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I finally got my CTMH order yesterday -of which I had to drive 60 miles away to get( a little upset). My Demonstrator had ordered some things for herself but had it shipped to her and then called me and said she didn't want to ship it to me because it would cost a fortune.. I had no idea she was even going to have it delivered to her house but I was upset that I had to drive 60 miles away to get the stuff. I do love everything I got but needless to say I won't be doing a party with her again...uuggghhh!!
Has this happened to anyone else before
Rene'
Yes-but with a couple of differences. She was my SU! demo and I didn't have to drive 60 miles. She would pad the orders and do other various things to manipulate my orders. Like substiture crap envelopes for the SU! ones I ordered then use that amount to order something for herself. Then tried to say that I was "stealing" the items that were missing. She was actually surprised when I signed up under someone else. *snort*
*hugs* to you though. That stinks.
__________________ We love SSG R. King-US Army & SGT J. Priest USMC!
ΑΦ#14574 Just sayin'�atie 2005 ND rules!
I finally got my CTMH order yesterday -of which I had to drive 60 miles away to get( a little upset). My Demonstrator had ordered some things for herself but had it shipped to her and then called me and said she didn't want to ship it to me because it would cost a fortune.. I had no idea she was even going to have it delivered to her house but I was upset that I had to drive 60 miles away to get the stuff. I do love everything I got but needless to say I won't be doing a party with her again...uuggghhh!!
Has this happened to anyone else before
Rene'
Not having to drive THAT far, but before I was a demo I had to go pick up my orders at my SU demo's house, and it was not until I was a demo myself that I realized how un-customer-service-friendly that was -- I even had things shipped to me so that I could pack everything up, check to make sure things came in, and bag them all up for everyone! I would put them all in their bags iwth the receipt stapled to the front and put it all in the box and deliver to the hostess that way the day or day after it came in to me. Individual orders I delivered myself. I would tuck in mini cattys or notes about specials, etc. and people always loved it. Can't imagine doing it any other way. That being said I should add that if you have regular get-togehters like stampers clubs or crops then having that option for them to pick stuff up at then is okay!
BTW now I am a CTMH consultant and I think what she did was rude, rereading your post -- if she was going to be so bold as to add onto your order, the very least she should have done was to deliver it in person if she didn't want to ship it to you. Find another consultant. There are plenty of em out there!
Last edited by pigfingers; 06-05-2005 at 10:38 AM..
Umm, regardless of the company, if you paid for shipping, you should have got shipping. I'd demand a refund of shipping charges, plus some extras for the time and gas money you spent getting there and back to pick up your own stuff. She's acting like she did you a favor letting you order from her. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
__________________ Dejah (janz)
"Smile and show me your stampin' hands!"
My gallery needs to be updated, but you can see some of my old stuff here!
Umm, regardless of the company, if you paid for shipping, you should have got shipping. I'd demand a refund of shipping charges, plus some extras for the time and gas money you spent getting there and back to pick up your own stuff. She's acting like she did you a favor letting you order from her. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
I agree! If she doesn't give it to you call the company & complain! How rude!
Sorry this is so long... I saw the CTMH thread and felt the need to vent!
I also had an unpleasant experience with a CTMH demo. A friend invited me along to a CTMH open house. The demo was in the process of changing her inventory over to the new Acrylix line and was selling all of her wood mounted sets. My friend and I both purchased a few of the wood mounted sets and purused the catalog of new Acrylix sets. I placed a nice sized order - about $100 worth of Acrylix sets in addition to the wood mounted sets.
Now when I place an order with SU!, I normally expect to receive it within a week or 2. If the items are on backlog, I was always kept in the loop. This demo NEVER contacted me. Three weeks after we had placed our orders, I asked my friend if she had heard anything from the demo. She hadn't and said she'd contact the demo to find out what the status of our orders was. The next day my friend told me that the demo said our orders were due to arrive that day. My friend was going to swing by her house after work to pick them up for us. Good thing she forgot because the following week when she contacted the demo to see if it would be OK to swing by that night, the demo said our orders had just arrived.
My friend brought my order to me the following morning. Only one of the three sets I had ordered was in my bag. Supposedly the other two sets were not available yet. The demo NEVER mentioned this to me when I placed my order and NEVER even contacted me to give me an idea of when they would be available. I paid $100 upfront for an order that could have taken me months to get. I was LIVID! I called the demo that night and had to restrain myself when she didn't even apologize when I asked for my money back.
I got my money back, but I will never order from CTMH again because I received such bad customer service from this lady. I even e-mailed the company with my complaint and received an automated response that someone would contact me within one week. I never heard anything back.
I got my box from CTMH last week. My demo usually has them shipped to me, especially this one since I ordered enough to make it a party! I wanted that butterfly album.
If my demo doesn't ship them to me and I pick them up I usually get extra little incentive stamps or she pays for tax or shipping. It works out good for me because she lives 1/2 mile from where DH and I work out so it gives me incentive to go get on that elliptical machine!
Bad customer service happens regardless of the company. I hope that when you do have a bad experience, you don't just avoid that demo again, but you tell her that you will never order from her again AND why! Just think, you might open an eye or two and help a customer down the road by allowing the demo to fix her problems. Soem won't care, that's for sure, but you really should let her know, especially if you end up telling other people about your experience.
__________________ Sharon Rogers
My Blog: www.stampwithsharonrogers.com Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?
I think that if you are paying for shipping it should either be shipped to you or your demo should deliver it to you. I ordered from CTMH years ago. I think I spent maybe $30 total. It took a month for it to show up, and that is with me calling her quite a few times, AND calling the store she worked at. (She worked in a scrapbook store, and that is where I ordered it from.) It took so long because it was a combination of her going out of town for a week, and she waited to get a big enough order to qualify for benefits. I still see her around, and she always wants to do a catalog party for me. Ummmm, NO!
I emailed the company and gave them this same story and got no response back. I actually ended up calling them and gave them the SAME story and got a "Well, these things happen, there is nothing we can do for you ma'am."
The demo is bad as well as the company, I will NOT order from them.
Some of you ladies and guys, Know that I am a TAC demo.
Anytime I place an order, for my customers I usually do a Direct order and it will be shipped to them from The Angel Company.
Just a couple of weeks ago I placed an order for me and a customer. She paid for it, and I sent it to TAC. They mailed it to me and I repacked the order and mailed it to her. I did pay extra for mailing, But I was only out $2.00
When I do a workshop that is out of state, I charge 15% for shipping, This way I will have the extra money to ship their stamps and other goodies to them.
But now if I order for a local workshop then I get in my truck and drive to my customers.
I think as a demo you should go out of your way to Please your customers. Beside if we didn't have customers then we wouldn't have Jobs. My Motto is: Treat others the way you want to be treated!
In fact I have SU demo that has dropped it off at my job, Because I work in the same area that she lives, Although I have stopped by her house to pick it up on my way home. Which I don't mind doing.
Bottom line....Be good to your customers and they will be back!!
CTMH is a wonderful company. They have many extremely caring consultants and customer service representatives. Just like any company, there are a few bad seeds (just like the SU lady that is selling her products on ebay to earn the cruise). Don't judge the entire company on bad encounters with one consultant.
I think that if you are paying for shipping it should either be shipped to you or your demo should deliver it to you. I ordered from CTMH years ago. I think I spent maybe $30 total. It took a month for it to show up, and that is with me calling her quite a few times, AND calling the store she worked at. (She worked in a scrapbook store, and that is where I ordered it from.) It took so long because it was a combination of her going out of town for a week, and she waited to get a big enough order to qualify for benefits. I still see her around, and she always wants to do a catalog party for me. Ummmm, NO!
I emailed the company and gave them this same story and got no response back. I actually ended up calling them and gave them the SAME story and got a "Well, these things happen, there is nothing we can do for you ma'am."
The demo is bad as well as the company, I will NOT order from them.
I feel compelled to reply to your bad experience -- I have to say that I have been buying from and dealing with CM, SU, CTMH as well as many other direct sales companies in the past 6+ years I have been scrapping/stamping. Not to mention Tupperware, Home & Garden, Petra Fashions, Pampered Chef and Partylite. I think I used to get invitations to everybody's parties for a few years there and I am totally partied out now. It is sad you had a bad experience with that one CTMH demo but I can attest it is the demo and not the company - I have had some great AND horrid experiences with every company out there. Some so wonderful I wanted to kiss their shoes. Some I wanted to drive over there and leave stuff on their doorstep. It all came down to the customer service of the rep - bottom line. Your experience of the company truly lies in the person you are dealing with as your sales rep. If I had stopped dealing with the woman that was rude at my house for Pampered Chef truly because of her, I never would have been so happy to discover all the wonderful things they have. Likewise with CM -- I am not so happy with one of the CM reps I had to chase after for almost a year to pay for some SU Business Memo stamps she bought and conveniently forgot to pay yet would invite me every month to her crops at her house, but I realize she is not the only one out there!
You DEFINITELY should have had that in your hands if you paid for shipping. BUt as independent consultants you need to deal with that woman that you dealt with -- I have heard some SU demos as well that have been reported to SU and SU has said the same thing about having to deal with the demo. Honestly if you think that you would like a more formal response from CTMH you should write a letter and cc the demo to let her know of your unhappiness, the reason why, etc. SHe won't do it again.
I like to think that both SU and CTMH have great products -- something for everyone in both product lines -- I hope you will have a more positive experience with CTMH should you find a CTMH rep in your area in the future.
Yes-but with a couple of differences. She was my SU! demo and I didn't have to drive 60 miles. She would pad the orders and do other various things to manipulate my orders. Like substiture crap envelopes for the SU! ones I ordered then use that amount to order something for herself. Then tried to say that I was "stealing" the items that were missing. She was actually surprised when I signed up under someone else. *snort*
CTMH is a wonderful company. They have many extremely caring consultants and customer service representatives. Just like any company, there are a few bad seeds (just like the SU lady that is selling her products on ebay to earn the cruise). Don't judge the entire company on bad encounters with one consultant.
Thank you for your reply. I am a CTMH consultant (no-one really knows that) and I kinda took offense to the original post. You can get bad customer service ANYWHERE. Including SU. I have not had a bad experience with CTMH and I treat my customers like GOLD!!!
Pigfingers...thanks for your wonderful post. You are so right in that it's the demo, not the company. And, you will find bad demos in any business.
JamieMae...your demo was wrong in not telling you there would be a delay in getting the My Acrylix to you when you ordered. We knew what sets were available when the catalog first came out, and what sets became available when. I kept all my customers in the loop as new things became available.
Rene....that was just plain wrong of that demo to make you drive the hour to pick it up! If she didn't want to spend to ship it to you...which, if it was stamps would not have costs much at all...then she should have either driven it to you, or at least offer to meet you 1/2 way! Unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm so sorry to hear of some of these horror stories. But, please, do not judge all of us in the same lump. When I have an individual order for a distant customer, I ship it direct. For my hostess club girls, the large order comes to my house, and I reship it, at my expense to them.
I'm a CTMH consultant and I have driven 40 round trip miles to not only meet a new customer who wanted to order but to deliver her package as well. I could have shipped her order to her directly (it wasn't a party) but I like to add a flyer in the bag or a thank you card. I always have party orders sent to me so I can bag them myself and I deliver them to the hostess. Please don't blame the company! Unfortunately, there are some consultants who don't think of their customers first hand. If I didn't treat mine right - I wouldn't have any. By all means, ask for a new demo or ask on this board. There might be a consultant who doesn't receive referrals that lives close by.
Wow I am so sorry for your experience and driving all that way to pick up your order. She should have shipped it to you or drove to your home and dropped off the order, or even meet you half way somewhere. That was very bad customer service that you received.
I am indeed a demonstrator of TAC-The Angel Company, and I usually have my customer's orders shipped directly to my customers even if they are local to me.
I do hope that you can find a better demonstrator that can service your needs appropriately.
Nicole
__________________ Nicole L.
The Angel Company Demonstrator #1260
Team Leader of The Elegant Diva Stamp Angels! Email
I'm so sorry that you had a bad experience with CTMH.
I have a CTMH demo-rep who's been nothing but sweet to me. For example: I just had a hysterectomy and am still not allowed to drive. When I placed my last order with her (a week ago) she made sure to volunteer to bring the stuff to me when it came in. She only lives a couple of miles away, but still...she's always offered to deliver the stuff to me.
My SU demo lives several states away and always has the stuff shipped directly to my door (it doesn't get much better than that - *stalks the UPS guy*).
I think you both companies are good companies. But, as with any business, the representative makes the experience.
__________________ "Just because it's unexplicated does not make it unexplicable." - HOUSE
Well, I'm not going to name the company, but I have a demo who has told me 2 times that she will come by at a certain time and then has been 2 hours late! This really burns me because I stayed at home expecting her and then she didn't even call to tell me she was running late. After the first time I decided to start having the order sent directly to me, but then the second time she put my order on a show that was for a friend of mine, but forgot to give her my order when it came in (it was sent to the consultant's house) and the same thing happened again. I think if she ever has to deliver an order again I will tell her to be sure to call me if she is going to be running late. These weren't small orders either, but even so, it shouldn't matter.
Another consultant told me she would drop off a catalog (she has to drive right past my house on her way home) and the day she was supposed to drop it off she never showed up or called. I finally had to go to her house to get it. This sort of thing makes me feel not very valued as a customer. I've replaced one consultant and if I could find another consultant locally that sells the other product she will be replaced, too. I don't blame the company, it is the consultant.
Thank You all for the response to this post.. I am sorry if it seemed like I was cutting down CTMH cause I didn't mean for it to come out that way at all..I have been having parties with them since they were DOTS and I love their stuff but it was the lady I had the problem with and I am sorry but I feel like I didn't really explain her attitude very well and when someone here said that it sounded like she was doing me a favor by having a party for her..you nailed it right on because it is really bad when my friends and people invited to my house say the same thing.
She was also rude when she was in my house and that totally apalled me. We had thought about doing a club before my party was even held but by the time my party came and went that night I had made up my mind there was no way I could do a hostess club with her and the way she acted.
On top of being rude she also didn't like having my kids around and was very uncomfortable with them here. Where we live is a very small community and this may sound funny but most of my friends that stamp live here and we all have kids and they were here at my party. Our husbands are ranchers for the most part and work LONG hrs. but anyway to make a long story short..I love CTMH and not necessarily her for her rude comments about my kids too and other things..Let's just say when it came time to go and get my stamps and orders from her I was quite upset and wont be doing business with her again.. It is nice cause I have already found another Demo.
I know there are good and bad in Demos and I am not saying she is a bad person but her behavior was in my mind very unprofessional and un business like especially when she is invited into my home to do a party for me and 8 other guests. Anyway ..I hope I am not flamed for this cause I am not puting down the company, I guess I felt like I just needed to vent a little cause it has been so long since I did a party with CTMH I wasn't sure if this was a new thing now that the hostess has to go to the Demos house to pick up her things. Sorry for the confusion and if I made anyone upset.
Oh and for this being so long..LOL. :-(
Rene'
I guess some people were upset that the company didn't do more, but it's tough when there are independent demos. Not sure what SU! would have done, either!
Anyway, it is definitely the person. I have a friend that had a P. Chef party in early November. I had a Tupperware party a week later. I closed it quickly and it was due in right before Thanksgiving. She had the NERVE to say she HOPED it was in (in a snotty way) because she wanted to take some of the items with her over break. Did I get my P. Chef stuff from her before Thanksgiving? NO!!!
One year she held a freaking Party Lite order open from early to late November, I got my Christmas stuff around the 10th of December. HELLO? Needless to say, I don't order from her any more at that time of year. Since she's a sort of friend, I'll go to other parties but I always know it'll be 3-4 weeks before I get my stuff.
In fact, she's an SU! demo, and waiting at least two weeks for every order was one reason I signed up as a hobby demo!
To the OP - sorry you had to run into such a bee-atch!!!!!
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
I think any demo, regardless of the company, who has a customer order delivered to her and then doesn't either deliver it in person OR ship it to the customer is taking advantage of that customer. Customers pay shipping for a reason--if you don't receive your merchandise at your door, the demo is WRONG. I often have my customers' orders shipped to me (whether I order something or not) because I want to make sure everything is there and that the customer/hostess doesn't have to do the work of packaging, order checking, etc. But I feel it is MY responsibility to ensure the customer receives her order.
It's nice to know that there are demos out there who care enough about their business and their customers to go above and beyond our expectations. I wish I would have had a more postive experience with CTMH the first time around. Hopefully I'll have an opportunity to meet up with a new demo who will erase the negativity I've felt towards the company.
This will make you groan...
a friend of mine had a SU workshop last Aug. the first one I have ever been to. I placed an order, overly excited about all the cool stuff for my scrapbooking!! In Oct. I still didn't have my order, :rolleyes: I called the demo 5 times and got her machine. Finally I called in late Nov. and said to cancel my order (ghee wonder why) :mad: Well she had the nerve to call me mid Dec. to tell me my order was in and would I mind dropping off payment to the hostess again as there seemed to be a cancellation on my cheque. Hello? Talk about leaving a very sour taste in my mouth about the company... are all demos like this? I think not! One of the ladies that did wait to have her order filled finally got it in January.... okay repeat after me... Oh My GOSH!!
My solution to her bad service.... I became a demo!
*ta da*
Only sad thing through all this was that this also left a very sour taste for the company on a bunch of our friends... but I'm sure that I'll be able to change their minds
Oh I forgot to mention...the hostess ordered a 'bone' and well...she still has not received it... the demo claims she (the hostess) did not order one...ughhh
__________________
Creativity is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God.
'Bob Moawad'
Last edited by KountryKorners; 06-08-2005 at 07:33 PM..
OMG, Katherine, that is horrible! Myself, I know that if I order something, I want it "yesterday" LOL! I have the hardest time waiting for things to arrive! I can't imagine waiting for that long!
Because I like things so fast, I assume my customers do also! If I have a large order come in on a Wed., it's packed and reshipped by Friday morning at the very latest...my UPS guy doesn't arrive till after 4 in the afternoon. Wish I was on a morning route! LOL!
That just amazes me....I would assume that if I ordered something it would be delivered to my house one way or the other (either via mail or hand delivered) heck if you are a demo and you deliver an order to a customer you can take the milage as a business deduction...it adds up - for a 60 mile trip that equates to about $22 deduction...add the trip home in and you have a $44 deduction.
Everytime I have ever had a home party with exception of one the consultant would usually order some stuff too to raise the $$ amount and she would come and pick up her stuff when it came in.
I guess I am lucky I have really only ever had one bad rep for a party I have thrown - a Partylite - I got caught up in a vicious circle and was like the 5th person to book a party from an orginal group of friends...well I never have a good turnout at my parties but I usually manage to get some orders at work - a few days before the party I had about $350 in orders from work but had only heard from 2 people that they were coming...the rep calls my house and I tell her I had only heard from 2 people so then she starts in about how if there is not at least 5 people she wasn't going to waste her time...that should have set of warning bells to me...but I told her I already had over $350 in orders and she changed her tune quickly...
__________________ Jenni -Happy SU Demo - MY GALLERY & MY CHAOTIC LIFE One kid makes you a Parent - Two makes you a Referee
I am sorry you had such bad luck with that consultant, find a new one. There are several of us here on this board and I have out of state customers. I make sure they get their products, no one has to come and pick them up from my house.
All companies have a few not so great consultants, just find a new one.
Proud of my customer service and my company CTMH. I know everyone on this board is proud of the company they work for and there are lots of great consultants for all of the companies represented here.
okay having been in direct sales for the last 12 years with various companies - here is my take on this (with ANY company)
Each ind. consultant/demonstrator etc. runs their business in their own way. Now you as a customer have to pick what "business practices" you prefer in your consultant.
For me personally I mainly deliver ALL orders, unless my customer says they want to come pick up (some live a ways and know I Have small children and can easily swing by after work or the like etc) but I NEVER demand someone pick up their order from me. out of town orders I direct ship to the individuals (always have in ALL business I have done). I have had workshops where I need to tack on one or two things, just for supply purposes (like, oops just realized I was low on "dimensionals" or whatever, so I will let the hostess know, give her "party" credit for "my" purchase and then wether it is shipped to me or her I make sure I handle delivery/pickup. So if they order is shipped here (which I prefer) I receive order, I package each order, staple copy of order form with customer name highlighted for ease of reading, include a stamped "thank you" of some sort, a Stampin Technique book *ususally unless they are a repeat customer, I don't bombard them with these* and sometimes a little "somethign" like if they had to wait on a backorder or what have you - I then call the hostess and make arrangements to deliver all orders to her, or ind. customer if for any reason I have an ind. order sent to me rather than that ind. person. If the order is sent to my hostess (some of my hostesses LOVE getting the boxes and being able to "touch" everything LOL!) I usually offer to come over on delviery day and help package orders and or pick up anything I might have had to add to her workshop for myself.
This is a touchy subject to say the least - I don't think it is necessarily something wrong with a particular "company" but DEFINATELY something wrong with the customer service you receive from your constultant - if it happened to me, I would seek a new consultant, no matter how close or not I was to that person originally.
PS: and on the matter of backordered items and NOONE letting you know - I would be livid too - I stay in close contact with my customers - I am an SU demo and we get weekly reports on what is backordered as a demonstrator on our website, and if I see something my customer has ordered pop up on there I let them know at their time of order, or if it pops up backordered while in teh "ordering process" I make sure to let her know as soon as I know! And then I personally deliver it with a little "thanks" for waiting ESPECIALLY if it is an extensive wiat (more than one week since original order delivery) -but the BEST part is ----- MANY of my FEW backorders from Stampin UP! actually end up arriving BEFORE UPS delivers the main orders!!! LOL!
Gosh I just LOVE stampin UP! for SOOOOOOOOOOOO many reasons!
Elizabeth
I am a demonstrator and there are a couple of ways I get the products to my customers. If I have some things I need and the customer is close by, I may add to the order and have it shipped to me and then I TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TO DELIVER it to my customer. My stampers club: It is always shipped to me and I deliver. I dont understand why these SU demonstrators would provide such lousy service. It is important to keep our customers happy. Sue
My CTMH order..
Bad Service
