To warn you about this scammy make up sales technique

[Ohnowattsthis]

I feel terrible. My mum came back from a trip away with a present for me. A gift bag with a couple of pallets of make up in it.
I think she got it in Norwich or a motorway welcome break type place.

From what she has said and looking up the company I feel the sales pitch was most unfair.
The company is called make up essentials and I have put a pic up of their product with a logo. They are nicely packaged but pound land quality.
It seems that my mum was handed a 'free' gift bag that they then said was free when you brought a little brush. ( a mean trick)
They told her that they were about to move into the department stores and that the gift was to give to your family so they could try the products ( this is how they got her! She would never spend the money on herself but was pleased she could treat me) but they are not - I found this link talking about their scam sales here www.beautiful-solutions.co.uk/2013/10/brand-rant-avoid-this-brand-makeover.html?m=1
From looking up online I can see she mush have paid £35 for a shimmer dust brush and then got the 'free gift bag' the quality is so bad the whole set together can't cost more than a £10.
To show how rediculous they price everything to make you think the gift bag is worth £200 there is a 'make up tips' book ( about 8 pages and laughable) that they say they change 10£ for!!!!
I'm so gutted they got my mum. She is late seventies and very kind, she wouldn't have got it for herself or even spent £35 on a make up box for me usually she just thought they were being kind!
I haven't told her, but I feel sick with these cheap nasty scam products in my house.
If they approach you can I ask that you pull them up on their sales technique. No- the bag is not a free gift. No- they are not a high end make up company.

Why do you think that young people are cynical and old people are naive?

It would make just as much sense, if not more, the other way around.

Young people are naive, as you get older and get more experience you learn when to be cynical.

You are handed the bag as a free gift, then told it is a free gift with a purchase.

I'm sorry but that would set off an immediate alarm bell for me. Why would you then proceed to hand over £36 ?
Are people so gullible?
There is no such thing as a free lunch. If we take that stance then it's hard to be ripped off.
But maybe I am just hardened to it. I lived in SE Asia for a while, there was a potential scam on every street corner.

They tried this on me around Christmas time last year. I had my DD with me (age 3) and they tried to engage me by playing with her. Despite saying I'd think about it several times, they wouldn't give up until I said I wanted to go to a cash point and never returned

this isn't a scam?

I've witnessed it with others and it's awful - they're often in WH Smiths and it's easy to assume they are something to do with the store.

It's easy to get scammed and not just the gullible fall for it. If I were you I'd research this company on the internet as much as possible and find out their address. Then find the Citizens Advice Bureau and Trading Standards nearest to them. They may well be aware of these scammers and if so maybe be building up a case against them. Your additional information will help them to proceed - the more evidence the better.

I have been approached by these in, Bury Millgate Shopping Center, Manchester Arndale center, Wigan Shopping center, Bury Bus station, and wait for it.... outside Target and in Florida Mall and the Premium Outlets in Florida!

The one in Bury, the first time I stopped, was trying to tell me it was better than Mac, Bare Minerals, Nars etc and when mum tried to get out of it by saying I only wore vegan cosmetics they said it was vegan, cruelty free and wait for it... 100% natural minerals! Mum even admitted to me later that if she was alone christmas shopping for me then she probably would have bought it, getting drawn in by the line 'Its a new cosmetic range which is currently only availiable in small boutiques in America and will soon be in Sephora and Macy's.' She knows how crazy I am for makeup and how I order stuff from America and watch youtubers videos on new cosmetics all the time so said she would have thought she could surprise me by getting me the next famous brand 'bigger than Mac and Urban Decay'

Once I saw someone grab the 'free gift' bag and make a run for it but he caught up with them, shouting 'thief' THE CHEEK!

I think I've seen them in the service stations too, usually group of girls in black?

Always kept a wide berth as I'm usually late and rushing in and out to the loo :) but will be staying well clear!

It's disgraceful I'm so sorry your mum got conned, but there is no shame these companies are exceptionally good at what they do and a lot of psychology is used most people don't stand a chance that's why they continue to do it

They are in the doorway of our WH Smiths,it's yet another reason why I no longer shop in there. Feel sorry though for the people who do have to run the gauntlet as the post office is in there as well.

They tried it on with me at a motorway service place in May. 2 young guys smartly dressed and slick as, giving away a free gift bag of makeup, well it wasn't really free I think it was over £35 so no way am I paying that for unknown brands, plus I was selling makeup myself (non scam) up until last year so I have more than enough in the drawer!!

Thanks for the heads up, I will avoid them if I see them.

I'd be interested to know how the shops nearby feel about this- I actually left our local market town the other day after about 10 minutes because of salespeople being positioned up and down the high street. I wouldn't go into a shop if one of them was outside. I wonder if the shops in the service stations notice a decrease in takings?

I got bullied into this a few years back - same looking stuff but called Victoria's Secret (yes, like the undies store so I'd initially assumed they had branched out). Handed the bag then a very aggressive sales pitch where I was boxed in my two decent sized blokes.

'Consultants' crop up again from time to time near where I live. I alternate between loudly shouting 'do I look like I wear make-up' and 'I would if it were actually free'.

This sort of thing always confuses me. I wonder if it's because I have AS? I never mind ignoring them :)

I have never seen these people, they sound like the chuggers of the make-up world. I've been chugged with 'don't you care about starving children?' It can be quite hard to set your face against them and carry on. We are primed to be polite, I have to then remember that politeness is not required in these situations.

They used to be in Woolworths here before they closed. It actually put people off going in.

As soon as any salesperson or charity street collector moves towards me I just firmly say 'no thank you' and carry on. I will not be engaged anymore then that. They really piss me off.

Sorry to hear this OP and bless your mum for trying to get you a nice gift.

I don't normally mind telling people to get lost, but even I got sucked into buying some shite cosmetics from a company called Orogold (who put food grade gold leaf into their products and then charge a gazillion pounds for it). It happens to us all.

They tried to get us at Pease Pottage last week. DH made eye contact and I just walked off saying it was a dirty scam.

I was right. We observed them handing the gift bags out, only for them to be given back when they whipped out the payment sheet.

Free my arse. They aren't even worth giving away!

Ohhhh I remember this - they tried to collar me at a train station a good 5 years ago. Some girl thrust a bag at me saying it was a a free gift, so I just said thanks and kept walking - next thing I knew she was grabbing my shoulder saying I was stealing! I was mortified, she was really loud & people were turning to look. She started into a spiel about how it was free if I bought some product, but I was embarrassed and in a rush so I basically threw it at her and walked off. It's stuck in my mind because I was so shocked by it, I nearly rang the station up to complain. Really horrible sales technique!

They do this at my local tube station - hand you a bag and say it's free, then try to sell you £40 worth of stuff. Absolute scammers, and I am sorry your mum was defrauded like this.

Same thing happened to me when I was 18, cost me £20. At that time they wanted to write you debit card details on paper for them to process later. I took cash out of the machine instead paying a charge and still didn't leave after that. I think it was Victoria secret shit or something then

I'm curious to know if they try this in central London
There are so many freebies given out, people at s busy station would just take it, say thanks and be half way down the road.

Tbh I don't know what's so hard about saying no either. I'd be saying piss off!

DD and I got stopped by these (or similar) at services a while back. Although the sales patter was full on, it was clear it was shite stuff . It was around £30 I think, and included set A and set B and set C and a travel set and a carry case....
The more shit he included in the "offer" the lower my opinion got. If it was any good why would you need so much of it?

They do do this in London - at Hammersmith station from memory. Shove bag at you saying it's free - then it's only free if you buy blah blah blah. I was like no thanks (I worked in magazines then so used to get quite a lot of make up samples free) but can completely see how other people could get pushed into it. It makes me so mad!

OP - could you contact Watchdog? Seems like the kind of thing that could make a good feature.