I found myself compelled to address the misinformation spread by a website called Gurdyworld, which has been tarnishing my brand and instruments with slander and falsehoods.

The website's main contention revolves around an individual they label as an "expert," who supposedly provided extensive insights into the instrument's engineering despite lacking any hands-on experience in building one. However, this assertion is entirely false. After a 30-minute wait, the so-called "expert" approached me and offered a few suggestions, including the idea of using shorter keys to conserve wood.

During this time, several other individuals approached to try out my instrument, and I attentively listened to their feedback. Notably, Joan Peire's remarkable performance left me in awe, prompting me to capture it on video. Following Joan, Jaime expressed interest in exploring the instrument further, and then my friend Brian, who is familiar with my work, delivered a captivating performance.

However, what struck me was the "expert's" peculiar approach when handling the instrument. Their posture differed significantly from the others, leading me to realize that their suggestion for shorter keys likely stemmed from their personal physical attributes, such as having short, stubby fingers.

As he played, I noticed a distinct difference in the sound. He remarked that it lacked resonance, but upon reflection, it became clear that what he actually meant was that it lacked projection. This observation was particularly notable given the background noise of a bouzouki and two flutes being played nearby. Expecting the hurdy-gurdy to drown out such sounds entirely seemed implausible. Nonetheless, I listened attentively to his feedback. Additionally, he suggested incorporating slots in the nuts of the chanters to facilitate easier adjustments for beginners. After sharing these insights, he excused himself to get a drink, leaving me to continue exploring the venue.

The following day, he revisited our discussion, repeating his earlier points, yet failing to demonstrate these purported structural differences on his own instrument. This time, the issue of sound projection seemed even more pronounced.

Despite these challenges, my instruments garnered praise from influential individuals unfamiliar with my work. They marveled at the incredible sound produced by my creations. For instance, Patrick, who was particularly enthusiastic, achieved a remarkable sound and expressed excitement over a young Brazilian crafting such instruments. He even facilitated an introduction to Mr. Jean Claude, a traditional French builder, who graciously shared insights and expertise, further enriching my understanding.
Amidst this positive feedback, I encountered personal challenges that inevitably impacted my work. 

The big problems started right from the beginning when a gurdist offered to make my sales, create my website and take care of customer service for a 12% commission, so I could just manufacture and focus on that. However, in a short time the security guard who responded as his team started to mix up deadlines, confuse orders and some were not even put on the order list. As a result, for each instrument that was different from what had been ordered, I had to apologize, work 2 or 3 times more to get it done, which brought me all kinds of problems, from accidents where I almost got irreversible injuries, to reaching the point of exhaustion and starting to neglect some details. Consequently, rectifying each mistake or delay required double or triple the effort, leading to further complications.

However, all of this is my responsibility, because how could I let a stranger take care of my business at this level? I didn't have access to the website's email for a long time. Then I started to see what arrived but not what he responded until I asked for the passwords and started to see things I didn't want, like for example that he released all the shipping costs as the same value and I was always completing it with my money because they had already been charged to the customers. Worse still, in the orders he calculated the commission on the total, thus receiving even 12% on the shipping. With these problems, I waited for him to charge pending commissions and when he started charging me, I refused to pay all the commission because there was a communication problem because with that I gave away extras for free, I worked twice as hard and the customers blamed me because they didn't know it was him responding but rather thought it was me. There was never an apology and I still paid thousands of euros in commissions.
Nevertheless, resolving everything directly could have been quite simple, but regrettably, that was not the case. Instead, they chose to orchestrate and publicize the issue within a social media group. Consequently, I became the target of numerous attacks from individuals who had never even handled one of my instruments, as well as from those who, as previously mentioned, encountered issues but opted to seek assistance from the "expert" rather than approaching me directly. At one instance, the "expert" was falsely credited with spending hours teaching me.
As mentioned earlier, this claim is false. The "expert" also asserted that my instruments lacked resonance, which, as I reiterate, he actually meant projection. I contested his statement, highlighting that he was the sole individual to express such criticism. Furthermore, I pointed out that the instrument sounded markedly different in his hands compared to others who played before and after him, as evidenced by videos. His response was dismissive, suggesting that he played as a beginner to empathize with novice players. Such rationale is characteristic of someone unable to deliver on their claims, akin to a runner losing a race and then denying they participated genuinely. It's frankly pathetic.
He and a woman from Germany began to make disparaging remarks about me, asserting that the "expert" was superior and insinuating that anyone praising my instruments did so without merit or genuine knowledge. They claimed that these individuals were either speaking arbitrarily or lacked credibility because they were not affiliated with the hurdy-gurdy "consortium."
I found myself torn between two options: either believing that all the positive feedback I received was insincere and deceptive, or trusting individuals lacking the requisite professionalism and instead reliant on teaching, courses, and commissions.
Subsequently, I faced a deluge of online vitriol from these same individuals, who resorted to slandering me to my customers and encouraging boycotts. To compound matters, I encountered an issue with a broken instrument I had sent out. While the buyer initially agreed to return it for a refund, ensuring that the instrument was in perfect condition for insurance purposes, they reneged on this agreement when the company arrived to collect it.
I found myself in a difficult situation. Meanwhile, the buyer took the broken gurdy to a "luthier" who charged £300 to repair the broken part. Following the repair, the buyer proceeded to disparage the instrument in every conceivable way. To me, this was an egregious act of bad faith. Typically, if something is deemed irreparable, an honest individual would acknowledge it as such, rather than charging an exorbitant amount for a simple repair job and then declaring the instrument as beyond repair. Subsequently, the buyer demanded reimbursement from me. However, the entire legal process to facilitate this reimbursement took place, yet the buyer refused to return the instrument. Despite this refusal, the company still reimbursed the freight cost, which I promptly submitted to the buyer.
This "luthier" showed no mercy, even targeting my seriously ill mother, hospitalized at the time, and my sister undergoing aggressive chemotherapy, with his vicious online attacks. His eagerness to slander and inflict harm led him to mention my family in his vitriolic posts. Despite the emotional toll it took on me, I refrained from reacting, realizing that his actions spoke volumes about his character rather than mine. Tragically, my mother passed away shortly thereafter. At that point, I decided to confront this "luthier," condemning his cruelty and reprehensible behavior.
Following that, coincidentally, my accounts were hacked, leading me to seek legal recourse to regain control. Interestingly, during the investigation, I uncovered that one of the IDs attempting to breach my accounts belonged to a travel SIM card. Remarkably, its coordinates at the time of the intrusion matched the location of the individual responsible for mishandling orders and causing significant issues. It's worth noting that this individual had asked me for messages the day before. Additionally, the most persistent ID attempting to access my account originated from Germany, the same country as a woman who unjustly attacked me without any knowledge of me or my work, merely to bolster her presence in a group she's affiliated with.
Now, this matter is in the hands of the law, highlighting the gravity of digital invasion crimes. It has become abundantly clear that everything revolves around business interests. Despite lacking recognition, the same "luthier" persists in offering opinions and seeking notoriety. Furthermore, the “expert”, who previously posted daily playing beginner-level songs, ceased posting following the revelation of my truth. In his response to me, he acknowledged his lack of expertise as a professional hurdy-gurdy player or high-performance musician. Additionally, the site disparaging my instruments belongs to a former client who, instead of resolving issues with me, chose to collaborate with the "expert" and his "disciple" within a hurdy-gurdy "consortium," attempting to sell their products.
As these pieces fall into place, I've come to realize that many individuals prioritize financial gain and recognition over integrity, resorting to slander and deceit to undermine competitors. This revelation has shattered my belief in the purity of certain actions, as I witness the lengths people will go for money and fame.
In conclusion, my trust in 90% of these internet "experts" has been shattered as I've come to understand that they profit by expressing opinions, whether positive or negative, on every topic they address. This realization dawned upon me after engaging in conversations with them, during which they spoke harshly of what's universally acclaimed as the best in the world, yet continue to lavish praise upon it online. Consequently, I am even less inclined to endorse them, particularly considering that the content on Gurdyworld is merely a regurgitation of these "experts," highlighting their blatant hypocrisy.