Beauty Pet Peeves 2

[veronika23]

The other thread was getting too long and difficult to load! 

So what are your beauty pet peeves? What grinds your gears? Share your stories!!!

[Cissy63]

@Kim888  I totally agree with that😃😃

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Kim888 yes!

[Loretta55]

I agree that it should be easier for us to figure out how much product is left in containers @greeneyedgirl107 . My Murad moisturizer has similar packaging to the DE. I was able to get the top off of the container and I was shocked how much product was still inside.

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Loretta55 I was wondering if maybe I could open the packaging.  I haven't asked my husband to, because the last two times I asked him to address packaging concerns he just told me to buy more.   Gotta love a guy with that philosophy!

[Loretta55]

My husband opens many items for me because of my arthritis @greeneyedgirl107.

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Loretta55 I'm so sorry about the arthritis ❤️ 

[Loretta55]

Thank you very much @greeneyedgirl107. I have had for awhile. My husband and coworkers are always helping me to open various items.

[Cissy63]

@Loretta55  I am so sorry to hear about your arthritis.  I also have it, in both hands.  In April I had to have a left thumb arthroplasty.  It’s similar to a joint replacement but without any titanium.

[Loretta55]

I have just learned to live with it @Cissy63 . The operation sounds scary so that is why I haven’t followed up with any doctor.

[WinglessOne]

2 palettes are mostly inside their outer sleeves. The 3rd one that's not is my old Carnival palette. 😄

When you order a palette from a certain retailer *coughUltacough* and they send you the wrong one. Twice. 

On one hand, I gotta give 'em credit for politely responding to my customer service emails within minutes. A mere 10 minutes (if even that long) after I submitted my first customer service email, they'd already submitted a new order for the palette and then emailed me a couple minutes later. This might be the quickest turnaround I've ever gotten from them. I greatly appreciate that. 

On the other hand, I ordered the Black Magic Freedom palette near the end of October. I received Black Magic Carnival instead. I already have (and love) Carnival. Naturally Ulta wants me to send the erroneous palette back, using the free shipping label they emailed me. I'm glad I waited to do that because oh look, the replacement palette is also not Freedom. 🤦‍♀️ I've sent Ulta photos and UOMA site screenshots of what both palettes look like inside and out, in case the warehouse keeps picking the wrong palette based on sight alone. I assumed there'd be more logic involved, like ensuring the correct palette (with the correct UPC and all) is stocked in the slot/shelf/bin that's supposed to hold the Freedom palettes. Now I wonder if any other customers have received the wrong palette. 

They offered to ship a second replacement. Against my better judgement, I accepted the offer. But I'm not returning both Carnival palettes until I get the third palette, in case it's also wrong—and if it is, I'll request a refund and buy the Freedom palette direct from UOMA because good grief. That'll probably mess up my Ulta points and 3rd party cash back, but whatever. Also, this issue had better not get me in TRE trouble. 

Meanwhile, I figure there won't be another time when I have 3 of the same palette (by any brand), so I had to photograph the occasion. 😂 Kinda wish Ulta would let me keep at least one of the incorrect palettes. I'd happily gift it to someone. Also wish a local Ulta carried UOMA so I could return to store instead of ship these back. I always get anxious about sending returns in the mail. 

UPDATE: Ulta shipped my second replacement from a different warehouse and I finally got the Freedom palette, hooray! Hopefully they're working through the bizarre issue(s) at the original warehouse. I'm very curious about what kept causing the mixup. Not that Ulta would tell me, but I can't stop wondering. 

[RGbrown]

@WinglessOne 

Don't send any back; you don't have to (unless you just want to). Unordered merchandise sent to you is yours to keep!

"Your Rights When You Get Unordered Merchandise

By law, companies can’t send unordered merchandise to you, then demand payment. That means you never have to pay for things you get but didn’t order. You also don’t have to return unordered merchandise. You’re legally entitled to keep it as a free gift."

quote from: consumer.ftc dot gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products

Perhaps I'm overly liberal in my interpretation, but you did not order the Carnival palette, so it's unordered merchandise that Ulta sent to you. Their inventory issues are not your problem, and as of now, your original order is still unfulfilled. Sure, they tried, but their system error is of their own making, and you don't have to go out of your way to save them a few bucks by returning the palettes.

I'm assuming they screwed up the barcodes in the system, as I doubt their warehouse personnel pull anything based on sight...I do wish Ulta would add UPC codes to item listings to help figure out snafus like this. Once upon a time there was a dry shampoo I liked, but if I ordered it online, I got the same wrong one every time, and I would have loved to be able to cross reference others from the brand to see if I could figure out the right one to order to get the one I actually wanted lol. In any case, check the UPC on the palette vs the UPC on your packing slip; I'd bet they are the same, and that'll be an indicator that you'll get Carnival instead of Freedom every single time, unless Ulta actually fixes the codes in their system.

ETA: if you do feel strongly about returning these, you *can* return to a store even though they aren't carried in-store, there just won't be an opportunity to swap out for the correct palette (unless they happen to have gotten one as a return from someone else). Since these are all tied to transactions in your account, they can pull them up on the register and process it like normal. You'd get a refund for the one you paid for, and the others would just show a zero balance since they had no cost associated with them to begin with.  

[WinglessOne]

Thanks for the info, @RGbrown ! I did wonder about the legality of keeping incorrect merch, but hadn't checked the FTC's site to find an answer. I mean, I don't need 2 extra Carnival palettes, but I'm happy to give 'em away. I might try asking the FTC directly about this scenario, just so I'll have official insight to show Ulta if they get pushy (if I do decide to keep these palettes). We'll see if I can get a straight answer from them. 😂 The FTC can sometimes be frustratingly vague about things, until they wanna slam a business with a judgment and fines. 

About the UPC codes: way ahead of you. I compared the palette to my packing slip when the first incorrect palette arrived, and they don't match. That's one of the photos I originally sent Ulta. When the second incorrect palette arrived, I did the same thing and sent a photo of that comparison. 😄 Both those palettes arrived fairly quickly from a PA warehouse. The 3rd one was shipped from CA so it's taking longer to get here. Hopefully Ulta's figured out the issue—or is at least working through it—with the PA warehouse. I'd have been ticked off if I saw my second replacement was coming from the same warehouse that somehow screwed it up the first 2 times, even though their system clearly knows the UPC of the correct palette vs. the one they kept sending me. 

If you hear hysterical laughter this weekend coming from the direction of Chicago, it's me after opening my Ulta package and finding the wrong palette shipped for the 3rd time. 

[RGbrown]

@WinglessOne 

Interesting that the UPCs don't match, I'm actually flummoxed that the same thing happened twice then 🤔 How did presumably two different employees make the same exact mistake on two different days? 

I am curious though...I see the Make It Black branding on those new Carnivals, but the MIB campaign version of that palette isn't on the site anymore. I wooooonder if they accidentally added that UPC as a sub-product to the Freedom palette instead of the original Carnival listing? In any case, it might complicate a return in-store too, since the UPC doesn't match the packing slip (unless it really is set up as a related/substitute item for the Freedom palette). Hmmmmmm, lotsa questions left on this one, and I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see what lucky number three brings you! My hearing isn't what it used to be, so I may not quite make out your laughter from here, but I will do my best to listen as closely as I can 🤣

[Titian06]

@RGbrown - I needed this info last week when I found an eyebrow pencil in my Sephora order that I didn't order (not the wrong one; I didn't order one at all).  I did try to take it back, but found out that Sephora inside Kohl's is just a makeup department using Sephora's name.  So I kept it.  (Though I did buy a few things while I was there...🤑 )

[RGbrown]

@Titian06 

Ahhhhh, they got you; any reason to visit is an opportunity to spend more money 🤣🤣🤣

I used to feel bad about stuff like that, but when a company worth billions screws up in my favor, I don't feel an ounce of pity or shame anymore, I simply feel thanks for the extra and move on 😋 Goodness only knows how many times their errors haven't been good for me (Ulta can't pack a gwp as advertised 75% of the time, ya know?), so I definitely look for the small wins. Enjoy your free brow pencil (hopefully it's a workable shade for you, or you have someone who would appreciate a gift)!

[CynthieLu]

That would be awesome of them if they let you give one away, for all your troubles just to send them all back. 

Uuugh that would be sooooo frustrating @WinglessOne 

You have amazing patience. It would be so easy to have angry feels right now.  But your handing it very calm and professionally. Way to go hunny!

[WinglessOne]

Aw, thanks @CynthieLu. Patience (up to a certain point) is key when trying to get customer service issues resolved. Once upon a loooong time ago, I was a customer service rep. Specifically, a trouble report service rep. The only CS position that gets more verbal abuse from customers is probably billing reps. 😄 By the time I was in my early 20s, I'd been called every name in the book, in multiple languages. That experience helped shape the way I deal with CS as a customer. My initial reaction might be anger, but staying super angry about a CS issue does me no good—I usually have enough other badness to deal with, so there's no point dumping more on the pile. I give a business adequate chances to fix the issue. If they don't, or they get rude about it, then I'll become That Customer. 

Plus, this ain't my first rodeo with Ulta. 🙂 It's the first time I've been repeatedly sent the wrong item. But it's better than the time Ulta shipped me a box full of wax-covered glass shards. (Warning: don't order glass-jarred candles from Ulta; buy 'em in-store if you can.) Or the multiple online account and promo mailing list issues I've had with Ulta. They've always made things right (though not permanently, in the case of their promo mailing list—and I still don't understand why they can't fix that for everyone), eventually, so I'm willing to give them time with this latest issue. 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@WinglessOne Yes, I've been telling myself to be patient with CS issues.  With so many people acting out these days, I try not to be that person.  But you are totally right about sometimes having to be "like that."

I'm actually dreading an issue with BBW.  I'd love to hear your thoughts, and those of @RGbrown .  So, I bought three candles online a while back.  I will emphasize that it was when their return/exchange policy was basically indefinite.  In September they changed it to 90 days.  I didn't care for one of the candles, and another one I changed my mind on as I think the floral will be too strong.  I'd like to exchange them for a seasonal scent I know I like.  In my mind, BBW should honor the terms in which the products were bought under - which would allow me to return/exchange at any time.  BUT, I'm concerned the SA in-store will tell me that the policy has changed and they're sticking to it.

Do you have any idea in this situation about which is correct?

[RGbrown]

@greeneyedgirl107 

The new policy states (for refunds):

"WITH ORIGINAL RECEIPT: Ninety days or less from the original purchase date, credit card, debit card and PayPal purchase refunds will be issued based on the original tender; thereafter merchandise credit will be issued."

It's not 90 days, or else nothing. It's 90 days for a refund to your original payment, or a merch credit after that.

For exchanges though, no time limit is explicitly mentioned:

"As an alternative to a refund, customers are welcome to exchange product for a replacement that is of the same type and the same ticket price as the product being returned (for example, exchanging a three-wick candle for a different three-wick candle with the same ticket price)."

Both BBW quotes from here: customercare.bathandbodyworks dot com/hc/en-us/articles/6046192854803

This thread over on reddit even has a picture of the flowchart employees are supposed to use for exchanges:

reddit dot com/r/bathandbodyworks/comments/ypa10f/return_policy_flowchart_see_comments/

However, read through that thread and see various frustrated customers and employees doing things that don't match up, so, bottom line is YMMV. You should absolutely be allowed to exchange your candles for other candles with the same ticket price, but you may get a misinformed or incompetent employee that doesn't know what's going on. If that happens, you should be able to call CS from the store and have them set straight!

[greeneyedgirl107]

@RGbrown Thank you so much for your detailed explanation.  I know it took you time to look into this and type it up.  It's been very helpful to me, and is giving me strength to address the issue.  (And it's also giving me info to back up my claim!)  I apologize for not writing back sooner.  Life has been happening, if you know what I mean.  I wish I could bring you into BBW with me!  I'm usually not this scared about returns.  Again, I appreciate you.  💗

[RGbrown]

@greeneyedgirl107 

Yikes, I hope life eases up on you soon! 😘 Good luck, and you got this!