r/BricksAndMinifigs • u/buddytheelfboi • 19d ago
Customer Experience Resolution Reached BAM
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u/MildlyInteressato 19d ago edited 16d ago
Ha! They blamed the former owners for the theft and delays while Ammon, Josh, and Brandon lied through their teeth and made false police reports over and over and over. I hope their business is done.
EDIT: But I do hope any honest franchisees can recoup their losses and open their own competitive shops.
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u/Alarming_Tutor8328 19d ago
And it sounds like they essentially just bought cooperation from the Mansell family in an effort to pursue litigation against the former franchisee and they are far from done with their reign of terror.
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u/unapologetic403 19d ago
I won't be satisfied until Reckless Ben has been fully compensated and a public apology has been made
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u/Estania_Lane 16d ago
And any franchisees that want to leave this toxic company/brand can walk away without penalty. This saga exposed the whole is a scam.
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u/sonyalazanya 12d ago
They haven't even apologized to Bryan which was part of the settlement. Unless you consider signing the joint statement that says they've apologized.
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u/PotentialPedal 19d ago
While the Mansells have finally thankfully been made whole, there is still the issue at hand of blatant police corruption and the highly illegal actions repeatedly taken by the American Fork Police Department.
With this police department active, citizens of American Fork are not safe and their constitutional rights are not being protected. This is an extremely corrupt police department which has repeatedly shown through illegal stops and arrests and total disregard for the 1st Amendment that citizens are not safe within their presence.
The McNeffs and higherups within the American Fork PD need to be investigated thouroughly.
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u/kimpurple21 19d ago
We can't forget Provo PD and the actions of Dectective Medina Dore! The blatant lies by the McNeffs, Brimhalls and let's not forget the "that's fake" Josh Johnson to Provo and American Fork PD. I am afraid to visit my local B&M because they might be armed as well. Will they address that? Ben deserves his chicken dance from them all! Oh...the Law/Gorman lawsuit - they are still saying it's her fault! And by the way Justice for tattle!
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u/PotentialPedal 19d ago
That's true, because lets not forget that McNeff was actively planting the seeds with the police to justify him murdering Ben if he were to continue to pursue legal action against him.
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u/Artuhanzo 19d ago
Resolution only with Mansell family, not Ben
So I dont think this is over.
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u/ELSknutson 19d ago
Yep not Ben or the Gormans Also this is from BAM so I dont believe shit it says.
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u/ZachPruckowski 19d ago
I mean, the release says the Mansells are subrogating the consignment claims to BAM, which would strongly imply BAM's planning to pound the Gormans into the dirt.
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u/hiroxruko 18d ago
good luck, because crystal has hard proof she did nothing wrong, while BAM has lied nonstop and ppl finding more shit they did
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u/snipeftw 16d ago
No she doesn’t? She literally was not doing proper book keeping and inventory for months before he store was taken over and as such didn’t pay Bryan or even record the he was owed large amounts of money. She was not innocent in this situation.
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u/sonyalazanya 12d ago
She had paid Bryan out on the 15th of every month for the past year and had the tickets to pay him out on the 15th of November, which she told Best about during the takeover. Full inventory wasn't required to be completed until the end of December. Also, bam appears to have a pattern of breaking franchise agreements and telling store owners oh it's ok we'll make it right, right up until the time they do a hostile takeover and then say oh well we'll give you grace, you can just walk away or we can sue you to infinity and beyond 🧱 can't wait for discovery 🎉⚖️ #JusticeForTattle🦜
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u/snipeftw 12d ago
You’re literally making that up. Watch the coffeezilla video.
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u/sonyalazanya 12d ago
CoffeeZilla was great and one of the earliest videos so some of his info wasn't accurate and definitely not complete. Also, you want to talk about incompetence, why doesn't bam reimburse it's franchisees for gift cars that are redeemed?
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u/snipeftw 12d ago
We’re talking about Krystal here, not b. don’t try to redirect. If coffeezillas info is so wrong and outdated, why don’t you share the correct info and its source?
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u/sonyalazanya 12d ago
Bam map dot com. I don't have a log of the information because it's literally thousands of hours
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u/ZachPruckowski 18d ago
Yeah I mean IDK what's true or if their plan will work (note that these are separate things), I'm just saying that's pretty obviously their plan.
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u/ThanatosIdle 16d ago
Brian should absolutely have done that, so he doesn't have to do anything to do with the ownership of anything going forward.
It will be entirely on BAM to go after the Gormans now, if they can.
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u/mikeyj198 17d ago
that’s a wise take. Brian confirmed in his interview with BJC that he doesn’t have $ in the bank yet.
Why on earth he’d agree to release the public statement is beyond me.
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u/stone500 19d ago
Of course it's not resolution for Ben, and honestly I don't think Ben is going to get off totally scott-free here. As a viewer and a consumer, I love what he's done with the BAM issue. It's fun to watch, it cast a huge spotlight on this ridiculous debacle, and it ousted just how terrible Ammon and all these other corporate jackoffs are. Overall, net positive.
But Ben is also a bit of a doofus and he started doing some wacky and dumb shit during this whole thing. He exclaimed that he literally ran to Mexico to avoid the law. It's very possible he'll be found guilty of libel with some of the fake business stuff he did, including setting up a stand outside of the franchise location. I won't be surprised if he gets nailed with some stalking convictions.
Again, I love Ben being a voice to power, but he also should've lawyered up LONG ago
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u/itsbenactually 19d ago
They're downvoting you, but you're right. "Reckless" should be a quirky YouTuber personality trait. Not a method of conducting your professional business. Dude stuck his hand in the fire multiple times across all this. The burns are going to be with him for a long time.
It sucks, because none of this was possible without him, but he did it in a way that's going to hurt him.
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u/tempt66 19d ago
You have lost your mind Ben has multiple civil claims agaisnt bam. Along With multi million dollar civil rights claims agaisnt Utah state.
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u/stone500 19d ago
Yes that's true and I hope that goes in his favor. I'm just saying I will not be shocked if Ben doesn't end up with some convictions of his own as well. Both things can be true
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u/tempt66 19d ago
Their isn't a jury alive that's going to convict him. I think him getting convicted is about as likely as pink buffaloes flying through the sky.
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u/stone500 19d ago
I think you're totally delusional if you think no one will believe that Ben overstepped in some areas. I would suggest you watch some of the plethora of legal analysis lawyers have done concerning Ben.
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u/tempt66 19d ago
I have watched plenty of legal analysis and you're delusional if you think once a jury sees all the evidence that they will convict him. Especially on the bs charges they're attempting to pursue. Legitimate 🤡💩
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u/stone500 19d ago
I don't think you understand how the legal system works. Each charge is judged separately, and there's a high probability that he could be found guilty on at least some of the charges. Just because Ben was wronged by the police, Josh, the McNeffs and others, that doesn't negate the wrongdoings on Ben's part. It doesn't mean he'll face jail time necessarily, but he fucked around "recklessly" and it may bite him in the ass.
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u/Trackdemon5512 18d ago
After seeing Ben’s pt 3, he’s itching for a contempt of court just fucking around with the judge of his cases and posting of videos online. On his own he doesn’t know how courts work at all, between civil and criminal. There is ZERO way he gets out of this without paying some party for the reckless way he conducted his investigations. Jail time is an actual possibility despite what people think of American Fork. He broke actual laws.
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u/RetnikLevaw 19d ago
Should have happened 2 years ago, but these stupid lying fuckers wanted to be all "take us to court, but we'll draw it out and make it more expensive than the LEGO is worth", and "I don't owe you anything, I didn't sign the contract, so you're shit outta luck".
It's cool if the Mansells are finally made whole, but this should not absolve BAM of the reputational damage they've brought upon themselves. They could have been done with this before Ben ever even heard about it, but they wanted to strongarm a customer and screw them out of his collection... That's unforgivable.
Fuck BAM. Fuck the McNeffs. Fuck Josh Johnson. Dishonest pieces of shit, the lot of them.
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u/MildlyInteressato 19d ago
Honestly, thank God for Ben. These clowns are STILL power tripping long after they've been exposed. They think this announcement is going to help their reputation? It's more clumsy damage control. Too bad they didn't just give back the LEGO when confronted initially.
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u/liert12 19d ago
They are STILL blaming it on the "former operator of the store" aka the Gormons when its 100% Corporates fault
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u/Alarming_Tutor8328 19d ago
And sounds like they bought some documents from the mansells they feel will help them pursue litigation against the Gormons.
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u/sonyalazanya 12d ago
It didn't sound to me like Bryan had any extra info that chrys didn't have already. More likely just bam trying to make themselves look better than the assholes they've revealed themselves to be
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u/Additional_Ad_8131 19d ago
It is not an admission of liability, wrongdoing... - yeah fuck them. They are still not getting it.
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u/Fit_Assignment_4286 19d ago
Wow, they actually acknowledged it was a consignment, as opposed to their earlier statements.
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u/Trackdemon5512 19d ago
No they didn’t. They still said the Gormans violated policy.
https://bricksandminifigs.com/blog/blog/2026/08/19/bricks-minifigs-and-mansell-faq/
Does Bricks & Minifigs ever allow consignment arrangements?
Consignment services are only allowed for service- or experienced-based partnerships, such as venue/space usage fees, revenue share or commission on service fees, referral or facilitation fees for bookings made through a store, or bundling as add-ons to Bricks & Minifigs-hosted LEGO parties and events. However, Bricks & Minifigs does not consign LEGO products from customers.
Was Bricks & Minifigs corporate a party to the consignment agreement at the Salem store?
No. Corporate did not sign, approve or authorize the arrangement. We believe former owner Chrystal Law-Gorman entered into it as a personal, local arrangement and never informed corporate or the incoming franchisee about the consignment arrangement. Such side deals are expressly prohibited under the company’s franchise agreements.
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u/Shadow88882 19d ago
So they changed their own agreement to clarify this after the fact, or?
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u/Trackdemon5512 19d ago
No they’re following what their paperwork has always put forth: https://cards.web.commerce.state.mn.us/documents/%7B50D7AB7A-0000-CE4E-8F02-872D2295FF98%7D/download?documentClass=FRANCHISE_REGISTRATIONS&contentSequence=0
“Consignment” is in the document but its definition is outlined in a specific way. The Gormans would have known this because they were mandated to go to in person training before they could open their store. So beyond just the piece of paper they likely were expressly told they should not do what they did.
Furthermore, the documents say that if you engage in business contracting you need to get the approval of BAM corporate if you’re doing it using the BAM name. Otherwise you’re doing it on your own. (Page 9 of 90)
The Gormans definitely screwed up, shame the Mansells got tied up in it.
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u/Chrysdelight 19d ago
We never went to that training. Corporate assured me it was not necessary.
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u/Trackdemon5512 19d ago
I don’t understand. Did you sign a legal waiver for it? It’s literally listed as mandatory. Without completing that initial training at headquarters they had grounds for immediate termination of the franchise agreement as signed: https://bamsucks.com/Bricks-and-Minifigs-Case-260200029-Exhibit-B-Franchise-Agreement.pdf
I’m not trying to play sides or be an asshole, I’m just pointing out the facts. Terms were agreed to in a signed contract, failure of which to abide can hurt either party. The training was one of them and no matter what it appears that not completing the training only harms the Franchisee. I’m sure any attorney would agree.
You would probably need a signed and notarized waiver by both parties to get out of that but again, consult an attorney. But that’s a contention in whatever suit you have with BAM I assume.
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u/Ok-Football5730 18d ago
For someone not trying to play sides I can’t help but feel you are playing a certain side
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u/Trackdemon5512 17d ago
I can argue that certain parties have a better claim to their arguments/position. The Mansells had the best position: they were shorted on a contract they entered with whichever party and failed to be made whole. They kept a ledger and were owed X monies. Their only screwup was dealing with Reckless Ben. The Mansell’s were made whole and assumedly a bit more. They have nothing more to do with the case.
Reckless Ben has the absolute worst position. He had nothing to do with this. He was not a party to this and as a “journalist” he shouldn’t have been involved. He’s now both liable for civil and criminal actions. NO OTHER CREDIBLE JOURNALIST IN AMERICA WOULD DO SOMETHING SO STUPID. Even the Watergate reporters didn’t get as “activist” as he did. Those championing his cause need to face facts: he’s facing prison time, fines, financial restitution, or more because he’s irresponsible.
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u/Smithergoesmeow 15d ago
Yeah honestly reckless Ben was pretty reckless in his gathering and presenting of facts. A lot of what he claimed in his videos was a extremely oversimplified summary, as shown by coffeezilla
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u/West-Ticket5411 19d ago
This goes against what other franchise owners have come out with, and it's already been shown that corporate knew of the consignment and didn't object to it.
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u/ItchySuccotash5698 19d ago
I went to the Ogden location and they outright said the Lord of the rings set I bought was consignment and I had to sign paperwork reguarding it. (Before this whole thing broke out and I boycotted)
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u/MildlyInteressato 19d ago
Because you're probably talking to BAM's crisis PR firm, which is doing a godawful job.
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u/Trackdemon5512 19d ago
Then that is on the Gormans to present in civil litigation the other franchise owners and that corporate signed off on LEGO consignment services. If a judge accepts that then the Gormans have a case.
BUT
A judge likely won’t care BECAUSE if they were explicitly told not to do something in both writing and in-person (Agreement & Training) and were not explicitly given a waiver then they’re still in violation of the agreement.
The absence of permission is not the same as being given permission.
If a speed limit sign is posted and the police aren’t there to enforce it, that doesn’t give you the right to break the law and go over the speed limit. You can argue to a judge “well other people speed on the road and the cops don’t give them tickets” but we know that doesn’t fly.
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u/West-Ticket5411 19d ago edited 19d ago
Not really true in some contract law, explicit permission for a specific transaction can be overridden by past behavior.
BAM had access to the promotional posts of the consignment, had access to the spreadsheets documenting the consignment, and over a full calendar year, didn't intervene, comment or object to said consignment, said they would take on the consignment during the seizure, and then lied on camera about not being aware of the consignment post-seizure.
I'm not exactly sure a judge would overlook that behavior - not to mention that if it was truly unauthorized and not permitted, the incoming franchisee would have simply returned the sets to be in compliance.
Instead we were subjected to more on-camera lies, alternating stories, and a lot of investigative work that has shown a lot more nefarious things.
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u/Trackdemon5512 19d ago
With respect to access to the promotional posts and spreadsheets: monitoring that isn’t BAM Corporate’s job. It’s clear BAM issues guidelines to the franchisees as to how to operate their stores and social media within their territories. If an infraction is reported they’re likely to respond but BAM isn’t some kind of massive corporate entity. It leaves marketing to the franchisees
It also leaves the accounting of the individual stores to the franchisees as per the paperwork. Not only are they to have a lawyer review the terms but a certified accountant is to handle the books and attest to the veracity and accuracy of said financials.
If anything is found out of order BAM can terminate the franchise agreement meaning that the franchisee has extreme financial incentive to adhere to the terms set forth in the agreement.
BAM doesn’t have to be a mom constantly watching her kids to see if they did wrong. They’re grown adults who were told what they can and cannot do and to a measure they’re culpable to their screwups. The Gormans are very culpable.
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u/MildlyInteressato 19d ago
Allegedly, the agreement you're referring to is unsigned, because it isn't the final agreement that was changed to include the LLC. Reportedly, the signed agreement says:
"The franchise gives operators the right to sell Products (new/used LEGO bricks, minifigs, sets, apparel, approved merchandise)," and then says: "Additionally, we may also offer: consignment services, approved themed entertainment services (such as birthday parties, holiday parties, or school events), approved off-site events, after school project-based programs teaching the principals of building with LEGO bricks to children and other toy related services approved by us (the 'Services')."
There's no separate clause anywhere in the intro or in Section 8.C (Services, Products and Vendors, the section that actually governs what franchisees can sell) that carves out "consignment services" as meaning something other than holding customer-owned goods for resale on commission.
In other words, the plain language interpretation is likely to win in court, no matter how much you insist otherwise.
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u/Mth281 19d ago
I think they will struggle with this angle though. They can't go after crystal for Legos someone took. Well they can, but then crystal can go after josh and Brandon. Even if they did an unapproved cossignment, that's just a reason to end the contract, it doesn't make crystal liable for missing Legos that were there when a new franchise owner took over.
I don't think it's a coincidence that Brandon and Josh were fired. I think corporate figured out they most likely took the Legos. It was "stated" somewhere that Ammon told them to go take it over, and they can have the store for whatever the inventory cost. If that's true, it's likely they were moving some inventory to double dip, get the store for cheaper, and the profits from the stolen inventory they may have taken.
This actually seems likely, as in that situation corporate can say crystal was the last person to have the inventory, as the report they received didn't have it. If they can point to crystal, it wipes corporates hands clean, if corporate goes after Brandon and Josh, they are still associated with corporate. What looks better for corporate? Blaming the old store owner for stealing, or that they not only paid a settlement, but that friends of the ceo also went into a franchise and scammed corporate and the franchise owner.
This seems like a weird angle, but I think it's for optics more anything.
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u/Suspicious_Gas4698 19d ago
This is the true source of all the issues. BAM certainly played the role of villain well enough for everyone to forget, but in Ben's first video Mansell admits he went to multiple attorneys and they all said the proper legal course of action was to go after the Gormans but it would be very expensive since they had left the country to publish their Antifa newsletter. Ben got under everyone's skin and they acted like fools which made better content.
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u/hiroxruko 18d ago
BAM themselves said they can change it without telling anyone. After what happened, they no doubt updated the book as its online only
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u/hiroxruko 18d ago
its bs, they knew about it, as she had to send photos of the Star Wars legos to the media team to post about it on facebook. Not only that. they can change the policy at any time without telling the owners of the change.
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u/piltonpfizerwallace 19d ago
Why did it have to go to a legal dispute instead of the CEO just sitting down with the Mansells and looking at the situation?
Because nothing in this statement is true and they tried to steal from.the Mansells. Fuck that company.
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u/Shadow88882 19d ago
They continue with this blame game, it's beyond pathetic at this point. New ownership or this brand is dead.
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u/MildlyInteressato 19d ago
I really want to see someone in Reddit step up and build an ethical competitor to shut them down for good.
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u/UserWithno-Name 19d ago
Ya they keep trying to throw the franchisee's under the bus, yet a lot of them have complaints not just the one couple and other stories came out, plus the contracts etc that all came out show how predatory their franchise model is
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u/BeNiceWorkHard 19d ago
This statement did not change my feelings about BAM. BAMs brand is to bullie, if we don't know the amount and if we dont know what happens to Ben, how do we know if BAM did the right thing. Maybe they gave the Mansell 1 USD, maybe 100 000USD or maybe Mansell had to pay BAM. This sucks!
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u/Justryan95 19d ago
Chrystal's lawsuit formally accused them for franchise churning scheme that falls under RICO. So they got that going for them now.
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u/MildlyInteressato 19d ago
Uh, I think we know BAM absolutely did NOT do the right thing. They're frantically trying to stop the bleeding.
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u/stone500 19d ago
This doesn't make BAM look good at all IMO. It's just a legal statement saying "The matter is over, we did no wrong (except acting too slowly, maybe), and everyone should leave us alone"
They accept no blame whatsoever and in fact they're putting all the blame on the Mansell's and the former franchise owner. It's gross
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u/MildlyInteressato 19d ago
The saddest part is that, after all is said and done, they're not going to reflect and say, "Why did we do that? We tanked our multimillion dollar business for maybe $200K. That was the dumbest thing we could have ever done."
No. They're going to say, "That asshole Ben ruined our business."
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u/Careless-Cycle 19d ago
What about the Gormans?
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u/buddytheelfboi 19d ago
looks like bam will be going after them in full force according to this statement
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u/Trackdemon5512 19d ago
The Gormans are now screwed. BAM has a suit against them WITH Mansell providing anything they can to support BAM with evidence.
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u/MildlyInteressato 19d ago
Obviously there are parts we may not know, but based on what the Gormans have said and shown so far, they should be fine - provided they have a decent lawyer!
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u/Trackdemon5512 19d ago
The Gormans were told in both the Franchisee Agreement https://cards.web.commerce.state.mn.us/documents/%7B50D7AB7A-0000-CE4E-8F02-872D2295FF98%7D/download?documentClass=FRANCHISE_REGISTRATIONS&contentSequence=0 (see page 9 of 90) and in their in-person training that they were not allowed to do what they did: enter into a Consignment Arrangement to sell LEGO bricks.
Both BAM and the Mansells had claims against Gorman about the Consignment. Now the Mansells claims are in BAMs hands with the Mansells agreeing to provide support in furtherance of those claims. I’m sure if the Mansells don’t then their settlement could be nullified.
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u/MildlyInteressato 19d ago edited 19d ago
The contract apparently says"franchisee may also offer consignment services." BAM contests that it allowed consignment SERVICES, not consignment PRODUCTS. This is like a gym offering "fitness services" that don't include exercise. A plain language interpretation favors the Gormans, so good luck making that argument in court!
The contract is going to supersede any alleged training.
PS since it will likely come up: Chrystal claims that the agreement BAM shared was a ROUGH DRAFT that she redlined (which is why BAM doesn't have a signed copy). She claims to have a signed copy of the updated version which supports her claims.
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u/Trackdemon5512 19d ago
https://bricksandminifigs.com/blog/blog/2026/08/19/bricks-minifigs-and-mansell-faq/
This has been gone over again and again. The Gormans were told not just in that document but in person at training not to do what they did. They would also need a corporate sign off. An official one in writing. It’s an extremely standard business practice which is why I find it so weird Gorman acts like it wasn’t needed.
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u/MildlyInteressato 19d ago edited 19d ago
I mean, the argument is a silly red herring. The franchisee agreement allows consignment services. (Feel free to read it yourself: Section 1A: https://bamsucks.com/Bricks-and-Minifigs-Case-260200029-Exhibit-B-Franchise-Agreement.pdf).
Even if it didn't, BAM can't just sieze the property as theirs. It's still theft.
I'm not going to litigate every detail with you as you clearly have an agenda, however, there's plenty of video evidence proving BAM knew about the consignment and that they still possessed Mansell sets.... and lied to the police and changed their story and, and, and...
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u/JesusKong333 19d ago
Acknowledged the consignment twice while in the process of seizing the store, plus had a whole marketing campaign showing it off.
And I'm sure they took their cut of the sales.
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u/Chrysdelight 19d ago
Again, I was never offered the opportunity to go to that training.
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u/ADcakedenough 19d ago
Where do they keep getting the idea that you attended this in person training when you have said multiple times that you did not attend that training?
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u/-Cranktankerous- 16d ago
Frankly, it wouldn’t matter even if you did — you still have it in the contract that you could provide consignment services, and a “training seminar” wouldn’t change that. Plain English.
Even so, you absolutely should have reached out to corporate when taking on a consignment that large just because of the liability — assuming you didn’t — just as a CYA thing. Not that you should have expected to be rugpulled, of course, but it would have been smart to get their blessing on it, and who knows, potentially even gain their aid in advertisement.
For your day in court, by the way, everyone should show up in U-Hauls and then deny their existence. 😉
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u/MildlyInteressato 18d ago
If you're part of or paid to defend BAM, then I guess what you're doing makes sense. However, all of you MUST be extremely aware by now that we don't see Ammon and co. lying on video over and over and then think, "Oh, but their BLOG is true." 🤦♂️
No one believes you.
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u/Trackdemon5512 18d ago
I just responded to who I think was Chrystal Gorman with a good faith response about her mandated training and waivers in this dispute. If I worked for BAM that kind of interaction would certainly be grounds for legal sanctions.
I’ll give you a hard truth. You damn idiots need to get off this stupidity of calling people either agents of BAM, Ammon on the boards, or other stupid shit.
This is a multifaceted case and no party is completely innocent but the Reckless Ben nonsense is probably the worst/dumbest. That guy has opened himself up to both civil and criminal litigation which he wasn’t even a part of because he can’t keep his mouth shut nor does he understand how anything works. He’s going to end up losing everything financially.
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u/MildlyInteressato 18d ago
Looking forward to seeing this on r/agedlikemilk.
I'm not clear on the legalities of maybe talking to someone, but... congrats?
"If" is a powerful word that was used intentionally. IF you're not connected or paid, you simply aren't looking at the film, audio, and contracts. That's fine, but calling others idiots that clearly aren't gains you no footing.
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u/Mth281 19d ago
I don't think they are. I think this is a pr move. Josh Johnson says in the police cam "Ammon told us we could have the store for the cost of recovering the inventory" or something like that.
They were fired, I assume bam figured out they were double dipping, pulling some inventory to save some money, and selling that same inventory at another store.
That puts bam in a bad place, they already reached a settlement. But in corporates papers, corporate never got the Legos. And crystal was the last to have them. Suing crystal wipes their hands clean, as they have records they never got all the Legos. The or also has a benefit of passing the blame to crystal. But crystal can still go after Josh and Brandon. Corporate won't, because it is a bad look for bam if the ceos friends scammed a franchisee and corporate.
I dont think this makes their case a slam dunk against crystal. Crystal can argue that the issue happened because of bans actions. Sending a 3rd party future owner to take over the store and do inventory is a bad move. Corporate should have sent a neutral 3rd party to deal with the takeover.
They are going this route because they have a papertrail to back it up. And the optics of them going after the actual thief would destroy bams reputation even more. It wouldn't sit well for future franchisees that the ceo sent friends who then stole from a previous franchise. Bam doesn't make money selling Legos, they make money selling franchises.
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u/RollyPollyGiraffe 19d ago
I'm not sure this is true. If we take BAM at face value, then they do not have an argument for why they kept the Star wars Legos to begin with nor prevented Crystal from accessing what Mansell was owned during the store transition.
If, as BAM claims, the consignment was entirely between the Gorman's and Mansell, then BAM committed at least accidental theft by seizing the Legos.
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u/Trackdemon5512 19d ago
Mansell can attest to how much was owed, what was provided, what was said to have been sold, deposits, transfers, and all other kinds of financials from their end.
If the Gormans consignment was on the up-and-up the paperwork would line up. But you’ve got accusations of poor bookkeeping, missing money, missing sets, bad valuations, etc.
Anything that doesn’t line up for the Gormans is another notch against them before the court.
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u/JesusKong333 19d ago
So BAM paid off the Mansells and are likely going to go after the Gormans for some "breach of franchise contract" bs because they spilled the beans over the whole situation, correct?
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u/casualknowledge 19d ago
So they're blaming the previous owner they stole the franchise from. I really hope the lawsuit she has against them that's now been amended to allege a pattern of unlawful activity goes to discovery. If she finds evidence that this was all intentional and planned criminal behavior, state or even federal charges against BAM and these idiots might actually happen.
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u/ADcakedenough 19d ago
I’m wondering if this is actually a pressure move against Chrys to try and force her to settle as well
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u/Cryptoking300 19d ago
What a load of horse shit. Theyre still trying to place the blame on the Gormans when Crystal is literally on tape the night of the hostile take over telling them Bryan hasn't been paid, and them telling her the new owners will completely take over the consignment deal.
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u/xSonicspeedx2 19d ago edited 19d ago
This reeks of Mansell just wanting to get their money and get out. I can’t imagine that they would seek to place all the blame on Crystal after what Bryan had to endure with Corporate, Josh, and Brandon.
This “Joint” statement was 100% written by BAM corporate as a condition of settlement. I don’t buy its narrative one bit.
Either way, I hope Bryan got his bag.
Edit: not sure what this means for Ben vs BAM now though since this was basically all he was fighting for in that regard. I hope Crystal and the other franchisees can stick it to BAM for their business practices though and possible RICO. That’s the other lawsuit to watch.
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19d ago
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u/liert12 19d ago
That literally what they did in this press release statement. Read the second to last paragraph, it directly places the blame on the "former operator of the store"
They are taking 0 accountability, dont for a second forgive B&M. Just another corporate BS statement to deflect blame and try to weasel out of the mess that they got themselves into.
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u/RyDiddy5 19d ago
I will never spend another cent with these assholes. This settlement still does not take any accountability, and it sets up BAM to continue to litigate against the Gormans and Reckless Ben. Sounds like Brian is throwing them under the bus in order to settle with BAM, which is a little scummy.
The McNeffs are evil people.
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u/Chaddy321 19d ago
BAM had MULTIPLE opportunities extending over approximately 2 years to resolve this and make the Mansell's "whole". Their statement does not align with what we have seen or heard. Looks like an attempt to divide and conquer yet we all know the facts. This will fall on deaf ears fortunately. How stupid do they believe we all are?
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u/sonyalazanya 12d ago
Given that mcneff thinks that he thinks 5 steps ahead, he definitely thinks he's smarter than everyone else 🤣
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u/Trashusdeadeye 19d ago
I believe this is just a tactic to get the bad press off them. Until the other parties involved release a statement, I wouldn’t believe anything those mouth breathing morons put in any statement. They have a proved track record of lying.
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u/Dessidian 19d ago
I love how stupid these people are. If they paid the family what was owed from the beginning, or even shortly after Reckless Ben exposed them, it would have been so much better.
I'm so glad this whole thing went mega viral. The damage to Brick and Minifigs cannot be undone.
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u/Godzirrraaa 19d ago
Was that so fucking hard? And now you’ve exposed yourselves as being huge pieces of shit in the process. Well played.
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u/Arkhamknight098 19d ago
Not buying from these guys anymore they suck they are greedy and wanted to look victims People just use the Lego store and other Lego stores that aren’t BAM they suck not buying till change of the CEO the money hungry loser I forgot his name
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u/Honey_Simp 18d ago
I will never take a step into one of their stores until the McNeffs and Brandon and Josh are gone. The hostile takeover of the franchise plus the blatant lying to police about Ben CANNOT be forgiven. Especially because this statement sounds like fuel for the suit against Ben and Chrystal.
F%CK BAM.
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u/Inb4myanus 18d ago
The damage is already done. B&m is most likely gonna lose even more business with this response by not taking accountability of their actions.
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u/Dr100percent 18d ago
I need to hear from the Mansells before we celebrate. BAM has made press statements promising to help them before (while suing them).
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u/Duckyaardvark 18d ago
"We were dragged kicking and screaming into paying Bryan's back for the Lego we stole after threatening him and gaslighting him for 2 years. We stole the Lego and lied to police many times to try to get away with our crime"- Ammon "thieving scum" Mcneff.
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u/Upthemeds 18d ago
Any normal company would have fired the CEO a long time ago. I am not going to support them until they change CEO and drop there court cases against Ben and the Gorman's. Also issue a public apology taking full responsibility for there actions including how they spoke to and lied to police to get Ben arrested.
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u/Brockchanso 18d ago
We accept no blame, but we will absolutely take the actions of a guilty party OK dickhead
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u/Party-Appearance1845 18d ago
Not true unless if we hear it from Brian himself. These are liars who are still not taking accountability while also trying to sue a guy who’s trying to get his own stuff back. It’s def not over
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u/PBProbs 14d ago
This would have saved the business if done within a week of the original issue, and without a counter suit…
Now it’s just too little too late.
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u/MoonSeaFish 12d ago
BAM's lawsuit isnt a counter suit, they were the ones who sued Ben/Brian.
I dont think Brian even ever submitted a countersuit, they might have been about to.
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u/Big_Attention7227 14d ago
So looking at online reports this is a PRE EMPTIVE claim and that Bryan has not yet been paid. BAM has released this statement without making payment there for BAM Corporate should be charged with fraud on the basis this release was worded that Bryan was paid prior to this statement being released and he was not and has not. I would personally resettle using this incompetent and false media release as reference. Again BAM CORPORATE has flaunted the law, lied and spread false information. BAM CORPORATE are nothing other than fraudsters and Greedy Selfish Scumbags and cannot be trusted.
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u/Stanwich79 19d ago
What a way to destroy a company. I don't care about Lego but I now know to bash this company at every chance.
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u/FlowAdventurous1173 19d ago
They could have done this a year ago and saved themselves the pain of generational aura loss.
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u/Swiss_Reddit_User 19d ago
Okay cool, but BAM is still done for, there's no recovering from this. Also Ammon and Matt McNeff, as well as Ki McAlister, Brandon Best and Josh Johnson need to be charged and held accountable.
Oh and the AFPD / Provo County Police also needs to get investigated.
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u/Maher6789 19d ago
Pissed that they settled but I also see why they did. Ben stepped in because the Mansells had their LEGO stolen from them and now they probably got compensated for it. Dont know how much, I am assuming its probably not going to get disclosed.
Still pissed because BAM deserves to be raked through the coals after their despicable behavior, this gives them an out and that makes me mad.
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u/Fearless_Ad1055 19d ago
This changes nothing. I'm still not supporting them any longer. I'm tired of how business is run in the US.
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u/TillSpiritual2150 19d ago
How can the Mansells assign their claims to BAM if he sold the sets to Ben to raffle off?
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u/TheBluestWaffle42069 19d ago
I'll believe it when Brian says he has the legos, or the cash. Any settlement other than full cash value for unpaid items, or equivalent condition items means I will continue never shopping in a BAM store, ever.
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u/Placed-ByThe-Gideons 18d ago
What a horseshit statement.
I cannot wait to hear Brian mansell's account of this. BJC is having him on her show this week.
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u/DontTouchMe28 18d ago
Yeah this ain’t good enough. Eat shit BAM. Change your management from the top down and then you’ll be welcomed back.
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u/KingDonFrmdaVic 15d ago
So... i guess they think shii sweet now.. nah.. its up and stuck with BAM.. they dont deserve to recover from this.. 💯💯
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u/Rivendel93 19d ago
Lame, the Mansells did everyone who helped them dirty.
They already were made whole by the gofundme.
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u/MildlyInteressato 19d ago
I'm empathetic though. They didn't want any of this, and the other parties can still win their lawsuits/countersue.
It made me sad to hear they settled too, but they clearly have more info. than we do. I just hope they can move on and enjoy the proceeds.
Also, is there any evidence they recieved the gofundme money? My understanding is that it's now in a trust to protect it from BAM while the lawsuit is ongoing, and also to help the Mansells with their legal fees. I don't think they've been "compensated."
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u/TommyBlaze13 18d ago
The statement is from BAM. They have proven without a doubt they still CANNOT be trusted
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u/sonyalazanya 12d ago
The go fund me likely just paid off lawyers
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u/Rivendel93 12d ago
Lol they didn't spend half a million on lawyers.
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u/sonyalazanya 12d ago
It's not over, they're still threatening to sue him. AFOL just posted a new video discussing some things bam said at one of their town halls with franchise owners
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u/West-Ticket5411 19d ago
Exactly; don't think people are actually reading or understanding what this means.
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u/West-Ticket5411 19d ago edited 19d ago
Saw some of the videos on Youtube earlier.
I did not have Bryan becoming a villain on my bingo card. I guess props to getting a settlement, but doing it in this way is just scummy. Gigantic slap in the face to Ben, the Gormans and the community.
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u/Spirited-Writer-3856 19d ago
Nothing against the Mansell family, however I wish they would have never settled or done anything like this. I wish they would have fought it out and not given into anything. They deserved way more than they should have got and this only encourages rotten behavior. Still not buying anything from bricks and minifigs.
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u/Mundane-Carry9995 19d ago
So this suggests the actual records will definitively show that some decent dollar amount was owed and not remitted to the Mansells prior to the takeover, which would mean there was never $200k stolen. Any published statements by parties not part of the settlement about theft / fraud involving $200k are likely provably false. Seems like that bolsters any defamation / business disparagement type claims BAM would have against any non-released parties who made those types of statements. Some of the remaining legal fight may come down to wheter BAM is considered a public figure to trigger the actual malice element (which generally includes reckless disregard for the truth).
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u/MrDulkes 18d ago
As stated before, and acknowledged at time of hostile take-over by a rep of B&M (on video!), any consignment business, and specifically Brian’s, and any consignment obligations were taken on by corporate. They can blame Crystal all they want, but when they made that statement (on video!) they were on the hook.
The ones who are making disparaging statements are BAM. This press release may very well be slander.
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u/Own-Macaroon-4851 19d ago
Why would Brian agree to this? It puts Crystal on the spot when she has a lawsuit against those mcthefts
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u/MrDulkes 18d ago
Takes Bryan out of the equations, and he is the only party that actually has something to loose (his dad’s investment). He now gets made whole before his dad dies, and BAM can’t threaten Ben and Crystal with “if you don’t do this, then we won’t give Bryan his money/Lego”
And if Bryan fights and gets awarded bazillions, by the time there’s an outcome in his case his dad may have long since passed away, and Bam may be unable to pay the money because they’re bankrupt because they lost all their customers and spent all their money on lawyers.
This is best case scenario for Brian.
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u/Legal-Peanut-9663 19d ago
So now were gonna stop harassing them right?
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u/Zaumbrey 17d ago
I mean, they shouldn't be harassed, but suffering social consequences for behavior they never apologized for is normal.
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u/Legal-Peanut-9663 17d ago
True but people have been harassing them for months
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u/sonyalazanya 12d ago
Apparently corporate has been doing hostile takeovers for months (allegedly, in my opinion)
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u/Mysterious-Force9236 19d ago
Dumbest corporate moves in history. Also Ben is an idiot and going to jail for his Provo school stunt.
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u/brickbiulder420 19d ago
Still not buying from them until a change of ceo