Paulas Choice= bad customer service, Mario Badescu= amazing!!!

[Angelalh]

i know this is a long message just wanted to share my experience!

so i dont know which company makes better products but im just talking about the level of service

i just turned 29 and decided to start taking better care of my skin ao i ordered a bunch of paulas choice samples on their website i ended up spending like $20 on foil packets

and i was still unsure what was best so i sent this email

Quote: march 17th  I am trying to get the perfect products for my skin I ordered a bunch of samples but it is really hard to really see how a product will work in only one to two uses. I am 29 I have dry to normal skin I ocassionally get acne but when i do its the VERY VERY large acne that is painful that starts deep under the skin and does not clear for at least a week and when it does go away it leaves a very bad scar. I have lots of scars especially on my chin. I have brown spots on the tops of my cheeks. I have fine lines under my eyes. My undereye area is EXTREMELY dry and very very very dark. I also have large pores on and around my nose. I do not have a lot of money to really experiment with a lot of different products unfortunately so I really hope you can recommend the products that will make the most difference without having to buy 5 different products.
they responded with march 19th

Quote:  Thank you for contacting us. I am happy to make suggestions however, I would like to know a bit more about your overall experience with the samples you received. I understand that the samples may not be enough for you to determine if the formulas give you good results, but you should have an ideal of how the textures felt on the skin. For example, could you tell me how the Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer felt when you applied it at night? Did you feel as though it provided enough moisture? How about the Resist Triple Action Dark Spot Eraser or Resist Pure Radiance Skin Brightening Treatment? I look forward to your reply, and assisting further.
me march 19th

Quote:  all the textures are wonderful so far the skin brightnening treatment was a bit stingy at first and left my face a little flushed but it went away after a few minutes
my skin has been tons more radiant and i do think ive noticed my spots fading a teeny tiny bit and my pores a bit smaller as well.... i shouldnt have switched so many products so i know exactly which ones are working the best but i couldnt help it... i want the entire line >p
 
me again march 27th

Quote: i sent this on march 19th did you guys forget about me /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> 
them finally march 28th

Quote:  Thank you for contacting us.  I apologize, I’m not sure what happened to your last email but I am here to help.  You shouldn’t experience any stinging, burning or redness with the products, if you do it’s a sign of an irritation so that would be a sign that it may not be the best product for you.  How did you do with the rest of the products?  Did any of the others cause any reactions?  A good sign would be if you felt nothing when they were applied but slowly after a few days start to see good results with your skin.  Would you like us to just provide you with a skin care routine recommendation based on your skin type? 
me march 28th

Quote:  yes the rest were fine, it was the slightest stinging nothing significant at all
yes, i would like a skin care routine
im just really confused on if i should be using AHA or BHA or change them up, my skin in the summertime is more combination but right now just extremely dry from the harsh winter
 
me again april 9th

Quote: I guess your company does not care about customer service its been over 3 weeks since I first emailed your company just to find out what products will be best for my skin 
their pathetic response april 10th

Quote:  
Thank you for contacting us. I would like to extend my deepest apologies that you have yet to receive a response from your last email sent on 3/28/2014 regarding your skin-care regimen. Please know that Paula and us here at Customer Service Care about you a great deal and have always strived offer the best service to our Customers. After reviewing the email thread, it looks like there has been some difficulty of us receiving another email as well. We do try our best to respond to Customer’s within 24-48 hours of receipt so if you have to wait longer than that, it’s possible that your email may have encountered some delivery errors and never received.   

With that said, we would love to provide you with skin care recommendations. Since there has been a lot of back and forth it may be easiest for us to speak over the phone in real time. If you would like to respond to this email with a phone number and an appropriate time to call, we would be more than happy to contact you and assist you further. Alternatively, if you’d prefer you can contact our toll free Customer Service line (toll free number located in my signature below) at your soonest convenience.

U.S. hours: Mon-Fri 6am to 6pm PT
Sat-Sun 8am to 4:30 PT
24-hour voice mail
Closed on major U.S. holidays

Again, I apologize for the experience and that it has left you to feel like we were not interested in helping you with your skin-concerns. We hope that we can move forward on a positive note and that you are willing to work with us further.

Please feel free to let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns and we will be happy to assist you. We look forward to hearing from you.

Warmest regards,
if i wanted to call i wouldve loooong ago, i have specific reasons i prefer email over phone!!!

but on the other hand  i went on the Mario Badescu website and went to the consulting tab and entered in all the info my skin type, skin concerns etc...

they recommended exact products without any emails nice and simple!

i went out and purchased most of the products when ulta had 25% off and they have been wonderful and i have noticed a difference in my skin

then to my surprise yesterday in the mail Mario Badescu had sent sample sizes of everything they recommended some of those will probably last 30 days!! and that was for free

 

[Angelalh]

also the mario badescu packet had a customized step by step guide of how and when to use each product and also a product pamphlet and the way everything is written and how the ingredients are explained i know am wayyyy better informed on which products to use on my skin.... thank you mario badescu!!

 

[Kimsuebob]

I received the Mario Badescu samples yesterday as well and was very impressed with the whole package. I'm going to try the products next week and if they work the way they say, I will buy them as they are very reasonably priced

 

[Dalila]

Hmmm, I think with emailing a company you always have issues with it not reaching the person intended. I think they did their best to help you and figure out what was best for you. I mean, most companies will not do an over the phone consultation, so it seems like they were really going out of their way to help you figure something out.

 

[Angelalh]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dalila /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Hmmm, I think with emailing a company you always have issues with it not reaching the person intended. I think they did their best to help you and figure out what was best for you. I mean, most companies will not do an over the phone consultation, so it seems like they were really going out of their way to help you figure something out.
i had strep so talking was a no-go

and instead of the email why couldnt they just respond with the product recommendations and say something like it seems our email system is not working correctly so if you have any follow ups please dont hesitate to call us so we can be sure no more emails get lost. 

of course i am aware they did not know i have strep, but i just feel totally blown off

 

[Bunbunny]

To me it seems like PC was making a pretty good effort. They should have replied to your e-mail sooner though. They probably didn't want to suggest specific products because everyone's skin is different and you probably would have been very upset if you bought something they recommended specifically to you and it didn't work.

For MB, you used an automated, coded website feature. There was no human helping you and thus you weren't dealing with customer service. Try e-mailing MB asking the same thing you asked PC and I'm sure you will get the same results or someone telling you to use the website questionnaire.

I understand that you feel blown off, and yeah they should have replied to you sooner but I mean... you didn't send them a picture of your face or anything. Neither companies are your estheticians and don't really have a responsibility to make personal recommendations.

P.S. PC has a sorting system by skin type/skin problems and one of the hugest databases of cosmetic ingredients online that explains in clear terms what each ingredient does scientifically. It takes a little bit of research but the opportunity is there for you to figure out what might be best for your skin.

P.P.S. Your acne sounds like cystic acne. To my knowledge there aren't any products that TRULY get rid of them even if they advertise it. From what I have heard, the only real way to get rid of them is using medication or getting them professionally extracted. I have found that using a warm washcloth for about an hour a few times a day helps shrink them (they still usually give me scars, though).

Good luck!

 

[Angelalh]

thank you bunbunny, very helpful

i wish i could afford something like an esthtician or even a facial... i would full time but still only make about $12,000 a year so not much of that can be blown on products/services often thats why i waas just trying to find out the perfect few products that would actually work for me and have no hassle trying many different products and nothing being effective

 

[feemia]

I just filled out the questionaire on the Mario Badescu website out of curiosity.  They recommended 8 products, but based on the ingredients, none of them are appropriate my skin.