The first thing that always comes to mind: the customers are the first to be at the losing end when this problem happens. When two businesses partner up to produce or market a product, any problem that will arise in these arrangements will see them going after each other's necks and it's always a messy thing. Customers, who these business should focus on, will always take a backseat, and always, they experience not having their goods delivered, and worse, their payments not refunded.

In this case for airsoft, Daytona Gas Blowbacks and OPFORCE DG are the business entities in mention here since their problem is now out in the open. Daytona Gas Blowbacks is known for its classic airsoft line, and at the same time they do some innovations on having HPA-powered airsoft guns that can use just your regular AEG magazines, giving these an advantage of purchasing expensive gas magazines and still have high capacity magazines. They make the drop-in kits for AK and M249 AEGs, readily converting these AEGs into HPA-powered airsoft blowbacks.

OPFORCE DG does the marketing and selling side for Daytona Gas Blowbacks, though not much can be said about the company even if they have been working with Daytona Gas Blowbacks for 3 years now. We have heard issues about this business arrangement of theirs, and sometimes even problems with how OPFORCE DG deal with customers and airsoft media. But then we merely treated them as hearsay, and never wrote anything about it until proven otherwise.

Then just over the weekend, Justin Lee of Daytona Gas Blowbacks sent us an email about a problem with OPFORCE DG. There seems to be an issue over payments by OPFORCE DG when he demanded payment for the outstanding balance. If you are a supplier, you depend on deposits and advanced payments just to get your production going, or else there's nothing for you to do unless you get a credit line or a loan from a bank (or you are awash cash reserves like Apple or Google). But nowadays, even just getting a loan from a bank is hard to do. Even if you do, sometimes your client/partner does not pay you on time or delays such payment until you start calling in a lawyer.

In short, given that problem with OPFORCE DG, Daytona Gas Blowbacks sent in a public notice that customers interested in Daytona Gas Blowbacks should not order from OPFORCE DG. OPFORCE DG broke the relationship when Justin demanded payment of outstanding balance.

Since the issue is now out in the open, Ian Mazzochi of OPFORCE DG sent out their own email and we post it unedited:

Hi Everyone,

Unfortunately Opforce Airsoft and Daytonagun will not be working together. Daytonagun (from Hong Kong) has broken 3 distribution contracts. They have broken 2 signed contracts and 1 verbal. We will now be pursuing a breach of contract. Once we told them this, unfortunately Daytonagun e-mailed our customers and airsoft sites and told them some things that were not true.

We are sad to announce Daytongun has stole money from us as well as a breach of contract. Not only did they steal from us but they stole from our customers, which is very sad.

Not to worry. We want all of our customers to be happy and if you were particularly one of the 8 that Daytona gun has stolen from you will be getting your money back. We will refund you. Just give us an e-mail or you can wait until our eta of Jan. for an even better kit.

If anyone would like to hear the full details at Daytonagun you can e-mail us for the full story for legal reasons.

The good news is we are now retooling and will now and be making our own kits right here in the U.S.A. Not only with a new GBB design but they shoot harder, stronger, Aeg inner barrel, Aeg mag, can be ran in freezing weather and will be built faster. They will have many more new upgrades to them. We designed a new bolt that will have even more recoil and the hardest felt recoil. A big bore kit for more distance, and the hose will be coming out of the back by the sling mount so it is hidden. We will be also giving a 3 month warrantee and like always, we will donate 5 dollars from  (our profit) to give to the charity of your choice on behalf of the airsoft community.

We will be doing the first of our kits at the beginning of the new year. So we are not accepting any in stock orders as of now but you can still pre order and have a spot for the new m249 kit and m4 kit. We are starting off with the m249 GBB kit with a m4 GBB right after! As of now we are not accepting ak orders but once we know for sure we will contact you. We are also redoing our website for our dealers!

Thank you and have a good day from Opforce.

Best regards,

Managing Department 
Opforce

My, my, those are strong accusations of "stealing" by a supplier that their business relies upon. However, we do not see in the email about OPFORCE DG actually addressing the demand of Daytona Gas Blowbacks that they pay for outstanding balance they have. They have not furnished documents of breach of contract for us to go over to determine which.

Since these are strong accusations, we asked Daytona Gas Blowbacks of what they can say about this email. Justin immediately sent this reply with photos of payment records. We are posting his email as is, with no spelling or grammar correction for you to go over.

Hi Everyone,

Opforce "Ian" keep saying we broke the contract 3 times to delay the time for paying me. And when he start saying this? it is the time when i ask him the outstanding payment weeks ago. We had an OLD list, that is what i was chasing him to pay back to me. and in that list, this is the item ALL i sent and he informed me to sent. I have ALL the emails. And when he tell me to send out the stuffs, i will send back the tracking number to him. And then i keep filing 1 by 1. I always follow his instructions like making invoices. I still have 2 records in my hands, 1 is starting from our 1st project in 2009 to 2010 April, the 2nd one is from May 2010 to now. I have every single customer's name, ship out date, tracking number, item name, the kit price and shipment fees. anyone want to see i can post it here. I don't care to let you know the costing, because someone is saying i am "stole money" i can sue him also.

And i have their EVERY payment record to me. Pls see photos, if someone want to see i can send you email and you can add them up. Now the problem is, i sent out many stuffs and it is already has ~US$6000 differece. I can't say it is 100% right, it may have about 5% to 10% difference, not so strange, but when he got my email, he has 180 degree changed~!!!!

I can also show you guys that at June 2011 and Nov 2011 he still pay me the money. If i "stole his money", why i need to ship out 2 m4 to him in Nov? And if i already broke the contract, why he paid me and asking for more porject?

Also, i have his emails that he promise that he will finish that old list a month ago. So i wait. That means he agree that we have outstanding amount needed to be settle. But 3 weeks passed, he said that he tired of doing the list, he want me to make the M4 and he said he will do the list later, i remember he said should be Jan 2012, that mean's he want to continuous to delay it. I know me and him both have delay the list, but he said that want to complete it anyway. So, i use 2 full whole days to do the list. I have the record so that i can check it one by one. All the stuffs i ship is followed his email.

At about 2-2011, we checked the old list that my record is i own him about US$3000, and his record is i own him ~US$4000, but it is OK, sometimes amounts must have diffrence, finally we let it go and then i continuous to ship out the things. But until now, he own my money.

One important thing is, HE RECEIVE PAYMENT and i don't know. When i sent email out few days ago, i just realized that now i have 3 contacts said that 1 guy is paid for PDW GBB, 1 guy is paying for M60 GBB, and 1 guy is paying for 249 to him. Ian didn't told me that. That means he receive payment and i don't know. Until today he has no answer me this questions. HE just said he is finding order like this. But i would like to know, actually i don't have such models, how can i sell them??? And i don't know when he receive customer's payment. And this is business? this is distrubutor?

He paid me ~US$6000 deposit for about 60sets 249,(he said 50set, whatever), he need me to sign a contract that if i cannot finished it on time, i need to pay the penalty 5% per few days, but he didn't write on the contract that if he cannot pay, how can we do? And actually he didn't sign it, I trusted him, so i signed it. But now all of them are completed, he can't pay and he said i stole the money??? And he threat me also.

And the most important thing is, I NEED TO KNOW HOW MANY GUYS PAID HIM AND I DON"T KNOW, buys pls help to find out all of the victims, he refruse to answer me. But i read below he said 8, if it is the real amount of victims, i would like to know what stuffs they paid? I can help them. Even thought i loss money and cannot get back from IAN, and i just talk to Jesse, he paid Ian's and Ian's can't ship stuffs to him, why? Because Ian didn't pay me and i can't ship him the stuffs. But now, i need to do something, i will ship Jesse the stuffs for FREE.

What i need to say is: I AM NOT STOLE MONEY, and I AM NOT A BAD GUY

IF ANYONE WANT TO SEE THE RECORD OR ANY INFORMATIONS, I CAN SHOW ANYTHING TO YOURS. I NEED MY NAME CLEAN!!!

Cheers,

Justin

You can download the photos of payment records here. We blurred a page as personal details of customers are shown there.

This is indeed a messy relationship, that even with these public accusations hurled against each other, Daytona Gas Blowbacks emailed us again that OPFORCE DG has a 100-kit order 5 hours after sending the email to everyone that they stole money from them. Now, that indeed is baffling. That's also what Justin Lee is wondering about "And, if i stole his money, why he said he need to pay me about that 100kit?"

If you are a customer of OPFORCE DG and you haven't received your order yet, it's time for you to evaluate if you need to have your order cancelled and your payment refunded. You will need to look at other companies that can provide what you want, or you can order direct from Daytona Gas Blowbacks if you still think that you can do business with them.

It's an issue that always happens in any business venture --- when one partner does not act in good faith, it ruins the whole thing. We have posted the emails of both parties for you to determine who has a good case, or if there are more questions rather than answers. Both companies will be damaged by this issue as customers would rather take their money elsewhere, never to come back.

The question if both Daytona Gas Blowbacks and OPFORCE DG will patch-up and work together again, that's up to them. But for now, what they need to do is fulfill those orders that customers have already paid for, or refund them to keep them from being very much disappointed and spread the word around that both are not to be trusted. As for any issue of non-payment by OPFORCE DG, they need to sort that out before they move on as partners still, or on their separate ways. Whilst they have started mentioning about suing each other, it may just be as destructive as it's expensive to go into litigation over an amount that will be smaller as compared to paying lawyers.

It's the hard-earned money of customers that is first at stake here, and it would never should have come to this as long as they treat their customers and partners right. The best thing really is to refund those orders that have yet to be fulfilled.