Offensive Collage Video Letter!

[Mollie F.]

Thanks for posting the letter, WWWendy. If it isn't the letter that SAF received, she can make that clear.

[Joni O]

Gee, for some reason I don't miss my cancelled soaps as much anymore.

[Mollie F.]

Originally Posted by Joni O

Gee, for some reason I don't miss my cancelled soaps as much anymore.

[caligurl]

thanx, wendy...

that letter looks like a total form letter and it looks like it came from the accounting department... which i assume is different from the returns department... so i can see how the letter would be triggered by the accounting department if a customer speaks to someone in returns....

and being a small business (or even if it were a large business) i can see where it would already be in the computer program to send out this letter without a person having to input anything (or even if having talked to a person in another department...

phew... i know what i said... hope it comes across in writing!

[RedPanda]

Originally Posted by Messe

I received a scratched and obviously repackaged DVD from Cathe.com once. They hadn't even attempted to match the shrink wrap to their standard issue. It took forever to get a replacement because the DVD was out of stock (which I suppose was why they tried to pass off a used, damaged DVD as new in the first place).

Wow - thanks for mentioning this. I've had issues with ordering from Cathe.com before, and that seals the deal for me.

[mamaste]

Originally Posted by LynnO

I think it depends on what you call work. There appear to be a number of people at VF who do the ratings and breakdowns for vendors or get workouts for reviews. I do not believe they get cash payment, but instead recieved workouts and swag. Like I said, I think they should be able to post, but then so should anyone who is peripherally related to the workout video industry as long as they aren't directly related to a product and they state the conflict of interest very clearly up front (not necessarily the signature disclaimer.)

They are all nice ladies and have very nice input into VF.

That is interesting and maybe something Wwwendy and the moderators should address. Thanks for answering my question.

Originally Posted by WWWendy

Jill Ross from Collage did email me this afternoon, and she sent me a copy of a letter they sent recently to someone with a high level of returns, though Jill at Collage could not say for sure that this is the same letter being discussed here. Jill wanted me to share it if I felt it would add to the discussion. I am doing so since so many have asked to see it.

If this is the letter sent to SAF, it appears it was automated and not personal. Based on what she posted in her OP, she did return several videos from a recent purchase(s). It's possible the accounting department didn't know the reasons why it was returned when they sent the letter. I think most of us understand why SAF was upset. Some of us were just wanting to know the other side of the story. I prefer to have all the information I can get then make up my mind. It is not personal toward anyone here. It's just who I am. I meant no offense. The posts have mostly been reasonable IMO. Thanks for posting the letter, Wwwendy.

[caligurl]

Originally Posted by Joni O

Gee, for some reason I don't miss my cancelled soaps as much anymore.

[Debbie S.]

Thank you, Wendy!

I think the letter, which really looks like a form letter, was well written. It definitely was not offensive. BUT, again, I can see why SAF was red faced. Getting a, scolding/slap on the hand, etc. can raise your blood pressure.

Again, this happened to me with Sephora, but they didn't even send me a letter. They did not refund my CC. Instead they issued a store credit, and when I called to question the credit, the CS told me that I had return too many things. Like SAF, my returns were minimal compared to a lot of women at MakeUp Alley. There's lots of talk about how much stuff they return to Sephora.

[cecififi]

Good Golly - SAF, if you are still reading all this....

I can't help but feel that all SAF wanted to do was express her upset and frustration over receiving the letter from Collage and so she came to a place (VF) where she believed she would be heard. She did state in her initial post that she felt offended by the letter. Therefore, the letter was offensive - to her. Isn't that all that matters? That we validate her upset, even if that hasn't been our own experience with Collage?

I have to add: Asking her to post the letter does not feel right to me. If SAF wanted the letter to be read by everyone, she could have posted it herself - but didn't. Posting a potentially similar letter leaves me feeling that her privacy has somehow been violated here. But that's just my opinion on the matter - it doesn't have to reflect everyone else's.

[Artist of Eyes]

Originally Posted by Debbie S.

Thank you, Wendy!

I think the letter, which really looks like a form letter, was well written. It definitely was not offensive. BUT, again, I can see why SAF was red faced. Getting a, scolding/slap on the hand, etc. can raise your blood pressure.

Again, this happened to me with Sephora, but they didn't even send me a letter. They did not refund my CC. Instead they issued a store credit, and when I called to question the credit, the CS told me that I had return too many things. Like SAF, my returns were minimal compared to a lot of women at MakeUp Alley. There's lots of talk about how much stuff they return to Sephora.

I think that was the point of her posting. What one deems offensive isn't a big deal to others. However the fact that she got the Form Letter is probally what ticked her off, not so much the content of the letter. If I am misspeaking SAF, please correct me. What I think the problem for her was that she called and spoke with a live body. She discussed the issues, got permission to make the returns, opened or sealed, wrote a letter or note and thought that she was in the clear. She walked away from that conversation feeling that she was fine and everything was ok. One day it's fine and the next, she's being told something completely different. The IMO is the irritant, not the form letter's contents.

Some people have been quick to judge her motives and even accusing her of malicious intent to do harm to a company's reputation. This IMO, is over the line and over the top. This is an internet website, we don't know each other personally in reality from a hole in the wall. To make those types of statements, condemnations, and out right snicking of essentially- you got what you deserve, type of comments really isn't prudent. Some people don't see the attacks, some of us do. It's dicey when you've got a few people assuming she wants to harm a company's rep or essentially she gets what she deserves bc she had the nerve to make some returns. Most people have been respectful, some were tap dancing on that line.

I'm sure she did get a form letter and within the first couple of thread pages she explained why she didn't post it. There was no deception on her part, nothing to hide as some suggested. It's the circumstance as to why she got the letter not so much what it said, I think that was a secondary gripe.