Showing posts with label Consumer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Consumer. Show all posts

21 July 2017

LUXURIOUSLY HANDMADE PRODUCTS



Sweet coated and mass produced products prevail everywhere. You can find them by searching on the web at your fingertips or by smelling upfront in most retail stores. Am I extensively correct? 

These products which have been launched into the consumer's market were efficiently mixed and moulded by machines using the accuracy of computers. Besides, it is (still) of course supervised by adroit manpower for a period of time until the machines can guarantee to generate and function solely. What a crackerjack symbiosis for corporate heads which will result in more money to be saved and a large sum of profit to be pocketed. Don't be surprised when, in the near future, some of your friends are on their company's redundancy payee list. 

Technically speaking, the state of the art computer era will generate fast-paced productions and when this happens, it will gradually replace manual labour. This is the distressing truth, while the corporates in their ivory tower will not even give a single damn about you. Why would they when all they see are rising numbers and the bull market figure? This worrying situation has been happening already as customers are fleeced by the substandard quality of some of the products. If you ordered and received an item which is half of the quality you are expecting, you should return it right away and demand a free return label. It is your right after all and don't be intimidated by the minute terms & conditions. 

So much of that ineffable satisfaction as it's making me frown more (LOL!)... 

I have been receiving sample products from different retailing companies. For what purpose? I have to try each one of them and after that, I will compose and send to the respective people a written discourse. A constructive statement in which negative and positive criticisms are elaborately explained. If you would like me to try your product(s) in exchange for a blow-by-blow written assessment which is not less than 300 words, just send me a message! 

A year ago, a friend of ours told us about his new passion during his leisure time which has now becomes his love affair for handcrafted items. I can still vividly remember how delighted and mesmerised I was every time I received home-made occasion cards from him. Its because the cards were delicately designed and exquisitely decorated with cut-out images from recycled cards. According to our friend, the duration making of each card depends on what type of occasion but it usually takes a few days before it will be perfectly finish with an envelope. 

Three months back, our dearest and generous friend launched exclusively in front of us his luxuriously handmade products. Such as the soaps which were neatly wrapped in greaseproof wax papers and then, placed in cardboard boxes and some, in mini tin storage boxes. More than that, we were also presented with shower gels in congealed and diluted solutions in the shades of canary and transparent yellow. Both contents were in leak proof square plastic bottles with gold disc pump tops and detachable locks. Our friend wasn't just launching whim products as he even thought of our Motherly Nature, too. His modest concept of the soap boxes and shower gel containers are both recyclable and reusable!

On a split-second, I thought they were all from a skin care product store because of the classically sleek image presented to us. On the contrary, he made them from his humble abode by combining the desired ingredients, adding the pleasant fragrance oil, gently stirring and then conceptualising the finished goods using the boxes and plastic bottle containers. That was the dead ringer appearance of his handcrafted bathing products. But what about the essential quality? 

We were politely asked to closed our eyes and then, had a smell of different bar of soaps. The subtle scent of lavender oil and tea tree oil in his home-made soaps exuded right after opening each effortlessly. My palms were imbued with soothing aroma upon touching only the well-wrapped wax paper. My sense for redolence was much aroused when the soaps were uncovered and laid on my hands. I couldn't get out of my nostrils the calming lavender and the relieving tea tree fragrances. If they were edible, they would have landed in my mouth after my nose!


Enough of the pocket-sized soaps as there were shower gels, too... 

I twisted the pump top to open and the lemony scent reached directly into my nose. It was like smelling the newly cooked lemon drops or freshly squeezed lemon juice. My mouth was watering as the distinctive sour citric acid dominated; I nearly salivated... hahahaha! The viscid consistency meant I had to shake it very well before use. Also, the rich organic elements made it only ideal as a face & body wash. That's because, when I tried using it as a shampoo my hair strands formed into small, tight curls. What a frizzy and grrrr experimental moment for my silky straight locks! 


Contrastingly, the thinned version of a combined lemon oil and geranium oil had a surprising sweet orangy flavour. It was already tea time when the olfactory nerve presentation was soon to finish. That is why, my thoughts of a super moist and fluffy cake with orange glaze forked over. Apart from craving, I was also gasping for a cup of tea.

On a more serious note, the diluted version was the right and perfect alternative shampoo for my sensitive hair. Actually, I provisionally first used it when we were in Corfu, Greece and it left my hair silky soft with a fructose scent. Personally speaking, the shampoo experiment proved that it was not just for my delicate chocolate brown skin!

11 March 2017

THE MISSING AND EVASIVE DRAWSTRING DUST BAG

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

Know your RIGHTS as a consumer! 


Communicating directly to the seller or a merchandiser is the straightforward and simplest way of disputing and settling an issue/problem. This can be executed verbally, either in person or over the phone, and/or in writing by sending an email or a private message. I always choose the latter as writing with an explanatory statement means you can set out your arguments in a black & white form. So, which one are you when the goods and services you just received are not as described or haven't met your satisfaction? 

Writing is easy but explaining clearly and plainly your thoughts in a statement can be challenging. Am I right, my dear? I have my own adapted method in order to give my formal letter some clarity and that is, by making a draft on scrap papers about the important bits. This will include the main problem(s), the dates and times of exchanged letters and the names of the correspondents. In this way, you will have a reliable guide on what you will just include in your formal complaint in order to build a strong case against the seller or merchandiser. Most of the times, an ad hoc communication to the seller works fairly well and will always favour the customer's solid arguments. Inevitably, there are instances in which the seller wouldn't like to comprehend what has been written in the complaint; that the buyer received unsatisfactory goods and services. Does it mean, the buyer's money will just go down the drain as well as having to put up with the faulty item? If this happens to you as a consumer, you will think of how one-sided, and unreasonable the seller or merchandiser are apart from provoking your annoyance. 

Cheer up buyers as every cloud has a silver lining... 

The Consumer Rights Act of 2015 aims to protect the buyer's confidence from the wrongful actions of (mostly abusive) sellers. If you think you still don't get a favourable response out of an ad hoc communication from the arrogant and adamant sellers, don't lose hope and belief in yourself. Its because, under the Consumer Rights Act of 2015 if there is a problem with the goods and services bought from the seller or didn't match the description of the item that was advertised, you can ask for a full refund or provide you with a replacement. If you think, you have given sufficient time for the seller to resolve your raised issue and yet still they haven't acted evenhandedly, Citizens Advice Bureau team will impartially guide you. The people behind their team will hear your side of argument first including what you have been doing regarding your complaint before they will finally give you reasonable advice to make a fair dispute with the seller. That is why, it is imperative that you will contact or communicate first directly to the seller or where you bought the item before you will ask the assistance of Citizens Advice Bureau's contingent team. 

A month ago I bought a Celine Multicolour Luggage Calfskin Lather Tote Mini. Actually, I published a written essay about it on here, too, at http://quidnuncqueen.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/the-multicolour-in-me-celine.html. The description of the seller on the legitimate website of second-hand top of the range items, VestiareCollective, was exactly as she outlined on the description box and defined on the website's comment section. Personally, the bag was in a foolproof and splendid condition when I took it out of its personalised plastic carrier bag for the very first time. However, I was taken by surprise that the presence of its drawstring dust bag wasn't included in the box. I had paid the bill in full and was anticipating that after a month of waiting, everything would be included in the sealed box, delivered by their courier man. Actually, they have a unique quality control team who had 2-3 days to carry out a “100%” physical inspection of the bag and check that all accessories are included. Subjectively, I was flabbergasted given the fact that the seller on their website confirmed that there is a dust bag when I verified it on their comment section. Can you believe how thorough they are during physical check and inspection? 

On the day I received the sealed box from them, I sent right away an email to VestiareColletive and even a private message on their Facebook page regarding the missing dust bag. There were monotonic replies in which it implied they haven't read well my raised issue. One of their emails was written with arrogance which 'some' thriving companies have been practising to dismay the confidence of their buyers. Sadly, they barked up the wrong tree! 

I took the dispute personally...

I contacted directly on their website's comment box the main seller of the Celine Bag about the missing dust bag. We exchanged comments for some time and on the 07th of March, she verified again that she sent the dust bag together with the bag to the Head Office of VestiareCollective for “100%” quality control check and inspection. Which is why, on the 08th of March I took it up onto the next level and called the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06 for helpful advice. My side of argument was heard by them and subsequently, they shared useful phrases for me to include in my complaint letter. A written statement formulated by myself using one of their template letters on


which beyond any doubt summoned VestiareCollective to take an immediate action. 

On the 08th of March, I finalised my complaint from the Citizens Advice's website and downloaded a copy. I then sent the letter with attachments to VestiareCollective's email address as well as privately messaged them on Facebook. A day after, they replied to my complaint in which they stated in their written statement that their quality control has received the Celine dust bag and even had the bloody cheek to ask me if I would like to have it. What a stupid and ignorant question when the main reason of my complaint was to acquire the dust bag. Which is why when they offered me a voucher gesture of 20 euros on my next order, I DECLINED as all I wanted was the dust bag.

On the 10th of March and after 8 days of battle with VestiareCollective, they finally shipped over from France to the United Kingdom the missing and evasive Celine drawstring dust bag. Which would arrive on Monday as per the shipment's detailed report and a sent text message.

I love writing and that is why I don't feel the apprehension in communicating and explaining to the seller or merchandiser when something fishy has been happening to my purchased item. If I were to brag I would say, it's no longer new to me and winning a dispute objectively makes me ecstatic. Generally speaking, presenting my arguments in a form of letter has been my tenacious weapon, as long as it has the facts and my points of view along with the supplementary proofs and evidence. With this approach, a complaint will have more credence and not just a  vague whim!

*Photo Courtesy of https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/template-letters/letters/
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