Christie Amato is asking for freebies again...uggh.

[GourmetSoy]

Seems she hasn't gotten the hint! I've blocked her email address now since she emailed me several times threatening me with her lawyer if I didn't remove this post. Apparently she was PO'd that I copied her entire email here and claims copyright infingement:laugh2:

Still haven't gotten any mail from that lawyer:)

Got another request for free samples the other day and one from a lady doing a bingo party that wanted wholesale prices because she'd be "ordering at least 3 times." WTF? Why do people think they can take advantage of us small time business owners but would never think to pull this on Yankee etc? A couple of weeks ago I got a request for a wholesale account from someone with disabled sports or something wanting to sell my products on a website. Really? He put his return email address as my website address@ his company.com. Strange?

[funkymonkey66]

Copyright infringment really? That has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. So when we both go to jail do you want to be room mates?

I get top bunk!

[GourmetSoy]

yeah really, apparently she thinks I'm a real dumb*ss! You called dibs, you can have the top bunk. Someone else pointed out she can't do anything because we gave her credit for her stupid email. I'm sure we won't be going to the pokey but hey, at least I won't have to cook!

[LuminousBoutique]

You'd think she would take the time to be a bit more eloquent and well spoken in her emails. the only time I will ever send out samples or freebies is with an order. I cant afford to be burned.

I do trades on Etsy, give out free tealights (so people can test the scents hot throw), 1oz slives of soap, and 1oz sample containers of lotions and scrubs at shows all the time, but that is the extent of my gifting. Someday I would love to be able to send out freebies to REPUTABLE basket makers and businesses to get more business but right now I just cant afford it.

People like Christine Amato give the basket business a bad name. I have a friend who does this, assembles gift baskets for corporations… but she never asks for freebies without providing full documentation of her previous work, all her information, verified testimonials from past customers (and basket contributors) and she says 99% of the time she buys the products for the baskets. She has 400 bars of my soap put into those baskets in the past year and she paid me well for them. There are good guys out there.. but this lady is far from legit.

Edited February 11, 2010 by LuminousBoutique

[Candybee]

People like Christine Amato give the basket business a bad name. I have a friend who does this, assembles gift baskets for corporations… but she never asks for freebies without providing full documentation of her previous work, all her information, verified testimonials from past customers (and basket contributors) and she says 99% of the time she buys the products for the baskets. She has 400 bars of my soap put into those baskets in the past year and she paid me well for them. There are good guys out there.. but this lady is far from legit.

Thats an idea. If she bothers anyone again request she send verification of her biz plus references. That should stop her in her tracks.

[Luci]

Dammit! Here I was thinking I was all special and stuff after finally receiving my first request from her last night.

Now I have to spend the rest of the afternoon feeling so not special.

[asheebeans]

LOL @ Luci!!!

[soapbuddy]

I just delete her emails. Not worth my time.

[asheebeans]

Holy sheep shite! Guess what I got in my inbox this evening?

I'm putting together a lot of gift baskets for family members and work associates

for events in 2010 and a bunch of them in 2011. Many of the events are centered

around taking better care of oneself and learning to relax and take it easy

and I am planning on including a variety of spa items in each basket.

I'm wondering if you ever mail out small samples of your

products so a consumer can test them out before they purchase anything?

I'd really like to put products in my baskets that I've sampled myself and am interested in your Pink Sugar products!

I make baskets for events all year round and am always looking for stellar products.

Thanks so much and I hope to hear from you!

Christie Amato

(Richboro, PA)

I, too, am feeling the LOOOOVE! (her love of freebies, that is!) :rolleyes2

　

[Luci]

:rolleyes2 Yep, that's exactly the one that I got. I've heard about her for years and finally thought that my products were in her "stellar" quality category. Darn the luck. :rolleyes2

[TAS]

Can't believe it... Christie strikes again - same form email she sends to everyone. Sigh. I would like to see her karma rap sheet. Wow, some people really are pieces of, well you know what.

TAS

PS we should start a page with names of scammers (I recently had a horrible experience with a woman who has an internet presence, wants soap and "who's all about quality", but does not think she should pay for products). Double sigh.

[MissMori]

Note to Christi Amato, when you send a letter or email to another person, it becomes that person's property to do with as they please.

The scammer thread, or better yet, a scammer website is a great idea. But most scammers will just change their names.

[soapbuddy]

I don't think she makes gift baskets with them, but I have seen where she's reselling the samples that people do send her.

[Catlover]

I had a persistent one named Lorraine Carmouche who "liked" my FB page, then proceeded to ask for samples. When I told her I didn't mail samples, blah blah blah, she sent a reply that said, "OK. Something like Strawberry would be good." Clueless much?? I looked at her FB page and she is a member of some group that spends hours a day trying to get free stuff from everywhere. She tried to get me to accept an invite on LinkedIn too for some reason...I ignored it. Glad the notorious Christie's name is well-known to everyone here! I'm so insulted I haven't heard from her yet.

[CandleMama6]

Now I really feel bad. I have not received one e-mail from her.

[Bernadette]

I've gotten 2 from her! One several years ago, and one a couple of months ago. What a piece of work!!!:tiptoe:

[shessuchatart]

WTF? Why do people think they can take advantage of us small time business owners but would never think to pull this on Yankee etc?

Actually, I work for a large company as my day job, and answer some of the emails sent through our website/answer phone calls. Believe me, they DO try this with big companies too. The difference is, most big companies brush them off, where a new startup might not. There's no ego involved when it's your paid job, but when it's YOUR product and YOUR hard work, it's harder to look at junk like that and think "scam" not "omg, someone loves my stuff" (at least for people that just started). Or so it seems to me, after reading fora like those on Etsy for years. Personally, I roll my eyes and delete. I'm not a techie, but I have considered that it would be fun to send them all a virus that somehow emails all their contacts and tells them they are a lazy scammer. I loved the one story of the mega Munsters fan that got one of those phishing scams and gave all of Herman Munsters info to the crook-who turned around and used it (and of course got caught). That was priceless...

Oh, and they don't just try to get free stuff. There are plenty of the overseas scammers and the ones that think that because they are a company (uh, it's not THAT hard to file a DBA) or are ordering a "large" quantity (really, 4 isn't a large quantity, lol) that they MUST qualify for a discount. And they can be just as nasty with people at the big companies as the little ones. Gotta have a thick skin nowadays...shesh.

Edited October 19, 2010 by shessuchatart