I am already another consultant for a REPUTABLE direct selling company, but wanted to sell things on eBay and be more flexible in how I can sell items. (My current company has strict Internet policies.)
So I heard about Sweet Cupcake Candles, that was allowing consultants to sign up for free for a limited time, and you would be able to sell and promote the company the way you wanted to, within reason. I signed up and watched with interest how the company was getting going, since the owner, Camilla Nichols, kept people up to date on the status of where things were going, the design of the Web site, and giving people access to their own Web site to sell products from.
The news was that the company initially started at the end of August, and their products were to be hand-poured soy candles in hundreds of scents, including bath products, and the idea was to expand to home decorating pieces and a huge Christmas catalog.
Sweet Cupcake soon started to offer "starter kits" for new consultants. The price range was from $10 for the most basic kit to $150 or so.in the varying levels of the starter kits included catalogs, order forms, scent samples, candle samples that included votives, etc. And even some bath products.
The Web site, in my opinion, was rather disorganized. A few days after a shipping account was set up with DHL, the company started to take payment online. You could pay via credit card or Paypal.
I didn't want to invest a whole lot of money in this new project since most of my energies were spent on selling kitchen products, so I just ordered the basic kit for $10 plus $6 and change for shipping. I paid via Paypal since I didn't really feel comfortable giving out my credit card number. I placed my order on Sept. 10.
While waiting for my order to process and for it to get shipped, Camilla would post on the message board in the "back office" area of the Web site. She wrote how a consultant's manual was in the works (I never saw this so-called manual in any form) and how updates to the site with product descriptions were moving along, if a bit slowly.
On Oct. 1 I created a ticket in their new "solution" area for the Web site to inquire about the status of my order. The next day I received a shipment notice email from DHL saying a shipping label had been created for my package and I should get it by Oct. 5. I never did receive the package. And after a few days of waiting, I figured out why.
On Oct. 5, an email was sent out saying that the system was going to be looked at and any consultant's account that did not have a listed email and physical address would be deleted. On Oct. 7, Camilla sent out an urgent email, directing everyone to the Back Office board, saying those who had paid by credit card, their information may have been compromised.
Another email quickly followed, stating: "REGARDING REFUNDS: There will not be any refunds given for orders as our Consultant Agreement states that if you forfeit your account, you will not be eligible for a refund on your order. We will be refunding all double-transactions (cards that was charged twice). Anything else will NOT be refunded."
I didn't really think anything of that post, thinking I was safe since I paid via PayPal. Fast forward a few days to today, Oct. 16. I still had not received my package, and went to the tracking for my DHL package and it showed that it was in the very same spot as when I got my shipping notice. I called DHL and they said an electronic tracking number was created, but they had no record of it being picked up.
I then attempted to go to the Sweet Cupcake Web site. No dice. Then I started doing searches on the Internet, and found this CBS News 19 Web site in Huntsville, Ala.:
Whnt.com/Global/story.Asp? S=5528488
This is a TV station that responded to several hundred people who inquired about Sweet Cupcake, and now is being reported as a scam. Read all about it and watch the video on the Web site.
I have since filed a report with Paypal asking them to investigate my purchase, and making a claim I never received the merchandise promised. Hopefully I will get my money back.
If not, I am glad to be able to post this consumer complaints to inform others to stay away from this company and not fall for the sweet-colored dreams Camilla Nichols offered and dangled before thousands of women.
I really think it is a shame that people who want legitimate ways to be able to work from home have to keep getting scammed by new things that come along. But please realize that there are REAL LEGITIMATE companies out there that provide a wonderful product and service. Do not be put off on them because Sweet Cupcake decided to take people's money and run.
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