Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
just wanted to ask some advice....I seem to be getting the wrong end of the stick ....a few years ago i had a SU party...the demonstrator was ok....but i didn't get any of the perks....my hostess set mainly...i was unaware....it being my first party, and when i realized it and said something she said she'd take care of it....well, she had a baby....and when i went to my aunt's party....she didn't even know what she was doing....and was so disorganized it was ridicilus....so we all found a new demo....and i used her last summer....she was great....helpful...great ideas...friendly....i had a party on sunday....first of all....the invitations didn't come to me til the monday before...so i didn't even send them out...just made some calls....second....she didn't call like she usuall does to find out a number, or what the skill levels were, etc. but...then she cam in late...and literally sat down with out saying hello or anything...started shoing us a technique....half of them weren't even aware she had started...the make and take...she basicly thre the project on to the middle of the table, adn then passed out the stuff and we had to figure it out ourselves....she used a double stamping set....but we wouldn't have known it if i hadn't have said it...i have the set and use it alot....then she basicly took the orders and left....weird...really unlike her...so i thought it was just a bad day....but the more investigating i did....there are 3 others who had the same thing happen....so...now were back to square one...trying to find a new one.....we live in a very rural area...so it's been tricky...apparently there is another woman that someone else is going to try....but how frustrating this has been...i had a few ladies here who were new to stamping looking to learn stuff...wanting to get into it....but she didn't help, or seem to care....
i've heard about the angel company...so i sent an email to them they are supposed to email me back with a demo inmy area....but haven't heard anything in a week or 2....
anyone have any ideas what to do now....it's so frustrating....i had really talked the party up, and guests were excited....adn after it was horrible i felt so bad....and tried to explain that she was normally better than that....i had 10 people here, so it wasn't a small group.....a few of them have been here before and were able to vouch for me that she was really off....
sigh.....
diane
__________________ -- diane visit my website/blog.
"I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.
Location: back in a gated community...the twins are mobile!!!!!!!
Posts: 32,437
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Those are horrible experiences!! Have you thought about becoming a SU! demo? It sounds like you know what not to do at the workshops. Plus, it sounds like you have quite a few people who are interested in stamping--even if you are in a rural area!! It may be an opportunity for others to pay for your hobby, you know?
__________________ - Karen, mom to the gnome and the little cupcakes! Yep, I got A GIRL!! Fear is that little dark room where negatives are developed. - M. Pritchard
Have you thought of becoming a Demo yourself? Great time to sign up and if you have a group of friends who would do monthly or semi monthly clubs with ya, you could easily make the minimum.... Then you can have your own get togethers and have a great time.... Something to think about....
i haven't thought of it...but that's because i REALLY don't have time to do it...as it is i'm trying to unload my life soi even have time for my hobbies!
__________________ -- diane visit my website/blog.
"I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.
I have similar issues, too. I can't find one that wants to do a stampin club for me and my friends. I have a total of 4 consultants I work with. My original is AWESOME but she moved out of state, so she can't help me. Her friend that took over is just a hobby demo and doesn't invest a lot of time into it, although she's helpful when I track her down (very busy with family, church etc) and the newest demo just doesn't have a lot of experience/supplies yet. I would love to be a demonstrator, but I have proven time & time again that I can't handle the business end of things so I'm stuck.
i hear ya about the others...i've had Home interior parties for a long time, adn the first woman i tried was in it for her 'goodies' but the woman i've used for years is pretty good! sigh....it's to bad that a few people ruin it for others....
thanks for your help!
__________________ -- diane visit my website/blog.
"I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.
see...there again....what's a stampin club? (ok I know what it is ....point is she doesn't offer any of that stuff...and i never hear from her unless i want to book a party and i call her- no sales, or incentives, etc....thos little catalogs...nothing...) she doesn't do any of this stuff....she didn't even contact us when the old stamps were being ropped from the book....i sent a order to my husbands cousin who's best friend and neighbor is a demo and our cousin was letting us all know if we wanted any to let her know before the end of june....
__________________ -- diane visit my website/blog.
"I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.
So, so sad to hear your experience. It gives all demo's a bad name. For those of us who try very hard to do everything right, it's very frustrating to see a hostess go through such a bad set of experiences - and with two different demos!
Keep in mind that you have come to the right place. Someone who is close to your are bound to hear your experience, and hopefully you will give her a chance. My guess is that you will feel very blessed when you meet her.
Someone else mentioned becoming a demo yourself. Keep in mind that it's very hard to start out without support, and if you consider this option, I would suggest that you find someone who is supportive of you as a customer - I would NOT use either of the demonstrators that you have had experiences with. Chances are they would be happy to have you sign the dotted line, and then you'd never hear from them again! Now is a great time to start. The demo kit is a great deal - and everyone signing up between now and 8-31 will get an additional set of 12 full size classic stamp pads!
I wish you luck. Too bad I'm 3000 miles away (OK - too bad for me!). Dispite your experience, there are many, many wonderful people who would amaze you by their kindness, business manner, talent, etc... I hope you find one of them and continue your love of stamping.
I just started being a demo and I have realized that now I do more of my own scrapbook pages and cards because I have more access to great information on the SU website and here (among other places). I wouln't give up on the idea of doing it yourself as I think you will be amazed at the support avaliable and how little time it actually takes.
I think I've heard of ladies using uplines who are in different states, but who are supportive thru phone & internet. I think it is terrible what you've had to put up with, but I really think you ought to reconsider becoming a demo, you seem to know a lot about SU & parties, & even if you don't have the time to be a full-fledged business demo, the fact that you have enough friends who seem interested dictates the possiblility of forming a stamping club. I was a member of a SU one & am a member of a CTMH one. The SU one was just a group of ladies who agreed to order $15 or $30 each month from our Demo, without having to put together any traditional parties, our demo has regular stamp camp & I think those are great (of course I think she has pretty much everything you need to make great cards...). My CTMH club (which I'm really not a member of I just like to attend) is a bunch of ladies (10) who like to get together once a month, have the CTMH demo come with one make-&-take & have lunch. The lady who hosts the get together gets all the hostess benefits & since everyone agreed to buy at least $15 worth, she always gets something, plus others can come (me for instance) & increase the sales...
So, it seems that there are lots of way that you could make this work, & I don't think that a once a month deal would be too hard to pull off, plus that way you'd know that your minimums would be met. I personally don't think once a month is enough for me, because I really like stamping with others...
Blueyes,
Sorry to hear about what happened if you would like to private message perhaps I could help. I'm a demo with the Angel Company. I'm in Buffalo NY, but maybe I could help find a demo. Just let me know if you are still interested.
I know! If you become a SU demo, you could offer the awesome service you should be recieving and do the kind of workshop you want! It sounds like you already have a customer base set up! You should really think about being a demo! I love it (even though I'm my own best customer!) I mean, the discount is worth it for me, and the monthly magazine is awesome! AND, you could be the kind of demo you wish you had!
I have had many encounters with these types of situations with other direct-sales companies - Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple and At-Home Americana. What I determined was that these demos signed up mainly to get the discount and did not even want to do parties. They are hobby demos mostly...and don't keep up on training, customer service, knowing their products, etc. I am in NO WAY saying all hobby demos are bad, but my experience with parties with demos that seem "off" is that they are "off" cuz they are not in it for the business...they don't always know what they are doing...and come off as being flighty and disorganized and nervous. Very fustrating for the hostess...I hear you there.
This is exactly right.
Most hobby demos don't keep up with trends, hone their communication and presentation skills and "work" for their hostess. I hear ya. I've heard from many others concerning some bad demos.
There really isn't a way to tell until you have them do a workshop for you, unfortunately - or if they teach a class at their home, go to a class at their home before booking a workshop to see what her style is like and chat abit.
Sorry I can't provide any advice other than that. Like others said. Sign up to be a demo yourself and provide the type of service these other demos are lacking. Pick a good demo, though as an upline. You don't want a hobby demo - they won't give you the training and pointers you need.
I'm sorry to hear you've had such bad luck!!! I am about 40 min North from Binghamton and have an awesome demo-she has a great following and many downline off of her-I'll see if she has anyone in the Binghamton area and let her know there are some demos down there giving the Co. a bad name....PM me if you want to get in touch with my demo-i know she'd be happy to help whether it was she herself or to hook you up with someone else.
This is only my opinion; but I've hosted numerous $800+ parties over the past several years so the formula works for me anyway. I beleive that a successful party is a joint venture between a capable, interested demo and a committed hostess. About 8 weeks before my party I send out "save the date" cards (hand made with SU products, of course); then 10 days before I send out the SU invitation. The day before I e-mail or call reminders - this seems to be appreciated by attendees. The other thing I have always done is work with my demo on the stamping levels of the attendees and their interests (more cards, more scrapbooking, etc.). We come up with the make-n-takes together and they are typically weel-received and spur sales.
I did have a bad experience about 10 years ago with an inexperienced demo; but she got out of it after she continued to lose business. My current demo is great to work with!
__________________ Donna Love my puppies! Thor 5 years; Maddee 5 years
I think you should sign up to be a demo... You do have to sign up under someone though so that might be a problem if you can't find someone to sign up under. Long distance ones do work out I know of a couple of my demo friends that have downlines in other states. I hesitated about becoming a demo but did it in January. I spend more than I make so don't have to worry about the tax end of it and just have fun!!
Are you in the Waverly/Sayre area? Although I do not live in that area, most of my family does and I get up there a lot. I live about 3 hours south in central PA. I would love to be able to get more customers and maybe even a downline in that area. Just me know..
I am a demo in a rural area myself and I originally signed up just to get the discount....now I am having 1-2 workshops a week. What helps living in a rural area is you don't have that Michael's and those big stores to compete with...We had the same problem here only 2 other demos near and one would go to her workshops "messed up" she has a problem with substance abuse and everyone in town was talking about the su lady, and the other one is more interested in cards and my friends have children and we are mad scrappers, so I signed up in jan. and I love it. I know that you said that you didn't have time to be a demo, but I just thought I would share my story.
I had a bad experience too, but with TAC...of course it's not the company, it's the demo herself, and I know this, but it has made me less interested in TAC, even though I love their stuff. I had a "book party", and my demo didn't get me a book until like 2 weeks after she was supposed to. It was well over a month after my party closed before she placed my order, meanwhile, everybody's checks had been cashed. She said, "oh, I forgot" and "oh, the fax didn't go through" and things like that. I was so disappointed. I loved my sets, and it was a pretty good sized party. Everybody ordered almost 100 dollars, and I had many people order. I had the smallest order at almost 60 dollars. I would have thought with a party that large, she would have done what she could to satisfy everyone, but she didn't. It is still an unpleasant thought for me. I'm in the process of finding a new demo now. It's scary. considering just demo-ing myself, then I know things will go the way I want!!
Wow!!! What a nightmare!!! I find it hard to believe that DS is not getting back to her sooner. They are incredibly responsive when I've called or sent an e-mail asking a question.
I am going to bend your ear a little further with my story and I hope it's not boring. But, the point is to drive home the idea that YOU would be a great demonstrator. I'm a single mom and work a full time job. I own my own home and never in my life have I had a passion other than raising my son. My step-sister introduced me to Stampin Up last summer. I signed up in April 'just to get the bene's for me'. I had no intention of selling it. turns out that THIS is my passion. I eat, think and dream Stamps. Scary, huh?? Anyway, I've already promoted once and will get promoted again this month as I have met my recruit requirements. I just can't believe how much I love this and all the great things that are coming out of a 'hobby'.
Anyway, what have you got to lose??? but maybe a great opportunity to explore a passion!!!
I'm not with Stampin' Up. I'm a CTMH consultant, but I think all companies have similar issues with unreliable consultants. It really angers me. I would love to have some of the customers that these consultants take for granted. I hope you find someone who will do a good job for you. There are lots of us out there.
Eeeeeek! Find a new demo or sign up yourself...and quick!
This is probably obvious, but if/when you do sign up, DON'T sign up through either of these two demos!!
I'm sorry for the troubles you've had. My new demo could run circles around my old demo as far as ideas and outreach are concerned. Both were/are hobby demo's.
I say sign up! Even if you only hold one workshop every three months, you should be able to generate enough business to meet your minimums...
i don't blame the company....how could i! what a crazy thing!
I'd like to demo....but my plate is really so full....i don't know how it would ever work! I bearly have time to "play" as it is...
Should i do anything...can i do anything? is there somewhere to report this mess? should i bother, or just "spread the word" that she/they do this stuff?
__________________ -- diane visit my website/blog.
"I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.
blueyes, I live in Maine, NY and my demo (who I think is great) lives in Binghamton. She has a few downlines, but I don't where they are located. If you'd like, I could give her your e-mail and have her contact you to see if she can help you or knows a good demo near you. PM me if you would like me contact her. I've been very fortunate in that I met this demo through a friend and have never had a situation where she hasn't been thoughtful, friendly, and willing to help if there is a problem.
This is the plan of action I would go with. Call Stampin Up...1800stampup
Explain the situation, tell them you are no longer interested in dealing with this demo and that you longer wish to submit this order. Tell SU ALL ABOUT THE SITUATION, if this demo has already placed the order than there may not be anything they can do about it....if the demo has not submitted it then she ought to be able to return all monies exchanged. Then just call all of your guests, explain to them the situation, tell them what you have done and let them know the orders will either be a little late, or you will be returning their checks. Then, take some time to consider if you would like to become a demo or not. If it truly is not something you are interested in taking on right now, then got to www.stampinup.com and find a different demo in your area, if there are any....then call them and see if they would like a ready done party. If there is no one else near you, contact anyone you wish from this board that is an SU demo and place the order with them!
If there is no one coming up on the demo locator in your immediate area, try a different address, say like a friend five miles away and see what happens...
Now that is all just my opinion, but I would not put up with a demo who is in pending status, has treated you the way she has and you still do not have any faith in her.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by blueyes
thanks so much you guys...
i don't blame the company....how could i! what a crazy thing!
I'd like to demo....but my plate is really so full....i don't know how it would ever work! I bearly have time to "play" as it is...
Should i do anything...can i do anything? is there somewhere to report this mess? should i bother, or just "spread the word" that she/they do this stuff?
So Sorry to hear about this experience! I am a demo in a rural area as well- I love my customers and they all know they can call on me at any given time. Some have become wonderful friends- I think you would make an awesome demonstrator- seems you already knew more than one of these gals. You mentioned your time is limited- but a better way to do what you love and still make money while you do it!! You already have an interest in your area- and on the plus side there are so many fun and wonderful things about being a demonstrator- conventions, trips - get togethers- swaps, awards, demo only boards- free merchandise- the advantage of knowing what the specials will be! And so many others who share your addiction!
Check on the SU! site- www.stampinup.com and find someone close to you- sign up under them- they will help with any questions or concerns you may have!
Come on- you know you want to!! lol! Just teasing- what ever you decide to do- I wish you the best of luck!
__________________ Laurie-Ann
"I am on a mission to share the SU! addiction!"
I couldn't imagine going through what you are.:( My upline is awesome!! Shes been in for 6 years and has helped me ALOT! I signed up in Jan. as a hobby and have yet to have a party but, I've ordered tons and love to do it. I'll definately be ready when someone WANTS to have a party.;) We use to meet once a week and she would show me anything I wanted to learn. She just got back from convention and showed me her swaps and we already have a meeting set up to get together so she can show me how to do the new ones.
I got my sister who lives in Maine to become a demo for the same reason...We talk once a week anyways so now we just e-mail alot more and once a week or so I'll send her new cards with the techniques I've learned. By the way I live in NH. So having an upline in another state will work. We plan get togethers at least twice a year to sit down and just stamp.
I think posting on here will definately help you find someone. Those of us who really love the company and product will do whatever we can to help.
I hope my story helps you to keep looking and remember its the people who aren't nice not the company and eventually you will find a good demo.
Kelley
well...i think i may have found a new demo! thanks Judy K...i think the woman you put me in contact with will work out just fine! we've exchanged emails of and on all afternoon....and she sounds wonderful! she has already used words i've never heard out of my demos mouth....like sales...stamp camps...fun! hehehehhehehee...
now we just have to get to the bottom of my orders...she actually did some investigating into that for me too!
yeah...there's hope again! hehehehhe....
will keep you gus posted on the drama....hehehehe....thansk for all of your help...and listening!
diane
__________________ -- diane visit my website/blog.
"I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.
WOW!!
good news....
