First & Last time I order anything from you guys EVER
Gah. What a great way to start my blog for 2017! Admittedly, I have not been very active as of late, as I'm either exhausted from work or I'm busy watercolour painting away!
I, however, have been naughty the last few months and indulged in the world of online retail. I mean, what is there not to like? For someone who enjoys taking her time browsing, comparing and reading reviews prior to making a purchase, the world of e-commerce is perfect. I literally get to be at home, click, pay and just wait for the order to be delivered. The only downsides are: A) I don't get the items instantly and B) I don't get to see the products first hand.
However, for things such as shoes (which I have purchased before), art supplies, cosmetics and certain clothing items, I don't really feel the need to try it on.
I've been ordering online for a while now, and I can say that so far, I have had no issues up until this particular experience.
For those who do not know Sephora, they are an international chain cosmetics retailer. I personally did not recognise this brand up until I moved to Canada and they seem to be pretty big in North America - recognized as the go-to place for your cosmetics/beauty needs.
Based on how popular and recognisable the company is, I decided to purchase new make-up and treat myself to my first Kat Von D eye-shadow palette, Kat Von D Hello Canada set, and a brush cleaner by Sephora's own brand.
Popped in my card details, checked that it has been charged to my account and left it be.
Now, based on my personal experience, most orders that were placed before a certain time on the day are normally shipped out either the day itself, or the following business day.
This, sadly, did not occur.
I tried to be patient and allowed a few more days to pass before calling their customer support line to enquire about my order. The representative told me that there was a delay for shipments from their Canadian distribution center. I was not given any further information as to when my shipment was expected to ship out and was given the generic apology for the "inconvenience".
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I took it upon myself to ask them the same question and rant at their Twitter page, only to be told to DM them with my order number. Sure enough I did, and their only compensation was the 100 Beauty points which was added to my account. It wasn't much but it was something more than I received over the initial conversation I had with them.
To put the time-line into perspective, I placed the order early Monday morning (like around 3AM EST). My shipment was only shipped out the following Monday, so I received it later that week. I was glad that everything was shipped in one piece until ...
... Until I was discovered days later that I was charged TWICE.
What I was like at the time.
Now, thankfully I had enough funds in my bank account. However, the most fucked-up part is that my Canadian bank charges a fee for any additional withdrawal made on that account (I get up to 12 "free withdrawals/debit"). I was already over this limit and I was appalled at the fact that they:
a) Debited the amount twice
b) And, I'm getting charged extra for this.
Long story short, I was re-directed to my bank, who was nice enough to refund this transaction fee.
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In summary, the amount of cluster-fuck and trouble I had to endure through this online experience is definitely enough to deter me from online purchases with them ever again.
You'd seriously think that a reputable cosmetic retailer would be more efficient than this, but guess they don't really give a fuck.
Sadly, the only reason I'll be returning to shop at Sephora will be at one of their downtown stores due to convenience's sake.
If there was any better options which can compete with the range they have, feel free to send them my way!
Does anyone else have Sephora horror stories? Let me know if you do!
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