She Unlimited: Bait & Switch Tactics
I had put this whole She Unlimited fiasco far behind me (For reference to what happened you can read here and here ). I mean, it happened in December after all and was blogged about in January. So when I received an apology letter about a week or so ago from the CEO, I wondered why they would apologize after all of this time? I knew something was up.
Since the email is marked private, I can just tell you that she claimed to know nothing of how I was treated and apologized for any misconduct and misunderstanding on their part. She went on to give her explanation of events, which honestly, seemed like total BS to me. At the end she offered me free advertising on her site. I ignored the email and went on with life.
Then a few days later, like a debt collector, I get another email from her with the title “2nd letter.” It was the same apology and it actually annoyed me a little. If you apologize, you certainly don’t try to push it on someone with a “2nd letter.” The fact that I didn’t respond should tell you something, and now you just rubbed me the wrong way by sending the apology again with the irritating “2nd letter” title. Again, I had nothing to say, so I did not respond.
Hmm. Two apology emails. This told me that something was going on, because when you apologize–you apologize and be done with it. You don’t try to get pushy about it. I had this gut feeling that there was more to this apology than just “I’m sorry.” This became apparent yesterday morning when the owner of She Unlimited sent me, b5media and Pierce Mattie PR an email with “Defamation & Libel” in the title.
Maybe those big words scare some people, but I am not your ordinary “I get scared by big words” kind of person. The owner attempted to say that it was the 3rd request to remove the posts from my blog (and PMPR’s) and all mentions of She Unlimited. Of course, I had to wonder what quakery this was, since I never received such a request, nor did b5media nor did Pierce Mattie PR. They claimed that my posts were slanted, defaming and biased. That’s when I realized that my gut feeling that the apology was pure BS became founded. Basically it was an attempt to try to talk to me and most likely ask me to remove the posts (which I still would’ve said no to) and when I didn’t fall for their 1st or 2nd attempt, they decided they wanted to come in heavy handed.
Well it didn’t work. b5media decided that I did nothing wrong and Steve sees nothing wrong with what he wrote about the incident on the Pierce Mattie PR blog. The post at PMPR remains and the posts here remain . What saddens me the most is that it is obvious that She Unlimited faked an attempt at taking responsibility for their behavior only to try bait and switch tactics with me to get me to remove my posts. So the short of it was that they were trying to cover up their mistake by having me remove my posts, rather than just accepting the responsibility and moving on—like I had. It saddens me that they didn’t learn from their mistake of how they treated me back in December.
I’m still unsure why after all of this time it was so pertanent that they contact me to remove my posts. Why not send all the apologies and defamation emails back in January when I wrote the posts? Why wait until April 13th? It really makes me wonder what is going on.
My posts are certainly not a threat, they don’t even rank in google, so why apologize and then shove your weight around with scare tactics? Its all a big contradiction. It makes no sense to me.
So here again I will try to put this whole She Unlimited fiasco behind me and focus on better things, like giving birth to my son in a few weeks. My advice to She Unlimited–live and learn and move on.
Tags: About Me, she-unlimitedRelated Stories
POSTED IN: About Me
13 opinions for She Unlimited: Bait & Switch Tactics
Carleenp
Apr 14, 2007 at 10:30 pm
An apology seems akin to an admission of guilt. So for the person to turn around and insinuate defamation has the appearance of being a bullying tatic. Besides, a truthful reporting of facts is not defamation. Nor is the expression of personal opinion, no matter how negative or “biased” that personal opinions is. My personal opinion is that bullies are rather unattractive and that bullying tactics are quite inappropriate. This is especially true in the area of blogging, where if an entity treats a blogger poorly, it should be no surprise to find that the actions are commented on. Outside of real defamation, which this to me does not appear to be the case, attempting to further control or remove comments through emails implying some sort of threat of legal action is quite distasteful.
Shannon
Apr 15, 2007 at 10:12 am
Carleen, you said that more eloquently than I could ever have. I agree 100%.
Lucky
Apr 15, 2007 at 11:36 am
Carleen, I must salute you. Most people would have been intimidated and immediately remove the posts in question. You stuck to your guns, which is commendable. Now that I know about their bullying tactics, I don’t think I’ll by their products any more. Thank goodness for MAC!
Shannon
Apr 15, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Hi Lucky, the lovely Carleen is a reader, I’m the writer of Makeup Minute.
Also–She Unlimited doesn’t sell cosmetics, they are an online magazine.
Elke
Apr 15, 2007 at 1:01 pm
It’s always the ones that 1. make the mistake, 2. realize they’ve been ‘caught’, 3. try to get the ‘negative’ erased, any means they can. And in that order.
I actually subscribed and started reading their blog when you started writing for them Shannon, and then pretty much unsubscribed when their posts turned into a very old magazine, old school style of writing. Boring, long posts that actually turned me off. I immediately unsubscribed. It just wasn’t worth reading it. Maybe they should focus on other things, like how to gain readership, and make their blog more interesting, rather than threatening when things don’t go right.
I’m glad you listened to your instincts Shannon. I hope other writers realize that it’s never worth it to write for someone that treats their writers like this.
Lisa
Apr 15, 2007 at 7:01 pm
As you know Shannon, I’ve had my own scuffles with people who think they can bully the “little guy” around. Boo on them and here’s to powerful women who don’t take it!
kia
Apr 16, 2007 at 12:31 am
YAY! Your bundle of joy is almost here! I’m glad you are staying positive! She Unlimited who?
The Bargain Queen
Apr 16, 2007 at 2:05 am
Wow, what odd behaviour! I’m really glad to hear that b5 and Pierce Mattie both stuck by you.
And good luck with the bub!
Lucky
Apr 16, 2007 at 10:02 am
Shannon, I made a big mistake. First of all, I though Collen wrote the entry when you authored it. Secondly, I misread “She Unlimited” as “She Uemura”. A thousand pardons. From now on, I’ll wear my glasses when I read the blog. Once again, I apologize for my errors.
Shannon
Apr 16, 2007 at 11:11 am
Elke– :)
Lisa–Mean people suck. ;)
Kia–You crack me up.
Bargain Queen–I am VERY lucky to have wonderful bosses who believe in me.
Lucky–No problem! Oh gosh, don’t stop using Shu Uemura! lol.
PJ
May 3, 2007 at 9:53 pm
I’d just like to show my (belated) support. Thank you for taking the time to write about your experience, which I hope is totally behind you now. You stood up for yourself and that is a great example for all of us.
Julie
Feb 24, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Don’t let the Man get you down, girl!! After reading through the whole saga, I’m glad you stuck to your guns and didn’t let them big words freak you out. Rock on!
yoyosushi3 (thu)
Feb 27, 2008 at 6:06 am
Seriously, reading through the whole thing now, it’s like…are you serious She Unlimited? I wonder if they’re still in business…well I don’t even want to give them a google count!
I’m dreading taking my Media Law and Ethics class, but after reading this, it sounds like I’m gonna need to know my stuff if I want to pursue my writing career!
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