Bullying - When People Cry Wolf

This is a commentary post about a situation that has happened recently, and also a historical situation. I feel that if someone is going to yell bully and start telling everyone someone is a bully they should first disclose about their own behaviors. Being assertive is not being a bully, however responding with derogatory comments and language when someone says they will file a dispute if they are not sent the product they ordered or a refund, then that is being a bully.

Recently my friend Linda, aka LGuild, was accused of being a bully on Facebook. While I will admit Linda would like to bully me sometimes I find that different since I do the same to her. In all serious matters neither of us feel like bullying is something that people should do. The woman told Linda she was a bully and was going to add Linda to her petition of bullies in the crafting world.

So a little background on the situation...Linda made a purchase from an Angela Holt on May 8th for some Graphic 45 paper and matching stamps. She waited for WEEKS for her items and tried to contact the woman several times. Well finally the woman did contact Linda, after Linda finally communicated to the woman that she was going to file a dispute with her credit card company, and started telling Linda that she was a bully and was going to add her name to the list she has on her petition Stop Bullying Among Crafters, and I guess since has added Linda. Here is Angela's little Preamble of her petition:
I Angela Holt have been in the crafting industry for 13 years. I have fallen victim for the past 5 months to Adult cyber bullying from grown adult crafters in this industry. Many of you have read my story.

Due to this behavior and vicious antics these people have taken, I have had to close down my store, my blog, my twitter, my live show for 3 years, my ning site and more. The crafting community on a professional level has gotten a bad taste in their mouth and have found it a risk to work with me due to the constant phone calls and harassing emails that were sent to each company and sponsor I was associated with by these women claiming me as a fraud, as scammer, not sending out products and any other fabricated lie they deemed fit to tell.

They have also claimed all my work to be copyrighted and stolen. They have taken every avenue to to destroy me in order to feed their vicious vindictive childish sick behavior.

My rep, my business and my crafting career has all been compromised.

 She made a post on Linda's wall but deleted it but in the post she called Linda an "Old bitchy bittie". I went in and commented about the post saying "I don't know if I think it is hilarious or sad. Obviously the woman has some issues. Now that you told me her OTHER name I remember her well. She didn't want to cross me because I knew too many people on the Cricut MB and I got my items from her. I know there were others that never did." Not long after this Angela went in a deleted her comment on Linda's wall. 


Now let me tell ya a little story about this woman...A few years back she went by Kelli Holt on the Cricut Messageboard. She wanted to start a business and gathered up some members to help buy in bulk some items so she could get started. She contacted me as asked if I knew anyone would be interested in such a group and since a lot of people on the Cricut messageboard knew me and trusted me she thought it would help her. We all made our orders so she would know how much to order and then sent her the money. I luckily sent via Paypal, sadly some others did not. We waited and waited and waited. Finally when we had enough we all decided we needed to take action and started telling her we were going to file disputes with Paypal and or our banks. At one point the sheriff was called and people were looking into how to file small claims disputes, knowing it was going to cost them more they didn't want others to be victims of scams. She contacted me and told me please allow her to send my items, which she finally did. She didn't want me to file a dispute because she would lose Paypal privileges. She also wanted to me to post and write about how I received my items and she was reputable and I told her I would after all the others received their items or refunded their money, some never did so I would not say she was reputable. And actually I would not have said she was reputable but only said that we all had finally received our items or refunds. One thing she said to me was that she didn't want me saying she cheated me because I had too many people who liked me and it would ruin her.


There is so much to this story and I am too lazy to type it all out but I have some ideas of my own about this whole situation....

If someone wants to know where their product is or they would like a refund then they are not being a bully, they are being assertive. 

If someone goes and leaves a message on another's Facebook wall using derogatory language and comments then that is being a bully. 

If someone is not following through and keeping in contact with their customers then they are being untrustworthy. 

If someone changes their name several times after having bad business transactions, they are not to be trusted.

So I plead to my readers, please be careful when signing petitions, try to find out the whole story before you become part of such movements or  support such people who make themselves out to be a victim. In my opinion the woman has scammed others in the past and has not changed her methods. If she was not scamming, again in my opinion, she wouldn't have changed her name from Kelli Holt to Angela Holt and now to Angie Holt. 

Just remember sometimes when people cry "BULLY" they are actually crying wolf!

***disclaimer: events are factual and therefore no defamation is involved in this post. I type my own feelings and thoughts on my website as well as my own experiences***


UPDATE:
I have been contacted by several crafters since posting this on here this morning who have told me they too have been called a bully by this woman. Evidently she has even go as far as hacking into people's accounts and posting things that looks like it was from them. 

AGAIN I URGE: USE CAUTION WHEN APPROACHING OR HAVING DEALINGS WITH THIS WOMAN.