PTI stands for Papertrey Ink. This is a collective smack blog and Papertrey Ink review page. Papertrey Ink's continuously poor customer service has lead to a page dedicated to discussion of this stamp company and recommendations for alternative stamp companies. Minimal censorship here- I prefer to leave it up to posters' discretion.
The opinions posted on this blog belong to our visitors and we are not paid for our honest reviews ;)
First! And C& P of my comments from the last thread - I still have the original pti smack board in my reader (tho i can't see any comments) It shows the first post as Aug. 14 2011. So it was probably SAF or something around that time that got it started. Maybe. I can't remember either...
You know its sad if by using peoples full names on here it affects their children. Kids are all over the internet and could google their names. And dont say the truth hurts - I am talking about kids
6:15 - WTF? who is attacking anyone's kids? How is saying that anyone was working, for their job, at SAF going to cause emotional ruin for someone's children?
To the poster on the last thread who mentioned it was cool to not have food or a seat at the receoption at SAF....
rule #1 for a funciton is to have a seat for every butt and at least enough food for everyone to get something.
I think the SAF event in the room was great. They planned everything out, the lunch went well, the store was a nice setup, the make and takes were fabulous.
But the dessert reception was a disaster and while it was OK fun, it was not a huge positive note to end the experience with. I would have rather scrapped the reception and just ended an hour or so later and just do the giveaways - then folks would have been on their own for dinner and that was it.
The servers told us that PTI had bugested for only two pieces of dessert per psron, yes so that would have been like 1 strawberry and one mini cheesecake. That is insane. They cheaped out on it and for that reason alone I would have rather just not had it. Plus it was a pain to go to dinner and come back.
Like I said - I loved the daytime events and even if they hadn't changed a thing I would have gone again this year in a heartbeat, but that part really was silly and it seems really stupid to make excuses that it is OK to have an event where there is no food and people have to sit on the floor of a conference center hallway. Would you do that for a wedding? come on.
That doesn't make them bad people, it just makes them unskilled at planning reception type functions, which is OK. The conference center contact should have also told them it was a bad idea too, that would be their job and they dropped the ball too.
So for someone with no idea of the history behind the smack blogs ... why did the other PTI smack blogs shut down? Did the "owners" of the blogs just decide to close them?
As I recall, the 1st one shut down because the owner felt that the personal attacks were too extreme and she probably just didn't want to be a part of it.
Someone promptly started the 2nd one, opened a post, and then didn't come back to give more space when there were more than four hundred comments, lol.
Interesting point about children googling their parents names and finding smack written about them. I can see why that would be hurtful. I personally don't agree with calling anyone names. I cringe when I read somebody being called a fat cow or stupid *%& but that's entirely different than saying that somebody has no customer service skills or that they should hire a pr rep.
6:28 I pretty much agree with everything you just said. The daytime events were cool. The goodie bags were cool & I felt a pretty good value for what we paid. OK yes, an older less popular stamp set & additions set, but still. (And if they had given out a more recent one that half the people had there would have been bitching about that as well.)
The evening reception was lame, lame, lame. Very poorly planned and/or they totally cheaped out on it. And for an evening after a very long day not to mention after traveling the day before not having seats was not very much fun. And no, I really didn't want to sit on the convention center floor.
7:11 & 6:28, I agree with you both. And for the other poster who commented about the DT being tired at the end of the day as an excuse, my experience with Dawn was early in the day at her make n take. She was very B****Y. The others on the DT were still very pleasant, even at the evening reception.
06:15 - I haven't read past yours yet because I am amazed to read that.
I think you're way out of line. We are not responsible for how people choosing to be in the public eye handle their children's time on the internet.
Sure, I wouldn't want my kids reading negative things about me online either. But parents need to set rules for the internet and enforce them. And if kids do find something there that needs to be explained, then it's up to the parent to handle it appropriately.
I don't want my kids to see this smack blog for other reasons, so they don't. Period.
It's personal responsibility. You can't expect everyone to protect your kids for you. Parents need to take more personal responsibility than anyone else.
6:28, interesting and very fair-minded post about SAF. I would've just left at the reception I think if that were the situation. I'm just curious - the reception was at the same place, but there were enough chairs for the daytime events and make & takes? How did they lose seating? You're so right about it partly being the responsibility of the managers at the venue to guide them, too. Ha - I wonder if they tried and then gave up when someone insisted on being right!
I find it curious that SAF attendees are on the smack blog. Are you upset with the turn of events at PTI? Boycotting? Or just keeping up on the scoop? No judgment here no matter the answer. I just think of SAF peeps as being the ultimate fan, so it sort of begs the question :) .
OMG, now we're responsible for making people's children feel bad?
I hunk the person making that outlandish claim is the same one who was crying about how this blog caused Lisa to step down. The same one that said this blog (and it's readers) have affected people's live soutside of PTI.
Get a grip, girlfriend. It must be hard to type while you're slapping hands and patting yourself on the back for being better than us meanies.
I didn't attend SAF, but I was definitely among the die-hard fans up until about that time. I had been ordering from PTI since their second month in business, and my monthly orders were always over the free shipping amount, sometimes by a lot. I think everyone has their own personal breaking point, and just because someone went to SAF last year, I wouldn't personally make any assumptions about whether or not they're still a huge fan. Nearly a year later, a lot of water has passed under that bridge.
I remember reading a lot about SAF after the event, and I can't believe that I didn't remember the stuff about the dessert reception. That's just silly to have a special event with not enough food or seating.
I went to SAF becase it was only a couple of hours from my house. A co-worker and I went with our familes. She has family in Cinci and my husband and our son walked around downtown near the ballparks, we just made it a weekend away. If I had not been able to drive I would not have gone most likely.
I order from PTI all the time. I take breaks when they piss me off or I don't have the money. I have ordered less often lately due to the way they have treated other folks. I have had several issues of my own, some resolved quick and easy and some were not.
As for the seating... During the day we were in a ballroom with round banquet type tables like you would have for a wedding reception. We also ate lunch there (you went up and picked up a box lunch and went back to your seat). Then we had a break for dinner where we were on our own (they were tearing down the store and idea gallery displays from earlier). When we returned for the dessert reception it was in a (wide) hallway next to the room we were in before. They had maybe 10 tables of 4 (think bistro tables) and maybe another 10 cocktail hightop tables. Other than that there was no seating. They said they wanted people to mingle and did it on purpose. But I saw a whole lot of people plopping down on their butts.
If you don't call people heifer or fat cow or ugly then the handslap post was probably not directed at you. I think that the point was valid even though I believe in personal responsibility.
commenting on someone's weight to me is too much, but I don't think saying that someone was bitchy is out line.
We are responsible for what we say and I make it a point not to lie or throw personal insults, but people are free to do as they choose.
I will say that if kids don't want to read about their parents being a bitch, then maybe their parents should take that to heart and not BE a bitch so no one has a reason to post that they were bitchy on a smack blog.... just sayin'
I'm 7:11 I went to SAF because it fit in with other plans I had for the same time-frame.
I've never been a fan-girl for any company. Even the ones I luuuurve. (That doesn't mean I don't put in good words where appropriate.) In the end, it's a business relationship. I've never (and never will be, I imagine) a one-company type of crafter. I will buy my scor-tape, for example, from wherever I can get the best deal. Not from PTI simply because they sell it.
And I feel kinda bad for characterizing last year's SAF attendees as "fans." I completely understand there were circumstances etc. for why to go. Heck - if I had lived close, I may have gone too!
Yeah, right, mingle :p . After a long day like that, some traveling fair distances to be there?! I was wondering before I read that they did it on purpose if they thought a lot of people would not come back! Weird & stupid of them. What a shame.
8:01, I agree with you, I won't buy from just one company.
I started liking Papertrey's stamps more than other companies in about 2009. Up until that point I wasn't really buying many stamps at all. I already had 10 years worth and was just buying the odd set through SCS for sale/trade. I never got into the paper or inks though. I would have only gone to SAF if I was already in the area. I wouldn't plan a trip around it.
I have heard from a couple of friends that Joan had good news. Maybe not my place, but I promise you that if I had heard she had bad news, I would have just kept my mouth shut because that would definitely not be my place to say. I think there are people here who would be very happy for her and were praying for her, so I thought it appropriate to pass along.
and probably anything I say in this post isn't going to sound right to someone, so .....whatever ;) .
Do a 30-second fact check, 6:15, before posting a stupid hand-slap. Goggle any "real name" that has ever been used on this blog and there are no negative connections. I'll admit, I didn't page through all 10million pages that came up for NH, or scour the article on the (unrelated) *reporter* named Heather Nichols .... but if someone's kid searched that hard and came up with a speck of dirt ... well, then more power to them. They will make an awesome FBI agent someday and all this will have helped their career.
How many weight or personal comments have there been, really?
The vast majority of people here do not now, nor have they ever, remarked on anyone's weight. Commenting on Nichole's awful communication skills isn't mean. Saying she's bitchy isn't mean - enough people have said it and experienced her bitchiness to make it more than just a salacious rumor.
Anyway, WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO BE A PART OF SOMETHING SO 'MEAN?'
Oh, I know: it gives you a chance to play morally superior smack blog mommy.
Oh, and PS 6:15 ... I am sure John Edward's kids won't enjoy reading their Dad's name in the google but that doesn't mean the writers should be silenced. Sometimes real shit happens and people write / talk about it. Welcome to the real world.
I will say that if kids don't want to read about their parents being a bitch, then maybe their parents should take that to heart and not BE a bitch so no one has a reason to post that they were bitchy on a smack blog.... just saying' ------------------ I agree. Another thought - remember when parents were parents and actually paid attention to what their kids were looking up online? I think that's much easier than telling all of the naked people of the world to put some clothes on. LOLOLOL.
7:41 I was a PTI fan who attended SAF (but not exclusively PTI) but I spent what I consider a good bit of $$ with them. Easily $80-$125 a month on average from almost the beginning. I bought in November (small $65 order) and in Feb to use my rewards. Not a penny with PTI since. I started getting more and more fed up and unlike Ted, I DID talk with my wallet, LOL! I read here. Cannot stand the forum now and have what I am sure is a nasty PM waiting there from Nicole re my last post. I wasn't banned, just chose not to go back anymore.. Really sad to see a co I loved run into the ground. No desire whatsoever to participate in the "Saf" this year. I guess I just keep hoping the PTI powers that be will wake up. I would like to be a customer again but it's not looking good!
Looking at the very bottom of the papertrey site, it says "all products" and sad to say that may be the easiest way to find something you know the name of! It's also got a bunch of Palette inks - they don't sell those anymore do they?
I wonder how many they start out with of each one.
And how many people just aren't ordering at release time anymore.
Maybe this is the best thing that could happen to PTI - the release hype dies down and the orders are spread out to a more consistent level throughout the month.
They only start out with 800-900 of a set. I'm not an insider, but when I visited the site the following day, I was playing around with adding large quantities to see what was available.
Happy Hydrangea is ugly. And I'm tired of that old lady scripts font. Some clean and modern would be nice. Do they own certain fonts cause they seem to stick to the same five no matter what.
@ 12:50 I highly doubt that they order more now to avoid OOS issues. That would mean that they have actually learned from their mistakes and improved, and sadly I just don't think that is the case. I think it all boils down to the fact that so many customers have stopped buying.
I think they had a period of explosive growth, when it was very hard for them to know how much to order initially. I remember one time when someone was complaining about things being sold out, and Nichole said they had ordered three (or was it four?) times as many as they sold the previous month. Now I think things have leveled off and are more stable, so they have a better idea of how much to order. Part of that might be that some customers are no longer ordering, but part of it is also that explosive growth doesn't continue forever, since crafters are a limited market. When you are small, your sales can triple or quadruple in a month; when you are bigger, they don't.
I think people just didn't order because the stuff wasn't very appealing. And, the things that were appealing were either too expensive (flip flops) or weren't worth buying and having to pay for shipping. I agree about Maile's set - I love her CAS style, but that set stunk. Actually, I like her better as a DT member than a set designer - for as much as I LOVE her cards, I don't really like any of the sets she designed.
I think PTI is pricing themselves out of business. Look at two of the biggest hyped sets this month: On the Farm & Flippin' Out. Both $24 before adding on multiple dies or impression plates to recreate the DT looks that make us want to buy. When I can qualify for free shipping off of one set (inc. add ons), there's a problem. They should aim for smaller stamp sets. For me, I'd sooner buy $20 in other stuff to compliment a $15 set than for a $24 one.
About Maile's hydrangea flop .. I love her but she needs to stick to designing cards. That's her strength. Recognize it and embrace it. We can't be good at everything.
I got a pm from Ted once. I left it sitting in my inbox and it must have driven him crazy because he finally deleted it. ------------ Can people see if you've read their PM or not?
I like Cheryl (cknutti). She is usually very kind and funny. The fact that she deleted the PM probably shows she thought better of words written in haste--that's to her credit.
Ugh. Why do I click on the threads that say "yay PTI actually shipped my package on time" (like they are supposed to?) It always drives me bonkers reading how people commend them for getting packages out in a "timely manner" like any normal company would.
I would much rather buy $5 and $15 sets with dies. The $24 sets, especially ones like stocking prints or the flip flops are just a lot of the same thing.
Pti could probably make more money if they split the $24 sets into 2 $15 sets.
I just did a lot of catching up, and saw the posts about Dawn and her stupid "What do you wear?" thread. Just to annoy the heck out of her, I would love to post that I like to be naked while stamping... I'm sure that would get me kicked out of the forum! hahaha
I personally really like almost all of the sets that Maile has designed. Modern Basics is pretty much my all-time favorite stamp set, from any company. That said, the hydrangeas didn't do a thing for me. But I don't like hydrangeas in real life either.
I would much rather buy $5 and $15 sets with dies. The $24 sets, especially ones like stocking prints or the flip flops are just a lot of the same thing.
Pti could probably make more money if they split the $24 sets into 2 $15 sets.
18 May 2012 18:39 -------------------------------
I too tend to buy the stamp sets that cost $15 or less these days. Think twice if I really want the $18 sets (the backgrounds are really nice though)
The only Maile set that I have is BB:Houndstooth because I love that pattern and I use it A LOT.
I think she's designs great sets, they just don't really win me over because I am not into CAS. Again, I like my layers and ribbon and bows. What else would you expect from a blatantly homo cardmaker? I kid, I kid.
Hydrangeas are my favorite flowers, and I think I would have preferred blooms similar in style to the Friendship Jar ones. That being said, I do like enough of the stamps in the set to buy it, I think it's in my new cart because it dumped after a month.
I think I have said this before, but I think Dawn really excels are designing sets. I like a lot of her sets.
OK, so I just had to wander over to the forum to check it out. Haven't been there for a while. What stood out was there isn't so much gushing over stamp sets anymore. Like, what you wear when stamping, promos for ink pads from other companies, buying an e-reader, etc. how to organize stamps, needing help to find products, what TV shows to watch, or not, etc just to list a few threads. Very different from the 'old days'. When you were allowed to have an opinion and a bit of banter.
It is hard to have a meaningful conversation if one doesn't feel comfortable expressing any opinion other than positive. I used to comment on peeks, but stopped when it was mentioned that only positive comments should be posted so no one would feel bad if someone didn't like a set.
I don't care to chat on threads started by the team when it is obvious to me that the questions are part of their job, not any real interest on their part. To be clear, I don't resent the team, because it is part of their job, I just don't care to play into it.
It is hard to have a meaningful conversation if one doesn't feel comfortable expressing any opinion other than positive. I used to comment on peeks, but stopped when it was mentioned that only positive comments should be posted so no one would feel bad if someone didn't like a set.
I don't care to chat on threads started by the team when it is obvious to me that the questions are part of their job, not any real interest on their part. To be clear, I don't resent the team, because it is part of their job, I just don't care to play into it. ------------------------------ Couldn't agree more. I used to go to the forums and think, wander who's turn it is to babysit today? Don't really go that much anymore unless someone here mentions something there.
My cart is dumping. I use Firefox with a Windows OS. I started to open up a Zendesk ticket after not even being able to find zendesk on the main website (I had to go to the forum and find Nichole's sticky post).At that point I realized that I didn't really care to waste Rick's time or mine trying to figure out the problem. It makes it less tempting for me to place that impulse order anyways.
That's a good point about impulse purchasing 4:51.
I wonder how much that website has lost them in the impulse buys. You know the ZOMG I have to have that set! And whatever else I need to get for free shipping. But once you are poking around the site attempting to find what you want & then the cart dumps. Eh, screw it, I don't really need it...
That's often a $70 (or more) sale lost every time that website annoys someone out of an impulse buy.
I am in Canada and I have had over $200 sitting in my cart for over 2 weeks. Before that, my cart remained intact for about 3 weeks without a problem. I might refill it again but only if I'm bored. I haven't ordered since last October and don't really have any intention of doing so but honestly, if my cart was full and I had a brief moment of impulsiveness, I would click *submit*.
"but stopped when it was mentioned that only positive comments should be posted so no one would feel bad if someone didn't like a set."
Quoting a poster above and wondering if when they saw that mentioned, it was mentioned by a customer or by someone on the PTI staff??
Either way - what an absurd thought. But especially inappropriate coming from staff. If you see negative comments, then graciously accept different tastes or kindly offer reasons that might change their mind. Or ignore it.
But to basically say - we don't care to hear your opinion - because you're afraid an *adult* (we assume) might get their feelings hurt? I guess they are talking about the designer (I don't know that we can always refer to them as illustrators) and if so that person needs to be able to take constructive criticism and also understand that not everyone likes everything. If they can't do that, they shouldn't be doing the job.
The childishness exhibited by PTI is often beyond what I'd expect from children.
If I remember correctly, it was just a random poster that chimed in on one of the release threads asking Nichole if the "I'm safe" term hurt her or the dt's feelings. Only after being asked did she say that yes, it did.
I think that Ted chimed on one month after posts started popping up saying "I got my shipping notice" and he said that posts like that only harbor I'll will and that people should stop posting that.
Come to think of it, Ted may have been the aforementioned random poster.
Interesting and I've noticed that too Rick. It's easy to not research and back up your words with facts when you are posting anonymously.
Also, anyone can post something ridiculous and whether or not everybody believes it, the seed has been planted and there are those that will remember what has been said.
Rick - have you paid the $1000 you owe yet? No, then STFU! PTI has become a joke and you look like a fool for continuously defending their shitty ways!
Except it was said by NH that comments like "I'm safe this month" were considered hurtful to the designer, so why are we doubting the poster just because they anonymous?
just read the quote @7:18. Well, all I can say after reading there is "I'm safe" has been my mantra for the last several months. Love the saying "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all" that NH used. Heard it so much when I was little. However, as an adult I do have opinions and will express them. I think commenting that you do care for a particular item is not a personal assault, but more about what speaks to the individual taste. Thin skin, yup and that has been a big part of the issues with PTI.
"Rick - have you paid the $1000 you owe yet? No, then STFU! PTI has become a joke and you look like a fool for continuously defending their shitty ways!"
I disagree with you and your comments make all smackers look bad. We aren't a bunch of hot-headed idiots but comments like this make us look that way.
Rick was merely pointing out in a clear and concise way that something that is written here can very quickly be taken as fact. He wasn't defending anything.
YOU are the one that looks like a fool that can't get their point across without resorting to anger and swearing.
"Except it was said by NH that comments like "I'm safe this month" were considered hurtful to the designer, so why are we doubting the poster just because they anonymous?"
Who was doubting the poster? Are you referring to Rick's comment?
I completely agree with Rick. It is one of the downsides of chatboards. I have been a member of several forums over the years and people will quote things from 2 years ago that never even really happened as if they were fact at the time.
Yes, I can see how comments can be 'construed' as truth, but in this case, NH did make the comment about possible hurt feelings by the designer by people saying "i'm safe'. So, not all things are made up just as an excuse to smack PTI.
I think everyone involved with PTI needs to pause and reflect how many positive changes have come about because of customer suggestion. Until everyone was kicked off the boards, customers themselves did a great deal of "customer service" by answering questions, etc. Sometimes I think the ONLY positive changes in the past 2 years have been due to customer suggestion / insistance. Discouraging feedback is another great example of how PTI gives the impression that customers are more burden than asset.
I think that post by Nichole is one of her better written, except for some grammar and punctuation of course, and yet I still think it's a load of bull.
She's basically just saying mind your manners. We won't censor you but we really don't want to hear you say you don't like something based on a sneak peek. Then don't show the sneak peeks. Don't have a comment thread on the sneak peeks on your blog or allow one in the forum.
Did it ever occur to her that someone saying "I'm safe" translates into, I typically spend a lot of money and my budget can't take it if I love everything"? That's a lot better than - this sneak peek stinks - which you really only read here ;) .
Just ask people to mind their manners when they post (which I believe, if they are rude, their posts can be deleted, right?, so why even bother).
She ends up talking in circles or out both sides of her mouth as the old saying goes and being polite is what it all boils down to.
But if they cannot handle honest feedback then they shouldn't be in this business. Ms. Big-Heady needs to learn that if you are going to create a place for people to post, then you cannot control everything. I don't feel badly for the designers one little bit. Not everyone will like everything so get over it.
I really do want/need to order a couple of things from PTI and every time I'm *this* close, I come here and think again - I really should not shop there.
I can't believe that post by Nichole. Telling people what they can and cannot say - again. If you keep making people feel like they're going to be chastised for every single little thing, then they just won't bother anymore. It's like flippin' Big Brother over there.
I'm not so much annoyed by Rick's presence on this board - just like the rest of us he can do/say what he wants here. I am annoyed, though, by everyone coming to his defense.
Let him defend himself if he wants to. He seems alright, as a person, judging by his posts here. But, I do have to question his motives. If the company I worked for had a smack board, they would not support my open participation - they would absolutely want me to view it and report feedback, but not to post. If Rick is working for PTI (helping with IT and suck) his presence here discredits them. As the creator of their Zendesk forum, he should be using that for CS responses, not responding on the smack board. Sure, it's convenient for us, but terrible CS for the company. Also, by him being here I get the feeling that he agrees with the "smacking" even if he won't come out and say it - just him openly participating in this type of blog, gives the impression that he thinks PTI is smackworthy, and as an employee of theirs, it shines negatively on them. So, that's why it bugs me when I read lots of posts defending Rick - he's either here without the knowledge of the PTI owners, which is shady, or he's here with their owners and doesn't realize how bad it makes him and PTI look by his being here.
Again, I have no problem with Rick - I have a problem with his being here as a representative of PTI. That's why I find the RickDefenders kind of annoying.
Maybe but it's still annoying. I think it's cool that he comes over here and joins in.
And I agree with him about how people end up repeating rumors as truth around here. But I also hope everyone here has sense enough to not trust everything they read.
They have to know he's here. With or without their blessing. With all of the cheerleaders that have come here, just imagine how many have looked and not posted. Someone out of that number has reported back to someone at PTI. I can't believe for a minute that no one has.
Just read Nichole's comment about "I'm safe" in that thread for the first time. Her analogy about a fashion designer only peeking one-inch swatches of fabric to the press is just stupid. What kind of idiot designer would show one-inch swatches of the fabric used in a collection when the press is expecting to see pieces that actually represent the work, and then NOT expect people to be underwhelmed or confused by it, or outright dismissive of it? And Nichole is saying that is analogous to what she does with her peeks?! Sheesh.
She is basically saying: yes, it is normal for people seeing small peeks to not see the value in the whole item, but that's what we do and if you react in the normal way it is an insult to us.
If that's the way they feel about the peeks and people's early reactions to them, then why continue to do them at all! Why do something that they KNOW is going to provoke negative premature judgment, and then get all waaah-poor-me when it does?
Why would the people at PTI read this blog? They tell us time and again that they don't want to hear anything negative. I'm sure they want to keep their blinders on.
They don't want to hear anything negative said about them in their own house. Their forum is their happy place where they can forget about the truth in the outside world and live in a land where there is only love for them and sunshine and unicorns and rainbows all the time. Lalalala, I can't hear you, I'm in my happy place!
If they were SMART they would want to venture to the outside world to know what the HONEST opinions about them were. But they also have to realize that the people who they have pissed off are going to be spewing all kinds of venom (as is their right), so some of those outside opinions are going to be skewed to the other extreme. This smack blog is the counter-balance to their unicorn forum. Quite full of the opposite extreme of opinion. Somewhere in the middle, is the truth.
Why would the people at PTI read this blog? They tell us time and again that they don't want to hear anything negative. I'm sure they want to keep their blinders on. --------------------------- I agree. Any other company would want to spy on a smack blog so they could tune in to what people are really thinking and saying. IF pti reads here, it is my opinion they would not have sense enough to do anything constructive with it. Heck, they can't do anything constructive with the OBVIOUS that used to be on their own forum in spotlights (i.e.: dozens of pages about why can't the anniv sets be sent before they actually sent them.) They like their heads in the sand. It's their happy place.
Honest opinions is exactly why I read here. Its the only place I know of where customers can say exactly what they think without being censured. I get a lot more info here than on the forum by far. And no, I am not looking for the negative.
So, back in Nov (I think) NH posted that sticky letter to the customers promising positive changes coming soon. It's almost June. Did I miss it? I've seen nothing but disasters, especially since the Feb release. Seriously, was this what she was promising??
10:32- scroll up to 7:18. It already was linked. There, I just spent as much energy telling you to go find it as it would have taken me to just re-post it. :-P
More about that post by Nichole. She says she doesn't want anyone to feel censored, but then she turns right around and outlines guidelines for exactly how it is okay and not okay for us to express our opinions. YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!!! If you welcome honest opinions you don't get to tell people how to word them. If I want to be sour and pissy and downright ugly to someone in the way I express my opinion that is my right. The negative karma it causes to me will be mine to deal with, but you don't get to dictate what I do! Unless, of course, it is your forum and you are censoring honest expression of opinion.
WWGD (What would GinaK do) if she had a smack blog (which there isn't, for good reason)?? The answer is so obvious I feel silly for typing. She would FIX SHIT.
Oh I think it's hilarious how people always use GinaK as the example of how to do it all right. She deserves it, but I wonder how Gina feels seeing herself held up as such a shining beacon of Not-Nichole-ness. LOL
I agree that PTI needs to work on some things but do you think Gina K's stamps and supplies get as much business in a concentrated period of time as PTI? I wonder if it actually is a true and correct comparison?
Rick is all we have. He has been the most reliable CS & IT help we have gotten from anyone at PTI to date.
That being said, now consider that he is the ex-husband of a PTI owner that lives in another state and has no power to confirm or deny our simplest questions about whether things will ever get better.
And yet, it's the best PTI has given us.
No offense Rick - my point is more a statement on the owners lack of effort/ability in the big picture.
Oh I think it's hilarious how people always use GinaK as the example of how to do it all right. She deserves it, but I wonder how Gina feels seeing herself held up as such a shining beacon of Not-Nichole-ness. LOL ------------------------ It's exactly like when PTI is praised for shipping something on time. Gina can sit there doing what is simply expected in the normal world and in the PTI world it is considered magic. Lol.
10:55, you are right. It is obvious Gina K has NOT exploded in popularity as PTI did. It is a lot easier to manage slow and steady growth rather than the explosion of growth PTI had.
PTI's growth "explosion" was years ago. They need to "man up" already.
Maybe there isn't a fair comparison because other companies that do this whole monthly ramp up spiel aren't as big as they are (or don't seem to be to me). I think it's because they don't have as generic a style as PTI does. You either like headless women or you don't :)... and another company, Verve, has a lot of stamps that all look the same. Those are the ones I can think of that have at least somewhat regular monthly release ramp-ups. And Gina K but we've already figured out that the style is a little dated for a lot of people.
But I don't think we have to have a comparison company. They have problems at PTI and no amount of excuses is going to hold water anymore. This is not a new issue! They have wasted years by not fixing the problems and now they are paying the price. The public's patience wears out in time. Too many other options and they are missing a golden opportunity.
A couple of people have wondered why they don't just sell through another company - I think it would be a good idea. They can't handle this.
Their growth explosion STARTED years ago, but every month they had a sellout on release night was a month it was still happening, and that happened until just recently.
Not saying they couldn't have handled CS way better, just saying managing explosive growth like they had is not as simple as some of you think it is.
oh ffs the "growing business" excuse expired YEARS ago man. Get real. They were the same in 2008 according to the old threads which can still be sourced. And back then "growing business" was the same excuse du jour. Give me a fucking break.
As for Rick, he's a damn shill, just putting their viewpoint in every few post. If he had any objectivity he'd be using those fine analytical skills he used to observe how shit gets recycled at the blog to observe how fucked up PTI is. But he can't and never will because he's NOT being objective and never will be. He sees nothing wrong.
I agree with previous poster that it is becoming like sheeple-ville here. Any dissenting opinion is shot down. Some of the bloggers have become the sheeple.
Credit where credit is due. I have not ordered for 5 months from PTI. I ordered very late Wed. night and my package was in my hands THIS morning. I live clear across the US from them. I am pleased!
If they've fixed things in the warehouse, are packages being shipped IN ORDER and are they getting into USPS & UPS' hands in a timely fashion? Just because a few reach customers quickly doesn't mean they've fixed their ish in the warehouse. I foolishly order BEFORE the release night glitch and my order changed to shipped in PTI's system AFTER people were posting that they ordered in the morning and there was actual movement of their boxes. Reality still doesn't jive with their rhetoric. Perhaps if Nichole was on site and actually saw how things were done, she'd sing a different tune.
I did order too because I wanted to use my reward points and it just says OK beside my order ... no tracking number produced even. That was also on Wednesday, early in the day.
Isn't Nichole in the same area as the shipping/packing facility? Why couldn't she check up on it. Actually, why couldn't she check up on it if she's not - go there. . It's your business!
Yes, it all STARTED years ago and I agree that the excuse of growing too fast or growing pains is hogwash. If they haven't figured out how to run the business and deal with the vagaries of customer orders by now, then they shouldn't be in business.
Seriously what does it matter when its says it shipped or whatever. Did it arrive in a reasonable amount of time and was the ordet packed well and complete without defects. Thats the important part
I'm 14:11 and I placed an order too since I was having a shipment anyway. I'm not too pleased hearing that people who ordered later have already received their order. They should be sent out in the order received.
I don't know that it DOES matter when it says shipped because in February my ordered said shipped, and it didn't arrive. I didn't get it for over 2 months because in reality it never had shipped, even though it said it did. Nichole said it was due to some "duplication" error, when I could finally get someone to listen to me.
14:20, that may well be enough for that individual. But it isn't enough for those who are trying to determine if they have corrected some of their problems with shipping.
I'd like to know if people are still getting email notification of labels being printed, and then the package sits, and sits, and sits, before it gets anywhere, for 3 or 4 days.
There's a difference between "Rick bashers" and people questioning his motives here/not trusting him. You'd have to be stupid to trust him and think he was on your "side"
"Rick is all we have. He has been the most reliable CS & IT help we have gotten from anyone at PTI to date." -
PATHETIC that you think Rick, on this blog, is an asset to you. Maybe as help on the Zendesk or something, but not here.
People think that they've got some kind of "in" with PTI CS by Rick being here, and it's naive.
I think the only reason people are getting packages so fast this month is because no one ordered those ugly sets. They didn't improve warehouse functions, they just don't have a high volume of packages.
I agree that PTI needs to work on some things but do you think Gina K's stamps and supplies get as much business in a concentrated period of time as PTI? I wonder if it actually is a true and correct comparison? --------------------------- I was comparing only as far as Public Relations is concerned. If NH and GK were given the same 5 minutes to compose a message to their customers, I can guarantee that GK's would be helpful, polite, spelled correctly, and gramatically correct. NH's would be an arrogant, illiterate, mess. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.
Does anyone have Fresh Ink's or Amuse's White and Cream inkpads? How do they show up on dark colored paper? I'm not too happy with PTI's spongy inkpads and might consider switching over if the coverage is good. I am so in love with those new pigment inks!
I think I remember somewhere hearing that PTI was the first stamp company to use the monthly release model selling direct-to-consumer online only, and all the other stamp companies who do it too followed suit. Is this true? If it is, it would be so ironic that the company who started it all seems to be the only one for whom it does not seem to be working.
The other companies seem to be proof that it can be done successfully; you just have to manage your infrastructure properly. Which PTI needs help learning how to do, I think. I believe that if they had known how to handle their "explosive growth" in the right way they would not be pissing customers off left and right as much as they are now. (The personalities of the owners are obviously a whole 'nother ballgame.)
I wish so bad that they would hire one of those people who analyze companies and tell them how to run everything efficiently. (Whatever they are called.) They seem to need a serious overhaul of everything from the ground up.
Whether I'm in a brick & mortar store or ordering online I expect that customers are served in the order they line up at the checkout. If you were in the grocery store and the cashier decided to serve ten people behind you BEFORE you, I bet you'd be pissed and kicking up a stink. Same principles apply. Online doesn't mean you can service customers whenever the heck you please. And if orders aren't being pulled in sequential order, don't bloody well tell me they are.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who re-reads posts I write sometimes. I didn't notice "it seems" when I was reading it :) .
Sometimes I read my own previous posts and don't even recognize it as mine at first!
I don't think they were the first to have that monthly release model. When they were a member company on SCS, there were quite a few companies that had big stamp release party nights. I remember participating in MFT's and Verve's too.
I'd make a trip there if I lived across the country!
I think one thing that bothers a lot of people is the lackadaisical attitude. It's all lip service with them. If it wasn't, the website would have been changed by now.
I know, right? How hard can that website be to fix? Why haven't they had code monkeys hammering away at it as their full-time job for all this time? I think part of their problem is that many of their key people are doing PTI as a second, spare-time job. *cough*Rick*cough*
The thing I don't like about Colorbox pigment inks is that they never seem to dry completely. I have a sketchbook that I was experimenting around with ink techniques in FIFTEEN YEARS ago, and the stuff I stamped in the Frost White ink pad had a bloom on it that I can STILL wipe off all these years later. But... yeah... I have heard people say it is their favorite white ink pad for coverage. :-/
Colorbox takes 2 days to dry and the pads get yucky fast.
How do we KNOW PTI doesn't send orders as received? I can mail 10 things on the same day and the don't all get to different destinations at the same time.
But if all ten items were dropped off at the same post office, same time, with tracking numbers (I'm talking reg first class AND priority international), then they should all show movement in the USPS system.
If I'm paying for Priority and ordered at 10:30, my box should be making its way through the postal system BEFORE orders placed at 8:00 the following morning. Part of the ridiculous international fees cover step-by-step tracking which CONFIRMS that boxes are NOT given to USPS in order.
To the poster that asked about Fresh Ink and A Muse Studio white and cream inks, I've tried them all. I can tell you that the coverage from the Fresh Ink and A Muse Studio white inks is not as good as PTI's Fresh Snow ink. BUT I HAVE found a new (to me) white ink that I LOVE, and it has better coverage than PTI's Fresh Snow ink. It's Hero Arts/Memories Unicorn pigment ink. It seriously has the best coverage I've ever seen in a white ink. You can heat set it to get it to dry faster, but I've not had any problems with the color rubbing off. I ordered my HA/Memories Unicorn ink from Simon Says Stamps. Great service!!
Does anyone remember Blanco White Dye Ink? I still have my old pad and as soon as they quit making it I bought several refills. Dries instantly but is a transparent kind of white, although I really like it for shadowing effects.
@ 14:30. Go back and read the ENTIRE quote you are quoting. The point, for those who can read, is that papertrey has given us nothing better than Rick who is not much. Reading comprehension. It's swell.
Donna - until you can give me the name of the genius in charge of pti's IT dept, we have been given Rick like it or not. I am not saying it as if he is a "gift". I am saying it in the tone of "pti doesn't have anything to give us" and I don't see improvement coming. It looks like they are content to have part-time, part-family, partly-skilled, multi-state people running this company. It's so effed up and will never change.
Good comment about part-time, part-family, multi-state people etc running the company. Surely at some stage one needs competent full-time people 'on site' to sort out their ongoing problems. Odd way to run a business.
I know this would not work for country-folk, but if I am looking for a certain image, or sentiment, I work it out on the computer, pop into my local business stamp shop and get it made up for about $5. No shipping !!!
Your local stamp shop? Do you think that's a common thing?
I wonder also about wanting a "certain image." I would guess that as long as you don't use it online anywhere, you could just copy anything from a book, catalog or the internet and use it. Who would know?
Of course, if you want a stamp, that's a little more effort for most people. But again, if you are just using it for yourself, not online and not selling anything, you could have anything you find made into a stamp, I would think.
Sentiments are no-brainers for me. I would never buy a stamp set specifically for a sentiment.
One thing I haven't seen commented on - maybe I missed it - is that Nicole said her payment processor failed during this last release and that because it was outside of business hours there was nothing they could do.
Having dealt with payment processors, I know that they have 24 hour a day, 7 days a week emergency/support lines. I can't imagine running an online business that is open every hour of every day and NOT having a payment processor who works longer than 9-5 Monday to Friday.
Strange. Again, in my opinion Nicole is passing the blame to someone else and not their own system/business. Unless no one at PTI monitors the website outside of "business" hours and therefore had no clue the payment processor "failed".
And do her payment processors business hours also happen to be on Tennessee time - they just happen to be the same as PTI's "business" hours?
It's either time to rethink midnight (Central time?) releases, or to rethink payment processors. Seriously, if her payment processor failed for a solid, what - 8 hours? - then she should seriously be compensated by them for her lost revenue. It's a ridiculous cover up on their end, imo.
PTI headquarters are in Cincinnati, Ohio. NH is in Tennessee. Not that it makes a difference, obviously the day to day store operations are not NH's responsibility. Apparently Julie is the only one 'on site' who oversees store ops. Unfortunately, she has another day job, and PTI's operation gets in the way of that. That is, in a nutshell, why PTI will fail.
PTI won't fail as long as paper crafts mag keeps giving them (and their DT) tons of exposure. I'm amazed at the number of posts from forum people who have not been around that long and at the number of longtime posters (inc. cknutti) who simply don't post anymore.
PTI has a new clientele who doesn't have years of bad experiences, or knowledge thereof, to help bad their bottom line. Those of us who left or scaled back on purchases aren't NH or Julie's priorities. We've been replaced. By people spending real money not cashing in rewards.
I don't think PTI will go out of business unless they just choose to (which I kind of think they should).
Nichole is the one who had a good reputation in the stamping business, and it's in her best interest to move on from this place as soon as possible.
But they can easily continue as they are and be one of many mediocre companies out there, with passable designs, and a decent following. But I think the glory days are gone.
PTI won't fail as long as paper crafts mag keeps giving them (and their DT) tons of exposure. ------------------------ I will be interested to see how long paper crafts keeps doing that considering how many of us are turned off that publication. They won't sell as many subscriptions to ex-PTI customers for sure. Even with new pti customers, there is a ripple effect from all of the history. Ex-customers haven't disappeared but are spending money elsewhere, building up those companies. I know many of us are turned off of even the PTI DT and are less likely to purchase products showcased by someone like Dawn who has proven herself to be a big phony fake.
And once again Rick came to my rescue within 3 minutes. ------------------- How long would you have waited for the proper PTI channels? Sad that things are more efficient via the smackblog.
@14:01 - didn't you know? They went to a new storefront to improve the customer experience, give international customers (cheaper) shipping options, and to reward longtime customers with reward dollars. They gave us one out of three so we can't complain that we got royally screwed over.
Rick isn't a secret CS weapon, are you kidding me?
He's a half-assed IT guy who has somehow gained the favor of lonely stampin ladies and fooled them into thinking he's worth something.
If he had any sense, he'd direct the "smackers" to the zendesk and openly solve their "problems" there which would show other customers that, hey, PTI has a CS guy who is actually trying to help people.
Well, he does direct people to zendesk. And he has also provided his email address for people to contact him. That's his business. He has said over and over that he doesn't have control over how PTI does things, but he's helping. What the hell is wrong with that?
To a lot of people in this business, it's more than a job. For most it's also a hobby that they love and care about, and they care about their customers and their staff. I think that's somehow lacking at PTI but I think Rick probably has that characteristic - he cares. If this is something he wants to do, then why is anyone giving him a hard time about it?
I feel lucky that I've worked in situations where I WANT to go the extra mile whether it's my job or not. It used to be an important ingredient in making this country great.
I don't think "lonely stampin ladies" is a reasonable comment at all.
He's solving issues and for all you know they do get ticketed in zendesk, too.
I'm not in high school, but I'm sure I'm a lot younger than a lot of you here, so what? I still have more sense than the rest of you morons...are you really that starved for attention from a man?
Okay, maybe you are quite a bit younger because you really still don't understand do you?
You wrote the poem? It was childish. You can be any age and be childish so don't be so damn proud of the year you were born. It really has nothing to do with anything.
Maybe when you have lived a little bit longer you'll realize that it's nice when someone goes out of their way to help someone else. And maybe you'll stop categorizing people by age and gender. I wouldn't care if Rick were a 60-year-old lady living in a mobile home in Nebraska. It's not personal attention, it's someone going the extra mile for someone else. Some of us still value that.
215 comments:
1 – 200 of 215 Newer› Newest»First! And C& P of my comments from the last thread -
I still have the original pti smack board in my reader (tho i can't see any comments) It shows the first post as Aug. 14 2011. So it was probably SAF or something around that time that got it started. Maybe. I can't remember either...
Second!
You know its sad if by using peoples full names on here it affects their children. Kids are all over the internet and could google their names. And dont say the truth hurts - I am talking about kids
6:15 - WTF? who is attacking anyone's kids? How is saying that anyone was working, for their job, at SAF going to cause emotional ruin for someone's children?
Is there a die out there like the PTI Notebook die?
(Of course I can't find it on the PTI site to link because I don't know the name of it and am not going to scroll through 10+ pages!)
To the poster on the last thread who mentioned it was cool to not have food or a seat at the receoption at SAF....
rule #1 for a funciton is to have a seat for every butt and at least enough food for everyone to get something.
I think the SAF event in the room was great. They planned everything out, the lunch went well, the store was a nice setup, the make and takes were fabulous.
But the dessert reception was a disaster and while it was OK fun, it was not a huge positive note to end the experience with. I would have rather scrapped the reception and just ended an hour or so later and just do the giveaways - then folks would have been on their own for dinner and that was it.
The servers told us that PTI had bugested for only two pieces of dessert per psron, yes so that would have been like 1 strawberry and one mini cheesecake. That is insane. They cheaped out on it and for that reason alone I would have rather just not had it. Plus it was a pain to go to dinner and come back.
Like I said - I loved the daytime events and even if they hadn't changed a thing I would have gone again this year in a heartbeat, but that part really was silly and it seems really stupid to make excuses that it is OK to have an event where there is no food and people have to sit on the floor of a conference center hallway. Would you do that for a wedding? come on.
That doesn't make them bad people, it just makes them unskilled at planning reception type functions, which is OK. The conference center contact should have also told them it was a bad idea too, that would be their job and they dropped the ball too.
So for someone with no idea of the history behind the smack blogs ... why did the other PTI smack blogs shut down? Did the "owners" of the blogs just decide to close them?
As I recall, the 1st one shut down because the owner felt that the personal attacks were too extreme and she probably just didn't want to be a part of it.
Someone promptly started the 2nd one, opened a post, and then didn't come back to give more space when there were more than four hundred comments, lol.
6:57 Thanks for the answer to my questions. I wasn't "around" back then.
ninth!!!!
Interesting point about children googling their parents names and finding smack written about them. I can see why that would be hurtful.
I personally don't agree with calling anyone names. I cringe when I read somebody being called a fat cow or stupid *%& but that's entirely different than saying that somebody has no customer service skills or that they should hire a pr rep.
6:28 I pretty much agree with everything you just said. The daytime events were cool. The goodie bags were cool & I felt a pretty good value for what we paid. OK yes, an older less popular stamp set & additions set, but still. (And if they had given out a more recent one that half the people had there would have been bitching about that as well.)
The evening reception was lame, lame, lame. Very poorly planned and/or they totally cheaped out on it. And for an evening after a very long day not to mention after traveling the day before not having seats was not very much fun. And no, I really didn't want to sit on the convention center floor.
My thoughts were that it could be a teen protecting their parent with the comments "fat cow" and shut up. Those are pretty juvenile comments
7:11 & 6:28, I agree with you both. And for the other poster who commented about the DT being tired at the end of the day as an excuse, my experience with Dawn was early in the day at her make n take. She was very B****Y. The others on the DT were still very pleasant, even at the evening reception.
06:15 - I haven't read past yours yet because I am amazed to read that.
I think you're way out of line. We are not responsible for how people choosing to be in the public eye handle their children's time on the internet.
Sure, I wouldn't want my kids reading negative things about me online either. But parents need to set rules for the internet and enforce them. And if kids do find something there that needs to be explained, then it's up to the parent to handle it appropriately.
I don't want my kids to see this smack blog for other reasons, so they don't. Period.
It's personal responsibility. You can't expect everyone to protect your kids for you. Parents need to take more personal responsibility than anyone else.
6:28, interesting and very fair-minded post about SAF. I would've just left at the reception I think if that were the situation. I'm just curious - the reception was at the same place, but there were enough chairs for the daytime events and make & takes? How did they lose seating? You're so right about it partly being the responsibility of the managers at the venue to guide them, too. Ha - I wonder if they tried and then gave up when someone insisted on being right!
I find it curious that SAF attendees are on the smack blog. Are you upset with the turn of events at PTI? Boycotting? Or just keeping up on the scoop? No judgment here no matter the answer. I just think of SAF peeps as being the ultimate fan, so it sort of begs the question :) .
OMG, now we're responsible for making people's children feel bad?
I hunk the person making that outlandish claim is the same one who was crying about how this blog caused Lisa to step down. The same one that said this blog (and it's readers) have affected people's live soutside of PTI.
Get a grip, girlfriend. It must be hard to type while you're slapping hands and patting yourself on the back for being better than us meanies.
I didn't attend SAF, but I was definitely among the die-hard fans up until about that time. I had been ordering from PTI since their second month in business, and my monthly orders were always over the free shipping amount, sometimes by a lot. I think everyone has their own personal breaking point, and just because someone went to SAF last year, I wouldn't personally make any assumptions about whether or not they're still a huge fan. Nearly a year later, a lot of water has passed under that bridge.
I remember reading a lot about SAF after the event, and I can't believe that I didn't remember the stuff about the dessert reception. That's just silly to have a special event with not enough food or seating.
@ 7:41 - I am 6:28
I went to SAF becase it was only a couple of hours from my house. A co-worker and I went with our familes. She has family in Cinci and my husband and our son walked around downtown near the ballparks, we just made it a weekend away. If I had not been able to drive I would not have gone most likely.
I order from PTI all the time. I take breaks when they piss me off or I don't have the money. I have ordered less often lately due to the way they have treated other folks. I have had several issues of my own, some resolved quick and easy and some were not.
As for the seating... During the day we were in a ballroom with round banquet type tables like you would have for a wedding reception. We also ate lunch there (you went up and picked up a box lunch and went back to your seat). Then we had a break for dinner where we were on our own (they were tearing down the store and idea gallery displays from earlier). When we returned for the dessert reception it was in a (wide) hallway next to the room we were in before. They had maybe 10 tables of 4 (think bistro tables) and maybe another 10 cocktail hightop tables. Other than that there was no seating. They said they wanted people to mingle and did it on purpose. But I saw a whole lot of people plopping down on their butts.
If you don't call people heifer or fat cow or ugly then the handslap post was probably not directed at you. I think that the point was valid even though I believe in personal responsibility.
commenting on someone's weight to me is too much, but I don't think saying that someone was bitchy is out line.
We are responsible for what we say and I make it a point not to lie or throw personal insults, but people are free to do as they choose.
I will say that if kids don't want to read about their parents being a bitch, then maybe their parents should take that to heart and not BE a bitch so no one has a reason to post that they were bitchy on a smack blog.... just sayin'
I'm 7:11 I went to SAF because it fit in with other plans I had for the same time-frame.
I've never been a fan-girl for any company. Even the ones I luuuurve. (That doesn't mean I don't put in good words where appropriate.) In the end, it's a business relationship. I've never (and never will be, I imagine) a one-company type of crafter. I will buy my scor-tape, for example, from wherever I can get the best deal. Not from PTI simply because they sell it.
Has anyone heard news from Joan? I am thinking about her.
7:52. thanks for the explanation!
And I feel kinda bad for characterizing last year's SAF attendees as "fans." I completely understand there were circumstances etc. for why to go. Heck - if I had lived close, I may have gone too!
Yeah, right, mingle :p . After a long day like that, some traveling fair distances to be there?! I was wondering before I read that they did it on purpose if they thought a lot of people would not come back! Weird & stupid of them. What a shame.
8:01, I agree with you, I won't buy from just one company.
I started liking Papertrey's stamps more than other companies in about 2009. Up until that point I wasn't really buying many stamps at all. I already had 10 years worth and was just buying the odd set through SCS for sale/trade.
I never got into the paper or inks though. I would have only gone to SAF if I was already in the area. I wouldn't plan a trip around it.
I have heard from a couple of friends that Joan had good news. Maybe not my place, but I promise you that if I had heard she had bad news, I would have just kept my mouth shut because that would definitely not be my place to say. I think there are people here who would be very happy for her and were praying for her, so I thought it appropriate to pass along.
and probably anything I say in this post isn't going to sound right to someone, so .....whatever ;) .
Do a 30-second fact check, 6:15, before posting a stupid hand-slap. Goggle any "real name" that has ever been used on this blog and there are no negative connections. I'll admit, I didn't page through all 10million pages that came up for NH, or scour the article on the (unrelated) *reporter* named Heather Nichols .... but if someone's kid searched that hard and came up with a speck of dirt ... well, then more power to them. They will make an awesome FBI agent someday and all this will have helped their career.
How many weight or personal comments have there been, really?
The vast majority of people here do not now, nor have they ever, remarked on anyone's weight. Commenting on Nichole's awful communication skills isn't mean. Saying she's bitchy isn't mean - enough people have said it and experienced her bitchiness to make it more than just a salacious rumor.
Anyway, WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO BE A PART OF SOMETHING SO 'MEAN?'
Oh, I know: it gives you a chance to play morally superior smack blog mommy.
Oh, and PS 6:15 ... I am sure John Edward's kids won't enjoy reading their Dad's name in the google but that doesn't mean the writers should be silenced. Sometimes real shit happens and people write / talk about it. Welcome to the real world.
So I had posted on the previous thread about clear and simple stamps.... they seem expensive for what you get.
Anyone order or have experience with them?
I will say that if kids don't want to read about their parents being a bitch, then maybe their parents should take that to heart and not BE a bitch so no one has a reason to post that they were bitchy on a smack blog.... just saying'
------------------
I agree. Another thought - remember when parents were parents and actually paid attention to what their kids were looking up online? I think that's much easier than telling all of the naked people of the world to put some clothes on. LOLOLOL.
7:41 I was a PTI fan who attended SAF (but not exclusively PTI) but I spent what I consider a good bit of $$ with them. Easily $80-$125 a month on average from almost the beginning. I bought in November (small $65 order) and in Feb to use my rewards. Not a penny with PTI since. I started getting more and more fed up and unlike Ted, I DID talk with my wallet, LOL! I read here. Cannot stand the forum now and have what I am sure is a nasty PM waiting there from Nicole re my last post. I wasn't banned, just chose not to go back anymore.. Really sad to see a co I loved run into the ground. No desire whatsoever to participate in the "Saf" this year. I guess I just keep hoping the PTI powers that be will wake up. I would like to be a customer again but it's not looking good!
I got a pm from Ted once. I left it sitting in my inbox and it must have driven him crazy because he finally deleted it.
^^ That's hilarious!
Apparently many had the idea of "I'll buy the dies and make my own flip flops" from PTI. Flip Flop dies sold out.
Does anyone have a good board stamp like the one in Farm & Barn?
Here's a new customer for PTI:
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/general-stamping-talk-f17/looking-stamp-vw-bug-t554161.html
I had to laugh when she said she couldn't tell from the site what kind of stamps they are.
Looking at the very bottom of the papertrey site, it says "all products" and sad to say that may be the easiest way to find something you know the name of! It's also got a bunch of Palette inks - they don't sell those anymore do they?
Bwahahahaha!!! This is what the "About Us" page has:
"This is About Us"
'nuff said, LOL!!
What's that our mothers used to say - if you can't say something nice....?
Wow, things sure have changed! PTI used to sell out in just a few minutes and now this is still left in stock:
Flipping out = 157
On the Farm = 336
Farm background basics = 221
Summer camp = 371
Happy Hydrangea = 633
Karma's a bitch!
I wonder how many they start out with of each one.
And how many people just aren't ordering at release time anymore.
Maybe this is the best thing that could happen to PTI - the release hype dies down and the orders are spread out to a more consistent level throughout the month.
It is possible that they have just stocked more items because of all of the OOS complaints. Not likely but possible.
Holy cow, that's a lot of Happy Hydrangea. I think someone won't be happy about that flippin' flop!
They only start out with 800-900 of a set. I'm not an insider, but when I visited the site the following day, I was playing around with adding large quantities to see what was available.
Happy Hydrangea is ugly. And I'm tired of that old lady scripts font. Some clean and modern would be nice. Do they own certain fonts cause they seem to stick to the same five no matter what.
I feel bad for Maile about the hydrangea set. I really like her CAS cards but I would have preferred that Nichole design this particular set.
@ 12:50 I highly doubt that they order more now to avoid OOS issues. That would mean that they have actually learned from their mistakes and improved, and sadly I just don't think that is the case. I think it all boils down to the fact that so many customers have stopped buying.
I think they had a period of explosive growth, when it was very hard for them to know how much to order initially. I remember one time when someone was complaining about things being sold out, and Nichole said they had ordered three (or was it four?) times as many as they sold the previous month. Now I think things have leveled off and are more stable, so they have a better idea of how much to order. Part of that might be that some customers are no longer ordering, but part of it is also that explosive growth doesn't continue forever, since crafters are a limited market. When you are small, your sales can triple or quadruple in a month; when you are bigger, they don't.
Also, even if they get brand new customers every month, they probably aren't going to spend as much as the die-hard-order-$300 a month fans did.
I think people just didn't order because the stuff wasn't very appealing. And, the things that were appealing were either too expensive (flip flops) or weren't worth buying and having to pay for shipping. I agree about Maile's set - I love her CAS style, but that set stunk. Actually, I like her better as a DT member than a set designer - for as much as I LOVE her cards, I don't really like any of the sets she designed.
I think PTI is pricing themselves out of business. Look at two of the biggest hyped sets this month: On the Farm & Flippin' Out. Both $24 before adding on multiple dies or impression plates to recreate the DT looks that make us want to buy. When I can qualify for free shipping off of one set (inc. add ons), there's a problem. They should aim for smaller stamp sets. For me, I'd sooner buy $20 in other stuff to compliment a $15 set than for a $24 one.
About Maile's hydrangea flop .. I love her but she needs to stick to designing cards. That's her strength. Recognize it and embrace it. We can't be good at everything.
I got a pm from Ted once. I left it sitting in my inbox and it must have driven him crazy because he finally deleted it.
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Can people see if you've read their PM or not?
Can people see if you've read their PM or not?
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Yes. They can also send it to you, but delete it before you've had a chance to read it. Cknutjob did that to me!
A PM stays in your Outbox until the recipient reads it, then it goes into your Sent box. So that's how you know whether they've read it.
I like Cheryl (cknutti). She is usually very kind and funny. The fact that she deleted the PM probably shows she thought better of words written in haste--that's to her credit.
Haha - cknutjob! Smackers don't like her because she will defend even the most blatant mistakes by PTI, right? Really, asking, but it rings a bell.
Back when I posted on, and read the forum, I disabled pm's. I didn't want to hear from the nutters (or anyone for that meatter).
gah, typo **matter**
Ugh. Why do I click on the threads that say "yay PTI actually shipped my package on time" (like they are supposed to?) It always drives me bonkers reading how people commend them for getting packages out in a "timely manner" like any normal company would.
I would much rather buy $5 and $15 sets with dies. The $24 sets, especially ones like stocking prints or the flip flops are just a lot of the same thing.
Pti could probably make more money if they split the $24 sets into 2 $15 sets.
I wonder if maile decided to try stamp designing or if she was encouraged by Nichole to do it?
I just did a lot of catching up, and saw the posts about Dawn and her stupid "What do you wear?" thread. Just to annoy the heck out of her, I would love to post that I like to be naked while stamping... I'm sure that would get me kicked out of the forum! hahaha
I personally really like almost all of the sets that Maile has designed. Modern Basics is pretty much my all-time favorite stamp set, from any company. That said, the hydrangeas didn't do a thing for me. But I don't like hydrangeas in real life either.
I would much rather buy $5 and $15 sets with dies. The $24 sets, especially ones like stocking prints or the flip flops are just a lot of the same thing.
Pti could probably make more money if they split the $24 sets into 2 $15 sets.
18 May 2012 18:39
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I too tend to buy the stamp sets that cost $15 or less these days. Think twice if I really want the $18 sets (the backgrounds are really nice though)
The only Maile set that I have is BB:Houndstooth because I love that pattern and I use it A LOT.
I think she's designs great sets, they just don't really win me over because I am not into CAS. Again, I like my layers and ribbon and bows. What else would you expect from a blatantly homo cardmaker? I kid, I kid.
Hydrangeas are my favorite flowers, and I think I would have preferred blooms similar in style to the Friendship Jar ones. That being said, I do like enough of the stamps in the set to buy it, I think it's in my new cart because it dumped after a month.
I think I have said this before, but I think Dawn really excels are designing sets. I like a lot of her sets.
OK, so I just had to wander over to the forum to check it out. Haven't been there for a while.
What stood out was there isn't so much gushing over stamp sets anymore.
Like, what you wear when stamping, promos for ink pads from other companies, buying an e-reader, etc. how to organize stamps, needing help to find products, what TV shows to watch, or not, etc just to list a few threads.
Very different from the 'old days'.
When you were allowed to have an opinion and a bit of banter.
Trell, I agree with you about Dawn being great at designing stamp sets.
Most of my favorite and most-used PTI sets are Dawn's.
I love hydrangeas and I hate the new hydrangea set. I just don't like the design, and I really did not like most of the samples made with it.
22:26
Your comments about the forum are spot on.
It is hard to have a meaningful conversation if one doesn't feel comfortable expressing any opinion other than positive. I used to comment on peeks, but stopped when it was mentioned that only positive comments should be posted so no one would feel bad if someone didn't like a set.
I don't care to chat on threads started by the team when it is obvious to me that the questions are part of their job, not any real interest on their part. To be clear, I don't resent the team, because it is part of their job, I just don't care to play into it.
Anonymous said...
22:26
Your comments about the forum are spot on.
It is hard to have a meaningful conversation if one doesn't feel comfortable expressing any opinion other than positive. I used to comment on peeks, but stopped when it was mentioned that only positive comments should be posted so no one would feel bad if someone didn't like a set.
I don't care to chat on threads started by the team when it is obvious to me that the questions are part of their job, not any real interest on their part. To be clear, I don't resent the team, because it is part of their job, I just don't care to play into it.
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Couldn't agree more. I used to go to the forums and think, wander who's turn it is to babysit today? Don't really go that much anymore unless someone here mentions something there.
My cart is dumping. I use Firefox with a Windows OS.
I started to open up a Zendesk ticket after not even being able to find zendesk on the main website (I had to go to the forum and find Nichole's sticky post).At that point I realized that I didn't really care to waste Rick's time or mine trying to figure out the problem. It makes it less tempting for me to place that impulse order anyways.
That's a good point about impulse purchasing 4:51.
I wonder how much that website has lost them in the impulse buys. You know the ZOMG I have to have that set! And whatever else I need to get for free shipping. But once you are poking around the site attempting to find what you want & then the cart dumps. Eh, screw it, I don't really need it...
That's often a $70 (or more) sale lost every time that website annoys someone out of an impulse buy.
I am in Canada and I have had over $200 sitting in my cart for over 2 weeks. Before that, my cart remained intact for about 3 weeks without a problem. I might refill it again but only if I'm bored.
I haven't ordered since last October and don't really have any intention of doing so but honestly, if my cart was full and I had a brief moment of impulsiveness, I would click *submit*.
"but stopped when it was mentioned that only positive comments should be posted so no one would feel bad if someone didn't like a set."
Quoting a poster above and wondering if when they saw that mentioned, it was mentioned by a customer or by someone on the PTI staff??
Either way - what an absurd thought. But especially inappropriate coming from staff. If you see negative comments, then graciously accept different tastes or kindly offer reasons that might change their mind. Or ignore it.
But to basically say - we don't care to hear your opinion - because you're afraid an *adult* (we assume) might get their feelings hurt? I guess they are talking about the designer (I don't know that we can always refer to them as illustrators) and if so that person needs to be able to take constructive criticism and also understand that not everyone likes everything. If they can't do that, they shouldn't be doing the job.
The childishness exhibited by PTI is often beyond what I'd expect from children.
If I remember correctly, it was just a random poster that chimed in on one of the release threads asking Nichole if the "I'm safe" term hurt her or the dt's feelings. Only after being asked did she say that yes, it did.
I think that Ted chimed on one month after posts started popping up saying "I got my shipping notice" and he said that posts like that only harbor I'll will and that people should stop posting that.
Come to think of it, Ted may have been the aforementioned random poster.
Interesting reading today...and something struck me that I had to point out.
Someone will post a comment about something, and they say "I wonder if...", or "Have you heard?..."
A couple comments later, someone else will quote them, saying "as mentioned above....", but then portray the above comment as truth.
Finally, someone else comments "I can't believe PTI does that! They suck!", when in reality, there was never any basis in truth to begin with..
Hope you all are having a great weekend...
Interesting and I've noticed that too Rick. It's easy to not research and back up your words with facts when you are posting anonymously.
Also, anyone can post something ridiculous and whether or not everybody believes it, the seed has been planted and there are those that will remember what has been said.
Rick - have you paid the $1000 you owe yet? No, then STFU! PTI has become a joke and you look like a fool for continuously defending their shitty ways!
Except it was said by NH that comments like "I'm safe this month" were considered hurtful to the designer, so why are we doubting the poster just because they anonymous?
http://forum.papertreyink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=21432&p=293579#p293579
0715 go back to bed
^^^^^^
For once, I agree with what Nichole wrote.
However, I do have to wonder if she had some help writing it. ;)
just read the quote @7:18. Well, all I can say after reading there is "I'm safe" has been my mantra for the last several months. Love the saying "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all" that NH used. Heard it so much when I was little. However, as an adult I do have opinions and will express them. I think commenting that you do care for a particular item is not a personal assault, but more about what speaks to the individual taste. Thin skin, yup and that has been a big part of the issues with PTI.
meant to say "comment that you do NOT care for a particular item is not a personal assault"
"Rick - have you paid the $1000 you owe yet? No, then STFU! PTI has become a joke and you look like a fool for continuously defending their shitty ways!"
I disagree with you and your comments make all smackers look bad. We aren't a bunch of hot-headed idiots but comments like this make us look that way.
YOU look like a fool 7:15, not Rick.
Rick was merely pointing out in a clear and concise way that something that is written here can very quickly be taken as fact. He wasn't defending anything.
YOU are the one that looks like a fool that can't get their point across without resorting to anger and swearing.
Rick, don't you have something else to do this Saturday morning?
"Except it was said by NH that comments like "I'm safe this month" were considered hurtful to the designer, so why are we doubting the poster just because they anonymous?"
Who was doubting the poster?
Are you referring to Rick's comment?
I completely agree with Rick. It is one of the downsides of chatboards. I have been a member of several forums over the years and people will quote things from 2 years ago that never even really happened as if they were fact at the time.
Yes, I can see how comments can be 'construed' as truth, but in this case, NH did make the comment about possible hurt feelings by the designer by people saying "i'm safe'.
So, not all things are made up just as an excuse to smack PTI.
I think everyone involved with PTI needs to pause and reflect how many positive changes have come about because of customer suggestion. Until everyone was kicked off the boards, customers themselves did a great deal of "customer service" by answering questions, etc. Sometimes I think the ONLY positive changes in the past 2 years have been due to customer suggestion / insistance. Discouraging feedback is another great example of how PTI gives the impression that customers are more burden than asset.
I think that post by Nichole is one of her better written, except for some grammar and punctuation of course, and yet I still think it's a load of bull.
She's basically just saying mind your manners. We won't censor you but we really don't want to hear you say you don't like something based on a sneak peek. Then don't show the sneak peeks. Don't have a comment thread on the sneak peeks on your blog or allow one in the forum.
Did it ever occur to her that someone saying "I'm safe" translates into, I typically spend a lot of money and my budget can't take it if I love everything"? That's a lot better than - this sneak peek stinks - which you really only read here ;) .
Just ask people to mind their manners when they post (which I believe, if they are rude, their posts can be deleted, right?, so why even bother).
She ends up talking in circles or out both sides of her mouth as the old saying goes and being polite is what it all boils down to.
But if they cannot handle honest feedback then they shouldn't be in this business. Ms. Big-Heady needs to learn that if you are going to create a place for people to post, then you cannot control everything. I don't feel badly for the designers one little bit. Not everyone will like everything so get over it.
I really do want/need to order a couple of things from PTI and every time I'm *this* close, I come here and think again - I really should not shop there.
I can't believe that post by Nichole. Telling people what they can and cannot say - again. If you keep making people feel like they're going to be chastised for every single little thing, then they just won't bother anymore. It's like flippin' Big Brother over there.
I'm not so much annoyed by Rick's presence on this board - just like the rest of us he can do/say what he wants here. I am annoyed, though, by everyone coming to his defense.
Let him defend himself if he wants to. He seems alright, as a person, judging by his posts here. But, I do have to question his motives. If the company I worked for had a smack board, they would not support my open participation - they would absolutely want me to view it and report feedback, but not to post. If Rick is working for PTI (helping with IT and suck) his presence here discredits them. As the creator of their Zendesk forum, he should be using that for CS responses, not responding on the smack board. Sure, it's convenient for us, but terrible CS for the company. Also, by him being here I get the feeling that he agrees with the "smacking" even if he won't come out and say it - just him openly participating in this type of blog, gives the impression that he thinks PTI is smackworthy, and as an employee of theirs, it shines negatively on them.
So, that's why it bugs me when I read lots of posts defending Rick - he's either here without the knowledge of the PTI owners, which is shady, or he's here with their owners and doesn't realize how bad it makes him and PTI look by his being here.
Again, I have no problem with Rick - I have a problem with his being here as a representative of PTI. That's why I find the RickDefenders kind of annoying.
I find the Rick bashers kind of annoying.
I am quite sure Rick is able to handle the defending/bashing or whatever.
Otherwise he would not be popping in here every now and then.
Maybe but it's still annoying. I think it's cool that he comes over here and joins in.
And I agree with him about how people end up repeating rumors as truth around here. But I also hope everyone here has sense enough to not trust everything they read.
Why did I never think about it that way with Rick? Hmm. I guess I don't mind if it makes PTI look bad ;)
They have to know he's here. With or without their blessing. With all of the cheerleaders that have come here, just imagine how many have looked and not posted. Someone out of that number has reported back to someone at PTI. I can't believe for a minute that no one has.
There is no way that the ptb at pti don't read this blog!
Just read Nichole's comment about "I'm safe" in that thread for the first time. Her analogy about a fashion designer only peeking one-inch swatches of fabric to the press is just stupid. What kind of idiot designer would show one-inch swatches of the fabric used in a collection when the press is expecting to see pieces that actually represent the work, and then NOT expect people to be underwhelmed or confused by it, or outright dismissive of it? And Nichole is saying that is analogous to what she does with her peeks?! Sheesh.
She is basically saying: yes, it is normal for people seeing small peeks to not see the value in the whole item, but that's what we do and if you react in the normal way it is an insult to us.
If that's the way they feel about the peeks and people's early reactions to them, then why continue to do them at all! Why do something that they KNOW is going to provoke negative premature judgment, and then get all waaah-poor-me when it does?
I find Rick kind of annoying.
I do NOT trust Rick one iota.
Don't trust his motives. Don't trust his reasonings. Don't trust what comes out of his mouth.
Some smackers are becoming the sheep that they bash.
I would never bash sheep.
or goats.
(and try not to bash sheeples)
9:45 - I completely agree! I wrote the earlier post about Nichole's "poor designers" comment. You made some really good points.
Why would the people at PTI read this blog? They tell us time and again that they don't want to hear anything negative. I'm sure they want to keep their blinders on.
They don't want to hear anything negative said about them in their own house. Their forum is their happy place where they can forget about the truth in the outside world and live in a land where there is only love for them and sunshine and unicorns and rainbows all the time. Lalalala, I can't hear you, I'm in my happy place!
If they were SMART they would want to venture to the outside world to know what the HONEST opinions about them were. But they also have to realize that the people who they have pissed off are going to be spewing all kinds of venom (as is their right), so some of those outside opinions are going to be skewed to the other extreme. This smack blog is the counter-balance to their unicorn forum. Quite full of the opposite extreme of opinion. Somewhere in the middle, is the truth.
Oh and I didn't mean that everything on this forum is that opposite extreme. There is a lot of that middle-ground stuff here.
Why would the people at PTI read this blog? They tell us time and again that they don't want to hear anything negative. I'm sure they want to keep their blinders on.
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I agree. Any other company would want to spy on a smack blog so they could tune in to what people are really thinking and saying. IF pti reads here, it is my opinion they would not have sense enough to do anything constructive with it. Heck, they can't do anything constructive with the OBVIOUS that used to be on their own forum in spotlights (i.e.: dozens of pages about why can't the anniv sets be sent before they actually sent them.) They like their heads in the sand. It's their happy place.
Honest opinions is exactly why I read here. Its the only place I know of where customers can say exactly what they think without being censured. I get a lot more info here than on the forum by far. And no, I am not looking for the negative.
I don't see the Nichole post you are all referring to. Please link or paste it.
So, back in Nov (I think) NH posted that sticky letter to the customers promising positive changes coming soon. It's almost June. Did I miss it? I've seen nothing but disasters, especially since the Feb release. Seriously, was this what she was promising??
No I won't point out the post to you. It's referenced earlier on this same page!! Go find the link.
"I find the Rick bashers kind of annoying."
19 May 2012 09:20
Really? I find the Rick gushers and fawning peeps kinda annoying!
10:32- scroll up to 7:18. It already was linked. There, I just spent as much energy telling you to go find it as it would have taken me to just re-post it. :-P
The URL about Nichole's post is at 07:18.
More about that post by Nichole. She says she doesn't want anyone to feel censored, but then she turns right around and outlines guidelines for exactly how it is okay and not okay for us to express our opinions. YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!!! If you welcome honest opinions you don't get to tell people how to word them. If I want to be sour and pissy and downright ugly to someone in the way I express my opinion that is my right. The negative karma it causes to me will be mine to deal with, but you don't get to dictate what I do! Unless, of course, it is your forum and you are censoring honest expression of opinion.
WWGD (What would GinaK do) if she had a smack blog (which there isn't, for good reason)?? The answer is so obvious I feel silly for typing. She would FIX SHIT.
Oh I think it's hilarious how people always use GinaK as the example of how to do it all right. She deserves it, but I wonder how Gina feels seeing herself held up as such a shining beacon of Not-Nichole-ness. LOL
I agree that PTI needs to work on some things but do you think Gina K's stamps and supplies get as much business in a concentrated period of time as PTI? I wonder if it actually is a true and correct comparison?
Rick is all we have. He has been the most reliable CS & IT help we have gotten from anyone at PTI to date.
That being said, now consider that he is the ex-husband of a PTI owner that lives in another state and has no power to confirm or deny our simplest questions about whether things will ever get better.
And yet, it's the best PTI has given us.
No offense Rick - my point is more a statement on the owners lack of effort/ability in the big picture.
Oh I think it's hilarious how people always use GinaK as the example of how to do it all right. She deserves it, but I wonder how Gina feels seeing herself held up as such a shining beacon of Not-Nichole-ness. LOL
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It's exactly like when PTI is praised for shipping something on time. Gina can sit there doing what is simply expected in the normal world and in the PTI world it is considered magic. Lol.
10:55, you are right. It is obvious Gina K has NOT exploded in popularity as PTI did. It is a lot easier to manage slow and steady growth rather than the explosion of growth PTI had.
PTI's growth "explosion" was years ago. They need to "man up" already.
Maybe there isn't a fair comparison because other companies that do this whole monthly ramp up spiel aren't as big as they are (or don't seem to be to me). I think it's because they don't have as generic a style as PTI does. You either like headless women or you don't :)... and another company, Verve, has a lot of stamps that all look the same. Those are the ones I can think of that have at least somewhat regular monthly release ramp-ups. And Gina K but we've already figured out that the style is a little dated for a lot of people.
But I don't think we have to have a comparison company. They have problems at PTI and no amount of excuses is going to hold water anymore. This is not a new issue! They have wasted years by not fixing the problems and now they are paying the price. The public's patience wears out in time. Too many other options and they are missing a golden opportunity.
A couple of people have wondered why they don't just sell through another company - I think it would be a good idea. They can't handle this.
Their growth explosion STARTED years ago, but every month they had a sellout on release night was a month it was still happening, and that happened until just recently.
Not saying they couldn't have handled CS way better, just saying managing explosive growth like they had is not as simple as some of you think it is.
oh ffs the "growing business" excuse expired YEARS ago man. Get real. They were the same in 2008 according to the old threads which can still be sourced. And back then "growing business" was the same excuse du jour. Give me a fucking break.
As for Rick, he's a damn shill, just putting their viewpoint in every few post. If he had any objectivity he'd be using those fine analytical skills he used to observe how shit gets recycled at the blog to observe how fucked up PTI is. But he can't and never will because he's NOT being objective and never will be. He sees nothing wrong.
I agree with previous poster that it is becoming like sheeple-ville here. Any dissenting opinion is shot down. Some of the bloggers have become the sheeple.
Credit where credit is due. I have not ordered for 5 months from PTI. I ordered very late Wed. night and my package was in my hands THIS morning. I live clear across the US from them. I am pleased!
Even when the worst of the worst was happening, there were still people that were getting their packages quickly. That says nothing to me.
If they've fixed things in the warehouse, are packages being shipped IN ORDER and are they getting into USPS & UPS' hands in a timely fashion? Just because a few reach customers quickly doesn't mean they've fixed their ish in the warehouse. I foolishly order BEFORE the release night glitch and my order changed to shipped in PTI's system AFTER people were posting that they ordered in the morning and there was actual movement of their boxes. Reality still doesn't jive with their rhetoric. Perhaps if Nichole was on site and actually saw how things were done, she'd sing a different tune.
I did order too because I wanted to use my reward points and it just says OK beside my order ... no tracking number produced even. That was also on Wednesday, early in the day.
Isn't Nichole in the same area as the shipping/packing facility? Why couldn't she check up on it. Actually, why couldn't she check up on it if she's not - go there. . It's your business!
Yes, it all STARTED years ago and I agree that the excuse of growing too fast or growing pains is hogwash. If they haven't figured out how to run the business and deal with the vagaries of customer orders by now, then they shouldn't be in business.
ahh, so maybe in the pecking order "freebies" or rewards points orders go last. lol wouldn't surprise me.
Seriously what does it matter when its says it shipped or whatever. Did it arrive in a reasonable amount of time and was the ordet packed well and complete without defects. Thats the important part
I'm 14:11 and I placed an order too since I was having a shipment anyway. I'm not too pleased hearing that people who ordered later have already received their order. They should be sent out in the order received.
Got my order this AM. Did it with reward points.
I don't know that it DOES matter when it says shipped because in February my ordered said shipped, and it didn't arrive. I didn't get it for over 2 months because in reality it never had shipped, even though it said it did. Nichole said it was due to some "duplication" error, when I could finally get someone to listen to me.
My order is received and my account simply says OK next to the order.
14:20, that may well be enough for that individual. But it isn't enough for those who are trying to determine if they have corrected some of their problems with shipping.
I'd like to know if people are still getting email notification of labels being printed, and then the package sits, and sits, and sits, before it gets anywhere, for 3 or 4 days.
There's a difference between "Rick bashers" and people questioning his motives here/not trusting him. You'd have to be stupid to trust him and think he was on your "side"
"Rick is all we have. He has been the most reliable CS & IT help we have gotten from anyone at PTI to date." -
PATHETIC that you think Rick, on this blog, is an asset to you. Maybe as help on the Zendesk or something, but not here.
People think that they've got some kind of "in" with PTI CS by Rick being here, and it's naive.
I think the only reason people are getting packages so fast this month is because no one ordered those ugly sets. They didn't improve warehouse functions, they just don't have a high volume of packages.
I agree that PTI needs to work on some things but do you think Gina K's stamps and supplies get as much business in a concentrated period of time as PTI? I wonder if it actually is a true and correct comparison?
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I was comparing only as far as Public Relations is concerned. If NH and GK were given the same 5 minutes to compose a message to their customers, I can guarantee that GK's would be helpful, polite, spelled correctly, and gramatically correct. NH's would be an arrogant, illiterate, mess. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.
In the spirit of the upcoming Olympics, here is my idea of a dream team:
PTI products, GinaK CS, Claire's ability to ship int'l, and anybody-but-whoever-designed-PTIs website.
Does anyone have Fresh Ink's or Amuse's White and Cream inkpads? How do they show up on dark colored paper? I'm not too happy with PTI's spongy inkpads and might consider switching over if the coverage is good. I am so in love with those new pigment inks!
14:37: I love it!
I think I remember somewhere hearing that PTI was the first stamp company to use the monthly release model selling direct-to-consumer online only, and all the other stamp companies who do it too followed suit. Is this true? If it is, it would be so ironic that the company who started it all seems to be the only one for whom it does not seem to be working.
The other companies seem to be proof that it can be done successfully; you just have to manage your infrastructure properly. Which PTI needs help learning how to do, I think. I believe that if they had known how to handle their "explosive growth" in the right way they would not be pissing customers off left and right as much as they are now. (The personalities of the owners are obviously a whole 'nother ballgame.)
I wish so bad that they would hire one of those people who analyze companies and tell them how to run everything efficiently. (Whatever they are called.) They seem to need a serious overhaul of everything from the ground up.
Plus upon re-reading my comment it seems like I was really in the mood to use the phrase "it seems" a lot. LOLOLOL
It seems you're right, about "seem" and other things also, LOL.
Allegedly.
allegedly? about what?
Whether I'm in a brick & mortar store or ordering online I expect that customers are served in the order they line up at the checkout. If you were in the grocery store and the cashier decided to serve ten people behind you BEFORE you, I bet you'd be pissed and kicking up a stink. Same principles apply. Online doesn't mean you can service customers whenever the heck you please. And if orders aren't being pulled in sequential order, don't bloody well tell me they are.
#149. YES!!!!!!!!!
congratulations, you must feel so awesome. heehee
I'm glad I'm not the only one who re-reads posts I write sometimes. I didn't notice "it seems" when I was reading it :) .
Sometimes I read my own previous posts and don't even recognize it as mine at first!
I don't think they were the first to have that monthly release model.
When they were a member company on SCS, there were quite a few companies that had big stamp release party nights. I remember participating in MFT's and Verve's too.
May 19 2012 14:15
What rock have you been living under. Nicole is in Tennessee, not in Ohio. Duh!!
*coming out from under my rock!*
Oops.
You can see by my ignorance how much I really care about Nichole's personal life, LOL!!
But still -- heck, if it were your business, don't you think you'd see your way to Ohio to get a grip on things? I would. In. A. Heartbeat.
I'd make a trip there if I lived across the country!
I think one thing that bothers a lot of people is the lackadaisical attitude. It's all lip service with them. If it wasn't, the website would have been changed by now.
I know, right? How hard can that website be to fix? Why haven't they had code monkeys hammering away at it as their full-time job for all this time? I think part of their problem is that many of their key people are doing PTI as a second, spare-time job. *cough*Rick*cough*
14:51:
I don't have Amuse or Fresh's white/cream inks but I've seen Colorbox Frost White in action and it seems to have excellent coverage.
The thing I don't like about Colorbox pigment inks is that they never seem to dry completely. I have a sketchbook that I was experimenting around with ink techniques in FIFTEEN YEARS ago, and the stuff I stamped in the Frost White ink pad had a bloom on it that I can STILL wipe off all these years later. But... yeah... I have heard people say it is their favorite white ink pad for coverage. :-/
p.s. yeah, bad grammar up there, I know.
Colorbox takes 2 days to dry and the pads get yucky fast.
How do we KNOW PTI doesn't send orders as received? I can mail 10 things on the same day and the don't all get to different destinations at the same time.
But if all ten items were dropped off at the same post office, same time, with tracking numbers (I'm talking reg first class AND priority international), then they should all show movement in the USPS system.
If I'm paying for Priority and ordered at 10:30, my box should be making its way through the postal system BEFORE orders placed at 8:00 the following morning. Part of the ridiculous international fees cover step-by-step tracking which CONFIRMS that boxes are NOT given to USPS in order.
Totally agree that the reason (some) people have gotten their packages quickly this release, is because the offerings were rather... lackluster.
To the poster that asked about Fresh Ink and A Muse Studio white and cream inks, I've tried them all. I can tell you that the coverage from the Fresh Ink and A Muse Studio white inks is not as good as PTI's Fresh Snow ink. BUT I HAVE found a new (to me) white ink that I LOVE, and it has better coverage than PTI's Fresh Snow ink. It's Hero Arts/Memories Unicorn pigment ink. It seriously has the best coverage I've ever seen in a white ink. You can heat set it to get it to dry faster, but I've not had any problems with the color rubbing off. I ordered my HA/Memories Unicorn ink from Simon Says Stamps. Great service!!
Oh great, now you want us to use Unicorn ink. :)
that is pretty darn funny.
I have the Fresh Ink white pad and i like it more than the cheap one I had before!
Hero Arts is the ink I was going to try before Amuse came along. Maybe I'll still try that one.
I resent that people in the PTI forum have spoiled "unicorn" for us *stomps feet.* ;p
Thanks for the info 21:51.
So the Unicorn ink from Hero Arts is the traditional type of pigment ink that has to be heat set to dry?
I use Fresco Medusa White from Stamp-Happy.
http://www.stamp-happy.com/iq_fresco_ink_pads.htm
It's gives good opaque coverage and, as a smacker, Medusa suits me more than Unicorns. ;)
Does anyone remember Blanco White Dye Ink? I still have my old pad and as soon as they quit making it I bought several refills. Dries instantly but is a transparent kind of white, although I really like it for shadowing effects.
@ 14:30. Go back and read the ENTIRE quote you are quoting. The point, for those who can read, is that papertrey has given us nothing better than Rick who is not much. Reading comprehension. It's swell.
I don't think PTI has "given us Rick". He has been very helpful to me several times.
Donna - until you can give me the name of the genius in charge of pti's IT dept, we have been given Rick like it or not. I am not saying it as if he is a "gift". I am saying it in the tone of "pti doesn't have anything to give us" and I don't see improvement coming. It looks like they are content to have part-time, part-family, partly-skilled, multi-state people running this company. It's so effed up and will never change.
Good comment about part-time, part-family, multi-state people etc running the company.
Surely at some stage one needs competent full-time people 'on site' to sort out their ongoing problems.
Odd way to run a business.
I know this would not work for country-folk, but if I am looking for a certain image, or sentiment, I work it out on the computer, pop into my local business stamp shop and get it made up for about $5. No shipping !!!
Your local stamp shop? Do you think that's a common thing?
I wonder also about wanting a "certain image." I would guess that as long as you don't use it online anywhere, you could just copy anything from a book, catalog or the internet and use it. Who would know?
Of course, if you want a stamp, that's a little more effort for most people. But again, if you are just using it for yourself, not online and not selling anything, you could have anything you find made into a stamp, I would think.
Sentiments are no-brainers for me. I would never buy a stamp set specifically for a sentiment.
One thing I haven't seen commented on - maybe I missed it - is that Nicole said her payment processor failed during this last release and that because it was outside of business hours there was nothing they could do.
Having dealt with payment processors, I know that they have 24 hour a day, 7 days a week emergency/support lines. I can't imagine running an online business that is open every hour of every day and NOT having a payment processor who works longer than 9-5 Monday to Friday.
Strange. Again, in my opinion Nicole is passing the blame to someone else and not their own system/business. Unless no one at PTI monitors the website outside of "business" hours and therefore had no clue the payment processor "failed".
And do her payment processors business hours also happen to be on Tennessee time - they just happen to be the same as PTI's "business" hours?
It's either time to rethink midnight (Central time?) releases, or to rethink payment processors. Seriously, if her payment processor failed for a solid, what - 8 hours? - then she should seriously be compensated by them for her lost revenue. It's a ridiculous cover up on their end, imo.
^^ Did I read somewhere that it was a power outage at the processing facility that was the problem? I don't remember.
PTI headquarters are in Cincinnati, Ohio. NH is in Tennessee. Not that it makes a difference, obviously the day to day store operations are not NH's responsibility. Apparently Julie is the only one 'on site' who oversees store ops. Unfortunately, she has another day job, and PTI's operation gets in the way of that.
That is, in a nutshell, why PTI will fail.
PTI won't fail as long as paper crafts mag keeps giving them (and their DT) tons of exposure. I'm amazed at the number of posts from forum people who have not been around that long and at the number of longtime posters (inc. cknutti) who simply don't post anymore.
PTI has a new clientele who doesn't have years of bad experiences, or knowledge thereof, to help bad their bottom line. Those of us who left or scaled back on purchases aren't NH or Julie's priorities. We've been replaced. By people spending real money not cashing in rewards.
I don't think PTI will go out of business unless they just choose to (which I kind of think they should).
Nichole is the one who had a good reputation in the stamping business, and it's in her best interest to move on from this place as soon as possible.
But they can easily continue as they are and be one of many mediocre companies out there, with passable designs, and a decent following. But I think the glory days are gone.
Why can't I read my PM's at PTI? It says "you are not authorized to read messages? I am logged in.
PTI won't fail as long as paper crafts mag keeps giving them (and their DT) tons of exposure.
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I will be interested to see how long paper crafts keeps doing that considering how many of us are turned off that publication. They won't sell as many subscriptions to ex-PTI customers for sure. Even with new pti customers, there is a ripple effect from all of the history. Ex-customers haven't disappeared but are spending money elsewhere, building up those companies. I know many of us are turned off of even the PTI DT and are less likely to purchase products showcased by someone like Dawn who has proven herself to be a big phony fake.
And once again Rick came to my rescue within 3 minutes.
And once again Rick came to my rescue within 3 minutes.
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How long would you have waited for the proper PTI channels? Sad that things are more efficient via the smackblog.
Good for you Donna @@. Why don't you go give him a big juicy thank you!
Some of you are determined to circle the wagons and shoot inward, aren't you?
If it's that hard to buy the products then God is telling me something...
13:44. What are you refering to?
PTI old website was soo much better to navigate, search and no cart dumping! Why did they go to a new site anyways when the old one was working fine.
@14:01 - didn't you know? They went to a new storefront to improve the customer experience, give international customers (cheaper) shipping options, and to reward longtime customers with reward dollars. They gave us one out of three so we can't complain that we got royally screwed over.
13:44 is saying that you are starting to shoot at each other I believe
i am 13:44 and that is exactly what I meant. Seems some have to have a new person or group to turn on every day until they are alone with the nasties.
I'm glad you got help with your issue, Donna. I think it's nice that we know to contact Rick and he'll come through.
So, PTI has a secret CS weapon and they aren't telling anyone about it? At least we have it, so why give someone a hard time for taking that route.
Donna and Rick sitting at a PC, K-I-S-S-I-N-G...
First comes tech help, then comes skyping
Then comes the "one-handed" typing...
15:54, I think you can rhyme high school and fool, too. :p
Rick isn't a secret CS weapon, are you kidding me?
He's a half-assed IT guy who has somehow gained the favor of lonely stampin ladies and fooled them into thinking he's worth something.
If he had any sense, he'd direct the "smackers" to the zendesk and openly solve their "problems" there which would show other customers that, hey, PTI has a CS guy who is actually trying to help people.
@ 15:57 wtf are you talking about?
Anonymous said...
@ 15:57 wtf are you talking about?
20 May 2012 15:59
__________
15:57 is saying 15:54 is immature, and I agree.
Well, he does direct people to zendesk. And he has also provided his email address for people to contact him. That's his business. He has said over and over that he doesn't have control over how PTI does things, but he's helping. What the hell is wrong with that?
To a lot of people in this business, it's more than a job. For most it's also a hobby that they love and care about, and they care about their customers and their staff. I think that's somehow lacking at PTI but I think Rick probably has that characteristic - he cares. If this is something he wants to do, then why is anyone giving him a hard time about it?
I feel lucky that I've worked in situations where I WANT to go the extra mile whether it's my job or not. It used to be an important ingredient in making this country great.
I don't think "lonely stampin ladies" is a reasonable comment at all.
He's solving issues and for all you know they do get ticketed in zendesk, too.
@15:59, I'm saying that the person who wrote the childish poem is sounding like they are in high school and acting like a fool.
I guess you're more elementary school level though because I have to explain it.
I'm not in high school, but I'm sure I'm a lot younger than a lot of you here, so what? I still have more sense than the rest of you morons...are you really that starved for attention from a man?
Okay, maybe you are quite a bit younger because you really still don't understand do you?
You wrote the poem? It was childish. You can be any age and be childish so don't be so damn proud of the year you were born. It really has nothing to do with anything.
Maybe when you have lived a little bit longer you'll realize that it's nice when someone goes out of their way to help someone else. And maybe you'll stop categorizing people by age and gender. I wouldn't care if Rick were a 60-year-old lady living in a mobile home in Nebraska. It's not personal attention, it's someone going the extra mile for someone else. Some of us still value that.
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