Even though I had no major issues with Handango during my tenure at a large Palm OS house, the reputation of neither PalmGear nor Handango is excessively good. When the two entities combined, many expected a Murphy’s Law-type effect(Moron + Moron = 2 Moron). And indeed, Murphy was right.
A few developer colleagues of mine have now been given statements similar to the one below:
Handango has advised us that Handango’s unaudited accounting records indicate that Handango may have owed you as much as $ 416.70 on February 15, 2010. Our preliminary review of these records indicate that some of these amounts have been outstanding for several years. While we have begun the process of verifying these records, posting payments and credits, identifying offsets, counterclaims and other deductions and determining whether certain payment obligations have lapsed, we have not yet completed that process. Because our review covers several years of invoices, checks, electronic payments and other data, we do not expect to complete this process for some time.
To expedite payment to you and to avoid the costs associated with a comprehensive review of all of Handango’s records relating to these liabilities, PocketGear is offering to pay you $ 41.67 in full and complete satisfaction of all amounts that PocketGear or Handango may owe you for goods and services provided or sold prior to February 15, 2010.
Even though I fully agree that this is not the “fine English way of doing business”, it IMHO shows more tragedy than evilness on the side of the distributor in question.
After all, it would have been highly improbable that any developer would ever have found out about the difference. Let’s be 100% honest here: had Handango pocketed the cash silently, this article wouldn’t be written.
Don’t ask me what is going on here – but a payment processor having unaudited records dating back years definitely is a disturbing sign…