From: Jason Mulligan <[s--li--o] at [test.com]>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: ICE Files Chapter 7
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2000 15:51:52 +1000

In article <[Pine BSI 4 21 0010261430550 16878 100000] at [escape.com]>, 
[bar t l] at [e-magick.com] says...	
> On Thu, 26 Oct 2000, Ichabod wrote:
> > What's too bad is all of the employees and freelancers who are
> > owed significant sums of money, none of which they will ever
> > see.
> 
> 	Are you certain about that? In many states, unpaid salary is in
> front of the line for bankruptcy proceedings, before even secured loans.

This subsequent email turned up on the RM list...

From: [H H Huggins R M] at [cs.com]
Message-ID: <[7 e c 117 ab 9 2729 d 938] at [cs.com]>
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2000 15:00:08 EDT
Subject: ex-ICE Final Customer Service Briefing-HHH

Hello. Since I've been doing the Customer Service work at ICE for the 
last year I don't just want to walk away without a word. I am tidying up 
any last minute problems that came up before the end as best I can. 
Someone's shipment was missing a Creatures & Monsters and I'll send him 
my copy (think I have two). A package was returned from Denmark; if I 
can straighten out the reason I'll reship it to him myself. That sort of 
thing. I don't doubt something will turn up that I can't fix myself, but 
I can't help that. I don't have access to inventory, postage or get paid 
myself; there's only so much I can do. Still, I wish to leave with modest 
dignity.
 
We believe that we had shipped out everything anyone had paid for on 
Friday last. We processed orders and packed them for shipment if they 
came in before noon the following Monday, after which things were up to 
the trustee to decide. That last shipment is delayed as we take up a 
collection to pay for the postage. Although we had money for that and 
other administrative expenses, Tolkien Enterprises contacted and 
intimidated our bank last week (while we were Chapter 11) with the result 
that our bank froze all our funds (before we filed Chapter 7). There was 
no court order or anything like that. Lest one think that was an 
unwelcome or at least unintended result of their communication, Tolkien 
Enterprises refused to contact the bank to say it was ok with them for 
the to pay specific checks for basic administrative expenses like our 
payroll (not including "management") and insurance. We also needed 
to pay miscellaneous things like postage for orders that had been paid 
for but not shipped. Time we intended to spend checking the database for 
problem orders, etc. was spent rushing to unemployment, registering a 
child for medicaid and the like. So, there may be problems we just didn't 
have time to catch.

I hope there will be a court hearing later about Tolkien Enterprises' 
unilateral actions which caused our bank to freeze all our operating 
funds. Perhaps our paychecks will be reinstated by the court or reissued 
by the trustee -- or not. It really frightens me that a company can cause 
our bank accounts to be frozen without a court order, etc. Imagine how 
long your business, job or life would last under such lethal attentions. 
To be absolutely fair, this causes great hardship to many of us, but it 
did not kill ICE; that's a more complicated story I'm not inclined to go 
into. Even saying what I have about our recent treatment by Tolkien 
Enterprises -- I am ashamed to admit -- frightens me. Like a little 
Hobbit in The Lord of the Rings I am afraid to speak the name of the Dark 
Lord in far off Mordor lest he hear my whisper and send his dread 
Ringwraiths to my door to crush me like the little fellow I am. Fear and 
intimidation rule our world as they did the one of Tolkien's imagination. 
We may even fear -- as I do -- to protest our perceived mistreatment. 
Today the Dark Riders have briefcases and cell phones; morghul knives and 
shadow steeds are passe.

Howard Huggins
ex-ICE Customer Service