Gone But Not Forgotten

[maandusa]

Gone But Not Forgotten

Since discontinued products are all the rage, and lots of people charge exhorbitant prices for them, i want to share what i found out from MAC. in an on-line chat, i asked whether there might be a back-stock of Shimpagne MSF that i could purchase directly.

this is how i found out about the "Gone But Not Forgotten" customer service program...

i received the following e-mail response:

Dear Miranda,

Thank you for your inquiry regarding Shimpagne Mineralize Skinfinish.

Naturally, we understand that the discontinuation of your favorite product can be frustrating, and we thank you for letting us know how you feel. You may be certain that your concern will be shared with all appropriate executives for their review during future planning. Decisions to discontinue a product are often based upon nationwide purchasing patterns or technological advances made available to us. The decision to discontinue a product, however, is never a capricious one and the matter is always given significant thought and consideration. It is certainly not our intention to disappoint you.

We are pleased to inform you that we offer a complimentary service to our consumers called the "Gone but Not Forgotten" program. This program offers consumers the opportunity to equest a search for and potentially purchase a product that has been discontinued within the last 24 months.

We would be pleased to initiate a search for your product. At the completion of a search (approximately four to six weeks), you may have the opportunity to purchase up to six pieces, depending upon availability.

At this time, the accepted method of payment is credit or debit card only. Packages can be shipped via UPS to any street address within the continental U.S. A flat shipping fee of $5.00 will be added to the total of your product order. We will contact you directly with the results of your search. However, you are under no obligation to make your purchase.

In the meantime, we recommend that you contact our direct mail service to inquire about any remaining inventory they may have in their warehouse. They may be reached at 800-387-6707, option 6. Also, you may wish to contact our M.A.C Pro Stores. The contact information for the closest location to you may be found on our website M·A·C Cosmetics.

Again, we look forward to assisting you.

Sincerely,

Tiffany Soriente
Global Consumer Communications

i did ask to have the search conducted, and while i waited for a response, i called several Pro stores and also the direct-mail phone number. No one had Shimpagne in stock. Four weeks later, to the day, i received notification from MAC that they were able to locate Shimpagne, and instructions were provided for me to call if i still wanted to purchase the item. i decided to get two (one for backup), and only had to pay the original retail selling price, plus the $5 flat shipping fee.

since many people probably don't know about this service, i think it's important that i share this information. of course, i am sure there will be people who will abuse the system, but i am sharing this information for those who really want to find a discontinued item for themselves to use, not to turn around and resell at an inflated rate.

once again, MAC has proven it is truly a great company and cares about its customers.

i hope this helps some of you who, like me, really want a discontinued item and don't want to (or can't afford to) pay the crazy prices.

[MissMarley]

thank you so much for posting this!!! i just asked them to search for a stereorose or so ceylon for me!

[aziajs]

That is amazing. I am glad that worked out for you. It IS nice to know that MAC cares and has a program like that. Thank you so much for sharing.

[turtle_pixie_]

this is well cool!

[cloverette]

thank you so much! i just sent my request & hope i'll be as lucky as you were

[Wattage]

Thank you for being so generous and sharing this information with us!

[allan_willb]

I tried this a long time ago but it didn't work.I think it was for a super super rare product though.I'm sure they will find your item If you keep emailing them.

[xxmissjennyxx]

thank you so much for this info! im so glad i dont have to resort to paying $50 for a d/c item! thank you thank you thank you !

haha just bein a little silly

[liquidsirenhoney]

thanks for sharing that info i just wish i could find half the discontinued itmes i want

[lianna]

Is the service available only in the US? It seems like a great idea! I would ask them to help me find So Ceylon and Gold Deposit...

[Winthrop44]

Thank you so much for posting this!

[HeartOfSilver]

I am a little confused, where do you email them to ask them to initiate a search?

[karen]

w00t! I just emailed customer service asking about Shimpagne and Lucky Green as well.
Thank you!

[karen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeartOfSilver

I am a little confused, where do you email them to ask them to initiate a search?

Use this form and select "Can I obtain a product that is no longer available?" from the drop down list. Then, write which products you're requesting in the comments box.

http://www.maccosmetics.com/customerservice/email.tmpl

[disenchanted]

I did this for Dig It not too long ago. I was told I had to buy six, but I would of anyway since this was my main liner ever since it came out. Now I'm on the hunt for a new one and hopefully I'll find one before all my Dig Its are gone

[artemisa]

Well, this made me sad. As I live in Spain, I won't be able to reach for anything. I asked the only PRO store in Spain about this service and they never heard of it.

So I guess all non-US MAC addicts won't have a chance to reach for our fave products

[farra712]

About how long until you got an email confirmation telling you they would do the search? I sent a message to them about a week ago and never got anything back, so I sent another yesterday.

[mackandme]

I did this for stereo rose - no luck

[asteffey]

wow amazing, thanks for being so nice!

[Holstrom4]

Do you have to submit each request separately? Anyone done more then 1 item at a time and gotten a reply? Thanks.

[midnightlouise]

I had read about this the other day but I've never tried it. Thanks for posting this info fo us!

[Parishoon]

i just found the website for this last night on google & thought the girls at Specktra would die for this, too late I am
but here's the EL site anywy
http://www.elcompanies.com/the_compa..._forgotten.asp

[Ada]

Did anyone read this part:

"Please keep in mind, a search can only be initiated for products in a participating brand's regular product line; searches cannot be initiated for seasonal or promotional products."

That seems to me to say that this program is only for discontinued products, not ones that were LE to begin with. Though I could be wrong about that...

[Winthrop44]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ada

Did anyone read this part:

"Please keep in mind, a search can only be initiated for products in a participating brand's regular product line; searches cannot be initiated for seasonal or promotional products."

That seems to me to say that this program is only for discontinued products, not ones that were LE to begin with. Though I could be wrong about that...

Sure sounds that way to me too.

[lianna]

But perhaps with some luck, they'll be able to locate the LE stuff you want like they already did for some of the girls here.