Have you ever given feedback to a brand about poor customer service? Share!
Yes, I definitely have! I almost always received a generic form letter about how they appreciate my feedback but not much else.
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A brand, I don’t think so, but a retail chain, yes. The responses varied greatly, from a generic answer to someone calling me to fix my problem.
I just did last week. Only one of my complaints was that customer service doesn’t always respond… and they didn’t respond haha.
Thank you for using this!
Well this for me is one of those sticky issues, while I don’t have a problem with voicing my dissatisfaction with a product, with customer service; that’s more difficult! Sometimes I just leave the store in a huff (maybe mumbling something under my breath!) . But if they are coming off really snippy, rude or nasty….well they just lit up a fireball, and I WILL ask for the manager! However, if it’s a matter of being overlooked because a store is busy, I’ll either wait until it thins out to ask for assistance or if time is a factor, I’ll just leave and if possible, come back a different day.
I wrote to Revlon not about customer service but about really hating and being really disappointed in the quality. They called me and sent me a coupon equal to the value of the product (which they no longer make). I was floored by their amazing customer service!
Yes! It doesn’t seem to happen often. But, I will email them or ask to speak with a manger. Typically they are very pleasant. I always let them know that I will no longer be shopping with them. Consumers drive the economy and it’s our right to voice grievances.
Years ago I sent a “feedback” email to Nordstrom regarding a horrifying customer service incident at a MAC counter in their store. (It was so contrary to everything that Nordstrom is about!) After leaving the comment I was surprised to get a phone call from the store’s cosmetics manager. Not only did she apologize profusely but she asked me about my favorite brands and products. A week later I received a box containing a large Shiseido case filled with sample-size products. Nordstrom, I love you, you are forgiven! Most other stores would have done nothing!
I had the same kind of experience with Nordstrom, they seemed eager to make me happy and the manager did everything she could!
Yep.
But I’m fighting with Frederick’s right now because they took a MONTH to ship my order (their listed processing time is ONE DAY) and never responded to my polite inquiries about my order, then when I got my order half of it was missing but I was charged for the whole thing. CS supposedly “filed a claim with the warehouse” but that was almost a month ago, and I haven’t gotten my missing items or a refund yet. I’m thinking of filing a claim with my credit card company.
I have done that to Sephora US this past Thursday… I am frustrated I cannot buy from their online store anymore as I used to have access to (some) US products but since I have moved to Belgium it is not possible anymore. I tried to get an intermediary but apparently Sephora US does not accept it… and I have had to find out after 6! phone calls to their customer service – cannot wait to see my phone bill this month… – and several emails not being replied back. At the end I have bought from Sephora France but yeah… Sephora US has lost me as a customer, at least until they put their stuff together and become either more helpful or more available worldwide.
I have. I tried to write a thoughtful and balanced letter each time. Explaining foremost how I would think that the company would wish to be aware of the problem because they surely care about their customers. The responses I’ve received don’t exactly communicate to me that this is a well-founded assumption!!
Yes, I have, but only for products that I like a lot.
Sephora….too many times to count. Response is always thanks for your info, here’s a couple extra beauty points. I guess they are consistent in that sense at least, same response every time without fail. Personally I’d trade all my beauty points for better treatment from their employees.
Absolutely! If I am giving someone my money to buy their product, I expect the best in customer service!
If I might respond in a diplomatic way as this is no complaint toward you Christine or the information you provide about makeup. However, under the umbrella of customer service, I will say that I have contacted your blog three times over the past few months about a certain issue and I have never received a response.
Hi Judy,
The only email I’ve received from you is a suggestion for Temptalia Asks You – I do not reply to those, but if your question is used, it will be credited to you in the post itself! I’m not sure what you contacted us about, as some of them do go to other email addresses (like tech goes to the guys, not me), but you can always reach me at christine[at]temptalia.com.
I swear the staff at my local MAC counter are bipolar… one trip I get the sweetest most helpful person ever, the next I get a total snob who acts like I’m asking them for blood instead of a simple eyeshadow- then gets insulted when I only buy a couple of items instead of half the store, and the next is a control freak who has a fit if I so much as get close to a tester. The really strange thing is they are right next to (like two feet from) Clinique and Estee Lauder both of which I have never had a bad experience at… every single time they are extremely helpful, very friendly, and more than happy to not only provide a sample but suggest things I might want to try… Lancome is the next stall down and I’ve had one of their employees not only help me, but help me with a different brand more than once…AND they are all employed by Dillards.
Oh my, that sounds like the Dillards @ Paradise Valley mall! And *ahem* the MAC located there, too.
I have the absolute best experience with Lancome SAs. They are always friendly, polite, and eager to assist with anything. They treat you like you’re one of their friends and not just some random customer.
I complained to Sephora once about receiving poor service at an event. I was encouraged to sign up to get my makeup done by a YSL rep, and when I arrived for my appointment (after having called to confirm it a few days before) I was told that I would have to buy $50 worth of product to get my makeup done! As a VIB rouge I can get my makeup done at any time for free, so that was pretty lame. Plus I had just recently bought a bunch of YSL stuff so I didn’t want to buy more. I was embarrassed even though it wasn’t my fault. As I walked out of the store I started to get mad, so I wrote to customer service. The manager got in touch with me and was very apologetic and gave me a huge gift bag full of premium samples, many of which I love and now will buy full size. So I was a happy camper in the end.
Recently I purchased ELF Ambient Pallet on their site. They charged my cc-then I heard nothing for over 1wk. I started reading complaints, so I emailed cs. They had me send lots of info-finally told me item was sold out & gave me a refund. I really got turned off of their products. They should’ve handled that much better.
I haven’t ever given feedback to a brand about poor customer service – mainly because I haven’t had any, but I have commented on good customer service to a retail chain.
I have contacted a few brands asking about their products and whether they are cruelty free – some have responded in the affirmative, but others have not bothered – which is very poor and I have followed it up – no response.
First of all, I sometimes think I’m the most awkwardly-shaped woman in the world because I wear plus-size tops and misses bottoms. On top of that, I can’t stand to feel fabric against a certain area of my mid-section so I buy many tops that are at least a size larger than I need (or I’ll end up constantly pulling the fabric away from me).
I went into a Lane Bryant store with the intention of purchasing any and all tops that I liked and that fit well. As soon as I walked into the store, I saw a SA and asked where I might find a particular type of blouse. She looked me up and down and said, “Why are YOU even shopping here?”
I went home and contacted both the manager of the store I’d been in and the corporate office. They apologized, the employee continued to work there, and I haven’t purchased anything from Lane Bryant since that incident happened. That was in 2007. The SA’s at Macy’s, Jones New York, and Torrid have never been rude to me so I shop at those stores and never feel like I’m missing out on anything significant.
Ugh!
I would’ve asked her, “why are YOU even working with the general public?!”
I had a pretty great experience with Clinique. I used their Acne Solutions 3 Step system. I had a horrible reaction to the moisturizer. I woke up the next day to what looked and felt like a chemical burn. Turns out I’m EXTREMELY allergic to benzoyl peroxide. I went to a physician right away who advised me to contact Clinique directly. I did, they covered doctors expenses and cut me a check for the cost of he product. It was scary but handled completely well by them.
Yes, I definitely have, and I received nothing because it was Ulta!
(Sephora, Rite Aid & Zoya come to mind, though, as being pleasant & dealing with the situation promptly and competently.)
Yep, wrote in to Sephora after I had a bad experience with a manager but did not even receive a form letter.
Oh yes. The only place that’s done anything about it is Ulta, and I had to contact them twice. A manager just called and apologized, but it’s better than the form email, “Dear X, we’re sorry to hear X. We like, care and stuff. Don’t stop giving us money.” Right, I’m sure you’re beside yourselves with grief!
“Real Techniques” for the customer service of their official webpage. The only answers I got were, I presume, pre-generated ones. It was awful, did they care? No
This gives them a chance to own their shortcomings, so they will be more likely to acknowledge them and commit to improve. Have you ever found yourself needing to give feedback to a coworker, but you weren’t sure how?