Dropping a Paypal Claim

Though I have no interest in rescinding my money request I was curious about this offer:

I logged into Paypal, and with the help of their virtual chat assistant Sarah I was able to find out what recourse, if any I would have had had I dropped a claim:

It seems that once you close a Paypal claim there is no way of reopening it, and  as a consumer you are left dealing directly with the seller to resolve.

It should also be noted that per FDA guidelines for a recall that there should be no out of pocket expense for the consumer.

Thank you to the Facebook poster for sharing.

Glow in the Dark

One of the items not listed for recall is GlitterSniffers Glow in the Dark collection.

I can verify that the Glow in the Dark Collection sold on Facebook was listed as not safe for eye use.

 

I can also verify that they were not always marketed that way. These listings include Glow in the Dark pigments, with no mention of their not being approved for eye use.

Zombie Girl Cosmetic Kit, sold 10/08/09
Zombie Girl Cosmetic Kit, sold 10/17/09
Hooking It up Sale, sold 5/27/09  Suggested use for the Glow in the Dark pigment in this listing? Eyeliner.

Additionally, the pigments do not appear to meet FDA guidelines for labeling. In fact, they do not have labels at all. There was, however, a note included with this shipment that stated that they were not approved for eye use. This note does not meet the FDA requirement for labeling as it was not on the jars themselves.

Thank you to the 2 submitters for the photos and screenshots.

Voicemail

There have been several people experiencing issues listening to the voicemail from this post. I would like to thank an anonymous emailer for providing this link to a player that should work.

Update

I have 10 posts in various stages of writing and editing. With the influx of information over the last week there has been a lot to go through. The Facebook page has taken on a life of it's own, and most of my attention has been there.

I am continuing on my quest for a refund and to get the word out. I do, however, need to regroup.

I appreciate your understanding for the radio silence. To be sure, I am no less committed to my goal. For those that do not follow the FB page, I leave you with this. Lela asked today what she could do, apart from shutting down GS. Again, please indulge me as I post my response.

Lela- Thank you for your question. I've pondered it and here is what I respectfully request. I would like a refund for all my pigments, a refund for anyone who feels unsafe using your products, all charity monies to be remitted forthwith, FDA compliance in regards to labeling and ingredients, compliance with Postal regulations for shipping, FTC regulations for interstate commerce, transparent acts of change on the part of GS that were not spurred on by a complaints blog, and mostly, a true act of contrition.

You have apologized repeatedly, to be sure, but from my observation, it has been less than contrite. There is always a reason (People wanted me to sell neons. I had no choice.) or an excuse (I tried to include a note that the reds weren't vegan.). The time for reasons and excuses is past. You treated these people as your friends, as your family. You must understand that makes this situation even harder to deal with. You sold a dream that turned out to be nothing but smoke and mirrors. You took the most sacred trust imaginable and violated it. I want you to actually, for even one second, understand the enormity of what you have done and the incredible damage, both physically and emotionally, that you have caused.

I do not wish to see your business shut down, but unless and until I see true change in the business behaviors of GS I will not stop. I will continue posting, I will continue running the page, I will watch your site to ensure that regulations are followed. If you choose not to police yourself I will do it for you, because that sacred trust which you so carelessly betrayed means something to me.

I apologize if this offends you, but you solicited my response. I also apologize for the slightly emotional nature of it, but I truly feel it needed to be said.

Be well, Lela. We've got a long road ahead of us.

GlitterSniffer FAQ-Vegan

I received an email today, and there have been several questions on the Facebook page, regarding the vegan aspect of this situation. I cannot speak as to the nature of the products myself, so I referred to the FAQ provided by GlitterSniffer Cosmetics.

In the FAQ listed on the GlitterSniffer site there was a question regarding the vegan nature of the products. I present it here as it is on the site:

According to the official stance by GS the only two non vegan reds were Ariel and Seuss Red. They state that this was noted in the Etsy listings.

A quick Google search reveals that is simply not the case. The listings for the Twisted Princess Collection (which contained Ariel) and The DrSeuss Collection (which contained Seuss Red) contain no such information.

Twisted Princess, sold 7/4/10
DrSeuss, sold 7/15/10
DrSeuss, sold 7/10/10
DrSeuss, sold 7/9/10

As the company marketed itself as a 100% vegan company it stands to reason that anyone purchasing their product would feel comfortable that what they were receiving was indeed vegan. As we can see from the Etsy listings the fact that they were not vegan was not disclosed, nor were there any ingredient listings to alert people to the presence of non vegan ingredients.

It is not clear at this time where this falls in terms of the FDA, but it does show that the information provided by GS about it's products is not entirely correct.

1/12/11 ETA:
Ariel and Seuss Red are not the only non vegan colors GS ever produced. Ruby Red Slippers in The Wizard of Oz Collection was also  not vegan, but it was noted in the Etsy listing.


Though fully disclosed at the time of purchase it gives pause to the FAQ that GS has posted as their official answers to many questions. If GS does not list all non vegan colors despite stating that the list they have provided is complete, either by choice, accidental omission, or just plain not knowing what is in their products, how is a consumer to make an informed choice about any products the company has produced?

Thanks to a Facebook page member for the information.

URGENT

If you make pigments, or are well versed in ingredients and are still awake please contact me immediately at glittersniffercomplaints@gmail.com. I have a time sensitive, urgent question.

Thank you.

1/10/11 ETA: Thank you so much for your help. My question has been answered. I'm just following up on some information now. I appreciate it.

GlitterSniffer Q&A

I am still working on editing the Q&A from 1/8/11, but the major questions from that thread have now been posted on the GlitterSniffer website.

Here are the list of questions and answers, unedited by me except to remove personally identifying information, as of 1/9/11.

Lela,

I've compiled tonights list. I can't guarantee there won't be more questions, and I appreciate your taking the time to answer. I have tried to collate them as best I can, but there were multiple questions on multiple threads. I apologize if there are any repeats, but with the sheer volume of information being generated I ask that you understand any oversight on my part.

That being said I have tried to reword any questions to remove any overly emotional content. I am sure you can appreciate more than anyone that this is fraught with emotion, so some of the questions may have a tone that is a bit more spirited than you'd possibly like, but please be assured that they are all coming from a good place.

I understand that some of the questions may take longer to answer than others. Please respond at your earliest convenience.

What if we have clamshells? Like from the full set if we return those what is the rate?

Why do you have money going into redacteds account? Do you have the ability to transfer it to your account? If so why can't people just pay to the gs paypal to restore the balance?

Could we possibly get a photograph/photographs of each of the recalled colors (particularly the ones that are not pink) so we can check our randoms? It would be super helpful :) Put on photobucket or wherever. There's no way to look these up anymore.

What is the protocol for handling returns of recalled product that were purchased samples (PIFs, etc)? What prices are you refunding for those?

Will other forms of proof (receipts, photos) be accepted as proof of purchase for recalled products for those that have been instructed by the FDA to retain their products?

I had reactions to products that were not on the recall list. You state catagorically that your products that are not recalled are safe, but what assurances can you provide me that they are (including ingredients)?

Why have you personally attacked people who are only trying to recoup from a business that has admitted wrongdoing?

It seems that MANY of the purples have pink in them -- Can Lela provide any info as to which purples are safe and which ones aren't? This info would need to be clear enough so that those of us with random/unlabeled colors would be able to understand. It's also difficult since there are often three different shades of the same color. What is the recall policy for the randoms, or those other colors that may contain pink?

Can we please know the Chemical names for the "bad dyes" or "soap dyes" or whatever was used please? Thanks!

What are the ingredients for the liquid eyeliner?

Is the pigment Denise safe?

What is your timeline to send out replacements for those who wish to have safe pigments sent to them instead of a refund?

Is Saturday Night being recalled?

Is GLAAD red Vegan? Will you release a list of all pigments that are not vegan? Are you planning to recall the nonvegan products?

I've noticed some ladies have sent ALL their GS pigments back. What happens in this case if they feel ALL GS pigments are unsafe and have proof of these orders; and (possibly) refunds pending. What happens then? Will they only be refunded the pinks as Lela has stated or will they be refunded their whole amount? What should happen should someone send in their whole collection?? 

Redacted would like to know why her gift bag was never sent, and why she was told that it was. Additionally she would like information specific to the timeline when charity money for redacted will be sent.

Again, thank you for your time. I truly believe that your answers will result in a mutually beneficial resolution for everyone involved.

GlitterSniffer Complaints



Lela Warren to me 1:09 AM (6 minutes ago)

GSComplaints, I will be skipping over questions that have either already been answered, or are answered in the Q&A on the website.

1. http://www.glittersniffercosmetics.com/recall.html

2. While this is a personal business matter, money is going to a different PayPal since we cannot accept funds as part of our restriction. Also, no I cannot transfer the money over. The bank account associated with that PayPal is not connected to me, therefore we will be using the bank card associated with the new Paypal account to add funds to our GS Paypal in efforts to start restoring the balance again.

3. I cannot take photographs of all the colors because I do not have all of the colors anymore. As I have stated, I have depleted my entire inventory.

4. We are not refunding for samples at this time.

5. Unfortunately, no. Unless we are instructed otherwise, we will need the products back to be considered for a refund, regardless of the referenced situations. Again, we will comply with any request made by a state, local, or Federal agency.

6. If anyone has any concern about a product not on the recall list and would like ingredients on a particular one, please feel free to e-mail me and I will do my best to answer your questions. Due to time constraints and lack of being able to remember every single pigment I've ever made, I'm unable to sit down and make a list of every ingredient in every product I've ever created. With that said, I remember the ingredients used in each pigment if brought to my attention and I will do my best to help you with that. Short of that, I have no other proof, and the use of our product will have to be a personal decision.

7. The one and only person I've had a personal conflict with was done so completely aside from GS. The said person was not only a customer but a friend who crossed a very personal line. I was wrong for the things that I said, and given the opportunity to speak with her, I would apologize to her. Other than that, while I may have not always acted in the most professional manner, which I regret and will change, I have not personally attacked anyone else.

8. All purples are safe. For our final, official recall list, please visit: http://www.glittersniffercosmetics.com/recall.html

9. http://www.glittersniffercosmetics.com/recall.html

10. I don't have the information for the liquid eyeliner readily accessible. Please e-mail me about this and I will get back to you on that one.

11. Yes, the pigment Denise is both Vegan and Eye Safe

12. We have not got new pinks re-made yet, nor our whole stock replenished. We are working on this and will announce when that is available on our fanpage and website.

13. No. Our complete and final list for recalled pigments can be found here: http://www.glittersniffercosmetics.com/recall.html

14. The only 2 pigments that are non vegan are Dr. Seuss Red and Ariel. GLADD red is vegan. No, the 2 non-vegan pigments are not being recalled, as I did make public that those were not vegan.

15. Unfortunately, we cannot refund people for every pigment they have ever purchased from GS cosmetics as long as it is not on the recall list. Any other pigment will not be refunded. If someone were to send in all of their pigments, we would make note of which ones were included in the recall, offer a refund for those and those only, and then discard the pigments.

16. Redacted may e-mail me regarding her particular order questions. Redacted has ceased communication with GS Cosmetics. If she would like to speak with me, that is certainly welcome and we can discuss when I can get her payment to her.

Thank you all for your questions. While my answers may not have been what some hoped, and while some have elected to never return to GS Cosmetics, I sincerely apologize to you for all of this and thank you for you friendship over the years. I miss you all, and while this has not been under the best circumstances, you have all helped drive me to become a better person, and a better business. I appreciate your questions. I may return in the future to follow up, but for now I'm going to say goodbye to you. If you would like to speak with me further, please feel free to e-mail me at glittersniffercosmetics@gmail.com

-Lela

And that is where it stands for now. I do commend GS for their actions over the last few days. I think it speaks to the commitment to change. We shall see, in the coming weeks and months, if the change is permanent.

As for me, while I applaud the effort, I will not purchase from GS again. That is my personal decision. Anyone else should feel free to take the information presented here thus far and do with it as they please. I will continue to follow up on complaints I have filed, updating both the blog and the Facebook page with new information including Others Experiences, and monitor GS to ensure that every commitment they have made they stand behind.

GlitterSniffer Recall Information

GlitterSniffer Cosmetics has posted a Q&A, based on your questions, to their site. This information was provided voluntarily by GS and answers the most frequently asked questions about the recall and refund processes.

You may find the information here.