Lauscha Color or General Questions Thread

[misfit]

I too took the creation of this thread as a sign that all the more readily answered questions at least should be directed here. This occured just after I dropped out of the club temperarily for reasons I have really not disclosed.
I am not however surprised to see the rest of Marcies response. I recently discovered Lauscha lady and have to say that for the most part I've found getting lauscha here in the states has been somewhat difficult other than clear. I'd certainly much prefer to see Firelady imports develop a regular retail website for all the available lauscha colors than spend time wading through a forum. It however sounds like that is far in the future if ever.

[firelady]

Hi Misfit!

Actually, a regular retail website is not that far in the future. I've been discussing it with my web designer since March, and have just not had time since this club took off to do my homework; submitting the photos, etc. But a site with shopping cart for the regular Lauscha colors, my videos and torches, has been mapped out for months now, (when I took down my old site "temporarily" to update it). So thanks for the reminder.

Speaking of the Lauscha Lady -who you just discovered-..., I've always been told (by my good friend Jean at Nortel...) what a sweetheart she was... I confess, also, that I covet the name!!!... Since I am and always have been "firelady" in my businesses, "Lauscha Lady" would have been perfect! But....she thought of it first, (and a very good name it is!.....)

Anyway, all kidding aside, in my goal of educating artists, members, and end users about the tiered pricing practices of glass distributors, I thoughtlessly described possible pricing strategies using the Lauscha Lady as an example (since it was comparisons between her pricing & mine that led to the discussion in the first place....) In my mind I was attempting to give a lesson about competition, economic practices & tactics... but I inadvertantly may have hurt her business or reputation in the process, which was never my intention. So I apologize for that....

In the future, I'll use obviously fanciful and fictitious names when giving my little distribution lectures and sermons, with no relation to people living or dead.

Except maybe Mikey Frantz. He probably wouldn’t mind....He and I can sit and spout numbers and strategies for pricing until we’re unconscious, and truly have, during one show in Orlando when we both had a stomach virus, and were actually laying on the floor half dead after midnight, but still going strong discussing discounts, policies, markups and the like. As a matter of fact, if you ever want to know anything about glass supplies and pricing, give him a call.....tell him I sent you.

[Reenie]

Thank You Marcie for visiting the thread. There were many questions that I could not answer and I know it's frustrating on both ends. I would also love to see a website with all Lauscha colors!!!
Actually, if I knew how...I'd open a shop with every single glass maker and all the glass in the world on one website...including..tools, videos, books...A one stop lampworkers shop!
Oh what a wonderful world that would be
Irene

[Reenie]

PS...thanks everyone for all your kind words and support. I'm not sure what good I've been or if I've helped anyone really but just your comments made me smile
Irene

[SuzyQ]

So what IS the third color and when do we see it?!

[Renee]

This is my response to Marcie's email, which was just sent to her. If she wishes to respond here, that would be great.

Dear Marcie,

Thank you for your response.

As for unanswered questions, yes, there are some, and comments which I respectfully would like addressed as well. If I may, let me be direct.

1. What is the purpose of Irene’s thread if not to make communication easier for you and information available to us?

2. Does our payment of $41.05 a month not cover all expenses you listed, and if not, how much more would it take to do so? I am not asking you to breakdown exactly what the $41.05 covers, but I was shocked to read that this has been a huge financial loss to you which will take 1 ½ -2 years from which to recover.

3. When does the “exclusivity clock” start ticking, according to Lauscha?

4. Were colors 3-5 shipped simultaneously?

5. Concerning shipping the glass, some of us have paid for glass and shipping for the year in advance, myself being one. It took 20 days for my Blutonium to be shipped. Aren’t shipments that have been paid in advance mailed out somewhere near the beginning of the distribution? I simply would like to know what to expect.

6. You stated that you’ve “…found ways to protect our exclusivity more effectively,” but don’t mention how. Is it the smaller productions runs you mentioned along with shipping only one color at a time?

7. Will we be advised of colors for which the “Club” has purchased the entire production run?

8. When is color 3 going to be shipped?

Comments:

9. As I mentioned in my first post, I believe most thought of this venture as a “Club” not a business venture, and as such most of us were tolerant, patient, and understanding. After all, it’s a “Club”. Later, it is described as not a “Club”, but a business. My opinion of how one runs a business versus running a “Club” are vastly different, and chief among those differences is responsibility. Please, don’t get your hackles raised, Marcie. I am not saying you are irresponsible. What I am saying is that you made representations to the members of the “Club” which are not being met. Responsibility goes far beyond how often, with whom, and by what manner you decide to communicate. For example:

a. While the issue of the length of exclusivity was very important to some, it wasn’t to others, and I’m not going to beat a horse that’s already dead and buried. But we still don’t know in spite of that question having been directly asked.

b. You indicated that we would receive glass once a month. While that isn’t happening, we aren’t advised of any delay, let alone a reason for that delay.

c. We were told that invoices would go out around December 15th, following your two-week trip to Lauscha. That didn’t happen until December 27th. Again, no notification or reason was given.

d. On or before January 3rd, a couple of pounds of color 3 were sent to two people along with the Blutonium they had not received. That’s very nice for them. To the best of our knowledge, and according to my empty mailbox(snail-mail or otherwise), color 3 still has not been shipped. With the past colors, glass was shipped upon receipt of payment. By appearances, the delay was due to the “business” being put on hold while you entertained guests from Lauscha. I don’t mean to imply that you should ignore your guests, but I do believe the “business” was ignored. If it wasn’t, clearly it was not a priority. I would rather be advised of something rather than be advised of nothing, yet expecting something.

These are standards which were set by you, not us, and as stated before, with this “business” you have a responsibility to meet the standard you set, and we, the “Club” members have an expectation that these standards be met, or if they are not going to be met, then to at least be advised of such. Perhaps, the stated standards should be modified or restated so they better align with your life, and our expectations will be similarly aligned. For example, if you’re busy entertaining guests from Lauscha and things are going to be delayed, then simply say so. We are an understanding group.

10. You said, ”This Club is to benefit YOU and your work and your pallete.” Later, you said, “… I am trying to help the people of Lauscha and keep the factory open. It is the overseas market....North America, that is supporting this factory and Lauscha's glass tradition.”

Initially, we were told this “Club” was for our (members) benefit. How terrific. Then, in my opinion, the real reason for the “Club” is revealed. Do not misunderstand. I have no opposition to helping Lauscha – the town, its people, the factory. Your desire to help them is admirable, and I believe you have a vested interest in wanting to see them thrive. If I had read that the purpose was to assist the Lauschans, etc. while at the same time we, too, can derive a benefit, I dare say that there would have been even more members. I have seen that this community is very generous and willing to help where possible. But, I do have a real problem when there is such a serious deviation from the initially stated purpose of this “Club” to what was later revealed as the true purpose.

11. In your response, you stated the formation of Firelady Glass Imports was to assist two members who could pay only by check. While, in my opinion, this is a lot of work and expense for the sake to two people, clearly one does what one needs to do. However, you then say, “Then after that you'll be able to buy them from me at Firelady Glass Imports (a business that was formed for You Guys based on your requests for glass!!!”

Whether it is you or anyone else, whether it regards a business or anything else, I truly have a problem being told two entirely different scenarios for a given situation. I can not speak for why there is such a disparity, but there should consistency in information. I don’t believe it would necessarily be constructive for me to express my interpretation of these, but suffice it to say it doesn’t set well.

I am simply requesting that information be shared, that standards set are met, and that there be consistency. Unfortunately, I don’t believe this request would have been interpreted without such specifics. This is not, I repeat, not a personal attack on you, and I do not want it to be taken that way. From the beginning, I stated that these are frustrations borne from the “Club”, you business.

Marcie, I truly do want this “Club” to succeed, as well as whatever business ventures into which you enter. Additionally, I at this time, I have every intention of remaining in the club, and I do look forward to doing business with you in the future (if you’ll let me!). I happen to believe that you are a wonderful person with a good heart, good intentions, and wonderful ideas. I applaud you for that, and hope you have nothing but success!



Sincerely,

Renée

[Lizabeads]

Originally Posted by Lizabeads

I haven't gotten my invoice yet either... not that I need another bill but ya know !!

Got it this weekend and paid it.... now trying so hard to be patient and wait for it's arrival. hehehe Can you give us a hint of how and when it is being sent out?

[bead crazy]

I still have not recieved a invoice
Lori

[nagibeads]

me either.........neither?

[Renee]

If you really want to be grammatically correct, you'd say - neither did I. "Either" is one of two; and "neither" is not either. Probably TMI ...

[nagibeads]

Neither did I.......

[Jude Rose]

Originally Posted by Renee

10. You said, ”This Club is to benefit YOU and your work and your pallete.” Later, you said, “… I am trying to help the people of Lauscha and keep the factory open. It is the overseas market....North America, that is supporting this factory and Lauscha's glass tradition.”

Initially, we were told this “Club” was for our (members) benefit. How terrific. Then, in my opinion, the real reason for the “Club” is revealed. Do not misunderstand. I have no opposition to helping Lauscha – the town, its people, the factory. Your desire to help them is admirable, and I believe you have a vested interest in wanting to see them thrive. If I had read that the purpose was to assist the Lauschans, etc. while at the same time we, too, can derive a benefit, I dare say that there would have been even more members. I have seen that this community is very generous and willing to help where possible. But, I do have a real problem when there is such a serious deviation from the initially stated purpose of this “Club” to what was later revealed as the true purpose.

That indent command is cool.

I just want to say I distinctly remember the point being made that this endeavor had been started to keep the Laushca glass company alive and well. It was framed as a win/win. Lauscha gets more customers; we get a relatively exclusive glass.

As for starting a business to take checks, well, I belong to a credit union. It cost me $15.00 for my state's seller's permit and my biz account is free as long as I keep $500.00 in it.
Being able to take checks?-Priceless.

I went through the hassle of being able to take American Express just for 2-3 customers a year. Just putting things into perspective, that's all. There are some very specific issues that are of concern and we should just focus on that instead of flaring up about anything at all.
I just get a chuckle because us fire people really get hotheaded. It seems like any attempt to try something new in the glass world will always go up in flames. But that's o.k. I like fire people more than any other kind.

[Renee]

Hi Jude! Wow, it costs me $75 for a business license! Hmmm... I do agree with you about the people!! No question about that! Thanks also for setting me straight on the purpose. I stand corrected! Yea, the indent was great! I was previewing my post and it was, well, confusing. Then I saw the indent icon and it made it much easier to read. In fact, I'm going to do some formatting with Marcie's response to me to make it easier to follow, too. Here's her response:

Hi!

Well, let's go over this bit by bit! You're like me....another long email queen!
So I'll do what I can, in chunks, in order to give you the answers you request,
and then some...

If you don't mind, I'd like to put my responses directly under your inquiries, so that it's
more clear for us both.....

[/i]
On Jan 7, 2007, at 12:42 PM, Renee Sutton wrote:

Dear Marcie,

Thank you for your response.

As for unanswered questions, yes, there are some, and comments which I respectfully would like addressed as well. If I may, let me be direct.

What is the purpose of Irene’s thread if not to make communication easier for you and information available to us?

That IS the purpose of her thread....

Does our payment of $41.05 a month not cover all expenses you listed, and if not, how much more would it take to do so? I am not asking you to breakdown exactly what the $41.05 covers, but I was shocked to read that this has been a huge financial loss to you which will take 1 ½ -2 years from which to recover.

It is not specifically the monthly cost that is insufficient, it is the hidden costs and the timing of it all. So let me first state that the lateness of the first shipment was what was disastrous for us.... this, specifically, incurred the losses that will take so long to recuperate from.

We had been assured over and over again that the first glass would be here on or before May 1st. We gave up Rolf's decent, steady
income, expecting one color a month from that date on. By the time the first glass arrived in Miami at the end of September, we were already drowning due to the delay. The member's, however, had stood patiently by us. When this loyalty reversed as we shipped our first color, we were stunned. Also, the postal service misplaced close to 50 boxes which we replaced out of our pockets. The shipping alone for the replacements was over $300, not to mention the cost of the glass. And so, the rocky beginning is what will take quite awhile to recuperate from.

Also, we bought as much glass as we could so that members could reorder during the exclusivity period. We now have an extra 100 pounds of Supernova, and about the same for Blutonium. And of course, we've had to pay for that glass. Then, the glass went up for sale in the marketplace way sooner than we had anticipated. In addition, we had about a dozen special orders for members shipped to us with the Supernova. Lauscha mistakenly sent Kilos instead of pounds. That means we had to pay for more than double the glass we ordered, while the members only purchased their agreed upon amount. (1 kilo = 2.2 pounds) Then, when the post office lost so many boxes, we began to pay for Delivery Confirmation. It cut the losses, but added an extra fifty cents per box, which, again, we took from our own pockets. (Now when we ship using a Paypal label, delivery confirmation is free.)

But monthly subscribers do not qualify for Paypal label shipping, so on those members we continue to eat the extra shipping. However, it's cut down on missing glass so effectively that it's worth the expense. The cost for the bubble wrap, peanuts, CD's, labels and ink also equal hundreds in unanticipated costs.

And these are just the actual expenses. The fact that the club has taken so much of our time, keeping us from revenue producing pursuits, is another story that we won't go into here....

I would not increase the price of the shipping or the club. I don't think it's fair to members.

When does the “exclusivity clock” start ticking, according to Lauscha?

Frankly, I am not sure. I have discussed it with them several times, as we discussed the need for increased exclusivity. While they increased the length of our exclusivity
and agreed to run smaller batches of glass so that there was not much left over for others to sell, they did not specifically say when the clock starts to tick.

Were colors 3-5 shipped simultaneously?

No. Rolf & I hand carried home as much of #3 from Europe as we could. (100 pounds) The rest will be in America in a few weeks. Since it takes club members up to 6 weeks to pay their invoices, the shipping "season" for each color is about that long.....Therefore, the early birds get what we carried home, and then the balance
will go out when the shipment arrives.

I did not have them ship 4 and 5. For two reasons. First, because if they feel like exclusivity is from the date of shipping, than it is dangerous to send more than one color at a time. We don't want the exclusivity on #5 to expire just as the glass is shipping!!! So for right now we'll do a color at a time, UNLESS we are buying the whole batch, and then it's fine, because there would be nothing left to sell to other distributors. Keep in mind, that the cost per color for small shipments jumps to $4 for shipping per pound, instead of less than a dollar for larger shipments of multiple colors....

Concerning shipping the glass, some of us have paid for glass and shipping for the year in advance, myself being one. It took 20 days for my Blutonium to be shipped. Aren’t shipments that have been paid in advance mailed out somewhere near the beginning of the distribution?

Yes. Subscribers & Prepaid members go out first. Sorry your Blutonium was delayed.

I simply would like to know what to expect.
You stated that you’ve “…found ways to protect our exclusivity more effectively,” but don’t mention how. Is it the smaller productions runs you mentioned along with shipping only one color at a time?

Yes. These are the actions I'm taking now.

Will we be advised of colors for which the “Club” has purchased the entire production run?

I don't see any problem with that.

When is color 3 going to be shipped?

We began shipping on Friday.

Comments:
As I mentioned in my first post, I believe most thought of this venture as a “Club” not a business venture, and as such most of us were tolerant, patient, and understanding. After all, it’s a “Club”. Later, it is described as not a “Club”, but a business.

I can understand your different expectations. Let me say that this began as just a "club". I expected maybe a few dozen people to join. It was just another one of my ideas to help the people and economy of Lauscha. It sounded like fun to me! But soon there were several hundred people, and with that, their money. Once you start handling money for hundreds of people (with their different names, email addresses and paypal accounts, none of which match up.....!) it ceases to be "fun" and definitely develops a business feel about it....even if it doesn't make a profit! This grew fast, strong, faltered here and there, tightened up, and continues. The "club" feel changed for me when the forum invited me to please operate this as a business and if so, get it off the forum. And so that is what I did. With it came a decided shift in support, making me wonder why I was spending all my time going broke with a project that was now very frequently hostile, not the least bit of fun, with me in the middle of the members and the manufacturer, neither of whom I had control over, but seemed to be endlessly responsible for.....

My opinion of how one runs a business versus running a “Club” are vastly different, and chief among those differences is responsibility. Please, don’t get your hackles raised, Marcie.

Where are my hackles located? Are they near the spine, or perhaps the pancreas? I hope they're near the spine, like the kind of spikey things on the back of a brontasaurus....I feel like they must be there.....

I am not saying you are irresponsible. What I am saying is that you made representations to the members of the “Club” which are not being met. Responsibility goes far beyond how often, with whom, and by what manner you decide to communicate. For example: While the issue of the length of exclusivity was very important to some, it wasn’t to others, and I’m not going to beat a horse that’s already dead and buried. But we still don’t know in spite of that question having been directly asked.

As stated above, Lauscha has not quite answered that question....

You indicated that we would receive glass once a month. While that isn’t happening, we aren’t advised of any delay, let alone a reason for that delay.

The reasons for delays are varied. I have rejected several colors. The pink turned a dull red. One color is too close to Supernova. A reactive neutral I saw in December should not go out when some members have requested more "what you see is what you get" colors. Sometimes the glass sits in Hamburg for a week because of new, stringent security guidelines, where they go through containers one by one.

We were told that invoices would go out around December 15th, following your two-week trip to Lauscha. That didn’t happen until December 27th. Again, no notification or reason was given.

I was concerned that since the balance of Color #3 has not yet arrived, I didn't want to have too long a period between the beginning and end of this shipment. So if I invoiced at the originally anticipated time, then, like you, members might say, "hey, I paid, why 20 days till you shipped?" So I waited a little extra time in order to shorten the time between invoicing and shipping. Also, I saw that many members never paid for Blutonium, and individually notified dozens of people in order to ascertain their membership status, as opposed to just sending blanket invoices to folks who may not be current members. All of this took extra time.
I don't feel that I need to account for minor changes like this to the membership. These are daily scheduling decisions....in my mind it would only annoy the hell out of them to send emails about this kind of thing. Do you think differently about it?

On or before January 3rd, a couple of pounds of color 3 were sent to two people along with the Blutonium they had not received. That’s very nice for them. To the best of our knowledge, and according to my empty mailbox(snail-mail or otherwise), color 3 still has not been shipped.

The first pounds of #3 went out on Friday. Except for less than 5 pounds that went to members needing replacement Blutonium the week previous.

With the past colors, glass was shipped upon receipt of payment.

When? The first payment was in June, and Supernova didn't go out till September/October. Blutonium was shipped with Supernova, so it was in stock, therefore the glass was boxed in advance and went out when payment was received, give or take a couple of weeks.....We shifted to Paypal labels for as much of the Blutonium shipping as possible, as it included the delivery confirmation with the postage, and was much easier to track, but much much slower to process. Again, worth it due to increased efficiency of the record keeping. But it still took weeks!

By appearances, the delay was due to the “business” being put on hold while you entertained guests from Lauscha.

We prepared boxes during that week, but had not completed the "clean sweep" of the membership roster, because many of the members we had contacted regarding their status were out of town and had not yet responded. However, I really don't feel a need to have to defend myself for having a holiday week. It wasn't too relaxing anyway- I was working on the roster, feeding my family, 2 German teenagers, and 4 Columbian kids, and my father was sick. I'd rather be shipping....

I don’t mean to imply that you should ignore your guests, but I do believe the “business” was ignored. If it wasn’t, clearly it was not a priority. I would rather be advised of something rather than be advised of nothing, yet expecting something.

These are standards which were set by you, not us, and as stated before, with this “business” you have a responsibility to meet the standard you set, and we, the “Club” members have an expectation that these standards be met, or if they are not going to be met, then to at least be advised of such. Perhaps, the stated standards should be modified or restated so they better align with your life, and our expectations will be similarly aligned. For example, if you’re busy entertaining guests from Lauscha and things are going to be delayed, then simply say so. We are an understanding group.

You said, ”This Club is to benefit YOU and your work and your pallete.” Later, you said, “… I am trying to help the people of Lauscha and keep the factory open. It is the overseas market....North America, that is supporting this factory and Lauscha's glass tradition.”

Initially, we were told this “Club” was for our (members) benefit. How terrific. Then, in my opinion, the real reason for the “Club” is revealed. Do not misunderstand. I have no opposition to helping Lauscha – the town, its people, the factory. Your desire to help them is admirable, and I believe you have a vested interest in wanting to see them thrive. If I had read that the purpose was to assist the Lauschans, etc. while at the same time we, too, can derive a benefit, I dare say that there would have been even more members. I have seen that this community is very generous and willing to help where possible. But, I do have a real problem when there is such a serious deviation from the initially stated purpose of this “Club” to what was later revealed as the true purpose.

I have donated my time to the "Lauschan Cause' for probably 3 years now. I'm producing videos for artists there free of charge. I ran a tour there in 2004 that, once again, cost me money. I've brought teachers over to America to teach, written articles for magazines, and badgered distributors to carry their glass. So helping them stay alive in today's marketplace has taken over my life on endless levels. I believe that if you wanted to go back to the original thread, way at the beginning, you'll see what my Mission Statement was. Some people with social consciousness wept...although it was not my intention!!! But it was always about helping post-Communist Lauscha successfully survive, both culturally and economically. And this club was what I thought was a win/win scenario, getting the glass to flameworkers, doing something unusual and cool, encouraging the factory to make new colors....a generally feel good thing. If it fed me in the process i wouldn't object, but we've got a ways to go in that department!!!

In your response, you stated the formation of Firelady Glass Imports was to assist two members who could pay only by check. While, in my opinion, this is a lot of work and expense for the sake to two people, clearly one does what one needs to do. However, you then say, “Then after that you'll be able to buy them from me at Firelady Glass Imports (a business that was formed for You Guys based on your requests for glass!!!”

Sigh. Please don't feel like there's a bunch of double-talk, with hidden agendas and the like. It began almost like a group buy. It got big. We needed a place to deposit checks. People started asking about other colors, "can you get me this, please, please, please?" This thing developed it's own life, and right away. I did my best to grow with it, help it go in the direction it seemed to want to head in, and keep pace with the demands of the madding crowd. And so when you see capitalism riding on the back of social consciousness, it's not a ploy, it's just trying to get this thing to sustain itself, meet the requests of the populace, etc. It's not that they are different scenarios...they are all aspects of the same sceario....the art, the culture, the business. It's all one...at least in my mind it is.

Whether it is you or anyone else, whether it regards a business or anything else, I truly have a problem being told two entirely different scenarios for a given situation. I can not speak for why there is such a disparity, but there should consistency in information. I don’t believe it would necessarily be constructive for me to express my interpretation of these, but suffice it to say it doesn’t set well.

See above. It's all one.

I am simply requesting that information be shared, that standards set are met, and that there be consistency. Unfortunately, I don’t believe this request would have been interpreted without such specifics. This is not, I repeat, not a personal attack on you, and I do not want it to be taken that way. From the beginning, I stated that these are frustrations borne from the “Club”, you business. Marcie, I truly do want this “Club” to succeed, as well as whatever business ventures into which you enter. Additionally, I at this time, I have every intention of remaining in the club, and I do look forward to doing business with you in the future (if you’ll let me!).

(I don't know whether to laugh or cry!)

I happen to believe that you are a wonderful person with a good heart, good intentions, and wonderful ideas. I applaud you for that, and hope you have nothing but success!

Well, I try. And if you applaud, I'll clumsily curtsey and blush. I wish us All success, prosperity, and good glass.

Have a good evening.

Marcie

Sincerely,

Renée

And my final response (okay, it's not the final, but it is regarding this topic, and it's been edited due to exceeding the character length for a post)

Dear Marcie,

LOL! I loved your response to the hackles! I’m so glad you’ve not lost your sense of humor. Hackles are the hairs on the back of your neck, and primarily are in reference to dogs (when the hair stands up on their neck/shoulders when angered). And, no, no, no, no, no, there is no reference or comparison to you and a dog!! LOL!

Thanks so much for responding. To say your responses were enlightening is a vast understatement! Your devotion and desire to assist the Lauschans is quite commendable.

I was also surprised that you & Rolf carried back the first 100#’s of color 3! Near the beginning of November, I recall colors 3-5 were ready to be shipped, and it’s a natural conclusion to believe that occurred. And, in a nutshell, this is an example of what I was talking about. We have few clues what goes on behind the scenes. The overwhelming majority of us have no idea of the obstacles you’ve encountered. As for me, I love information. I believe the members would like to know more about the club and what’s happening to the extent that you want and have time to share.

All in all, thank you, Marcie for taking the time to address these issues. I said I’d let the LE’ers know of your response, which I will. Also, I offered before, and I’ll repeat my offer: if there is anything that I can do to help you and Rolf, please let me know. I do appreciate everything you and Rolf have done, and sacrificed. You’re a remarkable woman, Marcie!

All the best,

Renée

That's all folks! I hoped this helps. Marcie & Rolf really are busting their respective butts to give us what we want. It's neither simple nor easy. I have new insight and appreciation as to what they're up against!

[kandice]

Thanks for that, Renee.

I think my main issue is that Marcie should have had something in writing with Lauscha *before* anyone gave up their job. I would never quit my job with just Lauscha's word on what they were going to deliver. It sounds like Lauscha has been really hard to work with. If Lauscha made those kind of costly mistakes (shipping kilos, etc.), it should be up to them to fix the mistakes, not Marcie. But it's hard to enforce that without some kind of written contract.

Also, why were certain costs, such as shipping supplies, unanticipated at all? When you do business that includes shipping products, those costs should be figured in to your budget and then passed on to the customer. I really don't understand this at all.

Basically, I stand by my previous opinion in that this should have been handled as a business from the very beginning, and that everything between Lauscha and Marcie should be in writing. **Especially** the exclusivity deal. There should never have been a grey area on that - that was the one thing that made this Club stand out - the major incentive for joining.

I feel for Marcie in that this seems to have spiraled out of control and made her life really hard. I understand that. But it really could have been prevented. I don't think it's too late to have a contract written up and to enforce what the members of the club expect.

But that's my opinion, and since I have pretty much dropped out of the club, I suppose it's an opinion that doesn't matter all that much.

[Renee]

Kandice, you're welcome! I think you opinion counts, and I'll bet Marcie does, too. I think the shipping supplies she is referring to are for the 50 lbs of glass that the USPS gobbled up, and they had to replace it. Yea, I can't disagree with you on the contract thing, on the one hand, but on the other, she indicated to me that she didn't have any idea that this was going to be as huge as it turned out to be. One thing I've learned from all this is that it's so easy to be the "arm-chair quarterback". I think if I were told at this point to get into the game, I'd probably get sacked! (How's that for a football analogy?) Anyway, I think Marcie's doing everything she can (and Rolf, too) to get this monster tamed. I still support her and the club whole-heartedly.

[Jude Rose]

This thread has been a big eye-opener for me. Renee, posting this e-mail answered so many questions. Thank you for doing so.

The biggest problem I've seen from the beginning has been mostly on Laushca. They don't have a marketing savvy bone in their body. Can you imagine how happy we would have all been if they would've made their first color the ever hard to find dark 70% cocoa brown we wish we had in a 104 ish COE? I would've bought an extra pound of THAT.

I totally agree about contracts and holding Laushca to a standard. But I think they're not that kind of folk. They're just regular, non-business focused people. Marcie has her hands full, for sure.

If you're reading this Marcie, well done on the rejecting certain colors. That's really what's at the base of all this. Hopefully the new opaques are something else. And the CD's seem to be so above and beyond. Hopefully they will be unnecessary with normal acting opaques.

[nagibeads]

Thanks for all the info and all your efforts Renee!
I applaud Marcie for being picky about the colors and working so hard for the Club!

I am still wondering about the distribution schedule since I also have prepaid a year in advance for the glass and have not yet gotten a shipping invoice for #3.

Maybe I am being impatient, but I didn't get one for Blutonium either.....My first email asking when I should send in shipping went unanswered. I only found out Blutonium had shipped already by reading peoples' posts on LE......when I emailed again, Marcie did answer quickly and I paypaled and got my glass quick(YAY!).
I have hesitated to send in prepayment for shipping...for those who prepaid --does it make a difference?
thanks!

[Renee]

I'm happy that there's been so much information shared and questions answered. Marcie's working on a plan to improve communication so that we'll be more informed, and at the same time (hopefully) reduce the number of emails that inundate her inbox.

nagi, I prepaid all my shipping as well as the glass. While there was a bit of a hiccup with my Blutonium, prepaid orders are shipped without having to wait for any invoicing.

I'm in the process of writing an email to Marcie, and I'll let her know of everyone's responses if she's not had the chance to check back here. I'm sure she'll appreciate your positive comments.

[nagibeads]

thanks so much Renee!

[PaulaD]

I've watched this unfold on and off and haven't paid huge attention to it but I do have some observations as one who is a business person in real life:

I think that Marcie had a great idea but didn't think it out clearly before starting the business. If she had written a business plan first she may have had fewer surprises.
I wonder how she could possible be loosing money on the transaction based on the sheer dollar volume coming in monthly? Did she borrow to buy the glass? Just from reading the posts her volume sounds as high as other dealers so why isn't she getting the same discounts? Or is she? Did she really think a start up would go smoothly and not have any shipping glitches at all? If she lost and is loosing so much money why doesn't she just end the club?
The club/business was built on this forum from LE members. Since she built it here I believe she should continue to post here.
I also take exception to blaming Lauscha for the mistakes. None of us knows what really transpired but it's pretty common knowledge that all of the European Glass houses ship in Kilograms. Marcie should have known that especially after two trips there. Lauscha has been manufacturing glass a very long time. They are anything but "regular, non-focused business people."I believe that Lauscha was doing fine without the "Color of the Month Club" and to imply in any way that the club is "saving" the people of Lauscha is wrong. I am at a loss though as to why Lauscha would choose someone with no glass importing experience to bring in these colors when they already had a fine distributorship built up in North America. I also think the reaction to other dealers selling the glass was uncalled for. Competition in the marketplace is healthy. Some people buy based on price and some buy based on service (or both) which it appears the other dealers have been able to deliver.

I'm not in the club and and do buy Lauscha (and love it!!) but sitting here at work reading this stuff I do have to wonder...

Paula

[ptbeads]

Originally Posted by PaulaD

The club/business was built on this forum from LE members. Since she built it here I believe she should continue to post here.

I think I can answer this one for you. I don't know if you read the original COTM thread, but towards the end, it was strongly suggested that if this was a business, she needed to not use LE to update people. The thread was closed shortly after that.


The following is a commentary on some posts I've read and is not in any way directed at one person.
As someone who has been told before, "If I ran my business the way you do, I wouldn't have one," I can tell you that it's hard to take, especially when you are doing your best. Things happen that are out of your control and all you can do is regroup and try to fix it for the next time. It's almost impossible to not take comments personally when they are about something that you put so much of your time and yourself into.
So far, I've been happy with the club. I was one of those delinquent people who forgot to pay for the second color. Marcie was very nice when I emailed her and asked if I could still participate. I was on the ball for color #3 though!

[PaulaD]

Aaaah. I understand. My observations were very personal and based on years on studying business balance sheets and how companies operate, etc (which believe me is a very boring day job.) Everyone has to run their business as they see fit, however, if the cash flow is negative the business will not stay around very long! I do wish the Club and Lauscha well!

Paula

[carolanne]

Originally Posted by Fireflyartglass

If laucha lady is selling hers at $22.50 AND STILL making a good profit then Marcie must be making QUITE a tidy sum off of this...WHICH is of course quite fair because of all the work involved but that is quite a lot of money if you think about it....I didn't join because of lauschas compatibility problems. i think they should be doing more to make sure that they are bringing out cool colours like a dark pink or something because and the moment they would be making money and everyone feels like they are being ripped off.

Everyone distributor pays Lauscha the same price for each colour of glass.

Period. No discussion. No buts, no hypothetical scenarios, no excuses. Period.

Kind regards,
Carol Anne
Lauscha, Germany

[firelady]

Actually, that is not accurate! That is why my buddy Mike Frantz was having fun juggling JoDel & I trying to maneuver for the best price for clear from us, etc. And I myself have had my discount changed a couple of times. Also, there's an additional 2% discount for cash up front, at least that was what I was told....

Regarding some of you not being invoiced yet....I've been taking it slow because we had just what we hand carried home.... the 100 pounds of #3, the rest coming in soon.....I didn't want to invoice everyone, and have people upset that it took too long to get their glass. So I was hesitant to invoice many more people than I had glass for. However, most everyone will be invoiced within the next few days.

[Lizabeads]

[quote=firelady;933564]Actually, that is not accurate! That is why my buddy Mike Frantz was having fun juggling JoDel & I trying to maneuver for the best price for clear from us, etc.[quote]

I bet that is another story in it's self. I would love to hear it !! You can email me...

[firelady]

Since it is indeed against LE standards to operate a business from the forum, and since this club has enough business going on to fall into that category, I have been searching for a more efficient way to communicate club news....We've got the newsletters, but Renee & reeenie have both suggested that you all want more frequent updates than that....

And so, on that happy note, I've decided to try THE BLOG concept (again!) I work on iWeb, and the first version of that software had it's share of publishing problems...everytime I updated my blog, some other page would fall apart....so I gave up. However, the most recent update of the program has vastly improved this. So let's see how it works.

I have a VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT that I just published. Let's see if this works for you. IF it does, I'll update the blog twice a week to keep you all informed about the joys of club business.

If it doesn't work, certainly I'll post the announcement here!!!!
Let's see what happens! Sometime soon you'll be able to get this all at www.firelady.com.

But for today,(and the link is endlessly long, so just click or copy & paste)
go to:
http://web.mac.com/marciedavis/iWeb/...9FEF67CFF.html

Gee, couldn't they have made it a little longer?

[Renee]

The link to the blog worked perfectly for me, and about the announcement - way to go, Marcie!! You're the best!!!

[nagibeads]

woohoo!

[suzanne]

Originally Posted by carolanne

Everyone distributor pays Lauscha the same price for each colour of glass.

Period. No discussion. No buts, no hypothetical scenarios, no excuses. Period.

Kind regards,
Carol Anne
Lauscha, Germany

True, this is what we where told too when we were there two months ago, they have the same * incredibly complicated* pricelist for every business.

[firelady]

Okay, in our continuing quest for perfect communication, here's our next Blog Entry, at: http://web.mac.com/marciedavis/iWeb/...7s%20Blog.html

If your web browser supports RSS feeds, you can click and subscribe to the blog, and you'll be alerted to new entries as they are published. But don't worry if your web browser's a little pokey....I'll always announce them here.

Have a great weekend, and send your Blutonium Aquarium entry .jpegs to firelady@gate.net. You've still got 3 days!!!