[kbinkster]

I would like to start off by stating that this is not a personal attack. This is about business. This is about setting the record straight and telling the truth where businesses are concerned.

Recently, something was written by a very well-known figure in the lampworking industry that was utterly false and struck way too close to home for me to let it go. What I am referring to is Corina’s recently submitted review of various torches, particularly what she had to say about GTT.

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...?t=4906&page=2

Her statements concerning GTT are nothing short of fraudulent and are defamatory in nature. GTT will not stand by and let false accusations go unchallenged, and neither will I. Like I said, this is not a personal attack. Rather, it is a rebuttal of sorts, presented with the intention of bringing out the truth.

Corina describes her problem with the Lynx.

The major drawback for me was the fact that the Lynx does not like the kind of small flame I use to work with, so the torch "cloggs up" after a while. You see small glowing dots forming on the top of the torch, which I think is a carbon build-up, stemming from the fact that the propane does not get burned properly when the flame is too small. Talked about this with Willie, and he basically told me to turn the flame up - the center flame (the cones) should be at least 1/2 inch long.

Willy routinely advises people on candle lengths. There are perhaps a half dozen posts on the glass forums where I, with Willy’s help, describe the candle lengths needed to run a Lynx. I have listened to Willy describe candle lengths to people both over the telephone and in person. He is quite consistent with his advice. I have never heard him advise people that they should run their candles at least ½ inch in length. He tells people that the shorter the candles they want to run, the more blue tipped they need to be. He says that a good length is about ¼ inch, “about the diameter of a Morretti rod.” O.K., so what Willy routinely says does not match what Corina says he told her. That in and of itself may not seem like such a big deal… but it goes on.

Corina continues to discuss her problems with GTT’s torches and describes her problem with GTT’s customer service.

So, I kept running it on a small flame, with the result that my jets got dirty and I had to send the torch in for cleaning. Willie and Wallie are great guys, but they are not the most organized, so, in order to have a "back-up" torch while they were cleaning my Lynx, I bought a Bobcat...so, now one of my torches is always at service at GTT - the Bobcat is still out of my hands, I think Willie and Wallie have forgotten to send it back, which I JUST realized. Better give them a call.

Over all the years Corina has run GTT torches, she has sent her Lynx in once (10/01/2002) and her Bobcat in once (06/16/2004). Willy and Wally have the shipping records for every torch that has ever been sent in – since 1997 (and Corina says they are disorganized?). This is certainly contrary to her statement that one of her torches is always in for service at GTT.

Further, Corina claims that GTT has her Bobcat and has forgotten to send it back to her. This is completely untrue. As of today’s date, September 28, 2005, there is no Bobcat of Corina’s at GTT. Corina, you had better find a tracking number for that torch. You’re going to need it – for more than just tracking that torch. While you’re at it, you might as well dig up all the shipping records for all the times you allegedly had to send a torch back to GTT. The guys are still waiting for that call she said she would be making.

Well, this wouldn’t be the first time Corina has been caught in a lie. After accusing Cindy Jenkins of pirating her rainbow bead photographs for a tutorial in Beads of Glass, she posts an email from Cindy reminding her that she sent in a six page submittal for the tutorial (including photographs) three years ago. You know, there are laws against a business telling lies about another business. If all Cindy Jenkins chooses to do is gently remind Corina that she did submit the material, she is being far too kind. Other companies may press the issue further.

By saying that Willy and Wally are not organized and that she had to buy a back-up torch for when her Lynx was out-of-service, she is implying that (1) her Lynx was out of commission for a great deal of the time, and (2) it takes forever to get a torch back once it’s sent in for a cleaning. She even goes as far as to say that they have one of her torches right now and probably forgot about it, which is an out and out lie. She is defaming GTT by making false claims regarding the quality of their torches and the quality of their customer service. When a company (including its representatives) defames another company, it is serious business.

I have a simple question. If Corina has so many torches at her studio, and GTTs have “issues,” then why would she buy another GTT for a back-up? Perhaps it wasn’t bought for the reason she claims, after all.

Isn’t it funny that certain people/companies do not have “issues” with other people or things until they don’t get their way about something? Certain people/companies never had “issues” with GTT until they were denied a distributorship and started selling other torch brands. Hey, I understand that you have to sell what you have to sell. But come on, it’s so transparent. You should let the product you sell stand on its own merits rather than tear down the competition (in this case, GTT).

Corina now has an established pattern of how she treats people when she does not get her way. Look at Kim Neely and Paul Stankard, for example. There were no accusations of Kim copying Corina before Kim refused to contribute tutorials for the “Spotlight.” Now, Kim’s name is mud. Poor Paul Stankard, a highly respected man who has selflessly contributed so much to the lampworking industry, is attacked when he politely declines Corina’s invitation to participate in another of her ventures, the “Flame Guide.” So, I guess now it’s GTTs turn.

The motive behind Corina’s attack on GTT is very clear. Just read what she writes.

I get wholesale price from Carlisle and can offer these to people who are interested at a great price (less than the standard retail price of $ 189,…

Yes, Corina asked to be a distributor for GTT and was denied. She never had any “issues” before she was politely denied distributorship. And think about it… why would she even want to sell them if they didn’t work for her?

Yes, Corina now sells the Mini CC, Carlisle’s torch that, according to their sales rep at the Gathering in Portland, would sew up the bead market for them. This is now her torch of choice and GTTs are nothing but trouble.

Follow the money. I’m sure the situation would be different if GTT had agreed to take her on as a distributor. Like I said earlier, you have to sell what you have to sell.

If this was simply a case of one bead maker giving advice to another, that would be one thing. BUT, Corina is in business (including, it would seem, the business of selling torches). Heck, she IS a business, or at the very least a representative of the business she runs. And, businesses fall under different rules than individuals. She is a teacher and an author of instructional material, as well. She has a lot of influence over new bead makers (as well as some who have been around for quite a while). The things that she says are often taken as fact, and go unquestioned by these new bead makers. So, this is why I felt that I needed to come in and set the record straight.

It’s a shame that it had to come down to this. No one wants to hurt Corina or her business. But, it wouldn’t be right to let her lies stand as fact. I’m sure a public apology and retraction would go a long way. GTT is waiting to see Corina’s response before deciding what course of action to take.