RE: Rules about naming names - Part II - Long

[Guest guest]

Continued from previous post.

Providing a 1/2 ml sample of something you 'might'(operative word) sell,

perhaps, 5 ml to 10 ml of would be unheard of in any other industry, yet eo

sellers find a way to do this to satisfy their customers and continue to

help educate their minds and noses. The real cost of providing that 1/2 ml

sample (even with a small sample charge) is never justified unless that

customer becomes a regular one. And, just as you might complain about

suppliers; I could complain about the potential customers who request sample

after sample after sample and never purchase. Could, but I won't; just

making the point that a relationship of trust and good communication also

exists at the end level of sales in this business.

There are myriad complicated details that you, as you open your lovely

little bottle, probably don't consider when forming opinions about

suppliers. Most of whom continually source, sample and seek to provide good

product for reasonable price. Therefore you can't really objectively compare

anything unless you know the product came from the exact same producer. And

even then, every year, every crop, every extraction contributes its own

variables. Yes, I do know that several suppliers carry sandalwood and call

it Mysore, Rosewood and say it's not endangered, Linden Blossom that

couldn't be anything but synthetic. Those same suppliers very well could

have a absolutely knock-dead gorgeous and authentic Blood Orange or Neroli,

however.

This rant doesn't mean that you shouldn't discuss quality and compare odor

notes from product to product. But, making negative comments about a

particular supplier before you have exhausted all remedy directly with that

supplier, and especially if you haven't determined for certain what your

benchmark comparison is for a particular product cannot be either conclusive

or fair, given all the variables. Just as the rose otto story became

distorted into something it wasn't, jumping to conclusions about a

particular supplier could be slander without real merit. I would hate to see

animosity grow in this otherwise friendly group because of potentially

escalating venomous remarks. It's happened in other groups, much to their

detriment. And, this splits communities into factions - not good.

I've always believed in the group process . . . Perhaps Anya and the

monitors here can come to reasonable rules that eliminate the possibility of

undermining anyone's reputation, yet help you determine how to purchase

quality product. You've now heard from someone on the other side of the

equation.

Be Well,

Marcia Elston http://www.wingedseed.com <http://www.wingedseed.com/>

" Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot. " Hausa Saying from

Nigeria

[Guest guest]

--- Marcia Elston <samara@...> wrote:

>

> I've always believed in the group process . . .

> Perhaps Anya and the

> monitors here can come to reasonable rules that

> eliminate the possibility of

> undermining anyone's reputation, yet help you

> determine how to purchase

> quality product. You've now heard from someone on

> the other side of the

> equation.

>

Marcia,

Thanks so much for giving us the other side of the

story. It was really enlightening-- especially after

just reading Watt's article (which had me

feeling a bit paranoid). I think it's important that

we all recognize and acknowledge the difference

between suppliers who may make honest mistakes (which

can easily happen in this complicated business) and

suppliers who knowingly sell adulterated or purely

synthetic items and purposely misrepresent them to to

the buyer. There is a really big difference between

the two! I will definitely be more careful about both

my praise and my criticism of suppliers from now on.

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Have a burning question?

Go to www.Answers. and get answers from real people who know.

[Guest guest]

Thank you for adding your perspective to this! Well put. Sometimes us smaller

business types forget about what the supply chain can be like further up. I

relate from a completely different business, but the logistics and mission are

still the same in principle. I can laugh now thinking back on how many times

I've been in the thick of 'perfection & art' meet the business " machine " . Gosh

its nice to have a break and just " be " ! Thanks for the reminder and Happy

Holidays!

iel

---------------------------------

Any questions? Get answers on any topic at Answers. Try it now.

[Guest guest]

Hi everybody. The topic of natural fragrance businesses is very

germaine right now for me. I have just had a very unpleasant

experience with a supplier of essential aromatics (who will, in light

of the topic, remain nameless). This supplier very generously offers

a 30% discount to health care professionals. The discount does not

apply to bulk items or internet specials, states her policy. These

items are clearly delineated in a separate part of the website. My

purchase was mostly of items that fall into a category " Rare and

Exotic, " which stated that the prices are wholesale prices, although

the items did not fall into the bulk or internet special sections.

I saved up to buy what was for me, a considerably costly order given

my budget. I planned accordingly, actually waiting about three months

to save up and budgeting in the discount. I placed my order. Her

website asked for people getting the professional discount to submit

their license in advance of the purchase (I did) and to make a

comment in the comment box asking for the discount (I did). The

website takes the credit card information down at full cost. My

assumption was that the discount would be applied and deducted from

the total.

She processed the order at full cost, after shipping telling me that

the discount did not apply to the items I had ordered! She then

recited the policy concerning the discount, asking " How can I

discount Wholesale Prices? " as if it were perfectly understandable.

The kicker was that she used the line, " Thanks in Advance, " which has

always seemed gratuitous and smarmy to me.

I'm really pretty miffed about this experience. Moreover, I had

written a glowing letter to her from a previous order, that she now

uses as a testimonial on her website!

For anyone placing an order on a website, be careful to read between

the lines and don't get bilked like I did!

[Guest guest]

At 12:59 AM 12/15/2006, you wrote:

>Hi everybody. The topic of natural fragrance businesses is very

>germaine right now for me. I have just had a very unpleasant

>experience with a supplier of essential aromatics (who will, in light

>of the topic, remain nameless). This supplier very generously offers

>a 30% discount to health care professionals. The discount does not

>apply to bulk items or internet specials, states her policy. These

>items are clearly delineated in a separate part of the website. My

>purchase was mostly of items that fall into a category " Rare and

>Exotic, " which stated that the prices are wholesale prices, although

>the items did not fall into the bulk or internet special sections.

Hi Jimmy

Please don't confuse the issue of perhaps wrongly accusing a supplier

of selling a bunk oil with the issue you have -- terrible customer

service, which I gather after I read down your message. This type of

behavior is a new twist, and please let us know who this seller is,

so others can avoid your predicament in the future.

>I saved up to buy what was for me, a considerably costly order given

>my budget. I planned accordingly, actually waiting about three months

>to save up and budgeting in the discount. I placed my order. Her

>website asked for people getting the professional discount to submit

>their license in advance of the purchase (I did) and to make a

>comment in the comment box asking for the discount (I did). The

>website takes the credit card information down at full cost. My

>assumption was that the discount would be applied and deducted from

>the total.

>

>She processed the order at full cost, after shipping telling me that

>the discount did not apply to the items I had ordered! She then

>recited the policy concerning the discount, asking " How can I

>discount Wholesale Prices? " as if it were perfectly understandable.

>The kicker was that she used the line, " Thanks in Advance, " which has

>always seemed gratuitous and smarmy to me.

That is outrageous. If I were you, I'd do two things: notify my

credit card company that I was disputing the payment, and refuse the

package when they try to deliver it. Smarmy is right, and I'd hate to

think of any others getting the shaft like you did.

>I'm really pretty miffed about this experience. Moreover, I had

>written a glowing letter to her from a previous order, that she now

>uses as a testimonial on her website!

Ouch! Demand she take it down.

>For anyone placing an order on a website, be careful to read between

>the lines and don't get bilked like I did!

, folks here are as smart as you, some are a little dumber

(probably me, I never read fine print) and many could get caught in

this bait-and-switch. What a horrible supplier, especially given you

had a good relationship with her, submitted all your documents, and

they still went ahead and duped you into paying full price.

Anya McCoy

Anya's Garden of Natural Perfume http://anyasgarden.com

Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild http://artisannaturalperfumers.org

Natural Perfumers Community Group

/

[Guest guest]

At 08:08 PM 12/14/2006, you wrote:

>Marcia,

>Thanks so much for giving us the other side of the

>story. It was really enlightening-- especially after

>just reading Watt's article (which had me

>feeling a bit paranoid). I think it's important that

>we all recognize and acknowledge the difference

>between suppliers who may make honest mistakes (which

>can easily happen in this complicated business) and

>suppliers who knowingly sell adulterated or purely

>synthetic items and purposely misrepresent them to to

>the buyer. There is a really big difference between

>the two! I will definitely be more careful about both

>my praise and my criticism of suppliers from now on.

>

>

That's the right approach, , and one I've emphasized all along

-- honest mistakes do get made, the way the supplier handles it is

the real point. To go on selling and misrepresenting the oil as

authentic is something we are really focused on now, since that is

just plain conning the consumer. Found one one supplier today quotes

someone on their site as to the use of LBA, and that person shared

with me they've never written on LBA and never have written about the

properties ascribed to it. Of course, this supplier is never to be

trusted, for that reason and others discussed on my blog.

PS If makes you paranoid -- good! You should be, as you have

to be very wary, get samples, and continually determine if what is

offered is good or not.

Anya McCoy

Anya's Garden of Natural Perfume http://anyasgarden.com

Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild http://artisannaturalperfumers.org

Natural Perfumers Community Group

/

[Guest guest]

I was reluctant about naming the supplier who pulled

the " bait and switch " on the professional discount, because she was so

accommodating in the beginning. I don't think it was malicious, but I

think she was just shortsighted in not realizing that she gained a sale

and lost a customer by not realizing her own error. She did offer to

refund if I sent the oils back unopened, but that still didn't hold up

her promise of a discount.

The supplier was SunRose Aromatics, Roseann Tartaro. She...might realize how

shortsighted her decision was.