Psycho Host From Hell - Anyone Have One?

[chefdianne]

Anyone ever get reported by a Host to the home office for doing the usual consultant follow up with the host and her guests? I had a very bad experience with this host and thought it was over but now it has reared its ugly head again. She actually called the home office about me and told them she wanted me to never contact her (no problem there) or her guests ever again. I wish I could "bless and release" this psycho thing host from hell but she has now overstepped the line on this and I don't want revenge, I just want to do the right thing for my business. The thing is, I didn't even get to start calling her guests to see how they are enjoying their products yet and I know she has already blackballed my name with them as one of them was a former host and customer who spent lots of $$ and will not return a follow up call to me about a replacement part I ordered for her.
just asking if anyone has ever been reported unnecessarily as I feel pretty angry, discouraged and feel like I don't own my own business and this woman is dominating me, once again, like she did at her show in front of all her guests. If anyone cares to hear details, I am willing to share.

Thanks

 

[julesh]

What were your instructions from HO? If she doesn't want you contacting her that's one thing, but I don't see how she can prevent you from contacting the guests from her show....she doesn't speak for them.

 

[nikkijo]

I agree with Jules....did ho ask for your side of the story? Why does she not want you to contact her guest?

I know it has to be hard...but try to "bless and relese" don't let her dominate your business!

 

[chefdianne]

After a very lengthy conversation with HO about it, telling them my side of things, they didn't exactly say that I wasn't permitted to contact her guests but they said that perhaps it wouldn't be healthy for me to associate myself with this group of customers after this anyway. They also added that this is now a part of my "file", meaning, the host got this on my record at the home office so it's a negative reflection on me. I am really quite disturbed by several things about the way this was all handled. Not to mention, this host called in to HO directly after her show about a replacement part for the EAD she had me order, LIED and told them that she actually asked me to ORDER her the entire new EAD item at the show and ended up getting the EAD at her host discount and eventhough it is attached to her show number and everything, they will not credit me now for the commission, the sales points (which were double because it was held in Feb) and won't put it into my career sales either. I realize it's only a $25 item but she DIDNT order it at her show which is why I had to order her the replacement part separately, which clearly shows up as a separate replacement order placed right after her stupid show. Did I mention that this was an express show where I clearly explained one recipe was to be done and she insisted on my doing 4 recipes, ahead of time which I paid for most of the ingredients, told me I was to only talk for 15 minutes max, chop some broccoli onto her pathetically made veggie pizza that she made on 2 pieces of broken stoneware herself (she was so proud), told me after 20 minutes that I was taking too long in front of her guests, made me tote all my stuff down an icy hill on sleds!!! and then made me climb up 8 steps when I could have toted it in the front door which was the same level as her kitchen. I believe she enjoys torturing people now. I totally allowed her to dominate me the whole time. I am kicking myself for letting myself be handled this way and the saga goes on and on. Sorry, just venting it all out now because I am really frustrated.

 

[dannyzmom]

What did HO tell you to do?
I had a HFH (Host From Hell) a few months back -- she flipped out on me because she wanted her show shipped by a certain date so it'd arrive in time for a certain date. The SHE held up her show by not getting payments to me on time. She called HO and raised cain, demanded to speak to Marla (they laughed at her) demanded they OVERNIGHT her show and (get this) take the overnight shipping charges out of MY commission. AND she did all this the week my grandmother died - KNOWING I had just lost my grandmother - KNOWING the delay was her own fault. Anyway...thankfully everyone at her show hates her already (they all work with her and I got several bookings from her friends) so that wasn't an issue. But HO was shocked at how awful she was, aplogized to ME fo my having to deal with her and suggested I send her a small gift (I sent a small oval baker) with an apology card just to shut her up. They overnighted her show orders to appease her and never charged me the cost.
So...see what HO suggests you do and do whatever they say...they know best and will ALWAYS back you up.

 

[nikkijo]

I am so sorry you had to go through all of that. She definitely sounds like a host from hell.....she just sounds like an unhappy person. i'm sure that ho knows that you are not a *bad* person...don't let it get you down!

 

[DebbieJ]

Get on the phone and call your director and keep going up the chain of command until someone can go to bat for you with the HO staff.

 

[chefdianne]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! Just when you think the world doesn't care, there is always somebody or somebodies that know just how you feel and the right thing to say to make you feel not so alone.

Carolyn - I am so very sorry to hear that you lost your Grandfather. Losses are very personal to each of us and no matter what the relationship (immediate family, etc.) they are special and unique and painful to go through. I have suffered through many losses in my short time here so far and cannot imagine dealing with a cruel person like your host you had at a time like that. I would have been just totally fed up at that point.

 

[chefdianne]

Get on the phone and call your director and keep going up the chain of command until someone can go to bat for you with the HO staff.

That's too funny. I tried to talk to do this after our last Cluster meeting was adjourned. This was even before things got into the "super ugly" mode. Advanced Director pretty much heard about 2 minutes of my story and mid sentence said "bless and release" and cut me off to talk to one of her directors instead.
She had more important things to discuss I suppose.

By the way, a fellow consultant who knows most of the story keeps begging me to give her the only show booking that came out of this show from hell. Anyone have thoughts about that???

 

[pamperedbecky]

Wow, that is all totally nuts! Dianne, sorry you had to deal with that terrible host. You're right some people just enjoy making others feel bad...probably to make herself feel better in some odd way. She's definitely got some issues. I would be livid. I've had some weird interactions with people, but never something like that. I had a potential host (who had booked a date and didn't seem THAT committed to the 1 pm show time we tentatively agreed on) totally blow up on me when I called her just to explore if we could do her show a little later because I wanted to try to do a fundraiser in the morning for an autism awareness run/walk. She totally flipped out, said "You're obviously too busy to do my show" and hung up on me. Weird. It bothered me for days, but I finally just blessed and released it.

Carolyn....I'm sorry all that happened to YOU after your grandmother had just passed away. How incredibly rude of that host of yours. I would have lost it and lost all composure.

At least you guys (hopefully) won't have a worse host than that!

 

[dannyzmom]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! Just when you think the world doesn't care, there is always somebody or somebodies that know just how you feel and the right thing to say to make you feel not so alone.

Carolyn - I am so very sorry to hear that you lost your Grandfather. Losses are very personal to each of us and no matter what the relationship (immediate family, etc.) they are special and unique and painful to go through. I have suffered through many losses in my short time here so far and cannot imagine dealing with a cruel person like your host you had at a time like that. I would have been just totally fed up at that point.

Thanks Dianne.
I am sorry you're dealing with this HFH too - nobody deserves to be mistrated and it sounds as though she just got off on abusing people and you were her target that week. I am sorry

 

[chefann]

{{{hugs}}}I hope you can find someone upline from you who sees that you need some support. Nobody wants a black mark on their record, especially when it was undeserved.

 

[pamperedharriet]

That is really aggravating about a host being so mean to do this. I too hope you get support from your upline on this issue. There is no need for this, Dianne.

I hope I never get a host like that or Carolyn's. I had a potential host who was hard to deal with and kept on changing her show date and became one of those who only called you when it was convenient for her not when I needed info from her. She threatened to find another consultant I told her to be my guest. I would rather not have her business than to go through months of aggravation from her.

 

[GeorgiaPeach]

That's too funny. I tried to talk to do this after our last Cluster meeting was adjourned. This was even before things got into the "super ugly" mode. Advanced Director pretty much heard about 2 minutes of my story and mid sentence said "bless and release" and cut me off to talk to one of her directors instead.
She had more important things to discuss I suppose.

By the way, a fellow consultant who knows most of the story keeps begging me to give her the only show booking that came out of this show from hell. Anyone have thoughts about that???

First, let me say that I'm sorry this has happened to you. There are many people out there that are just unhappy and want to make others lives miserable too.

Speaking from a director's POV.....Cluster meetings can be busy, hectic times, it's like hosting a big party and trying to spread yourself all over the room. This probably wasn't a great time to try to talk to her about something that is very upsetting to you. I would suggest calling her and telling her that you are dealing with a major problem with your business and you need her help. Schedule a time with her if you need to so that she can focus on just you.

I'd have her (or you) call the HO and find out what it means to have something put "in your file". I'm sure the HO has goofy people call all the time complaining about us They probably have heard it all and take what they hear with a grain of salt!

I know that it's easy for us to say "bless and release" and SO hard to do when someone is doing their best to blacken your name (and reputation!) I think I would send a note or letter to the guests from that show and just tell them that you enjoyed meeting them and if they need anything in the future to feel free to contact you. Then leave it at that.

As far as the booking....I'd call that host and see how she feels. If you don't feel comfortable with it, give it away and breath a sigh of relief!

 

[dcypcar.chef]

I don't need to "beg" for shows. I would rather you give the show to anybody willing to handle this HFH than get yourself further "blacklisted" as you say. If you already set a date with this future host then someone needs to take care of that person. Otherwise, you are just confirming everything your HFH might have said to her friends about you. It just makes you look bad to everyone associated with this host and the future host. Instead of having 1 mad host, you will then have 2. Good luck in whatever you decide. Confirm the HFH opinion of you or prove her wrong. It's your decision.

 

[ChefNic]

Confirm the HFH opinion of you or prove her wrong. It's your decision.

I agree!!
Be professional...polite...don't talk bad about her...
Take that show...!!! You booked it...and you CERTAINLY deserve it!!

Best of luck!

 

[raebates]

Dianne, I'm so sorry. I have no additional advice; just sympathy. Hope everything gets sorted out soon.

 

[crazy4dabug]

Man! What a horrible host!
I would have been fed up with that nightmare when she sited you were only to take 15 minutes.
Some ppl are just bad ppl, point blank.

Sorry hon..I really hope HO backs you up.

 

[chefdianne]

I don't need to "beg" for shows. I would rather you give the show to anybody willing to handle this HFH than get yourself further "blacklisted" as you say. If you already set a date with this future host then someone needs to take care of that person. Otherwise, you are just confirming everything your HFH might have said to her friends about you. It just makes you look bad to everyone associated with this host and the future host. Instead of having 1 mad host, you will then have 2. Good luck in whatever you decide. Confirm the HFH opinion of you or prove her wrong. It's your decision.

Yowza!! I didn't know you were going to make this non-anonymous....oh my.
Perhaps beg wasn't the best term but you asked me 4 times for the show, which was persisent, not to mention questionable. Not like I was sick or something and you were offering to step in at the last minute. Blacklisted isn't the word I used and actually, the HO suggested I stay away from her and her friends completely which includes the friend that booked the show from hers. As I told you before, I wouldn't wish my worst enemy upon this group of people but you seemed really interested in getting the show from me regardless. I wanted to hear other people's take on handing over the show to another consultant. I don't think I understand exactly how I can look bad if I conduct my business in a professional manner like I did from the start with this lunatic.
Besides, giving this show to a fellow consultant (friend?) of mine probably wouldn't be accepted by the host and her friends anyway. I am sure by now the person that has booked is already looking for a new consultant to do her show if she was truly going to hold one anyway. They wouldn't want anyone affiliated with me in any way to take the show.

 

[chefdianne]

Thanks Dianne.
I am sorry you're dealing with this HFH too - nobody deserves to be mistrated and it sounds as though she just got off on abusing people and you were her target that week. I am sorry

I am sorry I didn't notice until now that it was your grandmother you lost not your grandfather. I am so sorry for the mistake. Thanks for your encouragement and understanding.

 

[janetupnorth]

Wow, almost don't want to say anything on this topic as it looks like it is getting personal!

ChefDianne - can you contact this future host and say something like, "I've heard your friend has some issues with me. However, you have a show booked with me...what would you like to do with that? I can still hold a catalog show for you, cancel, or ask another consultant to do it for you. I'm sorry your friend has personal issues but I work as an Independent Consultant for a great company with great products and would like to see you have the chance to still host a show and earn them. What would you like to do?"

This puts it on the host, she can choose her route of action...hold, change, or cancel...and you'll have to bless and release from there...

If she wants another consultant, I'd ask your Director to recommend a clustermate best able to handle the crowd, not give it to just anyone...

 

[dannyzmom]

I am sorry I didn't notice until now that it was your grandmother you lost not your grandfather. I am so sorry for the mistake. Thanks for your encouragement and understanding.

No need to apologize - I didn't even catch the mistake - LOL