An Official Web-wide Apology

[Oblik]

First off I would like to say that what has happened over the last several days is one of the most embarrassing and unwanted thing to have happened. This ordeal started out as an argument between myself and a fellow member on stoggiechat.com. There was no way I would know that it would carry this far. I very sincerely and sympathetically apologize for what has gone on recently.

Before I purchased the Cohibas in question I had done a significant amount of research on spotting fakes. When I first bought a box of Cohiba Robustos I was very careful to observe all of the things that you should look for. I undoubtedly was convinced that they were the real deal and shortly after purchased a box of Espledidos. Unfortunately as you have all seen it has been determined that they are fake. The box that they came in, the seals, the papers that came with them, the box codes, the holograms, the presence of triple caps, and even the presentation were all real. The band resembles a real Cohiba quite well to the untrained eye. Many of you will agree with me on that. But, to a person who has much more experience with Cohiba it is fairly obvious that they are not the real bands. I was fooled, Dave was fooled at first and some of you may have been fooled even up to this point.

I am not here to plead a case. I am now a statistic and I feel very bad about the trades that I have made. I in no way, shape or form EVER intended to burn anyone of my fellow BOTLs. This was not intentional in any way. At first I refused to believe that it was true, but now after all of this mess has gone web wide and I have seen all of the evidence to show me my faults, I freely admit that they are in fact fake Cohibas. I am truly sorry for the fuss that I have caused.

To my knowledge I have traded out 5 of them, one in a pass that I started, two more in two other passes and two in a private trade. My offer to anyone who has one of these (and yes this includes you Dave) is to contact me at oblik23@yahoo.com and I will work out something with you to square things up.

In this I was a victim and I also created victims. I was wrong and I admit that now. To the people who I have wronged and to the communities that this has affected, I sincerely apologize and hope that all of you can forgive me. I can be very hard headed at times, but when I am wrong, I am wrong. This is one of those times. Please accept this apology and let’s get back to being a good BOTL community.

Carlos Velasquez

[CoventryCat86]

Thank you Carlos. And I'm sorry I've been awfully hard on you.

I've been convinced pretty much all along that you didn't really INTENTIONALLY trade cigars you KNEW were bad, you just got taken by a vendor who sells fake cigars. Hey, I'll be the first to admit, I've come across Havanas that I thought were real and it turned out they were very questionable and I wasn't too happy.

Please don't feel embarrassed, it happens all too often in the cigar world.

[cigarsarge]

To my knowledge I have traded out 5 of them, one in a pass that I started, two more in two other passes and two in a private trade. My offer to anyone who has one of these (and yes this includes you Dave) is to contact me at oblik23@yahoo.com and I will work out something with you to square things up.


Carlos Velasquez[/QUOTE]


I have been to several schools on interviewing. I was taught when someone says," To my knowledge", they are being evasive or not completely truthful. Carlos, I don't know if you are being completely truthful about this. If there are anymore fakes from you out there your post could come back to haunt you. If there is no more out there this is a good start on cleaning up your mess.

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

[/QUOTE]
I have been to several schools on interviewing. I was taught when someone says," To my knowledge", they are being evasive or not completely truthful. Carlos, I don't know if you are being completely truthful about this. If there are anymore fakes from you out there your post could come back to haunt you. If there is no more out there this is a good start on cleaning up your mess.[/QUOTE]

I use that phrase all the time and in fact did today testifying on the stand in court.....federal court at that. I can tell you that I was being 100% honest when I was saying "To my knowledge" or "Not to my knowledge". I think you would have to actually be face to face with the guy to be able to tell if he were being evasive while using such a phrase or any other phrase for that matter. This of course is just my opinion.

[cigarsarge]

Puff your opinion is valid and noted. I am saying people should use caution until all the cards have been played. You have to admit this whole thing stinks. Would you trade with him now without reservation?

[Cigar Jack]

It takes courage to apologize when you are wrong most people just ditch and run. Thanks for the apology and glad this had a good ending. Some of the fakes are getting good enough that the only way you can tell the difference is to smoke them. Good luck in your future trades and purchases.

[JStrider]

hmmm... i musta missed out on all the E-drama...

anyways it takes some pretty big balls to own up to a mistake that got blown up so big

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Puff your opinion is valid and noted. I am saying people should use caution until all the cards have been played. You have to admit this whole thing stinks. Would you trade with him now without reservation?

Well, honestly, being new to the forums, I am not really familiar with exactly what happened. I do think that an apology goes a long way in saying that Oblik really did not intend to rip anyone off. But then again, maybe he just wants us to think that..........j/k bro.

I think that as well backed as Oblik is by an overwhelming majority of the board, I would more than likely trust him as long as no further incidences took place.

But I also see your point of view and it is also noted.

[cockyhoskins]

As a lawyer and real estate broker, I use "To my knowledge" all the time; when you are certifying in a contract to purchase that there are no environmental hazards on a property, etc., you can only do so "to your knowledge".

Big round of applause for Oblik.

Who's ready for boxpass Ver 2.0? It should be awesome this time!