anti_starlet8
Active member
With all this talk to despicable customer service, I decided to post my story - I visited three different MAC outlets in central London this week, 2 free standing and one counter, all with different levels of customer service but promisingly, not all were bad
I usually hate makeup shopping. I usually especially hate shopping at MAC - it seems that the MA's always make you feel about a centimeter tall because you're asking for their help. I hate having to endure their superiority complexes and snobbery. But I wanted something special for NYE, like new eyeshadows and I wanted to see them in the flesh before I bought them. So on Monday I got to Oxford St. early in order to get to Selfridges before I had to go to work... My dread was completely justified. It would seem that the MAC counter in Selfridges is full of MA's who completely ignore you, I think that they think that I'm too young to spend lots or to be open to suggestion, when actually its the complete other way around - actually I have a very sizeable overdraft that I'd quite willingly blow on MAC if I was sans conscience
and at the end of the day, they're MA's they know the colours that go
So I stood around aimlessly looking at e/s' & when I'd decided the ones I wanted I got ignored again, at the counter, apart from one male Asian (in the American sense) MA who could see I was waiting patiently but had to deal with other customers first. He was lovely but the rest of them were not. This isn't the first time I've had service like that from the MAC counter in Selfridge's so that one was a no-no.
Anyway, they had run out of Stars N' Rockets which was what I had really gone there for so I thought I might make another trip to the Covent Garden MAC, which is where I went yesterday, within about 2 minutes of stepping in the store, an MA (female, Asian) had asked me if I needed any help (by this point, I was over Stars and Rockets and was interested in foundations!). I wanted to try the MSFs naturals but it wasn't what I was looking for so she suggested Studio Fix, she took care to properly determine the best colour match for me, showed me what it looked like with both a sponge and a brush and answered all my questions without any hostility at all. She even wrote down what she'd applied to my face and also did the other side so I could see how I got on. She was brill. I've had good customer service from that MAC store in the past so I was much happier.
I really liked the Studio Fix but wanted to see it in daylight before purchasing (it was past 4pm yesterday when I went into MAC) so I went after work to Soho MAC (aka the London MAC Pro store)... had to wait a little while for an MA to come up to me (female, long straight blonde hair, lovely green glittery e/s) but she was very helpful, I basically went through the whole rigamole of yesterday just so I could be sure the Studio Fix was what I wanted... I forgot the shade I had tried on yesterday and the MA colourmatched me with shades I didn't think suited me as well. I left the store, to check my face in the sunlight and to consider. After about half hour I decided I wanted to try the shade from yesterday against the darker shade, went back to the MAC store, this time another MA helped me almost instantaneously (male, tall, dark hair) I told him what I wanted to do and he sat me in the chair, applied the other shade. He was the nicest MAC MA I have ever encountered, answering all my questions again without hostility - he didn't patronize, sigh, scoff anything like that he was what all bl**dy SA's should be universally! He even wished me a good weekend, in a sincere way, not a I'm saying this because I have to kind of way. I think he got that I knew what I was talking about, that I've done my research and I'm not totally clueless when it comes to makeup and brushes - I think when I confidently asked for my short handled 129 he got that. I think confidence is the key.
Going to Soho MAC has really made my day and restored my faith in MAC MA's. I used to always go to the MAC counter at Selfridge's because it's on Oxford Street and maybe it's just the fact that their counter is always really busy or maybe it is their MA's, I just prefer to go to the freestanding stores now. So have faith! All is not lost. I no longer have to stress out when I shop for makeup.
Long story short:
I usually hate makeup shopping. I usually especially hate shopping at MAC - it seems that the MA's always make you feel about a centimeter tall because you're asking for their help. I hate having to endure their superiority complexes and snobbery. But I wanted something special for NYE, like new eyeshadows and I wanted to see them in the flesh before I bought them. So on Monday I got to Oxford St. early in order to get to Selfridges before I had to go to work... My dread was completely justified. It would seem that the MAC counter in Selfridges is full of MA's who completely ignore you, I think that they think that I'm too young to spend lots or to be open to suggestion, when actually its the complete other way around - actually I have a very sizeable overdraft that I'd quite willingly blow on MAC if I was sans conscience
and at the end of the day, they're MA's they know the colours that go
Anyway, they had run out of Stars N' Rockets which was what I had really gone there for so I thought I might make another trip to the Covent Garden MAC, which is where I went yesterday, within about 2 minutes of stepping in the store, an MA (female, Asian) had asked me if I needed any help (by this point, I was over Stars and Rockets and was interested in foundations!). I wanted to try the MSFs naturals but it wasn't what I was looking for so she suggested Studio Fix, she took care to properly determine the best colour match for me, showed me what it looked like with both a sponge and a brush and answered all my questions without any hostility at all. She even wrote down what she'd applied to my face and also did the other side so I could see how I got on. She was brill. I've had good customer service from that MAC store in the past so I was much happier.
I really liked the Studio Fix but wanted to see it in daylight before purchasing (it was past 4pm yesterday when I went into MAC) so I went after work to Soho MAC (aka the London MAC Pro store)... had to wait a little while for an MA to come up to me (female, long straight blonde hair, lovely green glittery e/s) but she was very helpful, I basically went through the whole rigamole of yesterday just so I could be sure the Studio Fix was what I wanted... I forgot the shade I had tried on yesterday and the MA colourmatched me with shades I didn't think suited me as well. I left the store, to check my face in the sunlight and to consider. After about half hour I decided I wanted to try the shade from yesterday against the darker shade, went back to the MAC store, this time another MA helped me almost instantaneously (male, tall, dark hair) I told him what I wanted to do and he sat me in the chair, applied the other shade. He was the nicest MAC MA I have ever encountered, answering all my questions again without hostility - he didn't patronize, sigh, scoff anything like that he was what all bl**dy SA's should be universally! He even wished me a good weekend, in a sincere way, not a I'm saying this because I have to kind of way. I think he got that I knew what I was talking about, that I've done my research and I'm not totally clueless when it comes to makeup and brushes - I think when I confidently asked for my short handled 129 he got that. I think confidence is the key.
Going to Soho MAC has really made my day and restored my faith in MAC MA's. I used to always go to the MAC counter at Selfridge's because it's on Oxford Street and maybe it's just the fact that their counter is always really busy or maybe it is their MA's, I just prefer to go to the freestanding stores now. So have faith! All is not lost. I no longer have to stress out when I shop for makeup.
Long story short:
- Avoid MAC counter at Selfridge's unless you like being ignored by MA's and being crowded by lots of people looking at lots of different things crammed onto tiny tables.
- Covent Garden MAC is better, some snobby MA's still but also a few gems too - not enough natural light for me, though. Also a bit busy still cos it's on Neal Street.
- Soho MAC (the Pro store) is probably the best for customer service, also it carries the Pro range, nice big wall mirrors to evaluate your look in. Wasn't really busy, even though it was Saturday afternoon, probably owing to the fact it's hidden slightly (sidestreet off Carnaby street)
