Sunday, May 1, 2011

The aftermath... (and order update)

Oh my goodness what a crazy few days it has been! The April Collection was released on Thursday night and it was the first real test of the new website. Well it didn't quite pass the test, in fact I somehow sold 30 clutches when there were only 22 in stock, argh! I was already really nervous about the release and when I noticed what was happening there was nothing I could do but watch in horror (and tears) as I sold things I hadn't made and some I didn't even have the supplies to make! This all unfolded in the space of about 10 minutes, it was a bit surreal. There was a lot of confusion on my Facebook page as the ladies who had placed orders realised that something wasn't quite right, some had received auto-confirmations from the website, some had not... emails were coming in left, right and centre and I felt very overwhelmed as I tried to figure out where to even start to try to figure out just what had happened!

My sister Alicia had been looking on with interest from home and could see there had been a BIG problem, so she came over and between us we sat down and worked out just what had been ordered, and what I could (and couldn't) do. I contacted all the orders that had not come through properly and although I was bracing myself for some not so pleasant reactions, each and every one of them was SO understanding and gracious about the whole matter.... and I thank those ladies from the bottom of my heart for that! To make matters worse I received an email from PayPal suspending my account as receiving many payments in such a short time frame apparently means I'm suspected of fraud/terrorism... so I have been busy trying to prove my identity to them and regain access to my account.

And so begins a few very busy days where every spare second will be spent sewing, I will be making trips to the post office Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday getting orders sent out as they are made and endeavor to have every single order out by the weekend (excluding custom orders and one VERY lovely, understanding lady who is patiently waiting for supplies). Thank goodness my husband doesn't fly out again until Thursday!

If you're on my facebook page over the next few days you may just see a lone tumbleweed blow through as I do as little time on the computer as I can to ensure I get as much sewing time in as possible.


As a side note, my super awesome website lady has assured me the glitches experienced will be fixed before the May Collection.... but I don't even want to think that far ahead just yet :)

10 comments:

  1. So glad to hear everyone was understanding! You handled it marvelously xx

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  2. Thanks Angela! They were all great, I'm so lucky to have such wonderful customers :)

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  3. Janine, you are very professional and gracious yourself. I think everyone is just so eager to grasp their hands on one (or ten) of your clutches. A little bit funny about the paypal predicament, but also highly frustrating. Hope you have a wonderful week, and get some time to spoil yourself after your week of chaos. Happy sewing! :)

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  4. Congratulations on the success of your sale. Even with the extra, yet-to-be-made items, I'm sure that this is an indication of the quality and popularity of your designs.
    Don't put yourself under too much pressure this week, I'm sure your ladies are happy to wait until the orders are filled. They know how lucky they are !
    Best wishes, Michelle

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  5. Great work you handled a very difficult situation with grace and professionalism. I missed out the other night but will try again of that I am sure.

    Good luck with everything
    C xx

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  6. Congrats Janine on another beautiful release. I'm sure everyone understands these things happen on new web pages. As for Paypal they need to realize stores do have sales & can't have alot of $$ come in through in a short time.

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  7. Thanks so much ladies! It's been a stressful few days but I've gotten a fair bit accomplished today especially so I'm feeling a bit more on top it it now :) My customers are just SO fantastic, they have made a difficult situation much easier to handle with their understanding, flexibility and support! Mydreamsrfree - Apparently I only have to prove my identity once, and then they've assured me it won't happen again.

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  8. Janine, you've done a wonderful job of managing the whole process, as Cath said with such grace and professionalism. I cannot begin to imagine how horrified you must have felt watching it all unfold.

    It is so wonderful to see the support you've received from your customers (and those who hope to be one day!) I think we are all so thrilled to be able to get one of your marvellous clutches we're happy to wait as long as we need to.

    Please don't put yourself under too much pressure, I know you have to prepare for your next sale and probably don't want to get too behind, but I CAN wait for mine!

    Sending hugs xx

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  10. Woooo... I'm in your blog!

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