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 ;)
Does anyone have the lowercase script alphabet dies? It looks all good except for the very strange "f". Not sure I would use the "f" that much. What has your experience been with these?
I'm sure she's going for cute, but Dawn's writing makes her sound like a ditz. And am I the only one who thinks of Miss Piggy every time you see the word Hiya?
Someone on the previous post said that she thinks Nichole reads here.
Nichole you drive people nuts when you say umm and smack your tongue/lips in your videos. I know you can't immediately do anything about your sausage fingers. That's ok. OH and also you could cut down the time a bit. 37 mins was a bit much.
Another "unexpected delay". What a surprise. They just previewed the Rolodex dies yesterday. Nichole and the DT were hyping them up and less than 24 hours later we're told that there's been a delay. Like she JUST found out. Nothing's changed in the way PTI communicates with and disappoints their customers.
At least Nichole posted a note about the OOS and not yet in products. Months ago she would have kept quiet and then made it the customers fault somehow when they complained.
Just watched the video on the Roladex thingey - felt all 'classical' with the music intro - but don't see the connection with that and what looks like a very complicated organizing system. Maybe I am missing the point but by the time I had organized 'stuff' there would be no time for actual crafting.
Really 5:13?! Of all the smack-able things about NH her appearance bothers you enough to mention her plump fingers several times already? Were you a Mean Girl in high school? The one who made fun of everyone that didn't look perfect? I feel sorry for you...
I predict that organization set is going to be a big flop.
And I cannot believe they hyped up the Rolodex stuff only to not have the left tab die. That info really could have been shared yesterday. I don't think it would have affected enthusiam. Oh, wait, there wasn't any.
I agree with poster who said the rainbow background is fugly. It's way too busy, IMO, for a background.
Not a fan of the rainbow background either. For some reason the square Limitless Layers does absolutely nothing for me. I do like the round & oval though.
If/when I get around to placing an order, I would like the Bitty Baby dies. And the Lovely Layers stamps & dies strikes me somehow (in a good way). I'm not sure about the sunshine set. I'd probably buy the hexagon set, but I'll be using my Cameo instead of the cover plate.
MFT's shipping has always been pretty fast for me. I usually order at the release. So Tuesday night and have the package on Saturday, sometimes Friday.
I think that "rainbow" background was supposed to be going for some sort of art deco look but in reality it's that ugly 70s metallic wallpaper look. Blech. Didn't like it then, can't stand it now.
Completely agree on Rolodex - too time consuming. I love to organize and there's no way I'd be bothered with that. I agree with whoever asked yesterday - do people really RESEARCH how to make a card? I just sit down and do it.
Happy Hexagons (stupid name)- the only thing happy about it is it's $5. It's what you add to get to free shipping. Not a 'must have.'
Sunshine - meh. Sentiments I would never use.
Military Heros - nice sentiments except for the idiotic "hurry home" one. But $24 for sentiments? Steal 'em and print 'em for free people.
This one I cannot believe! $24 for a bunch of patterned stars?? Ever hear of a star punch and patterned paper?? What were they thinking?
Okay this "We Go Together" set.... I get the style they were after but I think it's poorly executed. PB&J is lame. Who wants to tell someone they're last on the list after coffee, phone, etc.?? And the "you make me happy" one - nicest sentiment but poorly laid out. Lopsided - that flourish is crowded and awkward there.
I really like Lovely Layers.
Do they really have to wait until the last minute for a stock update??
Yeah that rainbow BG is very busy. Somehow it doesn't seem quite so bad when it's done tone on tone. But add in a different color for paper/scallops/rainbows it hurst my eyes.
Having something turn up as being not available on release night is perplexing to me and not at all how I imagined a business did things. I figured any normal company would have boxes of all the new stuff sitting in the warehouse JUST WAITING for release night. I figured they would have received it a couple of weeks ago, opened each box to check and make sure everything arrived the way it was supposed to, and hand count each item to make sure the right # arrived.
Is my thinking way off? I've never run a store or worked in logistics so I don't know the official process for receiving merchandise but damn...I'm thinking PTI doesn't either.
A disappointed fan from the SAF kit is awesome thread- Mine FINALLY made it to the Cincinnati sort facility today...which means it either left PTI on June 8 (as promised) and sat somewhere at the PO until today or just left PTI today. I couldn't be more disappointed!! I ordered this kit with a shipping date promise of June 1...it was delayed for a week...and then didn't make it to the PO until the 14th?? Wow...just wow! :cry: :cry: :cry:
Didn't visit Ashley, Heather, Melissa, Jessica or Michelle. Wish I hadn't visited Erin....ugh. Although her 3rd use of the hex plate was clever.
Betsy - I already wanted Lovely Layers but even more after seeing Betsy's grateful heart card. She is the master of color usage.
Maile is going to make me buy the cloud dies.
Rainbow background - hated it. For all the reasons mentioned above.
Desktop org crap - the concept is way too cumbersome.
I give a crap about any of the framed out series.
Hex - I like the designs but they are too small, making them too cumbersome for people with limited craft time. I wish PTI would realize not every fucking one of us is a stay at home stamper with nothing to do all day but make cards.
Heart-2-heart is really cute but haven't banners been done to death? I could swing it for $5 though.
I"m disappointed in the sunshine set. the sentiments all seem so blue and i don't like sending cards with a command to the recipient....like BRING YOUR OWN SUNSHINE. I bet there are 36 other better sentiments to go with a sunshine set. You are the sunshine of my life. And I despise the phrase "Hiya". It sounds like a 4 year old talking.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED Lovely Layers. I can see using the largest die to make some neat looking pointsettias for Christmas cards.
I agree with the above poster about a $24 set of sentiments for Military Hero. I think she really tried, though, to come up with enough things to justify that price. I would have eliminated 1/2 of the sayings and made it a $15 set.
Military Stars, I liked them but I have other star sets that I already don't use.
I liked the We Go Together as well but hated the PB&J. I would have loved to see Peanut Butter & Chocolate. And agree with above poster about having my loved one seem like an afterthough "& You, of course." why not just leave off the "of course" and put the banner over YOU to make it seem like the most important thing on the list?
Of course the shit sat at PTI for a week before it was sent to the post office. How could there be any doubt that they take the packages when they feel like it not on a regular basis.
Anyone who belives that the post office is to blame for all of PTI's shipping woes is insane!
How come no other company has this many problems with USPS?
I like the little heart to heart set - I know banners have been done and done, but I don't own any banner sets, so for $5 - if I was ordering, I'd get it.
I HATE the rainbows - when they mentioned the rainbow set, I was like what rainbow set...I didn't even realize those ugly things were supposed to be rainbows. Really?
The hex set is cute-ish, and cheap, but too fussy for me.
Nichole does have rather sausagey fingers, but so do i, and that's why I noticed it - I hate my fingers. ugh. (I wasn't the original sausage finger poster though)
Dear 7:15, You are a jerk. Not all of us think it's okay to smack someone for being overweight. Go ahead and do it, because you can, but you are a jerk.
Usually Erin Lincoln's projects do nothing for me, but I am totally digging the way she offset the hexagon cover plate. I think it would be fun to snip the top layer at each intersection and weave the two colors in and out of each other. Time to modify a copy of that digital cutfile! :-)
the people who got on your case about the sausage fingers, probably also have sausage fingers and were offended...
either that or they didn't care about the ums etc because they are something she can help/should fix when doing a video as the face of the company. the smack about the umms etc is kind of more constructive smack?
or maybe whoever got angry, because they also have sausage fingers, had to take a typing break because their big heavy fingers got tired...
I'm not the writer of any of the previous references to sausage fingers, but I admit I did laugh when I saw the comment first written.
I don't think it is jerky to say someone's fingers are sausage-y, especially if they are. And hers are. I know it, you guys know it and NH knows it. What's the prob?
My toes are sausage-y. I don't cry when someone calls them out.
Terrible CS, condescending attitudes, bitchiness, and general shitty behavior, especially from a co-owner of a company is smack-able. Those things need to be corrected. Sausage fingers, or being overweight is not smack-worthy. That, like I said before- is reserved for empty headed, cowardly, immature 'Mean Girls' who are cruel because it makes them feel better about themselves. Grow up. Making fun of someones appearance does nothing to help things change. It makes things worse.
Smacking PTI is one thing but when you smack a person that's just wrong. I have a friend who always made fun of disabled people. One night on the way home from work he fell asleep at the wheel. His sternum and back were broken and his foot was crushed. All those years of ridiculing others came back to him and he realizes that. He suffers every day of his life with the pain. Be careful what you say. Just sayin.
So annoyed at Gallery Idol...it really is a popularity contest, or at the very least who can drum up the most votes kind of thing by visiting every forum and social network and asking for votes. So sad that JJ Bolton is out. She makes the most amazing and creative cards! Kinda mad that Jen Rzasa was in it last year and again this year, but have to admit that I do like her style.
Wait a stinking minute here. Nichole vaguely recalls the thread, but remembers exactly which user was requesting help in that thread? What do you want to bet that the pruned threads aren't really gone, but just moved somewhere that only the PTI PTB can see them? So Nichole could easily look up the username and appear to be helpful.
How could Nichole "vaguely" remember the thread, but remember who the person was that wanted the other commenter to ship to her? Just askin'... : ---------------------------
I'm not sure if this would be the right person or not (I couldn't locate the thread either), but I vaguely remember the thread you are referencing and I believe this is the gal that wanted someone to send her the $5 set...
Had a $300 Amuse order ready to submit today and then had something happen that makes me wish to switch consultants. Who would you recommend? --- dang! I'm curious what happened that was that bad? I recently switched consultants myself, but it was more a responsive situation. Some consultants are more on the ball than others.
Every time I order and there is a problem, I feel like they have kicked me. There must be something wrong with me that I let it happen. I held out several months this time, and now I wish I had not ordered.
14:19, I can almost guarantee you that pulled threads aren't deleted, they're hidden. They're likely moved to a hidden folder that anyone with appropriate access can see.
Ted just wrote: With all due respect, Nichole...the amount of traffic shouldn't be "unprecedented"... it's a release night.
I'm wondering if...on release night, the tech department couldn't perhaps add another server to take on some of the traffic? Take the load off the one server?
Or perhaps beef up the current server? Obtain/purchase a server that is larger, stronger...that can take on this amount of traffic.
I have no doubts in your sincerity in your apology nor, do I doubt your appreciation of our patience... it's because of those qualities you possess that keep me coming back.
It is just wrong to have a "Release Night Tech Help Thread" I find it so irritating. If it's that hard that you need this thread EVERY release, something is really broken. And unprecedented traffic is BS. If anything, I thought they were losing people. And BTW, if the check out process is this hard, you should get Reward Points for navigating it.
Ted wrote:With all due respect, Nichole...the amount of traffic shouldn't be "unprecedented"... it's a release night.
Ted, we actually have triple the number of orders coming in every minute when compared to all previous release records. It isn't fair to make a disrespectful comment like that if you have no first hand knowledge to base the statement on. Moving forward, now that we have experienced this huge increase in traffic, it is something we can prepare for. And we will do so to help prevent this from happening again. We always, always put our best foot forward in trying to accommodate everyone, plan adequately for inventory, and to make the overall shopping experience as smooth as possible here tonight. I am disappointed in the performance of the server myself and I apologize that we caused a situation that left so many people feeling frustrated. All we can do is learn from this unique experience and put things in place to not allow them to happen again.
Ack. :-( That was the worst ordering experience. I'll admit I have been very hesitant in ordering the last few months, just because I've never had any problems with my order, but I've been reading about all those who have, and I worry about my order every month! My enthusiasm for PTI has gradually been waning anyway, since the new website was installed. Tonight's process was so crappy, but the way NH responded to Ted's comment (a thought that a LOT of we PTI customers are thinking, BTW!) has just put me over the edge, I think. Too bad - I average about $500 on crafting supplies every month, PTI having typically been the biggest portion of that amount. Thank goodness there are other suppliers out there.
Sometimes I wonder if the PTI home office feeds Nichole bad information. Every now and then I feel sorry for her because she trusts the info coming out of the home office. If the home office lies to customers maybe they lie to her too. She would have no idea from Tennessee if there were a bunch more orders tonight.
Don't get me wrong - I still think she bears some responsibility for her company.
" Ted, we actually have triple the number of orders coming in every minute when compared to all previous release records. It isn't fair to make a disrespectful comment like that if you have no first hand knowledge to base the statement on. Moving forward, now that we have experienced this huge increase in traffic, it is something we can prepare for. And we will do so to help prevent this from happening again. We always, always put our best foot forward in trying to accommodate everyone, plan adequately for inventory, and to make the overall shopping experience as smooth as possible here tonight. I am disappointed in the performance of the server myself and I apologize that we caused a situation that left so many people feeling frustrated. All we can do is learn from this unique experience and put things in place to not allow them to happen again."
Are you freakin' kidding me?!?!?!
I cannot believe this woman has the NERVE to write what she wrote in bold. Cannot believe it!!!
And "... we always, always ....here tonight.." Excuse me?? Do you ALWAYS do it?? Or just tonight?? They NEVER do any of those three things. She could at least have said "try" because they don't succeed!!
This is not a unique experience and they never learn.
Every time I'm tempted to let bygones be bygones and order again, I see this kind of bullshit and it just makes me sick.
I would bet good money that they are not having 3x the traffic - it's just the only excuse they could come up with that could come close to justifying any problems their having. This company is a joke.
I think the crappy part was where she says he is being unfair and disrespectful.
Forget whether they are having 3x the traffic or not. What business owner in their right mind tells a customer that they are being "unfair" and "disrespectful"???
When a customer makes a suggestion like that (totally warranted I gather tonight), you smile and nod and apologize for their frustration, all the while reassuring them that you will be looking into the server situation.
Anything else is trying to play the victim card by saying their customer is being mean.
What would make THIS particular release cause 3 times the number of orders? Seriously, very few people on the forum acted even lukewarm about the whole thing. Something is wrong. Either she is lying or I am going to get my order in triplicate.
Why do we OWE them respect? They don't have service that I respect. Unfair? How is it unfair when they hype everyone up and then cannot deliver and then when we get frustrated WE are unfair? That woman is a piece of work.
When a customer says something like "it's my own fault for ordering on release night" there is something seriously wrong with how this company does business.
Either figure out how to handle a release or stop having these release nights. The stupidity is unbelievable.
Look like from some order numbers that there were 300-400 orders during the disaster hour. I would be shocked if those numbers are triple the regular volume.
Last month, when people got exactly the same errors that they're getting this month, the answer was to blame it on the credit card processing company. This month, they're blaming it on an enormous increase in traffic. I call BS on both.
It is either the server's fault, or the manufacturer's fault, or Paypal's fault, or the credit card company's fault, or the number of people ordering are at fault, or people cannot read their minds and know they have to log in to use reward points.
Has it EVER been PTI's fault that everything is such a horrible mess?
Wow, those comments Nichole made to Ted seem really out of line. Rude, rude, rude, and delusional to boot (about their inventory planning and the shopping experience, which is the worst I've ever encountered).
For anyone who knows some of this tech stuff, would the fact that lots of people had to make repeated attempts to get orders through somehow be misconstrued as crazy-high numbers of people ordering? In other words, do all of those failed attempts somehow register on a server (or wherever) as orders being placed, even if they're not completed? Jeez, it's past my bedtime, and that barely makes sense to me!
Anyway, it just seems really hard to imagine that this release was so unprecedented – especially by the amount that Nichole was claiming.
nichole wrote: Ted wrote: With all due respect, Nichole...the amount of traffic shouldn't be "unprecedented"... it's a release night.
It isn't fair to make a disrespectful comment like that if you have no first hand knowledge to base the statement on.
Nichole, I apologize if you read it as disrespectful.
I had a longer reply to attempt to defend myself, but I deleted it for fear of having it removed and/or my membership to this forum banned. (Which I would have understood, seeing as this is not a public forum, but privately owned by you. As such, "Freedom of Speech" is not an option.)
OMFG! I have read 3 of the 5 (?!?) pages of the Tech Help thread. I CAN'T believe this. I havent' ordered from them in forever and only from curiosity did I even venture into this thread from the link here.
The fact that a company has to EVEN HAVE a Tech Help thread every release night boggles the mind let alone that there are 5 PAGES of it during the first couple hours of ordering. What a complete cluster &%$@!
Walk away people, just walk away and spend your money on companies that value customer service and bothers to fix their problems.
I have seen "unexpected server overload" fiascoes from enough companies that if I were ever going to run a business and I knew there was a chance my traffic would spike on a certain date I'd be for darn sure I had at least 3x more processing power than I estimated I might need. PTI has been doing this for long enough that this excuse of not expecting so much traffic just makes them look cowardly, stupid, and dishonest. Truly, I am disgusted.
Anybody see this? I thought Rick wasn't involved with the store site? Thought he was forum only ...
Tina B. wrote: Nichole, I have a stamp and die set that has been in my cart for days and days. When I open my cart, select the Keep Shopping button, add card stock, it places it in a new cart. I am using an iPad. I've been in contact with Rick but the techs can't replicate my issue. My husband is a computer analyst...he observed my problem. He asked why PTI didn't use Team Viewer.
Thanks! [Nichole's Response] Thanks for your input, I'll be sure to pass that along to Rick.
This is ridic! You all, like me, have ordered from many companies and I have NEVER experienced these kind of problems. Gina K also gets slammed on release nights and she manages to get her website to process orders smoothly. WTF PTI?!?
Rick has said before that he takes care of the forum and he also troubleshoots and helps with CS -- that he will help where he's needed.
From the looks of things, they need all the help they can get and frankly he's the only one I've ever seen from PTI actually BE helpful.
Times like this I'm happy for Jenn. I know she wasn't good at CS and didn't belong in it, but she must be so much happier now to be away from this mess. What a weight lifted from her shoulders (yes... I know she caused some of her own problems).
I'm kind of surprised Rick hasn't walked away too. I'm sure he doesn't need the headache.
Frankly, I'm surprised anyone is hanging on to this company!!! Of course, there are people still ordering on release night so apparently there are enough dopes in all areas to keep PTI hanging on.
I cant believe that im siding with ted on this one. What an unappreciative, pretentious cow. Ive never heard of a business owner behaving the way she does or communicating to customers this way.
Nichole, you wanted to be the best at something and my dear youve done it. You are the best at deflecting blame. Bravo.
I think about Jenn too. I bet she is watching the whole thing, eating ice cream and cookies, and thanking God that she left when she did. Let the Titanic go down and get in that life raft and paddle away.
If anyone still had faith in PTI, I can't believe they still would after tonight. Even some of the "faithful" trying to place orders sound pretty disenchanted this time around.
When are they ever going to even fix the website anyway??? MONTHS since the rollout and it's still worthless for finding anything.
I applaud Ted for at least having the guts to try calling them out. He seems to be the only one I notice trying to give Nichole constructive criticism over there and she bitch-slaps him every time. *sigh*
With so many disgusted customers, how are they picking up triple orders right now? Makes no sense at all, unless the economy has recovered fully, and stamping is the new Kardashian hobby.
I doubt any other online stamp companies come close to the traffic amounts PTI has on release night, not even Gina K. I rarely see anyone aside from the dt members using Gina K. You just cant compare PTI to any other company. Sorry.
I do not understand the point of PayPal. Why would people not just use the credit card attached to the PayPal account? It seems like way more trouble than it is worth.
21:00, while the comparison to Gina K may be flawed, you can't expect the rest of us to believe that PTI doesn't have the resources to hire/purchase an order processing company that can handle huge volume sales.
Am I missing something?... can't you just purchase the left facing OR right facing desktop file die and just turn the diecut piece paper around to face the other way eliminating the need for two dies? I'm only going by the outline images of the dies on Nichole's blog post, I didn't read anything to find out for sure, but it seems like it should work?
You are full of crap - "you just can't compare PTI to any other company."
You are basing this on what YOU SEE of people using Gina K or PTI or any other company???
Do you realize there are plenty of customers who don't blog? And you are the almighty seeing eye of the internet and know what everyone is using besides?
Give me a break. PTI is not so special, believe me.
Asking about the file dies -- have you ever used a die?? When you cut a die, one side has rounded edges that look finished. The other side has an edge and looks.. well, looks like the back! ;)
And some people's plates are so scarred up they leave marks on the back side that don't look very nice and wouldn't take ink evenly.
My question along these lines though is a couple of impression plates that they've sold and they had the same pattern on both sides but called one embossed and one debossed. One had leaves all over it, I think. So... what am I missing? Don't you just flip over the cardstock to have an embossed or debossed side?
I think there may be a difference between server traffic and orders placed. I think trying to process your order multiple times takes resources from the server, even if an order is not actually placed. I agree with a previous poster who said Nichole probably does not get the best information from her tech person. It just doesn't add up.
21:17, you're welcome adn I didn't mean to be snarky -- thanks for not taking it that way! Reread it myself and thought I didn't sound nice asking if you don't use dies much ;)
Same as with punches, too -- there's that lifted edge on one side but rounded on the other.
Finally was able to get an order through but I must have hit pay now over a dozen times. My order number is 215308 and I used Paypal. Nichole, could you please also ask Julie to see that I was also only charged once. Thanks, Cindi.
oh oh, I just checked my account and I now have two order numbers. Off to Zendesk.
I doubt any other online stamp companies come close to the traffic amounts PTI has on release night, not even Gina K. I rarely see anyone aside from the dt members using Gina K. You just cant compare PTI to any other company. Sorry. ----
You obviously don't go to StampTV. That place is HUGE and has tons of Gina K fans (there are over 23,000 members). You may not see any high profile stampers (besides the DT) using her stamps, but there are hundreds of ladies posting on a regular basis on StampTV. They just don't blog, or have popular blogs.
Maybe Nichole is not embarrassed by the constant stream of information that the releases that is incorrect. But seeing as her idol is Martha Stewart, I would think she might care. It is obvious that she gets terrible information from the Cincinnati crew.
I would be extraordinarily frustrated if I were in her shoes. The only part of the company that works (mostly) right is design part. The store front and the operations are sub par on the best sunshiny day.
But good grief, I would also be furious with my partners for constantly hanging me out on a limb and ruining my reputation and credibility. She needs a good lawyer to undo the business arrangements.
I'm truly perplexed by who should be smacked more...Nichole and Co. for another shitty release experience or the fucking morons WHO KEEP GOING BACK TO ORDER!!!
I think 500 orders would be a tiny release for pti. Remember the days of the pti "tripling" the stock of dies each release and still selling out in minutes?
Maybe triple is code for we have no idea how to run a business but at least we design product people want to buy even if we won't let them.
21:25 - Agreed. When the new website was introduced, there was a lot of pressure for Nichole to step forward and deal with the issues, as the face of PTI. She is great at designing, but they really need professionals to be handling the website, customer service, and warehouse.
Impression plates do not leave as crisp an impression on both sides of the card stock as embossing folders do, especially when you are using card stock as thick as PTI's. So it makes the most sense to offer both options on the embossing plates. HTH! :-)
Well count me as one of the f-ing morons who liked a few things in this release enough to be almost tempted to place an order tonight. But then I thought, no... release night is too crazy, I'll wait a couple of weeks. Now I will just make do without. Holy crap, what a train wreck this company is. I would even be willing to forgive the mistakes, but the arrogant and bitchy attitude with which they try to excuse their incompetence just turns me completely off. So I guess, not such an f-ing moron after all, phew! *wipes forhead*
21:43 - {hugs} to you...being able to admit you have a problem is the first step to overcoming it. I'm also a recovering PTI crack addict who was tempted to place an order this month. Thank god the PTI Smack III blog has become my safe meeting place to bring me back from the brink of destructive, self abusive behavior.
LOL 21:50 (21:43 here), but I actually haven't placed a PTI order for probably over a year. I like their card stock and buttons and keep thinking of getting more colors, but keep getting scared away by the release-night train wrecks. I liked 2 stamp sets this release enough to think I might order, but not THAT much! (The rainbow background and the lovely layers set in case anyone wonders or cares, haha.)
22:01 (#1) - if your cart dumps between now and then take it as a sign from the gods that you should take that $100 elsewhere and buy the special stamp second-hand on the forum.
Well I got a board warning, my post deleted and there have been several threads locked - anything that mentions PTI might need to actually fix anything or the website has problem and they MAKE IT DISAPPEAR.
You should be ashamed of your attitude PTI - fix your problems and stop silencing the customer when THEY HAVE A LEGITIMATE ISSUE.
Seansee wrote: I can't believe you are all still ordering when month after month, release after release the same crap keeps happening. You are all just crazy to put up with all the frustration!
Yep, I thought I'd give it another go as I haven't ordered in a few months and now I remember why! The new website is now several months old and still not very user friendly at all. Too much traffic was the same old problem from the last website and still multiple problems on top of that?
Geez didn't think that was a personal attack - just fact right?
PTI has just had ANOTHER fiasco of a release and sausage fingers posts this on the forum:
So, its the day after the release and you've been infused with tons of inspiration all week, what do you tend to do after it's over? Try some of the things you've been inspired by? Just stamp more overall? Or do you pretty much carry on with your normal stamping habits?
Okay, great knowledgable "insider"....what does this blog have to do with Mishy leaving? Umpteen years of PTI's bad business practices weren't enough to make her leave, but a smack blog was?
PTI no longer has the cache that it used to. It burns through designers and they are leaving primarily because of PTI's own practices. The customer service issues are one thing but then tbere is the less than generous compensation. The two together just aren't worth it.
the smack blog adds to the embarrassment of being associated with the company. called fat, work criticised, a lot of folks don't want to be a public target and someone don't feel that by posting a card on a website they are "opening themselves" up to having their husbands mocked,their thumbs mocked.
you may not realize it but places like this hurt the feelings of real people who then decide to move on.
I know at least 5 people who won't even POST on the PTI forum that they like a set or purchased with no problems because they don't want to mocked here.
easy to say just don't come here, but this place is like a train wreck. can't turn away. and if you do, folks send messages saying oh see what they are saying about you.
i'd smack my 8th grade daughter if she behaved this way.
Jenn, Mich, Lisa just for starters are gone. I suspect Melissa and Debbie will leave when their contracts end.
I am sad to see Michelle leave because I love her cards and her stamp sets. I also do not care for Project Life at all.
I also like Cristina Kowalczyk's work so I won't mind seeing what she does with PTI.
When I saw Mish's cards in all black they looked like funeral cards to me. I wonder if she did that on purpose?
I bet we'll see the announcement this morning on N's blog after a 3 second apology for release night ordering and a 15 page gushing post on the new stamps.
In my opinion Ted's post was snarky and he deserved the reply he got from Nicole. Unless you know the true facts don't assume to know how many orders they receive. All you haters are just jealous of PTI's success. And yes, as much as you hate to admit it, they are successful. Grow up, get a life and stop acting like middle school girls.
if a business owner cannot stay polite on a forum then hire someone how can. period.
a truly class post would be for her to post a locked thread with the following:
Every release night we face some difficult times for some of our customers. While many have no problems whatsoever, some do and that is never acceptable.
In the heat of the moment I snapped at Ted and wish to apologize. He is a loyal customer and a positive contributor on this forum. To that end, Ted will be receiving a $50 gift certificate.
And I will learn to count before I write on release night! We are working behind the scenes to improve and hope you can remain patient with us.
oh my god pti and nichole heady make me sick. This constant back and forth between NH and Ted is just weird, the dynamic just gives me the shivers. I've been weaning myself off PTI and this month just sealed it for a good long time. what a crazy, fucked up company. And no, I'm not jealous!
Earlier, someone asked why anybody would bother trying to order on release night. For the longest time, if people didn't order on release night, they would worry about items being OOS.
I had one experience where I waited for 3 weeks for a die to come back in and then when it did (on the morning of the new release), the stamps went OOS.
I haven't ordered since last October but I am guessing that people are worried that they might miss out on something.
"It boggles my mind how disrespectful the admins/owners of this company are to it's customers. Wow.
Ted, nothing you said was disrespectful. Every release for 4 years has been "unprecedented volume."
I had to type my CC in 4 times, I certainly hope I don't receive my order times 4. This was a completely frustrating release, my last for a long time to come."
Ted wrote:With all due respect, Nichole...the amount of traffic shouldn't be "unprecedented"... it's a release night.
Ted, we actually have triple the number of orders coming in every minute when compared to all previous release records. It isn't fair to make a disrespectful comment like that if you have no first hand knowledge to base the statement on. Moving forward, now that we have experienced this huge increase in traffic, it is something we can prepare for. And we will do so to help prevent this from happening again. We always, always put our best foot forward in trying to accommodate everyone, plan adequately for inventory, and to make the overall shopping experience as smooth as possible here tonight. I am disappointed in the performance of the server myself and I apologize that we caused a situation that left so many people feeling frustrated. All we can do is learn from this unique experience and put things in place to not allow them to happen again.
barbara32ca wrote Bolded my me. I know that I should not comment on this but I am really having trouble with this statement. As the owner of a company, this is not something that you should say out loud. Whether or not Ted was disrespectful, (and I don't think that he was) I scratch my head that you feel that this is okay. I have not placed an order since last year and these are the kinds of statements that make me pause when I think about ordering again.
Can they just admit they have a problem have reputable people fix the shit and make their customers happy. They would recoop their revenue quickly when people find out their shit works. Online shopping isnt new to the rest of world.
Nichole should count to 100 before answering anything that might be considered the least bit controversial. I am not a Ted fan but her answer was completely undeserved. Ted is one of her best customers. I guess even she knows that he will just continue to order so she can say whatever she wants.
stand by for a board warning Barbara and the other person that posted before her as it was much more than I said and I got one!
Good move Michelle and Beth for leaving......won't it be embarrassing when there is no DT left?
Oh, and I only order release night as I have no other option. I am international - and at $30+ postage per order I can't wait until one item *might* come back into stock later, when something else will be out of stock.
I won't have that problem again as I won't be ordering. I don't know what possessed me to even try again.
The way Nichole talks is the way my boss talks to us. And let me tell you its even worse in person because they have a sarcastic look on their face as well. Having reported it to human resources several times nothing has been done about it.
I am just saying I hope its not a sign of the times.
Anonymous said... MFT's shipping is slow and expensive. What I save on the 2 items with them I make up with free shipping on those same things at Simon Says.
15 June 2012 06:26
****************** Don't know where you get THAT twisted information? Shipping is FREE is you spend only $60 and I got my recent order in 5 days (and over a weekend, too!)
278 comments:
1 – 200 of 278 Newer› Newest»Does anyone have the lowercase script alphabet dies? It looks all good except for the very strange "f". Not sure I would use the "f" that much. What has your experience been with these?
FIRST!!!!
...time I haven't seen someone go "first!" LOL
Sorry, I don't have those dies, person who posted first. But I do happen to love that retro-looking font so I don't have a problem with the "f".
I had no interest in the sunshine set until I saw what Maile Belles did with it.
The phrasing on some of those sentiments is so odd, though, that I think I'll have to pass anyway.
I'm safe for the 7th or 8th month in a row :)
Careful, you know how saying that hurts Nichole's feelings.
Dawn is officially on my smack list for using the word "hexie".
I'm sure she's going for cute, but Dawn's writing makes her sound like a ditz. And am I the only one who thinks of Miss Piggy every time you see the word Hiya?
There are a few things that I will be watching the for sale board for in the next few months but I won't be buying directly from papertrey.
Oooh, MFT just announced a 20% off sale. No code needed. Sounds like a good time to grab some of the things I've had my eye on!
Another person who is cough coughsafecough cough for as long.
MFT here I come!!!
that rainbow back ground or whatever the hell it is.....FUGLY with a capital F
Someone on the previous post said that she thinks Nichole reads here.
Nichole you drive people nuts when you say umm and smack your tongue/lips in your videos. I know you can't immediately do anything about your sausage fingers. That's ok. OH and also you could cut down the time a bit. 37 mins was a bit much.
Okay, thank you....hope that helps
Another "unexpected delay". What a surprise. They just previewed the Rolodex dies yesterday. Nichole and the DT were hyping them up and less than 24 hours later we're told that there's been a delay. Like she JUST found out. Nothing's changed in the way PTI communicates with and disappoints their customers.
Unbelievable about the "unexpected delay".
Well actually, no considering PTI, I guess it's totally believable.
call me stupid.....but why would you showcase a product you dont even have to sell? Wait to next month dumbasses!
Chill. It's only the left file die. It's not like all 3 dies have been delayed.
At least Nichole posted a note about the OOS and not yet in products. Months ago she would have kept quiet and then made it the customers fault somehow when they complained.
Just watched the video on the Roladex thingey - felt all 'classical' with the music intro - but don't see the connection with that and what looks like a very complicated organizing system. Maybe I am missing the point but by the time I had organized 'stuff' there would be no time for actual crafting.
http://www.papercraftsconnection.com/blog/2012/06/gallery-idol-round-3-winners-revealed/
wow the results are shocking. though most of the entries in the last round were crappy, there were one or two standouts that did NOT make it through.
just proves that the entire thing is just one big popularity contest. it has nothing to do with the cards.
how stupid.
So it won't take comments for the contest. It appears to be locked.
What is the MFT code, please?
MFT's shipping is slow and expensive. What I save on the 2 items with them I make up with free shipping on those same things at Simon Says.
Really 5:13?! Of all the smack-able things about NH her appearance bothers you enough to mention her plump fingers several times already?
Were you a Mean Girl in high school? The one who made fun of everyone that didn't look perfect?
I feel sorry for you...
On the 'What's on your PTI list this month' thread, only 1 or 2 people have shown interest in the Roladex organisation set.
@6:37 - This is a PTI smack blog and we can small ALL things PTI. Go fuck yourself!
Nutjob is that you???
I predict that organization set is going to be a big flop.
And I cannot believe they hyped up the Rolodex stuff only to not have the left tab die. That info really could have been shared yesterday. I don't think it would have affected enthusiam. Oh, wait, there wasn't any.
I agree with poster who said the rainbow background is fugly. It's way too busy, IMO, for a background.
*enthusiasm Dammit, Janet. I hate when I make typos. Other people's don't bother me, but I hate when I make them.
Where is the rainbow stuff? I did not see it.
As for the Gallery Idol. I wish it was blind voting. Because really it is just one big popularity contest.
Not a fan of the rainbow background either. For some reason the square Limitless Layers does absolutely nothing for me. I do like the round & oval though.
If/when I get around to placing an order, I would like the Bitty Baby dies. And the Lovely Layers stamps & dies strikes me somehow (in a good way). I'm not sure about the sunshine set. I'd probably buy the hexagon set, but I'll be using my Cameo instead of the cover plate.
MFT's shipping has always been pretty fast for me. I usually order at the release. So Tuesday night and have the package on Saturday, sometimes Friday.
Yeah, the rainbow background is major FUG!
MFT always takes over a week for me.
I think what disturbs me most about the "rainbows" is that it is 2 things....scallops and curvy things trying to be rainbows.
I think if they had left out the scalloped arcs and made the curve of the rainbow less severe, it might have looked better.
OR leave out the "rainbow" and just have the arched scallops, and call it fish scales or something. The scallops alone would have been very nice.
I think that "rainbow" background was supposed to be going for some sort of art deco look but in reality it's that ugly 70s metallic wallpaper look. Blech. Didn't like it then, can't stand it now.
Completely agree on Rolodex - too time consuming. I love to organize and there's no way I'd be bothered with that. I agree with whoever asked yesterday - do people really RESEARCH how to make a card? I just sit down and do it.
Happy Hexagons (stupid name)- the only thing happy about it is it's $5. It's what you add to get to free shipping. Not a 'must have.'
Sunshine - meh. Sentiments I would never use.
Military Heros - nice sentiments except for the idiotic "hurry home" one. But $24 for sentiments? Steal 'em and print 'em for free people.
This one I cannot believe! $24 for a bunch of patterned stars?? Ever hear of a star punch and patterned paper?? What were they thinking?
Okay this "We Go Together" set.... I get the style they were after but I think it's poorly executed. PB&J is lame. Who wants to tell someone they're last on the list after coffee, phone, etc.?? And the "you make me happy" one - nicest sentiment but poorly laid out. Lopsided - that flourish is crowded and awkward there.
I really like Lovely Layers.
Do they really have to wait until the last minute for a stock update??
Yeah that rainbow BG is very busy. Somehow it doesn't seem quite so bad when it's done tone on tone. But add in a different color for paper/scallops/rainbows it hurst my eyes.
Anyone make a good Striped Background stamp??? I like the pti tone-on-tone patterned stripe paper.
Having something turn up as being not available on release night is perplexing to me and not at all how I imagined a business did things. I figured any normal company would have boxes of all the new stuff sitting in the warehouse JUST WAITING for release night. I figured they would have received it a couple of weeks ago, opened each box to check and make sure everything arrived the way it was supposed to, and hand count each item to make sure the right # arrived.
Is my thinking way off? I've never run a store or worked in logistics so I don't know the official process for receiving merchandise but damn...I'm thinking PTI doesn't either.
I like the rainbows.
I might use the rolodex stamps on a card but probably not. The "system" is way too time consuming.
I like the hexagon cover plate but I have already designed my own on my Cameo.
I might buy the hexagon stamp set because it is $5 (if I were buying).
I don't mind We go together or Lovely Layers.
I am being generous. I wouldn't even consider any of the other sets.
I DO like a lot of the cards. I especially like some of the ideas like offsetting the coverplate (Erin) or the Vellum overlay (can't remember who).
A disappointed fan from the SAF kit is awesome thread-
Mine FINALLY made it to the Cincinnati sort facility today...which means it either left PTI on June 8 (as promised) and sat somewhere at the PO until today or just left PTI today. I couldn't be more disappointed!! I ordered this kit with a shipping date promise of June 1...it was delayed for a week...and then didn't make it to the PO until the 14th?? Wow...just wow! :cry: :cry: :cry:
Thoughts on the release projects:
Didn't visit Ashley, Heather, Melissa, Jessica or Michelle. Wish I hadn't visited Erin....ugh. Although her 3rd use of the hex plate was clever.
Betsy - I already wanted Lovely Layers but even more after seeing Betsy's grateful heart card. She is the master of color usage.
Maile is going to make me buy the cloud dies.
Rainbow background - hated it. For all the reasons mentioned above.
Desktop org crap - the concept is way too cumbersome.
I give a crap about any of the framed out series.
Hex - I like the designs but they are too small, making them too cumbersome for people with limited craft time. I wish PTI would realize not every fucking one of us is a stay at home stamper with nothing to do all day but make cards.
Heart-2-heart is really cute but haven't banners been done to death? I could swing it for $5 though.
I"m disappointed in the sunshine set. the sentiments all seem so blue and i don't like sending cards with a command to the recipient....like BRING YOUR OWN SUNSHINE. I bet there are 36 other better sentiments to go with a sunshine set. You are the sunshine of my life. And I despise the phrase "Hiya". It sounds like a 4 year old talking.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED Lovely Layers. I can see using the largest die to make some neat looking pointsettias for Christmas cards.
I agree with the above poster about a $24 set of sentiments for Military Hero. I think she really tried, though, to come up with enough things to justify that price. I would have eliminated 1/2 of the sayings and made it a $15 set.
Military Stars, I liked them but I have other star sets that I already don't use.
I liked the We Go Together as well but hated the PB&J. I would have loved to see Peanut Butter & Chocolate. And agree with above poster about having my loved one seem like an afterthough "& You, of course." why not just leave off the "of course" and put the banner over YOU to make it seem like the most important thing on the list?
Of course the shit sat at PTI for a week before it was sent to the post office. How could there be any doubt that they take the packages when they feel like it not on a regular basis.
Anyone who belives that the post office is to blame for all of PTI's shipping woes is insane!
How come no other company has this many problems with USPS?
I like the hexagon cover plate but I have already designed my own on my Cameo.
===============
Me too! The Cameo renders the dies needless!
If I bought We Go Together, I'd have to cut off the "just sayin" part of the stamp because frickin Ted has ruined that phrase for me.
my cart is still empty. please smack me for continuing to try.
I like the little heart to heart set - I know banners have been done and done, but I don't own any banner sets, so for $5 - if I was ordering, I'd get it.
I HATE the rainbows - when they mentioned the rainbow set, I was like what rainbow set...I didn't even realize those ugly things were supposed to be rainbows. Really?
The hex set is cute-ish, and cheap, but too fussy for me.
Nichole does have rather sausagey fingers, but so do i, and that's why I noticed it - I hate my fingers. ugh. (I wasn't the original sausage finger poster though)
well, 19:08, hope springs eternal, right?
Dear 7:15,
You are a jerk. Not all of us think it's okay to smack someone for being overweight. Go ahead and do it, because you can, but you are a jerk.
Usually Erin Lincoln's projects do nothing for me, but I am totally digging the way she offset the hexagon cover plate. I think it would be fun to snip the top layer at each intersection and weave the two colors in and out of each other. Time to modify a copy of that digital cutfile! :-)
To all you Nichole defenders, I did say it was ok to have sausage fingers. Holy, take a chill pill.
Why didnt you smack me for criticizing her ummms and the smacking mouth noises? I guess that's not part of her being fat. Or maybe it is?
the people who got on your case about the sausage fingers, probably also have sausage fingers and were offended...
either that or they didn't care about the ums etc because they are something she can help/should fix when doing a video as the face of the company. the smack about the umms etc is kind of more constructive smack?
or maybe whoever got angry, because they also have sausage fingers, had to take a typing break because their big heavy fingers got tired...
or maybe...
So the shipping thread has been delted. THat goes a long way for customer confidence!
Wow, PTI just does not have any business sense.
I'm not the writer of any of the previous references to sausage fingers, but I admit I did laugh when I saw the comment first written.
I don't think it is jerky to say someone's fingers are sausage-y, especially if they are. And hers are. I know it, you guys know it and NH knows it. What's the prob?
My toes are sausage-y. I don't cry when someone calls them out.
if people are so sensitive to sausage fingers, you should not be here. There is a lot worse stuff being said here.
Terrible CS, condescending attitudes, bitchiness, and general shitty behavior, especially from a co-owner of a company is smack-able. Those things need to be corrected.
Sausage fingers, or being overweight is not smack-worthy. That, like I said before- is reserved for empty headed, cowardly, immature 'Mean Girls' who are cruel because it makes them feel better about themselves. Grow up.
Making fun of someones appearance does nothing to help things change. It makes things worse.
unclench. I prefer to watch videos featuring non-sausage fingered crafters. The fat gets in the way of the card, it's a fact!
Smacking PTI is one thing but when you smack a person that's just wrong. I have a friend who always made fun of disabled people. One night on the way home from work he fell asleep at the wheel. His sternum and back were broken and his foot was crushed. All those years of ridiculing others came back to him and he realizes that. He suffers every day of his life with the pain. Be careful what you say. Just sayin.
Avery Elle update:
Ordered Tuesday, shipped Wednesday, received Friday.
Shipped USPS Priority box. Cardstock was double wrapped in bubble wrap and arrived in perfect condition.
I left a comment on my order asking what might be matching ink colors and received a list in my order.
Very pleased with the product and their customer service.
So annoyed at Gallery Idol...it really is a popularity contest, or at the very least who can drum up the most votes kind of thing by visiting every forum and social network and asking for votes. So sad that JJ Bolton is out. She makes the most amazing and creative cards! Kinda mad that Jen Rzasa was in it last year and again this year, but have to admit that I do like her style.
Gallery Idol: I was shocked that JJ and Wida are out.
So, when the shipping thread was "pruned" and someone asked about it specifically, Nichole says that she "vaguely recalls" the thread? Seriously?
Pricecheck is a moron!
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/general-stamping-talk-f17/frustrated-pti-t547056-8.html
Rick, did you delete that thread? It looks like Nichole didn't do it.
Wait a stinking minute here. Nichole vaguely recalls the thread, but remembers exactly which user was requesting help in that thread? What do you want to bet that the pruned threads aren't really gone, but just moved somewhere that only the PTI PTB can see them? So Nichole could easily look up the username and appear to be helpful.
How could Nichole "vaguely" remember the thread, but remember who the person was that wanted the other commenter to ship to her?
Just askin'... :
---------------------------
I'm not sure if this would be the right person or not (I couldn't locate the thread either), but I vaguely remember the thread you are referencing and I believe this is the gal that wanted someone to send her the $5 set...
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=44xxx
Perhaps that will help?
Someone beat me to it ... :)
14:19
GMTA, 14:21.
Yeah right, sure Nichole doesn't know what happened to the thread!
Just like she doesn't know why the totes were held for 5 working days before being shipped!
Has anyone here tried the script alphabet? In real life, is it a good thing or not?
Had a $300 Amuse order ready to submit today and then had something happen that makes me wish to switch consultants. Who would you recommend?
I buy my Amuse from Nancy Baier - consultant number 1137.
so tired of the word FUGLY, can't believe you people still use that word. I used it in high school back in the 80's
That's funny. I didn't know it existed until a couple of years ago. Livin' under a rock, I guess.
just to let you all know I am typing with my sausage fingers
Had a $300 Amuse order ready to submit today and then had something happen that makes me wish to switch consultants. Who would you recommend?
---
dang! I'm curious what happened that was that bad? I recently switched consultants myself, but it was more a responsive situation. Some consultants are more on the ball than others.
17:38, just as long as we can't see the fugly things, we're good, I guess... LOLOL
*(17:38 the first, that is)
Lisa Johnson has an MFT hexagon card on her blog today.
So I ordered, and damn it, it would not let me use my reward points for some reason. There was no option either with VISA or with PayPal.
Every time I order and there is a problem, I feel like they have kicked me. There must be something wrong with me that I let it happen. I held out several months this time, and now I wish I had not ordered.
You have to log in to use your points? How is anyone supposed to know that?
My gosh this company sure seems like they don't want our business sometimes.
14:19, I can almost guarantee you that pulled threads aren't deleted, they're hidden. They're likely moved to a hidden folder that anyone with appropriate access can see.
Ted just wrote:
With all due respect, Nichole...the amount of traffic shouldn't be "unprecedented"... it's a release night.
I'm wondering if...on release night, the tech department couldn't perhaps add another server to take on some of the traffic? Take the load off the one server?
Or perhaps beef up the current server? Obtain/purchase a server that is larger, stronger...that can take on this amount of traffic.
I have no doubts in your sincerity in your apology nor, do I doubt your appreciation of our patience... it's because of those qualities you possess that keep me coming back.
Yeah the snarky bitch is back.... Nichole just responded to Ted and bitched him out. It must be past her bedtime.
Wonder how long it will take Ted to get over being chewed out and start fawning over Nichole again? My money is on tomorrow morning.
Yeah 19:39... it's past her bedtime .... AND she is losing potential revenue!!!111!!!!!1!!
;)
I find it VERY hard to believe that there are 3x the orders coming in tonight versus other release nights.
Will someone please provide a link to the Ted smack down thread? I looked, but can't find it.
It is just wrong to have a "Release Night Tech Help Thread" I find it so irritating. If it's that hard that you need this thread EVERY release, something is really broken. And unprecedented traffic is BS. If anything, I thought they were losing people. And BTW, if the check out process is this hard, you should get Reward Points for navigating it.
Joan B is on the forum. I don't think she can make up her mind. Maybe her blog won't go away. I don't see the Ted/Nichole thread you refer to.
Re: Release Night Tech Help Thread
Postby nichole » Fri Jun 15, 2012 8:30 pm
Ted wrote:With all due respect, Nichole...the amount of traffic shouldn't be "unprecedented"... it's a release night.
Ted, we actually have triple the number of orders coming in every minute when compared to all previous release records. It isn't fair to make a disrespectful comment like that if you have no first hand knowledge to base the statement on. Moving forward, now that we have experienced this huge increase in traffic, it is something we can prepare for. And we will do so to help prevent this from happening again. We always, always put our best foot forward in trying to accommodate everyone, plan adequately for inventory, and to make the overall shopping experience as smooth as possible here tonight. I am disappointed in the performance of the server myself and I apologize that we caused a situation that left so many people feeling frustrated. All we can do is learn from this unique experience and put things in place to not allow them to happen again.
Ack. :-( That was the worst ordering experience. I'll admit I have been very hesitant in ordering the last few months, just because I've never had any problems with my order, but I've been reading about all those who have, and I worry about my order every month! My enthusiasm for PTI has gradually been waning anyway, since the new website was installed. Tonight's process was so crappy, but the way NH responded to Ted's comment (a thought that a LOT of we PTI customers are thinking, BTW!) has just put me over the edge, I think. Too bad - I average about $500 on crafting supplies every month, PTI having typically been the biggest portion of that amount. Thank goodness there are other suppliers out there.
Sometimes I wonder if the PTI home office feeds Nichole bad information. Every now and then I feel sorry for
her because she trusts the info coming out of the home office. If the home office lies to customers maybe they lie to her too. She would have no idea from Tennessee if there were a bunch more orders tonight.
Don't get me wrong - I still think she bears some responsibility for her company.
I will say that I placed 2 orders today.
One was around 5pm
The second was about 10:45 by the time I got through with all of the errors.
There were only 346 orders placed between my two orders. 3x the orders tonight my ass.... Is she an idiot? Does she think we can't do math?
This company is a joke on every level.
Maybe they should spend less time pimping their wares and more time making sure they can actually sell those wares on release night?
It's not like release night just crept up on them.
And as for Nichole's whine about Ted being disrespectful? Well, that's just proof that nothing has, or will, change at PTI.
"
Ted, we actually have triple the number of orders coming in every minute when compared to all previous release records. It isn't fair to make a disrespectful comment like that if you have no first hand knowledge to base the statement on. Moving forward, now that we have experienced this huge increase in traffic, it is something we can prepare for. And we will do so to help prevent this from happening again. We always, always put our best foot forward in trying to accommodate everyone, plan adequately for inventory, and to make the overall shopping experience as smooth as possible here tonight. I am disappointed in the performance of the server myself and I apologize that we caused a situation that left so many people feeling frustrated. All we can do is learn from this unique experience and put things in place to not allow them to happen again."
Are you freakin' kidding me?!?!?!
I cannot believe this woman has the NERVE to write what she wrote in bold. Cannot believe it!!!
And "... we always, always ....here tonight.." Excuse me?? Do you ALWAYS do it?? Or just tonight?? They NEVER do any of those three things. She could at least have said "try" because they don't succeed!!
This is not a unique experience and they never learn.
Every time I'm tempted to let bygones be bygones and order again, I see this kind of bullshit and it just makes me sick.
I would bet good money that they are not having 3x the traffic - it's just the only excuse they could come up with that could come close to justifying any problems their having. This company is a joke.
I think the crappy part was where she says he is being unfair and disrespectful.
Forget whether they are having 3x the traffic or not. What business owner in their right mind tells a customer that they are being "unfair" and "disrespectful"???
When a customer makes a suggestion like that (totally warranted I gather tonight), you smile and nod and apologize for their frustration, all the while reassuring them that you will be looking into the server situation.
Anything else is trying to play the victim card by saying their customer is being mean.
What would make THIS particular release cause 3 times the number of orders? Seriously, very few people on the forum acted even lukewarm about the whole thing. Something is wrong. Either she is lying or I am going to get my order in triplicate.
Why do we OWE them respect? They don't have service that I respect. Unfair? How is it unfair when they hype everyone up and then cannot deliver and then when we get frustrated WE are unfair? That woman is a piece of work.
So, where in the heck is the release night tech thread?
Ted just voiced what everyone else was thinking. Every release for 4 years they make excuses because of "unprecedented volume."
Nichole's comments were out of line.
"20:10: Either she is lying or I am going to get my order in triplicate."
This is HYSTERICAL!!!!
Release night tech thread
http://forum.papertreyink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=145&t=36411
Ted's post and Nichole's follows just a bit later
http://forum.papertreyink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=145&t=36411&start=50#p401390
Oh, I get it!! Remember Gina K had a huge increase in orders?! She has to say that so it sounds like they're doing better too!
Lame, Nichole. And pathetic.
link to Nichole's response
http://forum.papertreyink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=145&t=36411&start=75#p401414
When a customer says something like "it's my own fault for ordering on release night" there is something seriously wrong with how this company does business.
Either figure out how to handle a release or stop having these release nights. The stupidity is unbelievable.
Look like from some order numbers that there were 300-400 orders during the disaster hour. I would be shocked if those numbers are triple the regular volume.
Last month, when people got exactly the same errors that they're getting this month, the answer was to blame it on the credit card processing company. This month, they're blaming it on an enormous increase in traffic. I call BS on both.
I cannot believe all of the problems people are having with ordering ...
I cannot believe people are still stupid enough to order on release night.
I cannot believe PTI has their creative director troubleshooting ordering issues.
What the heck.
Nichole's response sounds like a cornered animal fighting for her life. Very very defensive.
It is either the server's fault, or the manufacturer's fault, or Paypal's fault, or the credit card company's fault, or the number of people ordering are at fault, or people cannot read their minds and know they have to log in to use reward points.
Has it EVER been PTI's fault that everything is such a horrible mess?
Wow, those comments Nichole made to Ted seem really out of line. Rude, rude, rude, and delusional to boot (about their inventory planning and the shopping experience, which is the worst I've ever encountered).
For anyone who knows some of this tech stuff, would the fact that lots of people had to make repeated attempts to get orders through somehow be misconstrued as crazy-high numbers of people ordering? In other words, do all of those failed attempts somehow register on a server (or wherever) as orders being placed, even if they're not completed? Jeez, it's past my bedtime, and that barely makes sense to me!
Anyway, it just seems really hard to imagine that this release was so unprecedented – especially by the amount that Nichole was claiming.
Oh geez:
nichole wrote:
Ted wrote:
With all due respect, Nichole...the amount of traffic shouldn't be "unprecedented"... it's a release night.
It isn't fair to make a disrespectful comment like that if you have no first hand knowledge to base the statement on.
Nichole, I apologize if you read it as disrespectful.
I had a longer reply to attempt to defend myself, but I deleted it for fear of having it removed and/or my membership to this forum banned. (Which I would have understood, seeing as this is not a public forum, but privately owned by you. As such, "Freedom of Speech" is not an option.)
I will, from now on, keep my opinions to myself.
OMFG! I have read 3 of the 5 (?!?) pages of the Tech Help thread. I CAN'T believe this. I havent' ordered from them in forever and only from curiosity did I even venture into this thread from the link here.
The fact that a company has to EVEN HAVE a Tech Help thread every release night boggles the mind let alone that there are 5 PAGES of it during the first couple hours of ordering. What a complete cluster &%$@!
Walk away people, just walk away and spend your money on companies that value customer service and bothers to fix their problems.
in the last 2 years has there been a single problem free release?
I have seen "unexpected server overload" fiascoes from enough companies that if I were ever going to run a business and I knew there was a chance my traffic would spike on a certain date I'd be for darn sure I had at least 3x more processing power than I estimated I might need. PTI has been doing this for long enough that this excuse of not expecting so much traffic just makes them look cowardly, stupid, and dishonest. Truly, I am disgusted.
Anybody see this? I thought Rick wasn't involved with the store site? Thought he was forum only ...
Tina B. wrote:
Nichole, I have a stamp and die set that has been in my cart for days and days. When I open my cart, select the Keep Shopping button, add card stock, it places it in a new cart. I am using an iPad. I've been in contact with Rick but the techs can't replicate my issue. My husband is a computer analyst...he observed my problem. He asked why PTI didn't use Team Viewer.
Thanks!
[Nichole's Response]
Thanks for your input, I'll be sure to pass that along to Rick.
Ted is now going to keep is opinions to himself??
Yeah. That will last as long as "talk with my wallet."
The man has zero credibility.
This is ridic! You all, like me, have ordered from many companies and I have NEVER experienced these kind of problems. Gina K also gets slammed on release nights and she manages to get her website to process orders smoothly. WTF PTI?!?
Rick has said before that he takes care of the forum and he also troubleshoots and helps with CS -- that he will help where he's needed.
From the looks of things, they need all the help they can get and frankly he's the only one I've ever seen from PTI actually BE helpful.
Times like this I'm happy for Jenn. I know she wasn't good at CS and didn't belong in it, but she must be so much happier now to be away from this mess. What a weight lifted from her shoulders (yes... I know she caused some of her own problems).
I'm kind of surprised Rick hasn't walked away too. I'm sure he doesn't need the headache.
Frankly, I'm surprised anyone is hanging on to this company!!! Of course, there are people still ordering on release night so apparently there are enough dopes in all areas to keep PTI hanging on.
I read between the lines on the Ted thing and I think he has about lost his patience too.
I cant believe that im siding with ted on this one. What an unappreciative, pretentious cow. Ive never heard of a business owner behaving the way she does or communicating to customers this way.
Nichole, you wanted to be the best at something and my dear youve done it. You are the best at deflecting blame. Bravo.
You guys dont deserve your success. At all.
so as of right now (not sure what they atrted at)
Desktop File: Inspiration
Quantity: 465
Hello Sunshine
Quantity: 576
BB: Rainbows
Quantity: 647
Lovely Layers
Quantity: 413
We Go Together
Quantity: 300
Happy Hexagons Mini
Quantity: 302
Military Hero
Quantity: 285
Military Stars
Quantity: 262
Cover Plate: Hexagon
Quantity: 413
I haven't ordered from PTI in two months. I didn't see anything in this month's release which would change my mind.
But the ordering issues -- combined with Nichole's bitchy, disproportionate and untruthful reply to Ted -- was the last straw for me.
I will buy my paper and stamps elsewhere.
I think about Jenn too. I bet she is watching the whole thing, eating ice cream and cookies, and thanking God that she left when she did. Let the Titanic go down and get in that life raft and paddle away.
The bloom is off the Rosie Posie, baby!
If anyone still had faith in PTI, I can't believe they still would after tonight. Even some of the "faithful" trying to place orders sound pretty disenchanted this time around.
When are they ever going to even fix the website anyway??? MONTHS since the rollout and it's still worthless for finding anything.
I applaud Ted for at least having the guts to try calling them out. He seems to be the only one I notice trying to give Nichole constructive criticism over there and she bitch-slaps him every time. *sigh*
With so many disgusted customers, how are they picking up triple orders right now? Makes no sense at all, unless the economy has recovered fully, and stamping is the new Kardashian hobby.
I doubt any other online stamp companies come close to the traffic amounts PTI has on release night, not even Gina K. I rarely see anyone aside from the dt members using Gina K. You just cant compare PTI to any other company. Sorry.
I do not understand the point of PayPal. Why would people not just use the credit card attached to the PayPal account? It seems like way more trouble than it is worth.
20:59, my guess is she is lying . . . and/or counting the duplicate orders as real orders.
PATHETIC.
People, please wake up and smell the bullshit. Buy your supplies elsewhere!!
BTW, Joan B said she was still going to be around in forums. And I'm not sure Joan B (with a space) and JoanB (without a space) are the same person.
21:00, while the comparison to Gina K may be flawed, you can't expect the rest of us to believe that PTI doesn't have the resources to hire/purchase an order processing company that can handle huge volume sales.
Ever heard of websites called Amazon? Ebay?
Am I missing something?... can't you just purchase the left facing OR right facing desktop file die and just turn the diecut piece paper around to face the other way eliminating the need for two dies? I'm only going by the outline images of the dies on Nichole's blog post, I didn't read anything to find out for sure, but it seems like it should work?
@21:00 hi Nichole...hows it going?
You are full of crap - "you just can't compare PTI to any other company."
You are basing this on what YOU SEE of people using Gina K or PTI or any other company???
Do you realize there are plenty of customers who don't blog? And you are the almighty seeing eye of the internet and know what everyone is using besides?
Give me a break. PTI is not so special, believe me.
21:05, I'm 21:00. Are you on crack? I'm criticizing Nichole. Um, hello?
21:07 (2), I think 21:05 was talking to the first 21:00 poster (there were 3).
BUT, I hate it when people come on and comment with "Hi Nichole", like Nichole would EVER come on here and make a comment. Just one of my pet peeves.
Asking about the file dies -- have you ever used a die?? When you cut a die, one side has rounded edges that look finished. The other side has an edge and looks.. well, looks like the back! ;)
And some people's plates are so scarred up they leave marks on the back side that don't look very nice and wouldn't take ink evenly.
My question along these lines though is a couple of impression plates that they've sold and they had the same pattern on both sides but called one embossed and one debossed. One had leaves all over it, I think. So... what am I missing? Don't you just flip over the cardstock to have an embossed or debossed side?
I think there may be a difference between server traffic and orders placed. I think trying to process your order multiple times takes resources from the server, even if an order is not actually placed. I agree with a previous poster who said Nichole probably does not get the best information from her tech person. It just doesn't add up.
Impression plates - Holly Jolly and Vineyard are the ones I'm thinking of.
Can't look at 'em too closely because of the crappy website. They're the same on both sides, I think.
oohh thanks for the clarification on the dies. I actually haven't use a lot of dies...
I think the crappy website is why they are still busy on release nights.
As long as you're ordering new stuff, it's the ONE time it's easy to find what you're looking for!!!
But I guess you really have the whole month - they keep the new stuff up on the front page for a month right?
Okay - blew my own theory about release night.
21:14, if that's the case, then she should shut her pie hole until she gets the real story.
21:17, you're welcome adn I didn't mean to be snarky -- thanks for not taking it that way! Reread it myself and thought I didn't sound nice asking if you don't use dies much ;)
Same as with punches, too -- there's that lifted edge on one side but rounded on the other.
KARMAS A BITCH!!!!! HAHAHAHAAH!
Inspector cloizeaux said:
Finally was able to get an order through but I must have hit pay now over a dozen times. My order number is 215308 and I used Paypal. Nichole, could you please also ask Julie to see that I was also only charged once. Thanks, Cindi.
oh oh, I just checked my account and I now have two order numbers. Off to Zendesk.
Guess I am just not picky enough to care about which side of the die is perfect.
Nice...on page 6 of the tech thread
Ted,
IMHO, you shouldn't feel compelled to apologize. I read NOTHING in your original statement as being disrespectful.
I doubt any other online stamp companies come close to the traffic amounts PTI has on release night, not even Gina K. I rarely see anyone aside from the dt members using Gina K. You just cant compare PTI to any other company. Sorry.
----
You obviously don't go to StampTV. That place is HUGE and has tons of Gina K fans (there are over 23,000 members). You may not see any high profile stampers (besides the DT) using her stamps, but there are hundreds of ladies posting on a regular basis on StampTV. They just don't blog, or have popular blogs.
Looks like a total of around 500 orders in all so far tonight. That is NOT triple anything.
Maybe Nichole is not embarrassed by the constant stream of information that the releases that is incorrect. But seeing as her idol is Martha Stewart, I would think she might care. It is obvious that she gets terrible information from the Cincinnati crew.
I would be extraordinarily frustrated if I were in her shoes. The only part of the company that works (mostly) right is design part. The store front and the operations are sub par on the best sunshiny day.
But good grief, I would also be furious with my partners for constantly hanging me out on a limb and ruining my reputation and credibility. She needs a good lawyer to undo the business arrangements.
I'm truly perplexed by who should be smacked more...Nichole and Co. for another shitty release experience or the fucking morons WHO KEEP GOING BACK TO ORDER!!!
I think 500 orders would be a tiny release for pti. Remember the days of the pti "tripling" the stock of dies each release and still selling out in minutes?
Maybe triple is code for we have no idea how to run a business but at least we design product people want to buy even if we won't let them.
AMEN 21:28!
I still wonder why people order on release night - they must know by now it will just be one headache after another.
21:25 - Agreed. When the new website was introduced, there was a lot of pressure for Nichole to step forward and deal with the issues, as the face of PTI. She is great at designing, but they really need professionals to be handling the website, customer service, and warehouse.
Impression plates do not leave as crisp an impression on both sides of the card stock as embossing folders do, especially when you are using card stock as thick as PTI's. So it makes the most sense to offer both options on the embossing plates. HTH! :-)
Well count me as one of the f-ing morons who liked a few things in this release enough to be almost tempted to place an order tonight. But then I thought, no... release night is too crazy, I'll wait a couple of weeks. Now I will just make do without. Holy crap, what a train wreck this company is. I would even be willing to forgive the mistakes, but the arrogant and bitchy attitude with which they try to excuse their incompetence just turns me completely off. So I guess, not such an f-ing moron after all, phew! *wipes forhead*
Unbelievable that Nichole smacked Ted. He's always one of her biggest supporters/ass kissers.
Triple the orders? Yet another unbelievable statement. Unless she"s saying that because no one ordered last month's crap.
21:43 - {hugs} to you...being able to admit you have a problem is the first step to overcoming it. I'm also a recovering PTI crack addict who was tempted to place an order this month. Thank god the PTI Smack III blog has become my safe meeting place to bring me back from the brink of destructive, self abusive behavior.
We'll on 7/21 you can call me a fucking moron too because I'll be hitting the submit button on the $100 sitting in my cart.
LOL 21:50 (21:43 here), but I actually haven't placed a PTI order for probably over a year. I like their card stock and buttons and keep thinking of getting more colors, but keep getting scared away by the release-night train wrecks. I liked 2 stamp sets this release enough to think I might order, but not THAT much! (The rainbow background and the lovely layers set in case anyone wonders or cares, haha.)
22:01 (#1) - if your cart dumps between now and then take it as a sign from the gods that you should take that $100 elsewhere and buy the special stamp second-hand on the forum.
*stamp SET, *sigh*...
Well I got a board warning, my post deleted and there have been several threads locked - anything that mentions PTI might need to actually fix anything or the website has problem and they MAKE IT DISAPPEAR.
You should be ashamed of your attitude PTI - fix your problems and stop silencing the customer when THEY HAVE A LEGITIMATE ISSUE.
What did you say, Lou?
Seansee wrote:
I can't believe you are all still ordering when month after month, release after release the same crap keeps happening. You are all just crazy to put up with all the frustration!
Yep, I thought I'd give it another go as I haven't ordered in a few months and now I remember why!
The new website is now several months old and still not very user friendly at all. Too much traffic was the same old problem from the last website and still multiple problems on top of that?
Geez didn't think that was a personal attack - just fact right?
PTI has just had ANOTHER fiasco of a release and sausage fingers posts this on the forum:
So, its the day after the release and you've been infused with tons of inspiration all week, what do you tend to do after it's over? Try some of the things you've been inspired by? Just stamp more overall? Or do you pretty much carry on with your normal stamping habits?
In fucking denial much!
Cristina Kowalczyk has been added to the DT list on Nichole's blog.
And Michelle is gone from the DT list. Surprised to see the picture there with no announcement. Maybe just another of their screw ups.
of course Mich is gone; direct result of PTI mess AND this blog. just take my word for it.
jessica is next to leave.
and where is my $1000 from ricky?
Okay, great knowledgable "insider"....what does this blog have to do with Mishy leaving? Umpteen years of PTI's bad business practices weren't enough to make her leave, but a smack blog was?
Puh-leeze.
PTI no longer has the cache that it used to. It burns through designers and they are leaving primarily because of PTI's own practices. The customer service issues are one thing but then tbere is the less than generous compensation. The two together just aren't worth it.
the smack blog adds to the embarrassment of being associated with the company. called fat, work criticised, a lot of folks don't want to be a public target and someone don't feel that by posting a card on a website they are "opening themselves" up to having their husbands mocked,their thumbs mocked.
you may not realize it but places like this hurt the feelings of real people who then decide to move on.
I know at least 5 people who won't even POST on the PTI forum that they like a set or purchased with no problems because they don't want to mocked here.
easy to say just don't come here, but this place is like a train wreck. can't turn away. and if you do, folks send messages saying oh see what they are saying about you.
i'd smack my 8th grade daughter if she behaved this way.
Jenn, Mich, Lisa just for starters are gone. I suspect Melissa and Debbie will leave when their contracts end.
And Dave where is Dave? Hmm...he never existed.
I am sad to see Michelle leave because I love her cards and her stamp sets. I also do not care for Project Life at all.
I also like Cristina Kowalczyk's work so I won't mind seeing what she does with PTI.
When I saw Mish's cards in all black they looked like funeral cards to me. I wonder if she did that on purpose?
I bet we'll see the announcement this morning on N's blog after a 3 second apology for release night ordering and a 15 page gushing post on the new stamps.
In my opinion Ted's post was snarky and he deserved the reply he got from Nicole. Unless you know the true facts don't assume to know how many orders they receive.
All you haters are just jealous of PTI's success. And yes, as much as you hate to admit it, they are successful.
Grow up, get a life and stop acting like middle school girls.
There is already another cart dumping thread on the forum but Nichole hasn't had a chance to lock it. I guess she is still sleeping.
Well pretend troll, even if Ted deserved a snarky response, a business owner should NEVER talk to a customer like that.
Okay, I'll play. Why would I be jealous of a company that I want to buy from?
So Christina is leaving Wplus9 for Papertrey? Hmm.
if a business owner cannot stay polite on a forum then hire someone how can. period.
a truly class post would be for her to post a locked thread with the following:
Every release night we face some difficult times for some of our customers. While many have no problems whatsoever, some do and that is never acceptable.
In the heat of the moment I snapped at Ted and wish to apologize. He is a loyal customer and a positive contributor on this forum. To that end, Ted will be receiving a $50 gift certificate.
And I will learn to count before I write on release night! We are working behind the scenes to improve and hope you can remain patient with us.
LOL! Can you imagine how many people would be egging Nichole on if she offered up a $50 gift cert every time she snapped?
oh my god pti and nichole heady make me sick. This constant back and forth between NH and Ted is just weird, the dynamic just gives me the shivers. I've been weaning myself off PTI and this month just sealed it for a good long time. what a crazy, fucked up company. And no, I'm not jealous!
There is an announcement on Nichole's blog now. Beth is gone too.
Earlier, someone asked why anybody would bother trying to order on release night.
For the longest time, if people didn't order on release night, they would worry about items being OOS.
I had one experience where I waited for 3 weeks for a die to come back in and then when it did (on the morning of the new release), the stamps went OOS.
I haven't ordered since last October but I am guessing that people are worried that they might miss out on something.
http://forum.papertreyink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=145&t=36411&start=125
"It boggles my mind how disrespectful the admins/owners of this company are to it's customers. Wow.
Ted, nothing you said was disrespectful. Every release for 4 years has been "unprecedented volume."
I had to type my CC in 4 times, I certainly hope I don't receive my order times 4. This was a completely frustrating release, my last for a long time to come."
This is the inventory for this morning. Doesn't seem like a triple ordering night if you ask me.
Desktop File: Inspiration
Quantity: 366 (465)
Hello Sunshine
Quantity: 416 (576)
BB: Rainbows
Quantity: 593 (647)
Lovely Layers
Quantity: 274 (413)
We Go Together
Quantity: 204 (300)
Happy Hexagons Mini
Quantity: 213 (302)
Military Hero
Quantity: 266 (285)
Military Stars
Quantity: 235(262)
Cover Plate: Hexagon
Quantity: 136 (413)
There were 1000 hexagon cover plates when the release went live.
http://forum.papertreyink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=145&t=36411
nichole wrote:
Ted wrote:With all due respect, Nichole...the amount of traffic shouldn't be "unprecedented"... it's a release night.
Ted, we actually have triple the number of orders coming in every minute when compared to all previous release records. It isn't fair to make a disrespectful comment like that if you have no first hand knowledge to base the statement on. Moving forward, now that we have experienced this huge increase in traffic, it is something we can prepare for. And we will do so to help prevent this from happening again. We always, always put our best foot forward in trying to accommodate everyone, plan adequately for inventory, and to make the overall shopping experience as smooth as possible here tonight. I am disappointed in the performance of the server myself and I apologize that we caused a situation that left so many people feeling frustrated. All we can do is learn from this unique experience and put things in place to not allow them to happen again.
barbara32ca wrote
Bolded my me. I know that I should not comment on this but I am really having trouble with this statement. As the owner of a company, this is not something that you should say out loud. Whether or not Ted was disrespectful, (and I don't think that he was) I scratch my head that you feel that this is okay. I have not placed an order since last year and these are the kinds of statements that make me pause when I think about ordering again.
Barbara
I ordered on 6/12. A forum member posted her order # that she was having trouble with. It was only 655 orders between hers and mine.
What happened to the days of THOUSANDS of orders on release nights? I call BS to NH's triple statement.
Oh Barbara you naughty girl. You are going to get Nichole cranky. ;)
Can they just admit they have a problem have reputable people fix the shit and make their customers happy. They would recoop their revenue quickly when people find out their shit works. Online shopping isnt new to the rest of world.
Nichole should count to 100 before answering anything that might be considered the least bit controversial. I am not a Ted fan but her answer was completely undeserved. Ted is one of her best customers.
I guess even she knows that he will just continue to order so she can say whatever she wants.
stand by for a board warning Barbara and the other person that posted before her as it was much more than I said and I got one!
Good move Michelle and Beth for leaving......won't it be embarrassing when there is no DT left?
Oh, and I only order release night as I have no other option. I am international - and at $30+ postage per order I can't wait until one item *might* come back into stock later, when something else will be out of stock.
I won't have that problem again as I won't be ordering. I don't know what possessed me to even try again.
The way Nichole talks is the way my boss talks to us. And let me tell you its even worse in person because they have a sarcastic look on their face as well. Having reported it to human resources several times nothing has been done about it.
I am just saying I hope its not a sign of the times.
Another thread on cart dumping. Nichole must be sleeping because she hasn't locked it yet.
Anonymous said...
MFT's shipping is slow and expensive. What I save on the 2 items with them I make up with free shipping on those same things at Simon Says.
15 June 2012 06:26
******************
Don't know where you get THAT twisted information? Shipping is FREE is you spend only $60 and I got my recent order in 5 days (and over a weekend, too!)
200th!
Post a Comment