It's One Thing to Steal My Content. It's Another to STEAL My Testimonials!
In the recent past, I've found that others have stolen my content from my website. As if that wasn't bad enough, I just found someone who has TAKEN one of my testimonials.
To say I'm furious is an understatement. As ANYONE, in ANY profession will tell you, a testimonial is like GOLD and represents all the hard effort you put into the job at-hand. Testimonials don't come easy.
Personally, I work hard as a professional home stager in Atlanta and strive to do the very best job at each and every staging. When I receive a testimonial from either an agent, a homeowner, an investor (whomever), it's something I cherish.
Back to the individual at hand - Not only is this person a thief, he is a liar. I don't like liars and I don't know anyone that does. He is mis-leading the public. That to me, is absolutely unacceptable.
And to make matters worse, he resides here in Atlanta. In addition to stealing my testimonial, he has duplicated 22% of my site. That too won't be tolerated.
As the Real Estate Staging Association's (RESA) Ethics Chairperson, I take these matters extremely seriously. As a human being, it's unacceptable.
Here's the testimonial he has STOLEN (this was taken directly from his website):
We had heard that staging would help to sell homes quicker and for top dollar, but weren't sure it was worth it. Nohow would have to agree! We held an Open House 2 days after the house was staged and ended up with 2 offers the next day! The house was under contract that week. At the closing we asked the buyers whether or not the staging helped in making their decision and they said a definite "Yes!" They felt it helped them visualize how their furniture would work in the space and generally made it look more appealing. We would definitely use a Home Stager again!!
Here is MY testimonial that I worked hard for:
We had heard that staging would help to sell homes quicker and for top dollar, but weren’t sure it was worth it. Now we would have to agree! We held an Open House 2 days after the house was staged and ended up with 2 offers the next day! The house was under contract that week. At the closing we asked the buyers whether or not the staging helped in making their decision and they said a definite “Yes!”. They felt it helped them visualize how their furniture would work in the space and generally made it look more appealing.
My testimonial includes the following of which he did not copy:
Kathy was also amazing to work with and went way above and beyond what she was compensated for. Not only did she decorate our flip home beautifully, but she also helped us finish some touchups with our flooring and cabinets while waiting for the furniture to be delivered! Thanks so much, Kathy. You are a gem! We will definitely use Georgia Interior Solutions again!!
On a final note: There's only ONE person who deserved that testimonial and it wasn't him.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A Real Estate Staging Association Finalist for Professional Stager of the Year 2010, Kathy Nielsen understands what it takes to help sell homes quickly. Considered an expert within the home staging industry, and having years of experience, Kathy makes the perfect choice for preparing your home for the market in the Atlanta area.
Website: Home Staging Atlanta
Before and After Pictures: Atlanta Home Staging Portfolio:
Email: Kathy@HomeStagingAtlanta.com
OMG ~ what NERVE! COMPLETELY unexceptable, Kathy!!! (and you just know he going to blame his "webmaster"). Have you contacted him? Is he a member of RESA or here on AR? (AR with suspend his account even if it didn't happen here on AR) keep us informed, I am so sorry.
Wow Kathy that is unbelievable! I'm sure you have contacted them and asked them to remove it from their website. Obviously there is a serious ethics issue here and you are entitled to be angry. You've worked hard for your business!
That is F@#()# rediclious! i would be soo pissed off too that "Stager" should be banned from the industry for LIFE! what a loser he cant even get his own testimonial he should be in business!!
Kathy: Your complaint has been noted and we will begin the RESA Ethics complaint process immediately.
Outlandish! How does he sleep at night? (Why do I care?)
This is terrible Kathy! If this person wants to be a home stager he needs to have creativity. Obviously he must be lacking in this department because if he can't create his own web content, he may also lack the creativity needed to stage a buyer-friendly home.
Please keep us posted on how this all pans out Kathy. The steps you take to handle this serious matter can be a great lesson for all stagers. This could happen to any of us, so knowing how to handle it properly is important. If this ever happened to me I wouldn't stoop to his level of classlessness, but there has to be a remedy to make him accountable for his unethical actions.
What does it say about someone that has to steal a testimonial? Bad enought to take content and/or photos. What's up with this? This kind of thing must happen with other small businesses, right? Maybe we should start outing these thieves. Julie
Wow. Talk about crossing the line. Kathy, you must feel so violated - to have someone take something so meaningful and valued from another person is truly unacceptable. I'm sorry you had to experience this.
Kathy -- This is outrageous and I'm glad that you're pursuing this in every way including through RESA. Let me know if this THIEF is a member of SIF. If so, we'll have him blocked and if he's an A/R member -- you know that Harlan will take care of him!
I just pasted "his" testimonial into google out of curiosity....all I can say is WOW! However, on a positive note...your website is far superior and 100x more professional than his.
If you can't create your own website...how would one ever succeed in any business.
Did he give his "clients" a name or did he use your client's name on his website?
I looked it up, too....and I even think his photos look familiar! His credentials are questionable...he doesn't even show up on the directory of the site he claims to have certified him (Academy of Staging and Redesign). Hm!
He has stolen watermarked pictures for his own portfolio, and doesn't show up as a member of RESA.
Kathy, I am sorry this has happened to you. I am glad this has come to your attention and you are pursuing it. Ethics is vitally important to most of us in this industry. Unfortunately some stagers take whatever they want instead working for it. We need to keep our eyes open and them out of the industry.
Good that you're getting the word out to other stagers, Kathy. This is the lowest of low and I am glad you are nailing him!
First and foremost, thank you all for your support.
After further review, he has stolen MANY of my testimonials. I'm investigating further and plan to take whatever action necessary to put an immediate halt on this. I will keep you posted.
As an FYI - he is NOT a RESA member.
Kathy
Nothing surprises me anymore which is such a sad statement in and of itself. I am also scared to look out there and see what I'll find. Someone stole my bio once, ha.
Good luck in getting it stopped!!
What a LOSER! He needs to be exposed that is not acceptable and he doesn't deserve to be in this business. You get him girl!
This doesn't surprise me either. Kathy, you are a great stager and though it is the stupidest form of flattery... it is going to happen. Good for you for catching it! Makes me want to check our sites now. It is freakin' ridiculous and should be delt with immediately.
Whoa... did a search too. He's not an REA is he, because that name also comes up in that area? If so... you know what path to take on that one! ;) It is still on the original site. He says he is a RESA member? OMG!
What a piece of work he is, deliberately attempting to prey on and play with the hard earned cash equity and precious time of homeowners in need of true professional assistance to help them recoup and move on! He's a lot more than a hack, a thief, and a liar. He is more than a plagiarizer of websites and a mimic of what an ethical stager is and does.
He is an unconscionable predator, and someone whom should be EXPOSED to the degree he has to skitter to hide his sunburned, windburned, and reputation-burned butt under the rock he crawled out from under.
He underestimated the vast ethical community of stagers that comprise the staging industry who value their work and worth, and the work and worth of our fellow stagers, and the work and worth of our industry as a whole.
He can't write original content on the topic of staging, produce original pictures of his work, join RESA, or figure out right from wrong. He wouldn't have lasted 7 seconds on a consult with a conscientious Realtor or a cautious homeowner, and we ALL know that.
I'll bet he has beady little eyes and creepy wet liver lips, too.
~Michelle
Kathy- How dumb! I mean good grief if you're going to do something that brazen, why in the world would you pilfer from someone in your own locale. So not only is this person guilty of being a thief but he doesn't appear to be very bright about how he does it. Good for you for taking action.
Kathy we should start a blog that exposes the copycats - Maybe guilt will drive them to being ethical!
I have to agree with Julea, we should start a post where stagers and redesginers and expose those that use our material...This is so crazy can't believe that it happened...
Great post!
Wonder if he's still in business? Not impressed by the website - only the testimonials which aren't even his! Let us know what you do about this, Kathy! Julie
How did those of you who found the perp's web site do so? I'd like to see it also.
Wow that takes guts. You go get him Kathy!
I found his web site. It's sad. Complete with typos and spelling errors. Annoying, yes. Competition, No.
Just checked it out myself. It's a VistaPrint website, so there is no "websmaster" other than himself to blame. What a shame SHAM!
Jumping back in here, Kathy .... can you see the smoke coming out of my ears, all the way from Atltanta? If not, I'm surprised .. now it's my turn to be fuming!
I just discovered that one of our local stagers here in Portland has claimed -- on every single page of her website -- that one of the HGTV episodes that I did for their show "My First Place" was hers! Are you kidding? She has the RESA banner on her website too, but her membership has expired. What is with these unethical and lazy people that they can't do their own work?
I would send him a demand letter to have it removed and if he does not comply have an attorney address it.
No way, Kathy! I can't even fathom taking someone else's testimonials and claiming they were mine. It wouldn't even occur to me to do that! He must be from some other planet. (And he can go back where he came from!) How did you come to find it?
Thanks everyone for your support with this matter. I never thought in a million years that someone would stoop so low.
As for outing this individual. There's two sides to every coin. One side says "two wrongs don't make a right." And while some may argue that exposing him is not wrong, I'm personally torn. The flip side of that coin is that I do NOT want homeowners, real estate agents, investors, etc... find his site, read those testimonials and believe it to be his that he had earned. He didn't lift a finger in any of those stagings. The only "lifting" he did was from my site.
As it turns out he has stolen 80% of my content and the remaining 20% from another stager. He has stolen 80% of my testimonials with the remaining from two other stagers. And yes, this is a Vista Print site. Even if he were to claim his webmaster did it, he darn well knows that he did NOT receive those testimonials nor earn them.
A letter has been sent and an attorney is on stand by. I will keep you posted on this blog post with the latest.
And Maureen - unbelievable!
Kathy
Hi Kathy, I'm speechless. So sorry to hear this is happening to you. Do what you have to do to stop him from using your info.
Unbelievable Kathy! I am sorry that it happened, but glad they have been exposed and you are aware. Upsetting to learn people choose to run their business in this fashion.
ooohhhhhh noooo.... THIS IS PARTICULARLY DISTURBING! I've been witness too and involved with (in disputes and litigation) some pretty unbelievable unethical stagers but this is right up there. I hope that you not only have the the ethical board against them, but possibly some legal action as well! When they start down this course, it is my experience that there is little they won't do....
This is SO awful Kathy. I'd be furious too. I'm sorry you've had to go through this. I just googled the testimonial as well. Looks as though he has pulled down his site. Just goes to show that we can't let our guards down for a minute.
If he is as lazy with his staging as creating website info............he won't be in business very long
He has removed the entire portfolio/testimonial page, which is good. However, I'm still left with the fact that the duplicate content is still out there.
Work in progress, I suppose. I'll keep this post updated.
Thanks again everyone for your support.
Kathy
Well my investigator skills need polishing, because I couldn't find him by googling the testimonial. I guess it's because he removed the page. Anyways...I am so proud of all the stagers rallying together. Let this be a lesson not to mess with us! It seems you have him running scared!
Kathy, that is so terrible, but now I know how you feel. Just a few minutes ago I learned that a real estate agent/ASP stager stole all of my Frequently Asked Questions and some of my staging photos from my website. I submitted my Active Rain post "But...but...but: Objections to Home Staging Overcome" which is also a featured post like yours on Stage it Forward to ezinearticles.com. They said they found the same content on another site and gave me the link. That's how I discovered that she stole my FAQs and my pictures. I am not sure what to do about it other than confront her. I will also report her to her manager. What did you do when you discovered it?
HI Donna, definitely contact her broker. This is a no no. If she is doing this what other line is she willing to overlook?
Kathy ~Just this week I found TWO different staging websites that lifted my content verbatim. (and I check mine monthly) One, like yours, is within short driving distance - but removed my content within 24 hours of me notifying her. The other was on the East Coast and I believe they have changed their content as well - but the cached version w/ Google is still "out there"....
Please keep us updated to your situation: we're all routing for you
Donna ~Contact RESA about the Realtor stating she is ASP that lifted your content: contacted ASP directly and is that doesn't work contact RESA. RESA has been really working with the training institutes about "watching" their members for plagiarism such as this.