I try these days not to be too outspoken in this industry. It really doesn’t do you any good and tends to lose you friends and customers. But the rudeness of some people has pushed me to say something about Quilters Behaving Badly.
I am a real person, with feelings, and I work bloody hard at what I do. I’m an individual, a wife, a mother, a pet owner. It really isn’t okay to be rude to me or my family. I am stunned at the level of rudeness out there. Why do you think it’s okay to speak to me, and sometimes my children, like you do when you would never consider speaking to your family, friends or the people in your community in the same way?
♥ You are not entitled to my undivided attention. I do not have to reply to your email the instant you send it. I may not be home, I may be eating a meal with my family, I may be unwell that day. I do my best to answer your questions in a reasonable time frame. I don’t always succeed, but a polite reminder email is much better than a rude nasty one where you don’t even sign your name. I usually allow two – three days for businesses to contact me especially if they are a home based business. Then I send a polite email asking my question again. After that I get a little cranky but I always try to be polite in my crankiness.
♥ Sending an email that says WHERE IS MY PATTERN and nothing else is rude. How about sending an email that says… Hi Toni, I ordered this pattern on this day and it hasn’t arrived, thanks and then sign your name. It only takes a few seconds longer and doesn’t leave me with my head rotating in a 360* manner. I will go out of my way to help you and I don’t rip people off. In most instances, almost all actually, the PDF file has ended up somewhere you didn’t think to look and considering these days that it takes four days for a letter to get from Brisbane to Sydney, blame Australia Post not me.
♥ If you have abused me and then realise that the PDF pattern has ended up in your husband’s email folder, the email address you have used is closed and you’ve forgotten to update it, or it has ended up in your spam folder I would appreciate a quick email saying you have found it and perhaps an apology. I’m not responsible for you using an outdated email address, or your husband’s email address. I’m certainly not responsible for your husband deleting the pattern because he thought it was spam!
♥ It’s not okay to telephone me demanding to know where your pattern is when you only ordered it an hour earlier. It is not okay to abuse me only six hours after you purchased a printed pattern, especially when I live in Australia and you live in America. The order confirmation email I sent you stated that it would take approximately a week to ten days for you receive your pattern via international post from Australia. There is nothing I can do about it. When I offer to send you the PDF pattern so you can start making the quilt before the printed pattern arrives in the post a thank you email would be polite. Where are your manners?
♥ I am not obliged to send you a pattern to replace the magazine pattern sheet you lost. You have purchased the pattern from the magazine not from me. I was paid a pittance for doing the project and have received none of the profits from the sale of the magazine. I’m a nice, generous person and usually I send out the missing template sheets but I will not be intimidated by abusive, entitled women who think that they have the moral high ground.
I really love what I do but sometimes the people you deal with leave you scratching your head and wondering why the hell would you put yourself willingly through this kind of crap for the pittance you make out of it. All I ask is that you stop and think before you send that email or pick up the phone. Ask yourself this… have I been polite? have I provided all the information she needs, have I been reasonable in my demands? I’m not perfect, LOL I’m definitely not perfect, but I try to remain polite when dealing with people and I expect you to do the same.
toni xx
Well said! People have become so selfish and self-centered and don’t much care how they treat people. That old saying “the customer is always right” is a bunch of hooey. When the customer acts like a foolish jerk, they most certainly are NOT right!
You go girl!!! The rudeness and demands of some people astounds me at times too. You can only grin and bear it up to a point. I think you are perfectly justified in what you have said. Vicki
we are with you toni. maybe they will read this and think or maybe not!!!
Good for you , rudeness is simply not tolerated !
Oh Toni being a small online business too I understand where you are coming from.Lucky for Me I haven’t had anything that bad.
They don’t deserve your business as much as you might want it.
Well Said my Dear and I’m Sorry to hear you have been getting treated so badly.
I hope your Good Customers make up for the Bad.
Chin Up and Take Care
xx
Cheers
Maree
Ollie and May Designs.
http://www.ollieandmay.com
P.O.Box 531
Oxenford.
Qld. 4210
Australia.
I am so glad you are standing up for yourself Toni and saying what needs to be said to those who must believe they are the only person on earth! =0) No one has to take abuse and rudeness, especially in the form of nasty email.
I work in a business where I’m talking to customers all day on the phone, it is amazing what people will say to you over the phone, things I know they’d not say to my face!
Keep up your good work and beautiful designs,
Ani
You Go Girl!
I read all your email, and you are absolutely justified in feeling miffed! Rudeness is rampant here in the states, too.
I love your designs, and have purchased a couple of PDF patterns which have arrived tout suite. Hang in there!
Sharon Ludwig =) California, USA
Isn’t if funny how some people seem to think that when they’ve purchased an item they’ve also purchased ownership over you too? Glad to see you set them straight …and in such a polite way.
Boo to rudeness – absolutely no need for it – leaves me seething too. You should start a blacklist and refuse to have dealings with these people again. Well said and good for you xx
Hi Toni
I support you in everyway – a very well written statement – pity we could not send it to everyone. Hope your day has improved. (Have sent your flannel – hope it arrives early next week)
Hi Tony
Don’t worry we have a lot of crazy people circling around the world, but if you do not ignore them, your also go crazy like them. I work and everyday I have to fight with this kind of persons that to not have education.
Come on, you are a wonderful person and also designer. Big kisses
Well said Toni, manners cost nothing and yet they seem to be hard to come by for some.
Don’t let it get you down hon.
Hugs,
Joy xx
Well said Toni and good on you for posting about these RUDE people… I am so sick of the rudeness around the place… Love your work maybe you should bann these people from your world if they keep doing it xxx
Hi Toni-
I used to have my own quilting pattern business online (Quilt du jour) and although the happy experiences far outnumbered the bad, it was the bad that finally made me finally shut down the site. Rudeness is never acceptable.
Just once it would be nice if someone apologised for their rudeness and opps my fault wasn’t your mistake sorry. Chin up Toni you do a great job and I love quilts and your patterns.
Hi Toni,
I agree with your post. Peoplle are not always very nice, which is terribly sad. Please know that your creativity, your imagination and your talent is appreciated! Above all, you are a real person, with real feelings and a life…sometimes, when dealing with people in this world of instant texting, others forget that.