Don’t Do Dumb Shit and People Won’t Write About It

ByCordelia

Don’t Do Dumb Shit and People Won’t Write About It

One of the many things I write here is reviews. Sometimes these reviews are good, sometimes they are bad. The one thing they all have in common is that they are all my honest opinion. If I purchased from you or you sent me your product to review and I reviewed it, or you, negatively, I’m not doing it because I’m mean, or because I hate you, or because I’m jealous of your success and want you to fail. I’m not doing it because I’m fat, ugly, vindictive, or have been paid off by another company. I’m writing what I think about your product – which is what you asked me to do.

You’d think that would be pretty fucking obvious, but I still, on occasion, get complaints from companies who have gotten a bad review and feel I am at fault. Sometimes they don’t like it and get over it, sometimes they ask me to remove it, sometimes they threaten me to remove it, and sometimes they go one step further and actively and continually harass me with abusive comments, all of which come from the same IP. Yes, Facefront, I mean you.

If you’ve gotten a negative review, instead of blaming me, maybe you should read it and consider why I wrote it. It’s usually one of the following reasons:

1. Bad Customer Service
This is the number one reason I will write a negative review. If you lie to me, if you don’t ship my product within your stated time frame, or at all, if you ignore my e-mails or phone calls, I’ll consider that bad service. And so would you, if you were buying something from me. If I have to open a Paypal dispute to get a response or get what I paid for, that’s a problem. If it upsets me enough, I’ll blog about it. Strangely enough, my blog doesn’t exist solely to be your selling tool, it exists to voice my opinion.

2. Bad Product
If a product doesn’t work for me, but it’s a good product and it might work for someone else, it won’t get a negative review, I’ll just point that out. If a product is total crap, then it will get a bad review. This is not unfair and it’s not a complicated idea – I will tell the truth about what I think about it. If I think it is crap, I will say that I think it is crap. If I think it’s repackaged, overpriced, mis-sold, dangerous, or just unremarkable, I will say so, and I will say why I think that. That’s how reviews work.

If you look at the majority of my negative reviews, they’re a result of reason #1, bad service. In the entire life of my blog and its many hundreds of posts, I’ve written fewer than 20 reviews that I would consider completely negative.

Examples of my negative reviews:
Facefront Cosmetics – I had to open a Paypal claim to get what I paid for. I was repeatedly lied to by the company. I sent several e-mails that were ignored and phone calls which were never returned. I’ve been harassed ever since I posted my first negative review in February 2009 by people from this company, and continue to get abusive comments from them or a person connected to the company as recently as yesterday, from the same IP address of 63.116.149.163.

Orglamix – I didn’t like the product.  To me it didn’t appear to be unique and when compared to TKB micas they looked extremely similar in many cases.  They didn’t seem to have a base or be a finished eye shadow product. They didn’t work for me, and I said so. I received a cease & desist from the company because they didn’t like me telling people that I didn’t like the product. They have since contacted me with a request to “kiss & make up” in September 2010, and asked me to do a review/giveaway in February 2011.

Ms CuppyCakes – The company lied about when they shipped my order and exceeded their stated time frame considerably. The MTOR (Mail or Telephone Order Merchandise Trade Regulation Rule) to which online sellers must adhere states that items must be shipped within the stated time frame, or if no time frame is stated, then within a period of 30 days, that the consumer must be informed of any delays in shipment (and their consent to the delays obtained) and that if the above is not possible, the consumer must be promptly given a full refund. This company not only broke these rules, but also lied to me repeatedly about the status of my order. It took a month to receive the items, none of which had to be custom-made (thus required no creation time).

Archetype Cosmetics –  I sent several e-mails and never received a response. I had to open a Paypal claim to get back the money I paid. I then received the product.  Because I received the product, I closed the PayPal dispute. The company never responded or contacted me in any way. There was a complete lack of any service whatsoever. In case you didn’t know, you need to open a PayPal Dispute and then escalate the claim if you’re in a situation where you haven’t gotten what you paid for, and you haven’t gotten a response back from the merchant. It sucks, but no customer service sucks, too.

Glittersniffer Cosmetics –  I didn’t like the product. I felt like it wasn’t unique, and when compared to my TKB micas they looked extremely similar in many cases. I was later contacted by the company to give them a second chance and declined. This was after I found out they were selling soap dyes as eye shadows.  With the recent drama, there’s now evidence of charity fraud and other sordid things. You can keep track of their many failings at Glittersniffer Scam Reports or Glittersniffer Complaints. When not one, but two websites exist entirely to discuss the numerous ways in which you have wronged or ripped people off, maybe you should start to consider that there was something in all those negative reviews you got.

Shoes.com – Sent me the wrong pair of shoes, twice, despite me calling to verify things. They also took forever to fix the website after I pro-actively pointed out their mistake and found and gave them the correct information, and then took forever to process my refund.

I would love for the result of this post to be that companies like these, who received poor reviews as a result of their horrible service, dishonesty or general mistreatment of their customers, to take a look at their own actions and consider running a good business, making a good product and giving a damn about their customers. It’s far more likely, though, that the people who run their businesses this way are beyond the simple common sense that it’s a bad idea to lie to your customers, harass them, take their money and not give them their product, ship late and never bother to keep them informed, never respond to their e-mails, their phone-calls, or contact them in any way when you’ve fucked things up. It shouldn’t need saying, and it shouldn’t need saying that repackaging isn’t OK, selling ingredients that aren’t even safe for your face as eyeshadow isn’t OK, and trying to sell crap, in general, isn’t OK. These practices will not win you long-term customers or good reviews, and no amount of bullying or harassing bloggers is going to change that.

If it isn’t me who gives you a bad review for behaving badly, it will be someone else. Then someone else, and someone else, and someone else, until you either change or die. So, if you’re looking to make a quick buck, you’re probably better off not doing it with makeup.

Cordelia Frost is the creative force behind Phyrra, a treasure trove for cruelty-free indie and goth makeup enthusiasts. She's the author of the game-changing 'Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual' a must-read for hooded eyes makeup.

Cordelia's world is a kaleidoscope of alternative beauty, gothic fashion, and life-enhancing tips, making every visit to Phyrra a journey into a more colorful and inspired self.

141 Comments

  1. A-fucking-men dude! I hope companies stand up and take notice.

    I can’t believe Facefront are still harassing you 😐 pathetic much? I was just thinking the other day how YT gurus like Petrilude and xSparkage used to use their products in so many tutorials but now don’t even mention them – I can’t help but wonder if they had a falling out too.

    1. You know, I’ve often wondered that too, but I felt like if I asked, it could be construed as me either attacking the company or being rude.

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  3. I totally agree with everyone. you’ve done awesome in this post, and I hope you don’t mind if I ask my readers to visit the link and read!! I admire your reviews and your honesty! So sorry you are being harrassed!

  4. In the short time that I have followed your blog you always seem like a very fair, and honest blogger. I really appreciate people who can put their opinions out there and it is totally crap that the staff at FaceFront are hounding you! I had an issue just trying to order off that bloody website and after reading your main article I’m glad the order never went through – what a headache.

    Anyways – please continue on being your awesome self! I always look forward to reading your blog! 🙂

    1. Thank you Kate. I just can’t believe some of the companies over the past few years. The Cease and Desist from Orglamix was pretty nasty, even if it was an empty threat.

  5. I appreciate your reviews. I think you are as objective as humanly possible. I also admire that you stand up for your right to post your opinion. Happy New Year!

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  7. What I find amazing is that instead of learning from their mistakes, some companies attack the people who criticize them. I will never buy from Orglamix, they sent me a C&D BEFORE I wrote a review so I wouldn’t write one. They also sent me a “kiss&makeup” offer saying basically that if I changed my Etsy feedback from negative to positive, they would change their feedback on me. Like I care. FaceFront is another can of worms I won’t open ever again: their customer service is anal.

    Keep on writing about everything, the good AND the bad. I think it’s only common sense to warn people about a dodgy company so they won’t spend their hard earned money on crap. What I hate about some bloggers that they give glowing reviews (mostly for free stuff) but then you never see them mentioning the company again. If you like a company, you will blog about it afterwards, too.

    Keep on going, sweetie!

    1. Yeah, getting the ‘Kiss & Make Up’ from Orglamix pissed me off, especially after receiving the Cease & Desist. The fact that you got one when you didn’t even write a review infuriated me as well.

      Yes, I think warning people too, is important. Then at least if they decide to buy, they are making an informed decision.

      Thank you for the support! *hug*

  8. It’s amazing how people mature enough to own a company can still become angry 5yr olds. It’s not like you told them their baby was ugly and threw mud on them for no reason.

    I just had to open my first paypal dispute because someone removed the listing for my ebay item i bought straight after I bought it so there was no evidence. Luckily it isn’t much money, but still annoying you can’t trust people.

    I have been told to get off my fat butt and I must be blind because I gave some constructive criticism for a look by Michelle Phan. Twas crazy!

    1. You’re right, Kira. The only reason I left such a negative review was that I was treated badly. I think if you ignore your customer’s emails and phone calls, and don’t send them a product that they paid for, you deserve to get called out on that.

      OMG, I can’t believe people would say that to you over a Michelle Phan vid. Hers can be so… uhm, well, not to my taste.

  9. It really baffles me that these owners get so bent out of shape for an honest criticism. It’s not like you were talking shit about their mothers or calling them names. It’s so utterly petty! Especially when they feel the need to retaliate. Uuggghhhh.

    Unfortunately being honest has it’s price, but I’m grateful for your informative reviews. If i had actually listened to your GlitterSniffer review in the first place, then perhaps I wouldn’t be out hundreds of dollars, left with a bunch of “craft supplies” I can no longer use as makeup!!!

    1. The thing is, I really try to keep it factual. I write down when I call or email the company. I keep track of when I ordered. I keep track of when I receive the product or any contact back from the company. I document it all. So I don’t see how it’s mean either if I email you 20 times and call 10 times and you don’t return any of those emails or phone calls and I say that in my blog.

      I’m so sorry you spent all that money there 🙁

  10. I also wanted to add something else, because I did see some of the R4TU insults against you and you mentioned them throwing out those insults as reasons for their bad review. Of the photos I have seen of you full body, or waist up, you have the perfect shape!! If you even had an inkling of negative thoughts from those asswipes, don’t! You are awesome, and they’re just jealous their tata’s don’t look as nice when they get dressed up. LOL!

  11. This is why I really love you Phyrra, I can’t stand reading blogs where the author seems to be buried deep within some particular companies butthole, lol. Real, honest reviews are the best, and companies should realize this!
    I also feel like, if you don’t give me good customer service, I immediately feel like I am not gonna order again unless it’s rectified in a proper manner, not just for me, but as a general rule for all customers. That was the very first straw for me on GS before I found out she used soap dyes. It took two months to recieve a specific order, and during those two months, she sent out two other orders that I made not too long after the first. I kept emailing asking her to just combine the orders with the one coming, and each time I’d get the response that she would. In the end I only got about half of the colors I ordered, and half she substituted randomly, which to me is a horrible service.

    1. The one thing I do always try to point out, is if you have a problem with customer service, you should try contacting the company. I think all the problems I’ve listed with customer service, I tried contacting the company and more often than not never got a response back, which is so frustrating from the standpoint as a consumer.
      I completely agree with you that without good customer service, it’s not worth it to order from somewhere. You can always take your business elsewhere.
      I can’t believe she gave you random crap you didn’t choose to pay for. That’s awful.

  13. Buzz off, Facefront frauds! You’re just making it worse on yourselves because we all know Phyrra is not a BS blogger who feeds us lies.

    Every time I think about maybe blogging again, this kind of stuff holds me back. Who wants to deal with this harassment?

    1. Thanks Taryn.
      Yeah whoever is harassing me in connection to Facefront, I wish they’d just leave me alone. Every time they harass me, it makes me more likely to call them out on the harassment like I did today and give them bad press.

  14. Just read a little of the hurdles you had with Facefront and Orglamix. So sorry about that. Thanks so much for your AMAZING opinions.

    When I first started in the mineral makeup world I made the mistake of buying from Orglamix and Heavenly Naturals after watching reviews on youtube.

    Then I discovered your blogs (yours, Lipsticks and lightsabers, LeGothique,…).

    Since then, I follow you guys on Google Reader/Feedly and Twitter. If you recommend something I buy it. If you don’t, I DON’T. That’s how much I value your opinion.

    And it works for me.

  15. OMB! (Oh My Buddha) I haven’t the time to read this in full, I’ll do that later.

    I will say that if people just DO THE RIGHT THING, you wouldn’t have had to write this post! And if these people had spent the time on good customer service, or how to improve product, THAT would have been worthwhile and constructive use of time.

    Life is TOO SHORT. (((Phyrra)))

    1. I really feel like people should be prioritizing customer service, and if they’re so bad at it, hire someone to do it for them.

  16. I like how you stand up for what you believe in. You’re an amazing person and I believe there’s nothing wrong with honesty. 🙂

    The US Constitution guarantees you the freedom to express yourself doesn’t it? It’s wonderful to see when people voice out their opinions not only because they want to but because they want to help other people.

    Don’t let those bad people try to scare you off. The world needs more honest people who aren’t sell offs. =)

  18. This *is* the Internet, and it is full of The Stupid…yet I am still somehow amazed that this post needed to be written at all. Well done, however; every word of this post is completely on point.

    I would venture to say *most* consumers do not enjoy writing negative reviews, and I think this applies to beauty bloggers in particular. I wrote one today actually and it made me sad, and, like you, I second guessed myself and added a bit about “maybe it just doesn’t work for me,” especially since I didn’t find any other negative reviews on the products.

    1. I think in general, people would rather rave than rant about something, but that could be the optimist in me. It sucks to second guess, I really know how you feel.

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  20. Hi,

    I usually just read your blog and never comment on posts but I just had to applaud you after reading this. You are absolutely, 100% right because what you are doing is telling your HONEST OPINION. Shame on these companies for trying to take away your RIGHT to free speech and for trying to keep potential customers in the dark. Great post and I love your blog. Keep up the good work!

  21. OMG! I’m sorry, but I’m trying not to laugh. Somebody with a suck ass product or service harrasses you and says you gave my product a bad review because you are fat, unattractive, and jealous of me? LOL. Ridiculous. You are one of the kindest people I know. People are crazy! I’m glad you wrote this post.

  22. **Slow Clap**

    This post is simply awesome. I admire you for standing up for what’s right regardless of the consequences. The harrassment is the reason I post anonymously.

    And I completely understand that hesitation about posting anything negative. I actually tried to talk myself out of my post yesterday regarding unsafe pigments from PureLuxe, and I’m a bit ashamed that I even questioned it. The plain fact of the matter is there is an implied obligation to readers that what you are going to post is true to the best of your knowledge. I truly admore you for bearing the brunt of everything that comes with an honest review.

  23. I know everyone’s already said everything relevant, but I just wanted to say that I concur! I’ve had to unfollow people I thought were doing honest reviews on products they received for free, but when you see that they literally never say anything remotely negative about any product, and they mostly just quote the company’s ads and pass that off as a review … well, it might not be a certainty that they’re being dishonest, but it sure seems like it.

    I’ve had completely different experiences than you have, particularly with Orglamix. But you know what? I still want to hear about your experiences; if someone has a horrible, mediocre, or fantastic company/ product, learning from other people’s experiences with them is incredibly useful. For example, I know about GS now, and if I chose to buy from them despite the honest reviews you wrote, I’d be doing so with full knowledge of what I would be getting (or, in their case, NOT getting).

    Anyway. Keep up the great work, we rely on your honest opinions, and any company that doesn’t get that deserves to be on your list of people you don’t shop with!

    1. Exactly! Everyone does have different experiences, so it’s good to hear about the different ones so you have a more rounded view of the company.

  25. Well, your post title sure did get my attention. 🙂 I have always appreciated your candid and honest reviews. Have not been steered wrong yet. I will continue reading your blog and taking to heart what you say and recommend. Sometimes I order regardless, but it’s nice to hear what you have to say.

    1. I think that’s exactly how it should be. If you decide to order, or not order, it’s up to you, but you’ve at least learned more about the situation than before. 🙂

  26. OMG FaceFront is back on facebook! I will NEVER buy from them again. They are re-launching in February. Maybe they’ll do better but I doubt it.

    1. They’re supposed to be re-opening again. If it’s under the same management, I don’t anticipate them doing better. But hey, maybe they learned from their mistakes.

  28. Good for you! And that is exactly why we like reading what you have to say, because you are honest and review it the way you see it, not because you get paid for it. We are adults and can decide for ourselves if the same things that are important to you are important to us when it comes to a product or company. Thanks for hanging in there, and standing up for what you believe!

  29. I just can’t believe some of these companies (AKA their owners) just think that there is NO way anyone could possibly dislike their product. Maybe if they put the time and energy into perfecting their products and customer service, rather than attacking bloggers and consumers, they could make some improvements!

  30. As someone that worked in retail for almost a decade, I agree with all the points of contention in this post. It seems to me like a lot of the bad comes from sheer laziness, a lack of maturity and the idea that your customers are beneath you. In an ideal world, before starting up an indie business, these people should take Customer Service 101. If you don’t pass, you don’t get to start up your business!

    The internet, unfortunately makes it so easy for people to be jerks when they don’t have to deal with consumers face to face. Someone giving you a hard time? Shut off your email alerts and turn off the computer! Easy peasy. Had some wine? Fire off an “I’m better than you and I HAZ LAWYERZ LOLZ” comment! Luckily, blogs like yours and review sites like Yelp exist, so that people that are Google savvy can avoid these shops and REAL stores that like having credibility and integrity can learn from their mistakes.

    1. I think I’m so critical of customer service because I was the head of a department of CS and had to deal with customers. I know how I want to be treated as a customer, as well as how I think customers should be treated. If I’d lied to our customers, not given them products that they paid for, etc, I’d expect them to be unhappy. And yeah, the lawyer card is so lame.

  31. Honestly, out of all the blogs i’ve read/come across, you’re reviews are extremely honest, but you’ve NEVER been rude! If you ever have had a bad thing to say about a company, it was very well said and not offensive.
    I think people need to learn to accept constructive criticism; if I was a company I would ask you what I could do to improve my products to get that positive review… As a company you need to be able to take in the bad as well as the good!

  32. It always amazes me that people (like GS or FaceFront) will do something stupid or wrong, usually out of laziness, and then spend ten times the effort of doing it right in covering their tracks, lying, harrassing their victims and being a general dipshit instead of fixing the problem. Lazy and stupid. Devoted lazy people, like myself, realise that doing it right the first time means there is no second time, no coverup time, etc.
    Integrity – not just good, good for you.

  33. Wow. I know I’ll be repeating basically what everyone else has… It’s a shame that you have to write about the harassment of companies who can’t seem to understand constructive criticism. I haven’t been a follower for very long, but from the reviews I’ve read, you’ve done an excellent job of writing your reviews. Between the items that don’t do well with your coloring or chemistry, customer service, or just plain doesn’t work for you, (and the ones you love) I personally feel that you give each and everyone a thorough run down on what you did or didn’t like about it, as well as why. Which was one of the reasons I bought a few items you reviewed when I’d been eyeing them, but was uncertain whether or not they’d be worth the money. Keep up the good work!

  34. I for one am glad for all the honest bloggers. If everything was always sunshine and rainbows readers would know that you are full of it.

    I think a not so good review would be hard to read, but hopefully something I would learn from.

    Keep doing what you’re doing. 🙂

    1. Thank you Lisa. I do think that it’s important to offer constructive criticism, but I also think it’s important to treat customers well.

  36. At some point these companies really do have to be called on the carpet. I supported Archetype Cosmetics for a long time in spite of the horrible customer service. I pretty much had Holly on speed dial but even that didn’t improve the service. Her website currently shows the last update as April 2010. I contacted her in September & she had over 20 new colors to post. To date the website hasn’t changed. I have many unused samples & refuse to spend any more money until she gets her act together. Saddest thing is she has decent eyeshadows but continues to try operating on her own instead of hiring someone full time who could put the business on the map!
    BTW Phyrra, love the title of this post!

    1. I definitely felt like she made nice eye shadows, though when I compare them to my Fyrinnae or other brands, they’re a bit thin… like there is no base color but there is a base. It’s probably because of how they were formulated.

      And the credit for the title truly belongs to a friend of mine that I was talking to about negative reviews.

  37. I totally love your post!! I look to various bloggers to provide me honest opinions of what work and don’t work for them. Not everyone’s products will work for everyone all the time, people & companies need to grasp that concept. Just because something is “OMFG the best EVERRRRRR!!” to something.. doesn’t necessarily mean it is for someone else. As always, I love your posts.. especially ranty ones.. it’s kind of feisty.. and really, if people didn’t think you’d share the truth to your readers, why did they send you product in the first place? I’m sure they can find some blogger out there who will only do positive reviews if that’s what they need to boost their egos.

    1. Yes! This exactly! Not every product will work for every person, which is why if something doesn’t work for me but I think it will work for someone else, I will say that. I’ve found great products from reading other people’s negative reviews, because their negative thing was actually something I looked for in a product. But some companies don’t take things that way.

  38. You know, I think beauty bloggers and vloggers don’t spend enough time talking about companies or things they DON’T like, especially the products were sent for review consideration. I’d rather hear about bad experiences other people have and avoid the products/companies than have to go through the same disappointment myself. You were brave to do this, and I applaud you.

    1. I think it’s really hard because I know I personally want to be ‘fair’ to a company and talk about my experience. That’s why I’ve written so few negative reviews. Normally to warrant a negative review from me, you really do have to give me awful customer service, or have a total crap product that I would hate to see someone else waste money on.

      I buy a lot of products to review, and I do get sent some to review as well, but I try to make sure my reviews are always fair. It’s also why I switched to a more structured formatting for reviews recently.

      Since I REALLY hate having to deal with bad customer service, when I receive it, I tend to post about it so that other people can avoid it. I don’t want anyone else to get upset about it like I did. Even then, I always try to go back over my facts (I write things down, keeping notes of times I call/email/etc) and make sure my timeline is correct before I write such a post.

  39. I just wanted to throw my bad experience with GS Cosmetics. I purchased $75 worth of GS cosmetics at the end of November. Normally I do not purchase this kind of makeup (unless it’s Mac or Urban Decay); however I purchased it for my sister-in-law who loves flashy types of make-up. It was her birthday and she had just had a baby, so I wanted to buy her a bunch of vibrant make-up that I knew she would like. I also made the decision to purchase from this company because I love supporting small business, like myself.

    Anyhow, it was a complete disaster purchasing makeup from GS. I purchased the make-up the end of November. A few days later I received an email from PayPal indicating my product was ‘shipped’ out. A week goes by, nothing in the mail. 2nd week, nothing.

    What upset me too is that by the time my sister-in-laws birthday arrived, I ended up having to spend more money to replace her supposedly lost package’. It was humiliating and nerve wracking at the same time.

    I emailed Lela she told me it was ‘sent’ out. Another week goes by, nothing. I sent her another email, no response from her until 3 days later, asking me if I would like something else since my stuff ‘probably got lost in the mail’. I told her I just wanted my money back.

    A few days later, all of this drama started with her company, so I ended up filing a dispute with PayPal. It is Dec 30 and guess what? I still don’t have my refund.

    I am appalled at this type of dishonest business behavior. My clients would never be treated like this – ever. I am a small cosmetic company, and I take great pride in creating fresh, handmade products and very honest with listing all of my ingredients on my labels and on my website.

    I feel this was partly my fault for not doing enough research on this company because it wasn’t until after that I had already purchased from GS Cosmetics, I find out that she was using soap dyes in her eye make up. I also thought since she has over 3,000 + fans on her site, her stuff must be decent – boy was I wrong.

    So I am hoping that I will get my $75 back and hope everyone else gets their refund as well.

    2. Cinzia, it’s not at ALL your fault, not even a teeny tiny little bit. Don’t think like that! It’s all on Lela that you didn’t get your stuff, don’t blame yourself for it for one second, that’s exactly what she wants you (and others) to do. Shame on HER for not shipping orders people paid her in good faith for, not shame on you guys for trying to buy stuff on the internet.

  40. I love the post title but I hate that you have to write this post. What happened to constructive criticism? How do these people expect to learn and improve unless we call them out on the things they should be doing!

    1. Exactly! And I normally try to be tactful until I get pushed over the edge with bad customer service.

  43. I wrote a negative review on glittersniffers and got attacked by her, and all of her puppets… she sold me bad face glues… I showed her a photo that they look NOTHING like the listing she had, and she said they are most likely wrong then but I should go ahead and sell them on her FB group… then told the people on the fb group that I was selling stuff I KNEW was bad…. although she refused to refund me or replace the products… some companies are just sad. Glad to see you post this! I hate when people think you wrote something bad because you didnt like the people or other silly reasons…. <3 much love!

    2. @MacismyCrack Someone posted links to your experiences in a comment on my blog. As soon as I get a chance to read them I am probably going to post them in an “Others Experiences” post, if that’s ok.

  44. Hey Phyrra

    I’m so sorry that companies are harassing you. I love your blog (and should post a comment more often and give my thanks) and I stalk it everyday to see what’s new.

    I appreciate your honest opinion, passion, integrity and dedication you put into your blog. I love hearing when you say “I’ve given this company some suggestion and they’ve taken it on board”. You’ve also gotten me happily addicted to several makeup companies (fyrinnae, hifi cos and awaiting to place an order with high voltage cos).

    So from me to you, good vibes sending your way and hope for the new year ‘certain’ companies will get their act together

    Take care, Phyrra

  45. I haven’t had to write a negative review yet but I’m truly not looking forward to doing so considering all the backlash that comes with it from the company itself rather than taking the criticism into considering in order to improve their services and products. Honestly, it baffles me how SO many company owners will talk shit about how everyone is jealous of their “success” yet do absolutely ***NOTHING*** to improve their products or services. The IGNORANCE and overall LAZINESS is staggering. They basically treat it like its a disposable or summer job and its not right when there are people who give their business 110% dedication and you’re taking away from their well-deserved business.

      1. Oh, the irony! I didn’t comment though on their business mainly because I haven’t had an “experience” with them, just the product even though I know that Sleek is terrible! Seriously, you’d laugh your ass off if you knew what R got in the mail the other day! XD

  46. The reason I keep coming back to your website is because of your honesty and integrity. You clearly state your experiences and the reasons you did or did not like the product and I like that. You should be proud of yourself for maintaining your integrity and not “selling out”.

  47. My initial reaction to this title was right on target, as is your post: “…and if you do dumb shit, people will write about it. Guaranteed.”

  48. I hate writing negative reviews and, seriously, they take me 3 times as long as positive or even mediocre ones. I put a lot of extra effort into making sure I’m being fair, not taking out a bad day on them, etc.

    Why would anyone want to do that when you can be everyone’s BFF by only posting glowing reviews? Oh, right, because these are HONEST REVIEWS AND OPINIONS.

    Sheesh.

    And anyone who harasses via comments doesn’t understand:
    a) the IP can be discovered and traced and
    b) there are apps to block comments by IP for WordPress.

    Keep up the great work!

    1. I agree, they do often take me longer to write because I second guess myself and go back and look and try again, to make sure I’m being ‘fair.’

      Thank you for your support!

  49. You would think companies would be thankful for all reviews of their products, positive, neutral and negative. I love reading your reviews because I feel like your reviews are honest. Instead of harassing you they should be improving their business!

    1. I just wish they’d look at why people are complaining and see if it’s something they could fix. I totally agree with you!

  50. This is a great post. I’ve read many of your reviews, and others that have inspired me to try a new product that I loved, but at the same time there are those [very few and far between] that will keep me away from a product as well. I have to admit, they are usually the ones that a blogger has posted that give little to no customer service! As consumers, if we are not treated right we can always take our money elsewhere. Hopefully, bad companies will figure this out (although it should be common sense!).

    1. Yes, there are a great many companies out there. The ones with better customer service deserve my money, in my opinion 🙂

      And you’re right, it should be common sense.

  51. Hahaha, all of a sudden I’m glad that very few companies have noticed any of the reviews I post. That said, it’s a little bit disgusting how many companies view internet word of mouth as a guaranteed free good press, and attack writers who actually *gasp* THINK about the things they write about.

    I can’t believe you’ve gotten fake C&D letters from these people! That’s a pretty spectacular low.

    Oh well, throw’s the companies with great customer service into perspective, right? Amy, founder of sugarpill, found TWO SENTENCES I wrote in a look about difficulties I was having with two colors I’d purchased, emailed me that others had noticed that too, and the colors were being reformulated, and offered to send me the new ones free of charge. I’m wearing them now, they’re lovely, and MUCH better. How HARD is it to act like a business person? I’m not sure when it became so very rare.

    1. Amy is definitely an exemplary business owner. She takes constructive criticism well. I truly think she strives to make a better product.

  52. Hang on, I’m going to add to my original comment (sorry about that)

    a) I find Etsy, while giving us access to some truly awesome people, has also allowed people to be in business that have no business being in business.
    O_o Check out my aliteration. Sort of.
    Anyway, the number of horror reviews I’ve read on the web about hair in soap, drinking while formulating colours and all sort of nonsense would probably be enough to scare a more sensible person off the site.
    I guess it’s lucky I’m not (overly sensible). *kanye grin*
    If you’re going to send product out for review, you have no business throwing a hissy fit if it’s not entirely favourable. In an ideal world, the company would take that on board and improve the product. In the real world, they’ll just note it and move on. There’s no need to harrass the blogger so that the negative opinion is removed.

    b) Emoticons turn into yellow smileys on your website, making me look like the high school student that I am 🙁
    I must make the switch to x( which looks slightly more grown up. I think.

    1. The thing is, oftentimes the negative reviews have been from companies I’ve purchased from. So they’re not even ‘products sent for consideration.’

      And I love the alliteration 🙂

  53. I lol’ed when I read “Change or die.” I also approve of the title quote. So many quoteable moments in this post.

    I agree. People can be influenced by blogs over which products to purchase (hell, I’ve even started ordering from Etsy because of the awesome products people like you and Ana have found on there) and it’s important that what’s written is the honest opinion of the blog owner. Companies threatening or spamming bloggers to remove or otherwise alter their opinions are not companies that I want to buy from, and I’m sure others won’t want to either. The beauty of the internet is that word travels around fast. I don’t understand why shady companies like that think they won’t be found out if they’re threatening people.

    Keep doing what you’re doing, we all appreciate it 🙂

      1. You’re so quick at replying, lol. I just finished typing out that essay below when I saw your comment.

        I’ve said it before, but I also appreciate that you’re a blogger that replies to their comments. Especially as you’re one of the most well known and you get tonnes of comments. <3

    1. Thank you! *hug*
      Yes, you would think when it’s bad customer service, it would be something easy for a company to improve upon.

  56. Man, Archetype. The colors look so pretty, but all of the horror stories I’ve read about this company’s bad-to-nonexistant CS have THANKFULLY staid my hand.

    1. I have to be honest, you can get pretty elsewhere 🙂
      I don’t usually even touch my Archetype colors anymore, because I don’t want to tempt people to use them.

  57. I think my face did a “wtf” when I read the “fat, ugly, vindictive” part and then even more “wtf”-ery when I read that they think you like writing shitty reviews.

    Honestly…nobody likes a shitty experience. There are some blogs I believe feed off of writing negative reviews but this is not one of them.

    Besides, dealing with shittiness is just annoying. It’s a lot of hassle to get your money back (if you even do) or deal with a shitty product, etc etc. Nobody wants that. It’s your money – why would you eff around with it?

    I don’t get people. :/

    1. I just get really angry when I email and call repeatedly, I get no response. They have my money and I have nothing to show for it. When it gets to that point, and I THEN have to open a PayPal dispute, I’m frustrated and annoyed, and thus likely to share my frustrations with my blog.

  58. See, this is why I love you! The subject title alone made me laugh. 😀

    I appreciate your honesty and love that you give fair reviews. Don’t stop…EVER.

    1. I gotta be honest, the title came from a conversation with a friend yesterday. I loved it so much when she said it, I tweeted it, and it became the title.

      Thank you so much Blix!

  59. precisely!

    whats very sad to me is that these business owners who act like angry five year olds when they don’t get their way do it because it works. they treat customers like shit because no one has told them that its not acceptable and it works in every other aspect of their life. makes me wonder how they managed to gain the hordes of mindless followers they all seem to have. and what to mindless, empty people have to rely on when their feelings get hurt? retarded shouting matches on the internet. pathetic.

    eff that. your honestly is a thousand times better for your readers and for the genuinely awesome indie companies out there.

  61. Hi, I just wanted to say that I am glad we have honest reviewers like yourself. If we didn’t, how in the heck are we supposed to improve our products/services? Each person who provides me feedback – both good or bad, I re-evaluate the product and improve it.

    I totally respect everyone’s opinions – not just clients/reviewers, but family and friends as well. I always make sure to answer each and everyone of my clients emails, process their orders on a timely manner, and educate them about the products/ingredients they’re about to purchase. Unfortunately not all companies are like that.

    Thanks and I appreciate your total honest opinions. 🙂

    1. Thank you so much for your support! I really appreciate it. I’m always very glad when companies do want real feedback.

    1. Yep. I am sometimes appalled at the fact that companies will get all upset over something I spent money on and didn’t like.

    1. It’s ok. I get harassed more for my negative reviews than anything else. I’m not the only blogger who gets harassed either. It usually makes me think long and hard before I post a negative review, to make sure I’m ready to deal with the shit-storm that may come with it. Hell, I get crap for neutral reviews, too. And I’m sorry but if someone’s product is meh, I shouldn’t be saying it’s anything more than meh.

  66. These companies need to learn to turn a negative into a positive. Right the wrong and learn from it. And I think you nailed it when you said that your blog doesn’t exist to be a selling tool for them, it is your place to voice your opinion.

    1. I hate having to resort to opening a PayPal dispute to get an item I purchased or my money back. It’s awful 🙁

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