Filed under: blogging business
I wasn’t sure if I actually wanted to address this in my blog, but I know a number of my readers have emailed me about my thoughts and I figured it was best to just make a short statement about it. For those of you not in the loop, the author of a rather large Anthropologie blog, Anthroholic, was caught scamming hundreds of clients of her blog’s personal shopping service, out of what amounts to many many thousands of dollars (I think JewishGirl has a fairly comprehensive write-up here if you need a better summary of the scandal). I’ve been reading the thoughts of various blogging friends for the last day or so, and I have to say while I am also deeply saddened, my reaction is a bit different than everyone else’s seems to be. I’ve known of Kim for a long time through various fashion forums, even before she started her blog, and perhaps for that reason I never idolized her or put her on a pedestal as many seem to have, but just saw her as a normal everyday woman and contemporary. And while her behavior might have come as a complete shock to others, I was actually sadly already familiar with her pattern of flakiness and dishonesty, since she pulled some of the same stunts a little over a year ago on a few members of the tight-knit fashion forum we belonged to. It was the same behavior (not paying people for items or not refunding people’s money for months on end, sending bounced checks, making countless implausible excuses that blamed the bank or Paypal or the Postal Service and never herself), and in the same way, people never actually spoke up publicly or just decided to forget it and let it go since the amount of money seemed so inconsequential. Only when one person mentioned something offhand did others being to mention they had had similar experiences and all the pieces began to fall into place. Kim however continued to ignore reminder emails and delete any comments left on her blog that spoke of the incidents. Only when one of our members made a public blog dedicated to calling her out did she actually panic and try to refund (some) of the money, apologizing and saying she was overwhelmed and distracted and she would never do it again. But obviously — she has, and on a gigantic scale this time.
After the incident last year, I found myself feeling more bad for Kim than anything else, and while I made some efforts to distance my blog from hers, I decided in the end that her actions were innocent and ignorant misguided foibles rather than any sort of calculated activity. I did my best to forgive her and try not to hold it against her, because after all, we all make mistakes and dig ourselves into tricky situations every once in a while. (I have been lucky enough to have been forgiven for some royal screw-ups of my own.) The fact that she apologized and refunded the money seemed like a good sign, and she was always very sweet and nice to me personally. I was still never super chummy with her, but I would browse her blog occasionally and leave the offhand friendly comment every few months. The rest of the forum members were the same in trying to brush it off and move on from the incident — although she was no longer part of the forum, we did actually band together to proactively help her out of a sticky situation that she got herself entangled with directly following these events.
So my reaction now? Not shock and anger, but a sickened sad feeling. To try to forgive someone and put trust in them to reform and improve themselves is a big deal, and to have this second chance betrayed really hurts and really shakes my faith in people in general. Not only did she repeat her former behavior, she seems to have expanded it on a grand scale. She may have withheld somewhere around a hundred dollars from us forumites, but she appears to have bilked her readers and clients out of a hundred times that. I really don’t think even now that Kim is an evil person, but I do think she has chosen to not really self-reflect and just take the path of least resistance, and that is so disheartening and sad. Not only did she not change her behavior, but this weekend as the story was slowly breaking out, she tried to paint herself as the victim of persecution, relying on her popularity to dispel the rumors, and, upon being confronted beyond any sort of possible denial, she still kept telling desperate, panicked lies designed to protected the persona she had created.
I honestly want to end here since I don’t feel like piling more and more criticism upon this poor woman is really doing any good to the world. I hope she really realizes the error of her ways for real this time, and I hope her real-life family and friends are there to support her, not only to give her some comfort and solace, but also to dispense a little tough love and make her truly examine the parts of herself that allowed her to abuse the trust of so many readers and friends.
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Thanks for your statement Anjali, well written!
Comment by Gina September 16, 2011 @ 10:16 amI saw a post about this on Jezebel and immediately thought of you. Thanks for addressing in on your blog!
http://fashionistalab.com
Comment by The Fashionista Lab September 16, 2011 @ 10:23 amAnjali, I like you. :)
As much as this whole situtation sucks (I hate that word), I like that it’s really made me appreciate bloggers like you and Tara – women who are absolutely WHY the blogging community is so powerful and wonderful.
While this situation should not be forgotten, as was a powerful lesson on trust and popularity, I hope that with a new week, we can all get back to ‘normal’. Blogging is (and should) a carefree hobby, and I hope it continues to be so.
Comment by ashley September 16, 2011 @ 10:26 amI completely agree with this comment! :D
Comment by Sara September 16, 2011 @ 11:49 amI think you brought up a great point that I didnt read much of in all of the comments made on other blogs addressing this scandal… the fact that Kim is a human being and shouldnt have been put on a pedastal and simply trusted because of her “status”. The truth is that we as fellow consumers do not KNOW her, and shouldnt be so quick to trust someone who lives far from our reach. It is sad that she felt the need to do this again, and that she refuses to take blame for it. I hope that she is held accountable, because stealing money(especially thousands of dollars) is nothing to be excused as just her being “overwhelmed”. Thank you Anjali for handling this so classily.
Comment by natalye September 16, 2011 @ 10:42 amI agree w/ this. Anjali made an important distinction when she said, “I’ve known OF Kim,” not “I’ve known Kim.” A lot of people apparently thought the latter when they had no idea who she really is, but just had a vague concept of this persona she projected through her blog.
Comment by Kelly September 16, 2011 @ 4:22 pmYou know, I am just so confused as to WHY she would act like this, especially in such a public forum. She was starting to get fairly successful with her blog (shopping events, increased sponsorship, interviews, etc). Truly mind-boggling. I’m sorry, but everyone goes through personal problems, but not everyone scams people out of money under the guise of being “overwhelmed.” If one is truly overwhelmed, post a blog note and shut down your personal shopping service! It’s really very simple!!!
To me, she was just a regular person with a semi-large blog following. Not sure why people were idolizing her or afraid to cross her…
Comment by Chrissy September 16, 2011 @ 10:55 amThanks for this, you captured some of the thoughts I had but couldn’t quite put into words. I wasn’t surprised by the whole thing myself, but I didn’t really know her so I don’t feel betrayed either. I really don’t understand the idol worship she received to begin with, and unfortunately I see a lot of signs that putting bloggers on a pedestal isn’t going away.
Comment by LC September 16, 2011 @ 11:43 amLC, I didn’t get a chance to comment on your post earlier, but I just wanted to say that I really appreciated your words as well. Just the way you started that post — “I don’t automatically see a correlation between stealing and shopping addiction.” I understand why lots of bloggers are making these posts and are generally useful, but let’s face it, there are lots of people who are deep in debt who still don’t steal. And there are even lots of people who are financially stable and still do. Ultimately I think trying to find the cause of Kim’s behavior on our end is pretty fruitless, but even if her money habits contributed, they’re definitely not the only factor.
Comment by goldenmeans September 17, 2011 @ 2:58 amI just love your last paragraph. Beautifully said. Anthroholic was the first fashion blog I ever read, I found it by accident right after it started, googling a strapless anthro dress I wanted to show my SO. I was fascinated that people would try on clothes and take pictures and give reviews. I fell into all these different fashion blogs, I loved the stress relief and the pictures and the “easy reading” they offered.
I can’t believe how many feelings this scandal aroused in me. I wasn’t ripped off, but I felt betrayed. I cheered Kim for starting her ‘business’, finding her new job, and the recovery of her beloved Simon. I just feel so duped. I guess I am a bad judge of character and need to watch the trust and interest I misguidingly bestowed on a stranger.
I feel for the people scammed, her friends & family that will need to help her, her – it’s just such a mess and it’s all happening so publicly. This will get picked up by a major paper – I can see the headline – the downsides of the blogger life!!! How miserable.
Comment by Miss Fig September 16, 2011 @ 11:59 amI’ve read through hundreds of comments on this matter, and I have to say that I’m completely mystified and saddened by the heartlessness of some of the commentors. This woman appears to have made a series of unfortunate, egregious, and possibly even illegal mistakes. And, of course, that warrants concern and even anger, especially by those who were directly affected. But the ruthlessness and vitriolic hatred that some people are spewing on some of the forums is cruel and unnecessary, and it makes me more than want to distance myself from this community :(
Comment by Rachel September 16, 2011 @ 12:16 pmi’m not being hateful when i say kim has acted horribly! i can’t feel sorry for her. i actually haven’t posted anything on any of the blogs (i rarely do if ever)… anyway, she took over $300 from me and i didn’t get it back for 8 months and 76 emails later!! Minus the feels of course. Apparently there are lots of others like me too. How is that ” *possibly* illegal ” !?
Comment by newposter September 16, 2011 @ 9:31 pmAw, let’s not fight you guys. newposter, I don’t think Rachel was referring to you or most of the wronged parties necessarily, but I agree there have been some harsh things said on various forums that go beyond being merely upset with Kim. Some stuff I’ve read on GOMI and other places honestly makes me a bit sick.
Comment by goldenmeans September 17, 2011 @ 3:02 amI’ve already told you in email that I think you’re a class act, and it holds true. Thank you for opening up about the incidents on the fashion forum–I think it helps vindicate everyone she took advantage of, and it also exposes a serious pattern of behavior that absolutely can’t be ignored or explained away by Kim’s desperate (to use your word) attempts to paint herself as the victim.
One things I’d really like to add, though, is that even though it seems like Kim may be at a crisis point right now (and I do have some compassion for her on that front), we as a community have to stay vigilant. She could–and maybe she already has–try this again on another forum or in a different way. It’s important that all of us make sure we look out for each other. Desperate people sometimes have a hard time not falling into the same patterns of behavior, and Kim absolutely cannot be allowed to scam anyone else.
Comment by Lauren S. September 16, 2011 @ 12:17 pmThis is true Lauren. While I’m troubled by some of the uber-hate I’ve been hearing, the calls to leniency (“It was just an innocent mistake, I forgive her,” etc.) actually make me feel a bit stressed inside. Part of the reason I posted this was that I felt people should know that this wasn’t the first time it happened and this attitude might enable a repeat of this behavior in some new channel further down the road.
Comment by goldenmeans September 17, 2011 @ 3:05 amI agree with others that you are, as Lauren said, a total class act. This is such an important post because so many of us feel a sadness or pity for Kim and her situation. You remind us that this crime has happened before and very well could happen again if Kim’s victims do not file complaints with the appropriate authorities.
I hope this does not shatter your trust in people. As Anne Frank said, “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” Not to compare this to Anne Frank’s situation of course, but the beautiful quote is transcendant nonetheless.
Comment by Jewish Girl September 16, 2011 @ 1:22 pmThank you for taking the time to give your honest take on all of this. This is my first comment and will be my last post I choose to read (about the drama)… because this is the one I most relate to. I have been a silent follower of most of these blogs and have been “reading” them for about a year and a half now. I use the term “reading” loosely because as much as I enjoy the insightful, intelligent ones (like yours, Tara’s, Roxy’s…) I always felt that Kim’s blog was harder to take seriously. Not that an anthro blog needs to been taken “seriously”… what I mean is that many times I felt her tone was flakey and somewhat narcissistic. I am not trying to criticize and kick her when she’s down and I realize that I may be alone in feeling this way, but I couldn’t help but always cringe when reading her fitting room reviews. Maybe it’s just me, but she always came across as the insecure, competitive type of friend you secretly rolled your eyes about. Now it all seems to make more sense, as her issues run deeper than just on the surface superficiality. I’m sad for her, her family and all the trusting souls she took advantage of. I am also sad for the loss of time and energy spent by all of us who have been so invested in this train wreck… whether it be from time lost spent recouping their money or time lost just spent reading countless comments. I think we all could use a change of subject… and a nap.
Comment by Bre September 16, 2011 @ 1:45 pmi have a hard time taking seriously the people who are taking this time to unload all the negative thoughts they have ever had about kim, down to her clothing reviews no less.
it makes sense that people would think their snark would be acceptable now that it seems to be open season on kim… but i for one don’t think it is.
Comment by meena September 16, 2011 @ 8:26 pmBre, I could not agree with your last line more! I cannot believe how drained this whole ordeal has made me feel, and I can only imagine how it has affected certain others. I stayed away from my blog all day after publishing this because I just needed to clear my headspace (I even purposely wore something other than Anthro) and I think I will try to spend my weekend devoted to much happier things before I come back to blog again.
Comment by goldenmeans September 17, 2011 @ 3:10 amI am glad bloggers are expressing their views on this scandal and not keeping mum. We readers want to know what everybody’s thoughts are on this and what their personal experiences are if any.
You and Tara expressed yourself in very classy way.
As for my views on this, I am still having a hard time believing that she did what she did. She had everything going for her. In less than a year she had 2000+ subscribers, Anthro was inviting her to exclusive events (Bhldn pre-release), local Anthro stores invitations for events and gifts like Caranday dress (wonder what that store manager must be thinking right now), interviews, sponsorships and a place in blogging community. Why would any sane person destroy all that? She could have been so successful (and rich too) in the process if she would have kept it honest. She could easily have made a career out of it. Unfortunately she destroyed it all. That too for what? For short term gain. Before she started scamming people, she should have known that she will be able to scam only so many people before it got out. And when (not IF but WHEN) it does get out she will be in deep trouble. Now she may even face criminal charges, have a criminal record, and all for what, few thousands dollars (I am sure those few are many thousands) but still not enough compared to what she could have had if she would have been honest and kept going like any dedicated blogger out there. She would have seen her popularity increase and get bigger oppourtunities to make a bigger name in fashion blogging world.
I fail to understand why someone would be a moron and do something like that.
I feel for the people who have lost money. I havent lost any money to her still feel the effects of it. My Anthro love (may be craze) is kind of dwindling. It was exciting, waiting for tuesday mornings to see whats on sale. Check the wishlist few times a day to see if there are any popbacks. Read community people reporting the store inventories for some hard to find items. But now after all this, I feel I need to step back and re-evaluate my love for Anthro. This whole experience has soured my hobby or past time or craze, whatever one wants to call it. It so easy to fall in trap when I am blinded by “I have to have this dress or skirt or top” attitude. I would like to be objective than emotional about my Anthro purchases.
Its also a shame the effect it will have on people selling or buying Anthro stuff. Everyone will have doubts. I have had some really good experience buying thru EA and have sold once too and tried to make it as smooth and pleasant as I could for the buyer. And I have acquired some stuff that I absolutely love to wear. But now it will be not that exciting to browse the Buy and Sell posts. There will be doubts if this is a genuine seller or will she behave the same.
I hope people who were directly involved get their money back and I do mean the whole thing not minus the finders fee charge. And the person responsible for making so many people miserable and suffer, faces some serious consequences.
Comment by R September 16, 2011 @ 2:19 pmAnd it would also be good to know what consequences so that all of us can have some kind of closure.
Kim actually had more followers than Roxy does (she had something like 2500!) She must have a real self-destructive streak to throw all of that away.
I doubt she will ever be able to go into Anthro again and be positively received. This is just turning out to be too big and the amount of money she bilked people out of is large. I bet she doesn’t even want to go in.
It doesn’t make me happy to say that however, it makes me very sad. Why destroy your own life?
Comment by Ci September 18, 2011 @ 11:27 pmDear Anjali,
Comment by s September 16, 2011 @ 4:36 pmI think what I find distressing about this whole incident is that it her actions are being referred to as mistakes. If the blogger in question truly was unable to keep up with the requests for items, she should never have taken on new clients, but she did. I feel that that in doing so her actions were not mistakes. There were also numerous times in the past year or so where she has referred to people bullying or harassing her on other blogs; in hindsight they might have been people speaking out about her actions. This habit of playing the victim appears to have worked: it led people to back off and not hold her accountable in a manner that could have limited the extent of the damage done. I know it is not easy for those affected and perhaps with money in hand they do not feel like pursuing the matter further but I hope they find it within themselves to report this to the proper authorities. If someone robbed your home, the simple act of returning your stuff does not undo the robbery.
Nicely written.
Comment by Bronzi September 16, 2011 @ 4:59 pmAnjali, thank you for a thoughtful and rational take on this matter. There are two purported issues here: personal responsibility, and status quo. I think we can all agree at this point that the number one culprit in this particular crisis was the perpetrator’s character (or addiction, whichever school of thought you align yourself with) – an issue of personal responsibility.
Many have pointed out that status quo was to blame for this mess. I cannot fully agree with this assessment of the situation. At most, I will concede that *perceived* status quo was to blame, not for her actions, but for the fact that many of the victims kept mum for as long as they did. I do think it is a mistake, though, to put the entire blame on this perceived hierarchy in what seems to be an effort to make popularity synonymous with tyranny, impunity, etc. After all, if we submit that Kim was a free agent, responsible for her own deeds, we must also concede that the public (readers, community members) is, too. People read and follow what they find interesting. There’s no giant conspiracy at work here. If Kim had not already had these unethical proclivities, I hardly think that she would have done what she did, regardless of how highly regarded she is in the community. Had that been the case, then we’d probably have people coming out of the woodworks accusing Roxy of robbing them too.
Sorry for the rambling comment, and thank you for a providing a forum for me to say this without fear of being attacked.
Comment by Tara B September 16, 2011 @ 6:04 pmYou are free to ramble here anytime Tara :) For my part, I honestly do not want to even begin to delve into the reasons for Kim’s behavior or how it was allowed to persist — just thinking about the subject at this point leaves me drained — but I do agree that popularity is not tyranny, and cannot be the sole reason to blame here. I did not really understand the point of some posts made to this argument recently.
Comment by goldenmeans September 17, 2011 @ 3:14 amAlways nicely put, Tara!!!
Comment by Cindi September 17, 2011 @ 11:28 pmYou are a true class act. Well written post, shedding some additional light on the history of Kim’s actions. I am someone who believes in second chances and forgiveness, when earned. I also believe in accountability. I’ve met many a person in my career (criminal justice, believe it or not!!) who, when not held responsible for their actions, continue and escalate their behaviors. I see it on a regular basis. I feel like these forums for discussion are so cathartic for all of us, victims and readers, alike. But even if we feel better because money is returned, it doesn’t make what happened okay. That’s why reporting is so so important. We don’t want to see anyone victimized again. It must stop here.
Comment by Gingergirl September 16, 2011 @ 6:42 pmGreat post Anjali! I think we can all take some time to step back and think about blogging…it’s so easy to get caught up in the Anthro excitement and buy things because they look great on other bloggers (oh boy am I totally guilty of doing this) and I’m very glad that Roxy, Jewish Girl, and Tara have all mentioned future emphasis on budgeting and money management. I’ve noticed over the years that I’ve been reading your blog that you always mention your budget and I’ve always appreciated it and it’s nice to know that you create a budget and stick to it
Comment by Sahiti September 16, 2011 @ 7:38 pmHas anyone else read Confessions of A Shopaholic? This whole thing with Kim reminds me of that book. The character in the books is very good-hearted but in denial about her finances and spending…the situation with Kim is more complicated since she acted irresponsibly from regular people, not an anonymous-seeming bank…but there are so many similarities!
Comment by Lucia September 16, 2011 @ 9:55 pmEveryone — Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and share your thoughts. I really appreciate your words and knowing your personal reactions to some of this mess. By the way, I really should have been better about replying to you all in real-time, but honestly I had to take a break after posting this morning — I find that after two days straight of watching this drama unfold and explode, the subject has now began to stress me out to the point of exhaustion. I might need another day or so away to clear my head and find a way to move on from all this.
Comment by goldenmeans September 17, 2011 @ 3:26 amPerhaps the new season of Glee of How I Met Your Mother will help because they both start this week and we know we’ll probably see some fun items in the character’s wardrobes!
Comment by bringjoy2theworld September 17, 2011 @ 4:54 pmAnjali, thank you for the history. I had no idea. Thankfully I never used her “services” either, but…. wow….Guess I’m naive…..and totally shocked. I’m exhausted from reading different sources, trying to piece together the timeline of it all, and then there’s GOMI. A hobby out of poking fun at fashion bloggers? Really? Exhausting. Thank you for your post…can’t wait to move beyond the nasty dust of the past week.
Comment by Molly Hansen September 17, 2011 @ 9:31 am[...] the debacle, exposing her actions, and bloggers who have put their two cents in as well: Roxy, JG, Anjali, Dea, Tara, Tracy, Jess, and if I missed anyone….please forgive me. It’s deplorable [...]
Pingback by A Resurgance Stimulus: Anthrofied DIY Challenge and a $25 Anthropologie Giftcard! | Anthromollogies.com September 17, 2011 @ 3:33 pmYes, thank you for the insights. Even though there is no excuse for what Kim did, it is nice to hear that those of us who want justice and are reporting to the FBI (I just did) aren’t just exercising “vengeance.” I don’t feel sorry for her at all, she made poor choices and now she will have to live with them.
http://thequickredfoxblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/anthroholic-scam-no-lullaby-for-this.html
Comment by The Quick Red Fox September 17, 2011 @ 6:21 pmI think the best thing anyone can do is report to the FBI. One reason why this behavior on Kim’s part has been allowed to continue for years is because no one did anything legally about it.
Comment by Kate September 18, 2011 @ 8:00 amHi Anjali, thank you so much for this blog entry. I, like some of the other girls that read Kim’s blog idolized her. Guilty! I really appreciated what you said and thank you for being so candid and honest. I shared an email sent to me by Kim on Sept. 15th after I sent her some photos I took of her here:
http://www.authenticforum.com/anthropologie-section/204468-where-oh-where-my-maryam-tank-4.html
I had to think very long and hard before copy and pasting this in but decided I would do this because word need to get out on what type of a person she really is. Saying things like what’s being said about her were “speculations” and that what people are saying are “lies” and also that people “jump on the bandwagon” is just ridiculous to me. She belittled me by telling me this and thinking I’d believe it. Not to mention she asked me to send all her photos to her! She’s a thickskinned con-man and i felt it was important to show that side of her to the public.
Thank you!!! :)
Comment by Cindi September 18, 2011 @ 12:24 amAnjali, thank you for posting this. I only just read about this today as I have been too busy at work to even look into the Anthro blogs lately.
I am sad to hear this as I got to know Kim through e-mails. She always seemed kind, friendly, helpful. Now I am upset because what she has done is outright criminal, she lied many times, and then denied it. Really pathological behavior.
I once tried her shopping service almost two years ago and had a bad experience, so for her to say things got beyond her is a ridiculous lie. Not for two years of continuing to take thousands of dollars from people.
I hope that people press charges. This is definitely criminal, and it seems Kim has a problem with telling the truth and is always blaming others.
I heard in about 5 different e-mails from her about how “some problem she used to have on a fashion forum” was due to people who were jealous of her. I then heard her talk about some guy who was stalking her and “was just crazy.”, so she said. Now all the stories of her stealing thousands of dollars and lying that she never received people’s e-mails, etc.
Everything is one big grandiose lie. I think this lady needs serious help and to be prosecuted too. I am not trying to be harsh, but just how many years can someone get away with all this?
Comment by Caralie September 18, 2011 @ 4:48 amIt makes me so upset to hear that Kim characterized people that were her friends and showed her nothing but kindness and understanding and support even after she crossed them as “jealous.” I think perhaps she honestly believes some of her own lies and that is truly scary. I did not want to make my blog post above prescriptive and just though I should limit it to sharing my feelings and experiences, but I do actually agree with you that her victims should definitely be pressing charges against her; it may be the only way that she actually learns.
Comment by goldenmeans September 18, 2011 @ 11:39 amI don’t mean at all to belabor the point, but I just read on 2 other blogs that apparently Kim was providing totally fake tracking numbers to people.
The unfolding depth of this scam bothers me. A lot. I hope it is dealt with via the appropriate legal channels.
Comment by Anon September 18, 2011 @ 6:16 amI unfortunately have to agree with the post that stated Kim was a very skilled manipulator. This is not about a person’s shopping getting out of control, it’s criminal and part of a much bigger problem.
I received several e-mails from her stating she was being stalked by a guy, that she had a lot of haters on a fashion forum who were” jealous” of her, even herd from her that now a neighbor was stalking her. All too unbelievable.
Now I read that she is telling people her father had cancer and her brother in law was suicidal – all of these given as reasons why she could not deliver their purchases. My experience with being e-mails friends with her for several years was that she always had some story of why she was the victim – and I doubt any of them were true.
I also read several people stating she made up false tracking numbers for their packages. I hope this is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Comment by Anon September 18, 2011 @ 6:33 amApparently this problem is continuing. Several readers posted on EA that a payment Kim promised to refund them was just returned due to a closed bank account.
Comment by Anon September 18, 2011 @ 7:04 amI read this too. Horrifying, but I admit, not entirely surprising. I was wondering how she had the funds to provide all these refunds. Guess she actually did not.
Comment by goldenmeans September 18, 2011 @ 11:47 amAnjali, you are truly a class act. I have always loved your blog, and very much admired you since I started reading the Anthro-centric blogs in late 2009, because I truly think of you as a lady.
I very much appreciate you sharing your experiences, as well as your opinion on what has happened this week. I think that your experience really cements the fact that this isn’t something that should just be pushed to the side, and that those she wronged should just be glad to be refunded and move on. This is a criminal act that took a lot of calculating, and has happened before, and could very well happen again.
Now, for some of the above comments, I feel that I may be one of the ones that may be considered more “heartless.” I don’t mean to come off that way, but given your response, as well as that of Tara, Dea, and others, I feel that that may be the case.
Comment by Lauren September 18, 2011 @ 10:51 amLauren, for the record, I don’t think you’re heartless at all! While I don’t like the idea of vengeance, I must say that I am quite in favor of reporting Kim to the authorities. If for no other reason, then at least to make sure she can’t ever do this to another hapless dunce like me again.
Comment by Tara B September 18, 2011 @ 10:56 amThanks Tara. It means a lot that you are in agreement with me!
Comment by Lauren September 18, 2011 @ 8:46 pmLauren, I absolutely do not consider you heartless! I was not referencing your words at all. I think you have every right to be upset, and honestly, I thought it was very commendable that you were able to articulate your anger without resorting to using any sort of vitriolic language.
Comment by goldenmeans September 18, 2011 @ 11:33 amWell I am certainly glad to hear it Anjali! And thank you ♥
Comment by Lauren September 18, 2011 @ 8:47 pmIf she took money with no intent of following up on what she promised or refunding it, she is a criminal. In Illinois, where she’s from, that makes her a criminal. If the amount of money is more than a few bucks, she could be a felon. And because she ripped people off using the internet, she could be a serious, class x felon. Any victims should call 311 and report her crimes, and hopefully the blogger is lawyering up.
Comment by Caro September 18, 2011 @ 11:21 amAm I the only one noticing many Anthro centered bloggers have closed their accounts or made it “private”?? It’s horrible!!!! : (
Comment by CW September 18, 2011 @ 6:32 pmAnjali, what you said about Kim trying to paint herself as the victim of persecution really rings true. When she said in e-mails to me that two different people were stalking her (two? really?), it did not sound real. Then all the stories about people from that prior forum who were out to get her and she was a victim. She also said something about a neighbor harassing her – victim again. It sounds as if she has told similar stories to others, and I’m just so tired of seeing people play the victim card for sympathy.
Thank you for you comments and concern about everyone who was and continues to be affected by this. You are a shining star in our community.
Comment by Ci September 18, 2011 @ 11:20 pmAh… I just adore your blog. Thank you for posting. I use to read Anthroholic but became leary of a bunch of things/stories I just felt didn’t add up and haven’t read in over a year. I think what you said in this post very much needed to be said.
Comment by Layla September 19, 2011 @ 1:35 pm