Because of the Friendships That I Have Developed on This Board, I

[mommyhugz1978]

Does any one want a peice of humble apple pie with me?? Casue well apple pie sounds wonderful!!!

 

[Cassie1037]

Okay, it took me a long hour to play catch up to all of this (all 37 pages) , as I just got home from WAVE 3!!! Wahoo!!

Anyways, as for the situation, all factors included, they are dissapointing on many levels, for all involved and all who are not directly involved.... on the otherhand, I do love PC.

Thank you Anne for putting your foot in the door and including your opinon. (small off-note) I was out with my cluster Monday night, and couldn't get them to get back soon enough and totally missed the Wave 3 Meet up, I was very upset, needless to say!


The only other thing I am wondering.. and I'm not trying to rock the boat or anything... but where the heck is Rae Bates on this issue?!

No prob....We Hijack all the time.

I'm from Southern IN around B-Town. Nice to meet you! You should post more often. Rae Rae Bates and I need more support!

 

[jasonmva]

Come hang out in the East side of Baltimore -- big 80's hair is still VERY much in style -- so is big 70's feathered wings (heavy feathers -- not the light flippy things that have recently graced some celebs)... it's like people found a style they liked and NEVER changed it. I'm not bashing them though -- they are some of the best customers EVER!!

One word...HAIRSPRAY (you know...the movie...it was set in Baltimore)

I tried to be funny...so sue me!

 

[AJPratt]

And you ARE funny!

 

[BethCooks4U]

I have been thinking about this thread a lot for some reason and just feel I want to put my 2 cents in (again).

First let me say that I truely believe Laura started it because she was excited about her new venture and wanted to share that excitement with her CS family.

...but

After re-reading the posts, they clearly can be read as enticements to get people to ask her about it and get business. That does break the agreement with PC and CS's rules about self-promotion. I can understand why HO would see it as a violation if they read it.

Please don't take this as a bash against Laura, I am just saying how I am reading this. I also feel that condemning her like lovinpc did is totally uncalled for especially since "she" changed her name to do it. ...but I also think starting a witch hunt to ferret her out is just as bad. Someone even mentioned a name of someone in her post. That person may have seen the first posts and just chose to stay out of it - that should not make her a suspect.

I love PS and I love CS and I plan to be part of both for a very long time. It saddens me to see some of this behavior though.

As far as Laura losing her trip, etc. - It is right in the "rules" of the promotions that we must be a consultant in good standing when the award is presented. She had poor timing and lost what she had earned. It's too bad but that's how it is. If any of us earned a trip and quit the first of the year we would not get it - that's how it works.

The rest of us have learned a lesson from this I hope. As with all jobs and promotions we have to fulfill our part of it to get what is offered. Love your business and follow your dream - whatever it is! (and read the fine print!)

This is all very sad. Laura, I wish you the best in what you do. I truely do.

 

[AJPratt]

Beth: I can always depend on you to be the voice of reason. What you say does make sense.

I don't like how Luvinpc did what she did. I feel there is a way to express youself and disagree without attacking someone.

 

[PampMomof3]

Well said Beth! I agree Anne, she is always the voice of reason!

 

[mommyhugz1978]

Well said ...... I agree!!

 

[Pampered Laura]

I have been thinking about this thread a lot for some reason and just feel I want to put my 2 cents in (again).

First let me say that I truely believe Laura started it because she was excited about her new venture and wanted to share that excitement with her CS family.

...but

After re-reading the posts, they clearly can be read as enticements to get people to ask her about it and get business. That does break the agreement with PC and CS's rules about self-promotion. I can understand why HO would see it as a violation if they read it.

Please don't take this as a bash against Laura, I am just saying how I am reading this. I also feel that condemning her like lovinpc did is totally uncalled for especially since "she" changed her name to do it. ...but I also think starting a witch hunt to ferret her out is just as bad. Someone even mentioned a name of someone in her post. That person may have seen the first posts and just chose to stay out of it - that should not make her a suspect.

I love PS and I love CS and I plan to be part of both for a very long time. It saddens me to see some of this behavior though.

As far as Laura losing her trip, etc. - It is right in the "rules" of the promotions that we must be a consultant in good standing when the award is presented. She had poor timing and lost what she had earned. It's too bad but that's how it is. If any of us earned a trip and quit the first of the year we would not get it - that's how it works.

The rest of us have learned a lesson from this I hope. As with all jobs and promotions we have to fulfill our part of it to get what is offered. Love your business and follow your dream - whatever it is! (and read the fine print!)

This is all very sad. Laura, I wish you the best in what you do. I truely do.

Thanks Beth. I knew before I resigned that the trip would be lost, as well as a bunch of other things (director package, etc).
As far as my initial post, you know even after talking to a ton of people I have never edited my original post because it is NOT soliciting. I never mentioned what company, or names, or any of that. There is nothing soliciting about telling someone why you took a job. At the time of my post on this board, I had not even signed up with the other company anyway. It's kind of hard to be "soliciting" before I am even representing another company.

I told my mom what I was doing and why. My mom is also a Pampered Chef consultant. Does my mom not get to know what I'm doing with my life simply because I signed a contract with PC to not "solicit"? Nope. I will tell anyone I want to that I'm changing jobs. If someone asks where I'm going or why... I REFUSE to lie. Answering someone's question is not soliciting.

Besides that fact, I asked the home office about that specific situation because I knew it would come up and I knew there were "no solicitation" rules. The lady at the home office made it clear that is mostly so that I don't call Home office leads. But I asked her: HOW do I tell... 1) my downline 2) my customers 3) my consultant peers.

Those of us who resigned directorship did everything by the book. PC just took it a little too far, IMO, and listened to slanderous exaggerations and outright lies by other people. But in all fairness, they're just protecting themselves. Case in point: a Director friend of mine, who doesnt even talk to Tom (or have an interest in this other company) also got terminated just because she was in my upline's cluster. How's that for politics?

What's unfortunate is that PC used a few of us to make an example out of us to scare other Directors from doing the same thing. The directors resigning usually arent as "open" about why they're resiging, though... I just happened to tell the company that I was going to explore another opportunity. They didn't like that.

So.... nah - it doesnt have a thing to do with my post here. It's just politics and corporate bottom line. My Director did make it clear to one of my other director friends that now that I'm gone, she'll make more money every month since all my downline is now her first line... so I'm happy for that. She lost her level, but now I helped her income. LOL. Nice to know. No worries.

 

[ChefLisa]

Sorry Laura, but Beth is right on the money with her post. The mention of a higher commission rate and a good portion of the information that was mentioned in the very first post of this thread was indirect soliciting, which is clearly spelled out in the 'Nonsolicitation' portion of the Director's Agreement as breaking the agreement. Now, you may not have meant it that way since I know you are very excited about your new venture, but it really is. For the term of the agreement and for two years after, this type of indirect soliciting is not allowed. There is a lot more to the section, but I am not going to write it all down here. It probably played a big, if not all, part of the other agreement terminations also (not the post, the information in the agreement). It really is so specific. If others on this board doubt me, please ask your Director to see his/her agreement. I assume that is okay.

I have held this in for quite a while, because I know I do not post that much and I know others on this board will not like what I am writing. I just want others to understand there really is more to this and Pampered Chef was correct in actions they took.

As far as the people at home office saying it was okay to say what your were doing, I doubt they meant it was okay to start a post on a public forum of Pampered Chef Consultants that mentioned the benefits of the other company.

I wish you the best of luck with your new ventures. I hope it is the perfect fit for you and gives you the opportunity to shine like you shined with Pampered Chef. I know you will do well!

Lisa

 

[Pampered Laura]

Thats cool, I respect your opinion.. but the other directors who were terminated did not write anything, so... that doesn't make sense.

The consultant agreements also state that consultants can not write on the internet that they are PC consultants - at all. Linking or not, you technically can not even put "Pampered Chef consultant" in your signature line on any website since it is "open" to the public and not "solely" for PC consultants... can't put it in your profile, etc. And the marketplace, you know...current OR discontinued stuff, not allowed to be sold online in any form.
I think that some areas are kind of "grey" (or rather, not grey, but sort of overlooked until necessary)
Wrong or not, when a consultant calls the home office to get specific directions on what you can/can't say, that consultant probably expects it to not get him/her terminated if they follow the Home office's advice. That's all.

I totally see what you're saying though, and it's all good. I don't think I'm soliciting at all, a TON of people that I've talked to don't think Im soliciting by telling my mom that I'm going with another company to do something I like better (and why)...and answering her questions about it... and some people might disagree. No biggie.

Really, the Pampered Chef (or any Direct Sales company for that matter) can terminate you for wearing a purple shirt on a Tuesday according to the Consultant agreement we all signed... LOL.

I believe that there's a reason for everything, and that things don't happen out of chance. So I'm at peace with that. And I'm glad I'm still welcomed here, yall are the best.

 

[BethCooks4U]

Because of the friendships that I have developed on this board, I wanted to be the first to tell you my news so that you didn't hear it through someone else.

I have resigned my directorship with The Pampered Chef in order to be able to sell for another Direct Sales company where the commission rates, overrides & show averages are much higher at the consultant & leadership levels. I am not quitting Pampered Chef - this is simply a career move in deciding where I focus my leadership.

I am just thinking "big" here. This is not only about myself, but the potential for my teams future. See, my passion is to be a trailblazer and do things that no one else has done before. I strive to reach goals and help others reach their "big" potential - professionally, personally, and financially. I believe that this company (and my new new upline) can help me provide that for my future team.

But still, this decision was not made lightly. I have weighed my options and compared the two company's financial benefits to its consultants and the numbers are staggering. But, because the rules state that I can not be a Director with Pampered Chef and sell for another company at the same time, I had no choice but to resign my position as a Director to make this transition and move up in the new company’s leadership structure.

My resignation was emailed last evening, and will be effective on August 1st.

I know this is all vague and a shock & suprise for yall...and I'm so sorry for that. Please understand that my hands are tied in how much information I can give - because I'm trying so hard to be respectful of The Pampered Chef, the home office staff, and the ethics that I believe in with all of my heart.

(and on a personal note, please don't hate me ... this decision has weighed on my mind heavily and my heart is true when I tell you that I truly know that this decision is a wonderfully exciting one for me and the team that I am planning to build.)

Respectfully,
Laura Wells

Out of respect and the ethics to uphold from the Direct Sales association. In a PM or email as long as someone asks me first - I can tell. But I can't come out and say who/what. Especially out of respect for Deb & Greg and the "no self promotion" rule, too.
Trying to be as respectful and ethical as I can, all the way around. Hope yall understand.
If you want to email me, you can

I have quoted your first post here and then another where you mentioned that if we asked you it was okay. You made it very clear that this new opportunity was very great and enticed people to pm you to find out about it. That clearly breaks your agreement with PC but also the no self-promotion rule at CS. I know you don't see it that way but it is a fact. You did not have to tell us you were giving up your directorship or that you were going to a different company. Someone might have noticed a change in your signature and asked you (that would have been way different) but by making a big deal about it you started this whole thing.

It especially saddens me that so much negative was said about The Pampered Chef because of it and your statements that you "didn't know why". I know you have said over and over that you love PC and all the good words that you want us to believe but it doesn't wash. (Especially after what you said in your post #558.)

I will not be posting on this thread again because I don't want to get into a debate or arguement. I am only stating the facts as I see them and I probably have said too much already.

 

[ChefLisa]

Thats cool, I respect your opinion.. but the other directors who were terminated did not write anything, so... that doesn't make sense.

Like I wrote, there are other portions of the 'Nonsolicitation' section that more than likely apply to the others involved. They did not need to write anything on here. The agreement is very specific about it.

I am sure Pampered Chef did not cancel anyone's agreement because you talked to your Mom about your new venture; nor would anyone on this board ever think you should not share your excitement with her.

There are a lot of new people on this board. Some new to Pampered Chef; some who have been Consultants for years; and some who are just checking out the board to find out if Pampered Chef would be a good fit for them. I just want everyone to know Pampered Chef is an amazing company. I was only able to quit a dreary career two years ago and spend many more hours with my children because of this business. I know in my heart Pampered Chef would never be 'out to get someone' because of personal decisions he/she made. They are very respectful of us. If any of us break the agreement we made with them, they not only have the right, but the duty to enforce the agreement. The company would lose credibility if they chose not to enforce it.

Lisa

 

[Pampered Laura]

Yep yall are right. I shouldn't have posted anything on here about it at all. Thanks for enlightening me.

 

[AJPratt]

Well, Laura...

I really hope things work out for you. I sent you an email and I'm not sure if you got it. But I think you are a great person and I know things wil turn out good for you, they always do for good people. Besides... I fear your sweet ninja skills. LOL

 

[baychef]

Laura, I believe that your posts were written in good faith, friendship and respect. Also, great frustration and not understanding the agreement fully...which I bet we have all read a little more closely. I firmly believe that your posts were meant with no malice just clear frustration at the situation. I can see where you are coming from...right, wrong or a combination of both.

Although I am not glad you were let go, I think you have opened our eyes to looking a little more closely at our agreement. For some it may have further solidified our love for our PC business.

It is so obvious that you have successfully grown your business so I have no doubt that you will kick some good booty in your next venture.

As your emotions are running high, I believe other's emotions are also running high. Seems like you have taken some hits on here and hopefully, your chin is still up. Stay focused on your passion. That is what counts.

 

[Pampered Laura]

Beth and Lisa, you do know we can have a disagreement about this and still be lighthearted and just discuss it, right? I don't think there's any need to gang up on me or try to make me feel small and like I'm doing something wrong on purpose or that I'm being decietful. That's kind of uncalled for. I am probably reading too much in to yalls posts, but I just wanted to put that out there just in case.
This really isnt the end of the world for me, so I hope yall arent getting all stressed out about this discussion or have hard feelings. At NO time have I been negative about the company even after all I now know in regards to things with other consultants & their situations with the home office. I have encouraged people to stay positive and have tried to steer away from negativity on this thread. So, yall can put your BS flags away, there's none here. I say what I feel and sometimes that gets me in trouble. That's just how I roll. I'm at peace, so I hope yall can be too.

 

[janetupnorth]

Since I'm so good at killing threads in the past...PLEASE let me try here.

'nough said on this topic!

We can go back and forth all day on policies and assuming things in this situation we don't know.

We can go back and forth trying to determine the intent of posts, or the meaning, or the possibly psychology behind them.

Laura - I don't think anyone is trying to make you feel small, there is nothing but well-wishes here. However, we do not need to hash and rehash this issue. There is encouragement to stay positive, yet there is the subtle pointing out of the "inconsistencies" or "hurts" that came up. You did great in PC, you will do great in your new venture.

So, let's let this die and move on to all our shows and sales and hosts and whatever with our business and move on to the other threads and build each other up.

So, 'nough said by me too! Good night all!

 

[chefjwr]

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." James 1:19

I like this verse in your signature. I now see why it fits you so well.

 

[ChefLisa]

No ganging up from this Cheffer, nor from Beth (we know that is not who she is). We have always been encouraged to write on this board what we are thinking. This thread was bothering me for quite some time. I finally felt the need to write what I was thinking and what I know.

Sorry Janet, I just had to post this one more thought.

Everyone have a great night's sleep!
Lisa

 

[katie0128]

It ain't over until...the Fat lady sings...
http://www.lastnightdiy.org/gallery/images/04%20-%20fat%20lady%20sings.jpg

 

[ChefLisa]

Thank you for that Katie! You just made me laugh out loud!

 

[GeorgiaPeach]

The Horse is DeadI'm involved in a major project elsewhere so I've done more lurking lately than posting. I've been following this thread and since I had TWO large cokes today (translation: TOO much caffeine!).....I'll add my two cents.

Everyone can read this thread and draw their own conclusions. I tend to agree with Baychef. We've said MANY times on here that CS should be a place where we are all free to share our opinions. I think both sides have been well represented.

I would suggest we stop beating this poor horse to death, wish Laura well (ha...no pun intended! ), and move on. The longer this goes on the emotions will just get higher and higher. It's over and what's done is done.

 

[GeorgiaPeach]

Daggone!! Once again I type too slow and post after everyone else! Guess some great minds are thinking alike tonight

 

[Pampered Laura]

No ganging up from this Cheffer, nor from Beth (we know that is not who she is). We have always been encouraged to write on this board what we are thinking. This thread was bothering me for quite some time. I finally felt the need to write what I was thinking and what I know.

Sorry Janet, I just had to post this one more thought.

Everyone have a great night's sleep!
Lisa

Janet: Believe me, if I could delete this whole thread, that'd be really super! LOL

Lisa: Yes, we've always been encouraged to write what we're thinking on this board. That's what I did. I'm so sorry this thread was bothering you... and I thank you for caring so much. Unfortunately, what you know - and what I know - is not enough information to really explain what happened, because none of us know. It's all speculation until someone at the home office has answers in writing to me.

Katie: How did you take that picture of me while I was at conference?

 

[janetupnorth]

Daggone!! Once again I type too slow and post after everyone else! Guess some great minds are thinking alike tonight

But I just learned - never threaten here to kill a thread...it just keeps going...we all can never shut up! LOL!

 

[chefjwr]

Wow Katie what a photograph!!! What kind of camera do you have??

 

[janetupnorth]

Janet: Believe me, if I could delete this whole thread, that'd be really super! LOL

Can you???? Try it! I dare you.

...and that wasn't you - she doesn't have the right hat/boots.

 

[katie0128]

Can you???? Try it! I dare you.

...and that wasn't you - she doesn't have the right hat/boots.

My thoughts exactly!!!

 

[Pampered Laura]

LOL Gee, that's the ONLY difference you see in me vs. her? Why I've never been so flattered in all my life.