SEPHORA — Local services in Vancouver

I’ve been a loyal Sephora customer for years. I don’t spend thousands, but I do shop regularly and have really appreciated the convenience of their same-day delivery, until now. What happened with my latest order honestly shocked me and made me question how much Sephora actually values its customers.

On May 30th around 10:30 PM, I placed a same-day delivery order expecting it to arrive by 8:00 PM the next day, May 31st, as Sephora clearly promises on its website. By 6:30 PM on the 31st, I noticed my order was still stuck in “processing” so I started getting worried whether my order would arrive on time.

I called customer service to check in, but they told me they had no information. No updates, no insight into where my order was, no idea if it was out for delivery. Just a vague “wait a couple days and maybe it’ll arrive.” And only after it’s marked delivered can they help me with my order or request a refund for the delivery fee. I hope you can understand the beginning of my frustration. I paid for “same-day delivery” (while respecting cut-off times), if you can’t honor that, then don’t advertise it. The story continues…

Customer service told me there was nothing they could do and told me to call the store as they have full discretion over same-day delivery orders. So I did. One store manager told me my order had been ready since that morning and waiting on a DoorDash driver. I asked if a driver was even assigned or coming, and she said the equivalent of, “I don’t know” and “There is nothing we can do.” Then, she told me to contact DoorDash myself. Am I wrong to think this is unreasonable?

I didn’t place an order through DoorDash. I used Sephora’s app, paid Sephora’s delivery fees, and expected Sephora to be responsible for fulfilling what they promised. But now I, the customer, is the one being told to track down and deal with Sephora’s third-party service? When I pushed back, the store manager tried to deflect again and told me to call customer service, which is exactly who sent me to the store in the first place. She tries to convince me that, because I placed my order online, customer service is responsible for the order.

I cannot see how Sephora values customer service when they are so keen on passing customers around when they do not have a solution to a problem. When I asked for an email to escalate the issue, a second manager, Anita (apologies if I misspelled), stepped in. I appreciated the sincerity she showed in going over the pick-up options and it generally sounded like she wanted to help. But I was horrified to learn that same-day delivery issues are a recurring problem. She told me she’s escalated the issue numerous months and nothing has changed. And she couldn’t give me an email or contact to escalate further. Just... call customer service again.

So basically, when same-day delivery fails, Sephora offers no accountability, and no resolution. Maybe it’s not worth getting worked up over a day or so of delivery delay, but I am anyway. I know not everyone will run into this. I’ve had great experiences before too. But when the system breaks down, there is no safety net. If something goes wrong, you’re on your own. And based on what I was told, this issue has been going on for months unaddressed.

So tell me, Sephora, is this what customer care looks like to you? Are you really okay charging people for a service you can’t guarantee, and then refusing to take responsibility when it...

My wife and I shop at Sephora quite often. We usually go to the branch on Robson but this time they were out of something and we went to this branch in pacific mall. We did our shopping and as we were getting ready to check out the cashier asked us if we know about teh Gucci deal and we said no. She said if you buy Gucci product you will get a gift bag and turned around and showed us what would be in the bag. There was a red lipstick and she specifocally said it is worth it because you get that lipstick. So we went over to Gucci section to see what they have and there another Sephora person said yes if you buy $70 worth of product you get this lipstick (number 3, she showed it to me). I bought two things and went back to the same cashier. She checked out what I bought said nice and put a purple bag inside my stuff and we left. At home we opened the purple bag and there was no sign of the red lipstick. I thought they might have missed it so went back there today again to see what happened. I explained the situation and this women went somewhere to the back I guess to ask someone. Another person at the desk asked me if I bought $200 worth of Gucci stuff. I said no. In the most condescending tone, she said "well that's why. You only get the lipstick if you spend more than $200) I said that's not what I was told. She said again very condescendingly, "who told you that though?" I mean what does that even mean? your people told us obviously! as if I was making it up. When I got upset she said there in no reason to get upset!! She went back to the back of the store and came back with a bag of stuff and said I can give you this gift but I can't give you the lipstick! I didn't want anything at that point except for an apology for trying to trick me into buying stuff with false promises. Throughout the exchange they made it sound like I was a beggar there begging for a $55 lipstick ( I had spent over $400 the day before) instead of saying sorry we gave you wrong information. That is all I wanted! I said I am returning these lipstick and she said aggressively "okay, I will need the gift bag back then"!!! This is how they treat...

We encountered an unsolicited and assertive interaction with a Sephora staff member today. Without invitation, they approached me while I was testing a product and declared, 'One pump is enough.' At first, it was not too bad because they looked cool and stylish with a buzz cut and lots of rings although they looked in their mid-50s. However, they soon monopolized the conversation for approximately ten minutes, discussing their personal experiences and the benefits of specific skincare products. During this monologue, they dropped several ingredient names. Due to their pronunciation, I initially struggled to comprehend, so I mumbled, 'I don't know what those are.', admitting my ignorance with a shy smile. To my surprise, their response was condescending, 'It's Vt. B and Vt. A.' Then, I realised that they were referring to Niacinamide (a form of Vitamin B3) and Retinol.

The tipping point occurred when they dismissively asserted, 'It's just science.'

I disagree; it's just marketing.

If Sephora, or the cosmetic industry at large, truly embraced 'science,' they would present both the advantages and disadvantages of their products.

For instance, have you ever heard a Sephora staff member discuss the potential health risks associated with Retinol?

Research has linked retinoids to an increased risk of skin cancer when applied to sun-exposed skin. Cosmetic companies incorporate this ingredient into numerous daytime products, including sunscreen. A government study found that mice exposed to creams containing retinyl palmitate or retinoic acid developed more tumors and experienced earlier tumor onset than mice using creams without these ingredients. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recommends avoiding sunscreens and other daytime cosmetics containing vitamin A.

In addition, retinoids are frequently preserved using BHT or parabens, substances associated with significant risks such as cancer and reproductive health issues. Surprisingly, these compounds may find their way into the final product without being explicitly disclosed on the...