Ways to fix eden

Contributor: indiechick indiechick
Quote:
Originally posted by edeneve
everybody has thoughts, ideas they believe will really work. has anyone noticed how conflicting these ideas are??? how can we possibly come to a consistence on anything???? throwing out ideas w/o giving any thought how each one can be given fair ... more
I will be going through them. The ones that are possible (aka I will not be putting in bring the point system back the way it was as that wont happen) and that appear most often and will be putting together a letter. I will then post the letter and ask people to vote yes or no on it in a poll. Fred can obviously see it, but i will take suggestions and edit it as needed and give him a final copy.This is a way to flush out ideas.
06/22/2013
Contributor: eri86 eri86
Quote:
Originally posted by indiechick
I will be going through them. The ones that are possible (aka I will not be putting in bring the point system back the way it was as that wont happen) and that appear most often and will be putting together a letter. I will then post the letter and ... more
Thanks for doing this.
06/22/2013
Contributor: Wicked Wahine Wicked Wahine
Quote:
Originally posted by SaucyxGirl
This might not be a popular idea but how about not only a once a month cap but points could also expire after X amount a time. That would make it harder to bank them up and would also drive people to actually order more perhaps as they tried to use ... more
Excellent point about expiring!!! It would make me use them even if had to pay, so should work for others, too. Just makes sense. But part of prob is things need to be in stock more than are currently.
06/22/2013
Contributor: Woman China Woman China
Quote:
Originally posted by Wicked Wahine
Excellent point about expiring!!! It would make me use them even if had to pay, so should work for others, too. Just makes sense. But part of prob is things need to be in stock more than are currently.
If this is a suggestion, I'd say twice a year seems fair for pints expiring.
06/22/2013
Contributor: eri86 eri86
Quote:
Originally posted by Woman China
If this is a suggestion, I'd say twice a year seems fair for pints expiring.
But then would that be points expiring only before they've been converted into a 'gift card'?
06/22/2013
Contributor: eri86 eri86
Quote:
Originally posted by Woman China
If this is a suggestion, I'd say twice a year seems fair for pints expiring.
But then would that be points expiring only before they've been converted into a 'gift card'?
06/22/2013
Contributor: js250 js250
Quote:
Originally posted by No-nita
It's a good thing you said this. That got me thinking. This is the problem with the whole "let's brainstorm solutions" thing. We're customers. How many of us have formal training in business related things?

We suggest ... more
I do. I own a retail business that has a nationally known name. These stores are individually owned & operated but the name and goodwill is paid for up front and certain standards need to be followed.

I write a new business plan yearly-along with my long term plan-review it monthly and add or remove what does not work, set up my monthly budgets, rework my PR and advertising to be effective monthly and an a member of two local business groups. I have also helped rehabilitate a few businesses and develop and sell business models--complete with business plans, budgets, advertising, logos and signage needs. There is more....but it gives you an idea.
06/22/2013
Contributor: Wicked Wahine Wicked Wahine
Quote:
Originally posted by js250
I do. I own a retail business that has a nationally known name. These stores are individually owned & operated but the name and goodwill is paid for up front and certain standards need to be followed.

I write a new business plan ... more
Glad you're here! Whatcha got?
06/22/2013
Contributor: K101 K101
Quote:
Originally posted by Wicked Wahine
Glad you're here! Whatcha got?
This is exactly what I have been thinking! Just about 10 minutes ago, while reading, I thought "okay, we need Js250!" Lol. She's good with this kind of thing. I'm here, listening too, but just haven't said a whole lot. I hope she comes back with some ideas. I am a dummy when it comes to this type of thing.
06/22/2013
Contributor: Aishiteru Aishiteru
Quote:
Originally posted by SaucyxGirl
This might not be a popular idea but how about not only a once a month cap but points could also expire after X amount a time. That would make it harder to bank them up and would also drive people to actually order more perhaps as they tried to use ... more
I don't like this idea, because with programs like that I end up not using the benefits at all because I don't shop there that often. And people will place a lot of orders around the expiration date. Plus it might not give people the chance to save up for things around certain times of year when they would most like to buy something or can better afford things.
06/22/2013
Contributor: js250 js250
Sorry to post again immediately--I answered an earlier post above.

First and foremost--Budget.
--There obviously is an issue with the amount of cash flow going out of the business and not enough coming in to offset the expenses. As with all businesses, there is an overhead here at EF. The budget needs to be separated...EF/Retail & EF Community.

--Any debt for Retail needs to be addressed prior to the Community. This includes new agreements for payments/grants/hardsh ip funding.

--The Community budgeting needs to be held in its own area, separate from the Retail. Cutting costs, rewarding useful & necessary contributions and designing a membership plan is also necessary.

Second--Retail/Cash Customers.
--Using free, quality advertising.
--Cash incentives.
--Frequent buyer rewards program.
--Referral program.

Third--Membership/Cont ributor Program.
--Contributor to customer interaction programs.
--Utilizing member talents for onsite work.
--Re-design membership advantages/points(?).
--(If points still used, NO free gift!)
--Lucrative benefits for ranking members.(Ranking system re-designed to reward EU reviews, length of membership and contribution to site.)
--Earn your way up to the better 'perks', do not give them away to everyone.

Fourth--Delegate!!
--Community 'officers' who can deal with non-administrative aspects of the community area.
--Rewards system for high achievements, panel for community aspects, etc. USE the community to better the community. Make it self-sufficient and responsible!!

(By giving out gift cards for everything--it is the same as the points system...how about a cap for an item depending on the task--BUT you have to review the item. IF points still in place but revised, if items purchased with points, review is mandatory.)
06/22/2013
Contributor: SecretlySensuous SecretlySensuous
The first step to fixing Eden would be for Eden Fantasies to admit that they, as a company, have wronged the community.

I don't see any possibility for genuine trust until after that has happened. Without this crucial ingredient, everything from this point onwards will be built on a foundation of mistrust, with company and remaining customers warily using each other for business purposes only.
06/22/2013
Contributor: Munko Munko
I would like to see the ability to use points to cover shipping OR a certain percentage towards the order. Being from Canada I would have to spend a minimum of $150 before the points would even begin to cover shipping. There is no incentive for international contributors to shop here over anywhere else with the 15% cap. If shipping could be covered (by points) for those outside of the US who do not meet the eligibility for the free shipping promotions, I think there would be a better chance of them sticking around.

Also, what if the "free gifts" offered with every order changed to something like $1 or $2 items - I feel many people would still add them to their carts for only $1 or $2 more - especially things like the wipes or rings, etc and that would generate some extra income for Eden.
06/22/2013
Contributor: FieryRed FieryRed
Quote:
Originally posted by SecretlySensuous
The first step to fixing Eden would be for Eden Fantasies to admit that they, as a company, have wronged the community.

I don't see any possibility for genuine trust until after that has happened. Without this crucial ingredient, ... more
This is my issue, exactly. Even if those participating in this thread and the EF management do come to a compromise/agreement, my trust in this company has been broken too many times for me to believe that it won't just happen again in the near future.

The only think that MIGHT cause me to give EF another chance would be a complete change of atmosphere. From the time I began contributing, I was rather put off by the way I and other contributors were addressed by staff/management. It has always seemed as though we contributors were viewed as inconvenient, annoying, undisciplined and ungrateful children who needed to be put in their place. The worst part of this was seeing a lot of good contributors, people who add a great deal of value to the site, buying into this mentality; posts thanking the management for responding (i.e., doing their jobs), thanking them for the privilege of doing work for the company at WAY below minimum wage in store credit, apologizing for disagreeing with anything, etc., etc.

If this company were to gain some customer service skills--or just plain human interaction skills--I might take another look. There are many competitor websites that value their customers and contributors, and THANK them, rather than expecting to BE thanked, applauded, and cheered. Edenites, you are worth more than you have been led to believe!
06/22/2013
Contributor: Tiffany Pollard Tiffany Pollard
I feel like this website would be doing better financially at this point if they had originally given out giftcards based on a pyramid scheme.
06/22/2013
Contributor: Tiffany Pollard Tiffany Pollard
Or "multi-level marketing"
06/22/2013
Contributor: indiechick indiechick
Quote:
Originally posted by js250
Sorry to post again immediately--I answered an earlier post above.

First and foremost--Budget.
--There obviously is an issue with the amount of cash flow going out of the business and not enough coming in to offset the expenses. As with ... more
Items purchased with points==mandatory review. I like that one. Because it is basically like the review system. But let's be honest We never get the reviews we want because they are always out of stock. I'd happily do this. Community officers gets messy. If you mean like patrolling forums and the like. I got mascaraed a few days ago and would hate to see that happen to anyone else. But if you mean like answering newbie questions I'd be done for that
06/22/2013
Contributor: indiechick indiechick
Just to know Airen and JR DO NOT work for EF. So while you may feel you are owed an apology I certainly believe we do from JR, not sure what Airen did to you. You can take that up with the directly not the company. And please do not turn into what you do not like in others. This is a kind forum, hold back your tone please
06/22/2013
Contributor: SMichelle SMichelle
Quote:
Originally posted by indiechick
Just to know Airen and JR DO NOT work for EF. So while you may feel you are owed an apology I certainly believe we do from JR, not sure what Airen did to you. You can take that up with the directly not the company. And please do not turn into what ... more
Okay, Airen does not work here, but then she needs to be treated like any other contributor would be. Airen told TheSinDoll to go die, which is completely unacceptable. Airen was not banned for this; in fact, her comment is still there. TheSinDoll, who did not tell anyone to go and die in her postings, was banned, and I believe quite a few of her comments were deleted.

Favoritism needs to end. Especially when it's this obvious.
06/22/2013
Contributor: Tiffany Pollard Tiffany Pollard
Quote:
Originally posted by SMichelle
Okay, Airen does not work here, but then she needs to be treated like any other contributor would be. Airen told TheSinDoll to go die, which is completely unacceptable. Airen was not banned for this; in fact, her comment is still there. TheSinDoll, ... more
Truth. The main reason why I'm skeptical about a "case by case" basis.
06/22/2013
Contributor: indiechick indiechick
please remember that this forum is to HELP REBUILD eden not tear it down. If I believe I find you guilty of these things I will without hesitation flag your posts for removal. I got fred to talk to us. Cool off people
06/22/2013
Contributor: snowminx snowminx
Quote:
Originally posted by Fred Petrenko
Airen, thank you! Your support means a lot.
I'm just letting you know that this same person told another user to "GO DIE" in another thread. I'm glad to see your value her support so much.

Why exactly are we fixing the problems the management should have done long ago? You blame us for abusing the system YOU set up and then you expect us to do the work in coming up with the ideas on how to make it better?

Why exactly are we doing the job people are supposed to be paid to do? Oh I know, because all of those guys where fired!
06/22/2013
Contributor: snowminx snowminx
In my inbox-

"I have asked nicely and I have warned you. i agree that what Airen said on the OTHER forum was not appropriate. I know because I flagged it for removal as I did all posts that were inappropriate, which in the end sadly included some of my own. However, unlike the attitude you have brought to the table airen does seem invested in making eden work. I have been nice up until now. But I am proud of the fact that I got a thread going wear we are working to find ways to build eden up and actually have a dialogue WITH FRED. Maybe you don't understand how big that is, but in fact it is huge. If you are only going to re-hash the past and not work on moving forward I would kindly ask that you no do it on that specific forum. There are plenty of places to be upset on this site, that specific thread does not need to be one of them. I have taken issues with things JR, Stormy and Airen have said up with support tickets and direct messages to Fred, not that any of it matters as I'm pretty sure stormy is the only person reading any of them but I tried.

If you really want to stick around please constructive ideas only, no more ranting about what has already happened.

Thanks


Indiechick"


No, thank you, I will NOT just back down. Just because you said you wanted a "positive reaction" doesn't mean you own this thread and I that can't give my honest option on things. My point was relative to his discussion and I will not be silenced just because you ask me to. I have just as much right to talk about these issues as you do.

Fred thanked someone for their support that had told another user to go die. I take that offensively and I felt the need to share my opinion since I know, from events in the past and now, that he does not even read half of our responses and yet just leaves that work to other people.

Adrien had nothing happen to her and after the other thread is closed I'm guessing still nothing will happen to her. You want to know why? Because she likes playing for the other side so no matter what hateful stuff she says she, unlike other users, are here to stay.

What kind of site are you really trying to save after you know they screwed us over, the staff talks back or blames us all for the problems THEY SET UP, and they ban some users but not the ones telling people to die and related getting points to getting raped? Financial problems aren't the only ones here, it's the site itself (with the people behind it) that is making it a place no one wants to be in.
06/22/2013
Contributor: js250 js250
Being in the Avertising-Retail business, I have seen many of my customer's businesses fail. Some of my customers have restructured and learned from their mistakes, others have not. There are some basic rules for businesses. The major ones are:
--Take responsibility for your policies and actions.
--Integrity, honesty and customer service above all else.
--Stick to your budget...if you overspend and have a loss, it is your own fault for not paying attention to the health of the business. Recoup the losses gracefully and revise the business plan.
--Profits are made to reinvest diversify. Reward the clients for making you profitable.
--Keep the different aspects of the business separated. Revise the ones that have lower numbers, delete the unnecessary.
--Never delete or cause a malfunction/dissatisfa ction in an area that directly impacts your clientele base. Make it viable and workable.
--Your customers are your most valuable assets--NEVER a liability! Treat them as such.
--Representatives of the business need to be professional and respectful at all times(non-negotiable!) . If they act in a way that hurts the reputation and trust of the company--they are a liability.
--One happy customer leads to new customers. One angry or dissatisfied customer tells hundreds=liability.
--The business aspect stays within the business. The employee/retail aspect is professional and open to the public. The loyalty rewards/social aspect is open to the community and public.
--You can be honest and still be fair to the business.
--Treat everyone with respect...the person you turn away today might be your biggest competitor tomorrow. And they will know your weak points and how to use them by your example towards them.

(I have found this works in many aspects of my life, not just in the business portion. There are obvious adjustments for adapting this to personal uses--but the gist is the same.)
06/22/2013
Contributor: Kitten B. Kitten B.
Quote:
Originally posted by js250
Being in the Avertising-Retail business, I have seen many of my customer's businesses fail. Some of my customers have restructured and learned from their mistakes, others have not. There are some basic rules for businesses. The major ones ... more
This is fantastic and lays out the points I wanted to address better than I ever could! Thank you!
06/22/2013
Contributor: No-nita No-nita
Quote:
Originally posted by snowminx
In my inbox-

"I have asked nicely and I have warned you. i agree that what Airen said on the OTHER forum was not appropriate. I know because I flagged it for removal as I did all posts that were inappropriate, which in the end sadly ... more
Indiechick, with all due respect, you are not (as far as I know) an employee of Eden Fantasys or a forum moderator here, and while I understand the desire to keep a thread constructive in nature, you have to also realize that the entire community was wronged and we have every right to be upset without other members of said community demanding we "watch our tone" like we are children. If someone is repeatedly stepping on your toes, do you ask them nicely to get off of them? Maybe the first time, but after they keep doing it, you're probably gonna get a little annoyed, and that's gonna come through in how you communicate with the person who's gleefully stomping away on your feet. People are going to be terse. Let them be.

If EF staff has an issue with anyone's posts, they can delete them or give people warnings themselves. You are overstepping some boundaries here MAJORLY.

I do not support people jumping all over you and bullying you in previous threads by any means, and I think that was awful, but when people are posting in this thread to say what Eden needs to do to regain THEIR trust, they are going to undoubtedly mention the stuff they're unhappy about. What you're doing by demanding that everybody be superhappyfriendly and try to "fix" something that is not our obligation to fix, you are creating an echo chamber. No one here appreciates being policed by you any more than you appreciate being yelled at.

As for the topic at hand, awesome to see you in this thread js250. I see a lot of your points in the post above have something to do with customer service and I agree with all of them.
06/22/2013
Contributor: SaucyxGirl SaucyxGirl
Quote:
Originally posted by eri86
But then would that be points expiring only before they've been converted into a 'gift card'?
Points would never be converted. Like the affiliates program there could be an option to cash in points during checkout.
06/22/2013
Contributor: SaucyxGirl SaucyxGirl
Quote:
Originally posted by Aishiteru
I don't like this idea, because with programs like that I end up not using the benefits at all because I don't shop there that often. And people will place a lot of orders around the expiration date. Plus it might not give people the chance ... more
The whole saving up for big purchases was more than likely the issue. I have seen multiple posts and also blog entries where people bragged about spending in upwards to $600 worth of points do an order. There were also multiple instances where people talked about only doing purchases with points and refusing to spend money.

While yes the point program was abused because it was kinda set up in a way that encouraged that...did people not think that if it got to a point where a lot of orders were basically leaving with warehouse with only points being used to cover the cost and not cash that the company wouldn't hurt financially?
06/22/2013
Contributor: Ryuson Ryuson
I agree on a lot of things said here. This is what I came up with when reading this:

I think that the points should be used in a percentage based way (could possibly be linked to ranking, number of reviews, previously discussed 'tiers,' IDK) but that maybe once every few months there could be 'full point order' events, the same way that there were 'double point' events. These events could totally be capped at $150 or something, which would prevent people who abused the system from making $1K orders and bailing, but would still allow those of us with significantly large amounts of points to slowly but surely use them up WITHOUT having to spend an immense amount of cash. At the same time, $150 is enough for one fancy toy on the site, for those of us who like splurging on one thing.

Other than those several-times-a-year events, I think that the 'if you buy something with 100% points, you have to review it' idea works well. This will allow people to get toys they want, will let you guys get more quality reviews on expensive products, and will also help us to get rid of the points we're 'stuck with.'

This is all separate from the mentoring and editing programs. I believe that those programs should get gift cards that can be spent on full orders, as it's a LOT of work to edit reviews/mentor 5-10 student reviews. Those things shouldn't have the same store credit limitations because they're not exactly 'abuseable' actions.

Just my two cents! I am glad that Fred responded to this thread since the other was shut down. It's calming to see that people are discussing solutions, even if we don't all agree on what they should be.
06/22/2013
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by Ryuson
I agree on a lot of things said here. This is what I came up with when reading this:

I think that the points should be used in a percentage based way (could possibly be linked to ranking, number of reviews, previously discussed ... more
These are all great ideas, Ryuson! Thank you for posting. (I'm starting from the end of the thread and replying in reverse order.)

I definitely agree with the mentor/editor tasks being given in system-generated gift cards. That can be a lot of work depending the amount of editing that needs to be done.
06/22/2013