Actually, I feel like we ARE here to answer the question of 'is he still doing business well'. These threads are more for potential customers than the ones with outstanding orders. The people with outstanding orders are already at the mercy of the maker; however this thread can be a vital warning for someone that is itching to send Gareth More money. Feedback is most useful when it's reviewed BEFORE the order. No matter what the original intent of the thread is, this has become the de facto repository for Gareth Bull feedback; no matter what the original intent was, this thread can only help a handful of people with outstanding orders, but will help hundreds that are potential buyers.
Although, it's a positive side effect that a negative feedback thread will lead some makers to follow through on orders that are already out. That's definitely the most visible help that comes out of it, although not all makers even care once it's past this stage. It's a sign of going over the edge of reasonable and excusable screw ups when the primary focus of a feedback thread is for people with outstanding orders to get their knives. It's went from "Don't deal with this guy if you don't have the patience of a saint" to "let's hope he can deliver knives he has taken payment for at all, and if he does we'll close the chapter on him". The problem is that after he finishes these orders (if he does) he's still going to continue to try and sell knives. It's not like getting the wait list finished is going to wrap up this story once and for all.
