Wetpixel Red Sea Imaging Safari 2023 has been cancelled from MY VIP One sailing departures list

I open this tread on order to inform potential participants of the “Wetpixel Red Sea Imaging Safari 2023 (https://wetpixel.com/redsea23/)”, who at the moment are preparing for the trip, that it is very unlikely that these events (scheduled for September 3^rd-10^th and September 10^th-17^th) will take place. I also have opened a duplicate tread on Alex’s Facebook group, just in case this tread gets locked or erased (the chances that other potential participants read the tread, or MAYBE even that Adam reacts to it (and MAYBE he is able to explain that this all is a big misunderstanding), are the best here in Wetpixel):

ð It would be very interesting to know, whether somebody else has more information than we have (with “we” I mean four potential participants (Patricia, Sandra, Elisabeth and me, and Alain Sobol, the manager of MY VIP One))...

There are speculations that this all has to do with Adam’s health condition that may be very bad. Other rumors say, however, that he is doing very well and is alive and kicking (what we really hope for him). In the absence of communication from/with Adam, this all remains speculation.

Fact is that Adam practically went underground since April 2023 and almost nobody had contact with him (I got an Email from Adam on July 6^th, saying that he is busy with negotiating with Alain about reversing the trip cancellation, but according to Alain he nevert contacted him until today (i.e. August 1^st))…

Wolfgang

P.S.: It is not only the Wetpixel Red Sea Imaging Safari that is affected by Adams disappearing, but also the Wetpixel Trip to Lembeh in March 2023, were Alex Mustard volunteered to represent Adam. The financial issues are still not settled (more about this in a separate tread of Alex’s Facebook group). There is another Wetpixel event scheduled for November 2023, better potential participants check with the ship owner before making more payments or booking of flights (https://wetpixel.com/tigersharks23)....

Thank you for posting.  I am on this trip as well.

HEADS UP TO THE REST OF THE PARTICIPANTS

Not to mention the people that have not received promised refunds for the Lembeh trip. Holding a deposit for more than 3 1/2 years.

Posted under separate forum but FYI

Having seen the cancellation of the Red sea workshops I am calling out Adam Hanlon and Wetpixel for failure to refund monies paid by participants in the March 23 workshops that were postponed from 28/11/20 to 7/12/20.

Whilst we are all acutely aware that Adam has had health issues, for which I have stayed sympathetic and let things roll on, there has been no communication whatsoever since April and when there was communication it has been a littany of excuses and frankly blatant lies. If your situation is such that you are unable to handle these matters then as a business, surely somebody can be appointed to deal with the fall out that has started?

Others that have tried posting about this have had their posts deleted. Sorry but it is hypocritical to have a scammers and non payment forum where the forum owner cannot be named.

I am giving you notice, yet again Adam that you need to get somebody to start communicating with us on your behalf. You have held my money USD 5,000 since 1 Jan 2020, you have offered no alternatives and you had said you were selling the seat. I cancelled the trip multiple times in 2021 but it was all in vain.

It is time the wetpixel community were made aware of what is happening behind the scenes where other peoples money is being held without justification.

Thankyou

John

What is going on, please explain? There seems to be dozens of people that have been ripped off. 

For those of you in England, have you gone to Scotland Yard, to the Royal Mail,  or similar,  to report this matter? Have you spoken with a lawyer?

For those of you in other countries, have you reported this matter to the British Consulate or Embassy, or to Interpol?

I suggest the above as his actions (ie, stealing thru the mail or internet) appear to be criminal.

For those of you in England, have you gone to Scotland Yard, to the Royal Mail,  or similar,  to report this matter? Have you spoken with a lawyer?
For those of you in other countries, have you reported this matter to the British Consulate or Embassy, or to Interpol?
I suggest the above as his actions (ie, stealing thru the mail or internet) appear to be criminal.

3 hours ago, Kraken de Mabini said:

For those of you in England, have you gone to Scotland Yard, to the Royal Mail,  or similar,  to report this matter? Have you spoken with a lawyer?

For those of you in other countries, have you reported this matter to the British Consulate or Embassy, or to Interpol?

I suggest the above as his actions (ie, stealing thru the mail or internet) appear to be criminal.

What regards Lisi and me (we each have payed the full amount for one week Red Sea Safari plus the flights), I have given the case already to our traveling insurance, that is included in my creditcard. Probably it will last many days until I get a decision, whether they will reimburse us. In case they do so, I guess they will try to get the money back from Adam and deal with possible legal actions...

We also decided to finally cancel these holidays. We are not willing to travel to Sharm in order to find out whether, unexpectedly, the money has been transferred by Adam last minute or not...

Wolfgang

 Can it be that there were only four participants in the WP Red Sea Trips in September: Patricia, Sandra, Elisabeth and me?

I guess that putative participants would have read the posts here and also the ones on Alex's FB side. As far as I have read the messages here (and on FB), nobody wrote that she/he also has booked this trip (and nobody wrote about the projected Bahamas trip in November (I am not involved in this in any way, just wanted to tell those people, in case they exist, to be aware and take care)). Alain, the MY VIP One manager, says he does not know how many people have booked (he just has the EMail adresses of us four that directly contacted him), since he never got a passenger list or any other message (since April) from Adam...

Are there any other participants out there?

Wolfgang

Adam, you need to communicate and pay back the money you owe me and others.  You have been reassuring me for months that you would get me my 5,000 dollars back from the Lembeh trip you rescheduled once your health allowed you to do so.  I you are able to post new trips and collect money from people you can send me my money back.  There is no excuse for this behavior.

I warn others that there is a pattern of collecting money then no communication and sometimes not even a trip like this Red Sea one.  To not talk about it and reveal what Adam is doing is hurting the industry and protecting someone that is fraudulent and causing great damage to the industry.  

May I summarize the outcome of this tread so far (and also of the parallel tread on Alex Mustard's FB side):

#1.: There were just the four people, that have already been in contact with MY VIP One before I posted this tread, who have booked and payed for one or two of these trips: Sandra Holloway, Patricia Dusman, Elisabeth Maier and me (Wolfgang Schreibmayer). Nobody else, in addition, has complained here (or on FB) about having booked and payed for these trips. Hundreds of people here (and on FB), that belong to the potential participants (people not reading/posting in Wetpixel or/and on Alex FB side would probably not book such a trip), have read the tread, but nobody complained. Maybe the "Wetpixel Veterans" who already had bad experience with the trips in the past, did not book any more so just these four bookings remained...

#2.: Since Adam did not comment on this tread (and also not anywhere else), although I saw several times that he is logged into WP and is reading this tread (maybe this is just someone else, who has his password and takes care while he is away? (speculations over speculations...)), I think one can finally say that we are dealing here with a "castle in the air"...

#3.: I also conclude, that nobody has booked the Bahamas trip in November. Miguel Valladares knows the tour operators in Bahamas and asked them. He reports (on FB), that the tour operators say they do not have any booking from Adam this year. Since nobody complained about this trip, I conclude nobody has booked it...

#4.: There are more people (probably several dozends, including Alex) that are harmed from past trips to Mexico and Lembeh and are still waiting to get reimbursed by Adam. Most of them were quiet until now, since they thought Adam is sick and in big troubles (the latter is certainly still valid), of course nobody wants to kick on a friend who is laying on the ground. Now they identify themselves as harmed, as they recognize the dimensions and  accompanying circumstances of the case (of course some are very upset, but I am afraid, this will not help )...

=> Please correct me in case I am wrong and/or you have additional information...

I thank everybody for posting and making this matter more clear...

Wolfgang

P.S.: I am looking forward to happy and emotionally charged discussions on e.g. the highly important issue of  corner sharpness to come in the near future, like we had in the glorious past...

29 minutes ago, Architeuthis said:

P.S.: I am looking forward to happy and emotionally charged discussions on e.g. the highly important issue of  corner sharpness to come in the near future, like we had in the glorious past...

Wolfgang I love you

I just sent a message to Eric Chang to see if he was following all of this. I had heard that he is the owner of Wetpixel -although I’m not sure that is still the case. 

I just sent a message to Eric Chang to see if he was following all of this. I had heard that he is the owner of Wetpixel -although I’m not sure that is still the case. 

Eric was the owner some years back. He sold Wetpixel to Adam

Folks, there are several different themes now running in this thread. Please use one of the threads explained in the attached link::