Saturday, August 10, 2019

This is Our Blog, Not Our Website

I woke up this morning to a comment on the previous post that deserves a whole post of its own.  It is anonymous, so I cannot contact the individual. 
Often SEO people will contact me after reading posts here, and offer content from their clients.  If I'm in a good mood, I'll write back and explain that this is a blog that is connected to The Essential Herbal Magazine, and posts here are either excerpted from the magazine, or things we do around here - so no thanks.
Note:  Pictures can be clicked on to enlarge.

I will attempt to address this person's concerns whenever possible.  There may be some sarcasm, because it's Saturday morning and it was the first thing I read.  My answers will be in red.

"The Customer YOU JUST LOST has left a new comment on your post "WILDCRAFTING AND PROCESSING HERBS":
Here we go!  Most sentences begin with a silent "on our website, which this is not..."
Your website is EXTREMELY user-UNfriendly!
This isn't a website.
You do not post pix of your products


there's NO navigation,


no way to search, no customer service email, NO name of the company,



 And even here on the blog, you can find the name of the company and the website!  There are TWO links in the header.  Under the name. 



NO toll-free (or any) phone number and NO FAQs info on products.
FAQ, see above.  You got me on the phone number, though.  In the 18 years I've had a website, there has never been a phone number listed.  Very rarely someone will ask for it or ask me to call them, and we take care of whatever the problem happens to be.  Reading your rant, I'm once again sure this is the right decision.

I can only GUESS: your herbs are heavily pesticized, plasticized, irradiated or herbicidized with toxchems. Or else, it'd say "ORGANIC" or similar.
You're kind of the suspicious type, aren't you?
Well, magazines are generally paper and ink.  Sometimes staples are involved, and coating on the paper tends to be some kind of clay and a binder (probably a chemical, dang it, but then again, everything is a chemical, don'tcha know). 
We grow (chemical free) or wildcraft most of our herbs.  Those we purchase are organic and ethical.  Thanks for asking.


You are shooting yourself in the foot. In 2019, I doubt anyone's buying. Why make it so hard?!?!
You're right, I'm sure.  I'm sort of a newbie, just now starting into my second quarter century in the business (18 years with the magazine), so there's pretty much I'm not aware of.  Thank you so much for the constructive criticism.

VERY FRUSTRATING! Off to the next website. Pity cos you had good prices
This is puzzling.  How did you find prices on products you could not find? Are you sure you're in the right place?
but I don't buy without so much as knowing what's your LIST OF INGREDIENTS (no disclosure posted)


Or why you work overtime to make it crazy hard for your customers to buy. Your website looks very suspicious without phone, address, etc.

PS: the bottle AND label makes all the difference.
I'm taking notes.  All these things are so helpful!

If you can't be bothered to SHOW PHOTOS OF YOUR PRODUCTS, then I can't be bothered to pay for anything. AND WHY WOULD YOU MAKE ME SIGN UP BEFORE finding out the SHIPPING PRICE??????????????????????? UGH!


CONGRATS: ANOTHER SALE?? LOST to the next guy!"
I wish the next "guy" all the luck in the world, and bless your heart.
Here's hoping you're feeling a little better today.


12 comments:

Catherine Ann said...

Be thankful they moved on! Some people ...

Catherine Ann said...

I’d be thankful they moved on! Some people ...

Tina Sams said...

SO so glad :-)

Marge said...

"This person does not DESERVE your wonderful products." (our version is "our beautiful oils" but you get it.) Yes.

Remembering not long ago someone complaining that they couldn't find "Vitevert".. ummm... yep. sure cant'.. now, Vetiver, on the other hand.

GREAT blog, Tina!!!!

Tina Sams said...

Thanks, Marge. You're always in the back of my head when I deal with this stuff, because you maintain your calm so well while making your point. My gut is telling me this is actually a mlm person, out trying to scare off (perceived) competition. Something like that. I hate to think that people are really so obtuse.

Anonymous said...

Just...smiling. Ok-grinning from ear to ear.
(Silly peeps really should know better).

Cindy Jones said...

Lol, looks like he needs to get a life.

Liana said...

I have to laugh. haha I know it is irritating, but this one is either a paid troll or just plain ignorant. Sometimes it is not worth the effort to even answer those kind of people. A person has better things to do.

I have enjoyed your books and magazines when I get them. Even a product or two over the years. I enjoy the blog and other posts with the group.I would say their lose not yours. :)

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness! I also had to laugh, it is so, well, stupid!

I don't know what kind of person wrote this, but I don't think they would scare off any customers, and surely I would never want to buy anything or sell anything to someone like that. It sounds like at the very least they were dumping on you, and also that they really didn't bother looooking at what was there.

When I find a site or page that doesn't have necessary info, sometimes I just let it drop, and sometimes I try to let the owner know. Sometimes I am nice, sometimes a little irritable. But nothing like this. I have better, kinder ways of making myself feel good about myself.

Julie James said...

BWAHAHAHAHAJAJAJAAAAAA!!
What a Maroon. Wow.

Your response is classic and fabulous and I love you.

leslita williams said...

gosh darn, that really made me laugh, and remember when I had a company website with products.(not even a blog!) You are so wonderful, Tina! Thank you for sharing.

Tina Sams said...

This morning I found a comment on an abandoned cart order - something that I almost never look at, and would never have ordinarily seen. So I have to admit that I will go and check to see if there's a better way to show individual product pictures. Otherwise, all of the above is still valid. AND since it was over the course of a few hours in the middle of the night, I am so glad they didn't have my phone number!

I appreciate you all getting where I'm coming from :-)