Friday, June 1, 2012

Gotta Blow Off Steam!

My goodness!!!  Did you ever have a phone call that twisted your gut and made you wonder if you had really done something awful, and you are just too stupid to see it?  I've actually had a LOT of them in my life, but usually they come from a family member.  I'm sure the lady that called me just a minute ago would say I deserve it all.

Jill from Fabulous Fit called me.  Remember her????????????  She is the owner, I think.

Now, I own a company -- actually, I own two now.  We used to own three.  Point being, I know what it is like for someone to be mad at your company.  Jerry will do ANYTHING to make a customer happy -- including firing me if it would help.  We impress upon all our employees the importance of customer service beginning at the interview.

I think the problem with Jill and I is the difference in locales.  She lives in New York, and people are really different in their opinions and way of thinking up there -- I THINK.  I'm not saying they are WRONG -- just different.

Let me point out real quick here that this is MY blog, and EVERYTHING you read here is MY OPINION.  Nobody has to agree with it.  Wanna get that straight before I continue.

Anyway, I have been to New York twice in my life, and both times, I found people to be kind of "cold".  Now they could have thought I was a complete nut case -- and they wouldn't be alone -- but my point is, they seemed so different in the way they talked and the way they acted compared to us down here in Okieville.  I'm just saying, I think there is a lot "lost in translation" when I try to explain to Jill why I am so upset with Fabulous Fit.  She just does not HEAR it!

I told her again about her employee calling me and telling me that I was insane and that my dress form looked like a MONSTER. 

Jill says the girl would never say that.

Well, the girl DID say that!  She made me cry because I thought she meant my body looked like a monster's, even though she was referring to the dress form's body.  After all, I had made the dress form's body look like mine.  The actual problem was, the same employee was the one who took my order and decided I needed a size that was too small.  I argued with her at the time, but she knew better and insisted it would work just fine.  She was WRONG!

If I can't get Jill to realize what her employee said to me, and how it came about that I had to return the FIRST dress form -- we can't communicate past that point.  Some companies will defend an employee over a customer no matter what.  Sometimes, it is warranted -- but not always.  We've had it both ways at our company.

Jill is very upset with my bad review of her company's service to me at sewing websites called Pattern Review and Artisans' Square.  I will go to both sites later today and try to soften the blow of my posts so she won't be so upset, but she needs to realize that what I said was TRUE.  (I actually was pretty soft to begin with.)  Otherwise, I wouldn't have said it.  She ALSO needs to realize that the whole purpose of the websites is for seamstresses to post REVIEWS of products we have used.  If she wants a GOOD review, then she needs to give GOOD service.

She needs to check my reviews of Sure-fit Designs.  Glenda Sparling is a class act, and she is known all over the world for her amazing service.  She has had many, many emails from me asking one question or another about something I didn't understand.  She doesn't get mad.  She just answers my questions and everyone else's too.  When you own a business, you have to back it up with good service.  People talk -- especially, women!  I'll tell you one thing for sure.  Glenda never, ever -- even in the slightest way -- insulted what I was doing or how I was doing it.

I will never be able to communicate with Jill.  I may have Phylly call her.  Maybe Phylly can explain it to her since she was with me through the entire trial. 

Jill kept telling me over and over and over on the phone that they had done everything to make me happy.  She would not listen to me at all as I repeated her own unkept promises.  I tried to tell her that I only expected her to do what SHE SAID she would do.  I told her that I bought the top of the line product from her, and I expected good service to go with it.  She told me that I would have to pay $6,000 for the kind of dress form I expected.

Say what??????????????????????????

On and on and on the conversation went.  She kept saying I was mean and I had hurt her and her company and she didn't appreciate what I said.  I told her I only said what actually happened. 

She said, "I see you are sewing with the dress form, so you must like it?" 

So what was her point???  Of course, I like it NOW, after I have padded her to be like me.  That is the part SHE was supposed to do, but didn't.  She swears that she did.  I told her to watch the video of me opening Lucy and to look at how flat her stomach was.  She wouldn't listen to that.  She said I was WRONG and she was RIGHT and the dress form was PERFECT!  Doesn't matter about that anyway, because that had nothing at all to do with the review.

And let's not FORGET that I LOVED the first dress form, Marsha.  I thought she was wonderful and amazing, and I was really attached to her.  Fabulous Fit is the one who didn't like it when they saw her on my blog.  THEY insisted I send her back.  They should have just left "well enough" alone!

There she is.  I spent days on her.  No wonder I was mad when they made me send her back!



 
Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.  I'm done. 

What is that Saying......

"You can please ALL of the people SOME of the time; SOME of the people ALL of the time; but you can't please ALL of the people ALL of the time."

Something like that.  Was it Abraham Lincoln who said it?   No, he said you can "fool" some of the people .... 

Oh, well.  Still makes sense, and I sure can't please Fabulous Fit and they can't fool me. 


I better go.  Phylly is coming over tomorrow, and I want to be HAPPY. 


Hugs, Joy

7 comments:

  1. Sorry that you had to deal with that.
    If it were me I wouldn't change my reviews as having followed your journey and read the reviews they seemed to be a good reflection of your experience.
    Dont be bullied!

    On a side note like your new blouse - you suit the cool colours

    Skye

    ReplyDelete
  2. I say stick to what you said.
    The truth is the truth.

    GMH

    ReplyDelete
  3. Don't even CONSIDER changing what you posted originally! Oh my - you don't need to "soften" anything. This company will continue to treat customers the way they treated you as they have learned nothing from this experience. I am thankful for your openness and honesty about this situation. Don't change a thing, girl!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I really don't think Jill can "hear" me. She is convinced I am at fault. I think in her heart and mind, she really believes she did all she could. It turned out fine in the end, but what happened, still happened. She needs to believe what her customers tell her unless she can prove them wrong. And never promise to do something you cannot do such as pad the form to my exact measurements and tell me I will be included in every step with pics and emails. Neither happened.

    I did soften my review and add some nice words. I don't want her to be bitter and resentful. That will make her sick. And like Phylly says, I'm probably the only one who purchased that model. Most choose a different one.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think you ought to just leave your reviews just the way they are. If Bobbie, or what ever her name is hadn't called you and insulted you, Jill would never have made the offer. If she would have followed through with the customer service she offered you would be shouting her praises from the highest hill. Instead, she dropped the ball, and didn't do what she said, so she got just what she deserved. Companies that don't do what they promise should get bad reviews. I saw Lucy when she arrived and she definitely did not look like you. They didn't involve you in it and they didn't send you pictures like they were supposed to. They totally failed at customer service. Wasn't it something like three months before Marsha arrived when you were told that she would arrive in three weeks? They blew it from day one. Stick to your guns. It is a matter of principal.

    Besides, anyone that makes you cry should be boiled in oil as far as I am concerned!

    Hugs, Phylly

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yikes! She better be glad she didn't make YOU cry Phylly. I'd have to drive up there and "review" her IN PERSON!

    As we both know, some people will never admit they were wrong. Everyone screws up at times, and nobody does it on purpose. I tell my employees, "Just say you are sorry and you will fix it.". Easy!

    Love You,
    Joy

    ReplyDelete
  7. I a still reading from your first blog and present. This entire ordeal with Fabulous Fit must be so frustrating. I know this is 3 years old but I hope you didnt change your review which I read. It was honest and that's what those blogs are about. If everyone starts changing their opinion because a company is upset then, why have the website. The readers want the truth and that's what you gave them. Thank you for your blog. I just absolutely love it and your antics. I also read Pattern Review and Artisan Square.

    ReplyDelete

TO COMMENT: Scroll down a bit and find the word "comments". It may have a number in front of it. Click on it, and you will be able to leave a somment. I realize you have to choose Google, Facebook or Anonymous or ? to post a comment. If you choose "Anonymous", you will be able to post a comment, but please leave your first name in your comment so I know you aren't a machine.

I do enjoy receiving comments, especially, when they are to answer my questions!

Hugs, Joy