Last Memoranza

Yesterday I attend to an all day scrapbooking meet with other CM members.  This day was planned about a month or two before CM went into receivership.  The truth was told yesterday which I knew all along.  It was the main company is US who is in financial trouble and is causing operation problems for Australia.  I assume NZ is in the same vote!! 

 

All this week I had emails about liquidation sales.  It ends tomorrow night!  I would like to order but I don't trust the company anymore after what they done to my membership.  If I order online I may not get the item (as all items listed WSL) and they won't refund me  I probably do better on eBay!! Don't tell my consultant that as she wasn't happy about some ex-consultants were selling their stock on eBay. Majority of the sales on offer are high bidders on album refills and page protectors.  They are going triple the RRP. I heard through the grapevine there is a company who makes very similar album pages as CM. I should check their website to see how much they are going for.

 

The only item I purchased cash was a cup caddy when you place on the side of the table. Normal RRP was $35 but she had the reduced sale for $15.  This caddy is bigger then the previous model (known as the side kick years before). You can even place your mobile inside (where you suppose to). It would be big enough for two mobile phones of today.

 

We had afew raffles going!  We had to earn tickets to get one or more tickets.  I managed to get only three from using particular tools or completed their pages of the day. And guess what?  I won a small pack of Christmas stickers!! The jokes were going around about selling some our winning items on eBay.  Of course our consultant overheard and wasn't a happy camper about that.  But hey!  Some people (sellers) need money as the company didn't pay their wages for the past month or two.  And the buyers were desperate for their item so they will pay anything for it as it isn't available anymore. 

 

Apparently there was a corporate meeting during the week about the company's future.  We were told there could be prospect for a new company introduced in Australia.  I mean that could be months or afew years before that could be up and running. Until then, life goes on!!

Farewell CM!!!

Today I supposely attend to the scrapbooking workshop but since CM has gone into receivership I don't think my consultant's workshops will be continuing anymore.  It doesn't really bother me because I have learnt alot of CM ideas for the past 14 years. I have alot of workshop sheets around to guide my inspiration ideas if I lose my mojo.  If I need to see new ideas for inspiration I will just go online and have a look around or use magazines.  Guess the only thing I will miss is the other ladies at workshops and attending camps twice a year.  It was alot of fun going away for the weekend!!

 

I do know afew other workshop ladies would be upset about this changeover because I think it was their only time they go out for a social scrap time with other scrapbooking friends.  I have the craft store so I will probably continue to do just casual scrap meets weekly on Tuesdays until further notice. And do more digital work at home which I found it's easier and be quicker to create a page then going traditionally method.  To be honest I thought CM might of been heading towards digitally standards as some of their traditionally items for sale was going off the market.

 

What pissed me off the most was I only renewed my yearly membership on Friday and I was told via my consultant about the company's downfall on Saturday.  Unfortunately my payment  has been processed and I found out I won't be able to claim a refund from the company.  I called into my bank to find out if they could do the process on my behalf.  They can but they have to close our account down before they can process my dispute.  It isn't the money that bothers me, it's the principle of the head office failing to tell their clients the right way. They could of at least advertised on their website to warn their clients before making an online transaction.

 

To my understanding as I heard through the grapevine, it seems it was the US company who is in financial difficulties which is affecting the operation in Australia.  That would make more sense when I looked at the US version online when they said the same thing and shown all the products as WSL. And it seems the company knew before last Friday they plan on going into receivership. I was told via various business owners, they won't refund my membership money or pay up who they owe money to.  Isn't that class as fraud??  Good luck to them if they can get away with it but I am sure someone who has the money will make a courtcase if the company doesn't deal with their creditors who have bigger fish to fry. 

 

I don't know how often you would use eBay but I had a good look last night (for the first time in many months) to see how much Creative Memories products are available.  I couldn't believe what I saw!!  I seen (more then once of course) a pack of album refills and one pack of page protectors at around $150 and the auction hasn't ended yet. I have two coversets (which I only purchased at discounted prices) that requires album refills and etc but no way I would pay $150 plus when the normal rrp is around $50.   How desperate would you pay for something that can't be purchased from the company anymore??

 

CM started in US in 1987 and move to Australia ten years later.  Afew people had said it was the competition from other craft companies they had to try and keep up with the times.  From what I have seen for over a decade it might of been their downfall!! I will admit some of their CM products are fantastic but it was the cost of the item was the downfall to my budget requirements.