MAC Cosmetics: She made me feel so upset

[NGE]

Before Christmas 2009 my just 18yo (she is in year 12 now 2010) daughter & her Mother travelled from Newcastle to Parramatta so my daughter could purchase a specific brand of make up she was not able to purchase in Newcastle…following is her account of the problem she encountered.

To Whom It May Concern:
Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to inform you of an extremely unpleasant telephone conversation I had with one of your MAC consultants from the Myer Parramatta store.

Two weeks ago I purchased, from this store, Studio Fix fluid foundation and Studio Fix powder foundation, which a consultant recommended to me, after I told her I wanted medium coverage with a matte finish. While wearing this make up my skin has become problem prone. My skin is excessively oily when wearing and extremely blotchy in appearance, not matte or good coverage at all as I was led to believe.

I decided to ring the Parramatta store, where I purchased the make up, to ask whether I could get a refund or exchange before travelling (3hrs on multiple trains as I live in Newcastle) all the way back to the store. I rang the store to explain that I believe I was sold products that were not suited together for the purpose I wanted. On the MAC website they are both listed under the same category ‘foundations’ the powder was not under the category of powders. I attempted to tell the consultant this but her reply was to not look at the website. I was trying to ask if they were ment to be worn together or separately and if me wearing these two together could be causing the problems I am getting but she would not let me finish and began to talk over me therefore not giving me the opportunity to ask these questions.

The consultant continued aggressively talking over me in a fuming tone stating that they sell these two foundations to lots of their customers and that it is personal preference, implying that I should be happy with these products if other customers are, regardless if they don’t work for my skin. Further into this conversation when she continued to aggressively talk over me I was forced to raise my voice and ask the consultant not to get angry with me as she was getting even more aggressive with me. Up until this point I was nothing but pleasant towards the consultant and do not understand why she was getting so aggressive towards myself. I then stated to her that I lived 3hrs away in Newcastle and that other peoples personal preferences does not alter the fact that these products are not working for my skin and that I rang her for help. She replied that is has nothing to do with convenience for myself and that I would have to go into the store personally so she could see what I was doing wrong, further implying that the product not working was my fault.

At the end of the call she made me feel so upset, that on the verge of tears, I had to terminate the call and thus hung up on her.

I understand some of the things she was saying but she did not allow me to finish my sentences in order for her to get the full information I was trying to deliver and therefore gave me the information I did not need. I was fully prepared to travel down to the Parramatta store for an exchange or refund but because of the vulgar manner and attitude she presented, that I truly believe was not warranted, it has most certainly soured my shopping experience with your company to the point where I will not be returning to that shop ever again. After this altercation I rang MAC in the city centre store. The lady I spoke to was nothing but kind and considerate and went out of her way to be helpful.

At this stage no reply from MAC or Myer and she is still unable to use the make up and so is $96 out of pocket that was her Christmas money from her Mum.
I worked in the television industry making commercials and have always been told that if you are happy with a product or service you might tell 5 people but if you have a bad experience you tell at least 10 people. That said how many people read this site?

NGE Member: stroud


UPDATE:
MAC have made contact with my daughter and offered a full refund or exchange. Not sure if the reply came from posting on here or from my daughters email as they have a date stamp receiving the email of 16/2/10 but it was sent three weeks before that and posted here about then.
Anyway all is well.

[MalChook]

I'm against MAC cosmetics too! I'd never purchased MAC before but was looking for a nice moisturising foundation with good coverage before Christmas.
The consultant spent a lot of time doing my makeup. I asked to watch the process in the mirror, but she wanted me to have a 'grand unveiling' when she was finished.
After my makeup was complete, I told her that she had put WAY too much on - I never wear that much makeup - but I would still buy the foundation because, after her raving about how good it was for my skin, I thought it would be fine if I just put it on thinner.
When I used it at home, I realized that it was the wrong colour for me. I'm not sure if she just gave me the wrong bottle or if we didn't notice how dark it was because of how thickly she'd applied it.
Anyway, I returned to the store and asked to swap it for a lighter shade. My consultant had only been a Christmas casual. The consultant I spoke to said it was obviously too dark for me and I should have a different colour, but she wouldn't swap it at all. I questioned her about it "So, your consultant can give me the wrong colour and I don't have any ability to swap it to the right colour?" and she just told me I would have to buy a new one and throw the dark one away.
Not happy at all and I'll never buy another MAC product.

[reggae2812]

After both reads, I will support your stand and never buy MAC (I confess that I never have either). However, I believe that you are protected by the Myer refund policy which is to say that you CAN refund goods (with a few restrictions, or which I believe Make Up is NOT one of them - esp. if it causes an allergic reaction) and you have twelve months in which to do it.

I often wonder though - whatever happened to the "customer is always right?"

[Shellee]

I don't wear much in the way of cosmetics, only organic moisturiser. Sometimes I like to wear kohl eyeliner and am in the market for a good one. After reading these messages I will avoid looking at any MAC range just to support the ladies here. I don't like people being unjustly mistreated after they have spent hard earned money on a product in good faith to then feel cheated. It shouldn't be such hard to work get a refund when a product is deficient or the salesmanship was a fraud. Myer is usually pretty good with these issues but clearly the MAC business is a separate entity there.