The sad thing to me in all of this is how it divides the community. I'm really not a fan of the name calling ("you'd have to be an idiot...", etc) or putting people on a "do not deal with" list as we have been seeing, particularly on klov. But at the same time it's hard to argue with some of the arguments being made on that side of the fence. There's no question that RAM is tainted. Whether Dan fixes that or perpetuates that will ultimately be seen in time. I hope he does fix it but by no means do I have full confidence in that. I hope that no one puts in any expensive orders because I don't want to see the list of screwed people balloon in 3 or 6 months. But on the other hand, personally I'm content to sit on the sidelines and watch things play out. If some people decide to place orders (I hope small ones, like < $50) and that gives Dan the cash flow to gradually take care of more people who are owed products and/or refunds, then I'm happy to see progress gradually made. But that hinges on whether or not Dan is legit, and that is obviously a big "if" at this point, which again is why I hope people don't jump in with both feet right away, placing $100, $200, $1000 orders (start small and slowly work up to bigger stuff as trust is gained). And that's also why I worry about people outside of the online community who don't know what's happened still being able to jump in and place expensive orders.
Dan, if you're legit, I think it's in your best interest to distance yourself from Dave as much as possible as fast as possible. As long as you're dependent on Dave for technical information or whatnot, it's going to be that much harder for people to support what's going on. And that certainly includes a major revamping of the website (not just change a little wording here or there) as well as not operating under the RAM name. Have the website redirect to a different one. If you're insistent on perpetuating the RAM brand, how about using it just in product names like "RAM SW Yoke" rather than using it as the business name and website? And on that note, it seems you've muddied the water regarding the degree to which you own the RAM company. I think it would behoove you to make that crystal clear even if it means introducing a little legal mumbo jumbo into the discussion. Finally, you mentioned being an ebay seller. Well why not start doing a lot of your selling of RAM products (if not all) on ebay where customers will have more protection and doubters and fence sitters can see your feedback? Include an obvious reference to your ebay store on your website so people can easily connect the dots and see the evidence of how legit you are. Since it's hard to hide there it would seem to be your fastest route to gaining trust.
Time for me to go back into lurk mode, sitting on the fence to quietly watch what happens with great interest, hope, and fear.