Most of the time, I try to focus on the positive. You know recently I did bring up some negative by discussing what causes me to give negative reviews in my post ‘Don’t do dumb shit and people won’t write about it.’ I have a page on my site called Banished that lists companies I refuse to shop from for various reasons, mostly due to bad customer service, questionable business practices or ethics, or products that don’t meet my standards.
However, I was just contacted by Orglamix‘s PR company (Orglamix is the company that threatened me with a cease and desist letter in Oct. 2009), to review their products.
The email said:
Hi,
My name is Kelly M. and I am writing you on behalf of Orglamix Cosmetics. Orglamix is a new, but fast growing company, that specializes in mineral make up. All Orglamix products are proudly formulated without: nano particles, bismuth oxychloride, synthetic dyes or fragrances, petrochemicals, or parabens. Each product is of the highest quality and the greatest value compared to mega beauty brands. I am working with Orglamix to find bloggers and reputable beauty sites that would be willing to help promote their products. I was hoping that you would be interested in reviewing a 3 eye shadows and possibly give 1 lucky winner their choice of 3 eye shadows. We would love for readers that are entering the contest to join us and our 15,000+ friends over on Facebook. There they can keep up-to-date on the latest beauty discussions, color challenges, and weekly specials. If you include bonus entries, we would love for you to include our Newsletter and Twitter links. Please let me know if you are interested. We would love to work with you.
Thanks for your time and consideration,
Kelly M.
Between the Lines PR
My response:
Dear Kelly,
Perhaps you should have done your homework. I’ve reviewed Orglamix before.
Cheri Tracy also sent me a cease and desist because she didn’t like my review.
So no, I’m not interested. I don’t like the products or the owner.
Her snarky response back:
I apologize for bothering you. I am new to Orglamix team and was unaware of your dislike of the products. It is unfortunate that you had a bad experience with Orglamix in the past, but do not really feel that a rude was response was necessary. A simple, no thank you, would have been fine. Best of luck in all you do.
Kelly
Considering that this is now the 3rd time Cheri Tracy has tried contacting me to change my review (the 2nd was when she sent me a Kiss & Make Up on Etsy in Sept. 2010 and I told her then to never contact me again), I’m irritated.
It’s clear her new assistant hasn’t bothered to research anything. She’s just sending out mass emails, especially considering that I told Cheri Tracy explicitly to never contact me again. In fact, if you check out the assistant’s PR company, she says that one of her services is:
“seeking out new blog and businesses that are compatible with your business. I will research their various stats to see if a review/giveaway would be beneficial. I will work as the PR contact for your business and communicate with the individual to create a blog review and/or host a giveaway.) Contact to discuss pricing.”
I am definitely NOT compatible with Orglamix. I didn’t like their products at all.
I’m not exactly sure what about my response was ruder than being contacted again (without bothering to use my name or web address; form e-mail much?) to promote a company that has, in the past, harassed and threatened me to try and force me to redact my honest opinion.
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What a little bitch – that’s “PR, you’re doing it wrong” for sure. “I’m gonna contact an extremely well-known blogger who was sent a cease and desist from my client, and then get pissy when she refuses my offer!” … fail.
I wouldn’t call her a bitch, I would say she was rude and didn’t do her research. Definitely a fail.
Love how she managed to make two basic errors in her response to you:
“but do not really feel that a rude was response was necessary.”
Who does not really feel that a rude WAS response was necessary?
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Anyway you know what I think about it. I wouldn’t go so far as to call her a bitch since she’s just been hired to try and promote the company and isn’t really affiliated, but she’s clearly a complete hack.
Nod. I think she just sent out form letters.
LOL!
I keep meaning to write my follow up post for them. They were just as bad this time around, though, I don’t really want to waste my time.
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It’s probably not worth your time. Besides, then you might get harassed, and you don’t deserve it any more than I do.
Urgh, how the hell does anyone get a job when doing “research” like that? If I were Orglamix I’d fire her and denounce her. That is NOT doing research. Geez…
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No clue, to be honest!
WOW…..you are incredibly kind with your response, not rude, it seems to me she must have been embarrassed by the knowledge that you Knew she did not research anything, except possible that you are a wonderful make-up reviewer/blogger and writer.
Thanks Terra. I thought the job of PR was to always be polite as they represent the company.
What is she talking about?? Your response to her was not rude at all!!
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Thanks hon, I didn’t think it was either.
I didn’t think your reply was rude at all; you made it clear you were not interested in trying the products, again. You didn’t go into details of all the problems this company has caused for you, as many would have done. Her reply was more rude than anything.
I posted a comment on Orglamix’s facebook the other week; I asked how come ALL of her photos are stock images, it does not offer clear representations of the photos, and since she does not offer sample sized products I feel its unfair. Her customers should know what they are purchasing, and true-to-life images should be used.
She told me to check out her fan page for the swatches her customers take and that her photos are all her own (even though theyre stock…. huh??) Yeah but… I feel they should be on the ETSY listing, otherwise it’s almost misinformed. Her new bronzer just has a generic photo of some hot blonde with a bronzed face. I’m sure many people have assumed with orglamix’s success, these are “her” photos.
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Thanks Amber. Yeah it’s weird that she uses stock images like that.
Sure you could have responded with more sugar and rainbows BUT she has to keep in mind that you have asked to not be contacted by their company. It’s like someone with a restraining order against them being surprised when they get too close and the person freaks out a little.
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My sugar and rainbows went out the window when I received a threat and had to talk to a lawyer.
I don’t blame you at all! I get mad when I get unsolicited calls even after I say to put me on the “no-call” list (and that doesn’t even involve a threat)
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I’m on the no call list, too and still get the occasional call. The best thing you can do is report them to the FTC, though it is an annoyance to get them, and I totally feel you on it.
I am so glad you posted this. Just a couple weeks ago I saw them on Etsy and started following them on Twitter. I unfollowed within an hour after seeing pretty much all their tweets were spam. I wouldn’t want to work with a company like that!
I don’t think your response was rude, I think she just felt lame.
Thanks Kelly. I didn’t think my response was rude. Wow, that’s an awful way to use twitter.
I’m not sure what irritates me more about this new PR person; the self-contradicting, the poor grammar, or the immediate butthurt. You’re in PR! Aren’t PR people supposed to show their clients how not to be butthurt? She probably sent that mass email to other bloggers that have had negative experiences with Orglamix, she should brace herself for the deluge.
OT, Orglamix is a terrible name for a cosmetics company. It sounds like some kind of terrible instant soup batter.
Yeah some of the weirdness in the grammar like ‘reviewing a 3 eye shadows’ I think isn’t very good.
I also think it’s very bad to send out emails to bloggers without addressing their blog or them by name. I expect people to refer to me as Phyrra if they’re contacting me about my blog. I hate it when they don’t do that, or worse, when they call me by someone else’s name.
Wut? You say that like Phyrra isn’t your real name.
*snicker*
On more than one occasion I’ve toyed around with changing my name.
It’s the butthurt that got to me. I’m like, jeeeezuz woman try to act like a professional instead of a f—ing crybaby! Especially since Phyrra wasn’t even rude, just stated the facts plainly.
I really don’t see how your response was rude. She clearly messed up and you pointed it out. Some people are just a little too sensitive.
I think you’re right. And if they’re that sensitive, it’s strange they’re doing PR.
One chick writing some emails does not a PR Agency make. Her “website” is a free blogger site, which is very amateur in design and offers no information about Kelly’s qualifications or education.
It’s very obvious Kelly has very little experience in PR or marketing, and I’d bet she has never worked for a reputable agency doing either- otherwise you’d never see such an unprofessional response.
I have worked with international advertising and PR agencies in the past, and am privy to knowledge of how some of the world’s biggest consumer goods manufacturers utilize marketing, and specifically, bloggers. They value negative feedback, and ALWAYS keep themselves in a positive light.
A real PR professional would have used your response as a way to open a positive dialogue between you and the company she’s representing. Insulting you in a response as Kelly did is not only unprofessional, it is counter productive to the job for which she was hired.
FAIL.
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Thank you for sharing this
Wow….Not sure what’s worse..Her response, or the photoshopped blue eye in every listing.
It is indeed a tough choice.
Seriously, what the hell. I hope Orglamix (and other companies who’ve hired her to promote them) dump her. She’s obviously not doing a very good job.
I’ll be honest, I’m more mad at Orglamix than the PR person.
Actually I think it’s hilarious that Orglamix hired a totally unprofessional flunkie to do their PR work. She probably works super cheap and Orglamix is going to find out that in this case, it is true that you get what you pay for.
LOL! You are completely right!
Yeah, Orglamix (and everyone else who’s done this to bloggers) should have sent this PR person a “list of bloggers we’ve threatened legal action against, do not contact them at all”. Shame on them for not doing that.
But on the other hand, it wouldn’t take much for her to have come to your blog, searched “Orglamix”, and seen what the deal was with you and them, yanno? It’s like a 2 minute operation. A good PR person would have done this, and decided against contacting you in the first place, as it would only be a waste of their time.
Sorry you have to deal with all the stupid people
No, It would have been easy for her to use the ‘search’ function to see that I did not care for Orlgamix.
They obviously love you
(sorry, I had to 
)
And now for real – I don’t know what to say about it, I just hope I won’t have such experiences. :/
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LOL. It’s ok. I’m at least getting used to stuff like this.
That’s rude of theirs.
Great you have your very strong opinion, and the courage to respond how you should.
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Thank you July.
oh dear…im sorry you have had to go through this!
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It’s ok Rach.
I’m 1/2 sorry that you have to deal with this crap and 1/2 thankful, because it totally makes me laugh! And yeah, I know that it’s already been brough up, but again – regardless of whether or not she is the new to the team, if she is acting as their PR representative you would think that she would do a little effing research before she contacted people. Hell – just scope out the person’s blog before you send them an email…it’s really not that hard. If Kelly wants to see rude, let me have at her :O
Thanks for all that you do
You’re welcome Vic!
*brought
What the? Seriously?! So much fail I am speechless.
Yeah, I know.
LOL! the least she could’ve done is go through your blog before she contacted you. this is a case of EPIC FAIL! LOL! xD
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No kidding Sugar!
At least we can count on you to keep up with your honest reviews even though they try to pummell you with bullshit. Thanks for that!
Thank you Marci, I do my best!
Oh god poor you! How much of this crap do you have to go through?
Seriously either Orglamix are just ridiculous for asking you to do another review when they know about your company, or the PR is just doing a terrible job by not even googling around. Also while your reply was a bit curt, it certainly wasn’t rude, especially given the circumstances, so her reply was just stupid.
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I know! Between this and Facefront trying to advertise on my blog, I would love for them to all go away.
What in the hell?!? How stupid! I can’t believe her response to you. I think you every right to say what you said!
It just shocked me to receive contact from the company after explicitly stating do not contact me again.
Geez, that is so upsetting. It makes me sad because their products are so pretty, but I’m not going to endorse a company that has bad customer service.
There are prettier products out there
Promise!
I think you were being more to the point, not necessarily rude. I think considering this was just a mass email and given your history with this company you would have every right to be rude; but you weren’t. She probably got snarky because you pointed out the obvious – she DIDN’T do her homework… I’d be facepalming too… haha.
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Thanks for your support, Sophie
With PR like that, Orglamix seems to want to do as much damage as possible to her name and brand as quickly as possible.
I was a HUGE Orglamix fan when I first started purchasing mineral makeup on Etsy, and she got a few hundred dollars out of me before I found Phyrra’s blog and other makeup blogs that were much more honest/grounded in their opinions than the blogs sponsering Orglamix giveaways.
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It amazes me how companies will continue to hound those who give them bad reviews.
I’ve been on FB too long…I keep trying to like all of your comments Phyrra XD hahaha.
But seriously, this is a serious lack of common sense. You don’t get mad at the person you were supposed to research for pointing out that you didn’t do your research. Part of the job, just do it! Form letters are ridiculous >: (
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No kidding!
There was a lot of repetitiveness in that comment, sorry about that! Haha
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No worries!
Wow, as if you have any reason to be polite after all that. I’ll definitely avoid this company.
Yeah, no kidding.
I’m just speechless. Just plain bad customer service.
I think they took it a step further with the cease and desist letter.
Not feeling like this lady is well-suited to the PR field.
Definitely doesn’t seem to be from my interaction with her.
Your response wasn’t rude. It was somewhat to the point, but perfectly civil. This woman didn’t seem to react like I’d expect a PR worker to. Unprofessional, much?
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In my experience, PR is always supposed to try and spin a positive light on things.
Your response simply states why you will not review and I do not see anything rude. Perhaps Kelly has never seen a rude letter in her life?
Anyhow, a professional PR should be able to deal with rude responses professionally.
Some companies should learn how to deal with negative reviews and improve themselves. Sometimes people will forgive and forget and give them 2nd chance. Threatening and harassing people will just bring them down. (Your experience with sigma is a good example how a company should deal with unhappy customers.)
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Being threatened doesn’t make me likely to give them a second chance, that’s for sure.
I think she’s a bit butthurt that you pointed out how she obviously didn’t do her homework. ;] You’d think Orglamix would bother to give her a list of bloggers not to contact, since she obviously doesn’t bother to do any research herself. And really, how hard is it to use the search bar on a blog and poke around the site?
Your response wasn’t rude, it was to the point. And even if it were rude, Orglamix deserve it imo >:|
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Oh, I think you’re exactly right! And yes, Orglamix did send out a BUNCH of cease and desist letters, so you’d think she’d have provided her PR person a list of blogs on a ‘do not contact’ list.
Well, I do think that the “perhaps you should have done your homework” line was snarky and not necessary. The same point could have been made in different wording. But I do agree that she SHOULD have done a little more research before deciding who to contact.
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Because Orglamix had previously contacted me in Sept. 2010 and I told them to not contact me again, AND they threatened me with legal action before that, I found it inexcusable that they’d contact me again. I do feel that the PR person should have done their research, or that the company owner should have given the PR person a list of all the blogs that she threatened legal action against, which includes mine and several others. It is never fun to have to contact a lawyer due to a threat from a company.
All I can say is:
‘ewwwwww’ for trying to contact you again to review their products
‘pants’ to that so called PR person
And you rule Phyrra!!!!
It really _really_ bothers me that after I EXPLICITLY told them not to contact me again that they did.
Thanks for your support Ghost
Being new to the team is absolutely no excuse for not knowing the company’s history, especially something as significant as legal action against a customer. A PR’s job is to basically act and interact with potential customers AS the company, not to be “Kelly, the new girl.” If I was Cheri Tracy I would be very angry with Kelly for several reasons, especially considering you blogged about it :>
The least she could have done was act apologetic, instead of being snarky. So unprofessional! And yeah, it is rather uncouth to not address someone by name/alias when you are trying to (basically) partner with them for business purposes. It’s a little thing, but it really speaks volumes about how much they view their customers.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I certainly have less than zero interest in ever even looking at their website.
I think the PR person, much like the company owner, is incapable of being apologetic.