tamburlaine

Nah. Never mind. I wrote something here but I changed my mind.

 

 

Let me just take this opportunity to remind anyone reading my blog that this is an emotional topic that has upset many people, and attempts at humor can be easily misinterpreted.

 

Also, personal insults are really not cool. I don't go into other people's blogs and respond to their posts in a condescending tone, and I definitely appreciate the same courtesy. Most people who have responded here have been quite considerate with their replies, so thank you for keeping the conversation civil.

f_s, I'm sincerely sorry if I upset you with comments you interpreted as personal -- they were not constructed with malicious intent, but rather idle cynicism that I've become used to flinging around with little regard. I have a discombobulated sensitivity gauge (not too good with empathy either) but I apologize if I hurt your feelings. Because I don't really understand why, I underestimated how emotional this issue was for people.

Enough individuals have spoken against HAEE to put the company at odds with BPAL customers in public opinion, and yes, it's their right to inform fellow consumers and/or spread bile as they will.

 

"Spread bile." Interesting choice of words. You know, I was quite careful to include in my original post only what Michele herself wrote and did here in this forum so that my opinions would not be viewed as merely malicious gossip.

 

If Michele didn't want people to notice what she was doing in this forum, she should have been more careful.

Oh dear. I was hoping people would have more of a sense of humor about my choice of words. I was being facetious. I would suggest that we all relax, but I don't want to infringe on anyone's right to freak out. Come on.

As far as this forum is concerned, she is not "blacklisted" for anything in F_S's blog entry. She's suspended (not banned, though that may very well be the next step) for breaking several rules and then lying about them.

 

Now, individuals may choose to "blacklist" them for things they find questionable, such as the things mentioned in F_S's blog, and they've got that right - just as you've got the right to not shop at Walmart because you disagree with their union policies, or you've got the right to not purchase McDonalds because they use oils containing trans-fats (where other fast food joints, like Wendy's, do not), or you've got the right to avoid Curves because the owner is pro-life.

Uh, yes. She has been blacklisted by individuals, quantum spice. What else could I have meant? Obviously the forum has not issued an Anti-HAEE notice. Enough individuals have spoken against HAEE to put the company at odds with BPAL customers in public opinion, and yes, it's their right to inform fellow consumers and/or spread bile as they will.

Macha, that was an excellent reply. Since I have no personal stake in this, I think it's only fair for me (us?) to take a more detached view: girl didn't cover her tracks well enough, didn't play the game the right way. I don't know if that means she should be blacklisted, though; she hasn't done me any wrong, and the wrongs that she did to the community I'm in really weren't all that grievous. (Certainly they haven't reached the extent of the FeMaledictions debacle... which is a whole other shitstorm.)

This is business.

 

Except: this forum is NOT business.

 

While the Lab profits from its existence (especially with the vast reviews area), and they have supported us in the past (such as donating about $1,250* of oils and BPTP items for the raffle and before the raffle), they do not pay our bills. We are an *unofficial* forum, though the Lab has adopted us and we let them post announcements and pretty much whatever they want, because we were created to talk about their products and generally worship at their feet. (Well, the last is an exaggeration, but you get what I mean.)

 

 

*Keep in mind, running this forum is incredibly expensive -- their raffle donation doesn't even cover four months of our server's expenses.

I don't see how that invalidates what I was saying. So she takes advantage of your pro bono organization -- it's a business strategy that's been done before. As you said yourself, BPAL in essence does the same, though they are obviously authorized and encouraged to. It's a very good marketing tool, message boards and things like this.

Accidentally posted twice...

I'm a little bit confused why this is such an issue. These etailers make their oils to make a profit, and doing underhanded market research is nothing new in capitalism and nothing worth the fuss that has been made over it. I get the impression that a lot of the people arguing against HAEE haven't yet grasped the concept that the companies that we know and love and communicate with on a daily basis aren't simply churning out perfume oils for their buddies -- they are part of capitalist enterprises that, whether they're backed by kind people or not, want your money.

Apparently looking for consumer trends on the BPAL forums is unacceptable. I fail to see why, given that the information out there is free and the etailer will only make a profit if the information is valuable. This kind of "corporate espionage" happens all the time; HAEE and BPAL don't have enough money to set up focus groups like Coca-Cola or PepsiCo, so they use forums. It may be "unethical" to some, but that's just how things are. Ethics -- ha! This is business.

It seems to be that there is a personal grudge against HAEE in particular, and perhaps that is because the company is, in some ways, in competition with BPAL. There will always be competition in the niche market of etailperfume oils just like there will always be competition between Toyota and Honda. Perhaps I've failed to understand why this issue, which seems to be purely a case of competition for capital, has become so damned personal. The "proof" that the original poster has compiled about HAEE borrowing ideas from BPAL, etc., is entirely speculative and, more importantly, not proof of anything bordering illegality.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and if BPAL makes more money this season than HAEE (and I do believe it will,) what's the big bloody fuss?