Could you imagine calling your bank, hoping that this time someone answers the phone, then finding out they don't have the capacity to determine your balance or conduct even minimal business? Why should we expect any less from our trading firm?
Major software problems have been well documented since this company's inception, and these are not getting any better. Today we still cannot conduct trades. Why were remote traders not informed to this impending move? When is their trading platform going to perform to even minimal standards? Want facts? Try logging on.
I was informed that this company had close to 3/4 of the 28th floor in the Suntrust building in downtown Orlando, and when they couldn't afford the lease anymore, they tried to turn in the keys, but this was rejected and litigation ensued. Why would management enter into a lease for the most expensive property in Orlando, but not take into consideration alternatives should the market not perform to expectations?
My two cents... the reason this company is failing is due to management ineptitude. Their lack of leadership and ignorance of even common business practices has lead to employee turnover in departments which are critical to the success of their product.
One case in point, software, which is what we traders can see and feel. Their development program has headed by many different people with varying degrees of skills and differing philosophies, creating a hodgepodge of software code that, in my opinion, new programmers cannot follow and have growing difficulties even maintain existing code, much less developing new features.
The accounting practices at this company are, in my opinion, extremely suspect, and I doubt would ever pass a thorough audit. GAAP is non existent, and once again turnover is a major problem.
This company fosters an environment of mistrust, apprehension, suspicion and the feeling that at any minute men in black coats are going to come barging in to close the place down and confiscate documents.
Lack of vision, no reasonable plan for the future and inexperience is dragging PD into the ground, and most employees leaving the company don't expect them to be around for another two months.
If nothing else, they do have staying power, but how long can you beat the odds? How much money are they willing to lose before they have to swallow their pride and accept the fact that the Securities industry requires more skill than the leaders of this company will ever have.
Today I will do my trading friends a favor and go downtown to the courthouse and use the 'Freedom of Information Act' to get some more information on exactly what the situation is, and get back to the group. Maybe I'll swing by and see these supposedly 'new tenants'. My guess, I'll find an empty office, doors locked and papers strewn about as they made their hasty exit in shame.