Bully Bill
On July 19, a very disappointed customer wrote in to Michael Brady of LuLaRoe to inquire about the status of her Make Good claim. In her email, she cited the refund policy straight from the website, as well as her disappointment in the way the refunds were being handled. As one of the "hundreds of women" that were emailed by Aaron Lewis regarding checks that would "be mailed out no later than 7/5" on their refund requests, she felt deceived. The company had told her and many others that they would be getting a refund- only to have their claims then pushed back again, requesting more information including sales receipts. Many of these LuLaRoe sales do not have receipts as they are purchased at in home parties, festivals, community events and are considered cash and carry. This customer is one of those. In her email to Michael Brady, she expresses only that "something doesn't feel right" about the refund process, and states that she works in fraud and consumer protection. Never once did she insinuate that she would push the issue further through her employer. Never once did she allude that she would use her position (paralegal) to muscle a desired response from the company. She simply sent a professionally worded email from her work email address, as she was at work when she addressed the refund issue and it was the simplest email to access from her location. She then sends another email request, outlining that she UNDERSTANDS why LuLaRoe might be concerned about fraudulent claims, as she works in fraud herself, but then reaffirms that her claim is not fraudulent and to please expedite her refund request. For her efforts, this woman's emails were forwarded to everyone's favorite bulldog attorney, William Floratos (Hi again, Bill!) for reply. He advises the customer that her email was sent to him, and that he would be providing her a more detailed response HOWEVER, he goes on to make blatant assumptions about her emails, states that she has threatened LuLaRoe, and demands her supervisor's information immediately. He then instructs her to have no further contact with the company or any of its representatives. The customer responds, clarifies, and then responds again apologizing to Mr. Floratos if he somehow gathered that she was threatening him with her work email address. The document made its way to me, and I can't help but chuckle. Mr. Bill really finds joy in pushing people around, it seems. In an interview with a former employee of LuLaRoe, the individual had stated to me of Bill Floratos- "The man likes to argue. He's a bulldog. It wouldn't surprise me if the man wakes up in the morning and argues against his toothpaste because he can. He often asked to 'be turned loose' on people that ownership didn't agree with." Indeed. That does seem to be the case from where I sit too. So answer me this- What is the benefit of responding in an almost rabid tone to a customer who clearly stated that IN SPITE of the shortcomings of this company with their refunds and quality issues, she still continued to patronize the brand? What can be gained from attacking someone because of their email signature? Certainly the response was entirely unwarranted and just blatant overkill from what this author would perceive as a very overworked legal bulldog, er lapdog. Whatever. I wonder with this type of reputation becoming more and more apparent, where Mr. Congeniality will be employable should the S.S. LuLaRoe find itself hitting an iceberg. We all know about the unsinkable Titanic... I have a fair share of experience with attorneys. More than the average person, for obvious reasons. That, and I grew up wanting to be an attorney- only to realize a juris doctorate degree gave little men in big suits a free pass to be bullies "in the name of the law" and not actually uphold justice and the pursuit of happiness. But then again, he's definitely defending his clients' rights to their own happiness. Thankfully, he's just a suit and not a face for the company, right...? Oh wait. He does that too. I give up. Lest we forget this is the same attorney I personally contacted to advise him of a security breach to the company website and offer evidence so that they could prosecute the individual to the fullest of the law- only to stand and be accused of having stolen information myself. Dear Lord, you can't win for trying with these people.
My opinion for this poor lady? I would tell you that you've got yourself a nice little phone call with the California Bar Association waiting if you want it. Maybe go ahead and quietly file the complaint with your boss too- that way Mr. Bill gets to talk to him after all- in an official capacity, with the boss investigating fraud. As for anyone else waiting for their money, if you haven't already done so, you may contact your state's respective attorney general's office and ask for the consumer protection entity that handles fraud and questionable business practice. Lastly, Bill... Your grammar is horrid. It's not "you're claim", it's "your". Flaunt that doctorate for me, please and thanks.
