Too Many Returns with Receipts?

[ellen8186]

Hi, 

I have read a few posts and I know the policy has been changed and now, you can actually be banned from making too many returns. However, no employees at the stores seems to know what exactly are the criteria they look at in monitoring return activities. These posts from people who got banned are making me afraid of making returns now because I don't want to have that liberty taken away from me, but at the same time I think that Sephora isn't giving us enough information about how they EXECUTE this new policy of monitoring return activities - which is unfair for the customers. 

My questions are the following, and I hope that someone can help answering some of them: 

1. Do returns with receipts also count negatively towards your record, or only those without receipts? 

2. When I return items ordered online in store, the store near me often tells me that they "don't need" the packing slip (even if I brought it), and that they can do the return simply by scanning my Beauty Insider barcode and "look up" the item. But I recently learned form another store that when they scanning the Beauty Insider barcode to do a return, it is actually recorded in the system as a return WITHOUT RECEIPT. How does Sephora, or The Retail Equation, account for such discrepancy between customer behaviour (i.e. wanted to make a return with receipt) and store operations causing a negative record towards the customer's return history. 

3. Does Sephora or The Retail Equation consider the ratio of returns and products kept (i.e. how many/much is returned out of how many/much is kept), or simply how many/much is returned? 

Thank you! 

[Giovanni111]

https://www.theretailequation.com/frequently-asked-questions/

Read this. This is from TRE themselves. Basically from what I read, you should only use cash and not enter in your phone number or email if u don't want them tracking/denying returns or purchases.

They use your credit/debit cards and your beauty insider account or any personal identification u give them to track your purchases.

[JGarnet]

I just got banned today and I only made returns with receipts.  I kept way more products than I returned, which were mostly unopened products.  I didn't get an email warning and only found out about the ban when I went to the store today to return 3 NEW items purchased on two receipts within the past 2 weeks.  It was beyond frustrating and unfair to the customer that Sephora changes the return policy and does not disclose it.  Consumers have a right to know what the store's return policy in PRACTICE is before making their purchase decisions!

[yuline]

@JGarnet It would have been less abrasive if they had grandfathered in their new return policy (also not the most transparent either) that they started enforcing on a larger scale in July.  A customer should be judged whether to be viable to do business with starting on the effective date of the new return policy.   TRE shouldn’t be using data from a customer’s past history going back at least 2 years prior to new return policy to enforce these sanctions which is what they appear to be doing.  I know I don’t have popular opinions on this forum but I don’t think that’s fair when a) a very generous old return policy was heavily promoted which led people to buy thinking they could return it if they don’t like it and b) if customers could see into the future 2 years ago that TRE would be doing this, of course customers would have started making better purchasing decisions so they wouldn’t have a bad record once the new return policy takes effect 2 years later.  That’s what I have a problem with. You can’t suddenly change the rules and then go back in time so extensively to use old legacy data to support the new rules.  We should be judged going forward from data that is collected after the effective date of the newer restrictive return policy.  There are enough vib and rouge members getting blindsided by TRE’s crackdown, it’s quite concerning.  Once TRE bans you, there is little hope. Even for those who were banned by accident over a mistake by the sales associate and clearly have a strong case, it is near impossible to correct it or fight it.

[JGarnet]

@yuline Exactly!  If consumers were informed of the new return policies, they would be more cautious about what they buy.  When a business promotes their published policy of “you can always return it if you don’t like it” to encourage more sales and then penalizes the customer for making returns in compliance with those published return policies, it’s very unfair to the customer and downright deceptive!  I am all for businesses cracking down on fraudulent returns but I have a problem with Sephora “banning” customers who follow the published return policies without adequately warning them that they are approaching some arbitrary return limit.  If they are going to ban returns, it should be on purchases made after the customer has been informed of the return ban and not retroactively on all purchases the customer has made that are still within the 60-day return window!

[ellen8186]

Please, can a MOD get back to me with answers to my questions? They are still unanswered. I'm sure many of us have the same questions and they need to be answered. Customers have the right to know the algorithm now that it has become part of your return policy!

[keelybt]

Hi @ellen8186 In order to provide all clients with a positive shopping experience, Sephora may decline returns when we identify excessive return patterns that limit selection for other clients. Please know that clients receive notification prior to any return declines. As long as your return behavior is in line with the majority of our clients, you should not have any issue. 

[JGarnet]

@keelybt  Not everyone gets a prior warning about getting banned.  I found out that I was banned the day I went to the store to return unused products because they were on separate receipts.  I got a “warning” when the sales associate processed the first return and when she try to process the second return that were on a separate online receipt, it was rejected and that’s when I learned about the ban.  I don’t think it is fair to apply the ban “retroactively” to purchases made when the customer had not been informed of them being banned from returns.

I also think it’s bad practice to treat all returns the same.  The current policy that treats all returns as a negative mark against the customer regardless of if they are with or without receipts, new or used products, exchanges for same product in different shade, or even returns processed as a result of sales associates’ own errors grossly misrepresent what actually construes as abuse of the return policy and alienates legitimate customers.  Sephora needs to be transparent about their actual return policy and stop entrapping legitimate customers who are following the stated return policies on their receipts!!

[ellen8186]

But how can I possibly know whether I’m in line with the “average” customer?? I do not have access to statistics of Sephora’s other customers, do I? I know I’m not the worst, but I do return a fair amount because often things I’m interested are not available in store. And sometimes products I return can be expensive. Wouldn’t it only be fair for the customers to know what rules you guys are using? Do you count the number of returned items? The value of returned items? Do you look at the ratio of returned and kept items?? Or all of the above? Come on... those are simple questions to answer and could very well be written clearly in your policy. This way, customers would not be frustrated when they find out that they’re banned out of the blue (some posts in this group have revealed that Sephora does not always warn before banning). Having to guess and worry about whether my returns are too much according to Sephora’s top secret algorithm is NOT a great shopping experience, certainly not the kind of experience that Sephora advertises to provide. 

[JGarnet]

@ellen8186 I asked TRE those same questions after finding out I was banned and they basically said it was based on the frequency and dollar amount of returns.  All returns will be counted against the customer even if it was because of sales associates’ own errors!

[ellen8186]

What about exchanges? When we make an exchange, on the email receipt it shows a “RETURN” for the product you gave back, and then on your Beauty Insider account there’s a record of a new purchase for the new item. So do exchanges count into the return quota as well? 

[Funkissedjm]

I don’t understand how scanning your rewards card can be considered not having a receipt since it has all the information that would be on a paper receipt. I thought the purpose of banning people for making returns without a receipt was to prevent fraudulent returns and shoplifting, but if you have proof of purchase on your card it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve also wondered if, and how that counts against you. It’s very poor business practice and customer service of Sephora to say customers can return anything only to keep track of returns in order to prevent returns at a later date. If I’m ever banned from making returns, I’ll quit shopping at Sephora entirely because there are times when I want to return things that just don’t work out, especially when I order online. The products are too expensive to buy if I have to take the risk of not being able to return them. I’m sure there are a lot of people who feel that way. You can return makeup—even used—to CVS and Walgreens with just your e-receipt so surely Sephora can start making progress into the digital age. They seem to be moving backwards instead of relying more on digital resources. C’mon, nobody wants to have to keep track of a little piece of paper if they don’t have to, the e-receipt is much easier.

[ellen8186]

Even if scanning the card counts as a return with receipt, we still don't know if a return with receipt still counts negatively towards your return history. They said they track the number and amount of return, but did not specify whether with or without receipt makes a difference...