A word of caution about Gelluminations Inc

[celicagtca]

Well... I did call in regard to the invoices on 3 occasions and was told I would get it in the mail...never did. :undecided

[smellywax]

In the matter of posting on a public forum, a word of caution, posting anything on a public forum telling people not to do business with a company and stating false information is legal slander.

Anyone can sue for public slander...whether it will stick in court is another story. I agree people here should not give second hand reports but for those of us who have had actual bad service from your company, our replies and statements are not out of bounds at all. And public forums such as this are where we are able to educate others about bad service we have received. Again, I don't agree that the original poster should have posted hearsay but for those of us with actual experience....that is what forums are about.

[Candle Makin Momma]

Isn't it only slander if it isn't true? If people have problems and come on here and tell everyone their story, it's not slander.

[Rebecca]

Also there was a comment about us telling her to put a false zip code in to save shipping, This is not what we said. For people outside of the USA we tell them that if they wish to order on line instead of over the phone that they will have to put a USA zip code in the Zip code box in order to get the order to go through BUT the shipping will not be correct and to contact us for the correct shipping. This should be enough of an explanation for everyone, she received the product that she paid for.

You need to fix your shopping cart. If you know that it doesn't work for a customer's zip code then it's your (the company's )responsibility to get the customer the correct shipping. If you allow the orders to go through this way then you need to be the one calling the person and making sure that you talk to them on the phone and have sound acknowledgment that they know the shipping etc. The customer shouldn't have to deal with this issue nor should they have to call you since it's your policy, web site etc. Either fix the cart to accept these orders or don't take on line orders 'at all' from people out of the USA.

If your web site clearly states that orders to Canada have to be done on the phone then stick to that. If you then tell people that they can place the order on line anyway with a different zip code then that is you taking on the responsibility of the whole shipping issue and any problems that arise out of it.

Don't then tell people that they can order on line by using a USA zip. That opens things up to problems that could be avoided by simply, sticking to your own policy.

BTW

Stating opinions on a public forum is just that opinions. Big difference between opinions and slander. "Warning" people to not post and throwing around the word slander is just a scare tactic to try and get people to stop posting about your company.

As others have stated it's not slander if what they post is believed to be what they consider a true accounting of what they had to deal with.

You would have to prove that what all the posters were saying were lies about situations that never happened or could not possibly be thought of as close to the way things went down in a certain transaction.

These statements would have to be things said with the intent and sole purpose of defaming your company AND you would have to show that what was posted directly resulted in a LARGE (did I say LARGE...cause I meant LARGE) loss of business and profit over a period of time and that the loss of business was directly related to the postings that would have had continued over and over....sort of like a campaign against your company.

A few posts on one thread doesn't equal slander especially since what is being posted are opinions and what the people posting believe to be true in their dealings with you and your company.

Go fix your cart.

[MissMary]

You need to fix your shopping cart.....

Go fix your cart.

*nods*

And frankly, since it was mixed opinion I might have ordered but since the owner openly admits to skirting their own webpage, and then using slander in the legal sense, turns me off way more than anything anyone else posted.

[Tereasa]

Wow, Rebecca... that was awesome!

[Penny]

When I began researching candle making and B&B products I found this forum. I've joined others, but none of them compare to the exprience and expertise that I've found here. In the world of cyberspace there are so many fly-by-night rip folks off companies that you don't know who to trust with your financial information. The opinions that are shared here have helped me tremendously in choosing credible suppliers. Thank all of you so much.

It is up to each one of us to make our own choices. The posts I read did not deter me from ordering from Gelluminations; however, Gelluminations response did. I thought it unprofessional to respond in a public forum to a customer's complaint.

[southern.scents]

Gelluminations has always been great for me. Shipping has always worked out and i always receive my supplies promptly. Gelglow, you may just need to quit supplying to people out of the US that you do not know.

[soycrazy]

Same here never had any problems with them

[2rottndogs]

The posts I read did not deter me from ordering from Gelluminations; however, Gelluminations response did. I thought it unprofessional to respond in a public forum to a customer's complaint.

I second that.... I'll be thinking long and hard when it comes to ordering supplies whether or not Gelluminations is a company I want to deal with after the response that was posted here.

None of the other posters put me off from dealing with the company; however, after "throwing some weight around" the company did a fine job on their own of loosing my business.

I appreciate the fact that people are willing to air their experiences in dealing with suppliers at the risk of sometimes looking foolish for not paying more attention to details...it has been BECAUSE people were willing to give opinions and share experiences that I have dealt with the companies I'm dealing with.

And for those companies in general that do give sub standard service...welcome to the world of "not getting my money".

If you don't like the critique... change the practice.

Kimberly

[caradelrae]

Sorry for my tardiness. I agree that perhaps third hand information to some is just that. Third Hand. But in the real world, we tend to take information that friends pass to us and use this information in our day to day dealings. How many times have we gone to a friends fabulous hairdresser or tried that new delish item at the store after a friend recommended it. This girl is a REAL friend of mine. We have shared heartaches, smiles, tears, etc. We used to live in the same city but she was moved as her husband is in the military, so yes, s he does exist and I have no reason to doubt her dealings with this company. Isnt that why we have friends?

I was not trying to piss in anyones cornflakes. I have seen numerous posts about other peoples mishaps with suppliers as well as Kudos to the wonderful suppliers that we do have out there and thought that maybe this information would be helpful to someone.

I value all the information that i have aquired from this forum. Tips, tricks, trade secrets and a mind full of other tid bits.

I am sorry if I have overstepped the boundries.

Cara

[luckymom]

My Dearest Friend Cara: Thank you for your wonderful friendship and for trying to share my experience that I shared with you, with your friends here at Candle Tech. I apologize for taking the licks in my stead but now I think it is about time I take the pressure off you. Hense I registered at this great site. What are friends for.

First of all I want to know if I can post the "ACTUAL" emails I've sent and received from the company. I'd really like to clear this up.

I'm not out to hurt/mame or defame any company. I'm only interested in truth and facts. A REAL FACT IS that "AFTER" caradelrae posted this information they refunded a portion of the money I spent at their company.

I in fact did order 6 cases of wax the total for the wax is 284.09 they refunded 161.00 of which I am grateful, but by my calculations they still owe me 123.09.

I cut and pasted the orders below:

#1

Thank you for your purchase. Your order is listed below, if there are any problems please reply to this email and let us know.

2 WAX1 - 125 Container Wax in . Color: $37.50 each = $75.00

1 SE4 - Sachet Envelope - 2x3 - 100 in . Color: $9.00 each = $9.00

1 SE2 - Sachet Envelope - 4x6 - 100 in . Color: $9.00 each = $9.00

1 SB4 - Sachet Base - 5 Pounds in . Color: $3.95 each = $3.95

1 FREE - Free Sample Fragrance: Amber Romance - VS Type in . Color: $0.00 each = $0.00

2 WAX4 - 140 Pillar Wax in Default Fragrance. Color: $50.00 each = $100.00

3 FB10 - Fragrance Beads - 10 Pounds in . Color: $29.00 each = $87.00

Free Sample Fragrance: Amber%20Romance%20-%20VS%20Type

Subtotal: $283.95

Shipping: USPS - $5.45

Tax: $0.00

Discount: $0.00

Total: $289.40

Thank you for shopping at our site!

www.Gelluminations.com

SECOND ORDER

Thank you for your purchase. Your order is listed below, if there are any problems please reply to this email and let us know.

2 S13550 - Soy Wax - EcoSoya Soy CB135 - 50 Pounds in Default Fragrance. Color: $50.00 each = $100.00

1 FREE - Free Sample Fragrance: Coconut Lemongrass in . Color: $0.00 each = $0.00

1 FREE - Free Sample Fragrance: Coconut Lemongrass in . Color: $0.00 each = $0.00

Free Sample Fragrance: Coconut%20Lemongrass

Subtotal: $100.00

Shipping: USPS - $9.11

Tax: $0.00

Discount: $0.00

Total: $109.11

With the exchange, this was around 450.00 +- CAD ... I received a portion of the first order, the sachet, envelopes and the fragrance beads.

All that Cara has said is no longer hearsay. I will and can confirm the information I provided to her. I called emailed and practically begged them to get my order to me. I received only minimal contact.

It may well have been communication glitch with email, but the phone calls I placed when inquiring about my orders aren't. I was told that they have had trouble with orders being delayed at customs and the lady that I spoke to assured me they would take care of it. I also have this information in email. I had no reason not to believe them. I believe that there may have been human error here, and gave them a chance to correct it without accusations and provided them plenty of time to make any adjustments.

I never heard back from the company either via email or phone call and that is when I contacted BBB. After reading the posts, I now know they have 2 such BBB's to their credit. Which will attest to them having more than one disgruntled customer. The BBB wouldn't have taken my case if there weren't merit to it.

I don't think they intended to "rip me off" but they certainly didn't act in good faith by refunding all the money I spent on wax. I have yet to receive a call or email for the shipping amount for the second order I placed!! Hmmm

Cara was only trying to help provide the service of information. An educated buyer isn't a poor buyer... I know first hand that she had no malicious intentions, she is a kind and caring person and I truly value her friendship and I am proud she calls me her friend.

I believe in the value of these sites for education and information and any one who reads advice can take what they want from it and use it to their own advantage. They may or may not choose to buy at Gelluminations, it is a personal choice.

I thank those of you who supported her and me without even knowing who I am. It shows that there are a lot of good kind people out there. Thank you all very much.

One very luckymom.... .

[Vicky_CO]

Well First welcome to the board I am glad you decided to register I hope you enjoy it here.

I do have a question if you had not recieve all of your first order why did you place a second order? That is not being catty I am curious.

[CrystalClear]

Well First welcome to the board I am glad you decided to register I hope you enjoy it here.

I do have a question if you had not recieve all of your first order why did you place a second order? That is not being catty I am curious.

Ditto. BUT...

I don't like the pretenses of why you joined in the first place. I'm not one for airing out a BUSINESS transaction in public. IMO, this has gone too far and should be handled by the customer and business.

Why do I feel like I'm in politics all of a sudden? LOL

[mizbizzyb]

Ditto. BUT...

I don't like the pretenses of why you joined in the first place. I'm not one for airing out a BUSINESS transaction in public. IMO, this has gone too far and should be handled by the customer and business.

Why do I feel like I'm in politics all of a sudden? LOL

Ditto

[so-soy]

But it seems to be the only way she can get this company to respond!

[carol k]

if this had happened to some of you & you had been trying for months to resolve it & the company (any company) wouldn't respond to your calls or your emails what recourse did she have but to air it in public. at least it caused her to get part of her money back. i doubt if any of us would want to be out that kind of money & not get pissed when the company would not respond to us to get it resolved. i know if i had that trouble with a company & after months of trying to get it resolved they ignored me, you bet i'd be on here to tell of my experience with a company.

[thesoapbox]

I believe the main reason she joined is because of everyone saying the original post being hearsay and wanting only to hear complaints from someone firsthand. Maybe she was feeling that noone was believing it coming from her friend instead of her so she wanted to show that yes, she is a real person with a real issue.

And her post clearly shows that she is keeping good records of her dealing with the companies that she works with, so that leaves little doubt that some issue did happen. It's just a shame that some kind of refund was given after the post here and that it had to come to this point to get any response from a company. Customer service says it all when it comes to any company and maybe this is an eye opener for others, including me on how to conduct business and give good customer service. I was always taught by my grandparents that word of mouth is everything when it comes to getting business your way so exceptional customer service is the way to go...that saying long ago was the "customer is always right" wasn't it? Especially when they keep records

I don't make candles so I probably would never do business with this company anyways...but boy I can tell you a story about my recent issues with a local furniture company and their severly lacking of customer service OMG!

Angi

[Candle Makin Momma]

Welcome I am glad that you got some of your money back and hope the rest comes soon.

[soapwytch]

Ok, so Cara gets flack for posting about a transaction that wasn't here own so the original party signs up and posts to take the flack off Cara and being the original party makes it no longer heresay, and she gets flack for doing that??? I guess you really can't please everyone no matter what you do.

Now, on the original matter. I too know luckymom and she is not the type of person to pass along false information. She has kept records and Gelluminations didn't offer her squat until the matter was made public. That in itself shows me what kind of company they are. No to mention their threat of slander. Sorry, but telling an experiance/opinion isn't slander. If someone went around saying you are lying, cheating, rip off artist, then yes, that would be slander. But no one did that.

((HUGS)) to Luckymom and Cara for trying to protect others from having the same experiance.

[luckymom]

Hi Vicky:

Thanks for the welcome, it's refreshing. I'm going to sound like a complete ditz, but I actually was a member of this fine group awhile back and was bounced for inactivity. I can't sit for long periods, (2 major back surgeries) so most of the groups I've joined that have a requirement for posts have done the same. I'll try to be more diligent in the future and provide interesting posts. I now find my self alone with 2 young energetic boys 7 & 6, so my time is spent trying to meet their needs, which in itself, as most Moms know, is a full time job. BTW I'm not looking for sympathy, just providing a bit of background information.

My limited time on the internet has cost me $$ trying to purchase items and ending up paying too much for delivery etc. I don't have the kind of time needed to research companies. I have made too many quick purchases due to discomfort. So in fact, I should have probably done some research thru a site like this. Where there are numerous women who've had all sorts of lifes experience with buying and selling items for making candles, soaps and such.

I am guilty of making quick purchases, being distracted by the demands of motherhood and again severe pain. So yes, I made a second purchase and I was completely stupefied by my own inattention to detail. How many people would actually go back to the same company that they had been waiting for an order from.... I didn't even realize I had done so. I had several windows open trying to cut time and compare prices. Went through the cart I didn't even pay attention to where I was shopping... Honest to Goodness!! I feel like a complete Moron and no one out there can make me feel any dumber than I did at that moment.

I now shop exclusively at 2 places that offer superb customer service, Candlewic and Pourette. I have subscribed to them for letters and get notices that they have specials running. I made an inquiry and they take my orders on Friday so I can get delivery thru USPS vice (U**) hence saving me and my customers mega money. Here's an example of what I paid in brokerage fees thru ( *P* ) should I dare say the name?

A little sarcasm... I couldn't resist!!

As you all know you pay shipping fees upfront then I have to pay brokerage fees at the door... Here's an example Order value $23.49 paid 19.54 in brokerage fees. Order value $86.41 ($43.43 brokerage fees), now who gets to pay for these fees, the customer. Sales go down, I get poorer, yadda yadda...

So any time that I can purchase from a company that will ship USPS I'm there like a dirty shirt.

So yes people go ahead and beat me up for being stupid, or whatever label you want to put on me, but believe this. I'm not someone who goes around providing negative information for the heck of it.

This has been handled thru BBB/Gell and me and not completely to my satisfaction but I did state I was somewhat compensated and I am grateful for that.

To reiterate the only reason it was brought to this forum was for information purpose only. People now have information made available to them they can do with it as they please. I read, some are grateful, while others are somewhat put off. You are entitled to your feelings as was caradelrae and me!!

I appreciate your opinions.

BTW Vicky, this isn't directed at you....I was on a roll and wanted to put it out there along with my response to you.... once again... I'm limited for time.

One luckymom...

[luckymom]

Huge Hugs to you too soapwytch: Thanks so much for your friendship and support. I can't tell you how much it is appreciated.

Thank you all who recently posted positive responses to this post. It brought tears to my eyes and lightened my heavy heart.

Friends and support are what makes this a great place.

One luckymom....

[Vicky_CO]

Lucky As soon as you can check out our co-op and classified sections this might be a great help to you most of us will ship USPS or we are willing to mark items gift to help our Canadian friends out.

As for Pourette they are on everyone oh my god don't bother. No one is even sure they are going to stay in business. We have got no response for a few months from them.

I hope you are able to stick around and post every now and then.

Okay we can blame the second order on a blond moment. But boy that was a costly blond moment.

[EmpressC]

I for one am glad to see this thread. It is good information to have. I want to spend my money with a company that not only provides a good product but good service as well. It says a lot when a company is defensive versus doing everything in their power to make things right BEFORE their mistakes are brought to a public forum. Shouldn't have had to come to this. I know it is probably difficult to please some customers who just want you to kiss their arse, but it sounds like luckymom tried in good faith to rectify a situation. Yet the same can't be said about the supplier.

If a supplier is too busy to resolve problems, that's fine. Just means they are too busy to get my hard-earned $$$.

[Rebecca]

Wow, Rebecca... that was awesome!

Thanks...I try...lol

The thing that got me with the situation was the company just going back and forth with their policy.

First it's the web site clearly states outside USA need to call, then they allow online orders anyway, then oops! problems... to where they revert back to "the policy" clearly stating blah blah blah...to me acting like the customer got around the system somehow...

Ah well.....

Personally, this situation has nothing to do with me ordering from them. I don't cause everything that I would get from them I can get cheaper elsewhere.....that simple for me.

I find these threads a value too in a lot of ways.....

I have to put up with a lot of crap making the money don't need to put up with more spending it...lol

People who have had good experiences with them will continue their ordering, people who don't shop there still won't and those on the fence will probably still order but just maybe a bit smaller at first to test how things go...it all works out in the wash....hopefully the company learned something as well....

Glad that something is happening with this situation tho and that others have not had problems with them.

Peace and love all...lol