What's in it for The Sentinel?

I believe that the vast majority of the vendors engaged in ecommerce today are completely honest and are simply trying to survive in a competitive marketplace. There are however, those vendors which sole reason for existence is to make a profit at any cost albeit to the detriment of the consumer and abandonment of sound fundamental business practices.

What's in it for the Sentinel? Let me give you these self-imposed stipulations and you tell me:

1. The services of The Sentinel will be completely free of charge to any consumer regardless of their forum affiliation.
2. Our Review Team will refrain from accepting products for review from any vendor, manufacturer, etc. that is currently going through the advocacy process or has an established reputation of less than scrupulous dealings with the computer consumer.
3. Our site will not accept new advertising or any advertising funds directly from any vendor, manufacturer, etc. that is currently going through the advocacy process or has an established reputation of less than scrupulous dealings with the computer consumer. This policy does not apply to randomly generated advertising that we have no direct control over. The nature of this type of advertising, which does not involve direct payment to ABX from the vendor or manufacturer, is such that the potential of a conflict of interest is negligible.
4. A complaint involving a vendor or manufacturer from whom we are receiving funds directly at the time of the complaint presents a different issue than indirect advertising and does create a potential conflict of interest. In order to avoid either a real or perceived conflict, we will refrain from any direct activity on the complaint. We will, however, work with the consumer to assist in locating other avenues for mediation of the dispute.
5. The consumer's rights will always remain of paramount concern
6. There will be no use of strong-armed tactics on the part of "The Sentinel" or any promise of reward when dealing with either the consumer or the vendor
7. When publishing the results of our findings we guarantee the written facts to be 100% accurate based on our knowledge and belief and free from any embellishment or other such theatrics with regard to either the vendor of the consumer

In summation our goals are simple:

1. To provide open, honest, and achievable results for consumers that have a legitimate dispute where consumer advocacy is necessitated
2. To expose those vendors that habitually use less than scrupulous business tactics to deprive the consumer of his/her rights
3. To expose those consumers that use unethical tactics in an attempt to defraud vendors (yes the scales tilt both ways)
4. To improve conditions for both the consumers and vendors using ecommerce as means of receiving and distributing computer products.

Finally I would like to thank Gerald "grsamf" Smith, our legal advisor and John "CrazyJohn" Campion, owner of ABXZone.com; without whose help this endeavor would ever have gotten off of the ground.