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Terrible Experience I Had with Perfumania.com

post #1 of 16
Thread Starter 
I am having a terrible experience with Perfumania.com. This is the first time that I ever had a bad experience with an online company.

I did a search on their site for Essenza Di Zegna Intense Edition. I found a web page for it that was titled "Intense Edition". I ordered the 3.4oz bottle along with bath products. The next morning, just to check, I called Customer Service and asked to check if it was in fact the Intense Edition that I ordered since I found a similiar link on the regular edition page. I was told that "all they carry" was the Intense Edition.

I received the regular edition instead of the Intense. I sent them an e-mail to say I am returning the product and they responded that I made the mistake but as a "one time courtesy" they will give me a refund. I asked instead for them to ship the 2.5oz since from the research I've done, it should have been the Intense Version. I relayed this to them in the e-mail. I also printed out the links to the incorrect and the regular web pages on their site.

I then got an e-mail saying that their replacement shipment was returned to them due to an incorrect address. How can that be? They shipped the original to the same address with no problem. They said that as a result, I have to pay for the shipping.

I complained about all this and received another e-mail saying that I was the one who was mistaken, I should have called the Customer Service if I was confused about what I was ordering and that they will not give me a credit since I didn't ship the item back in the same type of packaging that they sent? But if the packaging was no good, then why did they send a replacement to an "incorrect address"?

By the way, the link to the oroginal erroneous Intense version on their site now no longer says Intense Version!

I am taking this up with the creidt card company and will be relaying this to the Better Business Bureau and to the Attorney General's office of their state. I have all the e-mails and the web page address, so this will be easy to prove that my facts are 100& factual.
post #2 of 16
Good for you ... there's nothing worse than a retailer trying to cover up a mistake by blaming the customer. I've never heard anything good about Perfumania. A co-worker of mine who's never worn anything but Coolwater for women said the one she ordered online from Perfumania was ridiculously weak compared to the one's she's been buying from Macy's all these years. I pointed her to a few websites I use and she wound up getting it from Scentiments and said it was GREAT ... exactly like the full priced Macy's product.

Perfumania also opened a retail store recently in a mall here in Jersey so I went in there one day. I asked if they had Michael Kors for men and they told me no ... but tried to sell me Body Kouros saying it was a similar frag! Huh? I just said "no thanks" and walked out ... never to walk in again.
post #3 of 16
Never used them and won't now. Thank you for the head's-up.


Dan
post #4 of 16
Scentiments is great (lord knows how much stuff I have bought from them these past 2 years)

I have bought 2 fragrances from Perfumania stores (not online) and they were ok - maybe theres a disconnect between their online and bricks-and-mortar stores ?
post #5 of 16
Some ideas for all..re: shopping on line

Do a google of the "store" ... get some customer reviews if you see too many thumbs down...pass it by..too many thumbs up...be cautious...read below

When paying with a card..use your "strongest one"...one that you know backs you up (AmX .. for me is the godfather of CC.. they will reverse the charge while im on the phone with them)

If possible print out a receipt from the online place with an EXACT description of the product you are buying...not a generic description...ie: beauty products. ALSO..print out their return policy and get a phone # if possible.

I just ordered something from Amazon.com...it was through a third party...the reviews of the party were all glowing (red lights blinked)..ok...6 days and did not receive any confirmation of the order or estimated delivery date.

I went to the sight where all the glowing reviews were and posted my review..." If I do not receive an email from you today I am reversing the payment" Sent them an email also..In less then 30mins I had an email with all the info I requested and they reversed the shipping charge..and very nicely asked me to remove my post on their site. Which I did.

We must be aware when sending our info (important parts of our lives) to anyone online.

good luck
post #6 of 16
thanks for the heads up about perfumania. i usually use scentedmonkey. their prices are usually the best. and they send out 5, sometimes 10% off coupons. scentiments is also good.
post #7 of 16
Thread Starter 
Perfumania has an unsatisfactory with the Better Business Bureau:

http://www.bbbsoutheastflorida.org/n...ania%2C+Inc%2E
post #8 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeFromManhattan

Perfumania has an unsatisfactory with the Better Business Bureau:

http://www.bbbsoutheastflorida.org/n...ania%2C+Inc%2E

Cool!

I also did a couple of other searches:

Perfumemporium.com : ('B" - good rating)
http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Bu...anyID=13150500

Fragrancenet.com: (looks ok)
http://www.newyork.bbb.org/reports/b...age=1&id=69256

Scentiments.com: ("satisfactory" rating)
http://www.bbbsoutheastflorida.org/n...33000020001827

Perfumebasement.com ("satisfactory" rating):
http://www.bosbbb.org/reports/reliab...mId=0000099691

Perfumebay.com ("F" rating - BAD!):
http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Bu...anyID=13144271

Perfumeforless.com ("Satisfactory" rating):
http://www.vegasbbb.org/rptrel.asp?bbbid=53819

perfumehut.com (looks ok):
http://www.thebbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=78001793

Manhattan Perfume ("unsatisfactory record" - wasnt this a seller on Ebay?):
http://www.trenton.bbb.org/nis/newse...21000024003193

123 perfume ("B" rating - good)

Imaginationperfumery.com (Satisfactory record):
http://www.bbbsoutheastflorida.org/n...33000007002759

Luckyscent.com ("AAA rating" - exemplary!):
http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Bu...anyID=13192564

parfumsraffy.com ("CCC rating" - good):
http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Bu...anyID=13159543

Beauty Cafe ("Satisfactory rating):
http://www.dallas.bbb.org/commonrepo...l?bid=21002615
post #9 of 16
Thread Starter 
I very suprised about perfumebay.

I use them, along with imaginationperfumery, Perfume Emporium and Strawberry.net and I've only had excellent experiences with them.

[QUOTE=zztopp]Cool!

I also did a couple of other searches:

Perfumemporium.com : ('B" - good rating)
http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Bu...anyID=13150500

Fragrancenet.com: (looks ok)
http://www.newyork.bbb.org/reports/b...age=1&id=69256

Perfumebay.com ("F" rating - BAD!):
http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Bu...anyID=13144271

Imaginationperfumery.com (Satisfactory record):
http://www.bbbsoutheastflorida.org/n...33000007002759
post #10 of 16
Excellent research zztopp. Thanks.

Fragrancenet has been fantastic for me. I recommend fragrancenet 100%
They are really easy to navigate too.

Here is a link to another bad seller:

http://community.basenotes.net/showthread.php?t=185700
post #11 of 16
Thanks for the research guys. Huge thumbs up for Scentiments, way up high.
post #12 of 16
Thanks for the reviews.

Has anybody ordered from Perfume Distributor?
post #13 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by Manos, The Hands of Fate

Thanks for the reviews.

Has anybody ordered from Perfume Distributor?

perfumedistributor.com is owned by the same wacko guy as 1stperfume. Stay far away from both of them.
post #14 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by Azsmells

perfumedistributor.com is owned by the same wacko guy as 1stperfume. Stay far away from both of them.

I was just getting ready to say the same thing. I've ordered from 1stperfume a few times, dodged the bullet until the last time, when it was a pain. Three bottles short on the order, couldn't get in touch with them, etc etc etc. Finally got a refund, after playing email tag with replies to my contacts that had NOTHING to do with my order (I said, "My order is missing XXX bottle" and they replied "If you want a refund, please send the bottle back to us.") Don't waste your time; there are MANY better sources out there.
post #15 of 16
I know that this post is on Perfumania.com, but Perfumania's own bricks-and-mortar stores also seem to be a bit shady at times.

Late last year, they opened a store at Glenbrook Square (the biggest mall in my hometown). Yeah, they do have decent prices that are competitive with fragrance e-tailers part of the time, but most of the time, you're better off on the net.
As for Perfumania's service: How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways...
  • The SAs there aren't very willing to help you unless you want to sniff their 20% off special (normally some Parlux product like Paris Hilton's latest or some junk that Macy's pulled off the shelves due to "poor sales").
  • They won't let you spray a scent on your skin... only on a smelling strip.
  • The salespeople don't greet you unless you're real close to them, and even then, they have no knowledge abut the products that they're selling.
To be honest, I shopped there once, and I will take a peek in there every now and then. Still, I won't spend another cent for another scent from Perfumania... they're on the same black list of mine that Neiman Marcus is on. Unlike NM, though, Perfumania isn't snobby when it comes to the kinds of plastic you can use in the store.
post #16 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by Azsmells

perfumedistributor.com is owned by the same wacko guy as 1stperfume. Stay far away from both of them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rach2jlc

I was just getting ready to say the same thing.

Thanks for saving my bacon. I was about to order some creeds off there.
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