He is grinding my gears!

[mummy bear]

is it just me or does anyone else think this thread should now be closed ??

 

[PrincessRacer]

gemdreamer, I am not gonna attack you I promise...not unless you ask me nicely and the monies right of course!!

Like I said before...I am an opinionated, gobby mare but I do try to be polite and articulate if I disagree with someone's opinion. The whole spirit of the forum is to openly, but politely, discuss different points of view, and that is to be applauded. See if people come back in an aggressive or condascending way though I freely admit to a wee bit of 'Red Mist' syndrome, and when I see it happen over and over again, not just to my own posts, but to those of others too, I come over all Xena Warrior Princess and there's no stopping me!! Not necessarily one of my finer points I will freely admit, but it's part of what makes me me!!

 

[tequila]

Ok, well i agree with Graham on this one. Whilst i don't agree with all of Lee Jones comments (i actually rather like alan, enjoy watching him) he does have a right to his opinion on here. YES Steve has a right to reply, but to do so on a public forum is unprofessional in my opinion. I know there are alot of very loyal rocks fans on this forum, and thats great but i think its a bit unfair that whenever someone posts something not too flattering about rocks they get shouted down by certain members. Saying that, i do understand that people want to defend their opinion and what they like and enjoy, but perhaps we could agree to disagree a little more.
I do agree with Lee Jones on one point, why does Steve throw the word competitor around whenever someone puts a negative comment? surely its human nature that not everyone is going to love his channel, people are different and there for enjoy/like different things. Whilst some people will love the casual family run style of rocks, others may see it as abit unprofessional.
Finally to the most important thing said on this thread, why on earth is Sarah Bennett acting in such an unprofessional manner? Posting under a fake name is basically pathetic and childish IMO! Rocks are quick to band the word "competitor" about when anyone makes a negative comment making out its other channels slagging them off and giving the impression they are above that sort of behaviour when sarah is posting under a fake name! Totally out of order. I am sure she has sent a email to graham full of excuses ( have never seen or heard rocks take responsibility for any mistakes etc, always excuses) but there isn't really an excuse for this, and yes i am sure other channels have done it too, and that is also totally out of order. This forum is for chat about jewellery, making friends and having fun, not for silly jewellery sellers to play childish games - ok everyone, feel free to have a go at me now :mysmilie_11:

you have raised some good points there GD it is not the fact i think of people making negative comment about Rocks it is about the nasty way it is put i have had a few bits of bling from rocks that have been crap IMHO i have had a few cock ups with deliveries but Hey thats life their is no need for any nastiness which is what has been happening lately i dont know why ? but i still think Steve and anyone else has the right to reply lets face it owner or not there is only so much **** you can take before the red mist comes down .I dont know anything about posting in a fake names and have been to look and did not find any thing that worried me in those posts obviously it was known by the powers that be that this was Sarah so if it is unethical remove the posts.IAM NOT a rocks can do no wrong fan thats crap every one does wrong but i will stand up when i think someone ,anyone even Lee is being treated unfairly and i think that this relentless slagging off Steve,Sarah,Alan ,computers etc has gone on long enough.As you said this forum WAS about chat on jewellery helping someone who is having probs with things ,good information ,making friends and having a good banter with the odd winge about certain companies and helping put defininate NOnos with others right, but of late it has been used as punching bag to inflict as much pain as poss I dont know Lee or Graham or any of you personally but what i do know is this constant barrage of attacks is not doing any of us any good it is ruining the reason for this sight it is not a notice board to personally attack someone IT IS time this was stopped :mysmilie_687:

 

[Lee Jones]

is it just me or does anyone else think this thread should now be closed ??

Why?

Because the sparkly image of Rocks TV is being shattered?

If it was closed, Steve wouldn't have the opportunity to reply, which wouldn't be very fair.

 

[mummy bear]

Why?

Because the sparkly image of Rocks TV is being shattered?

If it was closed, Steve wouldn't have the opportunity to reply, which wouldn't be very fair.

No not at all. Everyone has their own opininons and shoud be allowed to air them freely but maybe just because its becoming tit for tat. :mysmilie_73: :mysmilie_697:

 

[Saffy]

I think we would all agree that everyone has the right to voice their opinion in a calm and reasoned manner, but this thread has now developed into something completely different. If Sarah has been posting under an "alter-ego" she must realise that she was risking seriously damaging RocksTV's credibility and in my opinion this needs to be addressed.
Graham, Sarah gave you permission to post her email, will you now do so?

 

[Graham]

I think we would all agree that everyone has the right to voice their opinion in a calm and reasoned manner, but this thread has now developed into something completely different. If Sarah has been posting under an "alter-ego" she must realise that she was risking seriously damaging RocksTV's credibility and in my opinion this needs to be addressed.
Graham, Sarah gave you permission to post her email, will you now do so?

Dear Graham,

We are at a loss as to understand what has happened this last couple of weeks and why you have become so negative towards us.

We have done nothing but praise and support Shoppingtelly.com on Rocks TV and yet lately as soon as we have tried to post a positive thread it has been removed!

We have had nothing but constant unjustified criticism and nasty comments time and time again from one ST member who is not a customer of ours. We normally take negativity on the nose and take it as part of our industry, we try not to take it personally but it has become so relentless and personal that Steve spoke out tonight.

We are very honest family business and we take our customers very seriously. Would you prefer it if we ignored customers problems/ questions /concerns the way the others do?

We are very sorry for whatever has upset you, if it is easier please feel free to remove us from Shopping Telly again. We have paid for advertising for a few more months but if you want you can remove that as well.

By the way I have no idea who Tommy is!!

Regards

Sarah Bennett

 

[Saffy]

Thanks Graham for posting Sarahs reply ... very interesting!!
You have made an allegation about Sarah that she has denied, do you still stand by it?

 

[yazrose]

I haven't read this thread for a few days but boy has it gone down hill faster than greasy s**t on a shinny shovel.

As with everyone in the public eye they have to take the rough with the smooth. I think it is brilliant that the Bennetts come on here and post to help us when there is a problem and I would like to think that will never change.

However, I think it is unprofessional for an MD to attack a forum member.

This is just one thread, others have been nothing but praise. In the world of business there is no nice, nice and since this is where rocks got most of its business when starting up, I think it is only fair that they should learn to take the good press with the bad.

 

[Graham]

Thanks Graham for posting Sarahs reply ... very interesting!!
You have made an allegation about Sarah that she has denied, do you still stand by it?

Yes I stand by it 100%

 

[Saffy]

RocksTV burst onto our TV screens in a burst of glory and gained many more loyal customers who where no doubt impressed with the apparent honesty & integrity of the company. This allegation makes me wonder if the honeymoon period is coming to an end?

 

[gemdreamer]

I haven't read this thread for a few days but boy has it gone down hill faster than greasy s**t on a shinny shovel.

As with everyone in the public eye they have to take the rough with the smooth. I think it is brilliant that the Bennetts come on here and post to help us when there is a problem and I would like to think that will never change.

However, I think it is unprofessional for an MD to attack a forum member.

This is just one thread, others have been nothing but praise. In the world of business there is no nice, nice and since this is where rocks got most of its business when starting up, I think it is only fair that they should learn to take the good press with the bad.

well said yazrose!

also, on the point of sarah claiming she doesn't know who tommy is etc and making out Graham is against them ,well that just sounds a tad silly to me. Why on earth would Graham make something like that up, he simply wouldn't! He runs this forum and i see no reason why he would lie. I knew sarah wouldn't own up to using a fake name which is a shame as would be alot better to own up and say you know what guys, i was silly, made a mistake, lets move on etc.

 

[gemdreamer]

RocksTV burst onto our TV screens in a burst of glory and gained many more loyal customers who where no doubt impressed with the apparent honesty & integrity of the company. This allegation makes me wonder if the honeymoon period is coming to an end?

i think their honesty has been called into question before, i read on rockstv chat something about rockstv claiming they designed all their own stuff or something, but a while ago them being found out to this being a lie. not sure of details as only just what i read on rocks chat a few weeks ago.

 

[~*~Lexxy~*~]

i feel like i've stumbled into the Twilight Zone!

i do understand the viewpoint from some who think Steve hasn't been very professional with his reply to LJ (i wouldn't class his response as an attack though), but i have huge sympathy with Steve on this & feel he's in a no-win situation.

we've got our own business, no where near the size of the Bennett enterprise!, & no matter how you try to keep the emotion out of business, sometimes you just can't as it's 'yours'. comments may be aimed at your company but it's very hard not to take these on a personal level too. ideally, unfounded criticisim/constant moaning etc. should just be ignored & let your customer service & positive testimonials do your talking for you...

tommy - no idea what's going on there?! (any possibility someone has logged on from Sarah's PC? i presume it's the IP addy that has alerted Graham?). i've read the 7 posts made by this user & like Meesh, i couldn't see anything too out of order IF it was Sarah. i agree that posting under another name is wrong, but as already said, unfortunately it wouldn't be the first time this has happened & i fail to see how Graham could stop it (if he wanted to).

i've got no answers, just my observations...

 

[PrincessRacer]

I agree with Lexy.

The proof of the pudding for me is the dealings I have had with the company. I have bought numerous pieces from Rocks, over the last nearly 2 years now with my first piece being purchased in their first week of Beta testing, none of which I have had cause to return. Not one. Niente. Nought! The reason for this is that I have been consistently happy with the pieces I have received (size, quality, difference IRL to on the Net) and what I have paid for them. I am not saying things have gone perfectly, because they haven't, but hey, we are none of us robots, and it is the response I receive when things do go a little awry that cements my opinion of a company, and I have never received anything but excellent service from Rocks, so I have absolutely no cause for concern.

I too have read the 'Tommy' comments, and there are 5 derogatory comments that follow the same vein as the rest of the thread they were posted in, and 2 complimentary comments to individual presenters on other channels.

I don't think any of us can make any judgement on this as we aren't aware of any facts. We know that Graham strongly believes Sarah to be 'Tommy' and we know Sarah strongly denies this. Neither party has offered any 'because' so how can we say 'oo Sarah's terrible' or 'ooo Graham's a fibber'?? We simply can't because we don't have the facts.

Personally, if it is Sarah it doesn't make my pieces and less shiny, it doesn't add a couple of quid to what I paid for them and it doesn't detract from the service I have received, so it doesn't really bother me. After all, do you think the bosses of M and S don't go into BHS occasionally and say, perhaps a little louder than they ought, 'ooo I'm not keen on that...the one at M and S had a much better finish!' ???? It's business, not a social club after all!!

 

[fwend]

Cor .... I think I need to go and lie down in a darkend room , boy that was some read!!!!!!

 

[kitten_with_claws]

Personally, if it is Sarah it doesn't make my pieces and less shiny, it doesn't add a couple of quid to what I paid for them and it doesn't detract from the service I have received, so it doesn't really bother me.

Precisely PR - all I care about is whether or not is anything I buy is 'as described', my jewellery stays intact, I get refunded swiftly if I need to return something, queries get responded to promptly & efficiently & so on....!

Not only are Sarah & Steve company owners & MDs, they are people & as forum members, have as much right to post comments on here as anybody else - when you think of some of the comments made by high ranking politicians about each other, or just in general, the odd comment on here to a rather rude poster (who never has & is unlikely to ever shop with them!) somewhat pales in comparison!

I don't necessarily think that brands them as 'unprofessional' - that well known jewellery retailer some years ago commenting publicly that his products were basically cheap tat & totally naff, now that was unprofessional, not to mention foolish in the extreme! lol
The Bennetts aren't running the country, they're just a family business, ordinary people really......they design & flog jewellery, why can't they just be that? :mysmilie_687:

 

[reddwarf]

Cor .... I think I need to go and lie down in a darkend room , boy that was some read!!!!!!

:mysmilie_61: Me too! This thread is like an old episode of 'Tales of the unexpected'...more twists than a curlywurly!

I can see it from all angles, Lee is a member here and entitled to his opinion, if he wants to complain then that is his perogative, for the record I have noticed that not every post is negative and some have been very amusing. :mysmilie_82:

Rocks tv is the Bennetts baby, I too understand the emotion involved and the protective instincts they feel when it is getting a battering, Steve probably regrets posting now but I guess he is only human. I wish he hadn't really TBH

As for the other business, if Sarah has posted incognito then that is a bit embarrassing and needs to be addressed by Graham, I can see why he is upset over it. :mysmilie_81:

 

[stevebennett]

Please find my final response EVER on Shopping Telly.com

As of today I am going to try and ban its use here in the building and if anyone wants to talk to me personally then simply call me FREE on 0800 6444 647 or email me [email protected].

Graham, even though I have paid YOU for advertising on this site in the past and we still have several months left to go on the existing advert, please remove it. Sorry I could not afford your big increases in fees, as per the five emails you have sent me over the past few months.
.
Firstly can I say to you are a big bully. My wife is currently in tears. You accuse her of lying which is not true. Apparently someone called Tommy has registered on your site and had ago at our competitors six months ago and you believe it to be Sarah. I can categorically say, that this is not my wife. I can not guarantee that it is not one of our employees or one of my family, because as you know, as we have discussed in the past, my daughter once did this without realising what she did was wrong. You know this as we have discussed it before.

When it comes to designs, we have always been very honest about this. At the very beginning Sarah did design most of our pieces, but today as we have grown, we have had to put a whole team bellow her. What upsets me most, is that some of you are saying that in some way we have mislead. I can not see how this can be the case as we have even showed many clips of our designers in India. I am sure most of you must have seen a video clip in between our auctions where two of our presenters Matt and Rod are talking about the design team in India. And yes there are one or two designs where we have bought them in when we have been short of stock.

As I write this at 2pm on Thursday the 25th of February, I have just presented for five hours live on air whilst we had a technical problem. I openly asked customers to call in with any questions and every time I asked for good feedback or bad feedback. All feedback was welcome. We took 16 calls this morning live on air to get feedback and I think this demonstrates our transparency and honesty as we did this completely live, without vetting customers. The funny thing here, was I asked anyone who wanted to complain to phone up live on air and complain on the telly live, hoping, after the unfair abuse we received on your website last night, especially from Lee Jones, that someone would have the guts to say things live on air. I really wanted to get the bottom of the problem that he has. I know what your problem is! I wanted to know why someone who never buys from us, wastes all of his time watching us, especially when he does not like us and does not buy!

I am finishing now by saying, all we do is run a very honest and straight forward family jewellery business, where we bring customers great value. Whilst we are not yet profitable, we are here for the long term and will make sure we always look after our customers.

But right now Graham, I have spent my last penny with you. To our loyal customers on here, I apologise that I will no longer waste my time logging on to this website, so if you do need to contact us, please use the Live help on our website, our free phone number or our email addresses.

 

[Saffy]

But right now Graham, I have spent my last penny with you. To our loyal customers on here, I apologise that I will no longer waste my time logging on to this website, so if you do need to contact us, please use the Live help on our website, our free phone number or our email addresses.


Seems to me it will be a shame if Steve or any of his staff no longer read the posts in this forum. I hope he again hasn't leapt in without thinking because the overwhelming majority of posts have been supportive.