Every month after the main podcast is recorded I sometimes manage to keep the girls in front of the microphone just a little longer to answer some listener questions.

Questions we get to this time are.

How do you find unbiased reviews of Cloth Nappies?

Do they leak all the time like disposables?

Do they smell?

 

Transcription: Q&A June 2018

Andrew:         Hello, Vashti.

Vashti:             I'm good, thanks Andrew. How are you?

Andrew:             And Vicki, how are you?

Vicki:              I'm good.

Andrew:             Good good?

Vicki:              Good good. Better than bad tea actually.

Andrew:             Good good. Okay so this is our questions and answers so let's get straight into some questions and answers. How do you find unbiased reviews off [00:00:30] Nappy Leaks?

Vicki:              Independent review sites. I'm a big fan of that. [crosstalk 00:00:35] Product reviews, nappy reviews, google reviews, Facebook reviews. Although, can you hide reviews on Facebook?

Vashti:             No you cannot.

Vicki:              You can edit them. Yep. See I'm all for ones that you can like as a brand and you can't edit.

Vashti:             Yeah no Facebook is quite interesting, you can put a review up on any business's page and whether it's true or not the business [00:01:00] cannot do anything about it.

Andrew:             They can reply to it right?

Vashti:             They can reply to it.

Andrew:             And just say that this is a raving lunatic who-

Vashti:             Well you wouldn't do that as a business if you wanted to keep your integrity.

Vicki:              I don't know, I know a business that has done that.

Vashti:             Well yeah I know businesses that have done that, and it's got them great visibility but I don't know if it's the good sort of visibility. You can appeal to Facebook headquarters, I suppose if that's what you wanna call it, the higher power of Facebook.

Andrew:             [00:01:30] Isn't it just Mark running it?

Vicki:              In the same way as google as well.

Vashti:             Yeah, so if somebody does put up a false review you can appeal that review and Facebook will have a look at it. If you can give enough evidence to prove that it's false they will take it down. But as a business you can't do anything about reviews.

Vicki:              Product reviews actually have got whether the buyer is verified or not so they can actually upload a receipt, [00:02:00] to verify their purchase. So that's always a good one to see whether its a valid review. And the [inaudible 00:02:09] runs the cloth nappy reviews so we've never been asked to take any reviews, the only reviews we do not publish are kind of spiteful, like they've gotta be relating to the product. The only ones that we won't publish and I think there's only been two or three.

Vashti:             I've never seen any.

Vicki:              Yeah, ones [00:02:30] that are directed at the business not the product. Because you're reviewing a product that we now have a star rating for the customer service anyway.

Andrew:             So, if Australia post removes their order, and they post about it with you and the nappy brand that sent the order, that's not acceptable?

Vicki:              Well no, because it's not about the product, it's got nothing to do with the product it's got everything to do with business. That's something that you would find I would expect on google reviews or Facebook reviews, I wouldn't expect to see that on product reviews it's [00:03:00] just not the right format really.

Vashti:             And really there's not much a business can do about Australia post losing a product. They can advocate on your behalf and try to see what Australia Post has done, most cloth nappy businesses once they've exhausted all other methods they will generally out of the goodness of their heart replace the product for you, but that also comes down to the individual terms and conditions.

Andrew:             Well I know Vicki [00:03:30] tries her hardest not to have [inaudible 00:03:32] I'm sure then, but sure one or two a week?

Vashti:             I very rarely send to Australia Post these days, and it's been over twelve months since I used it.

Vicki:              Talking of reviews and Facebook, I tell you what that is one business that should not have a Facebook. [crosstalk 00:03:45] That's Australia Post. It's like, really? The ATO has a Facebook page too, like why?

Andrew:             Probably so they can tell you oh we're gonna crack down on fish and chip shops this year. Get your fish and chip shops in order.

Vashti:             [00:04:00] Facebook reviews is up to the individual business on whether or not they turn those reviews on, some businesses don't have reviews turned on for their Facebook page.

Vicki:              I think it's, well, I don't have anything to hide myself so I've got reviews turned on and I think there's been negative reviews over the years and I think it's also a sign of negative reviews. I don't necessarily see them as a bad thing, it gives you an opportunity to address issues that [00:04:30] aren't public. I don't deal with my customers any differently in private than I would publicly.

Vashti:             I had a bad review not long after I turned reviews on for Nest nappy, and it was an issue that I've been dealing with privately by email with the customer and they weren't happy with my suggestions. Or the way that I was handling the review, or handling the issue, so they placed a Facebook review which wasn't wholly truthful. It [00:05:00] was a lot of things missing from their review, I tried to deal with it publicly and I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing but I had other customers come in and back me up. The complainant ended up taking the review down themselves. At first I was a little bit miffed at getting a bad review but then I realised it's not a bad thing.

Vicki:              No, it's how you respond. Because not everybody is going to have a five star experience [00:05:30] every single time.

Vashti:             And I wouldn't expect everyone to have a five star experience every time. Some days I'm having an off day and I just don't give a five star experience to my customers.

Vicki:              Is that the F word you were really going to use?

Vashti:             (Laughing)

Andrew:             Frank, is that the word you were thinking of? Frank reviews.

Vicki:              Yes, that's it.

Andrew:             So, forgive me for discretion, but I'm just gonna ask and hear what's written. Do they leak all the time like disposables?

Vicki:              Do what leak?

Vashti:             No I've never had a cloth nappy [00:06:00] leak if it was fitted correctly.

Andrew:             Then why did we call this podcast nappy leaks?

Vashti:             Cause we're leaking information.

Vicki:              That was a dad joke.

Andrew:             A dad joke. Next one, do they smell? It depends on what phase they're in really.

Vicki:              It's actually really funny, I saw a Facebook post today in fact, I think it was on clean cloth nappies and she said I filled my nappies with smelling so I think she did a strip and sanitise or something like that, and then she realised [00:06:30] that her baby just had really stinky spots. Well laundered nappies don't smell.

Vashti:             No.

Vicki:              What's gonna cause smell is bacteria, and bacteria comes from dirty nappies. There are some children that do in fact have smelly wee or night nappies tend to smell, but once they're washed nappies should come out of the wash smelling clean and if they don't you need to look at your washer again.

Andrew:             I like watching people feel and play with their nappies [00:07:00] at baby showers, because then I say to them at one stage you're not gonna want to touch this. Do they get nappy rash?

Vicki:              Bacteria causes nappy rash. So leaving your child in a nappy too long is what causes nappy rash and in fact it's more prevalent in disposables than cloth, that is actually a bit of a wise tale. And I think, I was talking to Elizabeth who started [inaudible 00:07:26] nappies, quite some time ago and the whole [00:07:30] more rashes in nappies tended to coincide with the soaking in nappy [inaudible 00:07:36]. Nappy [inaudible 00:07:38] used to be chlorine based, bleach, and it's for sensitivity.

Vashti:             Nappy rash wasn't really a huge thing until disposables were introduced and that's around the times that nappy rash creams came out as well. Wondering if it's just a company's [00:08:00] way of making more money.

Vicki:              Are you saying that there are unethical companies out there Vashti?

Vashti:             Never. Look no, I don't believe that cloth nappies cause nappy rash. I think if you've got a good wash routine and if you're changing regularly you shouldn't have a nappy rash. If you are getting rashes, it could be bacteria, it could be fungal, so you do need to look at what's happening.

Vicki:              Sensitivity to the detergent. [00:08:30] We're not saying that it can't, but it's more the exception than the rule. If you've got a bad [inaudible 00:08:38].

Vashti:             Well I know Mikayla was allergic to disposable nappies, so she was getting really really bad rashes and she would go bright red if anybody used a disposable wipe on her bum as well. We couldn't use any of your mainstream nappy rash creams on her, couldn't use disposable wipes, nothing like that.

Vicki:              I think it's an exception, rather than a rule. [inaudible 00:08:59] kids [00:09:00] are perfectly fine.

Vashti:             Kylin on the other hand had really really acidic wee, so he would rash up when he was teething. But, that was generally combated by me changing him, he was having a reaction to synthetics, so I couldn't use a suede cloth or a [inaudible 00:09:20].

Andrew:             Well done, that's hilarious actually because we had an audio problem and I had to ask the girls that question again and they've given me a completely different answer. So I might have to be including the first answers [00:09:30] that's hilarious.

Vashti:             No?

Andrew:             Yeah cause the cat went past and we had to do the question again.

Vashti:             Yeah? [crosstalk 00:09:36]

Vicki:              But we gave you the same answer.

Andrew:             Sounded completely different to me.

Vicki:              More animated.

Andrew:             More animated, yes, that's it.

Vashti:             More in depth.

Andrew:             Sorry guys we're out of time. Thank you Vicki-

Vicki:              Thanks Andrew.

Andrew:             Thank you Vashti.

Vashti:             Thanks Andrew.