Back in mid-August, I was invited to an event by a chirpy PR exec working for a consumer PR agency. It was to launch a new toy range, and as I edit a toy review website, the PR agency thought I’d like to come along, see the new range, and take away a sample to review for the site.
I replied explaining that I couldn’t attend the event (which was in London) and neither could any of our team, but I was interested in the product and could we please get a sample to review for the website. Five days later, the PR replies: “no problem, I’ll get the sample sent over”. I send the reviewer’s details, let them know to expect the product, and promptly forget about it.
September 4th, I get another invite to the toy launch. Hmm. I email the PR back saying I’d already declined the invite but asked for the review sample – has it been sent? Are we still okay to do the review?
Five days later, the PR replies. “Of course. What publication is this for?”
Refraining from saying anything sarcastic about how unusual it is to invite someone to your client’s event without having the first clue who they write for, I reply, reminding her of the website and again providing the address for the sample.
We then don’t hear anything until almost six weeks later. Then, on 26th October, I get an email from the PR. “I noticed I haven’t spoken to you about this. Are you still interested in doing the review?”
This time, I allow myself a little sarcasm. I reply to the PR saying: “Wow, you’re alive. Yes, once again, we’d love to do the review, here are the details, thanks very much.”
The PR replies two days later. “Great. I’ll get these sent out right away. Sorry for the delay!”
November comes and goes.
So on December 3rd, I email the PR because we’re finishing up the reviews for Christmas and most of the companies we’re dealing with are anxious to get reviews up as quickly as possible. So I drop the PR a quick email saying, “Just concerned these might have gone astray in the post. Can you let me know if they were sent?”
A week later, and I’ve had no reply. Nothing.
Here’s the thing. I get that there’s a pecking order in media and new websites are quite low down in the pile. And I get that a website written by a team of bloggers isn’t exactly GMTV or the Daily Mail. So sometimes we wait for stuff, or we might only get to borrow stuff for a few days. I’ve no problem with any of that.
But I do have a real issue with a lack of professional courtesy. Taking five days to reply to emails? Isn’t okay. Inviting someone to an event and then forgetting who they write for when they reply to you? Isn’t okay. Promising a sample in August and still not having sent it by the middle of December? Isn’t okay. And not replying at all to an email asking if the sample might have got lost in the post? Is just bloody rude, frankly and a big, fat waste of my time. Which I don't have a lot of.
This is a big consumer PR agency. It won some Agency of the Year award last year. So one presumes it's pretty successful. But my over-riding impression is that it employs idiots. And the chances of me wanting to get involved in the next thing they pitch me are pretty slim, I have to say.






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