Have You Ever Had a Nightmare Host for Your PartyLite Show?

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Discussion Overview

This thread discusses participants' experiences with hosting or attending PartyLite shows, focusing on challenges faced with hosts and the ordering process. Several participants share their frustrations regarding communication issues, unexpected fees, and overall dissatisfaction with the PartyLite experience compared to Pampered Chef.

Discussion Character

  • Anecdotal
  • Opinion-based
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, identifying as a consultant, recounts a negative experience with a PartyLite host who failed to facilitate orders properly and communicated poorly before and after the show.
  • Another participant expresses confusion over the gift certificate process, noting that their experience was handled more smoothly by a different consultant.
  • Several users mention dissatisfaction with unexpected fees associated with "free" products, contrasting their experiences with PartyLite to those with Pampered Chef.
  • One participant shares that they did not receive booking benefits due to the host's lack of follow-up, despite having secured multiple bookings.
  • Another participant highlights a situation where a guest was denied a catalog, raising concerns about accessibility and customer service.
  • One participant expresses disbelief at the host's unprofessionalism, particularly regarding a request for additional payment without explanation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ significantly among participants regarding their experiences with PartyLite hosts and the company itself. Some express strong dissatisfaction, while others share mixed feelings about specific aspects of their interactions.

Contextual Notes

Participants share personal experiences that reflect their individual interactions with PartyLite, emphasizing the importance of communication and customer service in direct sales.

Who May Find This Useful

Consultants considering hosting or participating in PartyLite shows may find these shared experiences relevant to their decision-making process.

yummy4tummy
Messages
656
Well for those of you that remember, I hosted a PL show for one of my first PC hosts (I will refer to her as PLG). What a nightmare! I have her set up the show online so I can send e-invites (which I do like a good host does) and I send out my e-invites.
First, one of our fellow PC'rs wanted to place an order to help me out (thank you Liz). When going to PLG's website, there is no place to "place an order" so Liz sends a contact message saying that she wants to place an order. Then PLG emails Liz back telling her that because she lives in TX that she will try to find her a consultant in TX. HELLO! sending my guest to another consultant. GRRR. Fortunately Liz told her that she was placing the order so I would get credit. Then the trials of trying to figure out how Liz could get her order shipped to her and get the guest special. Do you know that she said because Liz was not going to physically be at my show that she would not be eligible to get the guest special unless Liz or I paid the difference between the normal price and the special price (which I did because a) Liz's generosity and b) I felt it was owed to her. Like Liz was going to hop on a plane and fly here just for a PL show. Then, as if that weren't enough, the whole ordering process was a fiasco. In order for Liz to be able to order and have it shipped directly to HER, A gift certificate had to be ordered and redeemed (don't ask, I am still scratching my head over that one). When I asked PLG about online ordering, since most of my e-invites were from out of state, she yells at me I TOLD YOU THAT YOU CAN ONLY VIEW THE PRODUCTS ONLINE...PEOPLE CAN'T ORDER FROM THEM! :eek: And this was before I had my actual show. I was soooo ready to tell her where to stick her candles and light them...but I took the high road. She made no contact with me before the show date...My DD is on the same basketball team as her DD AND her hubby is their coach. I saw her at the game Sat. (my show was last Sunday) and she made no effort to even talk to me to see if we were still on or not. NOTHING!! IF she succeeds with PL it will only be but for the grace of God and not her warm and fuzzy, personable skills. I feel good knowing that I fulfilled my commitment to her but feel even better knowing that I will sit in a stinky, dark house before I buy another candle from her. Sorry for the long vent but I had to share. Valky
 
Holy Moly Valky.

Sorry things didn't work out with her. Kinda weird about the whole GC thing? I was kinda thrown off by that. lol
 
I haven't been to pleased with PL myself lately. It cost me $79+ to get my "free" stuff when I hosted a show last month. The PL rep didn't tell me there was a "fee" to get the "free" votives that I could get for having 10 orders at my show. That was really the only problem I had with her, it's the company itself that I have a problem with. They are so different from PC.
 
I bought PL from a friends show in Japan a while ago. We had to do the whole GC thing too BUT my PL consultant never made it an issue for either of us, it was just taken care off.............
 
pcheframsey said:
I haven't been to pleased with PL myself lately. It cost me $79+ to get my "free" stuff when I hosted a show last month. The PL rep didn't tell me there was a "fee" to get the "free" votives that I could get for having 10 orders at my show. That was really the only problem I had with her, it's the company itself that I have a problem with. They are so different from PC.

Yep - that floored me as well when I did a show swap with a PL rep last year. It was going to cost me a FORTUNE to get my "free" stuff...so I forfeitted most of it :(
 
It must be they type of people PL attracts... I had a show and got 3 bookings but she never followed up (even though I contacted her repeatedly for my friends). I never got my booking benefits because she didn't do her job. lol

Have to say though, she has been a good PC customer for me. Waivers on joining my team - do I want her? Sure. She follows up with her guests to get PC rewards and it's just a step further to follow up with hosts. again lol
 
  • Thread starter
  • #7
Believe me, I could have gotten more orders for her from my out of town guests but when she pulled that, I just said forget it! I guess she learned from the best, at her PL show, her consultant ( which is now her director)was the one that carried on a 20+ minute conversation on her cell phone while I was trying to "check out" with her.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #8
The other thing I forgot to add is that at my show, one of my guests (who BTW submitted a pretty sizable order), asked if she could take one of the catalogs because she wanted to go over it at home and possibly add to her order. PLG told her no, she couldn't have the catalog because she has to pay for them :eek: OMG are you kidding me?! She told her that she could view her catalog online. UNBELIEVABLE! What if this guest didn't have access to a computer? To top it off, my guest did call back and added another $75 to her order.

I just thought, wow I would LOVE IT if someone asked to keep one of my catalogs. and I buy mine too. That is why I don't think she will be around long. Valky
 
Sometimes the best way to train yourself is to see what other direct sales people do - and copy the good things and do the opposite of the bad!!!
 
cmdtrgd said:
Sometimes the best way to train yourself is to see what other direct sales people do - and copy the good things and do the opposite of the bad!!!

WELL SAID!!!!!!
 
  • Thread starter
  • #11
Just when you think it is over....Went to DD basketball practice tonight and coach's DD hands me a bunch of papers from my PL show (her mom is PLG). On the last page it she writes a note that says "you owe me an additional $6.95..sorry"
WHAT? No explanation or anything. This puts my "free" product total at
$40+ What really irks me is that she made no effort to call and speak to me and lives less than 1 mile from my house (which she wasted no time at all making tracks to get my money the first time). Can you say unprofessional?! I can't believe this nightmare just keeps getting better (or worse).
I told her daughter to have her mother call me. Why should I go out of my way to track her down if she doesn't have the decency to make contact with me? Valky
 
yummy4tummy said:
Went to DD basketball practice tonight and coach's DD hands me a bunch of papers from my PL show (her mom is PLG). On the last page it she writes a note that says "you owe me an additional $6.95..sorry"
WHAT? No explanation or anything. This puts my "free" product total at
$40+ What really irks me is that she made no effort to call and speak to me and lives less than 1 mile from my house (which she wasted no time at all making tracks to get my money the first time). Can you say unprofessional?! I can't believe this nightmare just keeps getting better (or worse).
I told her daughter to have her mother call me. Why should I go out of my way to track her down if she doesn't have the decency to make contact with me? Valky

OMG I so can not believe she did not contact you! How can she just give it to her daughter to give to you with no explanation? I hope no one booked a party with her! I would not give her a penny until she tells you what it is for and contacts you herself.

When you have a party and you earn "free" items, what do you all have to pay to get it? What are the fees for it? I was thinking of having a partylite show because I like there new catalog, not I'm not so sure.
 
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  • #13
I hope no one booked a party with her! I would not give her a penny until she tells you what it is for and contacts you herself.

Nobody booked (thankfully, don't think I could sit through this again). I am not paying her a dime until she does her explanation.

I have been sitting here trying to figure out if I have $130.93 "shopping spree" and my "free" selections equal $137.85 that is a deficit of $6.92. Then I ordered a host special for 11.95. So 11.95 + 6.92=18.87 then with tax, s/h and the additional $ that I covered for my guest it should only be $27.48 I paid her 38.05 and now she says I owe her an additional 6.95. Am I missing something here? Even if I had to pay s/h and tax on the total "earned shopping spree" it wouldn't be that much. Anybody? Valky
 
I think with PL you have to have one booking no matter what the sales are to get the 25% credit. Without you only get 15%... My SIL just started selling and I did a catty show for her. She doesn't have internet so we closed the show at my house and it said I only got 15%. I had to rebook to get the full 25%.

Just want to let you know the next curveball she is going to throw you!
 
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  • #15
Thanks Gillian, she was gracious enough to "give me" one of her cold calling bookings so she told me that I had the 25% shopping spree. Maybe she changed her mind? Valky
 
How nice of her! Too bad she isn't going to be a consultant very long with her customer service!! LMAO!
 
I had a show with another DS company recently & was floored when I had to pay tax for my "free" products. It was like $20!!! I figure it's another plus for me to sell about our host program!
 
Yeah, I've decided to add to my booking commercial that our host's free stuff is actually totally free--no shipping, no tax.
 
Every DS company has bad consultants. Yummy I am sorry that the PL girl wasn't very professional and I apologize for her behavior. It puts a bad spin on the rest of us out there who do our jobs and provide the customer service. I sell both PC and PL and my full time job is Customer service manager, and it pains me to see that there are some people out there who do not give a rats A$$ about the company they work for or represent.

Hostess benefits change with every DS company. Yes PC's are great but so are partylites if they are explained properly. Feel free to PM me Yummy or Beth if I can be of any service. DOn't know if I can get you the booking benefit you missed out on or what the $6.95 is for but I can sure see what I can do if anything.
 
Geez Valky! I also did a show for another DS company and I had to pay tax on my "free" and I was floored. THe sad part is she didn't host coach me to tell me so she just "assumed" that PC had their Hosts pay the fee on free products. :rolleyes:
 
PampMomof3 said:
Geez Valky! I also did a show for another DS company and I had to pay tax on my "free" and I was floored. THe sad part is she didn't host coach me to tell me so she just "assumed" that PC had their Hosts pay the fee on free products. :rolleyes:

That was the same thing with me. She told me how much my stuff was & that the total was ... (which was $20 more). I figured maybe it was something I didn't catch & then when the receipt came, it said sales tax. I never got any host packet with info about that & never heard before the show anything about how much I could get free.
 
I know! I questioned her on it and a few days later she called me to apoligize and to let me know she was refunding me the tax I paid on $300 worth of stuff. That was very nice of her and I accepted that check!;) She's still a very good customer!! She's even trying to recruit her friend for PC!!:p
 
Luckily we don't have tax here, but I still had to pay a ton of shipping on my "free" stuff. My SIL said "Don't worry, the shipping tops out at $30!" Oh, THANKS!!
 
Lol
gilliandanielle said:
Luckily we don't have tax here, but I still had to pay a ton of shipping on my "free" stuff. My SIL said "Don't worry, the shipping tops out at $30!" Oh, THANKS!!


LOL....Oh is that all! :rolleyes:
I could have purchased another couple of products from PC for that much!! With free shipping!!

I am going to bed finally, now that my 16 month old is asleep, and I hope I don't have nightmares of consultants with candles trying to chase me down to book a show!! :eek:

Debbie :D
 
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  • #25
baffled too!Thanks Kirsten, I may take you up on that. I know that it's not the company's fault and I do not blame the company at all. It is HER. http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/sauer/angry-smiley-001.gif

Gillian $30?!? You can get a lg bar pan for a little less than that or a whole bunch of smaller items.

PLG still hasn't contacted me and tomorrow I have a cluster meeting so I won't be here (too bad for her). I know I won't be recommending her for anything. Valky
 
Yummy -If your show is for January- She has to submit by 12:00 tonight to get the benefits for January-And if any of your guests got the guest specials same deal applies. Once again I apologize for her. ANd in my neck of the woods WI- S&H is $4.00 for the host and 10% for guests based on their order. Tops out @ 15.00.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a "nightmare host" in the context of a PartyLite show?

A "nightmare host" refers to a host who creates significant challenges during a PartyLite show, such as being uncooperative, disorganized, or not promoting the event effectively. This can lead to a less successful party and a frustrating experience for the consultant.

How can I identify a potential nightmare host before the party?

Look for signs such as lack of enthusiasm, poor communication, or reluctance to engage with guests. If a potential host seems disinterested in the products or the planning process, they may not be the best choice for a successful show.

What strategies can I use to manage a difficult host during the party?

Maintain open communication and set clear expectations from the beginning. Be proactive in guiding the host on how to engage guests and encourage participation. If issues arise, stay calm and address them diplomatically to keep the party on track.

Can a nightmare host still lead to a successful PartyLite show?

Yes, even a challenging host can lead to a successful show with the right approach. By taking charge, providing support, and focusing on creating a positive atmosphere, you can still achieve good sales and bookings despite the host's difficulties.

What should I do if the situation becomes unmanageable during the show?

If the situation becomes too difficult, it may be best to take a step back and focus on the guests. Redirect the conversation, engage with attendees, and minimize the host's influence. If necessary, consider discussing any issues privately with the host after the event to find a resolution.

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