Me!!
I'm so sorry for the lack of posts. As stated last weekend we had a house inspection coming up, and we were flat out preparing for that. I'm happy to say that's now over and done with (with great results, a lot of the little things that were going on in the house are being fixed, which is wonderful), and i'm back to blogging. I have a lipstick review, a lip paint review and a lipgloss review to write up, plus a review of an amazing item i won (which came by surprise last week), and all the boxes that are due to start arriving from this week on (there are 4 coming this month, Redpawpaw, LHI, FAB and VB). So busy times ahead.
I found something interesting in my clean up, though. I've kept the majority of the product cards from boxes over the last 3 years. It is so interesting to read through them, remembering products that i loved and products that were major misses. So far in my box life i've been subscribed to 5 different boxes, 3 of those are no longer around, and the 2 current ones (although it looks like i'll be cutting that down to 1 )
First box i ever subscribed to was Beauty Box, and i really think that some of the current boxes could take some lessons from them. They had a good mix of high end samples, with supermarket brand full sizes, and if anything was a sachet/vial sample, you got more then 1. The card i have here from them was from their first box (there were only ever 2), and had Yves Saint Laurent Beauty sleep sample, Marc Jacobs Oh! Lola! sample (by memory there were 3 of these in the box), Sally Hansen Nail File (i still use this), Playboy Body spray full size, and Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil sample. As i said, great mix of those items that you can afford to buy on a regular basis, with those that are higher end and not so affordable.
After those 2 boxes Beauty Box was taken over by Glossy Box. I know GB is still available in other countries, they died out here after 6 boxes (taken over by LHI). GB started out well, they had some decent brands in their boxes (clinique, jurlique, essie etc), however by their 4th box things were going downhill (i'll give them the 3rd box, it wasn't great but not completely terrible). The Feb box had some people getting boxes worth $15, whilst others got boxes worth $150. I left after asking about the differences, and being told i should be thankful for the box i got, i paid only for an empty box and postage and therefore they could choose what to fill it with. 2 boxes later they were gone.
By this stage there were only 3 boxes left on the market, LHI, Bellabox and I Love This Box (we won't count beauty basket, by this stage they were taking money monthly and not sending anything). After going through them all I subscribed to ILTB and it really was a wonderful box. They sent a lot of supermarket brands, but it was usually full sized (the card i have here, essie sample size, full sized maybelline mascara, full sized sunsilk hair product, full sized glitter puff and sample sized thalgo). Reading the back of the product card they were so full of exciting plans, unfortunately they closed unexpectedly may 2012 (last box was april 2012). Which leads us to.....
LHI! i've now been with LHI for 2 years (since May 2012). They've had their ups and downs, but they always seem to bounce back. They have a habit of repeat brands (for example i had bioderma in my first ever LHI box, and there was a bioderma in the April 2014 box), but lately they have also been trying to bring new brands in as well. However, ATM, i'm not sure i'm continuing my relationship with them, due to their customer service. The days when Nicci was in charge complaints were listened to, and taken seriously, now it feels like no-one really cares. They're almost falling in to GB territory.
As i mentioned last month, there was a $20 voucher included in each box, as the new packaging hadn't rocked up in time and the boxes had been sent without it. It was valid on any box other then the womens box (so Eco, FAB, chloe morello or bridal), and the T&C stated the eco box would be the current one until sold out, and FAB subscriptions would start the following month (so sign up may for the june box), regardless of availability of the current box. I wasn't the slightest bit interested in the Autumn Eco box, so went with a FAB box (planning on only ever getting the one box, as many others were). Just after this LHI announced there were going to be 3 Teeez products in the June FAB box, and subscriptions took off.
A week after subscribing, and paying my $14.99 for a FAB box, i got an email from LHI saying i had a payment of $35 coming out. Worried i messaged them, asking what was going on (on facebook, you tend to get a quicker answer that way), and was told it was a error, that subscriptions using that code started the next month, but the email customer service to check. I email customer service, but whilst waiting for a response i had $35 come out of my account, and had a may FAB box arrive on my doorstep. The eventual response i had from the LHI team was that the code was used for the may box, money was taken for june's and have a nice day. I then told them that the T&C stated differently, as had their facebook team, and it wasn't good enough, to which i was refunded the $35 and was asked to return the may box (i was refunded the postage too).
To me, this isn't good enough. A)money shouldn't have been taken in the first place, it left my family in a fairly vunerable position for a week (we're paid fortnightly, they took money that was budgeted to go elsewhere, then returned it to Paypal, which of course makes it impossible to easily access), and B) the golden rule of 'the customer is always right' didn't really get a look in. It also annoyed the crap out of me that i had to go out of my way to return the may box, i had to make a trip to the Post Office with all 3 kids in tow, pay for it out of my own pocket, and then go back out to post the box back, plus then having to wait for the money to make it back to me (honestly the easiest thing for them to do would have been acknowledge it was their stuff up, say to keep the box and apologise profusely).
I also had an email back from someone different each time. With issues like these i'd love to see 1 person deal with it, even if i replied to an email directly, i got someone different email me back. I spoke to Julie, and Kristy, and Rebecca. Had i had any issues and wanted to talk to 1 person directly, i couldn't. Plus email response time was terrible, i don't mind in cases of a broken or misplaced product it taking 24-48 hours to get back to me, but in this case a quicker response would have been appreciated.
So, after all the whinging, the point. The June box will be my only FAB box, when the issues outlined above hit i cancelled LHI's authority to take money (a plus of paypal), however i'm also a bit suss that the June box will ever rock up (call me paranoid, i've been told that the June Fab box is the one i'll now get, however i will believe it when i see it. Trust me i'll be kicking up a stink if it doesn't). The womens box is another matter altogether. My Visa expired this month, and that means i have to update my details. I'm not sure i want to. I'm thinking of taking a break, and seeing how things go with the box. I'm a bit over LHI, i'm sick of getting boxes that are disappointing (my husband can hear in my voice exactly what i think of my box each month), i'm sick of there not being a designated payment day (i know RPP takes money the 1st of the month, i know VB takes money on the 5th, yet i'm left to wait every month with LHI), i'm sick of repeat brands, i'm sick of LHI not listening to what their customer wants, i'm sick of packaging changes, and i'm sick of paying so much for a box that half the time doesn't warrant it. And i'm not the only one, there are plenty of other people having major issues with LHI.
So, on that note (sorry about the whinge), my other box (since i spoke about all the others). Violet Box atm can do no wrong. Their boxes are always filled with great items (i've had 1 disappointing one, which was my first, and 1 meh one. otherwise i've loved them all). I think this is my 10th box with them, and it's their first birthday, so we're getting presents!! Currently they are the best box on the aussie market, and they're bringing more US brands over all the time.
As i said, sorry about the whinge. I was planning on writing all this after i had received both LHI boxes this month, but finding all these product cards set me off. Seeing what LHI used to be compared to now, there just isn't a comparison. And i think a break is in order.
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