GlitterSniffer Cosmetics Exciting New Release!!!

GlitterSniffer Cosmetics President Lela Warren had an exciting new release today. Posted to her personal Facebook page (and quickly deleted) was my name, address, and phone number.

As far as I can determine this all began on August 25, 2011. At that time Lela posted about contacting people to get the "fukkin monkey's (sic)" off her back.

I was contacted a few hours ago and given the following screenshots. The screenshots in their unedited form show my name, address and telephone number, as well as Lela's intention to release where I work and the identities of my living family members. From the screenshots (as near as I can surmise from them as Lela has not bothered to contact me, even to keep me abreast of the refund situation as she promised upon reopening) she would like the blog and page to be taken down or she will continue to release information about me and my family.

This was her status update immediately after deleting the post of my personal information:

I spoke with the Dearborn Heights Police Department regarding the issue and was referred back to my local municipality. Any investigation will need to be started locally and then extended to the DHPD. I have an appointrment with a detective tomorrow to discuss my options.

I have for some time had the services of an attorney as well. Some months ago Lela Warren asked for the names and addresses of myself and the Complaints Admins in order to send Cease and Desist Orders as well as file Defamation Suits. After informing Lela Warren of statutes which cover the blog and the page (as well as her own culpability in the matter for giving me permission to publish in an email from January) I freely offered her my information in order to pursue it. She never responded. I will be contacting my attorney tomorrow to research my civil options.

It should be noted that I asked Lela Warren months ago to comply with my request not to be contacted at any place other than the Complaints email after she used my personally identifying information to email me at my job. After this request was made Lela sent a friend request to my personal Facebook. I had not, up to this point, pursued that issue though I was well within my rights to do so. That is now back on the table, and coupled with this new development, will be pursued as vigorously as possible.

The blog and the page will remain as is. I will continue to publish about GlitterSniffer Cosmetics business practices (as well as those of other companies i.e. The Conservatorie, Coastal Scents, and Pure Luxe) and the now seemingly futile quest for refunds. I apologize, but there will be no posts regarding Lela's bathroom activities unless they directly affect GS as a business.

And make no mistake, this post, while having to do with a personal issue for me, very much pertains to GS as a business entity. Despite the assertion in an email from January that the company is "all for free speech" the company is now actively trying to quash that same freedom they have claimed to support. This blog has always published all aspects of the situation, including the new refund information (published at the request of the company itself). It exists because there is a need for it to exist. Remove the cause, remove the effect. If GS wants the blog and the page to be removed then the proper steps (issuing refunds, paying the charities) need to be taken. That responsibility lies with the company itself, and no amount of personal information or veiled threats will change that.

It is still my fervent hope that one day I can post that all that are due refunds have them, and that the charities have been paid back the thousands of dollars owed them. Until that day I will continue to keep posting about the situation, as well as other matters as they pertain to safety in indie cosmetics, in hopes that it comes to a swift and fair resolution for everyone involved. 

Artfire Privacy Breach

**Not GlitterSniffer Cosmetics related.**
If you have shopped on Artfire you may want to read this.

On Friday night there was a glitch on Artfire that prepopulated the wrong information at checkout. The information that populated was name, address and email address, but the information was not for the customer chacking out. Instead it was for an entirely different customer. The blog linked above tells of one Artfire users experience and Artfire and Artfire Artisans reactions to the breach.

Artfire has stated that no financial information was released, that the issue appears to be resolved, and that they will be contacting affected customers via email in the coming days. The rough estimate of affected customers sits at 100 at this time. Artfire may be contacted via email.

I am working on a follow up post regarding the situation, including other affected customers/shops, complaints filed with the FTC,  and further information regarding privacy, which I hope to have vetted and posted on Monday.

GlitterSniffer Cosmetics: Readying Packages and Releasing Customer Information

I apologize that I have been out of pocket. I have much to post and am going to condense it all into one post to streamline, outlining the happenings of the past week or so. I appreciate your understanding.

GlitterSniffer Cosmetics is working double time in order to gear up to open and begin sales.

Posted yesterday was a link to the new website as well as a Shop tab added to the Facebook Page.

On 7/22/11 GlitterSniffer Cosmetics posted a variety of pictures showing packages ready to be shipped out for those that requested store credit in lieu of a refund. There are no discernible ingredients labels in any of the photos. This is not to say they aren't being included elsewhere in the package to meet regulations, however. Once the packages begin going out will we know for certain.

What is troubling is that in at least one of these photos customer information, including name and address, is clearly visible for anyone to see. When conversing via email with Lela regarding FTC regulations on customer privacy during the exchange of refund information (for which I directed her to the FTC themselves) she stated in no uncertain terms she would be calling them to ensure she was meeting their guidelines. Though I don't claim to be an expert regarding FTC regulations it is doubtful that posting customers name and address on the internet meets those guidelines. (Picture has been edited to remove personally identifying information though I have the original intact).

Inadvertent though this may be it still constitutes an major issue for GS, namely that the focus on following all guidelines is not what it needs to be at this point.

Also this week on the GS Fan Page (which is *still* moderating comments) a post went up regarding Scentsy, with a link to purchase to help fund GS reopening. Lela stated she would not be receiving the funds but that supplies would be being purchased for GS, presumably with the profits the Scentsy seller is making from the purchases. Currently there is only one person who publicly announced a purchase, an (as of July 18, 2011) "associate" of GS who has been assisting in getting the company up and running.

It is not clear how being an "associate" of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics works, if it is a paid postion or not, but she was welcomed to the team, though currently there are only two employees publicly listed for GS besides Lela Warren, Brandy Cameron and Katherine Huhl-Herndon.

A new Private GS group was created ostensibly for the fans to post without being "harassed via messages". While there were instances in the past of others contacting fans via PM on Facebook in an effort to educate them on the past issues it should be noted that I have never done so myself. I was, however, contacted on July 18, 2011 on my own private Facebook profile via PM by a GS associate regarding matters related to GS, despite the email address for all things GlitterSniffer Cosmetics related being publicly available on the Complaints Facebook Page. I have yet to respond to the message but encourage the person to contact me via email to discuss the matter. I will again reiterate publicly that any owner, employees, affiliates, associates, or family members of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics or Lela Warren should contact me via that email address only.

 

 It has been my policy in the past not to post any information I received from the previous GS Private Group. The group as it was was run by fans for fans and although Lela was an Admin and a member it felt very invasive to me to post from that group. As it now stands the new Private Group was created by Lela herself and she is the sole Admin (even encouraging people to add her personal profile to be added to the group and despite her assertion she would not be running it). Therefore I have changed my stance on posting anything as it pertains to the Private Group as this is yet another extension of the GlitterSniffer Cosmetics business. Posting of information from the new GS Private Group is in line  with GS' new policy of openness with any information regarding their business practices.

And what of those business practices that brought GS to this point? As posted previously Lela has had issues separating business from personal, and actually lost her original Facebook account due to advertising (the second and third Facebook accounts are TOS violations). She admitted that keeping up with so many different forms of communication caused issues and repeatedly asked people not to contact her regarding GS on her personal profile (after telling them to add her to do so). Why then is Lela encouraging people to add or message her through her personal Facebook?

 

It also seems premature to be entertaining the idea of offering store credit/discounts as prizes, offering possible discounts to those inquiring about ordering, or sponsoring contests, especially when that cuts into the profit margin that is to be going to refunds, no matter how miniscule that cut may be.

As a quick update to the Refund information posted on July 11, 2011, I have not been contacted regarding the refund amount due nor with any information regarding the charities (TWLOHA, GLAAD, ASPCA) that Lela said she would be contacting to discuss the $3000.00 owed to them. Lela updated here stating she had contacted two of them, but there was no information given as to which they were or what the outcome was. She states that as soon as the third charity responds she will release that information. The note also states she provided FDA with her labels and ingredient information. She also states that FDA has been informed of the intent not to wear gloves while placing sifters in pots (or other tasks where this may "cause more harm than good"). GS is back to manufacturing again but has not, as yet, posted videos of this process as stated they would in this note. The refund form was posted to the GS Fan Page and a deadline of August 15, 2011 was enacted. When questioned Lela stated it will be GS policy not to accept returns or exchanges and she did not want new customers to be confused by the current refund process. It was also announced that refunds would be for $2.00 per jar, far less than the original amount offered. I have also been informed that 15% of the profits (minus shipping costs) will go towards refunds. 

While it is still my sincere hope that everyone affected by GlitterSniffer Cosmetics past business practices gets the refunds due to them the lingering issues do seem pervasive, especially the release of customer information, the amount being offered for refund (when customers provided proof of what they actually paid), and the dependance upon personally befriending Lela Warren for business purposes. This is in addition to the quality control concerns posted last week. One would hope that prior to proceeding these issues would have been recognized and a plan in place to prevent the same issues from recurring but sadly, it seems they have not.

7/3/11 ETA: Removed a piece of PII. I regret the oversight.

Personally Identifying Information/FTC- Q&A Followup

Here is a brief summary of the Q&A regarding the release of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics customer personally identifying information, including information on who accessed it, why it was compiled, and what exactly was accessed. Screenshots of selected responses, as well as documentation of the entire discussion will be added later today in an edit to this post, but I felt it was necessary to get this information published as soon as possible. Lela's responses in the link will show as deleted as she was removed from the page. There is one interesting response I will include now.

Beckie O. is a semiregular GlitterSniffer Cosmetics employee who began her association with the company by purchasing products last April. She accessed the GS email and compiled customer personally identifying information. She only viewed what was obtainable off purchase receipts, dated from September 15, 2010 onward. She was able to view names, addresses, email addresses, purchase totals, and any "notes to seller". She states she did not save any of the information and had been given access to the email account on at least one prior occasion. The list was compiled to be supplied to the FDA in the event of another recall. Customer information previous to September 15, 2010 was also compiled by an unknown person previously for the same purpose.

During the course of the Q&A Lela Warren joined the discussion. She confirmed that the information was provided to the FDA. The Admins of the page identify themselves only by their initials. Lela repeatedly called one of the Admins by her first name, despite being well versed in the page guidelines regarding personally identifying information. When questioned about this she responded by releasing the Admins full name. She was then asked to leave. She stated she was complying, but then continued to remain active in the discussion.

Though there was not very much of a consensus reached it did appear that Lela did agree with one commenter:

Personally Identifying Information/FTC- Q&A

Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 6 PM CST the GlitterSniffer Complaints Facebook page will host a Q&A with the fan who has come forward and stated she was the person who accessed GlitterSniffer Cosmetics business email, copied almost 2,000 customers personally identifying information, placed it in a document, and sent it to the company.

She will be taking questions about the situation and would like this chance to publicly identify herself so as to address any doubts about who accessed the information and what she did with it while it was in her possession. She is not an employee of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics, so she will not be able to answer many questions regarding the business.

The Q&A will be held here.

Personally Identifying Information/FTC Followup

I received an email today from a person regarding this post. To review, on February 4, 2011 GlitterSniffer Cosmetics asked to hire one of their fans via the Facebook Fan Page to access the company gmail account, gather almost 2,000 customer names and addresses, place it in a blank document and email it back to the company. The company then addressed concerns regarding the release of personally identifying information without consent by stating that it was a 4 year employee who actually did the task. Ironically, they declined to name the employee. They also provided no information as to the use of this information.

I was contacted today by the person who actually did access the information. They wish to remain anonymous. The person is not employed by GlitterSniffer Cosmetics but has done work like this in the past. They are unsure what the information would be used for, apart from it being for some type of mailing list. They assured me that they no longer have the information, did not save a copy of it, and only sent it to GlitterSniffer Cosmetics.

This information contradicts what GlitterSniffer Cosmetics states happened in this situation. Additionally, it should be noted that this appears to be a common practice with the company. Some GS Admins of the private GS Group stepped down yesterday and are no longer supporting the company. Here is what one of them had to say regarding the free sample offer recently posted by GlitterSniffer Cosmetics:

At my count there were at least 5 known Admins as of yesterday. These women are not employed by GlitterSniffer Cosmetics. They are simply supporters who also take (or took in some cases) a role in administrating a fan group.

I will be contacting the FTC Tuesday with this new information, as Monday is a holiday.

Personally Identifying Information/FTC

On Friday, February 4, 2011 GlitterSniffer Cosmetics posted to the Facebook Fan Page asking to hire someone for administrative duties. Those duties included accessing sensitive consumer information including names and addresses provided to GlitterSniffer Cosmetics by the consumer via Paypal and Artfire for the purposes of purchase only. The only qualifications were internet access, a few hours of time, and GlitterSniffer Cosmetics knowing the person "somewhat".

It is not clear what the purpose of this is, but I can confidently say that when I made my purchase with GlitterSniffer Cosmetics it was conducted in good faith with the understanding that my personally identifying information would be used for that purchase and that purchase alone. As I am no longer a customer of GS my information has no business being accessed by an unknown third party for an undisclosed reason.

I called the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-382-4357 and filed a complaint. The FTC has a Bureau of Consumer Protection that is tasked with helping consumers know their rights in terms of purchasing and their secure information. I spoke with a representative and provided my personal information, GlitterSniffer Cosmetics contact information, and a brief summary of the issue. I was given a confirmation number and the telephone number for my states Consumer Protection Office to file a complaint as well. I will be making that phone call as soon as I post this entry.

Information about the FTC and Consumer Privacy and Security can be found here. Complaints may also be filed online. 

2/7/11 ETA:
A concerned customer emailed GlitterSniffer Cosmetics and was told that the job had been given to an employee who had worked for the company for 4 years. GlitterSniffer Cosmetics declined to provide the name of the employee. There was also no information provided as to what purposes the information would be used.


According to the statement released by GlitterSniffer Cosmetics on December 23, 2010 the company had a new staff and a new Vice President. The information provided today in regards to the release of customers personally identifying information directly contradicts the statement the company released in December. While it is unknown at this time which of these statements are factual there is only one publicly identified employee of GlitterSniffer Cosmetics aside from Lela Warren:

2/20/2011 ETA: Please see the new information posted here. GlitterSniffer Cosmetics tasked a member of their fan page who is not an employee with retrieving customers personally identifying information.