Let’s Talk About Griping!

So…

a couple of years ago I started the StudioKat Designs FaceBook Group page, it was my intention that this group would be a safe place where folks could feel comfortable showing off their work and asking questions in a setting where they felt understood and accepted regardless of their skill level. And for the most part this Group page has lived up to my expectations!

I love it when I see some of our more experienced sewists helping our newbies, and it does my heart good when I see folks applauding the work of others and encouraging the hesitant ones!

But it seems that lately we’ve had quite a few folks that seem to want to use our Group as a place to gripe & complain, and for the most part these gripers have pretty much only one thing they want to complain about…

pdf patterns, or the lack thereof in our product list

It usually starts off innocent enough. Someone asks if StudioKat Designs patterns are available by pdf download, and then someone says they are unsure but they think we don’t and then it starts spiraling downhill because according to them…

• “I obviously don’t know how much it costs to ship to… {fill in the blank}… or,
  “I surely don’t know that my profits would be a whole lot higher if I sold pdf patterns”… or,
  “I’m oblivious to how much more convenient this would be for our customers!” etc. etc.etc….

Those of you who have been around here for a while know that I have shared several times why we don’t sell our patterns in pdf format. (For example, click HERE if you missed this post.) And if you care to read that post, you’ll see that I do in fact understand completely why some folks prefer to buy their patterns via pdf download, but the bottom line in my opinion is, that selling our patterns via pdf download is just not best for OUR business model.

So have I shared this within our FaceBook Group? Yes indeed, virtually everytime I find folks griping about our decision, I share a link to the post referenced above! But it doesn’t seem to matter, because within a few days to a week I generally find yet another thread bemoaning the fact that we don’t do the pdf download thing. And what’s worse, is that in the past few weeks these griping posts have been getting a good deal more aggressive, implying that I’m either too dense, too cold, or too insensitive to do what they have deemed is clearly best for my business (and of course for them). This is clearly against the rules of our Group which are prominently posted for all to see. They are as follows:

“It’s my desire that this be a safe, fun place for you to share pictures, questions, concerns and triumphs in the course of making bags and items sourced from our patterns! Please limit yourself only to posts that fit this criteria. All others will be removed. It is my intention that this be a positive and constructive place for you to have fun and learn!”

So in closing… while I certainly respect & understand the WHY behind folks wanting to get their patterns via pdf download, it disappoints me greatly that these same individuals seem unwilling to respect or to even entertain the possibility that I might know what I’m doing and actually have some very good reasons for our decision! But here’s the thing… I hope that it’s fairly obvious to them by now I feel good about NOT moving forward with pdf patterns, and that I will not be bullied, shamed or otherwise pressured into changing our direction on this topic until I feel its the right time and the right decision for OUR business! In the meantime, these type of posts will most likely be removed from the page. (And just so you know, I always private message folks when I remove their posts.)

And now…. it’s YOUR turn!

What do YOU think about this? Am I being ultra sensitive, and if so, how would you handle this situation differently? I’d love to know.  🙂 And remember, we love reading your comments and answering your questions too, so please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.

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