E-mailer issues press release

Margaret McHugh, the owner of Auckland's Gourmet Food Store, today issued a press release in relation to the release on to the internet of her e-mail conversation with an employee of Ray White Real Estate about a quotation for catering services.

Ms McHugh's press release says:

''as a self employed successful and extremely busy caterer I make no apology for my direct approach and what some obviously sensitive individuals have clearly mistakenly taken as rude or disparaging comments. As someone who has a longstanding reputation as a straight and honest shooter I always prefer to deal direct with customers but at the same time given my business commitments and as I am often difficult to contact personally I make available as an alternative an email address.

The long hours I work often mean I don't have the time like some to sit on my computer all day playing email ping pong and therefore I am forced to respond to queries outside what others would consider normal work hours

Notwithstanding this I accept I can sometimes be intolerant of those that seem to have some difficulty using their own initative to understand quotations even though the information is clearly spelt out for them. As I do with any customer in response to concern expressed as to the prices I was quoting I invited Miss Johnston to source for herself the strawberries .She appears to have taken offence at the suggestion

What has amazed me is that Miss Johnston then chose to publish my comments to all and sundry via email using her firms email address and under their banner and all during office hours. This then provoked a volley of email responses many in support of me but also many containing very disparaging and clearly defamatory remarks where surprisingly the authors have in their employers time chosen to not only identify themselves but also their employers!!!!

We have examples of emails from many individuals including government employees,senior employees of Fonterra( threatening to copy the email to everyone within that organisation),staff from major accounting firm Price Waterhouse and even an extremely personal attack on me from an employee of my ( now former) insurers Tower Group- all of these emails clearly identify the sender, their employe r and were written in work time.

one has to question how much productivity is lost every day in these organisations from people monitoring and contributing to blogs and chat sites with mindless dribble . I feel I have a responsibility to make contact with these peoples employers and make sure they are aware as to what their staff are up to in their time and under the name of their employers organisation s -

I think there maybe some very surprised employers let alone employees "

Ms McHugh wants to thank all her friends ,business associates , existing and ( the many ) new customers for the tremendous support they have offered her over the last few days

" For an old duck like me who has been in many a good scrap over the years its water off the proverbial but people have showed extreme kindness "

Given I am far from being a generation Y'er I never had much faith in websites but I have had 20000 hits on mine in the past 48 hours which just goes to show any publicity is good publicity!!!!''

Press release ends

› What do you think? Send us your feedback.

- © Fairfax NZ News