**as an update, I would like to include that this is an e-commerce company!!! Not a local company, which makes our voices all the louder!**
So, I was checking facebook this morning, and I saw G-Zell from Stay @ Home who knew had something interesting to say. Have you heard about this yet? Apparently Krissy from Barefoot Mommy's had written to Colorado Pens to see if they wanted to work with her. Great deal, right? We help them and they help us, they get exposure etc etc etc. And we get rejected all the time, usually by no response or nicely. Well, not this time. Usually I don't write about many negative experiences, and I don't get involved in others situations, but I couldn't resist with this one.
Here were the emails she and he exchanged.
Colorado Pen:
“No. And please do not waste our time further.”
Barefoot Mommy:
“Will do! Will also let my readers know not to waste their time in purchasing from you. Thank you for your time! ”
Colorado Pens:
“You might also want to inform your ‘readers’ about click through revenue and being paid for the PR you are sending to the ‘Mommies’. Geez, get a real job please. Really sad.”
Barefoot Mommy
If someone doesn’t understand what us MOMMY BLOGGERS do, then they need to keep their offensive remarks to themselves! I don’t care to hear your thoughts about what we do is not a real job! I am a FULL-TIME mom, I am also a FULL-TIME blogger who works her ass of day in, and day out to find wonderful companies to work with and find those awesome unique products people may have never heard of before. I take PRIDE in what I do as every MOMMY BLOGGER ‘who needs a real job’ does!
Well, I have to tell you that this pissed me off a bit. I actually do work from home as well, but I was still offended. Enough so that I wrote this to the president, Bob Melvin, which is who Krissy dealt with.
Mr. Melvin,
I have to tell you that I am absolutely shocked at the way you treated a "mommy blogger" when she reached out to you to try to have a mutually beneficial relationship. She has a very large blog and many read and respect that blog. It seems that you think us "mommies" without "real jobs" don't have much power or influence. However, I am afraid you are sadly mistaken on that. Mommy bloggers have an extremely loud voice, both in positive and negative situations. I have already read about this situation on mulitple blogs and tweets, as well as on facebook. I will also be posting about the situation. It shocks me that you can claim to have "extraordinary customer service" as your website says, but then treat someone so poorly. Perhaps it made you feel good to put down someone that you felt was beneath you due to their job status. However, I can tell you that moms, and mom bloggers, work just as hard if not harder than you to PROMOTE companies such as yours. In this case, you are getting plenty of publicity, but I think you will find it has negative consequences.
You may wonder why I care about this. I care because in your rude and unnecessary words, you personally offended me, and many people I know. It is astounding that you felt it necessary to be so rude to someone that you don't know, someone that was trying to promote your company. It is obvious that you are completely ignorant about what mommy bloggers do and our influence in the world. You have missed out on a wonderful opportunity to bring a lot of POSITIVE attention to your products. And perhaps before you write someone off, call them sad, and spout off about things you know nothing about, you should educate yourself as to how Mommy bloggers really work, how they really affected the world, and how they can really help or hurt your business.
A PROUD mommy blogger,
Vicki
Want to know what the PRESIDENT of this company had to say back to this?
"We’ve gotten another one of these earlier today!
They are hilarious.
Thanks for taking the time to write.
Too much!"
SO~ just in case you would like his information, it is
Bob Melvin
41 of you are the "cool kids":
Just fking amazing! He is an ahole.. I wonder if we can find out who their customers are. Target them... hmmm interesting!
Oh my goodness!! Glad to know about this so I never accidentally do business with that company. Obviously this guy has no idea how much publicity blogging can generate for a company. And how sad that he finds it necessary to be so rude to people.
My mouth won't close! I can't believe he said that and still continues to say that! Wow, I think I will be sending him a little note myself.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
I think that I might link to you so my readers can see this!
Wow, the nerve of them! I can assure you that my husband will NOT be ordering his company pens from them, nor will my brother in law who owns his own company OR our friend who I order pens for when his company runs out! That is crazy!
I was just getting ready to write a post about the award you gave me and the gift you were kind enough to send. I think I'll include the link to this post. Hope you don't mind. :)
I was just over reading Momma Such's nice award post and followed her link over here.
You have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. Bob Melvin, if I ever have the chance to kick you in the balls, you had better believe I would do so in a second. You're disgusting.
I can't believe this !@$&@. Okay I'm so mad I can't really write what I want to call Mr Idiot of Colorado Pens. I retweeted about this and will definitely put the word out also.
Un-F'ing-Believable. That's all I can say. How old is this man. He sounds 10.
If there anyone higher than him to go to
What a total A S S that man is. He should get BOMBARDED with emails from the mommy bloggers, then he'll learn just how powerful we can be.
Wow. OMG! Wow!
What a piece of crap!
Oh. My. Gah. What, exactly, did he find hilarious about your letter? I must not have much of a sense of humor because I'm NOT laughing at this situation.
what a jerk- I am SO going to link to this to share! Thanks!
Deliberately not going to their links because I don't want to increase their traffic rates - kind of "no such thing as bad press".
How ignorant.
This man was very rude.
Tweeted about it with a link to Barefoot Mommy's.
I saw this through Twitter and still can't pick up my jaw! Even The Husband can't believe someone would risk their PR blowing up by responding like that! I RT'd and know where I *won't* be looking for gifts for The Husband!!
Colorado Pens doesn't want my business? Their loss. How rude of him.
Good for you for writing to him. Sorry for the unkind response he gave back. He doesn't sound like a very smart man to be the president of the company. Just seems a little childish.
holy freakin' cow! what a JO!
No.Way.
shocking. Just heard about this through you blog but now have to go find out more.
also... I wonder if this guy has a wife who is a SAHM. Because she's got to give him a talking to if this is the case!
That is crazy I have been in marketing/advertising for over 10 years and I cannot understand how someone thinks saying/writing those things to anyone can be good for their business.
I am new to blogging but have learned very quickly how Mommy Bloggers take care of their own and have a ton of important things to say and advice to give in their huge niche. I have a strong feeling it won't be too long at all and Colorado Pen dude is regret his actions!
Heather @ Caffeine and Dreams
www.dreamsandcaffeine.com
I tried to email but I think they blocked it on their site!! HAHA! SO sent a bad tweet. Way to call them out!! The sad part is, I would have ordered some of their awesome pens...but now I won't. How does the OWNER f a company act like that?!?!
If everyone in the world followed the golden rule we'd have so much less to b--ch about.. got my email ready to send :)
Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier - you have a new follower:)
That is so unreal, that is just down right nasty.
Thanks for coming by my blog for Follow Friday - We "Mommy Bloggers" must stick together, to make those Bob Melvin's think twice!
wow...what an asshat!
I definitely RT'd on Twitter so they know that our voices are definitely heard loud and clear!
Well done! you just knocked him off his high horse! What an ass.
Thanks for great comment and adding me to your blog roll...that made my day!!!
What an ass. I had never even heard of the company before. Now I'm kind of glad I haven't. I have a feeling they're about to learn that hell have no fury like a mommy blogger scorned, huh?
I'm not a mommy blogger myself so I guess I can't join in the fight. I will be clapping for the sidelines, however.
Unbelievable! Is he coming from another world???
WOW...that's all I have is WOW
I love pens. I am a pen whore. I've even written a post about that. I will NEVER do business with this company.
I can't believe the attitude he is taking with such a negative light being shed on the company.
Reading the "About Us" section makes me want to laugh. They must have paid someone to write it.
What a bunch of B.S.!!
Wow that is just unreal. What rock is he living under?
WOW - his response to you ticked me off even more than his other responses! CRAZY!!! I do love how Mommy Bloggers are banding together though. I have "a real job" that I actually get paid for and I am a Mommy Blogger and a review blogger by choice. I go above and beyond for the companies that I discover and believe in and who treat me respectfully and so do the other bloggers that I know. @Coloradopen made a big mistake here!!!!
shut UP! that is unbelievable...how hard is a polite " no thank you " to an inquiriy instead of being so condescending...I am steamed just reading this.
I've heard so much about this the power of Mommy Bloggers who are "wasting" their time HUH!? I bet he had no idea what he was getting himself into. I've tweeted/retweeted about this!
wow just wow is all I can say. Unreal.
SO, I know what I am going to say may start a flame war, but oh well. You say "Love it, hate it, could care less? I love to know someone out there cares, so spill it! Tell me anything!" so here is my opinion.
A lot of 'mommy' bloggers solicit companies. If a company has been bothered over and over by bloggers who throw them the pitch of I am a mom and I blog and I can help you with exposure (which many times you could wonder did that exposure even work), they may just say to hell with it and be frank.
I do not agree with the pen co for being so ‘mean,’ but when Barefoot Mommy said “Will do! Will also let my readers know not to waste their time in purchasing from you. Thank you for your time!” that was kind of uncalled for.
She approached them and asked for their help. And it seems once she didn’t get what she wanted she threatened them with trying to make them look bad and ruin business for them over the fact he said something mean and she didn’t get what she wanted, A PEN? Word of advice: if you want to work with major companies and brands who work with the public, do not go trying to push people around with saying you’re going to tweet or blog about it. It does not look good on you. There are much more constructive ways to go about trying to make a point.
I know many of you could care less and this is about how some guy was mean to a ‘mommy’ blogger, but take the ‘mommy’ away and it is not that big deal. And it does seem that some bloggers do act like they work, when in fact it is not really work but doing something for themselves (selfish?). And as many complain they don’t make much to anything, so that backs up the idea of work. Or there is work that requires you to be outside the home and being physical, which has not relation to blogging.
Sorry if I offend people, but you could take this as a lesson and learn why he made his statement and maybe how you could improve the image that he sees, cause it may be safe to assume he is not the only one. Just as some of the ‘mommy’ bloggers need PR for their ‘work,’ they need to practice PR for themselves.
Have a good night, and this was interesting.
Delruiz,
I appreciate your point of view, but what I guess I should have added is I did my research, this particular gentleman seems to have a reputation of being less than polite, and just as I teach my kids to stand up to bullies, I felt it necessary to do so as well. I just couldn't fathom how he could treat people so rudely, and honestly I wonder if it were a male blogger he would have been treated the same way. If I do not hear from a company, I do not bother them again, if I receive a negative response, I do not bother them again. He did not need to make anyone feel inferior. And I guess that is where the "mommy" part came in. The tone and suggestion of words led us to feel like it was the issue that we were WOMEN, finding ways to stay home with our children but still connect with other people and possibly help the house a little bit. I actually do have another job, yet he still made me feel that because I am not working outside of the home as my husband does, I am not worthy of even attempting to contact someone on his level.
But I really do appreciate your point of view as well!
Well when you put it like that I agree with you. I have had to stand up to others online who could care less about others. I relate to you about being a woman and being with your children since my wife Kristin over at ourordianrylife.com is a mommy blogger.
She has been through a lot and has been insulted by some people, but she realized that it sometimes just comes with the business. My point is that the mom threatened the guy which I do not think is a good thing to do when you a mommy blogger. I know what is like to be threatened by someone over basically nothing. He set it off by his rude, snarky remark. But then she was mad and responded. He then got mad off what she said and responded in an even more negative matter. Then it continued to where it was.
This is why I say it may be good to try and learn off of this. Cheerio.
Del
www.delthedad.com
@delthedad
I know this may be bad publicity for him and his business, but it may not even get to the people who he is trying to reach. If anything it may help him even more, by traffic helping his ranking.
There are many ways to approach this and all I am saying is that considering more than 1 way will and can do wonders.
And to close, I do not think what he did was cool. And I do not think how she responded was cool either. Good night.
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