Viewer stole from my house?

@AndeanFlamingo There are multiple recommendations on the Christmas threads from various posters for lots of smaller businesses where posters swear they sell the same. Thread Six on the Christmas thread has quite a few recommendations from what I remember so worth taking a look there. Or you could try the place PP on this thread has mentioned (p17). Scented Barn in Holt also do lovely candles - again they use the same fragrance as Jo Malone use. Pintail Candles are also okay, but they're a bit shifty on what wax they use - although again they use the same fragrances as Jo Malone etc.

Easy scents to find elsewhere are; Lime, Basil and Mandarin, Pear and Freesia, Cranberry, Orange and Cinnamon etc. If you type those scents into something like google or Etsy you'll find dozens of businesses that sell candles using those fragrances.

The reason the big companies a rip off, in my eyes, is they use the same fragrance other sellers (such as those listed above in this post), but they use cheaper wax and then charge an insane amount. What you essentially pay for is actually a cheaper product (because of the wax they use) but you are paying for the label and the name.

Which is absolutely fine, if that's what you want to pay for...but, personally, I would rather have a better quality, less toxic, product for less money!

Like you said, you found candle making too difficult, so would take it you're not an expert on the matter, so will pass thanks.

You still haven't explained why OP is a mug for spending her money to her choosing.

I’m selling the house next year and now shitting myself about allowing anyone to look round unsupervised! I’ll be moving any jewellery/large candies, but genuinely, what if they take a fancy to an ornament or something?

And I am so sorry to @Calcaata for contributing to the derail. You are completely right to be upset and you absolutely should be complaining to the estate agents then police if you feel necessary. And you can spend your money on whatever you like.

@HeatingFiddler Thanks for the info but it doesn't actually explain why you think that more expensive candles are a rip-off. I knew that wax type and fragrance load are the key factors in candle quality but you're claiming that candles with scents identical to Diptyque etc can be bought elsewhere much cheaper. I've never found cheaper candles than Diptyque/Jo Malone etc that are anywhere near the quality and would honestly love to know where these identical but cheaper candles can be found because, in my experience, buying cheap is a complete false economy.

Indeed, or if it was something priceless - i.e. only sentimental value - theft is theft.

It doesn’t matter whether it was a £180 piece of jewellery, an £180 sculpture/piece of art, a £180 bottle of champagne or a £180 candle. The point is that house viewers stole something of that value while being shown round the house by the estate agent. Change estate agents and make a complaint.

It's the momentary value.
Change candle for a stolen piece of £180 jewellery. Would you still not want to "bother" the police over it?

What's the name of your company?

I'm very much of the opinion I'd prefer small sellers who handmake good quality to sellers like diptyque who make their candles from the cheapest possible wax and sell for the highest price.

FWIW that would be my choice too. But the OP is entitled to choose differently and spend £££ on a branded candle without being sneered at and branded a mug.

People would actually bother the police over a candle ! 😳

It's usually about the wax, the type of scent they use and how the candle is poured. For good-value candle alternatives, I love Earl of East, which originates from my neck of woods in East London. The candles burn for ages, the scents are really interesting and linger on. They are hand-poured with soy wax which is a healthier option.
https://www.earlofeast.com/collections/core-line

Edit: not intending to derail the thread further, sorry OP

@Treesandsheepeverywhere it's not guess work. It's based off the wax they use. The wax many big companies use is much cheaper and thus the quality of the fragrance is poorer. See above my detailed explanation 😊

It's knowing what quantities to use and quality scents, bases/carriers, curing time etc.

Same as most things, a slight change in a recipe makes a huge difference, otherwise every lavender candle or oil would smell the same, which they don't.

Being from the same factory doesn't mean the same end product.

Also depends on purity and what other processes the product goes through after being purchased.

Unless @HeatingFiddler has worked at the diptyque factory, it's guess work based on her Etsy experiences and the soaps she makes.

It did.

It's not a rip off if the source ingredients - except the wax which dyptique can keep because their candles are made from parrafin wax (which is not only sourced from petroleum but also contains carcinogens) - all come from the same wholesaler.

We'll have to agree to disagree. I'm very much of the opinion I'd prefer small sellers who handmake good quality to sellers like diptyque who make their candles from the cheapest possible wax and sell for the highest price. 😁

I would be speaking to the manager at the EAs, not the person who attended the viewing. E mailing ahead and then calling to speak to them in person.

This is an appalling breach of trust. I hope that all the nonsense posts about costs and candles don’t stop you from updating us with what the EA has to say.

Once OP has paid all of her bills, it is down to her, and her alone, how she prioritises her financial priorities. Her choices will be different than mine. She might think that my financial priorities are ridiculous. It doesn’t matter.

The bottom line is that OP bought something that brought her joy, and it was stolen. That’s wrong regardless of value. For all we know, OP could have been coveting this candle for ages and saved £10 a month for 18 months until she could afford it. Some people prioritise Botox, vapes, nails, hair extensions, cars, holidays, meals out, clothes, hobbies, etc. It’s up to each person to decide what brings them joy, and they should not be shamed if it is stolen.

I’m sure this type of thing must have happened before, so the EA will have some sort of policy in place.

I’m not commenting on the cost of the candle - it’s entirely up to OP wjat she spends her money on. Personally I don’t like candles because I’m always worried about the potential fire risk but I’m sure there are lots of things I buy thst give me great pleasure but other people would find wasteful. But I’m horrified to hear about things being stolen during house viewings. We are thinking about moving for the first time in over 30 years so the process seems to have changed since we last sold a house. Is it expected now that you go out when people are viewing your house and you leave the agent to show people around? I can’t imagine feeling comfortable leaving a stranger in charge of my house, or that they would be vigilant enough to stop someone popping a valuable little collectible into a pocket when they were looking round the house. And what do you do with pets if you’re expected to go out for hours? I assume that some people still insist on showing prospective buyers round themselves?

But it might be her whole personality and then what would she have left?

Pretty much a choice. It comes down to two things: the wax they use, and the fragrance 'load.'

Soy is typically best and provides the best 'scent-throw' (i.e. how far in the house it will spread). But lots of big sellers don't like to use soy as it's tricky to work with and quite expensive. It also really needs to be hand-poured and have the temperature carefully maintained etc, otherwise the risk of 'frosting' is higher. And whilst frosting is normal, it's not pretty to look at. Therefore, lots of big companies (i.e. that don't hand-pour their product) will use parrafin (Jo Malone and Diptyque do) which can give a slightly clinical smell underneath the fragrance - that's probably what you've noticed. Parrafin wax is also incredibly bad for your health. Soy wax is not.

So that's the first corner big companies cut that makes the product worse.

And then the fragrance load is the trickiest bit. Under legislation you can have a maximum of 10% of the product being 'fragrance oil.' So if you have a 100g candle, 10g of that is fragrance. The more fragrance that is used, the stronger the scent. Lots of places (Jo Malone, Dyptique) etc, use about 8%. That's because the more fragrance, the higher the cost. Fragrance oil is more expensive than wax. Some can cost £70 for 1kg. But, if you use too much fragrance oil, it can become overpowering and you also lose part of the scent.

A good example of the above is Jo Malone's grapefruit candle gets lots of negative reviews because not only is it parrafin wax (which gives a horrible after-smell) they also mucked up the fragrance load and poured their latest batch too strong. So they've got a tonne of reviews complaining about the shitty smell (the parrafin wax) and overpowering grapefruit - which has happened because they poured too much fragrance oil and therefore the other scents within the scent were lost.

Candle making is really difficult (which is why even though I know a tonne about it, my business decided to stick to soaps) when done properly. It's why big companies aren't necessarily that reliable. Ultimately, hand-pouring with soy wax will always yield the best results that mass produced parrafin blends.

@AndeanFlamingo - the above might be helpful for you as well.

Parrafin Wax

And I think that’s where other posters are coming from too.

I’d say most of them sound sanctimonious and mean spirited, but maybe that’s just me.

“You can afford a car, in which case you can afford to replace it easily”

Did your keyboard get stuck on the "hilarious" emoji? Not a good look. You buy rip offs.

Don’t be silly. It could have been the estate agent, which would have huge implications for the professionalism of the company and the OP’s faith in the ongoing relationship.

I sometimes buy myself a treat. Doesn’t then mean I can easily replace it.