Proactiv Saleswoman Goes Insane When You Try To Return The Product
Amanda just had a frightening experience with the woman at the Proactiv kiosk in her hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi: "[Mall security] told me to come over and get away from her because she would not stop yelling, and refusing to do anything until I was out of her sight." [Update: we've received more information on who to contact to resolve this issue. Check out the bottom of the post for details.]
Today my boyfriend and I went to our mall in Hattiesburg, MS. It is a very small city and only has one mall so it is the one by default we are forced to go to.
My boyfriend about three weeks ago purchased Proactiv Solutions. First of all, when we went three weeks ago we were forced to purchase the more expensive, larger version due to the fact that they were out of the thirty day trial kit.
He was very hopeful that it would work, he decided to try Proactiv because of me and results I have seen with friends and family who have also used Proactiv.
We went today to return the package, a process that Proactiv claims is easy! After we arrived to take back the product the woman at the kiosk started to verbally HARASS us! Upon giving her the box she opened it took one look inside and said that it did not work because it was being used improperly, when it had been used in only the ways it was specifically outlined in the product guide to use. She also stated my boyfriend had used too much of the "Repairing Lotion." This would make sense if she could have seen through the bottle or actually picked it up and felt how much was in it, but she did no such thing. The woman went on to say that if we were going to use it again, to use it properly. And to that my response was, "we are not going to be using Proactiv again." Well, that is when I asked her to give us back our money, and that is when she started going off, asking me who I was and why it was any business and why I was even there!
This made me angry, and I told her that we just wanted the money back, and we did not want to here how we were supposed to use the product.
She felt harassed by us so she called security on me. Then when I asked to get the receipt back, she refused to give it back, and then upon me asking for a number to call to complain she covered up all of the numbers and refused to talk to me telling me that she couldn't receive anything until security got there. All of this in the middle of the only mall in a small town. So I waited for security, and upon coming over and listening to her yell at him, he told me to come over and get away from her because she would not stop yelling, and refusing to do anything until I was out of her sight.
I was forced to leave the mall all because Proactiv REFUSED to allow us to return the product easily without being harassed. What has happened to customer service? what happened to the customer is always right? Does a guarantee only function as a guarantee after you withstand the harassment?
The customer is not always right, because sometimes the customer is a complete jackass. But it sounds like in this case, you were dealing with a crazy person who doesn't believe in taking any sass-back from kids these days, or who figures if she acts psychotic enough she'll scare away customers who try to return products.
However, Proactiv makes it very clear on their website that you can return the product within 60 days, no matter how much you use or how well you feel it worked. Their "guarantee" page simply states,
If you're not totally satisfied with the results, simply return the bottles within 60 days, even if they're empty, for a complete refund of the purchase price (less shipping & handling).
There's no fine print on the page, and none we could find elsewhere on the site, and no mention of having to show proof of purchase in the form of a receipt. There's also no mention of kiosk sales falling under a different return policy, so it seems pretty clear that Proactiv has to take your return.
At this point, we suggest you escalate the problem beyond the Krazy Kiosk Lady and contact Proactiv directly to negotiate a return. You should also—regardless of whether you succeed in returning the product—write a clear, polite letter to the company describing how badly you were treated by this woman, how she confiscated your receipt, and how she refused your return and basically got you kicked out of the mall. They need to know that their kiosk employee is badly representing the company. The main thing at this point is to be polite, but persistent, and make it clear to Proactiv that you expect them to honor their no-risk return guarantee.
Oh, and let your boyfriend do this if he's the one who paid for it.
An anonymous tipster writes:
I worked for several years at EDS, which is the home of Proactiv's customer service center (that you listed in the article - the Des Moines office).
Unfortunately, calling the call center won't do much good. They're not authorized to take back kiosk purchases, since they have no customer account. They're just for the infomercial and online orders. They're just going to tell the person to take it back to the kiosk.
What they want is Guthy-Renker Corporate. Regular customer service can't transfer you and agents/supervisors don't have the corporate number (at least when I was there).
A quick Google search turned up the address:
41550 Eclectic St
Palm Desert, CA 92260
Phone: 760-773-9022
Fax: 760-773-9016Yes, the kiosks and the vending machines are owned by Guthy-Renker corporate. They have been very reluctant to franchise out product except abroad (citing quality concerns, internally, but I doubt that - probably a money thing). Guthy-Renker even has an eBay store to compete with people who were reselling Proactiv (this is actually fulfilled from the same building, a giant warehouse/call center, in Des Moines that the infomercial stuff comes from).
Proactiv is owned by G-R and they are a large infomercial company that has sold many other products, e.g. Anthony Robbins CDs/DVDs, Windsor Pilates, Sheer Cover, Cindy Crawford's Meaningful Beauty, Susan Lucci's Youthful Essence, Core Secrets, and many other failed products. Proactiv is one of their most successful products.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam malesuada commodo erat et molestie. Duis pellentesque aliquam bibendum. Suspendisse venenatis lobortis eleifend. Mauris id est sed lectus convallis aliquam.
Post a comment
Comments:
...then there's always *chargebacks* - if you used a credit card THEY'LL be able to find your transaction.
And complain to the corporate crew too - include names of witnesses like the security guard. Not honoring that "guarantee" is likely a fraudulent act that the crazy saleslady should not be allowed to pull again.
Heh, let your boyfriend do it. Where was he while this witch was harassing you both? No, I kid.
Proactiv always seemed like such a scam when I saw the commercials (in Canada). Does it actually work sometimes? Can you really return completely empty bottles? I'd never need to find out, but it sounds too good to be true. I just suspected that they just 1. make it impossible to return, 2. had some fine print catch, or 3. actually worked and made poor use of an infomercial style commercial.
Everybody in Hattiesburg is a loon, and that's coming from another Mississippian!
does Proactiv actually work ever? It sounds like such a huge scam. Terrible name and too good to be true policy.
@thelushie: I've always wondered about those tiny boxy Proactiv vending machines littering malls.
Maybe the company is having a hard time finding human representatives that aren't one step away from being committed to a tiny box themselves?
I know I could look it up, but what is that stuff and what is used for? I am just guessing that there are other people here who don't know what it is and would like to know as well.
I don't shop in malls, so maybe that's why I haven't seen them?
not to mention the fact that "confiscating" her reciept is essentially theft.
@nybiker: It's an anti-acne solution with several bottles of soap and lotion to use for treatment. [www.proactiv.com]
Sometimes I cringe when I read these posts, only because people always seem to include some useless trivia, such as: "we only have one mall". I'm not trying to blame this specific poster, but I think lots of the consumers who post here would have better results in their EECBs if they reduced this trivia.
@nybiker: It's a heavy duty (and very expensive, and very heavily celebrity-endorced) acne medication. Originally sold through infomercials, it tends to have bizarre reactions to some people and products, including, for some reason, red towels.
That kiosk lady is made of bitch
@oneliketadow: Yep. The casual tone is fine here on a blog, but you should probably use a more formal tone for any EECBs so you'll increase the odds of being taken seriously.
Okay, I had the same problem with a proactiv agent who claimed I was lying when I called in to talk about an offer for a free 25 dollar prepaid debt card if you sign up someone else and I spoke with a manager and the site was not up and running at the time.
So yeah, I called back to tell him that story and that he mentioned a certain solution for my face and I wasn't interested but called back because I decided I really 'did' want it.
He then called me a liar and went off for no reason at all when I just called in to comment how nice the manager was who I requested to speak too and I just requested to speak to another manager in which he denied at first but then transfered me off and she gave me a kit, for free.
To quote Eric Foreman: "What did you have for breakfast this morning? Carnation Instant Bitch?"
I didn't see it in the story, did they ever get their receipt back? I think crazy or not, I would not have left the mall without it. As mentioned, receipts are personal property, and can be very important. I'd be insisting that the security guard or actual police be getting that back for me.
What is Proactiv? Is it some kind of lotion?
I would have gone behind the kiosk and gotten my receipt back, even if it meant punching that bitch in the face to get it. Security should have taken her away, not you. You got screwed.
@mamalicious: In the interest of paying it forward, please see the replies to my same question. Short story: An acne treatment.
And thanks to those who answered my question.
My wife used to work at a Proactiv kiosk. She said that customer returns were never an issue. She also told me that kiosk managers pretty much live in fear of their regional managers, so escalating the issue would probably get you some results. My guess is that this lady must've been a kiosk manager who didn't want to take the loss, which could potentially be pretty devastating in a low-volume sales location, such as in a small town.
I ordered proactive and called them for a refund because it really jacked up my skin. I had to listen to at least 10 minutes of "how to use the product" because I must be misusing them if they aren't working. Then I endured the upsell to another one of their products. I was like very blunt told them I didn't like it, why would I want to buy another product from them?! Seriously. I think they train their people to blame the consumer. If I was this person I would not have left I would have demanded to see the security's supervisor/manager and if no one was produced in say 5 minutes call the police she's harassing you and you have plenty of witnesses to verify this.
@Eilonwynn: That's the benzyl peroxide. It's an active ingredient in several acne medications and it will bleach clothing (and hair).
Whoever posted this article: its a 60 day return policy. if you reread the woman's email she clearly says it was purchased 3 weeks ago.
@TPK:
This is when consumers need to act and start calling the police and pretty much put the rent-a-cops in their place.
Sometimes I cringe when I read these posts, only because people always seem to include some useless trivia, such as: "we only have one mall".
Well, it is an issue if you're going to feel you can't go to the only mall in town because you might run into a psycho salesperson. And given the way a lot of people, including people here often enough, tend to blame the customer or just say "buy elsewhere" or "why did you buy there", she probably felt it was apropos.
@pixiegirl1: I had almost the *exact same interaction* with Proactiv!! I called to cancel because the product wasn't working anymore, and a clearly frustrated representative tried to talk me out of canceling for about 10 minutes. I had to be extremely blunt and almost rude to get her to cancel. It was like trying to cancel AOL or something, geez. Had they not been such jerks about the cancellation, I may have ordered Proactiv again when I got older and my skin changed a bit, but not after dealing with that cancellation call!!
@thelushie: When I was in high school, for some reason or another, there was at least a 90% chance that anyone working the kiosks in the mall was high. It was like a club or something. Maybe the Krazy Kiosk Kook was part of it.
@dweebster: i've never seen a proactiv vending machine in my life. i would be much more tempted to buy it that way than to either spend the shipping, or spend any amount of time buying anything from the creepy people they have tending the kiosk, so i've never tried it. i'm not sure if it's a prerequisite, but every employee i've even seen tending that particular kiosk has their feet up on the register, napping, and looking like they just robbed a bank. a vending machine would make me more likely to buy it, as long as i got the same product and the same 'guarantee' as the stuff from the skeevy people!
I'm going to call shenanigans on the OP; a cursory google search shows no less than 4 malls in Hattiesburg, MS.
(760) 773-9022 is the number for the Proactiv corporate office. The last time I used this number was around December 2004. I dialed ext. 122 to get to someone named Butch Baston (Not sure if he still works there). I bought some fake proactive on eBay and I made it a point to get in touch with the company to make sure the stuff got pulled off the site.
The address is:
Guthy Renker Corporation
41-550 Eclectic St.
Suite 200
Palm Desert, CA 92260
Turtle Creek is the only mall I know of in Hattiesburg. As a lifelong Mississippian, and having just visited the city a few weeks ago, I'm fairly certain that's the only one there.
@QrazyQat:
*aigh* I dont think most people who live in large cities or urban areas realize in small town America there are very few choices.
For example where we might talk about going to a Wal Mart you will literally hear those in small areas say they are going to THE Wal Mart some people find that werid and don't understand but hey when you grow up in a certain surrounding its hard to understand.
I also did a google maps search. They actually only have two large malls Cloverleaf Mall, Turtle Creek Mall and Oak Grove keep in mind all the others are either strip malls or a mall like flea market in one building.
However after checking the area this is no small town, you are correct.
In fact this town is more active then most towns in that waste of a state PA.
Working in a Call Center, this town would be easy to find service for someone
Cloverleaf isn't a mall. It has a lot of office buildings there, and a movie theater. It's an office center more than anything else.
@Eilonwynn: You have to be careful with benzoyl peroxide. Peroxide is what is used to make all those blondes you see, blonde.
I actually started to use Proactiv 3 weeks before my wedding. I had SEVERE acne. It initially dried up my skin, but I paired it with a high-end moisturizer and insteaded of the recommended 2x a day, I use it 1x a day and it seems to work. I purchase it at the mall kiosk because if you use their online site, they'll automatically send you a new set and charge your card every 30 days. Instead I go every 60 days or so (using half the recommended amount) and it lasts slightly longer than that, actually. They key is, for now, it works. Until my skin is used to it, then there are cheaper alternatives I can switch to (Neutragena has a system with the same ingredients)
@TPK: Agreed. Mall 'police' are generally there for show to keep the slightly-out-of-control children in line. We have a new outdoor mall/shopping center here and the wildly unkempt guard is continuously driving around the parking lots with his blue lights on -- for no reason. If anything even marginally serious happened, I'd not rely on him but would instead call the real police. In the above situation, it might have made sense to call this in as an 'erratic person' vice a non-refund situation.
Sucks how you were treated by the kiosk lady. Chances are good that if she tried to treat my girlfriend or myself like that I'd have likely not kept my cool like you did.
That being said, I've had really good results from Neutrogena Body Clear body wash. I use it on my face when I'm in the shower, and I've been acne free for several years now. Though I don't know what your bf has tried, maybe it's worth a shot now that he's not going to be using proactive.
Sometimes things are called malls that are not malls in name only. It might be the only mall with mall type stores in it and the only place in town to get your hot topic fix.
I am going to trust the word of person who lives there over somebody who just does a quick google search. The internets can't tell you everything.
I've spent a rather unfortunate night in Hattiesburg and albeit being a college town, it does have only one mall. Plus, if you drive more than 8 minutes in any direction, you are no longer in Hattiesburg!
There being only one place to go is relevant, plus it adds to the humiliation the OP must have felt.
@oneliketadow: Of course, if she didn't mention that she only had one mall one of the commenters would have said "Blame the OP for going to that mall if she knew the service was bad."
@obamaramallama:
Confirmed. I used to work for a company that had one of the only retail stores in the Center. But I think it was a proper mall until the mid-90's.
Does no one remember that everyone one of their spokes persons were actually taking Accutane as the primary treatment? The pure biology behind what Proactiv is pretty shaky.
The best "home cure" to acne/skin care is sake (yes, the Japanese rice wine (but really a rice beer))-- wash one's face, and suspend sake in a non reactive paste-- leave it on for a few hours a day for a few weeks, and acne is gone. (actually much softer skin too.
(back to topic) As a consumer, the retailer needs to work for you- I don't go to the mall to be abused, no one should.
@Eilonwynn: Some of the stuff in Proactiv is used in bleach, so the red towel would essentially be partially bleached.
Any time you buy something from a kiosk in the mall you can pretty much kiss your money goodbye. Minimal investment in retail infrastructure (or, from the sound of this crazed thug of a saleslady, training or even background checks) means little or nothing to lose.
I totally agree that you were wronged, and I hope you get your money back but at least 3 times you stated that you were forced to do something. You weren't forced to go to that mall even if it is the only one in town and if anyone ever tries to force you to buy something you should turn around and walk away.
Costco has something similar to proactiv, my wife has had good results with it... and with costco you can return stuff with no problems.
Next time just go to a vending machine to buy your Proactiv. LOL
This kiosk worker is seriously missing a few screws. Are these kiosks owned by Proactiv or are they some sort of "independent rep" situation?
How were you forced to buy the product you didn't want, though? If they didn't have the size you wanted, go elsewhere including online. Major plus: No crazy kiosk lady!