The Epic Rewards event was supposed to be an opportunity for customers who had accumulated a large number of points in the Sephora’s loyalty program to cash them in for valuable items. The question is: was it a rewards redemption or a sweepstakes that only people who have spent thousands at Sephora could enter? The company has promised to make things right with their customers, but are asking customers to give them 10 business days to figure out how.

Customers aren’t upset because they thought they were entitled to free stuff and didn’t get it. As we explained yesterday, some people who took part in this promotion found the promotional e-mails and social media posts during the runup to the event misleading. They’re now disappointed because they believe that Sephora didn’t really explain the nature of the event, or the difference between rewards that they had earned and prizes that constantly-refreshing users nabbed within minutes.

Yesterday, Sephora finally spoke up and issued an apology, asking people who had their attempted Epic Rewards purchase go wrong to e-mail the company. Here’s the response that they received:

To Our Valued Beauty Insider,

Thank you for contacting us regarding Epic Rewards. Despite our best efforts to predict the response, demand was overwhelming, resulting in our being out of stock very quickly. We deeply regret this and apologize. We are currently reviewing each case and will respond to you within 10 business days.

Please know that we are committed to learning from this experience. Thank you for your ongoing support. We greatly appreciate you.

Regards,
Client Services

Sephora has asked wronged customers to e-mail them by August 25, which is ten business days from when they posted their response. Maybe they’re waiting for angry customers to simmer down. Or run out of foundation.

Update: Here’s the e-mail that customers are now receiving, which promises a response by September 10, or one month after the event. What we’ve posted here is an auto-response: actual responses to their concerns apparently aren’t coming for another few weeks.

The company’s CEO has posted this e-mail address on Twitter to try to calm the angry mob waving flaming mascara wands outside of his virtual door.

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