MarnieSoapien
Well-Known Member
@Deborah Long If you're not comfortable telling, you can always send a private message. But I'm sure quite a few of us are curious...
Fit of conscience
- Thread starter Deborah Long
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Why wouldn't it be? As a soaper, mislabeling and bad customer service reflects badly on all of us and we shouldn't be protecting them because of that OR because they are YouTube "famous". What if the mislabeling had caused harm to you? Or could cause harm to others?
Well, you're right. I needn't make such a big deal about it and honestly, TheGecko is right.... It was Royalty Soaps who mislabeled.... *shrugs*
Oh good, I can backspace my 5 paragraph essay about how it's especially important to name names if it is a high-profile company like that.
I highly suspected that's who you were talking about. Glad they refunded your money but they still should have explained why the two didn't match. Shame on them.
@shunt2011 I totally agree... I also think it's suspect that someone has a 'Testimonial' page that they then censor themselves... That should be a big red-flag to everyone! Even Brambleberry lets the negative reviews on products stand, for the most part that I've seen.
I was considering ordering from them before I saw the Testimonial page and realized none of the products had reviews. The only other places I've seen those for are... uh.. scientifically dubious health cures and for umm... religious organizations with strict membership and systematically rigid opinions and hierarchies.
It doesn't make sense to me that truly excellent products should need such careful guarding against unbiased review. Of course, not everyone will like them, but that's the case with all things, and lends credibility to those who say they love it.
Oops, this turned into another essay.
ETA: I love her videos, they're some of my favorites. I have no doubt she cares about her customers. I just value transparency for my financial transactions.
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I won't bash the company. I actually learned a couple of things from Katie's videos. I also acknowledge that I can't use any, if not most, of Royalty Soaps products. I've only seen a few videos rating her soaps and people seemed genuinely happy. That doesn't mean I'm not sorry you had a bad experience- I am.
I agree her videos are great. I enjoy watching them most times.
I was actually trying NOT to bash the company. We are all human and we all make mistakes. I was just concerned that this (IMHO) was such a BIG mistake and I was not getting any answers.
I think Katie is awesome on Youtube. (but, I probably won't buy from her again)
I think Katie is awesome on Youtube. (but, I probably won't buy from her again)
Claudette Carignan
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I think It’s ok to tell us who it was because no one wants a bad experience like you had. So thank you 
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I never said anyone was bashing anyone, only that I wouldn't. I've seen this happen between two popular nail artists (one is technically a licensed professional nail tech and the other a DIYer) where people were quick to start bashing the nail tech for a "crappy" product that actually wasn't crappy at all but the fault was really the DIYer for making their acrylic beads super wet (the nail tech did release how-to videos for their product with clarification). My thing is, I don't want to fall into such a group of responders, especially for products I can't use and have often wanted to smell. No doubt this was still worth knowing about and it is something to consider, should she actually start selling something that piques my interest and that I would not try an make for myself.
I appreciate that you shared this, as well!
I recently watched another soaper who's made it big on IG and also is making the rounds on some podcasts, YT, etc. I was APPALLED to hear her blithely tell the story about how she was doing well selling soaps, but couldn't figure out why some turned out gooey, others were crumbly. She laughed about how she had been subbing oils without running the changes through a lye calculator - because she didn't KNOW about lye calculators, despite buying a basic soapmaking book and allegedly reading the whole thing. It was hard to follow the exact timeline, but it sounded like she didn't figure out the issue until YEARS after she started selling soap to family and friends, as well as at craft fairs.
Nowhere in her story did she ever admit that it was wrong of her to sell soaps when she didn't know how to make sure they were safe. The whole point of the podcast was to talk about the wonderful people who had helped her, and how she planned to "pay it forward" to other soapers and business people. IMO, paying it forward includes admitting what you did wrong, and warning others not to do the same.
On her glitzy IG page, you can watch short videos of the huge batches she makes in her soap studio (garage without AC), with all kinds of botanicals on top. Her website makes all kinds of medical and cosmetic claims. If you look closely during the videos, you can see partial gel rings in the soaps.
It goes to show that great photos and savvy marketing make a lot of sales, even when the product may not be the best quality. A good segment of the population will buy anything if it makes them feel like they are saving the earth, helping animals, or other worthy causes. I'm not knocking those causes and am pretty environmentally conscious, myself. But I still look past the labeling and claims to see if the product itself is good, no matter how "green" it may be.
I recently watched another soaper who's made it big on IG and also is making the rounds on some podcasts, YT, etc. I was APPALLED to hear her blithely tell the story about how she was doing well selling soaps, but couldn't figure out why some turned out gooey, others were crumbly. She laughed about how she had been subbing oils without running the changes through a lye calculator - because she didn't KNOW about lye calculators, despite buying a basic soapmaking book and allegedly reading the whole thing. It was hard to follow the exact timeline, but it sounded like she didn't figure out the issue until YEARS after she started selling soap to family and friends, as well as at craft fairs.
Nowhere in her story did she ever admit that it was wrong of her to sell soaps when she didn't know how to make sure they were safe. The whole point of the podcast was to talk about the wonderful people who had helped her, and how she planned to "pay it forward" to other soapers and business people. IMO, paying it forward includes admitting what you did wrong, and warning others not to do the same.
On her glitzy IG page, you can watch short videos of the huge batches she makes in her soap studio (garage without AC), with all kinds of botanicals on top. Her website makes all kinds of medical and cosmetic claims. If you look closely during the videos, you can see partial gel rings in the soaps.
It goes to show that great photos and savvy marketing make a lot of sales, even when the product may not be the best quality. A good segment of the population will buy anything if it makes them feel like they are saving the earth, helping animals, or other worthy causes. I'm not knocking those causes and am pretty environmentally conscious, myself. But I still look past the labeling and claims to see if the product itself is good, no matter how "green" it may be.
I had the same issue when I bought from RS. The label was wrong on the lotion I bought. I also bought some soaps because I wanted to see how her recipe turns out and I didn't like them at all and they made my sister's skin dry and break out. I like her videos because it's nice to watch the different styles she comes up with but the base recipe she uses just isn't to my skin's liking. I know her base recipe is probably a ton cheaper than mine but since I get good reviews and I like the way my soap makes my skin feel I'll stick with my own soap.
Soapdragon
Member
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sarahmarah
Well-Known Member
I’ve only had to deal with their customer service once due to an order that was severely damaged during shipping. I was promptly offered a refund or my choice of other soaps. I thought the service was excellent for what I needed at the time. Hopefully they’ll correct the issue. Glad someone finally got in touch.
Thanks for the information!
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