EK Water Blocks Responds to OC3D – Ex-Staff Members Weigh-in

EK Water Blocks responded to OC3D, but failed to address key concerns

In the late hours of yesterday evening, EK Water Blocks responded to our article on their recent loss of several high-level employees. To say the least, this response has angered a lot of our ex-EK contacts. We have an official response for EK at the base of this article, but there is a lot to unpack here.

EK has been a company that has been controversial for most of 2024. Following an expose by Gamers Nexus, the company apologised for “outstanding payments” to employees and suppliers. That said, we know that Slovenian authorities have started an investigation into EK over continued delayed payments.

Below, we have included the response that EK sent to us through Facebook regarding our recent article. Note that it makes no mention of delayed payments to employees, or any pending investigations into the company by authorities.

(EK Water Blocks’ response to OC3D)

A lot of employees are owed a lot of money

We have spoken to multiple ex-EK employees over the past few months about these ongoing issues. This incudes both well known EK ex-staffers and lesser known ex-employees. We know that many ex-employees are still owed money by EK, and that current staffers are still facing delayed payments.

To say the least, delayed salary payments is a horrendous business practice. It has a huge impact on the financial and mental wellbeing of employees, and it has been an ongoing issue at EK for far too long.

Considering these issues, it makes sense that a lot of staff have left EK. People need money to live. After all, rent needs to be paid, and we all need food for our tables. Failure to pay your employees promptly is both cruel and unfair.

Former Employee Dave Alcock speaks out

Former EK employee (and friend of the site), Dave Alcock released the following statement in response to EK’s above comment. He has urged EK to “cut some of the bullshit”, and has reminded the company that there is no shortage of EK staff that have “their own story” about the company.

What we will highlight here is the statement that many employees have been negatively impacted both “financially and mentally” by EK before leaving the company. Not receiving prompt salary payments would place a huge financial and mental strain on anyone. To say the least, EK’s employees deserve better.

Our Response to EK Water Blocks

Below is our official response to EK from OC3D’s Tom Logan about EK’s ever-evolving situation. We encourage you to read it.

Dear EK, thank you for your reply to our article on your, now former, Head of Product Marketing, and Lead Product Designer leaving the company. However, we will note that this response has infuriated a number of your former employees.

We, OC3D, have been in contact with many ex-EK staff. Many of these ex-employees are curious why your response has not mentioned the delay of salary payments to your current and ex-staffers? We are also curious why EK did not respond to our article on this topic earlier this month? We would encourage EK to write a detailed public statement about this issue.

We understand that employee turnover is a natural aspect of business, and that individual employees do not define an entire company. However, we also understand that paying your employees on time and in full are also natural aspects of business.
Last year your staff total was over 250 including contractors. We believe the current total is 102? How many of those staffers are still owed money? Have you even considered the implications of staff missing mortgage or loan payments, and how that can negatively effect someone’s credit file. That’s all down to you.

We have been told ALL active members of staff are currently behind a whole months pay, and staffers that have left are TWO months; plus no one got their legally required holiday bonus that should have been paid at the end of June. You see, what we reported on recently was only the tip of the iceberg of what we, and many others, actually know.

We would also like to bring to your attention that your approach somewhat diminishes the time and effort some key players have put in to get your brand to where it was. Lets face facts, they put the hard work in to bring EK up to where it was. Poor management is what has brought it crashing down, Edi.

Losing Dave, for example, and how you treated him at the start has lost you favour with some of the biggest media houses and Youtubers in the industry; no one will work as hard as Dave did when it comes to face to face relationships. Its that exact point that has Steve “Tech Jesus” Burke from Gamers Nexus looking for, and finding, the very best way to call you out, and trust us when we say – his best is yet to come.

I would urge you to remember that your current and former staff read all of your public statements with interest. Our advise is that you speak carefully, as a failure to comment on the issues that affect them has an impact. The things you are not saying speaks far louder than the waffle you had chat gpt spit out in the Facebook comment previously.

You have said that “sensationalist reporting” can harm business operations and employees. How can you expect your employees to be well motivated when they know that current and ex-staff are owed significant sums of money? At the very start of this whole thing we were asked, by Dave to “stay away from the subject, people need to get paid” but it has become increasingly clear that keeping quiet wasn’t really helping matters and we were encouraged by both active and former staff members that it was now time to highlight how poorly you have been treating – everyone.

With regards to bankruptcy claims, we will note that our comments were merely speculation. Such speculations are what happens when a company is known to be delaying payments to their employees and the government steps in to freeze accounts.

With regards to your company’s reputation; the following should be noted. The tarnishing of EK’s reputation this year is entirely the company’s own doing. Prompt payments are what employees should expect as a bare minimum, and negative press related to highlighting this issue should be expected.

We OC3D, as a company, have no fears about never reviewing EK products ever again if you choose to blacklist us. Based on how EK has treated our friends in the industry, were are not interested in working with you. Many of our friends have been greatly hurt by EK’s recent actions. We have known many of these people long before they worked for EK, and wish them the best as the move forward. We will also champion any new ventures and job roles former EK employees embark on and we will be sure to give them our full support.

As an FYI, we would like to inform you that we know that another large Gamers Nexus video about EK is due to be released immanently. I hope that you will have a long and more detailed response to his video. You may be able to ignore us, but you can’t ignore Steve.

As they say in The Hunger Games; “May the Odds be ever in your favour”

Kind Regards,

Tom Logan – OC3D

You can join the discussion on EK Water Blocks on the OC3D Forums.