  At the time of purchase they told us that the delivery time would be approximately 4-6 weeks and that we would get updates via e-mail.  A few days later I ordered the new DVD on their website as well.  On June 19th we hadn’t heard anything, or received our print, so I sent an e-mail to them.  My first e-mail was ignored so I sent a follow-up email on July 3rd…

I was told that the items I had purchased would not be available and that I could get substitute items or a refund.  I opted for a refund and was then told that they would have to mail me a check since it had been more than 60 days since I placed my orders and that a check would be mailed out in a week.

I checked in today and am now being told that the checks aren’t really going to take a week, but four.  So now I am reasonably sure that Conlan Press has no intention of refunding my money.”

At the link, notice the very interesting detail that Cochran refused requests for email that could document promises in writing, using phone instead after being asked not to.

How many years ago did cheating and lying become a way of business? Newly reported to fansagainstfraud@gmail.com:

Hello!

I came across a link to your website documenting the troubles with Conlan Press and the old frustration and anger over this thing came right back.  The last time I brought it up was a discussion via another fan forum for perfume about a year ago. If another anecdote does you any good, you’re welcome to use it.

In 2005, I was still living at home, not yet married, working, and came across a blog post by Neil Gaiman talking about how Peter S. Beagle had found a place for his work at Conlan Press and that they were doing an audiobook deal with a first-look chance to get a copy of the novella Two Hearts.

None of this is remotely on Mr. Gaiman, but encouraged by this news I went to look at Conlan’s website and was one of, I don’t know, the first couple hundred to pre-order this specific edition at some fifty dollars.  This was to be a kind of birthday thing for myself, the initial release date lining up roughly over the summer.

Much of this doesn’t matter.  What matters is that now in 2015 nothing has ever come of this.  I’ve married the guy I was dating that summer, I’ve moved across the country, I’ve changed jobs several times, lost old emails, and the bank from which Connor Cochran took my then-costly fifty bucks has gone entirely out of business.  I’ve tried to contact them several times over the years and never heard back.

And I’ve still never read Two Hearts.  I’ve never had the heart to.

I’ve told a few people I feel like the whole situation was a little Molly Grue.  I moved on, but the story I loved so much now has some bitterness in every reading.  It’s a small thing, but The Last Unicorn was and is one of my favorite stories.  I hadn’t known how broad the theft conducted by Conlan Press was.  Now that I know, I’m that much more upset.  If there’s anything more I can do besides share yet another ‘we got screwed’ tale, let me know.  And again, you’re welcome to use this email.

Best, K

For as long as Connor Cochran refuses accountability and has anything to do with customers, this scandal won’t go away. Let’s make REAL solutions to stealing and lying. We’ll do everything possible to honor your sadness and frustration, by making your voices heard.  Send your story to fansagainstfraud@gmail.com.

One more tale of sadness from the Last Unicorn Tour website:

comment

 

New victim reports: “This has been well over a decade they have held my money…”

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 New at the Better Business Bureau:

bbb

New at Ripoff Report:

Connor Cochran of Conlan Press recieved a check from me shortly after January 10th, 2009, and in return, I was supposed to recieve a Deluxe Last Unicorn hardcover. After many years and explanations given for delays (and much patience on my part), I have still recieved nothing, as have countless other fans. I requested a refund by email in 2011 but was ignored.

New reader comment:

My husband and I have been huge fans of The Last Unicorn since we were kids, and when we got engaged, he ordered the commemorative edition of “Two Hearts.” That was back in 2006. We are now married and have two kids, the oldest nearly 4. Still nothing…

Dear victims and future members of the Ten Year Club, here’s where to seek real help:

Continuing scandal at Lastunicorntour.com:

Lindsey September 9, 2015 at 10:22 am

Hi! I’ve placed an order back in April for the “KUBO FILM CONCEPT PAINTING 1 — UNICORN/AMALTHEA NUDE LIMITED EDITION” and a pre-order of the “2015 “Enchanted Edition” Blu-Ray/DVD Combo” and I am growing unhappy with the lack of information in regard to when these items will be shipped. I know, the charming sales kid you had at the screening said it could be 4-8 weeks. I don’t want to be impatient so I was wondering if there was a timeline for the shipment of these items or if somehow my order was misplaced because I still have the invoice and the transaction. Most companies do not take people’s money before at the very least sending shipping notice…

Ingrid September 7, 2015 at 11:50 am

I am writing because during the Arlington, MA showing in May I ordered a couple of books and a print. I haven’t received any information and answer of an email I sent a week ago. I understand Peter’s health situation but the lack of communication is not good. At this rate I am not even happy with my order since it has been such a long time. Please advice.

Emily Gensamer September 1, 2015 at 6:46 am

I have a question, my husband Thomas Gensamer and I went to the show in SJ. We had ordered a singed copy of the DVD and a Lady Amalthea HD photo. They said it would come to us within 10-12 weeks. This was about 13 or 14 weeks ago now, should we be worried?

Elizabeth August 27, 2015 at 8:08 pm

I’m very sad to hear that Peter is not doing very well… Also, I was wondering….. since I made purchases back in May and in June for items that i requested his signature for, would it be possible to just go ahead and receive the items without signage? Or is it too late?

Christina August 27, 2015 at 12:07 pm

Hi I was at the show in April in El Paso TX and I still haven’t received my items. I ordered the DVD and my friend ordered a collection of Peters books. Do you have any update on when we may receive the order?01

Bethany Russell August 26, 2015 at 1:50 am

I may have been unsubscribed from the emails. Can you add me back in? I also ordered a signed copy of a dvd maybe last year? – I seriously don’t remember when it was, but it was an advance order- was going to be sent out whenever they were ready. Are there any updates on those?

Nate August 25, 2015 at 9:39 am

Hey, I ordered some books when you guys came to Austin but they still haven’t arrived and I haven’t received any emails about them. I tried emailing the contact@conlanpress.com but I haven’t never got a reply.

Caitlin August 24, 2015 at 10:56 am

Hi, I pre-ordered a signed copy of the new edition Last Unicorn DVD back in June and haven’t received it, nor any word of when those might ship. Any news on when we might expect to see those start to send out? Also, I’ve never received confirmation of having been added to the tour e-mail list, even though I signed up at a screening in Maine in May and have sent them one or two e-mails asking. Can you please add me? kendalls_hat@yahoo.com.

Jennifer Street August 22, 2015 at 12:15 am

I was at the screening earlier this year at the Alamo Drafthouse in Dallas, TX. I ordered one of the really nice expensive prints, but have yet to receive it. Is there an ETA on when I should be getting this?

Racheal Williams August 7, 2015 at 9:22 am

I just wanted to ask if all of the Canadian shipping issues had been worked out? We had ordered a print at the show and haven’t heard anything yet on if and when it will be coming. We paid cash for everything.

Matthew Stelting July 16, 2015 at 11:20 am

Hello, I was at the show in April and have not received any word on the status of items that I ordered. I see that there’s some issues with Conlan Press moving now that I’m here but I would like to request to be added to the tour membership. I used the proper email link at Conlan Press when I realized I forgot to sign up, but never got a reply and in the comments it seems the email system didn’t really work to begin with, so, I’m not on the list could you please at freyth [at] yahoo.com to the tour membership?

02

Shaina Noyes-Girard July 8, 2015 at 9:06 am

I was at the Plymouth nh show and bought a copy of the new book with a quote and I haven’t received it yet. Any ideas on what happened? Thanks

Sarah Mosher July 7, 2015 at 12:38 pm

I am also inquiring on an order I made back in May at the Portland, Maine Showing~ I ordered the “Better-Beagle-Bundle” and am excited & curious to know when I may expect the shipment?

Christina July 6, 2015 at 3:11 pm

Hi Connor, first of all, I am really glad that the tour finally came to Germany… However, I was a bit disappointed that the “event” itself was not special at all :/ …I knew that Peter wouldn’t be there and am absolutely fine with that, but it was nowhere mentioned that there wouldn’t be anyone at all… Honestly, I am a bit sad.  Maybe next time something like this happens you shouldn’t mention that each event will still be special because surely I am not the only person misinterpreting this piece information and running to false conclusions.

Mandy Wood June 15, 2015 at 8:23 am

I ordered a signed copy of The Last Unicorn back on like April 28….. Any ideas if and when I should be receiving the book? I’m seeing all sorts of scarey stuff all over the internet about people getting “scammed” by Collan Press… Hoping it’s not true. Thankfully I paid with paypal if it is true but would much rather have the book.

Jessie Dias June 14, 2015 at 5:27 pm

Hi my mom and i ordered a bunch of stuff when u guys were on tour in Houston TX but we havent gotten anything we ordered yet and were not sure why are u guys waiting till the tour is totally over or are u just backed up on orders?

Ried June 10, 2015 at 7:22 pm

I want to say I loved going to the theater to see the movie on the big screen! I went to the Portsmouth showing back in May and purchased one of the amazing prints. When is it I can expect this to be shipped again? We think we remember someone saying three weeks but we’ve passed that mark now and I don’t see anywhere on the site which gives a suggestion on when to expect one if bought.

03

Kacey Pate June 4, 2015 at 8:04 pm

Hi, I don’t know how to get ahold of the people who sell the merchendise after the showings. In December I went to the show at Prime 11 Cinemas in Anderson, Can and I’ve been trying to figure out how to get my order… My sister contacted then a month after the event and they said they would call me but as far as I know I haven’t been contacted. If there is any way that you could point me in the right direction on who to talk to that’d be amazing. Thank you!

Danielle June 3, 2015 at 9:52 am

Hello, I have sent a couple of emails to contact@conlanpress.com for help with an item I purchased at a show. Is there a better email address to use? I haven’t heard anything for 3 weeks.

Kristen May 31, 2015 at 7:23 pm

I went to the Salem, MA showing but I was unable to sign up for the membership then, so I tried sending an email multiple times but never got a response back to say whether or now they had received my information. What do I do? Or will someone contact me?

Kimberly Severson May 19, 2015 at 9:18 am

Hi! I went to the screening with two of my wonderful friends back in March in Tucson, AZ… That night we ordered the special edition signed books and now I’m just wondering when we should expect them to arrive? I think I remember hearing that it would take a couple months but I just wanted to make sure!

04

Domenica May 12, 2015 at 2:55 pm

Who do I need to contact about a tracking # regarding purchases made at a screening here in Texas (Richardson)?

Michelle April 19, 2015 at 4:26 pm

My boyfriend and I attended the show at the Laemmle Royal on Santa Monica in California on January 20, 2015 and purchased one of the special signed books that cost us $65.40 each and both of us paid with our debit cards. The guy that made the sale said that the book would be sent to us in about a month. We have never received our copies. Do you have any updates about this?

Amanda April 6, 2015 at 6:26 am

I ordered a book with special illustrations years ago and STILL not received the book. I’m not happy!

Ashlynn Hurley April 5, 2015 at 11:08 am

I Signed up a year ago when I saw the tour in Canada for a book, and I still have not gotten any responses from anyone 🙁

Samantha Gonzalez-Montenegro January 11, 2015 at 4:09 pm

I still have not received my print that I purchased on Oct 1st in Rochester, MN. I have not received any emails other than my receipt of purchase… I have written on Nov 30th and Dec 17th inquiring and was told within the week. Any idea where or when my print will be sent and arrive to me?

Samantha Gonzalez-Montenegro December 17, 2014 at 7:32 pm

I wrote on here on November 30th inquiring about when I would receive my print that I purchased on Oct 1st when you all were here in Rochester, MN. You stated that it would be coming and I would receive an email with a tracking number. I am just following up as it is 2.5 weeks later and still have not received anything. Could you find out what happened to my print and when will I receive it?

Kari Fister December 12, 2014 at 10:56 pm

Hi! I was at your last showing in Portland at the Hollywood Theatre, and was one of the folks who put down the $50 to get the special edition graphic novel of The Last Unicorn. If you recall, it had shipped to the wrong area before the show and so we were placing the orders which would then get to us by the end of November. It’s the middle of December and I haven’t seen it arrive yet.

Megan Rabon December 4, 2014 at 4:13 pm

I paid for a graphic novel at the Portland oregon show and they were supposed to be shipped to people because they didn’t arrive at the right location but it never came?

Samantha Gonzalez-Montenegro November 30, 2014 at 2:22 am

Hello, I purchased a print on Oct 1st when you all were here in Rochester, MN. I was wondering how long this was suppose to take to get to me as I have not received it. I was hoping to have it by now so that I can get a frame made for it. Please let me know, I would greatly appreciate it.

Amanda Colson November 21, 2014 at 10:41 pm

I special ordered one of Peter’s books since you didn’t have any copies available & was wondering if I might expect it before Christmas? Any idea how long I’ll have to wait?!

Amanda Colson December 10, 2014 at 4:13 pm

Should I have received my book yet? I still haven’t seen it!

Amanda Colson December 18, 2014 at 8:49 am

Did you send me an email & tracking number yet? … I got an email from FedEx regarding a failed delivery & contacted them, only to hear it was a scam! Yikes!

Dominique Audet Benoit November 10, 2014 at 9:45 am

Hi, I came to see the show when you came in Montreal, Quebec in may last summer and I bought one of the prints after the show. A while after I read that you were having trouble with shipping and customs and that the merchandise would be delayed. I was wondering how is the situation with all that and if I can expect to receive the print soon.

When you pay a company, do you expect service and goods?   Or missing, hazy, and pretend delivery dates that turn into repeated series of string-along excuses… until you join the Ten Year Club?

Connor Cochran strikes again, vexatiously targets another victim.

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wrongperson
i.e – Connor Cochran utilizing the legal system for harassment

Vexatious litigation is legal action which is brought, regardless of its merits, solely to harass or subdue an adversary. It may take the form of a primary frivolous lawsuit or may be the repetitive, burdensome, and unwarranted filing of meritless motions in a matter which is otherwise a meritorious cause of action.

 
noun: duress
d(y)o͝oˈres/
du·ress
  1. threats, violence, constraints, or other action brought to bear on someone to do something against their will or better judgment.
    “confessions extracted under duress“
    synonyms: coercion, compulsion, force, pressure, intimidation, constraint; More

    threats;
    informalarm-twisting
    “their false confessions were extracted under duress”
    • Law
      constraint illegally exercised to force someone to perform an act.
    • archaic
      forcible restraint or imprisonment.
Origin
Middle English (in the sense ‘harshness, severity, cruel treatment’): via Old French from Latin duritia, from durus ‘hard.’

Lessons to learn from guilty denial of fraud by Conlan Press – Part Four.

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The secrets are out about the mess Connor Cochran made by defrauding Peter Beagle fans.  So far, pressure forced him to make a public refund promise, and retract attacks he made against whistleblower employee Michael Bolger to distract attention. But he plays victim about the harm he did.  Here’s what you’re really hearing when you hear denial about it.

10) Shady partners show “birds of a feather”.

Associating with crooks may happen unintentionally.  But honest people don’t do it knowingly. It’s indefensible with the evidence on the table.

Bleeding Cool’s report about this story added new disreputable association with artists of the Last Unicorn comic.

Ray Dillon and Renae De Liz are also still accused themselves of non-delivery and delay of projects from the Peter Pan graphic novel Kickstarter, to the Womanthology Kickstarter, as well as repeated stories of commissioned work that was extremely delayed or never fulfilled.

Cochran’s sordid partnership with ex-lawyer Charles Petit, whose license was taken away, has a few more background details.  Petit represented writer Harlan Ellison, and helped cause Ellison’s reputation for “litigious rampages” against everyone – like suing AOL because a piece of Ellison’s writing was posted to a newsgroup.  Petit represented Ellison to sue publisher Fantagraphics in their 30-year feud that was called an “adolescent pissing contest.”  And Petit had a role with The SF Writer’s Association that’s very embarrassing in hindsight: he served their Literary Fraud Committee – before he lost his license for doing fraud.

Petit was the chosen partner for a routine of bullying and scrubbing stories of anyone who complains about being scammed.  As a reader said: “if only Con-nor put as much effort into making customers happy as into arguing and suing…”

11) The biggest disappointment of all.

Message received from an ex associate of Connor Cochran:

Glad to see someone is finally calling Connor out in public for his scams… it’s worth noting that even though Conlan Press has been around since 2005 it  has yet to publish a single thing. All they are is a Peter Beagle signature factory that sells other people’s stuff. The only correction I would make is that I don’t believe Peter is as innocent in this fraud as he would like us to believe. I bought into that fairy tale at first because that’s the story you want to believe. The sad truth is that he’s allowed himself to be put in these situation and is silently complicit, as long as he gets his $3K a month in rent and living expenses I honestly don’t think he cares who gets burned.

Oh.

If true, that crosses a line from injustice for duped victims, to something worse.

If true, it’s very sad to hear this about a creative hero.  Beagle is surrounded by fans and handlers shielding him from reality – while a con man uses him for a shield.  It’s like finding out a benevolent community organization has a bad secret.  (Actually it’s a company with a website full of them.)

But can you blame an old writer, with bad business experiences that would tire anyone?  Beagle just wanted to write- and let the ends justify the means.

Every saint is human, with human faults.  Passivity isn’t the worst fault in the world.  Failure to act, when alerted about scamming, can be charitably called sad.  It was sad that Beagle stayed passive when whistleblower Mike Bolger quit Conlan Press and tried to alert him – with nothing to gain except doing the right thing.  The right thing was stopped, and Bolger was trashed for it.

The burden of blame falls on Connor Cochran – and other knowing supporters who can read the story now. They deny, push back, and want to kill it again.

noevilLOGO

 

Cochran treats fairy tale believers as easy targets.  You can hear him chortling about taking candy from babies.  He fluffs them up to believe anything about their hero.  Dirty business happens behind the front of nice old Peter.  If smoke and mirrors fail, a sob story about Peter is Cochran’s nuclear bomb against complaints.  After all, if a complainer doesn’t buy it- many others can turn on them.

Peter’s poorness and bills, dead mom, house troubles, hard work, “cramped hand” from writing… whatever it takes to make an excuse, Cochran will say it.  He plays a violin and sings Peter’s name. He strews it around like sweet sawdust on a puddle of puke.  “Peter wants…” You can hear the heartstrings while the cash register rings.

“Why can’t Beagle speak for himself? Why is it continually, ‘Peter says this,’ ‘Peter likes this’? The guy is a con artist.“

If you see a statement about business from Peter Beagle, it’s dictated by Connor Cochran and puppeteers. Beagle doesn’t manage his Twitter account or his career. If you tried to get in touch, it would happen through a handler making a false front.

“I reached out to everyone associated with Peter Beagle and Cochran including the Twitter account claiming to be the “official” Twitter account of Peter S. Beagle; surprise, it isn’t. It was just another layer between the fans and Mr. Beagle set up by Cochran.” – victim

In response to this story, Beagle supposedly dismisses all intricate details, with an empty little statement posted by his Twitter account manager.  Supposedly, you should trust a second-hand denial that says “you can count on it.”  Ignore countless corroborating complaints.

Some eat it up like they want to be treated like suckers, and don’t care if it happens to others.  Meanwhile, other trusting people are left in the dark, who haven’t even realized there’s a story at all.

At risk are uninformed fans, liable to get cheated against their will.  Hopefully they won’t learn the hard way.  People of conscience need to tell everyone at risk.

12) Future innocent victims deserve truth.

When an unrepentantly lying businessman gets away with cheating – the ends do not justify the means.

For deniers, it’s your money to burn if Cochran steals it.  There’s no use for “wake up, sheeple!” messages.  It’s enough to point out what’s actually happening to victims, and leave a warning for others who haven’t yet been harmed.

This site is here for good to record it.  In a few years – when your Last Unicorn audiobooks are STILL never delivered – remember, you were warned.

It’s encouraging that pressure from this site forced a public refund offer. That wouldn’t have happened without it. But it wasn’t initiated honestly. Buyers should not be rudely surprised when delivery dates pass for goods that were never produced, and then they must beg and plead for refunds instead of finding them in their mailbox.  Victims deserved to be sought and told the truth, instead of having it squeezed out of the cheater’s fists.  You’ll see how hard Cochran rages against truth in the push back to the story.

Keep watching for new reports.

Reported:

reader

Reader: conned by remaindered books sold at full retail.

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A reader reports:

Bravo.

Well, you seem to have Connor on the ropes if the removal of all his lying “updates” on the Conlan Press website is any indication. Keep up the good work. My story is like that of so many others who’ve been shafted by Connor, so I won’t bore you with all the details, except to say that I saw the “extra super deluxe” con coming from a mile away and didn’t bite. Also, one thing you haven’t mentioned is books from CP all being remaindered or factory seconds. I’ve ordered (and received, often after several months wait) a few paperbacks over the years, and all of them had Sharpie remainder marks on the outside edge; a pretty clear indication that he’s padding his profit margin by acquirng cheap stock and then reselling a full retail. Additionally, my “deluxe” Last Unicorn hardcover (signed, but no story fragment or drawing) is misbound slightly, and it seems to me was probably a factory reject.

Reader: “I’m one of Cochran’s victims – I’ve been trying to contact news sites about this”

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“I’m one of Cochran’s victims”

Dear Fans against fraud,

I paid for one of these extra deluxe Last Unicorn books in 2009 and never received my copy. I’ve posted a full list of “buyers” on your webpage and wanted to forward this e-mail I received from an “anonymous former employee” – FYI.

Thanks for bringing up the topic after such a long time! I’ve been trying to contact news sites about this issue – I have contacted a few other “buyers” about your page.

And the reader leaves an additional comment:

The list I got in an e-mail from the end of 2009 extends to 182 people. Years later I contacted a few of the other “buyers”. They thought the book had been lost in the mail and didn’t do anything about it. In the last couple of days there was a newsletter from Coclan Press that Connor had employed new customer service staff. A guy (Chris Rickert) answered very quickly. He assured me that Connor is still working on the sketches for this 2009 order. But I’m not sure, if this is just the same sweet-talking scam. Here is the original e-mail from Connor with all 180 names.

(Correction: Rickert is female.)  It raises the victim list to over 260 sales (we have been told there are at least 350).  It adds new evidence to a point we raised – “6) Fraud was done with classic con games and manipulation of victims.”

A reader commented about the list of “Extra Deluxe” Last Unicorn book buyers:

Screen Shot 2014-12-27 at 5.12.27 AM

Did separate lists manipulate people to think there were fewer buyers than there really were, so they believe they might not wait long? (5 years later, still waiting…) A red flag: no edition limit was mentioned. 79 sales are documented here, but at least 350 are reported.

If you have other lists, please send them to help other victims!

Whistleblower email

The above deception caused Conlan Press employee Michael Bolger to quit his job and send the warning below.  This “old” issue remains to this day:

Fwd: The real status of that signed Last Unicorn book that you all have been waiting so long for.
Tue, 2 Oct 2012
Anonymous Former Employee

Hello All,

Up until recently I was an employee at Conlan Press where you all bought your  copies of EXTRA DELUXE LAST UNICORN HARDCOVERS — with extra handwritten story text by Peter S. Beagle and unique unicorn sketches by Connor Cochran. I just quit my job, in large part because of how Connor is handling this disaster and how honest he’s being with all of you. I think you deserve to hear the truth. Here it is.

When I was hired 15 months ago Peter Beagle had long since completed his end of the handwritten pages and personalization for all the books. The impression that I got was that they had been done for a while, but I know for a fact that they have all been done for at least the last 15 months and you are just waiting on Connor and his sketches.

Connor has completely blown off this project and hasn’t even done a single sketch in almost 5 months now. In the 15 months that I was at Conlan he only finished 26 sketches.

And he still has 255 books to go.

At his current rate, it will take him around 12.3 years to finish the remaining books.

That’s on top of the several years you all have already been waiting.

I’ll let you all meditate on those numbers for a moment.

Now I’m guessing that the majority of you paid all this money for the Peter Beagle book with the Peter Beagle personalization and the Peter Beagle handwritten pages and you could care less about the sketch by “Peter Beagle’s Business Manager”, especially if that’s what’s holding up the process. Am I right?

Well, when customers have called in and asked for their book to be sent to them without the sketch Connor has refused. And you want to know why? He’s scanning these sketches and wants to compile them for a future book.

So this guy is holding all your unicorns hostage because he wants to sell you the same unicorns at a later date.

Yeah. That’s not tacky or weird or anything.

My advice on how to get your books:

Go public. I’m sending this email out to small groups of you at a time but I have no idea how many of you will get this email and how many will not because it gets flagged as spam.

Get on facebook (I hate to promote that website but it really is one of the most efficient ways to quickly communicate with large groups of people) and air your grievances. Go to Peter Beagle’s facebook page and air your grievances. Those posts will get deleted, of course, but at least that will force them to start taking you seriously.

You can call Connor directly @ 650-267-9651 and ask him to send you your book without the sketch. He will refuse, of course, but if you want to speak to the guy that’s holding your book hostage there he is.

Peter and Connor will be @ Comic Con in New York next week in the artist alley. Peter is a sweet old man that is oblivious to a lot of things in life, including everything on the business end of things. He’s a nice enough guy, but there’s just something about Peter’s karma that’s like a magnet for con men.

And Connor (Get it? Con-er) also really isn’t a bad guy… or at least I’ve seen him do good. He just has a very arrogant ego the size of a small planet, a messiah complex, and possibly some mental health issues. Normal people don’t act this way. Getting the guy to part with these books is like talking to Haggard about his unicorn hoarding problem.

And finally, I’d like to apologize to all of you for failing to get you your books. I gave it my best shot, I really did. And even in this psycho economy where the real unemployment is around 20% I just quit a job that was paying the bills because I felt it was the right thing to do.

Good luck to you all –

UPDATE – Since handing in my letter of resignation Connor is now claiming that he “did a few books over the weekend” OK. Fine. I’ll give that to him. Still does not change the fact that in the 15 months I was there he only completed 26 books and that he still has 250 some to go.

 

Lessons to learn from guilty denial of fraud by Conlan Press – Part Three.

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The secrets are out about the mess Connor Cochran made by defrauding Peter Beagle fans.  So far, pressure forced him to make a public refund promise, and retract attacks he made against a bystander to distract attention. But he plays victim about the harm he did.  Here’s what you’re really hearing when you hear denial about it.

8) There’s no limit to lying.  He’ll never stop.

This Totally 100% Swear On His Mother happened:

conman

Totally shut down.

If only he could fulfill promises as efficiently as he cranks out bullshit. The issues would cease to exist.

A theory held by the crazed: Customers should receive goods they pay for.

A Totally Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs buyer said:

“They shouldn’t be selling stuff and taking your money unless the product is ready for shipment IMO. Those hundred books with the special pages and illustrations etc should have been all done before they announced they were selling them.”

Shush, you Crazed Stalker, you.

We’re told that Cochran takes pride in being a cunning businessman and “getting one over” on people with educations different from his at clown college. No knock against skilled performers who make an honest living – but it seems it may lead those with weak conscience to struggle with the difference between truth and fantasy.

9) Burned former associates show silencing of this story.  Blame The Victim is the oldest tactic in the book of abuse.

Denialists ball up their fists and petulantly insist that there can’t be a ripped-off, cheated worker informing this story – because their identity is confidential.

The insider exists.  Cochran enticed them into labor with pay – then dishonestly withheld months of wages.  Their account makes MULTIPLE whistleblowers.

This independent blogger’s post is informed by the existence of that ex-employee.

Not so nice was the email, two months later, from Connor Cochran throwing his former employee under the bus:

“You are receiving this because at some point in the last few months you sent a message to one of the following email addresses: contact@conlanpress.com, customersupport@conlanpress.com, or [redacted]@conlanpress.com. Those accounts were all being handled by Conlan Press’s one employee, [redacted]. Unfortunately, [she] left the company in late April in order to deal with getting divorced — pretty much overnight she quit, packed, and moved back to Sacramento to be closer to her family and old friends. She gave no notice, and left huge stacks of jumbled, unfinished work behind her. It was quite the mess.I am writing now to ask your patience as I correct these problems and find and train new staff. First up is untangling and completing all the backed-up product shipping. Once that is done I can begin answering individual customer emails, get delayed manufacturing back on track for this year’s crop of new releases, and return to finishing the Extra Deluxe LAST UNICORN books many of you are waiting for.”

I don’t care how badly an employee screws you over, you don’t send email to all your customers naming and shaming her. I think my jaw literally dropped when I read that.

Unlike Unreliable Narrator Connor Cochran, we won’t trample their rights.  After cheating them, putting them in financial plight and forcing them to leave – Cochran twisted blame to that employee for his mismanagment.

10 YEARS of mismanagement.  Just look at it.  Yet Cochran blames someone employed for under one year. (Until the next excuse.)

The blame was a perfect excuse for cheating employees AND customers.  And Cochran’s “smokescreen of employee abuse”  is corroborated by multiple instances.

He’s already been forced to retract character assassination against whistleblower Michael Bolger.  The lies associated Bolger with “tattoos” and “conspiracy theories” to Poison the Well.

Cochran’s assassination of the second ex-employee associated “divorce” and “alcohol”. Honest people know that divorce doesn’t imply poor character. The ex-employee rejects the alcohol lie with disgust.

We’ve been asked to notice that other employees won’t put Conlan Press on their resume – at least four with titles like “Publicity Assistant” and “Executive Assistant”.

Previously: 4) “Conlan Press wastes ill-gotten money of YOURS on silencing complaints… instead of producing what’s owed.”

Con artists gather cults of believers.  (It’s no shame to be fooled once, but you know what they say: “Fool me twice- shame on me.”)  Cult of fans is an innocuous term, (not all cults are bad), but this is more malignant.

People who play cult leader must crush dissent without mercy – at any cost. When Michael Bolger was targeted with lies and threats, how badly was his arm twisted to say what Cochran wants, to save his own skin?  Complicity under duress discredits anything he may say now.

Remember, accusations against Bolger were false.  WE said it before anyone else. We were first to discredit Cochran’s lies, and overly-credulous friends who supported him. Truth is on our side. After the breathtaking rush to silence Bolger, changing his story under duress doesn’t hold up.  He’s wrong to take anything back, and right when he tried to warn about Cochran.

It makes you wonder how many times people will let themselves be fooled by a con artist before they question trust.

Watch for part 4 soon.

Lessons to learn from guilty denial of fraud by Conlan Press – Part Two.

fan Consumer Complaints, Lawsuits, Publishers, Writers , , , , , ,

Continuing Part One about the mess Connor Cochran made by defrauding Peter Beagle fans.  So far, pressure forced him to make a public refund promise, and retract attacks he made against a bystander to distract attention. But he plays victim about the harm he did.  Here’s what you’re really hearing when you hear denial about it.

5) There’s copious corroboration about fraud – that’s how to catch Connor Cochran lying.

We’ve noticed another blogger who recently posted a long, long, LONG list of broken promises they experienced from Conlan Press.

Read it and wince.  It’s bad.  Check this quote from Connor Cochran in March 2008:

For the most up-to-date details, remember to check the new UPDATES page at Conlan Press. Actual release dates will be announced there first.

Repeated on July 18, 2011:

For updates on projects and products, always check the UPDATES (http://www.conlanpress.com/html/updates.html) page on the Conlan Press website first. That’s where to go to get the latest news.

But then excuses are contradicted.  Straight from Connor Cochran on the website:

The status of all delayed items has been regularly and accurately updated to customers through the company’s email newsletter.

How very slippery. Emails send cheated customers to the website (currently listing broken 2013 promises). The website sends them to emails. That’s the “runaround” reported by angry buyers – part of the Conlan Press attrition process we reported.

6) Fraud was done with classic con games and manipulation of victims.

Doing business involves keeping costs as low as possible.  Unfortunately, stealing is the cheapest way to get something.  It’s an inherent temptation for businessmen of weak conscience – as many cheated Conlan Press customers experienced

Connor Cochran may have started with intentions to fulfill promises.  But since 2004, he over-sold what he would really deliver.  Countless customers got nothing.  Maybe he thought new sales could help fulfill the backlog, so he made more promises.  Over-selling becomes a habit and a self-feeding cycle.  That’s how a publishing company became dishonestly run like a 10 year chain of Kickstarter campaigns gone bad.

It starts with white lies.  Soon, good intentions are forgotten.  New victims are deceived with confidence tricks to quell suspicion.  Excuses play on their sympathy and beg tolerance for bad business.  It becomes a dirty game of capitalizing on devotion.  Lovers of fairy tales are treated like easy targets for emotional ploys.

Love for Peter Beagle is the key. What fan can get angry at poor, wise old Peter? It’s how this went on for 10 years. Fans were strung along for much longer than they’d allow for any other business. But the company that uses Peter’s name isn’t owned by Peter. It all inflates value of Cochran’s properties.

“Connor Cochran is so nice!” – say people who trust him. Predators groom trusting believers. The success of con artists depends on charismatic lying. Consider the biggest fraudster ever, Bernie Madoff, who claims to be a victim even from jail:

“His voice is the most amazing, soothing voice,”… “You really feel like you’re talking to your uncle, your nice, rich uncle who’s a nice guy and, you know, you don’t feel like you’re talking to an arch-criminal.”

A cheated buyer’s opinion of Connor Cochran:

he may be very polite and nice to speak to but he is still a no good, rotten, dirty worm who steals from people none the less.

Confidence tricks play on natural human instincts: love, greed, want.  When Cochran offers something that sounds too good to be true – he entices people’s want for special things supposedly worth much more than they’re paying. They walk into the con.

His 2009 “Extra Deluxe” Last Unicorn sales (still not produced) heavily pushed this trick.  Cochran promised the $85 sales were valuable enough to sell elsewhere for $300.  That’s a con man working you until you want him to steal your money.

A reader commented about the list of “Extra Deluxe” Last Unicorn book buyers:

Screen Shot 2014-12-27 at 5.12.27 AM

Did separate lists manipulate people to think there were fewer buyers than there really were, so they believe they might not wait long? (5 years later, still waiting…) A red flag: no edition limit was mentioned. 79 sales are documented here, but at least 350 are reported.

If you have other lists, please send them to help other victims!

7) There was a history of poor integrity.

We previously asked: What made you go bad, Connor? Why did you stoop to this? 

What breeds a con man without a conscience?  As a little boy growing up in Kansas, maybe he was never taught not to lie and steal.  Or maybe his parents were too strict.  Take a guess from a story about ditching his family (on page 14, where he was named “Talky Li’l Blaggard.”)  But it doesn’t matter for cheated buyers – an adult can’t be excused what Cochran did.

There’s more clues in this commenter’s story.  A partnership that failed in 1984 was meant to pair Connor “Freff” Cochran with dependable creator Phil Foglio:

D’arc Tangent was a magazine-sized black and white comic with impeccable art and what seemed to be a really interesting storyline, published by “ffantasy ffactory,” a company that Foglio and Freff formed together to publish the thing. It was supposed to run 16 issues, but only 1 was published before the partnership dissolved amidst much finger-pointing. Foglio accused Freff of being incredibly late in producing his part of, well, everything, and I’m fairly sure I remember at the time that Foglio had other accusations about the way Freff conducted business in general, although I can’t find any documentation for that now…  Freff in turn accused Foglio of kind of half-assing, well, everything, and later claimed most of issue #1 was actually his work.

Both Freff and Foglio have claimed to hold rights to continue the story at various points, but neither one ever did. My (possibly not so) wild suspicion is that legally neither one could really move forward without the other’s permission, and neither one would cross the street to piss on the other one if he was on fire.

Who was at fault?  Take a guess by comparing Foglio’s successful history of delivering creative works, with the sad record of non-delivery by Connor Cochran.  We’re glad that Foglio left a bad partnership to produce with integrity on his own. Beware of giving trust to frustrated artists who can’t produce.

Here’s what a Beagle fan thinks about Cochran:

I’m so disappointed that Peter S. Beagle hasn’t left to find a publisher with actual integrity.

Watch for part 3 soon.

Lessons to learn from guilty denial of fraud by Conlan Press – Part One

fan Consumer Complaints, Lawsuits, Publishers, Writers , , , , ,

The secrets are out about the mess Connor Cochran made by defrauding Peter Beagle fans.  So far, pressure forced him to make a public refund promise, and retract attacks he made against a bystander to distract attention. But he plays victim about the harm he did.  Here’s what you’re really hearing when you hear denial about it..

1) All of the deflection and smokescreening is admitting guilt for delivering no goods.

Conlan Press made countless sales under false pretenses, and gave buyers nothing for ten years.  Beneath the excuses and blame, everything circles back to this fundamental, undeniable harm. 

TEN YEARS.  Are you sick of lies yet?

New tips have been sent in about sales of Last Unicorn audiobooks around 2004.  They estimate 1,000 cheated buyers never got what they paid for – roughly $40,000.

(How far did it go after that?  Compare: The Last Unicorn did 2.5 million video sales in ten years and the “novel has sold 6.5 million copies.“)

The “Extra Deluxe” Last Unicorn hardcover has 79 sales in 2009 recorded here.  New tips estimate at least 350 sold.  At $85 per sale, that’s – roughly $29,750.

Connor Cochran is STILL expecting victims to trust that goods will be delivered.  He expects suckers to believe that the long chain of promises won’t be broken again. (Until it is.)  Here’s a few of countless lies through the years until now:

From 2005:

…we expect the MP3-On-CD audiobook edition to start shipping in 3-4 weeks.  …we expect the 8-CD audiobook edition to start shipping in 6-7 weeks.

From 2006:

* The MP3-on-CD Last Unicorn audiobook edition will go to press in February and ship along with Two Hearts.
From 2007:

The manufacturing problems that delayed the Conlan Press CD audiobook editions of THE LAST UNICORN (and the free illustrated hardcover collector’s edition of TWO HEARTS) have now been solved, and all orders should be shipping by late March or early April.

“Team Beagle” attempts to help in 2008:

I know that some of you have been waiting for two years and some of you have even been waiting for three years.

From 2011:

 GOOD NEWS DELAYED PRODUCTS UPDATE:  Nearly all of them will be done and shipped by the end of the year. Those that aren’t will be at the printing plant and on their way for shipping in early 2012.

IN 2014, THE CONLAN PRESS WEBSITE STILL SHOWS BROKEN PROMISES OF DELIVERY OF THESE GOODS FOR 2013. Some hold futile hope:

Hopefully Cochran can find the time and resources to ship out all those back-orders soon—and I’m really looking forward to seeing them in my hometown in 2016.

2) Buyers will still never get their goods.

Time marches on – and audiobook CD’s aren’t manufactured, because they don’t sell any more.  You might as well publish an 8 track tape.

Many buyers have forgotten or lost proof, making the attrition process pay well.

Some have begged for refunds (forced to initiate responsibility for Cochran’s job to fulfill what he owes).  Attention from this site is now forcing him to address them.  Some accept downloads, a Bait and Switch for what was promised.  Many resign themselves to perpetual waiting because Cochran refuses to tell the truth.

3) Fraud was done by promising products, like a business – but dishonestly operating like a Kickstarter campaign gone bad.

Buying a product is not pledging to a crowdfunding campaign:

I placed an order for a set of Last Unicorn audiobook MP3 CDs on April 15, 2005 and it still hasn’t shipped yet. But that’s not due to any sort of malfeasance on Cochran’s part, other than perhaps being a bit more ambitious in some of his projects than was truly wise for a one-person business. Given the number of Kickstarter projects that have failed to deliver over the last few years, he’s hardly alone in that.

Disingenuous comparison!  Here’s the malfeasance:  Cochran did not promise to “try” to deliver with terms of a crowdfunding platform or pledge drive. He directly took money for promised goods, not philanthropic support.  And this was not ONE failed amateur, first-time project, it was a series representing a publishing company.

Instead of fixing a failure, before accepting money for a new one – he repeated it again, and again, and again.

Beaneath supposed nobility of creator support, the profit goes to a crooked businessman, with old fashioned greed for lining his pockets.  It may or may not be cash.  But it is inflating property value of his company.

4) Conlan Press wastes ill-gotten money of YOURS on silencing complaints… instead of producing what’s owed.

In the Conlan Press attrition process, see massive effort wasted by Connor Cochran to deflect complaints – instead of doing a promised drawing to complete a book he owed.

It’s the true test of this crooked businessman’s principles. Instead of fixing a mess he made and repairing harm to cheated buyers, now he threatens with expensive lawyers to silence criticism and hoard ill-gotten gains.

Unfortunately, when he tried to play victim about this story, he lashed out to falsely accuse an innocent bystander for telling it.  It revealed him to be an ill-tempered abuser who loves throwing weight around to get his privileged way.

But you can read the truth here, and demand fairness. Look for Part Two soon.

New readers report being “sickened” by Conlan Press.

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Here’s new reader reports sent in response to this site:

For my wife’s birthday 10-12 years ago I ordered a special edition of “The Last Unicorn” which had new art, new stories, and IIRC a copy of the movie. It was due to come out well before her birthday in June so I didn’t think about it until it was July, then August, etc.

I tried to get a response for a long time, almost harassing the “customer service” but to no avail. Promises of delivery never were kept and at the end I gave up. I wrote it off as a “buyer beware” story and promised myself that I would avoid this guy in future. The fact he is still scamming people after all these years is not too surprising. We still get emails saying that the items are “coming soon”.

And another:

I was at DragonCon 2009 in Atlanta, GA when I first met Connor Cochran and Peter Beagle. I purchased an autographed DVD of The Lord of the Rings and an autographed book for my wife. I also purchased an Extra Deluxe Collectors Edition Last Unicorn hardcover and that’s when my troubles began.

I understood that handwritten pages had to be added by Mr. Beagle as well as a custom illustration by Cochran so it would be shipped later. Boy, did I underestimate what “later” meant. After about six months my wife asked me if I had received my book. I had not, so I called Conlan Press. Thus began a five year slog via email, phone calls, and Twitter messages.

I heard every excuse under the sun. Someone had just been hired and was working to get the books “out the door”, someone had just quit and left everything “in a mess”, someone’s relative had died, they had been on tour, they were fighting a “legal battle”. In 2012 I was assured the handwritten pages were done and all that was left was a sketch and the book would be mine by Christmas. I should have asked, “Christmas in what year?”. All the while I was also receiving Mr. Beagle’s email newsletter detailing all the wonderful things he had been or would be up to.

Finally (I know) this year, 2014, I had enough of waiting. I went full-court press on Conlan Press via email and Twitter; I couldn’t stomach the thought of having to listen to Cochran’s voice again so I skipped calling. I reached out to everyone associated with Peter Beagle and Cochran including the Twitter account claiming to be the “official” Twitter account of Peter S. Beagle; surprise, it isn’t. It was just another layer between the fans and Mr. Beagle set up by Cochran.

Then, after posting and re-posting via Twitter, Cochran actually contacted me to accuse me of harassment. I explained all I wanted was the book I paid for. Well, apparently that did not sit well with Cochran and he outright told me he would not be sending me the book but would refund my money. Needless to say I was skeptical. I contacted the BBB in California where Conlan Press is located and filed a complaint. Cochran continued to libel and harass me via Twitter but shockingly I did receive a check for $85 about a week after I filed my complaint. I am happy to have the refund but still sickened to know that others are going through the same thing.

I will always advise anyone to never purchase anything from Conlan Press.

They echo many reports of abusive customer service by Connor Cochran:

In May (several weeks since I ordered the book) I e-mailed Conlan Press and asked them about my order. A few weeks later (in June) I decided to call the company in CA since I had received no reply from them. I spoke to a guy who from the start gave me nothing but excuses. I told him that the book was a birthday present and that I really needed it. He started telling me that his company was small and that a female employee who handled everything had left suddenly and they were trying to pick up the pieces. He said that since it was for a birthday he would make sure the book was signed and sent that Monday (it was a Friday that I called.) I told him that I was not “Oprah” and did not need all his excuses – just the book. He said he didn’t need the “abuse” I was giving him and so I told him I expected the book to be signed and mailed on Monday as he said and when he tried to give me more excuses I hung up on him. A few minutes later he called back and asked if I could be “civil” with him so we could resolve the problem. I was biting my tongue so I wouldn’t tell this CA laid-back idiot what I really thought of him. The call ended and I was expecting the book in a few days.

The book never arrived. I was waiting another week to call back and see where it was (since it could have been mailed and just in transit.) I then received a generic e-mail from the company explaining that my book was being delayed because they were a small company and a female employee was getting divorced and had left the company to work on her personal issues. It did not mention the call I had made to them about getting the book that Monday and so I called them again.

I explained everything to the guy I spoke to (including about it being a birthday present and I had been told before that it would be delivered by a certain date and that date had come and passed.) He started out with the same excuse as I have received from everyone at this company – about the female employee. I told him that I had heard that excuse for months, but that this time the mistake was due to a male employee (the one I spoke to the first time I called.) He kept repeating that they were a small company and that it was misplaced, etc. I told him that if they were a small company then it should be easy to know who had made the mistake and to correct it. He did a stupid laugh at that and said that perhaps I had made the mistake. After hearing him blame me I went off on him and told him what I thought of him and his company and told him that I had better receive the book within the next few days or I would file official complaints with anyone and everyone in CA (including the Feds) and then I hung up.

At the BBB:

Screen Shot 2014-12-04 at 2.06.03 PM

Watch for more info soon.