Rant I Don't Understand Some Consultants!

[Sheila]

In the last 4 months, I keep getting problems dropped in my lap that other Consultants have done. It's freaking crazy all of the sudden!

Today's dilemma: My husband's boss' wife hosted a Cooking Show in February with another consultant while I was on maternity leave. She ordered the 5 pc set & the 7 pc set of the Executive Cookware, the whole Forged Cutlery collection w/ the block, shears & honing tool, 2 sets of the forged cutlery steak knives and other misc items. In passing, she mentioned to me today that when the Consultant delivered the cookware one of the pots was dented. STOP! Red flag! Why was the Consultant delivering the items??? Before I interrupted to ask, she said that she basically had to argue with the Consultant who didn't want to help her with the exchange & told her that "sometimes that just happens". :grumpy: After refusing to accept that, the consultant did help her with the exchange.

She said that she had to keep pestering the consultant for the 10% off Hostess Card. The consultant finally just told her that she "lost" it and that any consultant could look it up in the system. So, of course, I stopped right then & looked it up for her. Instead of showing a February show date, it's showing an April 1st show date. This woman DID NOT host an April show. BUT, she did receive a whole other order for someone else a couple of months after her show ... and ... get this ... had to deliver those boxes to the Consultant!

I went to her house & looked at her packing slips. Just what I thought. The entire show was put in under another person's name! Not the host & not the consultant but a 3rd party.

Apparently when my husband's boss' wife kept complaining, the Consultant did the same thing to another host that she had in April, putting that show in this victim's name & having the order shipped to her.

This woman should have lifetime guarantees on her knives & cookware and the items were not even purchased under her name!!!

So, here I am sitting up late on a military base in Japan waiting for the HO to open so I can call and see if there is ANY way to get all the warranty items transferred from this other person's name to the correct person's name.

What could the Consultant possibly have been thinking???

Even better ... who got the Prep bowls, 2 measuring cups & spice that were on the invoice & not part of what this host had ordered??? AND, did this host pay too much???

It all boils down to the old saying "do unto others ..." Would the Consultant be happy if she was the host & this was done to her by a Consultant? I think not!

:thumbdown: Poor business practices can put all of us in a bad light and ruin the reputation of TPC!!!

 

[raebates]

You're absolutely right, Sheila. Things like this reflect badly on all of us. That consultant is going to get caught in a real pickle one day.

 

[pamperedlinda]

wow - that's bad!

 

[Triciascucina]

Was this done in Japan? She had all the items delivered to her and not the host? This is very unprofessional. We are suppose to have everything delivered to the individual customer and not the order to the host. At least that is the way it is in Yokosuka and other overseas commands I have been to.

 

[Sheila]

You're absolutely right, Sheila. Things like this reflect badly on all of us. That consultant is going to get caught in a real pickle one day.

Bwahaha! Don't make me spit my coke across the room lauging! Could it get any worse??? Really??? I thought this one pretty much took the cake. I'd LOVE to hear some stories that are worse! It might make the host out here feel better. (Right now she's super upset that she didn't just wait for me to come off Maternity Leave)

 

[Sheila]

Oh, Tricia ... it's much worse than just using the "ship to host" option. You are correct. We are not allowed to do that here either. As far as the military is concerned, it's all good. The box that was sent to the hostess had her name on it and everything on the packing list looked like it belonged to the name on the box. The problem is that nothing in the box belonged to the hostess. It belonged to a whole other hostess and home office doesn't know that for warranty purposes!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I'm trying to figure out what kind of scam this consultant is trying to pull off?

What would be the purpose of putting shows in other people's names?

 

[raebates]

Bwahaha! Don't make me spit my coke across the room lauging! Could it get any worse??? Really??? I thought this one pretty much took the cake. I'd LOVE to hear some stories that are worse! It might make the host out here feel better. (Right now she's super upset that she didn't just wait for me to come off Maternity Leave)

No, silly, I wasn't saying that she'd do something worse. I was saying that she could lose her consultancy or even be brought up on criminal charges.

 

[Triciascucina]

You know as well as I do we live in a fish bowl and the word will spread fast. I hope HO helps your customer out. I hear all the rumors about other consultants here and I really do not want to. This is crazy!

 

[Sheila]

I'm trying to figure out what kind of scam this consultant is trying to pull off?

What would be the purpose of putting shows in other people's names?

I have no clue. I'm hoping somehow it's all innocent. But with other items listed on the invoice that were not ordered by this hostess and were missing from the box when it was delivered ... I fear it was intentional to maybe help out a friend ... ???

 

[Sheila]

The invoice shows that this was show #25 for the consultant.

 

[wadesgirl]

I would also have the customer call HO and tell them what is going on.

 

[PCMomto4]

I'm trying to figure out what kind of scam this consultant is trying to pull off?

What would be the purpose of putting shows in other people's names?

It seems like all she is doing it making it more diffucult for herself. I have had shows shipped to myself and then seperated them and delivered to the host, and its not a big deal. Is that not allowed because you are overseas? It is something I usually do for my large shows as a benefit to the host.

It is even more baffling that she did this to such a wonderful customer, come on wouldn't we all like a customer who bought that much from us even at 50% off. I wouldn't want to do anything to make that customer made at me, I'd be kissing her feet

 

[ChefBeckyD]

It seems like all she is doing it making it more diffucult for herself. I have had shows shipped to myself and then seperated them and delivered to the host, and its not a big deal. Is that not allowed because you are overseas? It is something I usually do for my large shows as a benefit to the host.

It is even more baffling that she did this to such a wonderful customer, come on wouldn't we all like a customer who bought that much from us even at 50% off. I wouldn't want to do anything to make that customer made at me, I'd be kissing her feet

I have no problem with her shipping it to herself...it's the fact that the whole show is in someone else's name that is troubling.

 

[Sheila]

:thumbup::thumbup: Two thumbs up to Cathy at HO! I felt bad dropping this bomb in her lap very first thing on a Monday morning, but she was a trooper!

Bottom Line: Hostess Y's order went in under Hostess X's name on show #25. Hostess Z's order went in under Hostess Y's name on show #27. Cathy at Corporate is transferring the problem to another division that handles problems with Consultants. They are going to call the original Consultant & see if they can figure out why she did this. They will also be calling Hostess Y to get her side of the story. Cathy also made a note for the HO rep who will be trying to get this mess straightened, telling them that they can call me for details if they are still confused. I'm sure the HO person will probably be scratching their head when they read the notes that Cathy wrote. Not that she did bad, just that they will probably be trying to figure out what the heck happened, how & why!!!

I would also have the customer call HO and tell them what is going on.

Oh, trust me. HO will be talking to her in this process to try & figure out what the heck the other Consultant did.

 

[Sheila]

PCMomto4 - When you live on a military base, there's a whole new set of rules above & beyond the PC rules. We are not (under any circumstances) allowed to receive mail for others unless we are their official sponsor with a copy of their military orders in hand. So any consultant who receives mail for the host/guests here could get into trouble with the military and loose their military mailbox privileges. I live on base, so I had to get a business license from the military to run a business out of a residence owned by the US Government. So I would also be jeopardizing that license if I got caught using my mailbox to accept mail for others. Oh, and we can't do cash & carry items here either ... we can't use our mailbox for "business" purposes. If I put in a show with "ship to host" options marked for the guests ... not only would I be jeopardizing my rights to do business on the base and have a mailbox, the host could also get her mailbox privileges yanked. And, depending on how mean the investigator wanted to be, either or both of us could be sent back to the states without our spouse. So we take the military rules pretty seriously out here. In the states, I agree that it would be fine to help out a host as long as the items are being submitted under the correct name for the people ordering the products ... which was NOT the case here. Everything is all jumbled in the other Consultant's P3 program which means Corporate has it all mixed up too. There are customer's out here that have items they purchased but since it's not entered correctly in corporate's computer, they don't have a warranty!

 

[crissy11]

I have been doing PC for 10 years now and have had numerous boxes that were sent to my hostess and would either have her items in it but with a different packing slip for another hostess OR they would get their packing slip and completely different items.. The shipping department just got ahead of themselves and put wrong packing slips with boxes... I have always had to call HO and try and get them to figure out where my host show items went..

 

[Sheila]

crissy11, this problem is not that easy. The right items were ordered under the wrong name, charged to the right person, shipped to the wrong person & then hand delivered by the consultant to the right person. This was done intentionally by the Consultant. It was not a error by the shipping department at HO. Now I have a person who hosted a show, bought items with lifetime guarantees but has no warranties because the consultant submitted the show under some 3rd party not known to this host. Does that make sense?

 

[PCMomto4]

I understand now, what a mess the consultant has created. I didn't realize things were that complicated on military bases. Which makes you wonder even more why the consultant did it.

 

[Crystal Patton]

Wow what a pickle! Sigh, why can't people just be honest - it's so much easier.

 

[Sheila]

I totally agree Crystal.

The sad part is that 100 Consultants can do the right thing. But the customers will remember the ONE person who did something wrong.

 

[pcsharon1]

I would imagine that with the hostess ording that much stuff, she knew she would be paying a lot of money out of pocket so she didn't pay close attention and was probably severly overcharged. It sounds like the show she was actually entered as hostess of had a very small host order.

Am I correct that the host special in Feb. was 60% off the item of your choice? I would say this consultant gave that benefit to a friend.

 

[erinyourpclady]

When I was in Oki....a consultant took the orders and never submitted the show. Imagine dealing with the repercussions of that one.......

 

[pcsharon1]

When I was in Oki....a consultant took the orders and never submitted the show. Imagine dealing with the repercussions of that one.......

I've had that happen and it was a mess, it was a consultant I had recruited so I was right in the middle of it. She swore up and down that she had submitted the show and the HO simply refused to honor her order. The worst part, at least as far as I was concerned, was that the hostess believed her. This was a past hostess of mine who had a fabulous show that delivered quickly with no problems at all AND she had been a past hostess of someone else the year before that and had no problems BUT she believed her friend who "magically" came into a bunch of money right around that time to buy her kids really, really nice Christmas gifts. Imagine!

But, this showed how great our company is. They honored every order that could show them a canceled check written to this woman and a receipt that she had given them - without ever getting a penny from anyone. Even that didn't make the host stop fussing about the company though.

I don't know if I was more ticked off by the host or the "consultant". That was her only show by the way.

 

[raebates]

When I was in Oki....a consultant took the orders and never submitted the show. Imagine dealing with the repercussions of that one.......

Been there. Turned the crowd off to PC for years until I came along. Then, the host was REALLY cautious.

 

[chefann]

I've been on the host's end of a situation like that (with another DS company). DH still doesn't like me to buy that company's products, even when I deal with another consultant. And the company did NOTHING for me, never even responded to the letter I sent them.

 

[lockhartkitchen]

Let us know if and when you ever find out the "why" the consultant did it.

 

[janetupnorth]

You did what I would suggest - turn it all over to HO and let them sort it out. Remind the customer that this is not the way Pampered Chef or you do things and get the customer some resolution. You can be YOU will be her consultant now and not the other person.

 

[pamperedpals]

Wholy moly. I am sitting her with my mouth open just in awe that someone would do something like that.

Wow!

 

[pckellyd]

Wow! What a mess!

I do want to throw in that I've been the consultant with another company who submitted a show that never arrived. (Of course I didn't come into any extra money at the time but all the same...) I only printed the final submission page of the interface that listed host, show #, total # of orders and amount paid. They deducted the money from my account, the show NEVER showed up. I had angry customers and an angry home office from that company. I showed them that they deducted money from my account that day and the final sheet that I printed. The rep I spoke w/ implied I had doctored the paperwork I submitted as my proof.... SERIOUSLY?

I showed everything to my host, who at least did believe me and offered to return my commission on the order to her guests... because that was all I had. It wound up not being necessary because I gave my host a copy of all the receipts and that HO did ship out all of the missing products. I quit working for the company and SIX weeks later a box showed up on my front step with ALL of the items that were supposed to be for that host. When I called and asked why they told me that was the product order I had placed. Somehow in there system it made my party be a personal order... that took almost 10 weeks to ship! Luckily my ex-host and I still laugh about it to this day! But at the time, I was less than pleased with the whole situation! I did take pleasure in rubbing the nose of my higher ups at that company in the fact that I hadn't lied after all!

 

[Sheila]

All of this reminded me. A friend told me a few months ago that she had encountered a consultant with another direct sell company who was taking orders and then SPENDING any money that was paid to her in cash or check ... then having to wait until her husband's payday to afford to submit the order to her company!!! If you are THAT financially illiterate, you shouldn't be running your own business.

PCSharon, according to the invoice, all of her items went in on a host order and the "extra" items that were not ordered by her or included in the box were smaller stuff than what this other person had apparantly ordered (prep bowls, measuring cups & spices). Feb was the "pick your one item at 60% off" month. I'm pretty sure she got the 1 item at 60% off and three items at 50% off. She just wasn't listed as the host of the show & I'm wondering if she paid for the prep bowls, measuring cups & 2 spices that she didn't get or if the other person just got a few things at 25%-30% off. We definitely know that the other girl got 10% off for a year! We just haven't figured out if she actually hosted a show earlier & the consultant was trying to make up for doing this same thing to her ... or if she's a friend that the consultant was trying to help out by letting her have a few things at a discount & get a 10% off card.

I really hope HO tells me the outcome of all of this. I'm a retired police dispatcher, so the "investigator" in me really likes to know the results of stuff like this.

Oh, and don't worry. This host is definitely my customer now. She's wants me to take $60 orders from her over the next few months & help her slowly stock her kitchen. I'll add her as a guest to other shows so that she can get the monthly guest special of course. But she's slowly going to build her PC stock. Her "bad" experience was her VERY FIRST TIME ordering from PC! There are still a lot of things in the catalog that she wants and she trusts me to do it for her the right way.

I'm soooo glad that I work for PC. Not once has it crossed my mind to wonder IF they would fix all of this. I feel confident that they will!

 

[raebates]

I'm soooo glad that I work for PC. Not once has it crossed my mind to wonder IF they would fix all of this. I feel confident that they will!

That's so true. It's such a pleasure to know that PC is a business that stands behind its products and its consultants.

 

[Shawnna]

This is a lot to swallow. I would be MAD!!! If she was just helping her friend out to buy at a discount and get 10% off for a year she could have added her as a cohost. This is just really strange.

 

[Sheila]

Well, I found out a bit more of the story. Apparently the Consultant had a military customer who was having problems receiving mail in their mailbox & she claimed she was jumbling around the orders so that someone could get something who otherwise wouldn't have been able to get a box from Pampered Chef. Still doesn't make sense though. If that were the case, she'd have had something mailed to this host for the person who couldn't get packages instead of having this host's order mailed to a stranger. So I'm still wonder what really happened to start all this mess.

Poor Corporate. I called today to see if I could get a printout of the host order so we could see what all was paid for by the actual host (since other items were on the packing slip that she didn't order & didn't pay for). The poor woman in Career Solutions (where they transferred me to) was completely lost. It took her FOREVER to understand what had happened. She wasn't listening & kept asking the same freaking questions over & over. I finally got frustrated with her & told her that she needed to freaking listen that I was saying the same stuff over & over. I guess she was distracted reading notes in the computer or something, because once I fussed at her, she finally started listening, caught on & understood the problem immediately.

She refused to give me a printout. I guess I'll have to wait until everything is resolved & in the right person's name to see if all of her benefits worked out the right way or if she was cheated in the process. :grumpy:

 

[amyscookinggear]

my head is spinning....

 

[chefann]

I was just thinking of this situation yesterday. Have you or your customer gotten any clarification from HO about it?

 

[momoftwins]

WOW Sheila! What a headache!!! Have you heard from HO if this got resolved??? I just can't imagine!!!

 

[Sheila]

Unfortunately, NO! I've called Pampered Chef 3 times now and they are dragging their feet on this one. I'm pretty frustrated. My last contact from them was an e-mail wanting the host's phone number so they could call her. When I made the complaint, I put HO on hold to call her & get her stateside number ... so I know that they have her number in the middle of all those notes!!! We only had 3 directors on the island. I knew my upline wasn't her recruiter so I checked with the other two & found her upline. I've got that director involved now in trying to help get this resolved since Corporate is still scratching their heads 3 weeks later. That Director said that there was a software issue at one point that was jumbling up stuff and that corporate tech support had to dial into her computer and make some repairs to fix the problem. She wasn't sure if this was one of the shows that was involved in that problem. I'm thinking maybe this was her way of trying to fix that problem and get a previous host their host discount # that they didn't get.Bottom line, still no resolution. I'm VERY disappointed in how long this is taking as is the Host. We still need to submit an adjustment on her Trifle Bowl lid and can't until this is all resolved. I'm seriously thinking about calling a past host & seeing if I can pretend that it's their lid just to get it replaced!

 

[jbdowd0798]

At this point I wouldn't even do a pro. adj. I'd just buy the lid and give it to her as a gift. Then you can do the pro. adj. when everything gets sorted out if you want. I'd just make her believe in you and the company. I think its only like $6 for it so if she's willing to give you orders and such down the road, it would be worth it to me. I know she would appreciate it.
That being said- I TOTALLY feel for you and understanding Smart Post and how slow it is.