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.
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.
thank you 
