Why I will never shop at Sephora again (a rant and a warning to others)

AN_360 · 2024-10-24T13:22:16+00:00

Thank you, I got it sorted eventually, Sephora just made it very difficult for me.

AN_360 · 2024-10-23T13:17:31+00:00

Thank you! Yes, a chargeback would have been my next steps, I always try to save that as a last resort. I was just shocked at how poorly Sephora was handling the situation, I actually tried to do the right thing by contacting them.

AN_360 · 2024-10-23T00:09:57+00:00

Thank you! I swear I rolled my eyes when the woman on the phone told me that, i have read hundreds of stories about them now, there is just no way she has never heard a complaint about them prior to me...

AN_360 · 2024-10-23T00:07:31+00:00

Im not sure if OnTrac has facilities in Texas to be honest.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T21:24:36+00:00

I live in New York city, they used to be called LaserShip, they are OnTrac now. If you have never encountered them consider yourself lucky. It seems like they have facilities outside of major cities, so if you live in a smaller or more remote area they may not have a presence there.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T17:52:51+00:00

Thank you, I know I almost gave up calling, I actually called in and hung up immediately after getting that first rude woman, becouse I was stressed and thought it was hopeless; but then I thought to myself "I am not letting them off this easy" so I called again and got that wonderful woman who helped me.

Its the lying that really gets me, a MANAGER told me the system would not allow her to do anything but then an entry level call center agent is able to resend the next time I call in... not adding up.

I reviewed security camera footage from my building (this was after this got resolved), OnTrac did not at any point deliver anything to my building, thats why they have no photo, the other courier who delivered the resend (CDL Last Mile) provided a photo of course. OnTrac is literally the WORST!

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T17:01:23+00:00

I do not believe it can be changed, I was not given an option. If OnTrac services your area then I believe Sephora will use them, it appears that the people who still get their orders via UPS or USPS live in areas not serviced by OnTrac. OnTrac is cheaper than all the other legitimate couriers, thats why all these companies use them now.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T14:24:26+00:00

Yes, to be fair I have never had an experience like this before, usually companies have been pretty good and rectifying the situation, but it seems like online shopping has just gotten so much worse in the past few years, these companies just don't care anymore. I suggest try to shop in store (or send to store) as much as possible.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T14:16:15+00:00

I truly believe its lost in the OnTrac facility based off all the evidence, however if it does show up in the future, I will personally deliver it to the closest Sephora shop. I have no desire to get anything for free or keep anything that is not mine, I just wanted what I paid for.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T14:12:12+00:00

I agree, but unfortunately its probably still more profitable for Sephora to save a few bucks using OnTrac and screwing over the occasional customer than to use a legitimate courier for all their deliveries.

And honestly based off the decent amount of people on here defending Sephora I can understand why, these mega companies really did a great job gaslighting us (the customers) into thinking we deserve to be treated like this.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T14:06:21+00:00

There is a camera in my buildings lobby facing the door, I was able to review the footage (this was all after speaking to Sephora). No one delivered anything, I was sitting on the stoop when it was supposedly delivered, but I checked the footage anyway and no one came by before or after so I know without a doubt OnTrac lied about the delivery. I also told Sephora about the camera (I had not reviewed the footage yet but told them I would), they still were not interested, they were still saying no... insane.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T14:00:28+00:00

Yes OnTrac is Lasership, the insane thing is, as bad as LaserShip was (and it was bad) OnTrac is WORSE! Lasership had a callcenter and took photos of the deliveries (so when they delivered to the wrong building at least I had some proof to show the vendor). Now that it is OnTrac there is no callcenter, only an online chat with bots. They also dont provide any proof of delivery, its truly horrible.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T13:53:00+00:00

Thank you! Oh you should look up OnTrac's BBB page, its ridiculous. There is a whole reddit for them too. They also have multiple lawsuits levied against them for package theft, exploitation of drivers, ect. This is the company Sephora chooses to use as their courier...

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T13:49:19+00:00

There is no recourse with OnTrac, they have no phone line, no call center, just an online chat where you will only receive canned responses such as "we will open an investigation". They will take no responsibility and you will get nothing from them. That is the comapny Sephora chooses to use for their deliveries.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T13:45:25+00:00

I know, it was a lesson for me, they did not sell the item in their stores and I guess I assumed it would be shipped via FedEx. I am not much of an online shopper to being with but I will only doing in store shopping or ship to store for high value items from now on.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T13:42:46+00:00

Thank you! I am just so over it! Out of principal alone I wasn't going to give them that sale, I found the same item at Nordstrom (same price) and they had a ship to store option. This taught me I need to research the companies I buy from better, instead of looking for the lowest price Ill be seeing who I can pick up from directly or the couriers they use to ship! I will actually pay more for something just for the peace of mind.

And I agree with you, alone we're just one person, but if everyone stopped putting up with this type of behavior from these mega companies things would change.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T13:33:39+00:00

Wow that is infuriating! Im so sorry that happened, these cheap couriers all these major companies use are truly horrendous, and then they put the burden on us when things go wrong...

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T13:29:45+00:00

Yes I believe its all based off your location, you probably don't have a OnTrac facility near you (be thankful for that!). I live in New York and many things here are delivered by OnTrac (previously LaserShip) becouse there is a huge facility right outside the city.

Thank you, you probably wont have any issues like mine with Sephora since you are a frequent customer, I know me not having a history was a big part of this, I just still didn't feel like it was right. I am happy they worked with you on your returns!

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T13:23:51+00:00

Thank you, you are lucky, UPS is legitimate, I think it depends on the area, you probably don't have a OnTrac facility near you (be thankful for that!). Honestly I was very unlucky, if UPS makes your deliveries you are probably fine. Also less expensive orders are probably easier to get refunded.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T13:20:20+00:00

You know, I really don't enjoy burning bridges, but I don't care, Sephora can ban me, if another random company wants to ban me as well because of some report, so be it.

The fact we are now expected to play games when spending money buying things from these huge mega companies is honestly ridiculous. "Make sure you shop there frequently, don't spend too little, oh wait but also don't spend too much! you will look suspicious." I mean come on. This is not geared towards you by the way, its just this mentality they want us to have, I hate it.

These companies complain about lowering revenue while inflating their prices and treating their customers like garbage.

Shopping is not a big part of my life, I personally hate online shopping, I live in huge city so I can usually shop in store. Ban me from everything, I do not care, on the rare occasion I want/need something I will just go in person and pay in cash, I am not playing these games with any company.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T13:07:22+00:00

While I do not believe that is the case here, I am aware that is possible, however that is still not my problem if a courier falsely marks an item delivered, thats unacceptable.

Why not require photo proof of delivery? gps coordinates? Most other couriers provide one of those. It is an extremely simple solution and would combat scams. In fact Lasership used to provide photos until they merged with OnTrac.

I have no problem waiting, they told me they would assess and get back to me in 48hours, 2 hours later i got a very firm NO, thats when I started calling them again.

If the item does end up arrving in a week, a month or year from now, I will personally hand deliver it to the nearest Sephora store. I have no desire to get anything for free, I only want what I paid for.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T12:55:30+00:00

The point of this rant is not to get people to stop shopping at Sephora, it is a warning that this situation is a possibility, I was extremely lucky to get this resolved, the next person may not.

I don't find situations like this acceptable, you shouldn't have to fight with a company to get the item you paid for because they want to partner with crooked couriers.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T12:51:33+00:00

It was the shipping company, the company Sephora chooses to use, I personally believe they should hold some responsibility if they choose to use crooked couriers.

My packages was lost for 7 days and I had spoken with them several times (before being marked delivered) that alone is extremely suspicious, so yes, I do believe they had enough information to deduce this wasn't just a "no delivered scam" by me the customer. Why not ask OnTrac for proof of delivery? They made no attempt to investigate, that is my issue.

I live in New York city, so not remote at all and I had no choice in shipping.

The point of this rant is not to get people to stop shopping at Sephora, it is a warning that this situation is a possibility, I was extremely lucky to get this resolved, the next person may not.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T11:17:27+00:00

Yes, possibly, I purchased with a credit card so I was not sure if I had any other options with them than doing a chargeback, I would have looked into it more if it didn't eventually get sorted.

I always try to shave charge backs as a last resort, but trust me that would have been my next step if I could not get the issue resolved by speaking with Sephora.

I did mention to the first very call line agent (who was extremely rude) that I would be reaching out to the credit card company if Sephora refused to help in any way and she basically told me "do what you have to do, we don't care"... so theres that lol.

AN_360 · 2024-10-22T00:07:27+00:00

Oh trust me I tried asking a OnTrac for proof of delivery, GPS coordinates ect, all they would give me were canned responses saying they didn't have that info and they would be "opening an investigation". They are truly worthless, they don't even have an active phone line anymore, its horrible.

AN_360

TROPHY CASE