Smith Enterprises sues customer over interwebz comments

Bad business decision... Will be interesting to see how this unfolds. Would have been better dealt with by investing time in a good thread to "let people in" to the manufacturing process and demonstrate how there are no issues. Viscious defenciveness breeds suspicion. A small part of me is amused and would love to see this Hammonds' character reaction to getting sued, however I don't support US litigiousness where you can sue at every turn, just like this.

Unfortunately for SEI I imagine a lot of folks may now avoid the product to avoid being a "fanboy" on the side of a company that sues forum members.
 
There are always going to be haters no matter what. Ardent made a good point in saying that SEI would have made legions of more fans if they just showed how things are done at the SEI house from machining to rifle building. Then you can make your own mind up as to if the product sucks or is the best there is. I personally am a bit saddened by the whole situation as it really puts a black cloud over SEI and how they treat customers. I've talked to Ron a few times and he comes across as very old school, ruff and gruff for sure! However hes a good ol boy and I'm pretty sure he tried to smooth things out with the guy. But then again he does things that really aren't the proper way in dealing with customers like telling them to F off if they don't like it...LOL!!!!

Judging from the posts on FB and M14forum LOTS of guys are not liking them right now. Personally I think this will add ammo to the lawyers that are suing Hammond.
 
People have been askin me for those candian made 1/2 x 28 "vortex type/style" flash hiders for chopped M14 shorties....
I've had a few conversations with mr smith as well hehhehehe
There's a reason why they aren't availlable anymore if you catch my drift :D
The "vortex" name itself , as it applies to muzzle devices for firearms, is owned by SEI.
 
45ACPKING said:
People have been askin me for those candian made 1/2 x 28 "vortex type/style" flash hiders for chopped M14 shorties....
I've had a few conversations with mr smith as well hehhehehe
There's a reason why they aren't availlable anymore if you catch my drift :D
The "vortex" name itself , as it applies to muzzle devices for firearms, is owned by SEI.
Click to expand...

Maybe we can make a (with a German dialect) "Ein Wurtecks"
 
I think they would have been better off leaving the guy alone. Majority of people would read through his post and know he was talking crap or didn't have a reliable source, as most people on the internet are making up stories. I think they will lose a lot of customers now, not because of what he said but because of SEI's actions. Should he have just took his post down when he was asked? Probably.. but I hope that everyone pitches in a few bucks and he defeats them in court. That would be pretty slick.
 
Either way no issue taken, I'm curious if US courts will decide SEI has a case. Would be an unfortunate precedent really in the firearms industry, reading his comments it seems like hot air, so to the letter of the law unless he can prove otherwise it's possible SEI has a case. Can't help but wonder if this Hammonds fellow is behind the "smithenterprisesucks" website or whatever it is called, that would explain the thorn in SEI's side about this if so. Just seems like there's more history here we're missing.
 
The bigger issue it seams is that this lawsuit could shut down all backyard tinkers. Lawsuit states that the fact that he had five receivers makes him a competitor rather then a customer...
 
Freedom of speech here is still free. Anyone can say what they want. But keep in mind that anti-libel laws (that have been around as long as freedom of speech rights) can, if proven, punish those that declare things that are knowingly false. Damaging a company's reputation without proof or out of spite can cost them a boatload of money in a hurry, so why wouldn't they want to defend themselves? Sure, this court action may cost SEI a lot of customers, but it could also cost them as much if the rumors go unabated. In broader terms, I think we're still an internet "frontier period" in that the days of widespread anonymity and saying/posting/uploading anything is eventually going to become much more controlled either through laws or the fear of being sued.
 
This is a bizzare and unfortunate situation, hopefully SEI realizes the back lash of this case and drops it, and returns their efforts back into their products, no company is prefect in the eyes of everyone, you can not please everyone it is impossible.
 
The USA is quite a climate to do business in. I have a friend who sells a product all across Canada and in the USA. Currently, he's in the process of pulling all of his american retail outlets because his insurance is through the roof. Canadian insurance companies are very hesitant to insure a company doing business across the border because you can easily be sued for pretty much anything. Sad, but it's the world we live in.
 
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