- Report: #1258637
Complaint Review: Gemma Touchstone Party Style - Irvine California
Reported By:
Ritzy Parties, Inc. -
Foothill Ranch, California, USA
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Confirmed
Why?
Gemma Touchstone Party Style
72 Duet Irvine, 92612 California, USA
Web:
Ilovepartystyle.com
Categories:
Business Rating:
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Gemma Touchstone Party Style GemmStone EventsPartyStyle MagazineThe Cake ExpoGemma BookerTouchstone Photography Scam Alert- cons artists/designers out of services/products Irvine California
Gemma Touchstone offered multiple opportunities for my firm to be published in her magazine and book. Three times, I assembled a team to produce collaborative material at my own cost, and withheld the professional images from being released, and requested the same of the other collaborators because Gemma had promised that they would be featured on the cover of her magazine "PartyStyle". In dealing with Gemma, it became clear that the magazine is not a real publication and she did not ever produce the magazine despite her claims. My team of models, artists, bakers, photographers, furniture and prop rentals, formalwear providers and myself, an event coordinator, were all left empty handed with nothing to show for the free work we provided to her for two covers between January and July of 2015. The combined work for those shoots is valued in the several thousands. Gemma also asked me to prepare a third custom shoot for a book she was publishing. The shoot was a mermaid themed birthday party. All items were required to be original concept with a focus on artisan handmade items. We assembled a team of models, custom decor, custom baked goods, props, custom jewelry, furnishings, artists, and photography and spent and entire day shooting images for the purpose of creating a spread that would be included in the book. In the interim, Gemmas true nature came to light when we began planning a convention together called the Cake Expo. I had signed a well known celebrity chef to appear at the event, and Gemma had paid a minimum deposit for his appearance. The celebrity cancelled his appearance soon after signing due to a scheduling conflict, yet, for another month, Gemma continued to sell tickets and promote the event with his image, until I pulled my company support from the event and informed the agency of the celebrity chef that I had done so. They contacted her and asked her to stop promoting with his likeness and claiming he would be appearing. She also sent emails out from my assigned cake-expo email address , presenting herself as me, in an effort to preserve the event and the relationships I had fostered in producing the event. I worked full time on the event for over a month, devoting time, expense and effort to promoting, selling vendor space, bringing demonstrators and talent to the event, and creating contests, legal documents and online content for the event, all with the promise that the profits from the event would be divided evenly. When pressed for a contract the relationship with Gemma disintegrated quickly and it was stated by her that there was no budget, no timeline, and that the event would likely not realize any profit. Between that and the celebrity chef issue, I pulled support, and attempted to part ways with Gemma. Gemma accused me of slander and lashed out venomously in an onslaught of vicious text messages. I had to ultimately block her from contacting me further. In retaliation, she removed the mermaid photo shoot from the book, again, costing me thousands with nothing to show for it. Gemma has a storied history of purporting similar scams against artists and creatives in the childrens apparel, bridal and events industries in the past on multiple occasions, on etsy, online and in person, making promises of fame and fortune, and exposure to her many facebook and Instagram followers, and via her magazine, which is actually a shell, online-only publication that she throws together once or twice a year as she sees fit. She is always ready with a fluid response for why she does not fulfill her end of commitments, and squirms her way out of responsibilities and accountability by blame shifting, making claims of slander, and becoming aggressively confrontational in an effort to get the other party to back down. She is very charismatic and refers to herself as an influencer, an expert, a public figure, an event planner, a magazine editor, the list of her titles goes on and on. In fact she is a social and professional vampire, who profits on riding the coat tails of others, collecting and then selling the talent, products and services of others.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Reputation says it all
#2Author of original report
Sat, October 03, 2015
Your reply is noted, does not change my stance. The rest of the team who worked in the three shoots and various other projects involving you will gladly attest to same. In fact, you have a long history of grievances aired against you and your many aliases, Gemma TouchStone, The Cake Expo, GemmStone Productions, Touchstone Photography, Child Style, Party Style. The list of identities and names you hide behind goes on and on, each has a trail of "disgruntled workers", my experience is just one of many, anyone who searches your name online, on etsy, will clearly see this isn't the first time a complaint like mine has been lodged against you.
Report Attachments
Bummed
foothill ranch ,California,
USA
lower than low disgruntled worker
#3REBUTTAL Owner of company
Sat, October 03, 2015
christy troxell of Ritzy Party / Ritzy Parties orange county party planner wrote this report after a falling out due to her self inflated sense of self and ego. It is truly lower than low to write a rip off report. Seriously "friend" this is so unbelievable. NO your party was not included in the book that my photographer compensated by myself shot because A book is a special thing and accomplishment in a personas life and after you proved to be well "A horrible person" it was pulled from the book.
The opportunity was extended after you duped me the way you do so many to believe you were someone you clearly are not, as I saw after spending several days with you and they way you talk about and treat people who you think can do something for you.
You say your firm, you work from your kitchen table like so many of us. riding the coat tails of others? this is you to a T a little projecting going on there. You dropped the ball and then did what ever you could to act like you didnt.
You were provided with a non compante that you stated was to generic for you, when asked what you wanted changed or what part didnt work you stated Im not going to write my own contract. where do you go from there? nowhere thats where. There is no legitamite history of profiting off creatives and if you are suggesting I dont work 14 hour days creating oppertunites and working in and for my business and clients you are seriously mistaken and I can have many attest to that.
The proof is in the pudding, no I do not create opportunities for the type of people that turn to a public forum like rip off report. That I am sure you are well aware is in it self a site based on extorting people since the only way you can remove a report is to pay countless $$$$ to a company owned by them.
Please recall that when you were telling me off on the phone - part of your one sided view was to please remove your work from my magazine I gladly did what you wanted. I did notice though that you left everything up with my logo on your social media showing your work was to be featured on the cover of the magazine that you now call a shell. as a side note we publish 4 time a year the dates are not set in stone much like a Blog and the publishing dates font efect the fact we have over 100,000 readers. ( and you can verifiy that through one of the many online sorces ) Please choose did you want to be included because it seems you can use my brand to promote yourself but write a rip off report when it suites your needs.
I am a straigth shooter you state I have made promises of fame and fortune? WHAT is that, that dosnt even sound like me I have never promised that to anyone. Even the hightest paid PR agents dont promise or even tell you its possible. this article you have written is so inflated you even started with and exageration - you had your first shoot done and asked me to feature it the next one my photographer shot becasue you stated yours sucked and it was for my book - but you became so mean and hurtful and hard headed it was impossible to work with you and when someone has you in tears why should you share your hard earned oppertunity with them? and on top of it you told me to pull it so I did.
But I guess its just your way of dealing with things. Your concistant efforts and phone calls to sabotage my work and projects is beyond and comprehension. I knew your phone calls and untrue letters to everyone I know In my business was crazy but now I see this and I now just feel bad for you since you are clearly off your rocker - christy troxell of Ritzy Party / Ritzy Parties you seriously are beyond compare - A mean girl. I really dont have the time nor energy for all the foolishness you seem to be dedicating a ton of time to - The way you handled your loss of the styling awards at the LA cookie Con should have been a red flag lesson learned but honestly if you continue with these shenanigans I will have to take legal action.
- When you met me I extended amazing opportunity to you - like a "friend " would
- you had opportunity for magazine cover
- your daughter was featured in a national advertising for a national retailer
- you joined me at a well know conference and met amazing people when I invited you
- I shared media contacts with you to help you permote you company
- you were able to represent your company at the Golden Globes gifting lounge at no cost to you when I gave my spot to you.
not once did you ever say thank you but act like it was owed to you, and now you write this. It's actually unbelievable and so on. This is an example of the problem with the friendship the fact that you would take every opp then turn when you dont like something in not the proper way to conduct yourslef as a human being christy troxell of Ritzy Party / Ritzy Parties
If you had not turned crazy when you did not get your way and I did not want a "partner" in my company you turned down right evil leaving my no choice but to exit and salvage what I could.
So there is not much I can do about this but, I do great work and I make amazing oppertunites and work with people that like working with me and that I am greatful for after 17 years in business you are bound to run into a couple nuts and this is one of those times to expect me to include your work after you told me not to in anger then get mad when its not included is extreamly confussing. I OWE YOU NOTHING christy troxell your tactics are tiering. You can write a rip off report but the 20 other pages of happy clients and business partners speak for themself. these kinds of disputes are disagreements it is not normal to blow it up and post it online.
Ritzy Parties Takes no responsibilty for asking us to pull her work from our magazine, never signing a release to use them writes this report for not including her, then states that we dont do any work and the magazine is not real. Why be upset about not being included in something that is so horrible?
