Experiences with cult beauty??

[Americasfavouritefightingfrenchman]

Hi - I know lots of people on these pages are huge beauty fans and trusting your experience as I’m feeling a bit nervous about my interaction with them.

So about 3 weeks ago I ordered a benefit advent calendar from them as there was a discount and it came with 2 free gifts (benefit mug and a fragrance selection)

A few days later I got an out for delivery note and a message Evri were unable to deliver but assumed they would come next day. Instead I got a message parcel was delivered at 1:38am. Checked everywhere and couldn’t find it, contacted neighbours and they didn’t have it. Contacted Evri who wouldn’t help and then contacted cult beauty who, in fairness, agreed to refund. I thought it was a shame but just one of those things.

On Friday my daughter went to get an Amazon parcel from the shed and discovered there was also one from cult beauty but when I opened it all that was in it was the two gifts. I contacted cult beauty to let them know and said what did I do with them/might the advent calendar also yet appear. I got a response on how to print out a label to return them and take them into a shop and send off. No acknowledgment it was just the gifts or that I’d asked about the calendar & if that meant it might also get show up.

I responded that it wasn’t convenient to print off labels and repack and go somewhere and queue to return something and that my preferred options would be to buy something different from them for the value required and keep the gift with purchases or to have them collect.

They responded today saying they don’t offer collection and I could return at my convenience.

Overall I’m feeling irritated but also a bit wary. They never acknowledged I only received the gifts. If I return them are they going to suggest I have the calendar and try and charge me for it? Did they ever even send the calendar as if so why wouldn’t everything be packaged together. I’m maybe being paranoid but I’ve heard many bad things about scams and it sort of feels like this might be one? I thought this was a reputable company but then if so it kind of surprises me they’d ask you to return free gifts when such a mess was made of the delivery vs just saying keep as a gesture of goodwill. What are your experiences?

Okay … I started buying from them several years ago, and since lockdown they’ve been my main source of beauty products. It’s such a seamless process to order, and some of the free samples have led to my finding new products I really like. I’ve also benefited from random genuine discounts on things I would usually have bought elsewhere, like Frederic Malle perfume. I do sometimes find the bonus points thing a bit cumbersome, but I can honestly say I’ve never encountered any major issue with them. Evri is pretty awful though.

In your case, if the free gifts arrived it sounds as if there was a mistake in their packing system, as gifts always arrive with the main products. Frankly, I wouldn’t have bothered to contact them about the discovery of the free gifts - I would just have shrugged my shoulders. (As I understand it, they did not themselves ask you to return them?) They don’t care about them, and have refunded you for the calendar. Unless they follow it up I’d forget it.

But no, assuming you used the genuine website, they’re not a scam site.

I used them for years and spent a lot but had an issue with an order in 2023, the box was ripped and 2 items totalling £54 were missing. They refused to refund and told me I had to deal with the delivery company and negotiate compensation. I section 75 the order, returned the rest and have not used them since. I think a lot of companies are like this - boots certainly is, great until it wrong then you're on your own.

That does sound bad, @heartofsunshine.

I've found that lots of companies send the free gifts out separately but in this case, I would also have just shrugged and kept the gifts rather than end up in the position that they could accuse me of having received the advent calendar.

Maybe I shouldn’t have contacted them (am definitely seeing from this experience why people sometimes don’t bother) but I felt like I should say and I think I just expected them either to say that I could keep the stuff, which would have been a lucky outcome after being a bit unlucky with the mess Evri made of the delivery to start with or to offer an option where I could buy an alternative to retain them. I really wasn’t expecting they’d just ask for them back. It just seems so weird that it’s worth paying for the postage and returns process for something that you were giving away for a promotion that already finished

Yes you are probably right. I feel in hindsight I maybe should have just said nothing 🙈

It’s a hard adjustment to make, I know. But judging by my and others’ experiences with Amazon, huge businesses simply aren’t interested in the return of their mistakes or ‘lost’ items. Perhaps it messes up their processes? Not to speak of the online clothes retailers who send returns straight to landfill. It’s horrifying and I don’t properly understand it, but 🤷‍♀️

This sounds a lot worse. I was thinking ordering online would be easier than trying to trek round the shops in several places for stuff but maybe it isn’t. We’ve had a series of delivery issues on the street lately with a load of stuff not turning up and it just feels a bit stressful in the end

I have been trying to avoid Amazon but honestly I may end up reverting to using them more as it’s just so easy. I was thinking I’d try some of the subscription boxes for my tween age kids & I to try some make up out since I don’t really use it but they are excited to give it a go but this being my initial experience is kind of putting me off the idea. Will likely end up saving me a fortune 😂

I use them quite a bit. Never had a problem with them or Evri. Received a dud lipstick a while back. It was like it had been stored too long and gone dry or something. I sent pictures etc and got a refund and told to keep/bin the item, no problem.

I admit to using Amazon a lot for books and everyday items. But I worry about fakes so would always rather order beauty products from somewhere I already trust.

Oh I more mean I just won’t bother buying it at all and just let kids request the odd specific thing and buy it at boots or Sephora

Never had a problem with them. It could be an Evri issue (very likely)
in your case you got a refund for your undelivered item but I’m not sure why you emailed them about the free gifts asking what to do with them if you’re not prepared to send them back? Just keep them?

Cult Beauty - great. Replaced due to damaged packaging upon receipt of photo, and caused no issues.

Evri - lying driver who said he handed parcel to resident when we were away and our gates were locked. Funnily enough, no photographic evidence.

Basically I’m prepared to give them back but not to faff about printing a return label (we don’t have a printer at the moment) and finding where we can drop them off or to faff about with discount codes to avoid paying return postage

Or equally would be very happy (& prefer) to buy something else of a value needed for the free gift and keep them. I guess I just didn’t really think of just keeping them and saying nothing but also didn’t think they’d say no just send them back at your inconvenience.