The Perfumed Court - Page 11

I've never used them so can't speak personally but several uk people I know have had damaged and broken decants arrive , it sounds to me they need to put a little more work into packaging methods

Have you all heard about the new venture - Surrender to Chance? I'm very interested in what their inventory will be like. Of the three orders I've placed with TPC thus far, most items are dispatched quite quickly but there are two exceptions and it looks as though both these exceptions were sent from the same place/person.

I've read a lot of things about TPC here and I know there are people who've had problems but I've been very happy with TPC. They have an AMAZING inventory! True, the samples/decants aren't the cheapest but I think it's important to remember what these things are worth to you as the customer. Of course the samples and decants will cost more per ml than a FB, that's only to be expected! The fact remains that you can still try dozens of fragrances for the same cost as a FB of just one of those perfumes. That kind of service is worth more than money to me. If it weren't for TPC I wouldn't have been able to smell so many of the fragrances I've been after. Makes it cheaper in the long run - I'll only FBs of things I like. I personally believe that the cost of samples and decants is a worthwhile investment. Like many of us, I'm not exactly flush with cash at the moment and am so glad that I've been able to explore all these amazing scents without having to fork out the ££££££ for FBs. Having said that, I haven't yet ordered samples/decants of anything too pricey, i.e. no pure parfums or vintage perfumes.

I wonder if it was that person who has been cast out by the other two who are starting this new venture.

I do like TPC, must have slung close to $400 their way over the last year and a bit. The best thing about them was their massive range, it was rare that I could not find a sample of something I was after on there, albeit my tastes are not too eclectic.

If being 2/3rds of their former selves reduces that choice then it will be a pale imitation of TPC, if they manage to keep or indeed improve on their offerings then they will be on to a winner, after all they've clearly taken their customer lists with them considering the e-mails they have been sending out.

Maybe they can include a different type of sweet in their packages, was never a fan of the ones they sent out!

Out of sheer noseyness I'd like to know the reasons behind the split.

I think many reviews here are based on people actually knowing the ladies behind TPC. They are Basenotes subscribers (were, at least) and active members of the community here.

My own experience was twofold. When you request something simple and accessible (like the Les Exclusifs sampler to try out), service is fast and great and to-the-point.

If you place a more complicated order which contains samples from what appears to be different locations, often there will be mix-ups, doubles of one sample and none of another, etc.

For the price, frankly, I can't be bothered with e-mailing back and forth, etc. They charge enough for samples to put more effort into completing orders properly.

I have nothing against the ladies personally, and quite enjoyed their insight and knowledge, but as far as service goes - either charge less or work better.

Now, whether this was a problem of poor communication between the different sellers - we shall soon find out, as they've separated into two competing (I assume) entities. As they're competing for the same base - us - hopefully this will lead to either better pricing, or better service, or both.

My experiences with them were great although these were just this year, but yeah I have yet to see a place that has the selection and range of options available that these guys did.

Im sure once the dust settles, between TPC and StC the range and selection will exist still, it just sucks that in the interim buyers are left a bit high and dry as until I know how the inventory/turn around times are affected I wont be ordering from TPC...hopefully well know more on what either business will be offering going forward soon.

The Perfumed Court e-mailed to all customers their Mid-April Court Report Newsletter.

Yay !! New modest shipping rates, in line with the other decanters.

Like, U.S.A. $2.95 for orders under $195., over $195. FREE.

Join Facebook for Specials and Flash Sales.

A long list of new procured items.

Because this NEWS was lost in the recent downtime, I am bumping my post #606 forward today.

Oh TPC ...how I love and loathe thee !. Selection and product availability is beyond compare.. But order processing and delivery notifications beg more questions over your business practices. Case in point. I placed an order on 7/18/12 for a couple of samples. I received a msg that same day to say the items had been shipped comple with tracking number from USPS. Now it has been 6 business days and nothing has arrived.
Have the folks at TPC been just printing out USPS shipping labels for orders not even shipped in the hope of appeasing customers concerned by delivery time?. It certainly seems so to me. The company can always point to the shipping label info and pass the blame to the USPS. I mean come on now, an order goes in at 4pm and is shipped that same day. Very highly unlikely in my opinion.
I know the cheerleading corps for TPC will begin the usual song and dance about the large number of orders at TPC and being shortstaffed and so forth. But, in all honesty, why employ such questionable business methods in the first place?. It really is not fair or reasonable to the customer.
In addition , I have operated an online company and know how the system works. If I indeed correct in my assumption on how TPC deals with orders , and I am almost certain given all the details, then they run a very sketchy operation.
All this could be avoided if they just hired some more help. I am sure given this economy, there are many people out there just willing to get a new job. Go on Patty and Co. break open the bank and get a few extra hands to help out there.

@ stanmar - you are assuming a lot and have no actual proof of that.

Stanmar, I just ordered from them 07/15/12 and received it 5 days later 07/20/12 and it was a fairly large order. 5 days is extremely fast, so I guess you're off on all your assumptions. All companies have glitches here and there. Try dealing with them directly and I'm sure you will get your problem taken care of. They are a stellar company and I've NEVER had a problem with them. (Not affiliated with The Perfumed Court)

Stanmar - no song and dance here about USPS, I'm in Canada - but I do know that both USPS and Canada Post are usually damn slow when it comes to regular mail, there are lovely surprises when something comes fast.... but normally it's all pokey service. And about Perfumed Court, no - not sketchy at all. I have never failed to get my packages here, and if ever had questions, they alway got back to me. I'm certainly not affiliated with PC either.

The concerns expressed in my previous post have all but been confirmed by an email received from the TPC customer service dept. In that message the csr there stated it is standard policy at TPC to print out mailing labels far in advance of any items actually been shipped. Instead of preparing an order and then making the mailing label at the last stage of processing, TPC does things clearly different. Again I love TPC for their huge selection. I just wish I could go in there and come up with a better process for shipping and order fulfillment .

I have never had any problems with items neither from TPC nor from STC.

I recently placed an order at The Perfumed Court after debating quite some time on what to get. I was excited that one of the decanters is from the same state as I reside in so maybe I would receive my samples quickly.

It has been been 9 days since I placed the order (7 business days). I haven't received any shipping emails and it looks to still be in processing on their website. Their website shows everything that I ordered to be in stock.

I sent them an email 4 days ago and yesterday. I have yet to receive any email response addressing my concerns.

Is this common practice for The Perfume Court (slow shipping and lack of customer service)?

Should I be concerned?

I love the fact that they have many frags that I can sample but I don't know if I will ever order from them again. Other sites seem to be able to ship out samples withing 3 business days and return your emails.

I've had pretty good communications with TPC recently when I sent them an inquiry by email. Shipping always takes a little while, though. Can you give them a call?

Tell me about it. We've been waiting for over 2 business weeks and it just shipped yesterday.

Shipping is a bit slow, IMO (just received a sample I ordered yesterday from an order placed 2 weeks ago), but they get it done in the end...

I believe it's because of the recent big labor day holiday sale that they had, in which they received hundreds of orders. On their Facebook page, they're asking for their customers to be patient on receiving their orders.

I guess if I would have known, I would have ordered elsewhere. I am one of those people that if I order something, I expect to have it ASAP.

I just wish they would have returned my email. If they just said that we are overwhelmed by our labor day sale and to please be patient. Sorry for the inconvenience. Maybe even throw in a few complimentary samples or upgrade all the sizes for free. That would have been a nice gesture and would have gotten a customer for life.

So I guess not only did I miss the labor day sale, I have to wait several weeks to get my order.

Well there is always Luckyscent and Surrendertochance.com as other viable options . Faster shipping from both compared to TPC.

PC is located in multiple places because, I believe, it is a co-op between a few people. I have made orders in the past and received envelopes from 3 different return address locations.

PC has never been famous for their speed. Just like Luckyscent is not famous for good prices or large samples.

Perfumed court also seems to tale FOREVER to answer emails...if they answer them at all.

This has been well chronicled here and has been going on for several months now. The problems reportedly started after some kind of in-fighting between the three owners. Some of them left TPC and formed Surrendertochance.com, which, I must say, is much better and faster.

You WILL eventually get your order from TPC, but I use them only as a last resort. Surrender To Chance has excellent communication and are very fast with shipping.

. I think luck scent has fair prices.


. I found out about Surrender to Chance after I ordered my sample. They will be getting my money next time.

I just ordered some stuff off TPC..I hope it doesn't take too long. Oh well. What to do?

Ordered 5 samples over a week ago and wanted to add one more to the list...no response to two emails. They usually do respond to a question.

It is only a $20 order but I was excited to get them. Who knows how long it will take and I am leaving soon on a trip.

I'm pretty pissed. I found out about this not an hour after I placed my order. I was hoping to get samples so I can test out fall/winter frags, but by the time these get to me, it'll be mid October. Then, by the time a split fills up, gets ordered, and shipped out it'll be like...December.

Lovely.

I ordered recently after a long hiatus from buying decants. They didn't have shipping info for me for a week and when I emailed them I got boilerplate note refering me to their standards and practices regarding shipping. The next day I got an email with shipping info and after waiting two weeks I finally got my decants. I ordered from their biggest competitor yesterday morning and got a shipping email last night. Goodbye Perfumed Court.

I wanted samples of TDC De Bachmakov and Hermessence Vetiver Tonka; no other site carried both of these so I had no choice but to order them from TPC. I noticed though that I was charged only $3.95 for shipping when I used to get charged $5.95 (and the website still says shipping to Canada is $5.95). I just placed the order on Monday so will see how long it takes. If I'm unhappy with the shipping time I'll buy from STC in the future whenever I can, but I unfortunately don't think I'd be able to sever myself from TPC entirely. It seems there was a bit of an inventory split when STC started and as a result there are some perfumes only TPC has, and some only STC has.

Yeah I am going to be using their competitor from now on. I too received a boilerplate note referring me to there standards. They even underline or boldfaced up to 7 business days to ship. It actually went over the 7 business days. They didnt seem to care about my order.
They also stated that they have received many recently orders that were much more expensive than mine. That rubbed me the wrong way. Just because I only ordered 5 samples, it was as if my order wasn't as important to them as the larger orders.

So that was the first and last time I order for the perfumed court? If they would have added a few additional samples or at least apologized in a sincere manner, it would have been different.

I got my samples several days ago..they were having a sale..so it was a little slow due to all the orders placed..but it didn't bother me too much. There was great communication and apologies(sounded pretty sincere) about the delay. They seem really nice.

It's a little shocking when I was about to purchase some samples from TPC and noticed the $ per ml relative to buying it retail for example Amber Oud. I realize I live in NYC so I should just pay for the subway or walk to Saks to try out these scents...but sometimes have them all there just beats it.

My order is going with Surrender to Chance though. The price point looked a lot lower. I mean 8ml decant of Amber Oud is more expensive than 50ml refill you can order on the website. Who does that?

It's true; although decanting places like TPC and STC have always sold samples and decants for more than the retail price, per ml, of the fragrance. If they did not do this they would not make a profit from the decanting. Therefore, you have a bottle of perfume, such as a regular bottle of Chanel No.5 EDT, that has been marked up in price twice - once when a retailer such as a department store sells the full bottle, then again when decanters such as TPC and STC buy that and decant from it, in order to make a profit off the decants. This is one of the criticisms that has been made of decanting.

That being said, I don't know how decanters arrive at the particular prices they do for some of the fragrances they sell. I was confused, and a bit outraged, when I saw STC selling 1 ml samples of Prescriptives Calyx for $4.99, and 8ml decants for $33. I'm sorry, but that is highway robbery. You can buy this perfume at bargain basement prices online. Right now there are several 50ml bottles on ebay being sold in the $40 range. I know a lot of people have been saying the prices at STC are better but for me it has depended on the fragrance. TPC sells Calyx samples for the standard $3 per ml which it should be. And even that. as you said, is way more than the retail price per ml for the fragrance.

I placed an order with TPC back in September for samples of scents they had in stock and my oder is only now shipping, TODAY. I've been checking the mail for days expecting it to arrive. I had no idea they hadn't even shipped my order yet. I also had no idea their 1ml samples aren't even 3/4 of the 1ml they're supposedly selling. Be careful if you order those. You're actually only getting .7ml, if even that much. Other sites seem to correctly list that size as .7ml but apparently, TPC tries to cheat by making it look like you're getting more than you are. Hopefully they don't cheat on 1.5ml and 2.5ml samples too. This is likely to be my first and last order with them.

- - - Updated - - -

UGH! I contacted TPC to ask what took so long to get my order shipped. In explaining the delay, they mentioned that my order still had NOT actually shipped yet. It'll ship tomorrow.

The vials are called 1 ml vials because that is what they hold when filled to the brim and left uncapped (I checked, it's true.) Of course, they can't be shipped or stored that way! The liquid would overflow. Practically speaking, you are only getting 0.7 (or 0.75) mls of perfume when you buy a 1 ml vial.

My 4-quart pot holds 4 quarts of water when filled to the brim, but you can't cook with the fluid level all the way up to the brim-- it will overflow. Still, the industry calls it a 4-quart pot.

Luckyscent spells out how much juice the buyer is getting with one of those samples, and that is the best way in my opinion. To do the same, TPC and others would have to test the volume that each one of their vials and atomizers actually holds. And each time they changed supplier, they would have to re-test the new vials/atomizers. That is probably why they don't....

I just heard from Patty at STC - apparently the price Calyx was listed at was a mistake, and a result of all of their fragrances getting new price classifications after the new website launched. The real price is $4.99 per 2 ml and $10.99 for an 8 ml decant. It has already been changed on the website.

Yeah they are extremely slow in shipping. I think they list something about taking pride in fast delivery or something of that nature on their website lol.

I do think that they fill their vials up a bit more than luckyscent or at least for me they did.

This place is garbage. Took them 2 weeks with no notification to ship my order. Outrageous and not in line with any standard internet practices. Not even any notice that it would take this long. Should have researched before buying from them.

The Perfumed Court takes a bit longer to ship right now, but I have no complaints. Their items are quality. That is what I am looking for. Give them time, after that unfortunate break-up, where two left and left the third one with a mess to clean up.

I have read thru many blogs on Basenotes of members who have had good experiences with Perfume Court. Let me share this story with you. On October 2nd I purchased a $15.00 bottle of Sycomore to try out. Yesterday, it still had not come, so I went to Perfume Court's website to ask about it and low and behold there is a single letter size block to be filled in at the contact us area. Yes, the note area is the size of a single letter! Thus, I was baffled; I could not express my thoughts with a single letter, so I took a chance and sent an email off to orders@perfumecourt.com. Today, after no reply, I set up a dispute via Paypal and this afternoon I get an email from Perfume Court. But, there is NO message. It is a just a copy of my invoice with a USPS tracking number, which you know is usually worthless until after the item arrives.
Why would she do this to me? This is not a good way to support and maintain clientele! Not even a 'hey it is in transit' or 'I shipped it out late.'
say la vie

I'm sorry to hear you're having a problem with TPC, I know that can be so frustrating. I've had extremely good luck in my transactions with them. I went to their site and you're right about their contact box, no way to write a message. The only email address I could find is sales@theperfumedcourt.com it is one to use for returns, exchanges, replacements and refunds. Maybe they never received your email, since you sent it to perfumecourt instead of theperfumedcourt for the address. Try contacting them at the address above and tell them all your concerns. I hope you get the Sycomore you ordered, it's a great fragrance.

She's backed up on orders due to a big sale I think. My order took a few days but it got to me, no biggie. I found her communication to be good. I think I've ordered from them 2-3 times so far.

Never ordered myself, but on other boards the shipping times recently are two to three weeks.

At that point it was blamed on Labour Day holiday, now a sale.

She is great, the best. For the prices they charge, she better be. Where are you located at? I have noticed the PO working with delays in the last three weeks -- I am in the upper mid-west and it took them 14 days to deliver to Alaska and 6 days to Chicago from me.

None of my orders took 2-3 weeks to arrive, even with the sale.

There is a fairly comprehensive FAQ on The Perfumed Court contact page that addresses all these issues. In particular, it says to allow up to 3 weeks for domestic shipping, so I don't see what the fuss is about after only 10 days...

http://theperfumedcourt.com/ContactUs.aspx

I've always had good luck with them, I know the orders take awhile to get here, particularly in Canada, but I don't get too excited. The orders always come, and I've never had a problem either. I think the time it takes for the order depends a lot of where you live, considering the Post Office and their pokey way of doing things. Probably it would help if TPC made it a little easier to contact them - more than just the one email address, etc.

Perhaps in the future you might consider a different place if it left a bad taste in your mouth.

It's a good site. I had some knize 10 that was on back order for a while, but there was nothing she could do about that. I can't remember if it said out of stock, but that would be my only gripe, that they don't label things as out of stock and you have to wait forever to get it. Other than that, it's all good.

It's odd that after reading about TPC that you would expect to have a "good experience" with them. For several months now, all of the most recent posts about TPC have been consistently NEGATIVE. That is because the business is no longer what it used to be. There used to be 3 women in the business and they did well. But two of the women left several months ago, and ever since that happened, TPC has been an absolute disaster; absolutely horrible service.

I have used TPC twice since the change, and on both occasions, it took over two weeks to get what I ordered. In addition, the communication was horrible. They consistently ignored my email. Yet, all the while, they had no problem processing the order and taking the money from my card immediately. Perhaps the most irritating thing of all is that they send out tracking information fairly soon after you order, EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T ACTUALLY SHIP YOUR PACKAGE! Got that? Yep, they send you a tracking number, but there is no tracking information for 7 to 10 days, if then. Eventually, your package will show up, but be prepared to wait at least two weeks.

I am now avoiding TPC, if at all possible, and I encourage others to do the same. If you want great service, use surrendertochance.com.

I've had RedRaiders experience every BEFORE the split. Was very frustrating ordering 5 scents with one order and having some show up within 1 week and others show up 3-4 weeks later. It was absurd.

I agree with another member who said they had a HUGE sale that really backed them up. I have had many dealings with them all of them pleasant. There always is their competition-Surrender to Chance- if you are really angry.

The problem is that I didn't get in on their "Huge Sale" so that pissed me off. On top of that since my order was only for 5 samples, they acted like it wasn't as important has some of their "bigger orders".

Despite singing the praises in the past of the 'old' TPC sadly I must agree with this after trying to sort out a recent botched order

I've ordered from both TPC and STC within the past month...Both arrived within a week, both gave cute little bags with candy in...the split hasn't done anything that I can see...prices are the same in both locations. ONLY beef I have with either one is that they refuse to buy atomizers with caps for the smaller 1.5ml samples...I'd pay the extra 25 cents to have a cap....

I wished I had read this thread first. I ordered 11 days ago and still not shipped. I don't mind waiting some but this over the top. I am not interested in excuses, I will try the other vendor in the future.

Aw man, me to. I ordered a bunch of samples last week on a recommendation from another site (I hadn't found Basenotes yet). Granted, the timezones listed on TPC ARE East Coast time zones and there is a hurricane going on over here right now. But I really hope I don't have a bad experience like some of you all have been having. I didn't spend all that much money (I'll be mad if I lose it though) but I WANT MY SAMPLES!!!!! I haven't gotten past the 1-7 business days they say for processing though, I'll keep you all updated on how it goes.

You won't lose your $$. These ladies are professional, and I have had very good service. They got a little backed up awhile back from a really good offer they had, but you should have them within 10 days usually. NOW as for the Hurricane we are having, I can't speak for that, some of our roads are closed, tree limbs are down, wind is blowing at about 45mph gusts now, expected to go to 75mph by midnight. Who knows if that will affect them, one lives in Georgia or south someplace I forget where the other samples came from...New Jersey? your out of luck then...

I thought it was only one lady still involved? (I'm really not sure here because I am only reading snippets here and there of the whole story.)

Yea, the hurricane really might screw everything up! I think I ordered on Wednesday and found out about Sandy on Thursday. I see you're in Gettysburg...stay safe out there!

I believe you're correct Kaelee. If I'm not mistaken, Diane in Georgia runs TPC, the other 2 ladies left and started Surrender to Chance.

Georgia! Well she might be OK then. Now hopefully she ships fast!