I was declined exchange because I didn’t have a physical paper receipt. Also followed because I am a man.

[SvintWitch]

I had gone in to Sephora today to exchange a couple items that didn’t work out for me. First let me start off by saying I am a male and age 25. I have been a loyal Sephora customer since I was in High School and I am VIB Rouge. Let me also explain my outfit. I was wearing a camo sweater with a biker jacket over. Black pants and some booties. Not one stitch of makeup on because it was gonna be a simple go to the Sephora and go home. When walking into the Sephora I knew what I was going to exchange and the items I was gonna go for. So I grabbed my items, during that small maybe 10min window I was asked several and I mean several times if I needed help, some more than one by the same employee, just because I’m a man, doesn’t mean I don’t know why I am looking at, for or what I am talking about when t comes to makeup, after many encounters by employees and being followed all the way to check out, I put them in the basket and walked to the checkout counter. First off the girl looked at me up and kinda hesitated to ask what she could help me with. I told her I wanted to exchange the items for these items, which she asked and took my VIB Rouge card, then proceeded scanned the items that I needed to return. And told me if I had a physical receipt. I said no, it was an online order and showed her my online receipt. She then asked for my ID. I gave her my ID, she didn’t scan it or anything just had it next to my VIB Rouge Card then proceeded to tell me that I needed a physical receipt. I said I didn’t have one because it was made online showed her both the online receipt and my orders on my Sephora app. She proceeds to tell me I needed a physical one, and I told her for the third time that I didn’t have one. I had an online one because the items were purchased online. She told me that she couldn’t exchange my items for that I could be exchanging items that I got else where for Sephora products, I told her and showed her my online order receipt and showed her proof that I paid for them there for the forth time. Which after debating with her for 20+ mins, being so embarrassed that I was holding up the line because she wouldn’t return and exchange the items I had bought, and had proof of my online order receipt, email receipt, Sephora App order. I grabbed my items that I had purchased and walked out. I never felt soo disrespected. I honestly wanted to cry as I was walking back to my car. Isn’t that Sexism that I am a man trying to return and exchange makeup. I never will be going back to that store.

[GG84]

@JamilaBT What do you mean at their discretion? He's said he had his invoice. I return items frequently without my invoices, they just look in my account for them. Shouldnt Sephora have a Corporate Policy on returns that is followed at every location and not at each stores discretion?

[wareagle0223]

Agreed. Slightly relevant to the topic: I've heard of people having trouble redeeming Play passes at JCP Sephoras... even though you are supposed to be able to do that according to the Play subscription terms. Then you gotta take time out of your day to contact CS and have them retroactively apply the Play Pass points. The customer gets their issue fixed- great, but does Sephora actually follow up with their stores if the "discretion" deviates away from corporate policy? All this stuff needs to be standardized, and individual stores that don't follow the rules need to be reminded of said rules. It's not like Sephora has no clue where/when/how transactions were made. I can find all that info in my app. If I have access to all if my transaction info, then they definitely have access to it too. I have also made plenty of returns without a paper receipt exactly like you said @GG84. Usually they ask for my ID, and I get the money back on a gift card. The only problem that I ever had was 4 years ago when I made 3 returns without a receipt in a short period of time. The salesperson told me that I wouldn't be allowed to make returns without a receipt anymore if I kept on doing that. Fair enough. But an online order invoice IS JUST AS VALID as a store receipt. I don't understand why it wouldn't be? I am literally looking at the back of a Sephora online order invoice right now where it totally says that you can return stuff bought online in a store.

[kasa1]

And this is why I didn’t do rouge this past year again. There service is going to sh*t. Most people I know realize this as well and are moving to Blue Mercury, Ulta or direct from Brand. Sephora unfortunately has no loyalty to their long term customers, as well as terrible customer service that gets worse by the day!

[JamilaBT]

Hi there. So sorry to hear about your recent in-store experience. While returns and changes are subject to our policy, in-store returns also facilitate assistance at their discretion. If you still need assistance with this, I'd be happy to help. Send me a message with your original online order numbers. 

xo,

jamila