WWYD - Make-up counter VENT! - LONG

I am nearing the bottom of my channel compact, so on Saturday I went to Bloomingdales in Roosevelt Field to get a new one. I go to the counter and ask for my color (Rich Beige) and the sales person tells me they are sold out of that color. She then continues to ask me if I'm SURE I'm Rich Beige about 8 seperate times. I tell her yes, I've been using the shade for a good 5/6 years and it matches my skin perfectly. I tell her the lighter shade leaves my face with a white powdery glow, and the darker shade is better for me in the summer. She still isn't buying it. She tells me there is a new shade called Suede and it's in the same family as Rich Beige, but where Rich Beige has a pink base, Suede has an apricot base. She asks me if I want to try it on. Now I am a TOTAL sucker for make-up, so I never like to sit and try things on when I don't have to. I like to go and buy what I know I need or else I end up spending $$$. But against my own better judgement.. I sit down. She takes off any powder I have on my face...

She now starts trying to sell me on face lotion and eye cream. I tell her I am happy with the Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer I use, she tells me Chanel makes a better one. I told her again, "i'm happy with what I have." Now I do actually need a new eye cream.. so I inquire about this. I have used a chanel eye cream in the past, but wasn't that in-love with it for the $85 it cost me. I tell the lady this and she explains that I was using the wrong one for my skin, and that I should be using this other one (that she's applying around my eyes), and whoopie.. it's only $75 (big savings). I tell her I'll take the eye cream cause again I'm a sucker and should never have sat down in the chair.

She now starts applying the Suede powder to show me "how well it matches my skin tone". Now she puts it on with a brush.. I use a sponge for more coverage. She puts it on me so lightly of course it looks like it matches because it's hardly on me! Regardless, I'm an a$$ and tell her I'll take it as long as I can return it if I go home and don't like it. She tells me it's not a problem.

Now I'm on a roll, so why not get a lip gloss too right? She starts trying all these colors on me.. I HATE them. Finally I am loosing my patience, so just ask her for Giggle (cause I know I like it and had just finished a tube).

Here's where it gets good....

I meet her at the register to pay. I ask her a question about my eye cream and how I feel like it never fully dries. This prompted her to remember that she forgot to pull the eye cream off the shelf for me, so I watch her go to tha cabinet and start moving things around to find the eye cream. A good 3 minutes goes by with her moving things around in the shelf clearly looking for the eye cream, then she just grabs one that was right infront of her face and brings it to me. She is ringing me up and I say, "is this the same eye cream you tried on me today? the one with the frosted glass?" she says, "yes, thats the one.. it will be perfect for you.. as well as the compact, the Suede looks BEAUTIFUL on you." So she rings me up.. $185. I pay.

That night, I shower and start getting ready to go out to dinner. I open up the eye cream and it's NOT THE ONE SHE USED!! It's clear glass. I look at the receipt and it was $85, not the wonderful $75 like she stated. Instead of telling me they were out of the one she tried on me, she figured she'd give me the old one I had used that I wasn't happy with. Whatever, I use it because I have nothing else and figure I'll return it anyway. I then go to put the compact on.. it's YELLOW! Doesn't match my skin at all... What the f?? So I have to dig around the bottom of my almost empty old RICH BEIGE compact. I'm fuming at this point, but whatever, I'll bring the 2 back on Sunday. I'm ready to leave, so I go to put on the gloss.. and it's NOT Giggle!!! It's some other random color. Now I will say I liked the color.. but that's not the point, it's not what I asked for.

Now this woman told me she was the "resident" make-up artist at Chanel and has been working for them for 20 years. Good for her.. she's a shady liar! I'm there all the time.. and I spend a pretty good amount of money at that counter. I think it's soo rude that instead of telling me she didn't have the right eye cream or the correct lip color I was requesting, she just replaced them with something else and LIED about it!

So I didn't get a chance to go back to Bloomingdales yesterday, and prob won't have the chance till the weekend, but what would you do? Would you call the store or speak to her when you next see her? I have no problem confronting her, but I will totally loose my patience, and if I do.. where am I going to buy my make-up from now on?

Message edited 3/23/2009 10:59:28 AM.

Re: WWYD - Make-up counter VENT! - LONG

i would call the store and speak to a manager. total bull!!

thats a lot of money to spend on makeup and to not even get the right stuff you thought you were sold..unreal.

and if you cant speak to someone on the phone, then i'd speak to someone in charge at the counter.

Re: WWYD - Make-up counter VENT! - LONG

I'd be pi**ed too! That's awful!

I would go in as soon as possible to complain and return the product. Threaten to take your business elsewhere.

If they don't work with you, I wouldn't buy from that Chanel counter again. Since you know what you want, I'd get it from Sephora or just go to another store's counter. (Nordstrom at RF has Chanel, don't they?)

Re: WWYD - Make-up counter VENT! - LONG

i would go back to the store and simply return everything. if you dont feel like getting into it with her - just say you changed your mind.

THAN - i would write a letter to bloomingdales corp telling them what happened. i also tend to lose patience as well and i feel like letters help me organize my thoughts and points and ask for exatcly what i want in return for wasting my time. they should also know their "resident" chanel makeup artists sells people makeup that doesnt match - wrong creams and just suxs.

if you cant go to bloomingdales go to sephora instead but i dont think you are the one who shouldnt be in the store - i think the crappy makeup artist should leave instead.

good luck.

Re: WWYD - Make-up counter VENT! - LONG

Oh I would be SO annoyed.
Counter salespeople need to meet a quota so when she saw you coming she probably had a $ amount on you!!
I would personally go back and speak to her AND a manager face-to-face.

I definatley WOULDNT just say I changed my mind and return the makeup,
you're a loyal customer who spends a LOT of $ with them on a reg basis, and should have been treat a lot better than you were.

Id return everything, and let them know they lost a customer to Sephora BECAUSE of her!
Good Luck!

Message edited 3/23/2009 11:05:16 AM.

Re: WWYD - Make-up counter VENT! - LONG

Sephora doesn't carry Chanel anymore. I could buy it at Nordstrom, but I have other issues in that store..lol

I'm going to try to go back this week if I get out of work at a decent hour. Problem is, she's in-charge at that counter, so if I call there, she's the one I'd have to speak to. UCK!!!

Re: WWYD - Make-up counter VENT! - LONG

Re: WWYD - Make-up counter VENT! - LONG

Re: WWYD - Make-up counter VENT! - LONG

Re: WWYD - Make-up counter VENT! - LONG

call the store talk to a manager. No matter what they say I would still return EVERYTHING just out of spite and go get my stuff at another store this once. You can always go back next time ,just avoid the same woman
Please keep us posted, I am curious of what they say to you bc I also had a very similar experience with Bloomingdales Channel dept (in Manhattan though).

Re: WWYD - Make-up counter VENT! - LONG

Re: WWYD - Make-up counter VENT! - LONG

Def. go back and and don't try to cover for her at all. What she did was totally unacceptable- I would totally make a scene towards her and her manager as well as letting the higher-ups know.