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Quality of Parfums MDCI bottles?

post #1 of 46
6/8/12 at 9:14am
Thread Starter 
I have waited over a month for my Invasion Barbare. Yesterday it finally arrived. When I opened the package (which was very carefully packaged) and removed the plastic wrapping around the box I noticed a very strong smell, and the box was completely drenched with the content of the bottle. I think about 10-15 ml of the juice had leaked out of the bottle.

I was thinking maybe it had leaked out due to pressure changes in to the air transport, and the bottle seemed unharmed first. Then I tilted the bottle and noticed the juice started to sip out from the small slit where the tassel is attached.

I mailed the company and they offered me $50 in refund for the lost juice. By then I hadn't noticed the bottle was leaking. I could have agreed to the refund if the bottle was fine and no more juice was going to leak out. Now I don't know what to do. Hopefully they will replace the bottle, but if they do, it will take another month - at least.

Have any of you had any problems with the quality of Parfums MDCI bottles? I have the cheaper variant without the resin bust.

Now my whole apartment stinks (yes I love Invasion Barbare, but not in that concentration!) from the box which acts like a big "Little-Tree" car freshener worth $50-$60...
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post #2 of 46
6/8/12 at 9:21am
I'm so sorry this has happened to you I would get onto them for a replacement asap.
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post #3 of 46
6/8/12 at 9:22am
I am very sorry this has happened to you especially as this is a very expensive bottle of scent. I would also get MDCI Parfums to replace the bottle which is obviously not 100 % .
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post #4 of 46
6/8/12 at 9:22am
That's awful news, sorry to hear that. First I've heard of this happening, but then again, it's not like tons of people on this board have full bottles of IB. They'd better replace your bottle, keep us posted.
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post #5 of 46
6/8/12 at 9:36am
Thread Starter 
Just to make things clear: I did not order this bottle directly from Parfums MDCI, but from a retailer in US. I don't want to blame anyone and won't mention the name of the company. As I said earlier, the packaging was very carefully done. My hope now, as I live in Europe, is that the US company somehow can arrange so I can recieve a new bottle directly from Parfums MDCI (which I guess is their supplier).
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post #6 of 46
6/8/12 at 9:58am
Since the bottle itself is leaking, I would seek a replacement rather than a partial refund. They should also cover the return shipping for the leaking bottle. This was an expensive purchase and you should have a bottle 100% full that doesn't leak...this is what you paid all that money for.
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post #7 of 46
6/8/12 at 10:12am
Omg same thing happened to me.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
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post #8 of 46
6/8/12 at 10:13am
Oh definitely get a replacement form the US retailer ! It's not right buying something so expensive and this happening.
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post #9 of 46
6/8/12 at 10:20am
This same thing just happened to me when I purchased a bottle of Invasion from Luckyscent 5 days ago. Luckyscent said that this batch of Invasion had issues. It seems like the clamping of the top was not 100%. Its a known issue by MDCI, thats why he was quick to resolve it. I went and replaced mine but you are not the only one with this issue. Its not for all the scents, just this batch of Invasion. Its really up to you what you would like to do though.
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post #10 of 46
6/8/12 at 10:29am
Also believe that a replacement is in order.
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post #11 of 46
6/8/12 at 10:49am
Agreed. Demand a replacement, not a partial refund.

I do own a full bottle (well, now half used) of IB, and mine has no issues. Earlier batch.

Ordinarily, MDCI is all about quality, so this must be a fluke, and a manufacturing robot can probably be blamed.
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post #12 of 46
6/8/12 at 11:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by irrbloss View Post

I have waited over a month for my Invasion Barbare. Yesterday it finally arrived. When I opened the package (which was very carefully packaged) and removed the plastic wrapping around the box I noticed a very strong smell, and the box was completely drenched with the content of the bottle. I think about 10-15 ml of the juice had leaked out of the bottle.

I was thinking maybe it had leaked out due to pressure changes in to the air transport, and the bottle seemed unharmed first. Then I tilted the bottle and noticed the juice started to sip out from the small slit where the tassel is attached.

I mailed the company and they offered me $50 in refund for the lost juice. By then I hadn't noticed the bottle was leaking. I could have agreed to the refund if the bottle was fine and no more juice was going to leak out. Now I don't know what to do. Hopefully they will replace the bottle, but if they do, it will take another month - at least.

Have any of you had any problems with the quality of Parfums MDCI bottles? I have the cheaper variant without the resin bust.

Now my whole apartment stinks (yes I love Invasion Barbare, but not in that concentration!) from the box which acts like a big "Little-Tree" car freshener worth $50-$60...

Got a bottle of Invasion Barbare last week with no problems, but just a few days ago my bottle of Chypre Palatin arrived leaking just as you described.
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post #13 of 46
6/8/12 at 11:45am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

Got a bottle of Invasion Barbare last week with no problems, but just a few days ago my bottle of Chypre Palatin arrived leaking just as you described.

That's sad... I got a free sample of Chypre Palatin with my IB. Really like it, but I don't want another leaking bottle. Maybe best to wait a while until they have solved the quality issues.
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post #14 of 46
6/8/12 at 12:09pm
Yeah.... get the replacement bottle.... be sure to snag a small decant from leaky one before you send it back for your troubles... something to keep you company while waiting for the new one to come. Hah
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post #15 of 46
6/8/12 at 12:13pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pipsta View Post

Yeah.... get the replacement bottle.... be sure to snag a small decant from leaky one before you send it back for your troubles... something to keep you company while waiting for the new one to come. Hah

I could do that, but I'm too honest/stupid . Besides, I have about 5 samples at 1 ml each.
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post #16 of 46
6/8/12 at 10:06pm
Sounds like a well-recognized factory defect to me.

As such, it's hard to see where they could demand that you just live with it, particularly when MDCI would surely tell you that they pride themselves on the quality of their product.

As a willing representative of that product, the seller should have no problems feeling the same way, and be willing to offer you a replacement which lives up to what I'm sure MDCI would say were their standards.
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post #17 of 46
6/9/12 at 4:10am
Sorry to hear it!

I just bought a bottle of MDCI Un Coeur en Mai direct from MDCI and had no leakage. I'd recommend writing directly to MDCI if you have no luck with the reseller. Claude at MDCI is AMAZING. I'm sure that he will take care of it.
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post #18 of 46
6/9/12 at 9:16pm
Hmm so sorry this happened. I have been seriously considering buying a bottle of what's in my sig --- but now I'm too nervous.
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post #19 of 46
6/11/12 at 8:12pm
I've also had some issues with the bottle of Invasion Barbare I recently bought. The leakage wasn't nearly as severe, although the box was noticeably scented. My buddy complimented it from across the room as soon as I opened the box. I bought it at a local retailer, so there was no additional shipping to my house.

The retailer offered to either replace it or give me a discount on my next purchase (I'm a regular customer, so it's not like a ploy to get me to return ), along with a travel bottle of IB to make up for any juice I'd lost. My bottle doesn't appear to be leaking anymore - I held it upside down for a while and didn't have any seepage, figured it was a shipping issue - so I took the discount. Although now I'm nervous that perhaps my bottle may not be in as good of shape as I thought...
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post #20 of 46
6/11/12 at 10:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Gae View Post

I held it upside down for a while and didn't have any seepage, figured it was a shipping issue - so I took the discount. Although now I'm nervous that perhaps my bottle may not be in as good of shape as I thought...

I did that too and didn't notice any leakage. Then later I just turned the bottle 90 degrees, with the slit (where the tassel is attached) downwards. That's when I noticed the leakage, the whole slit was filling up, then it ran down the string and tassel.

If the bottle has leaked it's probably ain't going to repair itself, and over time I guess it will evaporate. Maybe even the air will do bad stuff to the content (maybe oxidize some of the ingredients or something - quicker than it would normally).

You would never feel safe travelling with it. Even if it's a very nice fragrance, you don't want everything in you luggage to smell of IB .
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post #21 of 46
6/12/12 at 3:54am
I've only tried a few MDCIs but they failed to excite me. However, after reading these stories, I think I'll stay away from this house. And to think that Chypre Palatin sounded very promising...
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post #22 of 46
6/12/12 at 7:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trebor View Post

I've only tried a few MDCIs but they failed to excite me. However, after reading these stories, I think I'll stay away from this house. And to think that Chypre Palatin sounded very promising...

Have you tried Invasion Barbare? It's the most beautiful fragrance I have ever experienced. I guess the leaking bottles are just a very isolated problem. I've tried the atomizer, and I'm very impressed with that too - very smooth "action" and a very fine "fragrance cloud".
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post #23 of 46
6/12/12 at 9:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by irrbloss View Post

Have you tried Invasion Barbare? It's the most beautiful fragrance I have ever experienced. I guess the leaking bottles are just a very isolated problem. I've tried the atomizer, and I'm very impressed with that too - very smooth "action" and a very fine "fragrance cloud".

I honestly can't recall sampling Invasion Barbare but hope to get reacquainted with house when I'm in Paris, next week.

It may just be an isolated problem but how will anyone know what batch they're getting until it's too late (unless MDCI issues a statement about this problem, listing the affected batch code(s))?
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post #24 of 46
6/12/12 at 9:50am
I' m probably the only person in the fragrance world who dislikes Invasion Barbare ! I found it extremely strong , too much for me .
Anyway , are there any problems with the other MDCI bottles apart from Invasion Barbare ,that anyone knows of? I spoke to Luckyscent about the problem myself and they said the only problem has been with IB .
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post #25 of 46
6/12/12 at 9:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by irrbloss View Post

I've tried the atomizer, and I'm very impressed with that too - very smooth "action" and a very fine "fragrance cloud".

Oh yea, I am also totally impressed by the atomizer. The only other sprayer that comes close is Creed, but that's more due to the sheer volume output by each spray. The IB atomizer has a great amount of feedback, a good pressure against the finger - I felt like I could spray as much or as little as I desired - and the spray was very fine yet very full.

I've been daydreaming about launching my own fragrance line (who on here doesn't?), and the first time I sprayed this I thought to myself, where could I find these exact same atomizers for MY bottles?
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post #26 of 46
6/12/12 at 10:30am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mimi Gardenia View Post

I' m probably the only person in the fragrance world who dislikes Invasion Barbare ! I found it extremely strong , too much for me .

That's what I thought about two years ago too. Got a sample from Luckyscent and didn't care for it. I could not understand why so many loved it. Then a couple of months ago I went through my old samples and found this gem. I couldn't believe how I could NOT have loved it until now. I guess it might have something to do with the temperature. I think I got the sample in the late summer when it was very hot. When I rediscovered it, it was spring. I love how it balance between the warm vanilla and the cooler barbershop note, this very fine balance keeps it fresh during the whole day - if the temperature is right. During the summer it can become a bit too much vanilla and wood. Try it again during the colder seasons, you might find out you love it then .
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post #27 of 46
6/12/12 at 11:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mimi Gardenia View Post

Anyway , are there any problems with the other MDCI bottles apart from Invasion Barbare ,that anyone knows of? I spoke to Luckyscent about the problem myself and they said the only problem has been with IB .

According to thebeck, there is...

Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

Got a bottle of Invasion Barbare last week with no problems, but just a few days ago my bottle of Chypre Palatin arrived leaking just as you described.
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post #28 of 46
6/12/12 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by irrbloss View Post

That's what I thought about two years ago too. Got a sample from Luckyscent and didn't care for it. I could not understand why so many loved it. Then a couple of months ago I went through my old samples and found this gem. I couldn't believe how I could NOT have loved it until now. I guess it might have something to do with the temperature. I think I got the sample in the late summer when it was very hot. When I rediscovered it, it was spring. I love how it balance between the warm vanilla and the cooler barbershop note, this very fine balance keeps it fresh during the whole day - if the temperature is right. During the summer it can become a bit too much vanilla and wood. Try it again during the colder seasons, you might find out you love it then .

Thanks ! It's quite disconcerting when everyone raves about IB but I don't get the love !
I'll remember to re try Invasion Barbare in cooler weather . I also tried it in hot weather so that could be the problem .

Trebor - thanks ! That's something to bear in mind .
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post #29 of 46
6/15/12 at 11:47am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gvillecreative View Post

Sorry to hear it!

I just bought a bottle of MDCI Un Coeur en Mai direct from MDCI and had no leakage. I'd recommend writing directly to MDCI if you have no luck with the reseller. Claude at MDCI is AMAZING. I'm sure that he will take care of it.

You were right, he really IS amazing! I mailed him this evening, and got a reply about 40 minutes later. I can get a new bottle if I return the leaking one, but he also offered me a very attractive alternative. I get to keep the leaking bottle (about 45 ml full), and I get 50 ml Invasion Barbare in an aluminium flacon, plus I get a 12 ml Chypre Palatin. For free. Next time I will order directly from his website .
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post #30 of 46
6/15/12 at 12:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by irrbloss View Post

You were right, he really IS amazing! I mailed him this evening, and got a reply about 40 minutes later. I can get a new bottle if I return the leaking one, but he also offered me a very attractive alternative. I get to keep the leaking bottle (about 45 ml full), and I get 50 ml Invasion Barbare in an aluminium flacon, plus I get a 12 ml Chypre Palatin. For free. Next time I will order directly from his website .

Maybe I'm missing something here but aren't the regular bottles 60ml? As for the aluminium flacon, does it come with an atomiser? Please correct me if I'm wrong but posting the faulty 60ml bottle back (I assume at your own expense) and getting 62ml worth of juice back (most of which may not be housed in a spray bottle) doesn't sound like a great solution, IMHO.
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post #31 of 46
6/15/12 at 12:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trebor View Post

Maybe I'm missing something here but aren't the regular bottles 60ml? As for the aluminium flacon, does it come with an atomiser? Please correct me if I'm wrong but posting the faulty 60ml bottle back (I assume at your own expense) and getting 62ml worth of juice back (most of which may not be housed in a spray bottle) doesn't sound like a great solution, IMHO.

Well, I get to keep my leaking bottle, containing 45 ml of Invasion Barbare. I could either try to seal the leak, or decant it into a non leaking bottle. Then I will get 50 ml in an aluminium flacon, with atomizer. Also, I get 12 ml free Chypre Palatin. That's 45+50 = 95 ml IB and 12 ml Chypre Palatin. I don't have to pay anything.

Edit: Well, I had to pay for the original 60 ml glass bottle (the cheaper version without a resin bust), but I get 65 ml free juice of no charge. That's an amazing deal for me .

Edit 2: Minus the 15 ml that leaked from the original bottle, which is acting as a high class air freshener at the moment. Still a very good deal!
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post #32 of 46
6/15/12 at 12:35pm
Okay, I gotcha - just misread a part of your post. Yep, sounds grand to me. So, what are you waiting for? Decant that leaky bottle ASAP!
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post #33 of 46
6/15/12 at 12:41pm
Thread Starter 
I just need a worthy bottle to decant it into . I think I might try sealing the leak with a glue gun or something, but I don't know if the glue is resistent to alcohol. I have to check it up. Meanwhile I have put some tape around the atomizer. It's not the bottle itself that's leaking, but where the atomizer is attached to the bottle.
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post #34 of 46
6/15/12 at 2:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by irrbloss View Post

You were right, he really IS amazing! I mailed him this evening, and got a reply about 40 minutes later. I can get a new bottle if I return the leaking one, but he also offered me a very attractive alternative. I get to keep the leaking bottle (about 45 ml full), and I get 50 ml Invasion Barbare in an aluminium flacon, plus I get a 12 ml Chypre Palatin. For free. Next time I will order directly from his website .

This is great news !

By the way ,my new bottle of Peche Cardinal leaked as well . It leaked into the cardboard insert of the box. I got a 10 % refund from Luckyscent instead of an exchange because in my mind the leaking was not as severe and I can deal with it.

So yes, the crimping problem is not isolated to the Invasion Barbare batch . Hopefully the next batch ( Luckyscent said they just got in new stock ) will be problem free.
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post #35 of 46
6/15/12 at 2:42pm
Even with bottle problems, it won't stop me from buying.

Mimi Gardenia - strong and too much is why we love IB.
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post #36 of 46
6/15/12 at 2:45pm
Thebeck - I will have to re try IB! Too many people love it for me to discount it.......
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post #37 of 46
6/15/12 at 5:11pm
Sounds like ordering direct is the way to go, not thru luckyscent.
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post #38 of 46
1/25/13 at 5:29am
I thought I should bump this thread based on recent developments.

It's been a good six months since this thread started and, during this time, I had been hankering after a bottle of CP. But, knowing about the leaking bottle issue, I decided to wait a while for the issue to be resolved.

So, last week, I ordered a bottle directly from MCDI. Upon opening the bottle, I noticed that the box was scented with CP. The bottle seemed perfectly okay but I still enquired about this and was reassured that all should be fine. A couple of hours later, I decided to tilt the bottle on its side and, within seconds, noticed that the top part of the tassel was now soaking wet...

At the moment, Claude and I have reached an amicable arrangement. However, it did take a considerable amount of time and effort to reach this point. When everything has been concluded, I'll update with further details.
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post #39 of 46
1/25/13 at 5:57am
So the quality of the bottles are dodgy, the design of them are plain to say the least, the juice probably costs about £10 -- where is the rest of the £225 cost going to?
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post #40 of 46
2/10/13 at 9:26am
Are the bottles still shady or has the issue been resolved? What is MDCI direct website?
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post #41 of 46
2/10/13 at 9:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scentologist View Post

Are the bottles still shady or has the issue been resolved? What is MDCI direct website?

Let's just say there has been some recent 'plot twists'. I'll come back when the dust has settled...
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post #42 of 46
2/10/13 at 12:17pm
I'll be most interested to hear more about these issues, seeing as I'm fairly close to order a bottle of Invasion Barbare.

Slight off-topic: Anyone know anything about the bust material they've used to create the ... well, bust? I'm trying to figure out if the extra price is worth it, but if so - the feel of the bust must be pretty damn good to warrant the price-hike over the standard bottle with tassle.

Also - anyone seen / got a picture of the bigger metal bottle?
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post #43 of 46
2/10/13 at 12:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hreple View Post

I'll be most interested to hear more about these issues, seeing as I'm fairly close to order a bottle of Invasion Barbare.

Slight off-topic: Anyone know anything about the bust material they've used to create the ... well, bust? I'm trying to figure out if the extra price is worth it, but if so - the feel of the bust must be pretty damn good to warrant the price-hike over the standard bottle with tassle.

Also - anyone seen / got a picture of the bigger metal bottle?

Let's just say that I wouldn't pay £80 extra for a fancy cap, especially when the bottle already comes with a nice simple cap. But that's just me.
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post #44 of 46
2/10/13 at 4:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scentologist View Post

Are the bottles still shady or has the issue been resolved? What is MDCI direct website?

http://parfumsmdci.free.fr/index.php...e=en&page&id=2
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post #45 of 46
2/11/13 at 3:34am
"New presentations have helped make access to the brand easier, after pionneer work with crystal and bisque opened the way". Meaning that the hand-carved caps are from crystal and "bisque"? Are those even materials?

- - - Updated - - -

"New presentations have helped make access to the brand easier, after pionneer work with crystal and bisque opened the way". Meaning that the hand-carved caps are from crystal and "bisque"? Are those even materials?
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post #46 of 46
2/11/13 at 3:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hreple View Post

"New presentations have helped make access to the brand easier, after pionneer work with crystal and bisque opened the way". Meaning that the hand-carved caps are from crystal and "bisque"? Are those even materials?

- - - Updated - - -

"New presentations have helped make access to the brand easier, after pionneer work with crystal and bisque opened the way". Meaning that the hand-carved caps are from crystal and "bisque"? Are those even materials?

Bisque is unglazed porcelain...
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