Jacob
Over Kiehl's
Over Kiehl's. I used to love Kiehl's. They have mostly great products and friendly in-store service. However, Kiehl's has the most frustrating virtual customer service I've ever experienced. For such a ridiculously expensive brand, you would think they would be more generous with their customer service. A while back I had purchased a large size (16.9 oz) Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash. Not a month after I purchased it, the pump broke. I reached out asking for a replacement pump and all they said was "We can't replace the pump. Can I help you with anything else?" That was it. I spent $50 USD on a large-quantity product that I now had to pour into my hand for the next however many months to a year that I would be using it. I couldn't travel with it and it was just free to slowly evaporate and for bacteria to enter. I was beyond annoyed. The customer service representative was short and rude and offered no other solutions. Then, more recently my mother gifted me the Avocado Nourishing Hydration Mask. I tried it, and the product really sucked. It was chunky and made my skin sting. So I wrote an honest, but negative review on their website and included a photo of the product in the jar and on my face. Then I got an email that my review would be removed. I was irritated, but whatever. Most brands delete negative customer reviews, so I wasn't shocked. Then, a few days later, I received an email to reach out to their customer service team. I thought, "finally, they care and they are going to try to make this right." It turns out they wanted me to call them because they were "concerned" about the reaction I had to the product. I assume it's a liability thing or something. So the person on the phone spent ten minutes asking me questions about medications, allergies, etc. She took down my full name and asked if I had thrown out the product. Of course, I had. Then she proceeded to tell me that because it was a gift and I had thrown it away, that they couldn't refund it. Not a big deal since I didn't personally pay for it, but obviously it still sucks and I would like to have had a product I can use. Of course, my mom is unhappy about it as well. I understand the policy, but I am just so frustrated that they took my information, took time out of my day to get information about the skin reaction, probably just to protect themselves. They took my full name and information and offered me NOTHING. Barely an apology and not even a $5 store credit or something stupid. On top of that, the whole tone of the conversation wasn't pleasant or kind, it was just dry and rude. I will no longer shop at Kiehl's. I'm over this kind of treatment. If they can't back up their products I'm not interested in shelling out.