The www is an astonishing place! The opportunities are amazing, but we are learning that they can also be abused. Much to our dismay, we have learned first hand this past weekend. We are trying to turn this into a positive ~ so here is our solution: Be Silly. Be Strong. Be Yourself!
Be Silly – laughter is contagious. We had to laugh, so we wouldn’t cry. Our customer base grew by over 10,000 in just three days; however, the customers were not purchasing anything, just requesting free samples. How could this have happened?
Be Strong – stand up for what you believe in. We believe that honesty is the best policy, so we are explaining the situation to you! Our hope is that our customers will stand behind us on this one! We offered a free sample on our website for customers seriously interested in our products to have the opportunity to sample one of our teas. We have been doing this successfully for a couple of months. Somehow this weekend, things changed. Without our knowledge or permission, our website was posted by a group of “free deal” sites. We were inundated with so many requests for free samples that we were alarmed. When we figured out what had happened, we changed the website immediately so that potential customers did not feel misled. We are a small business and do not have the resources available to accommodate all of these requests for free samples. We did not intend to be picked up by these “free deal” websites and apologize for the way these websites misused our free sample offer.
Be Yourself – live life with no regrets. Our customers are our top priority. We appreciate you, and it is always our goal to provide excellent customer service. We will gladly provide our customers with a free tea sample with any purchase from our website. We have loved getting to know you – either by meeting you personally at vendor shows or chatting with you via e-mail. We consider you our friends – someone we would love to sit down and have tea with. We love what we do, but we do take it seriously.
Thanks for allowing us to explain our little “situation” ~ we appreciate your continued interest in Steeped in Style!
Tealightfully yours ~ Shellie & Amy
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2 comments:
I'm so sorry this happened - it must have been discouraging to be so inundated with requests for freebies! Live and learn, as they say! I have often wondered about those 'free deal' sites. I feel sorry for other small businesses who have been caught in their trap! Everyone want something for nothing!
I'm glad you can laugh - and I hope that some of those new customers come back and place an order! Soon!
Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement! Hope you are enjoying a warm cup of tea and staying inside all cozy and warm!
Shellie & Amy
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