L’occitane En Provence

Below is the complaint I wrote on Loccitane Corporate Website. I really hope this will reach to Loccitane District Manager. I love all Loccitane Products but I am highly disappointed at the store Manager named Heather today. It looks like she also received some other complaints in Unilocal.See my complaints below.
Unfortunately, today I need to file a complaint against Loccitane Bridgewater Common store manager named Heather. The story was that I received three shipments (order # 13 457 326 I placed myself on August 7), and two Auto Replenishment (Order#13 457 882, and Order# 13 457 868), from online purchase via L’
. I realized that shipments from Auto– Replenishment had the same products that I placed order myself so I called Customer Service on Friday August 8, 2014 if I can stopped the shipment for Auto Replenishment items. The Customer Service said items were already left the facility and she confirmed the items could be returned at any retail stores. Today Saturday August 9, 2014, I received the two shipments. I then went to your store at Bridgewater, NJ, the store manager named Heather said «our store policy cannot accept a refund from any online purchase. We can only do an exchange merchandise as it is not our fault». So I said to Heather that I already spoke to the customer service and I was informed it is OK. Heather said NO unfortunately the customer service people they don’t really know the policy and they gave you wrong information. So, then I called the customer service and I spoke to someone name Angelica (I think) and Angelica said Customers should be able to return at the store and Angelica asked to speak to Heather. Heather was not very professional at all and she was not kind of rude to her own colleagues at the call center. Unfortunately, my call with the customer service got cut off and then Heather finally came to me and said that she would allow me this time to return the merchandise but next time she will not accommodate as it is against this store policy. She said if I need to purchase anything in the future don’t order online but call her store instead to place the order. I feel as a loyal customer to L’Occitane Brand I should have the flexibility of ordering the products anytime and anywhere. I feel that Heather only cares about the sales number of her store but doesn’t want to create a long lasting relationships to her clientele. I shopped several time with her before and this event made me extremely disappointing and I have lost respect in her. The way she said to just call her store to purchase items really limits my options for buying L’Occitane products.
Anyway, on the receipt that I still keep there is a disclaimer on the bottom which said «In the unlikely event that a product does not meet your satisfaction, we will happily issue a full refund to the original credit card for any merchandise purchased in the U.S. Loccitane Boutique or on
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I found the store and employees delightful and friendly. Looking forward to using my products!

Let me just tell you that I absolutely love the products at this store– the hand creams in particular I have purchased very year for the past 5 years for my mother and grandmother bc they also love the items, they do make quality products. However, I will NEVER shop here again. Anyone familiar with this location knows that there are 2 entrances and it is on a corner. Long story short I cut through the store (which I would normally not do, but as it is the holiday season I was just trying to get back to my car more quickly)…and I made eye contact with the woman at the counter and said «it smells great in here!» She gave me a big phony smile until she realized I was walking through the other door and then stuttered and said «yes it does.» So I smiled back and said «have a nice day» and she said «it would be nicer if you didn’t cut through the store,» or something smart like that… I kept smiling and walked out since normally I am non confrontational but I had to go back in and say something bc I was so shocked at that response coming out of the mouth of an adult (she looked like she was in her 40s-​not that you expect a poor attitude from anyone but at least if it had been a teen or someone younger you could chalk it up to immaturity or inexperience)…I asked if she was a manager and se said she was… and I apologized but told her that I shop there often and that she really just ruined my day by being rude to which she gave me some bologna about «this is a place of business so it’s kind of like cutting through someone’s house.» Really?! It’s a shopping mall lol someone is clearly on a power trip. This may seem silly but this store is not inexpensive and some basic customer service would be nice… you don’t have to try and make people feel stupid about something as ridiculous as walking through the store. As soon as I left I checked the reviews in Unilocal and was not surprised to find the other reviews of this location are also poor. After reading the reviews, I called the store on a whim and asked to speak to Heather (mentioned negatively in another review) and was told she had just left on break. I asked if she was the manager and was told she was. Figures. Never going to shop at this location and going to call their customer service numbers to make a complaint, maybe they will get rid of an obviously unsuited manager or shut down the store… I would rather travel to Short Hills… they just lost a dedicated customer. Over something exceptionally stupid. Good work.

I’d give this boutique zero stars if Unilocal gave me the option. AVOID THE BRIDGEWATER OUTPOST OF L’OCCITANE AT ALL COSTS! I was there yesterday for a simple return. I made a purchase for a friend in the Short Hills boutique. During that transaction, I specifically told the clerk that I wasn’t sure if I’d selected the right product, and asked about the return policy as I’d almost certainly have to return the item (a $ 42 bottle of shea butter lotion). The clerk’s response? «No problem — come back within 14 days with your receipt.» I came back the very next day — some 20 hour later — to a ‘closed for remodel’ sign with instructions to visit the Bridgewater location. I was understandably upset: I’d specifically mentioned that I might need to make a return and asked about the return policy. You’d have thought the clerk would have mentioned the store would be closing the very next day.
Fast forward to yesterday, which was my ONLY day off within the 14 day return window, and also happened to be a day when BOTH my young children were home sick from school. I wasn’t about to lose the $ 42 and I was frankly a bit stir crazy in the house, so I packed us all up and we drove to Bridgewater Commons (approximately 40 minutes from my home). I politely gave my purchase to the salesgirl who took one look and said «Oh — you paid with cash. You can only exchange this. There are no refunds.» I explained the situation and told her how I’d specifically requested information on the return policy. Had I been told that they wouldn’t accept a return if I paid cash, I would have happily paid with my debit card (they will refund the full purchase price to a debit/​credit card). She said «I don’t know what to tell you. The return policy is posted. You should have read it.» Ignoring her nasty attitude, I asked her if I could speak with a manager, since I’d driven all the way to Bridgwater to do this return with my two sick children. She LAUGHED and said «Oh I’m soooooo sorry that you had to drive to Bridgewater. Llke this is *such* a terrible place.» I was so stunned, I couldn’t speak for a moment. This is how L’Occitane employees speak to their customers? I didn’t lose my temper because I had my children with me. I simply said «I never said Bridgewater was a terrible place, but it’s quite a distance from my home and I didn’t appreciate having to drive out here with my sick kids.» To which she replied, «Well where do you live?» And when I told her she said «Oh, well then you should have gone to Garden State. It’s a lot closer.» At this point, I was basically done speaking with this obnoxious, rude women and agan asked to talk to a manager. She told me that there were no managers in the store and gave me a business card with a customer service number I could call. I took the card and said, «Please just give me the store credit for now and I’ll call the number.» At this point, she told me that they don’t offer store credit — exchange only. I said that I obviously couldn’t shop with my two sick children in tow, so I took my receipt, the business card with the customer service number, and my two kids, and we left — leaving the lotion on the counter. As I was walking out the door, she yelled after me «Thank you for being soooo polite. We appreciate it.» And she and the other clerk laughed audibly. I was so angry that I was physically shaking.
I called the customer service number and the absolutely lovely rep put me on hold and called the store. When she came back she told me that she spoke with Heather, the manager of the Bridgewater location, and Heather was rude to her on the phone. I told her how the girl I dealt with told me that there was no manager on site. By looking up the operator number on my receipt, she confirmed that the clerk that was so rude to me, was, in fact, Heather, the manager of the location. So besides being nasty and rude, she lied straight to my face! The customer service rep referred this to the NJ District Manager, who promptly called me at 5pm last night. By this morning, a full refund had posted to my debit account. While I appreciate how courteously and promptly the district manager resolved the issue, I could not let this pass without warning others to avoid the Bridgewater location and to avoid Heather. Clearly she’s an unhappy person who needs to be abusive to customers in order to make herself feel important. I’ll be sending all of this to L’Occitane’s corporate headquarters and I can only hope that Heather will learn her lesson: the customer is always right!