Wagglepop 2: Deja Vu as Auction Site That Left Sellers Stranded Reopens

[youroverheadbin]

[quote author=scoop link=topic=3775.msg56264#msg56264 date=1181457258]

Yes I saw that I was over there reading it.  Unbelievable he just didn't get what you were saying.  Or he is just playing dumb like Meows said.
[/quote]

I don't think he's playing - I think he's certified.

[scoop]

Well I'm headed off to sleep I don't want to wake up too late.  It looks like it could be another eventfull day at WP and I don't want to miss that lol.  I think we will see the store count go down even further who knows the way things are going maybe the plug will be pulled. 

I wonder if WP will have those sales figures posted tomorrow    If I remember right KaRay posted on the 5th that they would have them ready within 3 or 4 days

[mandy]

218 stores
95,510 listings

[UniqueSeller]

Good morning. It starts:

wagglepopCC2  10 Jun 2007 08:38     


Hello Everyone,

I thought this weekend might be a good time to introduce myself to membership and discuss some current events. My name is Andrew Pittino, and I am the Director of Business Development & Customer Care here at Wagglepop.

The first and saddest point to discuss is the resignation of Karen Morrow as lead in Customer Care, effective immediately. With her permission, I would like to share some of what she told me about why she felt this was necessary.

Before I relate those comments, she did ask that I pass along her very best wishes to the majority of our members that have supported Wagglepop fully, that she has worked with through email and posts and that she considers not just members but friends.

After a long and very difficult discussion, she told me that she thought she was not "making a difference", but instead was making no difference at all. She estimated that as much as 95% of her day had become about nasty collection disputes/referrals, policing malicious behavior, "refereeing" personal disputes, closing accounts, and weathering inappropriate vulgar language in Customer Care. She was "crushed" at how quickly people could turn from support to condemnation of our efforts.

The most telling of her comments was that she was no longer sure if the greater online selling community wanted a new auction site, or just a new auction site to complain about and villify.

Some of what has been posted on this board over the past 48 hours outlines for me what she was talking about. Instead of asking if she was ill, in a car accident, or otherwise unavailable, some have chosen to attack the site and close accounts, which I find absolutely shockingly disappointing, personally. For those that did inquire by email, we thank you for your concern for Karen, a friend to all of us.

While I did not normally have a daily interaction with the site, I did have some previous understanding of the increasing difficulties for Karen. However, after spending the last 48 hours immersed both in Customer Care as the lead and moderator here on the boards, my eyes have been opened, to say the least, and I have a very clear understanding of the difficulties and challenges. I will be making some internal policy changes to address much of that.

Prior to coming to Wagglepop, Karen was a long time employee of my marketing firm, a role which she will return to in two weeks. Karen was far more than just an employee for Wagglepop, she was the face of our company in many ways and had worked near around the clock for over a year, and in fact almost 18 months going back to the development stages of our site. She was courteous, patient, and sharply intelligent as your CC lead, and in fact many of the features we have were either suggested by, or in some cases, developed by Karen, such as the Red Carpet Customer Program.

In short, there is no way to replace Karen as we found her to be irreplaceable. In two weeks, she will return to retake her position in my marketing firm, and that is certainly a boost to the firm and a loss for Wagglepop.

In any case, site participation levels no longer support a full time CC lead and have not for a while, though we did our very best to provide that and were prepared to continue to do so until these recent struggles became more apparent. I will be "filling in" for Karen as we learn more about how Wagglepop is going to evolve. She has graciously agreed to train me (and some limited contract help) in the systems that provide service and support to membership.

Expect my presence on the boards rarely, if ever. Should a post need review, please report it through the email system. Customer Care response times will naturally increase but we will do our very best to be as quick as possible although "within 24 hours" will be more accurate than ever. As our full time CC lead, Karen was lightning fast!

I would like to publicly thank Karen for her incredible dedication and selfless contributions to Wagglepop over the past 18 months. I can hardly picture a better job, better employee, or better friend.

We will miss you Karen.

In related news, based on recommendations outlined in her exit report, we have streamlined the Community Help & Discussion forums, and will continue to do so over the next few days. Forums with less than 100 posts over the past year or forums which do not reflect their intent or purpose are being eliminated. This helps us to not only bring the community together more often, but in moderation. Other nonessential features that require a full time CC lead for either maintenance or creation will be pruned over this upcoming week. We thank you for your support while we make these upgrades and changes.

Regarding the "big picture", we continue to make changes and adjust expenses so that the site better fiscally reflects the participation on it, and so that we can provide service and support to those that wish it.

Wagglepop is not nearly what we had envisioned in terms of participation and the incredible changes/partnerships that would have triggered based on those anticipated levels, but it is still a terrific cost effective site with incredible features and opportunities for online businesspeople.

If Wagglepop participation dictates a smaller specialized site, let's make it the best one there is.

Andrew Pittino
Director of Business Development & Customer Care

[b]Back to read some more ...

~Patti~

[UniqueSeller]

So no more nice Karen. Now everyone has to deal with meanie Andrew...

I am rereading what this guy posted and I am flabbergasted. They had everything a new auction site needed over 9 months ago ... 900+ sellers.

Poppers - The ship is sinking!! Back up your listings NOW.

And I missed all the fun last night cause I had company. Damn company .

Let's see how the Poppers are going to react to the newest news ...


~Patti~

[UniqueSeller]

Posted on the Anyone Selling Thread (Hey its still there!!)

10 Jun 2007 09:08     


I am new to Wagglepop... have been selling on the big E for 9+ years. I also have my own commercial website.

After reading some of your (rather negative) posts I am beginning to be turned off. I came here with a good positive attitude. I have already bought from 3 different sellers. I just clicked on the store in the post above to check out colognes and *poof* the store was gone... empty of product. And just imagine new members reading your posts on the community boards... do you think your posts make them want to look around and buy from you? You'll never know how many (potential) sales you have lost due to your own negativity.

Perhaps instead of complaint posts, you guys should consider brainstorming ways in which YOU could advertise your own wares to others outside wagglepop.

Just a thought from a Wagglepop newbie who has taken the time to purchase from others and open my own WP store.

[b]hmmmmmmmm....Ummm, been there. Done that. Moved on. See Ya!

~Patti~

[yowlsnhowls]

::: sobbing :::

Angelic KaRay is gone. Oh my!

Expect my presence on the boards rarely, if ever. Should a post need review, please report it through the email system. Customer Care response times will naturally increase but we will do our very best to be as quick as possible although "within 24 hours" will be more accurate than ever.

So Bad Boy Andy is gonna do what? His "customer service" will about as useless as tits on a boar hog since it appears to me that he's gonna wait for Bat Boy and PS to report directly to him.

Btw, Rat, LOVE your Who Is on PSU. Great job!     

[bratpack]

Wow, Guess I missed all the fun last night.  Platz, your posts crack me up.  I will have to start staying up later. :o  So Ray is killing off the "good" alter ego and bringing the "tough" Andrew to the forefront.  I cant wait to see what role "Christine" will play.    I will say it again, I am so glad I Saw the Light and got the heck out of there!  I have another busy day ahead of me so you all have a great day!

[yowlsnhowls]

217 Stores found

[FineThings4U]

I really have to stop eating and sleeping.  The most interesting things happen when I'm gone.

So, let me see if I get it....It was getting too hard for Ray to pretend to be a nice woman so now Andrew gets to spout the egomaniacal garbage that was the demise of WP1?

She has graciously agreed to train me (and some limited contract help) in the systems that provide service and support to membership.

 If this were true, dude, Andrew has been there from the beginning and wasn't Christine CC2 who was Karen's backup (just in case)?

Ray, you're a boinktard