Friday, March 25, 2011

Archetype Cosmetics... My fabulous fail.

I'm mad...

No, I'm furious.

While reading one of my all time favorite blogs, I came across a post for Archetype cosmetics. I'm always on the lookout for new mineral makeup lines, and after seeing the swatches on said blog, I rushed to the Archetype site and was ASTOUNDED when I saw each sample was a mere 25 cents. I quickly placed 40 samples in my shopping cart, giddy as a school girl and placed my order...

Now here is where the nightmare begins.

Directly afterwards, I searched my inbox for a purchase receipt. There was no receipt anywhere.
I figured it was just a small fluke and assumed I would be treated the way I am usually treated with other MM companies that spoil me rotten.

I placed my order in NOVEMBER of 2010, two days after Thanksgiving and thought nothing of it when December rolled in and still I had recieved no kind of shipping info.
Hmm.
Christmas was approaching and I was getting really impatient, I ordered many colors specifically because I wanted to try them for a holiday look I had been planning. I sent a quick e-mail to the address listed on the site.

"Hi there, how are you today? Busy I assume.
I say that because I placed an order about 3 weeks ago and well..
I was wondering if it had shipped out already and a notice wasn't sent?
My name is Bla bla bla and the date I placed the order was November 29th
I greatly appreciate you taking the time to read this message, have a great day :)"

And I sent off the message certain I would get a reply.
A day went by. And then another. And another. And another until new years eve passed and we were suddenly in 2011. And I was still without my eyeshadows grrrr.

I sent another e-mail.

"I have been waiting for nearly 6 weeks now and I still have not recieved any info on my order. Please contact me as soon as possible. I understand you must be very busy but this is getting ridiculous."

Another week went by and NO ANSWER.
Ugh.

Understand that at that time I didn't know what a paypal dispute was, so I was feeling awful that I had been scammed by this company. By the time I found out I could dispute the money I paid, I had gone past the 45 day limit. No answer to my e-mails, nothing at all.
By February I had started researching the company and saw that many people had to wait 2, 3 even 4 months to recieve their orders from Archetype! Defeated, I figured I would just have to wait.
And wait.
And wait some more. 
Until finally today, March 25th 2011... Yeah 5 months later, I decided to send one last angry massage to Archetype and decided it was time to post about this.

" Thank you so much for taking my money. I really appreciate getting scammed by you. Keep it, I don't want it any more. You will never recieve a cent from me again."

Ok, so it was only like 13 dollars or so, but STILL!
(Caps warning)
HOW ARE THESE PEOPLE STILL IN BUSINESS?! AHHHH!
*Violently shakes laptop around*
Archetype gets an F- in my book.

For great Customer Service in the online makeup circles, I recommend...

High Voltage Cosmetics- The owner Jasmine is always so quick to answer any questions and is always really helpful.

Fyrinnae- Quick helpful replies, very polite.

Detrivore Cosmetics- Besides shipping super fast, whenever I have a question I always get quick replies.

And thats all for today, have a great night and always reaserch before purchasing, please :)

6 comments:

  1. Holly is a very sweet person to talk to but doesn't really have any help & does this part time. Unfortunately the fact that she hasn't updated the website since April 2010 should have given you a clue. You will most likely have your stuff just show up one day. Many people have received their orders even after filing paypal claims & getting their refunds. The upside is that whenever your samples do arrive you will be pleased with what you get. Hope this helps

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  2. I have no doubt that she's a very wonderful person, but as a customer wandering into a website, I just purchased and assumed it was fully functional.

    I don't think she should still be taking orders if she's unable to keep up with them though, thats not ok. The average customer wont care if the owner only does it part time, all they care about is getting product for the money they spent.

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  3. I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!! AT this point I really don't care how nice a person Holly is, she sucks as a business woman and that is being nice about it! I can't say I didn't know how this company was, because I did. I knew it was hit or miss, but back in 2009 I took a chance, ordered samples, never got them, then randomly got a reimbursement from Holly months later, with no explanation. I heard later that year that she had gotten way better so I chanced it again. I also ordered a few full size (3 to be exact) I didn't want it to seem like I was taking advantage of the samples. My order arrived in two weeks and the colors DROOL DROOL DROOL. In January of 2011 I was running low and made a $28 order that was mostly full sized products. Here I sit on April 9th empty handed and P*$$#^ off. I had to file claim with paypal to get my money back. Holly never answered one email. I even called the store where she houses her business and left messages for her, NOTHING!
    To add insult to injury the colors I still have are beautiful, one of a kind and sit in my makeup collection teasing me! Holly could have a booming business. Her colors are ingenious. It really is a shame.

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  4. Oh my, thats awful!

    Melissa from Morgana Cryptoria also holds down a job and manages to ship promptly. Shame shame shame!
    You are right Sarah if was on track with this, Archetype would be among the most wonderful indie companies.

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  5. Having a another job is no excuse for the ridiculous business practices of srchetype. Holly could set longer ship estimates, disable her site when she's unable to complete orders, or hire more help. From they way she runs her business it seems like more of a hobby/game to her rather than a serious business.

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  6. What a bad experience.... Shame.

    If you're on the look out for new and exciting indie makeup companies, check out us at GlossVine.com :)

    We've got a ton of stuff and we always are updating :) And you can count on our speedy delivery, always.

    ReplyDelete