Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Open letter to Clinique South Africa

Sent on 17 March. Still waiting for a response.

Clinique, SA:
I am writing to report a very disturbing incident at the Clinique counter at Gateway, Durban.
Several months ago (during the last Free Gift offer) I went into Truworths to purchase my Clinique moisturiser and face wash as I always do. While I was there I decided to ask the Clinique sales person to recommend a night cream for me so that I could start using one regularly. I am 36 years old and currently using the Super Defense range because I don't have any lines or blemishes whatsoever. The Clinique woman told me that Clinique did not make a night cream in the Super Defense age group and urged me to buy the Repair Wear night cream for much older wrinkled skin.
I went home and tried to use the product for over a month. But every time I put it on my skin it would burn and feel very painful and uncomfortable. I eventually stopped using it because I was worried that I was damaging my skin. My R450 was wasted and I had no idea of what damage I had possibly done to my face during the course of that month.
Imagine my HORROR today when I went into Truworths to buy my Clinique supplies and asked them if there WAS in fact a night cream in the Super Defense group. The Clinique woman handed me the tube telling me that there was one all along. Truworths had obviously been out of stock of the one I wanted last time so the Clinique woman deliberately sold me a damaging product so that she could make her sale and reach her target for the month.
IS THIS THE WAY CLINIQUE TREATS THEIR CUSTOMER OF ±15 YEARS???!!
Not only have I lost R450 on a product that I cannot use, but I have been steadily burning and damaging my skin for more than a month because of the damaging advice of a Clinique sales person.
I trust that you will contact me at your soonest regarding this report and will notify me of the action being taken to rectify the matter.
Carmen Gabriel