I occasionally frequented the Shiseido counter inside Mitsuwa over the last decade or so. It was much more convenient than having to trek to the mall, look for parking and deal with the crowds.
Unfortunately, my business with the Anais counter has come to an end. On July 21st, I purchased a powder foundation that I have been buying from Shiseido for well over 30 years. I noticed when I was getting ready for work yesterday, August 26th, that the product had crumbled. I called the store and was told that the product was not available and they would contact me in a few days when it was back in stock.
This morning a bit after 10 am, I received a call from Diane. She asked me about the condition of the product to which I said it had crumbled, is not usable and I'm looking for a replacement. I mentioned that I had my receipt. She asked me how much of the product I used and I stated that I only had it for a bit over a month. Diane said she had to do an investigation so I offered to email the photos. She asked me to give her my cell number to which I refused and asked her to use my work number. Then she gave me the following email address which I confirmed with her twice before ending the call: santa.anaiscosmetics.com.
I called Diane back after I received a bounce back and she was claimed that she had been consistently getting emails on that account but she was with a customer so for me to give her my cell phone to which I said "here's my office number."
Diane called me but I missed her call so instead of checking voicemail, I called her back. She asked if I received her text. I told her she called my work number. She again asked me for my cell phone which I told her I don't share. She said she would be sharing her personal cell phone so it would be the same. I once again asked her to confirm the email address. She repeated it to me: santa.anaiscosmetics.com. I told her it's not a valid email address and maybe I would just stop by. She said she works from Tuesday to Sunday.
After our call, I tried the email address Diane provided me again and received a bounce back. I decided to google the business and contacted the Buena Park office and was provided with the correct email: santa@anaiscosmetics.com.
I sent my email with the receipt and photos of the product.
I received an email response and a call from Diane asking again why I waited to report the problem to which I replied that I contacted them as soon as I was aware there was a problem. She said she was willing to replace the product out of her own pocket because she thought it just wasn't smooth. I reiterated that I reported it had crumbled and was unusable. Then she stated that they have no way of knowing where I've been, what condition the product was in, perhaps it had been exposed to extreme heat to which I responded that I work at a lawfirm where I am currently wearing socks and a sweater despite the warm weather outside, and my home is air conditioned and kept at a constant temperature level.
Then under a veiled threat, she said she was trying to be "nice" and that they can pull surveillance to show when I purchased the product so I reminded her that I had the receipt which states when I was there and that is when I shared with her that I already filed a dispute on the charge with Chase and that I currently have a temporary credit on my account. All I was asking was for them to make the same accommodation that a Nordstrom, Bloomingdales or Macy's would where I could have easily purchased the product to which she said "those stores don't care about policies."
I told her there's nothing else to discuss and
for us to keep having the same circular conversation about her having to document our conversation, with her repeatedly asking when I bought it and why I didn't return it within the month was pointless.
Since then, I contacted Macy's and asked what their policy is on defective cosmetics. They accept returns within a 6 month period of purchase. read more