var json_comments = new Array("
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kaceetheconsumer
July 17, 2009 4:01 PM
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Hey cool, as a crafter, now I have a store to never shop at! Off to spread the word! I hope the site/shop dies from bad publicity.

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4 replies
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Julia789
July 17, 2009 7:41 PM
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@kaceetheconsumer: Isn't this one of those websites where anyone can join and sell their crafts or goods? Like Etsy? If so, one bad seller may be giving hundreds of sellers a bad name.

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Rectilinear Propagation
July 20, 2009 3:01 PM
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@Julia789: It looks like www.ecrater.com lets people create online stores but Urban Expressions is one store owned by one person. This makes Urban Expressions look bad but it shouldn't affect other ecrater stores.

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ludwigk
July 17, 2009 6:07 PM
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@kaceetheconsumer: It's a bit more complicated than that. The owner already sold the company, so they don't mind trashing their own brand, which the buyer doesn't seem intent on using anyway. So they're basically saying 'to hell with it' and walking away with their buyout cash.

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kaceetheconsumer
July 17, 2009 6:31 PM
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@ludwigk: Yeah but I want other crafters to know that this is not a good place to shop for supplies, because if there's any problem, apparently you risk being treated like crap.

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LibertyReign
July 24, 2009 11:57 PM
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@kaceetheconsumer:

except you may not..because its not the same people anymore...

you ok ???

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outoftheblew
July 17, 2009 7:02 PM
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@kaceetheconsumer: You want to punish the people who bought this company who had nothing to do with this situation at all?

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kaceetheconsumer
July 17, 2009 7:19 PM
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@outoftheblew: The letter in regards to having sold it strikes me as highly unbelievable, given the wording.

If there are new owners who wish to reverse the bad press, they should quickly post on their main page that it is under new ownership and make a gesture such as fulfilling the OP's order at no cost to indicate that they aren't the ones who caused the problem.

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mmmsoap
July 17, 2009 6:52 PM
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@kaceetheconsumer: Except, I think ludwigk's point is that there is new management, so you're essentially punishing someone else for the former owner's mistakes, which is unfortunate.

Actually, given that she made the point of talking about selling the company, I'm torn between (A) just not believing it, and (B) thinking that the owner was generally pissed about the buyout amount, and is thus trying to sabotage the new owners. Most likely successfully.

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verdantpine
July 18, 2009 3:34 PM
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@mmmsoap: I don't believe it either. I bet she's already realized she's up shit creek and is rebranding it to try and salvage her business.

So much easier to act with class in the first place!

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kaceetheconsumer
July 17, 2009 7:18 PM
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@mmmsoap: I'm not sure I believe it about selling it. The timing is oh-so-convenient and the message has a tone that seems to be trying to trick the OP into shutting up.

And let's just say it's true...I actually had a look at their knitting stuff and selling light-up needles and offcuts of yarn is pretty poor selection for myself and fellow knitters anyway.

And besides that, Typing Every Word On Their Front Page With A Capital Is Really Dumb And Annoying and enough to avoid them anyway unless they otherwise had stellar service, selection, and/or prices.

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Aesteval
July 17, 2009 4:06 PM
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While I may not support the company's response...I have to admit that her email wasn't very tactfully worded in the first place. I would recommend a gentler approach with fewer outright demands when inquiring about something. Exclamation marks are rarely, if ever, needed and tend to be so horribly overused!!!!111 It's like writing in all caps, not cool.

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Mary Marsala with Fries
July 20, 2009 4:07 PM
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@Aesteval: OMG you're so totally smart and correct -- obviously anybody who uses exclamation points when communication with a company deserves to be insulted with sexual profanity!

Seriously, commenters? You \"blame-the-victim\" types are REALLY starting to stretch. Could you just admit, maybe even once, that it's not okay for a business to call a paying customer a whore, ever? Would it hurt that bad??

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ailema
July 17, 2009 8:16 PM
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@floraposte: Of course they don't, but I think the effectiveness of the complaint is relevant to the consumerist. To me, that complaint read like this: \"OMG, give me stuff!!!!\" That never gets a good response. An email asking for the cause of the delay and an estimated delivery date would be received much better by the sane people that won't call you bad names.

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floraposte
July 17, 2009 10:08 PM
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@ailema: Eh. Jansen Medical was prepared to call bad names whether their customers were polite or not, so I don't think you can assume that; more to the point, I'm interested as a consumer in knowing about a business that responds to a frustrated email about their failings by cursing out the customer. One might equally say that if they don't want frustrated emails, they can ship stuff on time and communicate with their customers. So I still see the ball as being in their court on this one.

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Anonymous
July 17, 2009 6:41 PM
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@Aesteval: @Aesteval: In the comments section of the post on weddingbee, the customer explains that the email was not her first try at contacting them. She had called the phone number listed on the website MULTIPLE times that week to try to find out what was going on with her order and the phone was never answered, either ringing off the hook or getting a busy signal. Again, I think her letter could have been a little more tactful, but I can totally see where she would have gotten frustrated. And by no means, does a frustrated email constitute the treatment she received.

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Saboth
July 17, 2009 4:34 PM
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@Aesteval:

At that point, it had been a week, and the item hadn't shipped, and she hadn't received notification. I'd be a bit perturbed myself. I just ordered a video card from Dell 10 days ago with 4 days shipping. The item has been in \"processing\" for 10 days, and the delivery date is July 28. Why 20 days? It doesn't say backordered. They have it listed under \"being built\". They don't build the video cards, they simply sell them. I emailed and got a canned response back that explained nothing.
So I know how the OP feels. Service in this country is going DOWNHILL, and that is a shame because that is our main industry.

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Ratty
July 17, 2009 7:02 PM
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@Saboth: Just curious, but why buy a video card at Dell and not at somehwere like Newegg?

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Saboth
July 17, 2009 8:04 PM
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@Ratty:
They had a GTX 260 for basically $113 after entering in a 20% discount code, then a 10% discount code, then factoring in a $30 MIR. The best I've seen on Newegg is around $150 with a game or 2 that I am not interested in.

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JohnQPublic
July 17, 2009 8:00 PM
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@Ratty: Sometimes they have good sales at Dell.

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MostlyHarmless
July 17, 2009 5:33 PM
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@Saboth: And its even worse for items that they build. They delayed my laptop twice. (Incidentally, at that time they again said it was because of the video card. I wonder whats going on there.)

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lannister80
July 17, 2009 4:16 PM
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@Aesteval: That's a pretty venomous response, no matter what it was replying to. Bad CSR, BAD! *smacks with newspaper*

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floraposte
July 17, 2009 4:13 PM
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@Aesteval: I don't really see that as relevant. They don't get to call customers whores no matter how many exclamation points they use.

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Aesteval
July 17, 2009 4:16 PM
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@floraposte: And I never said the company's response was appropriate. It's actually highly inappropriate. I was just pointing out what I felt was not the most beneficial way to get an issue and point across and recommended a means to have an easier time getting what they wanted next time. There's a saying about flies, honey, and vinegar.

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floraposte
July 17, 2009 4:27 PM
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@Aesteval: I think every complaint letter could be phrased better; I'm an editor. But I still don't think her phrasing is relevant to the issue at hand, and I guess we just disagree on that.

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Rectilinear Propagation
July 17, 2009 4:24 PM
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@Aesteval: According to [www.wisebread.com] that saying is wrong.

I don't have a point really. Just surprised when I read it and wanted to share.

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HogwartsAlum
July 18, 2009 9:29 PM
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@Rectilinear Propagation:
Gonna try the ant recipe. I can't get rid of them. They ate a ton of poison and they're still here. I think they're zombie ants.

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jesspark
July 18, 2009 6:28 AM
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@Rectilinear Propagation: And \"xkcd\" agrees! :D

I remember being told once that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and I responded, \"But you catch the most with blood.\"

...I was pretty peeved at the time.

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Aesteval
July 17, 2009 4:28 PM
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@Rectilinear Propagation: ...yeah I was actually going to start arguing about why I personally thought the literal meaning was wrong but figured that the theory behind it is more important than the practicality of it.

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DoubleEcho
July 17, 2009 4:09 PM
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How unprofessional! Did you see that spelling and grammar in the comment? No capitalization AT ALL, no apostrophe used (\"hows that for compensation\") and very poor sentence structure; Cleary a F-.


Oh, and calling a customer a whore doesn't help your grade either.

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4 replies
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wee0x1B
July 17, 2009 8:03 PM
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@Dblch: Thy gt th \"fckng btch wth n tttd\" prt rght, thgh. Why wld sh thnk sh dsrvs sm \"cmpnstn\"? Ws sh hrmd n sm wy by fw dy's dly?

'd hv cncld hr rdr s wll, thgh mr tctflly. Th cstmr s NT lwys rght. (n fct, t's tht vry ntn whch hs ld t th vrdvlpd sns f nttlmnt mst mrcns sm t cltvt.)

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WhoAsked You
July 19, 2009 5:16 AM
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@wee0x1B: She deserves compensation because she paid money and got nothing but attitude.

The business owner is lucky I don't live in their neighborhood. I would personally pay them a visit over that, and her \"attitude\" wouldn't BEGIN to equate to mine in person.

Don't mess with people paying you money and then expect not to hear it. Loud. Duh.

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SuzieBee20
July 17, 2009 7:47 PM
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@DoubleEcho:


Funny You Mention No Capitalization. On The Home Page As Well As the FAQ, Every Word Is Capitalized. LoL!!

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dfx
July 17, 2009 5:32 PM
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@DoubleEcho: some nice grammar thar yourself, too ;)

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Princess Leela
July 17, 2009 4:10 PM
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Um. Guys, a couple of extra punctuation marks and a bit of a brusque tone on the part of the consumer in no way warrant or explain away this response. Somebody in shipping/receiving at Urban Expressions almost certainly lost his or her job this week.

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5 replies
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ludwigk
July 17, 2009 6:40 PM
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@Princess Leela: OP also indicates that her husband or friend wrote a nasty letter to them on her behalf as well after the \"whore\" comment that was laced with profanity. Although, really, the owner started the whole process with the name-calling, and citing his own name-calling as reasoning for further swearing is just... well, you can't win against someone like that.

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MostlyHarmless
July 17, 2009 5:36 PM
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@Princess Leela: What H3ion said. And heres what he said to the original blog that posted it:

[...]have a nice day, and have fun being an E-warrior hiding in the depths of the anonymus internet blogs that no one reads

Too bad that the e-warrior just got featured on The Consumerist.

Too bad again, that the owner sold the business. I want him to start another business, just so I could boycott it.

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H3ion
July 17, 2009 5:03 PM
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@Princess Leela: From the Web site, it looks like the owner of the business gave the response and then sold the business. Way over the top on the response.

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DovS
July 17, 2009 6:03 PM
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@H3ion: Yikes! He created major bad PR and then sold the business? I feel bad for the new owner.

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alexawesome
July 17, 2009 8:55 PM
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@DovS: I think he/she just sold inventory - it's a shady storefront to begin with. Good luck to whoever bought it, but I highly doubt they're going to have a lot of trouble making a better site. With words spelled correctly and not strangely capitalized.

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CarbonFiberFootprint
July 17, 2009 4:21 PM
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They will be losing every job they ever @Princess Leela: They will lose every job they ever (somehow manage to) get.

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BadHairLife
July 17, 2009 4:14 PM
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This highlights a common issue with online vendors. The most efficient have a great communication policy, so they keep the customer informed of when the item is likely to ship, when it has shipped, and when it should arrive.


They make it easy to find out what's going on.


It's frustrating when they don't tell you what's going on and there's no easy way to find out. I can understand this particular customer's frustration.


Given the tone of the response, it's pretty clear that this company doesn't really care about keeping their customers informed, or this hostile/insane staff member would have had a nice, easy form e-mail to send back with the information the customer wanted and a kind apology for the delay.


But, yeah, I do hope that Princess Leela is right and that someone is no longer working in shipping/receiving at Urban Expressions.

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3 replies
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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
July 17, 2009 4:55 PM
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@BadHairLife: I have certainly sent off snippier e-mails, sometimes justified, sometimes because I\"m overtired/hormonal/upset, and a professional, polite, informative response goes a long way towards a) making me feel bad and b) keeping my business.

Also, EVERYONE in a service industry or service position should be aware that sometimes you are going to be on the receiving end of someone venting. (And often the largest part of customer service is letting someone vent their whole story before you solve the problem ... people just don't feel better until they feel heard.) If you can't cope with that, you need to find a job where you don't interact with people.

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WhoAsked You
July 19, 2009 5:17 AM
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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): Or just HELLO send it to your manager for them to respond to. Don't say out loud or write down and send out every angry thought, no matter what the origin, and expect to keep a job.

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floraposte
July 17, 2009 5:55 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): I'm guessing you mean snippier emails than the customer's, not the business's. I don't see you writing the return email.

I so agree with your second part. Good service is realizing you're representing your whole business, whether you're the individual who made the mistake or not. Unless you can produce the person who did make the error, you take the complaint, because you're not there to be your wonderful self, you're there to represent the company. Most frustrated people are pretty easy to mollify. Unfortunately, volume requirements for interaction with customers can mean that employees take a hit for being actually good with customers rather than assembly-lining 'em.

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CreativeLinks
July 17, 2009 4:14 PM
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I don't know...this doesn't seem quite real to me. Are you sure it is legit?


Her email doesn't seem to warrent such a shocking response. What \"attitude\" was she displaying exactly?


Methinks there might be more to this story.

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5 replies
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ChuckECheese
July 17, 2009 9:54 PM
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@CreativeLinks: I wonder if the something \"more to this story\" isn't crystal meth.

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DreamTheEndless: Death's little brother
July 17, 2009 6:08 PM
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@CreativeLinks: Really? Are we really getting \"pics or stfu\" posts on consumerist?
(I'll correct myself before others do: Yes, I understand, it's closer to \"pics or it didn't happen,\" but I don't care. I still think it's inapprpriate...)

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StanTheManDean
July 17, 2009 5:27 PM
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@CreativeLinks:


Same here.


I would like to see all of the email exchanges as well as the telephone call transcripts.


Not blaming the OP, but usually there is a ramping up of hostilities rather than going from 0-100 in 1 second.

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coraspartan
July 17, 2009 4:57 PM
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@CreativeLinks: I'm with you; the response seems like it was written by someone who was trying to get fired. Or maybe their system got hacked into by a teenager.

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MostlyHarmless
July 17, 2009 5:38 PM
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@coraspartan: I doubt it was a teenager.

And hit up the link. It has more details, and the response from the owner as well. The comment was definitely from the owner.

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veg-o-matic
July 17, 2009 4:15 PM
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First, just to get this out of the way: I see nothing particularly \"urban\" about any of the tools for \"expression\" that they sell.

Second, found this gem in the FAQ:

Can I Pay Via Money Order.
We Accept ONLY U.S. POSTAL SERVICE MONEY ORDERS. Keep your prince of nigeria scams to yourself, In Fact Email Me & I'll Tell You Where You Can Put Them. : )

I mean there's \"stitch n' bitch,\" then there's this.

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5 replies
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Rectilinear Propagation
July 17, 2009 4:30 PM
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@veg-o-matic: This company must be run by the same guy that runs Jansen Medical.
What's up with the weird capitalization in the FAQs?

I mean there's \"stitch n' bitch,\" then there's this.
LOL

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Princess Leela
July 17, 2009 4:17 PM
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@veg-o-matic: I'm changing my opinion about whether someone was fired. Sounds like this site is run by a single very cranky and snarky entrepreneurial type. Which also may explain the shipping delay.

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WhoAsked You
July 19, 2009 5:20 AM
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@Princess Leela: Agreed, sounds like the owner needs to hire a reality consultant to come in, tie him down, beat on him and say \"there, that's how your customers feel, now let's work on your image, chump\".

Not everyone in business SHOULD BE.

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JayDeEm
July 17, 2009 6:30 PM
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@Princess Leela: It seems like they are trying to mimic woot.com's brand light-hearted snark... only without any tact.

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Anonymous
July 17, 2009 4:16 PM
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Here is an update to the post, with a response from the owner:

http://www.weddingbeepro.com/2009/07/16/craziest-vendor-response-ever/

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Skin Art Squared
July 17, 2009 4:21 PM
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Just a guess here but given that the Urban Expressions website is a free online store generated by a system to do just that, for anyone wanting to sell stuff, probably the \"company\" is an individual selling stuff from home. If that's true, responses like this aren't really that surprising as people can do whatever they want to do. If the business owner got ticked off by the customer's attitude, then there you go. Unprofessional to be sure, but ultimately pointless to rage against. Backlash against the \"company\"? Well, how many minutes would it take to auto-generate a new free online store in the event the \"backlash and outrage\" is too much to overcome? 5 minutes?

I agree that asking for compensation for the delay on a $16 dollar order was over the top.

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Etoiles
July 17, 2009 4:21 PM
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I myself am planning a wedding for later this year (not too much later now... man, time flies) and I have been amazed how many vendors out there seem not to want my money, and seem content to have me go out there and tell every other bride on the internet not to bother with them either.

Seriously. Thanks to blogs like weddingbee, as well as offbeat bride, the knot (ugh), and countless other big blogs and communities, a single glowing review or total dismissal can either generate a lot of business for a company, or cost a lot of business for a company. I've been out saying nice things about our jeweler, photographer, and florist every chance I get, but the caterers who were nasty, or the hairdressers who couldn't be bothered to reply civilly to an e-mail? Forget 'em.

This business didn't just cost themselves that woman's order; this story will now hit pretty much every wedding and craft blog / group out there in the next week, and they'll have cost themselves plenty of other DIY-er orders, too. Well done.

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Moe Fiathug
July 17, 2009 9:56 PM
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@Etoiles: Actually there is no such thing as bad publicity. The link popularity gleaned from all those \"credible sources\" will far outweigh anything some anonymous commenter says on the consumerist.

some people should not be allowed on the internet and people like the OP are them... I'd be interested in seeing the entire thread between the site and the OP. I can tell by the big deal she is making about nothing that she is a complainer. Don't come to my site or I'll tell you the same thing. I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone... I think they did the right thing giving her money back and telling her what she can do with it.

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XTC46
July 17, 2009 6:13 PM
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@Etoiles: Actually, if you read the explination, it wont cost him anything. He sold the business and it is now being run under a new name.


This is why he was able to just bash people.

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Jeremy Pinson
July 17, 2009 4:23 PM
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Unless a company drops the ball and forgets to deliver a kidney, don'r DEMAND compensation. Be polite, then get mean. Thats the whore way.

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RandomHookup
July 17, 2009 9:27 PM
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@Jeremy Pinson: Well, the \"whore way\" usually means payment upfront and no kissing on the mouth, but that works too.

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pupu
July 17, 2009 4:28 PM
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Whats the big deal? I think it is a bit funny.

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dave_coder
July 17, 2009 8:03 PM
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@pp: Cmpltly gr. Ths s wsm. Th ldy ws btch.

f y lk nt ths t's n-prsn \"cmpny\" s th dd dcdd tht h ddn't nd hr s cstmr.

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Melissa Sexton-Sayler
July 17, 2009 7:20 PM
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@pupu: I do to. I don't think she deserved such a vehement response. But I still think it's funny. If I opened some account I had and it said \"Welcome Whore!\" I would laugh my buns off. But I'm twisted I guess.

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Skin Art Squared
July 17, 2009 4:32 PM
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@pupu: \"Whats the big deal? I think it is a bit funny.\"

This won't be popular, but I agree. She basically was told, \"No soup for you!\" in a different way.

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Rectilinear Propagation
July 17, 2009 4:30 PM
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OMG, check out their Terms of Service.
This is the entire thing:

All Sales Are Final Unless OtherWise Specified.
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Moosehawk
July 17, 2009 5:02 PM
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@Rectilinear Propagation: I like how they capitalize 'Wise' in 'OtherWise'. Pro.

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JustinSane07
July 17, 2009 4:32 PM
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I found this too utterly hilarious to care that the customer got abused.


And if you look at the story on the WeddingBee site, they got a response from the company and were called an \"e-warrior\" by the owner.

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trujunglist
July 20, 2009 9:29 PM
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@JustinSane07:

Only an e-douchebag would call someone that and have an e-business. It's not like there's a B&M to go protest at...

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WhoAsked You
July 19, 2009 5:23 AM
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@JustinSane07: People don't generally become e-warriors until they get e-shafted by enough e-businesses.

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HiPwr
July 17, 2009 4:35 PM
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I suspect this is some kind of craft lingo that people outside of that community cannot understand.

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Hoss
July 17, 2009 4:47 PM
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@HiPwr: xactly. those needlework bitches can be snarly when you interupt their hoops and loops. this prissy wants some cash? wat see xpect, an appology from the president of the united states???

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fantomesq
July 17, 2009 4:40 PM
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Over the top from both customer and company. To get that upset about a delay in shipping a hole punch? The response was highly unprofessional and the company deserves the publicity they are getting. A simple \"we're sorry that you have not found our services sufficient. We have gone ahead an cancelled your order.\" would have done... or no comment at all, but quite the attitude from both sides.

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Anonymous
July 17, 2009 4:42 PM
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If you follow through to the blog entry you will see that the owner of the company sent an email stating \"have a nice day, and have fun being an E-warrior hiding in the depths of the anonymus internet blogs that no one reads.

Two comments to the owner.
1 - Learn to spell anonymous
2 - Do a Google search for Urban Expressions Craft and you will see now that the Consumerist post is the first search result. So much for no one reading about it.

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WhoAsked You
July 19, 2009 5:24 AM
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@NerissaGreel: lol and high five on that last comment regarding stoopid businesperson.

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Superawesomerad
July 19, 2009 5:20 AM
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@NerissaGreel: You sure showed them!

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HRGirl wants a cookie
July 17, 2009 4:46 PM
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There's an update at the Weddingbee link. Supposedly the owner sold the company last week? I find it hard to believe that anyone who writes \"anonymus\" had 1.7 million dollars worth of inventory. C'mon troops, lets put our detective hats on! Is there any way to substantiate this (ridiculous) claim? If it is true then Captain McExpressions is kind of a d-bag, setting the new owner up for failure.

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WiZZLa
July 19, 2009 5:05 AM
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@HRGirl:

from [www.weddingbeepro.com]

\"The address of this online merchant is identical to a home-based business named Spring Lake Bridal ([www.springlakebridal.com]).


Urban Expressions, 616 540-7949,

630 East Savidge Street, Spring Lake, MI 49456 US


[www.google.com] \"

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Rectilinear Propagation
July 17, 2009 4:59 PM
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@HRGirl: I don't buy it either. If they actually sold it and didn't care either way then they wouldn't feel the need to keep attacking everyone who brings this up.

They're hoping people feel sorry for the \"new owner\" and buy something from them.

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Skin Art Squared
July 17, 2009 4:50 PM
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@HRGirl: I find that very difficult to believe also. I stand by my estimation that this was / is a small time home based sole-proprietor business.

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Applekid
July 17, 2009 4:50 PM
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Come now, \"whore\" has been around forever... it's not much of an Urban Expression. I mean, it's origins trace back to Old English (\"hore\", w added sometime in the middle ages for fun I suppose).

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acquisitionimperium
July 18, 2009 6:56 AM
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@Applekid:
All I can say is LOL. Is that \"urban\" enough?

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Moosehawk
July 17, 2009 5:06 PM
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@Applekid: I think if the owner should have gone with the 'more urbaner', whure (Who-ur). Actually this is the first time I've spelled that out. Think Frank from it's always sunny in philadelphia.


\"Who here slept with my whure wife? DID YOU SLEEP WITH MY WHURE WIFE?\"

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savdavid
July 17, 2009 5:05 PM
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It is never appropriate to call a customer whore unless she is selling her body to you.

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Sarge1985
July 17, 2009 5:17 PM
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@savdavid: That would then make you the customer and her the retailer.

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Anonymous
July 17, 2009 5:09 PM
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The screen cap looks just a little photoshopped on the line. It was the only thing that looked imposed after.

I worked retail for many years and I find that some people you can't deal with as a vendor and yes I have yelled back at people. Sometimes you get what you deserve. Even if you are right and the company is wrong there is always respect esp if you want things to get done.

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floraposte
July 17, 2009 10:13 PM
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@BryantBibaculus: But here's the problem--if the rule is \"always respect,\" the company blew it too and worse. If the rule is \"you reap what you sow,\" the company blew it first. Either way, the company is the big offender here. And frankly, if they can't tolerate that mildly frustrated email, then getting out of a business they're clearly not good at running is a wise move.

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DoubleBaconVeggieBurger
July 17, 2009 5:12 PM
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I love how the CSR (or owner?) acts like canceling the order is some sort of punishment. 'Now you'll have to take your $11.16 all the way over to Michael's! Ha! Take that!'

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chrisexv6
July 17, 2009 5:15 PM
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Am I the only one that thinks the response from customer \"service\" might actually be an Urban Expression?

Maybe they are just trying to play the part.

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cametall
July 17, 2009 5:31 PM
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Inappropriate response by the company, but I love it when customers think they deserve compensation because of the smallest of errors.

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almightytora
July 17, 2009 5:45 PM
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Apparently, the old owner of Urban Expressions e-mailed the customer telling her to pretty much \"bash away\" at it, as the company and all its \"$1.7 million\" of assets were bought out by a different company and moved to a different address.

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pwillow1
July 17, 2009 7:31 PM
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@almightytora: I read the blog that originally reported this story and read the followup email by the owner, too. And I visited the web store for Urban Expressions.

It appears to be a web presence for a home-based business, like those MLM businesses that sell candles or baskets or kitchen implements through home shows. A lot of these home-based businesses encourage or allow their \"associates\" to have an online web presence to sell their wares.

My guess is that \"Urban Expressions\" doesn't even control its own inventory. They take orders, transmit them to the supplier and everything is drop shipped from the main warehouse. I'd bet you dollars to doughnuts that the CSR who replied to the complaining customer was the \"owner\" of the business.

If you click on any product in the store, then click on the link for \"feedback\", it shows a feedback score of 22. TWENTY-TWO SALES, folks. Twenty-one of these sales were unrated. The only person to give a rating gave a negative rating, and that was in March of this year.

This is not a big company, it's a home-based business run by someone with a foul mouth.

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Doug Nelson
July 17, 2009 5:55 PM
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She ordered an urban expression, she got an urban expression.

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Quake 'n' Shake
July 17, 2009 6:10 PM
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Is she a whore? Has anyone answered that?

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col1999
July 17, 2009 7:05 PM
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@Quake 'n' Shake: Seriously. Can't we get both sides of the story for once?

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Smashville
July 17, 2009 7:04 PM
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@Quake 'n' Shake: I was going to ask the same thing. Perhaps she forgot her name, but remembered her profession?

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wickedpixel
July 17, 2009 6:21 PM
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My guess is that the CSR canceled the order then entered his/her rant into the notes field, not knowing that the order cancellation would automatically generate an email to the customer with that content included.

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vgeroh
July 17, 2009 7:06 PM
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This might make a good episode for Bridezillas.

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Ethan Cisneros
July 17, 2009 7:20 PM
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I think this is incredibly funny. Sorry.

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Stephen Schenck
July 17, 2009 8:00 PM
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Thgh th tn f th rspns s crtnly nprfssnl, th byr dsn't sm t grsp tht f MST rdrs shp n 48 hrs nlss spcfd thrws, SM dn't. Th st sys s mch. skng fr cmpnstn sms bt mch.

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SpruceStreetPhil - in a new Pine flavor
July 18, 2009 8:00 PM
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@ElizabethD: The little blue box on the lower right hand side of their picture alerts us to that.

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acquisitionimperium
July 18, 2009 6:53 AM
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@Stephen Schenck:

What? Where are the rest of the letters in the words you tried to spell? It's never a good idea to make up your own acronyms (See LDTD). Since I don't own a decoder watch I can't actually comment on the content of your post. You may be a simpleton or the greatest genius that ever lived, only time will tell.

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clickable
July 19, 2009 6:43 PM
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@acquisitionimperium: When you have a moment, please have a look at the Consumerist Commenters' Code here: [consumerist.com] especially the section on disemvowelment. It will enlighten you.

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Jennifer Duquette
July 19, 2009 4:24 PM
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@acquisitionimperium:

Or he was \"disemvowelled\", meaning his post was deemed inappropriate by the Powers That Be. A decoder ring would be handy though :-)

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cuchanu
July 17, 2009 8:03 PM
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@Stphn Schnck: \"Why hsn't my rdr shppd??? Gv m mny.\"

Mr r lss wht sh sd. Myb sh's cmpnstn whr.

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LibertyReign
July 24, 2009 11:42 PM
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@cuchanu:

um... lemme try my interpretation..

you promised my order would be shipped in 48 hours, and it hasnt been, I am owed a refund..

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LadySiren is murdering her kids with HFCS and processed cheese
July 17, 2009 8:49 PM
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@cuchanu: Wow, did we just set a new record for the most disemvowelments in a single thread? Yeeeeeesh.

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ludwigk
July 17, 2009 6:15 PM
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@Stephen Schenck: I agree that pulling the compensation card out immediately lacks class. It's also over-used to the point of losing its meaning.

But its the kind of bullshit posturing that customers have gotten used to. They dial the intensity right to 11 immediately, then wonder why they don't get what they want.

Of course, it doesn't look like any approach would have worked with this online store.

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verdantpine
July 18, 2009 3:33 PM
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@ludwigk: This is true (customers dialing intensity up to 11). One reason I don't offer media mail anymore in my small business, is because I was tired of the occasional threats. Media Mail takes up to a month if you do it \"manually\"; with a PC indicia (that you get from Stamps.com or Endicia) it can arrive as early as five business days. There's always a moron, though, who expects it the next day (no matter how you note the correct time in emails and on the website) and who will threaten to call the credit card company, the Better Business Bureau, and the FTC on your butt. I truly wish I was exaggerating.

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crunchberries
July 17, 2009 5:55 PM
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@Stephen Schenck: It's 'either/or', not 'if'. Either it ships in 48 hours or they'll specify why it can't ship in that time frame. Since neither condition happened, she's due an explanation at the very least. What she got was far from that.

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Aladdyn
July 17, 2009 6:53 PM
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@crunchberries: @windycity: I disagree. Im only going on what the OP wrote but for your interpretation to be correct it should be worded \"ALL (not most) items will be shipped within 48 hours unless otherwise specified\"

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LibertyReign
July 24, 2009 11:44 PM
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@Aladdyn:

touche..

This redefines the statement as a guideline for normal order processing time..not a guarantee for all orders..

I revoke my previous posts..

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windycity
July 17, 2009 4:51 PM
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@Stephen Schenck:
@Aladdyn:
I think what you two have both missed is this: \"most items will be shipped within 48 hours unless otherwise specified - you guys did not specify otherwise\". Note where she states \"you guys did not specify otherwise\". She was aware that all orders do not ship out within 48 hours and those that don't require notification to the buyer - she was given no such notification and therefore had every right to expect her order to ship within the 48 hours.

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LibertyReign
July 24, 2009 11:40 PM
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@windycity:

..and it doesn't seem unreasonable to get a discount, partial refund, or free shipping on her order... right?

The only part I disagree with is her approach.

A. You get flies with honey

B. If you own a company you can bite off your nose to spite your face

C. I personally take shit from my customers without retribution because I like taking their money as well.

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ncpeters
July 17, 2009 4:20 PM
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@Stephen Schenck: I agree asking for compensation is not appropriate, but the response from the company is still unacceptable. I'd do exactly what the OP did and send this to every possible consumer site and email it to friends and ask them to forward it around.

Still, you should never ask for compensation. You're much more likely to receive compensation is you take a professional tone and explain your problem.

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LibertyReign
July 24, 2009 11:30 PM
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@ncpeters:

Compensation for screwing up an order is not appropriate? Boy do I have a warped view of customer service and good business practice..

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Chongo
July 17, 2009 4:12 PM
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@Stephen Schenck: MOST people read that type of availability description as exactly what it says, 48 hours. Otherwise, it would be specified right?

I think the only thing that the OP should of changed would be to change the word \"compensation\" to \"free shipping\" or something.

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punkrawka
July 17, 2009 4:03 PM
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@Stephen Schenck: Nice work, you managed to be first to post and found a way to blame the consumer for getting verbally (writtenly?) abused. Keep up the quality posts.

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ChuckECheese
July 17, 2009 9:53 PM
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@punkrawka: There have been several first comments that got disemvoweled lately.

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Aladdyn
July 18, 2009 1:33 AM
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@ChuckECheese: Theres been a lot of bullshit disemvowlements lately.

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John Israel
July 17, 2009 8:02 PM
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@pnkrwk: Shldn't y b gvng spng bths t hmlss ppl?

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Aladdyn
July 17, 2009 4:16 PM
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@punkrawka: I agree 100% with what stephen wrote. I dont see where he blames the consumer for getting abused.

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Consumerist-Moderator-Roz
July 17, 2009 8:05 PM
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Folks, just a reminder that 'blame the victim' type comments aren't welcome. It's fine to give constructive criticism, e.g. waiting to ask for compensation until a response is given, but calling the customer names is uncalled for and unwelcome. Please treat the tipster with respect; remember, we don't sell crafts here.

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peonia
July 21, 2009 12:44 AM
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@Consumerist-Moderator-Roz:

i think there's a lot of over-zealous disemvowelling here.

seems like if you talk about the consumer in any way other than sympathy you are slapped with a \"blaming the consumer\" tag.

just because people are saying that her email was tacky does not mean they condone the company's response, or that they think she deserved verbal abuse. jumping to the gun much?

(and not all comments were constructive or useful suggestions to how the consumer should solve the problem, but only the posts that cast a critical light on the consumer were disemvowelled)

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nacoran
July 17, 2009 9:30 PM
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\"Their response makes us understand why they chose the name \"Urban Expressions\" for their store.\"

Um, you do realize that 'urban' is frequently used as code in racist rants don't you? And that people of all races and population densities can be pretty much just as vulgar?

And if that was the first contact the customer had with the store asking about the late package I'd have to say it was pretty rude. I would still have been respectful in my response, but I wouldn't have sent a thank you note with the package.

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kabuk1
July 17, 2009 9:56 PM
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'm srry bt fnd ths hlrs. Th CSR's rspns ws ctlly vry smlr t wht ws thnkng s rd th cmplnt ml. Th CSR shld hv bn plt, bt wht knd f nttld btch thnks sh dsrvs cmpnstn fr shppng dly n n ndr-$20 rdr f cmpltly nncssry tms? Ysh. Th MST wld'v dn fr hr ws gv hr prtl rfnd n hr shppng chrgs.

Rl 1 f wrtng cmplnt lttrs- dn't snd lk n nttld cnt ∓ dmnd 'cmpnstn' wth xcssv xclmtn pnts nlss y wnt 'fck y, btch!' rspns. ftr ll, CSRs r nly hmn.

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Adrienne Willis
July 17, 2009 7:09 PM
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@kabuk1: wow, you are a woman after my own heart! Thank you!

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MissPiss
July 17, 2009 10:38 PM
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This is horrible! It doesn't matter what the letter says from a customer, you dont use language like that! Geez... Its called customer service. I will definitely never use Urban Expressions for crafts EVER!!! Bunch of rude whores, I tell ya!

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SnoopyFish
July 17, 2009 11:47 PM
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Ha! That's great. I love it when a company looses it's cool and lashes out. +1 to Urban Expressions

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acquisitionimperium
July 18, 2009 7:09 AM
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Look, you can't call people whores and expect them to be happy about it.

Also, it IS okay to ask for compensation if you have had to wait for a ridiculously long time. In fact most consumer friendly establishments won't even make you ask if they are smart enough to acknowledge their short-coming - Starbucks often gives the customer a free drink if they have make people wait while in the process of to brewing fresh coffee.

Sidebar: I don't know how this lady even found this website, since the first Google hit is THIS story. It takes some digging to get to the non-fashion \"Urban Expressions\"; and I have to tell you I wasn't impressed. I question the judgement of anyone that would buy online from these people.

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ShariC
July 18, 2009 8:04 AM
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I understand that customer service is really tough, especially when the customer is clearly irritated and her fiance has butted in with an angry letter of his own. However, there's never any excuse for being abusive to a customer. Frankly, there's never any excuse to be abusive to anyone. It only escalates the situation and makes things worse for everyone.

People who deal with customers need lessons in emotional control, composure when responding, and not taking customer complaints personally. If they wanted to cancel the order in response, they could simply have said, \"We're sorry that you're dissatisfied with your order and feel that you may find a more gratifying customer experience through another vendor.\" Anything beyond that is simply emotional indulgence by people who are too immature to keep their emotion's under control.

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Anonymous
July 18, 2009 11:23 AM
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http://www.springlakebridal.com/ has the same street address as Urban Expressions, so presumably run by the same owner.

One blurb on this site that caught my eye was:
\"Most Personal, Honest & Friendly Service In the Industry.\"

Well, the insults were certainly personal, so I'll give them that one. Honest and friendly, however.... ...not so much?

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Speak
July 18, 2009 6:04 PM
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@SampritiWadoo: Good investigative skills! I saw a reference to a scrapbooking outlet in Spring Lake but didn't think that going through checkout would pull up the physical address of Urban Expressions.

Funny too that every single word on that Web site begins in caps--a dead giveaway that it's the same writer.

Anyone catch this lovely comment in the FAQ section of Urban Expressions?

Keep your prince of nigeria scams to yourself, In Fact Email Me & I'll Tell You Where You Can Put Them. : )
So maybe \"Honest\" does apply to this person after all.
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Speak
July 18, 2009 6:25 PM
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@Speak: Found this Village of Spring Lake Village, Michigan, newsletter online and both Urban Expressions and Spring Lake Bridal have ads listing the same address: [www.springlakevillage.org]

If they are indeed owned by different people, think one of them would be terribly upset at the other for dragging her business into this?

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STrRedWolf
July 19, 2009 1:55 PM
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@Speak: In a previous comment, there was the note that Urban Expressions was sold. Could Spring Lake Bridal be the new Urban Expressions?

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soloudinhere
July 18, 2009 11:27 AM
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Well, as a small business owner, I can say when I recieve emails like this, I pretty much want to say the same thing. I also don't list a phone number for this reason-- I can't always get to the phone and I get peeved when customers get frustrated with me for not being available 24/7 on their time.

That said, the response was inappropriate, but given that the owner didn't speak to her on the phone, to whoever was reading this message, it came totally from left field.

If she had simply asked for a shipping date and informed that she had tried to call several times, the outcome would have probably been totally different.

Everyone rants about the decline of customer service, but our expectations have also changed. Waiting a week for an item to ship would not have been a big deal 20 years ago...but we're really into \"instant\" now and a week has become \"forever.\"

A little patience can go a long way, on both sides.

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zacox
July 18, 2009 11:41 PM
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Once again. Vote with your dollars.

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Winteridge2
July 19, 2009 2:04 PM
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Look what happened to Imus, and his was only a Ho.

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ToddMU03
July 20, 2009 4:38 AM
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Update to the post said the fiance of the OP sent a foul-mouthed e-mail to the company.

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jasonone
July 20, 2009 9:17 AM
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Well I think they lack professionalism in dealing with customers. Buyers should always do the first move in finding ways to satisfy customers. In this case, it is not met and the customer is disappointed! A sad experience. - jason weddings -

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veg-o-matic
July 20, 2009 12:14 PM
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@jasonone: Excellent spam. A+++ would be spammed again.

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Anonymous
July 21, 2009 7:30 PM
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The response was by the owner of the ecrater store, Justin. He did not sell his \"online store\", it's not much of a store with only 22 sales in one year. He's also selling his dog if you're interested, he has an ad on Craigslist selling him.

The owner, Justin, responded to another blog owner and wrote foul language telling them he doesn't care that everyone thinks his customer service is bad. The language in that email was much much worse.

This guy has some serious anger management problems. And he has kids, that's the scary part.

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Stephanie Brown
July 23, 2009 11:14 PM
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An unhappy customer always is more likely to talk about their experience than a happy one. And then usually the people they tell will continue to pass on the story, and so on and so forth. THAT is a big reason why companies have the \"the customer is always right\" attitude.

Was an $11 item worth the negative publicity? I sure hope not.

Anyways, I'm forwarding this around to my coworkers who I know will find it outrageous enough to pass on as well.

Hope that's what the owner was going for.

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