Any familiar with innisbrook.com?

[tiggerlover]

DS just brought home a fundraiser for school (imagine that) and they have asked that the kids not go door to door, but to register at their site (http://www.innisbrook.com) and have friends and family order online with the student getting credit. Well I have been trying to access the site since yesterday and have been having great difficulty....it is very frustrating. So I was wondering if any other parents have used this company and if they have experienced problems, or perhaps it is only temporary. If others have had problems I don't want to ask our family to have to navigate the site. Also, is anyone familiar with this companies products? Good or bad I'd like to hear it, this online fundraiser thing is new to us.

Thanks.

 

[jmmom80]

yes, our kids do the same fundraiser, and we've never had a problem with the site. family and friends from out of state have ordered things, and the school/child still gets the credit.

 

[Loubon]

We have never had the web site part but their products are excellent. As a matter of fact, they switched companies two years ago and the quality is not nearly as good as what theirs was.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Oh goodness, the 2 oldest ds just came home with the catalogs yest. I honestly never ordered anything. I know it helps the school but I think the prices are just outrageous, and compared to last year I really think some of the designs really are too werid and ugly, sorry. If I buy anything I will buy the candy and that is about it. We dont have an extended family really and for presents we usually just give anyone money so there goes the wrapping paper, and sorry $6.00 for 100 christmas stickers, I get that many at the dollar store, but on a positive note a friend did tell me the wrapping paper is excellent, very strong and holds up well. Good luck.

 

[tiggerlover]

Thanks for your replies.

I have a piggy back question to this. How would you feel if you received an email (from a friend or relative) telling you about the school fundraiser and giving you a link to the site? I was thinking of adding a line in there that says please don't feel obligated to purchase anything we just wanted to give you the opportunity to shop and support DS's school if you so desired. I was thinking we could send this to DS's closest family (grandma's, aunt's, uncle's and family friends).

 

[newmousecateer]

I LOVE when the neighborhood kids come with the Innesbrook catalog. Their wrapping paper is the best! It is not real thin, and the corners don't rip when wrapping. I order both Christmas paper and the other occasion papers. I love the wrapping "kits"...paper, bows, tissue, ribbon and card-tags that all match in beautiful patterns.

I think adding that line would be good tiggerlover.

 

[kadaten]

Our preschool does Innisbrook, too. I love their papers And their candies are pretty yummy, too

tiggerlover I think your planned email sounds fine. I always say the same thing when I show it around...."Please don't feel obligated to buy, but just in case you haven't gotten paper yet or see something you like, have a look "

Now that my own are selling, though, I feel badly turning away the kids at the doorl We don't usually get strangers....just neighborhood kids you've seen around....

 

[tar heel]

We've done Innisbrook but via catalog instead of website. I think that company and Sally Foster are the best -- huge rolls of very high quality wrapping paper. The worst is whatever our elementary school is doing this year -- lousy paper selection small rolls, and tacky knicknacks.

I can't bring myself to buy the candy (although I have) b/c it's such tiny quantitites for the $.

 

[ripleysmom]

I've heard of them. DD's fundraiser this year is Innesbrook. We used to use Miss Chocolate. I like them because they have an outlet nearby where you can buy the wrapping paper for $1 a roll.

Just wanted to add that maybe a lot of people were registering yesterday and that is why you were having a problem. It could also be that they just started this website and they are having the usual startup problems.

 

[CrazedDisFan]

We are just wrapping up (no pun intended) our school's Innisbrook Fundraiser today.

I had discussed with our Sales Rep, this morning, the trouble with there website. (We had a couple complaints of S--L--O--W loading pages on innisbrook.com)

She stated they(sales reps) received an email letting them know the site problems should now be better by this afternoon. They were receiving an enormous amount of hits and had to fix their servers to handle the hits.

Anyways... on the subject of Innisbrook... we have used them for multiple years now and the product complaints seem to be very low.

However, I think our parents are just about Innisbrooked out. I have heard lots of "It's the same stuff as last year!".

I hope your school does well with their sale. Unfortunately, if the PTO/PTA groups don't raise funds, our children will be left behind. There just isn't the money out there for 'extras' like there used to be. At our school field trips, art supplies, music supplies fail in that extra category.

 

[ksjayhawks]

We have used Innisbrook for 4 years and are extremely happy with their product. Another plus is that each child's orders come boxed together and easily marked. The quality is very good and the rolls of paper are large. We always put a roll of discount store wrap up and a roll of Innisbrook up for comparison.

Plus we get a huge % of the sales back to our school.

One caution about only using the website is the shipping fees. We were going to email grandma and aunts and a few close friends that live out of state, but when I went on to do a "test" order so I could check out shipping fees, it was over $7 for a $15 order!!!!!!! That is ridiculous!!!!!!!! If you order $60, it is free, but . . .

For the OP----------Does your PTO?PTA realize what that extra cost would be? Or are they waiving the fees since they want it to all be ordered online? You might want to do a test order and see.

The web site is slow.

 

[disneygals]

We've used both companies mentioned. The wrapping paper is expensive but very high quality. I usually reserve it for adults' gifts. It's a waste of money for the kids' gifts.

 

[tiggerlover]

Thanks all!