Beauty Galaxy --An average company at first glance, but stick around and they're the worst.
Written: Sep 26 '06 (Updated Nov 30 '06)
|
| Full Review |
There are quite a few items on my "To Buy With Epinions Money" list (costing far more than I'll be able to earn in a few years... nevermind soon), but the first one on my list was the Chi Turbo Flat Iron. Seeing that my local salon charged a whopping $180 for this iron, I decided that shopping online would be the way to go. Unfortunately, Farouk (the company that manufactures Chi products) refuses to honor their warranty for anything bought online... so I had to be careful. I needed to find a company that was not only willing to honor the one-year warranty "in-house," but also offer a competitive price on a brand-new product.
After searching and asking many companies about their warranty policies, I finally found BeautyGalaxy.com.
About Beauty Galaxy
Beauty Galaxy is a website devoted to selling premium flat irons, curling irons, blow dryers and clippers (ie: hair tools). They carry brands such as: Fhi, Chi, H2Pro, ACA, HAI, Superstar, ACA, T3, Infrashine and Wigo. They are an authorized dealer for Fhi hair tools, which most online companies cannot claim.
Site Design, Shipping and Company Policies
BeautyGalaxy.com is a fairly simple website in terms of design. Everything is laid out along the left and top of the screen. There is no manual search, but search terms (such as "Flat Irons," "Hair Treatment," "CHI Irons") are located on the left-hand side of the screen. Below the categories on the left is a "Helpful Info" section with Product Reviews and help with choosing a flat iron, as well as their "highest rated flat irons" and various specials they are running.
Along the top of the screen are "Hot Deals," "My Account," "Company Policies," and "Contact." They also advertise their customer service line so you can order by phone.
There are no excessive pictures to clutter up your screen -- just images of the specific products you're looking for.
As to their company policies... They have a "Best Price Guarantee," and I must admit that through searching the web.. they certainly beat their competitors. They ship UPS Ground for free and have a 30 Day return policy (they even pay the return shipping). You can choose to upgrade your shipping to UPS 2nd Day Air for an extra $13 or UPS Next Day Air Saver for an extra $22. They will ship to certain parts of Canada. You can order by phone, but their customer service is only open from 10 - 6 Monday through Friday and from 12 - 6 on Saturday (all times Eastern). If you call outside those times you can leave a message. Beauty Galaxy guarantees all their products are brand new and completely authentic.
They advise that all of their products are covered only by the manufacturer's warranty after the 30 day mark except for the Farouk Chi Irons which they offer their own 1 year in-house warranty. You can also purchase the 1 year in-house warranty (to be started after the manufacturer's warranty expires) for an extra $20.
Their order processing time is estimated at 1 - 3 business days.
I can say for my experience (which you will read more about in a moment) they shipped my iron approximately a day after I placed my order. I had it upgraded to the UPS 2nd Day Express (more on that below) and it arrived on the second day. All in all, not a bad processing time. I will say, however, their packaging leaves a LOT to be desired. I understand it's a small outfit, but come one... I've seen better packaging with Ebay sellers that operate out of their basement. My packaging essentially consisted of a UPS box. The iron, still in the original box and packaging, was thrown inside the much larger UPS box with not even so much as crumpled up newspaper to keep it from knocking itself all around. Come on... newspaper isn't that hard... neither is styrofoam popcorn... sending something as delicate as a $120 flat iron through UPS with nothing to keep it from breaking is a bit silly.
Navigation and Ordering
Navigation is fairly simplistic. No matter which link you click on, the links along the left and top will stay. Click on the brand you would like to search, then click on a particular iron for an in-depth description. From there you can add the item to your shopping bag or continue searching. Once you've added something to your cart, you can click on "View Cart/Checkout" in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Items will remain in your shopping cart for 50 days. Once you've decided to "Checkout," just click the button and go. You fill in your information (making an account in the process), type in your billing info, choose your shipping methods and you're done. Checking out in an online store seems to be fairly standard, even for a smaller outfit like Beauty Galaxy.
One thing I don't like about checking out is the fact that they never give you a chance to have a "printer-friendly" version of your receipt on the screen. That's something that definitely needs to be added.
Correspondence
They're kind of so-so on email correspondence. They will send you an automated email receipt immediately after you place your order (which you can print, thankfully)... but then they don't send you an email when the product actually ships. I'm not too sure I like that, especially since I'm the type who forgets things and then wonders when the item should be arriving.
Another thing that is weird is the fact that I received an email stating that due to many unsatisfied CHI customers, they are offering me a chance to switch to their FHI Platform 1" iron..
Whoa... what?
If you'd like to read the email, I'd be happy to forward it to you because I was fairly shocked to read it. It was a standard email detailing the problems that CHI irons have (heat isn't standard, break very quickly, Farouk doesn't honor the warranty, etc) and how much better the FHI irons are. They then proceeded to offer me the FHI Platform for the same price as the CHI I had ordered ($118.99) and they threw in an additional year warranty with expedited shipping. Needless to say, I was intrigued. At first I thought it was some standard scam to get me to buy the FHI iron because they are an authorized distributor, but after searching on the internet... I decided to give it a shot and I switched my order to the FHI Platform. I will definitely update this review later when I have finished determining how well the FHI works because a small part of my satisfaction hinges on how well the FHI delivers on the advertising promises they made.
Even though I did switch my order, there are a few things I didn't like about the email that was sent to me... First, I didn't like the use of the statistic "95% of customers who used the FHI over the CHI were more satisfied." This is very, very misleading. Why? I'll never forget the first thing my Stats professor taught us in college -- Statistics Lie: You Can Make Any Statistic Mean Just About Anything. How many users who ended up buying the FHI have personal experience using the CHI? In addition, how many users who stuck with the CHI were very satisfied in their decision? How was this statistic gathered? Did they send out surveys to people who chose the FHI? I didn't get one, so that's probably not it. The most logical conclusion you could make is the fact that they probably just took the number of people who didn't return the FHI, divided by the total number of FHI purchaers and came up with the percentage. If that's true, then you also enter the realm of whether the consumer simply didn't return it because they were too lazy. You could also get into the statistics a year after purchase -- how many were still happy with the FHI... I could go on, but I'm getting tired. I just wanted to show you how misleading and shady the use of this statistic is.
The second issue I had with the email was how they described their procedure for shipping the CHI:
From the "Company Policies" portion of their website: Please allow 1-3 business days for order processing. Business days are M-F 10-6pm. All orders should ship within 1-3 business days unless an item is placed on a "BO - Back Order" status.
However, this is how the email states order processing for the CHI irons: After our processing time, Chi orders are sent to our drop-shipped once a week; they may have a processing time. Once shipped, ground shipping can take about 10-15 business days.
Whoa.. What? You only drop-ship the CHIs once a week? AND the drop-shipping area may have an EXTRA processing time? That could add an extra week on to the time when you'd receive your product! Why isn't that stated in "Company Policies"? And what's this nonsense about ground shipping taking 10 - 15 business days? They offer UPS Ground (5 - 7 business days) and USPS Priority (2 - 3 business days). I've bought countless products online, in catalogues and through Ebay, and I've never, ever had either UPS or USPS take 10 - 15 business days. To me that is very, very misleading. They should be up front and honest about the extra processing time that CHI products incur but I didn't find it located anywhere on their website -- it's not under Company Policies and not listed on the CHI product pages.
I decided to go with the offer to replace my CHI with the FHI anyway. I did it for the simple reason that I had read great things about FHI irons and (to be honest) I wasn't sure if the CHIs were any good anymore. Even though I went with the offer, I still felt the email was very coercive, sneaky and a little shady. I did my homework and settled on the iron I felt was the better choice, but how many people simply settle for the FHI because they give in to the promotion? Then, how many people don't bother to send back their FHI irons because they feel it's too much of a hassle? In addition, it brings up the question of if BeautyGalaxy offers this to anyone who dares purchase any iron other than a FHI... I actually feel a little bad for people who want to buy a FHI and pay the full price of $165 instead of getting this better deal that I received.
Note: I don't think I would characterize this as a "bait and switch" technique simply because you still have the option of choosing the CHI. In fact, if you do nothing I believe your original order will stay the same. However, you *could* look at it where they offer you the CHI with a set order processing/shipping time for $118.99, then during the attempted "switch" they advise you of the EXTRA processing time the CHI incurs (thereby further encouraging you to purchase the FHI, which ships same day). Let me just add a few things so you can be aware of them... First, Beauty Galaxy does not list which irons are actually on their "Top 5 Seller" list, though they advertise HEAVILY for FHI products. When I mean heavily, let me give you some examples: the two "highest rated" flatirons (though they provide no customer ratings) are the FHI Runway and FHI Platform and on their homepage there are four different FHI models available (out of the 10 pictured).
Anyway, you decide, I simply inform.
Customer Service
Obviously I had a few questions about that little email I sent... so I called Beauty Galaxy's customer service line. I forgot they closed at 6 pm, so I had to leave a message. Usually, messages left at a business are returned first thing in the morning... but this isn't necessarily true at Beauty Galaxy. The opening time came and went the next morning, so I called again. I didn't feel like leaving a message, so I called again... and again... and again... until I finally decided that no living being was located in the vicinity of a phone at the other end of the line, so I unhappily left another message. Which, of course, wasn't returned.
Approximately three hours later, I sent a strongly worded (not harsh, but not happy either) email demanding to know what was going on. I questioned their coercive tactics and use of the misleading statistic and (surprise surprise) someone called me within 10 minutes of clicking that little "Send" button. When dealing with Beauty Galaxy, email is certainly the way to go. The person on the other end of the line was very polite and explained the situation to the best of her ability using the standard Company Policy approved lingo. They seem to be only concerned about customer satisfaction (that's why they sent the email... they didn't want me to be disatisfied with them because the CHI iron sucked) and while I'd like to believe that... sometime inside me tells me their motives are not as pure and pristine as 100% customer satisfaction. Afterall, as long as they honor the warranty... why would I get mad at Beauty Galalxy if my CHI iron breaks in 6 months? I'm not sure why, perhaps they make more money from FHI irons, but there has to be another reason they're trying so hard to get consumers to purchase FHI irons. Or, I honestly could be wrong and their motives are purely, truly altruistic. But I doubt it.
Overall Impression
My overall impression of Beauty Galaxy has been sliding a bit the more I think about it. I'm not too sure the FHI is a good flat iron, though I'm now convinced the CHI wouldn't work for me either. They have great prices, no shipping and no taxes, but their sales tactics are a little shady. It is nice that they are one of the few companies on the web to cover the 1-year warranty for CHI products because the manufacturer won't... that could be a significant reason they try to switch you to FHI products. CHI irons are notorious for breaking within the year's warranty and they pay for the repair/replacement and shipping back to you on any warranty repairs you send in. I'm still going to rate them a 3 star online company due to their prices and willingness to honor warranties even though I find their customer service a little lacking. Their site navigation, ordering process and overall website design is average -- nothing special on it, but nothing horrific either.
I'm thinking about returning the FHI (I still want to experiment a little more with it) and if I do, I will absolutely update the reliability of this site when it comes to returning items within the 30-day time frame.
Like I said, I'm going to rate BeautyGalaxy.com three stars and give it a "recommendation" simply because of their prices, willingness to honor the warranty and the option to purchase an extra year warranty from them. If you're looking for low prices on name brand hair styling tools and don't mind waiting a little extra time (for those "unexpected" extra steps in the order processing) you might want to check out Beauty Galaxy... you will get a brand-new, never-used hair tool for prices that your local salon would gag over.
Pros:
*Fairly easy to navigate site -- navigation links stay with you no matter what part of the site you're on
*Ordering process is simple
*The prices can't be beat (they even have a price-match policy)
*They honor the 1-year manufacturer's warranty for the CHI irons
*You can purchase an extra 1 year warranty for $19.95
*Ground shipping via USPS or UPS is free
*Can easily upgrade to faster shipping
*Have a wide variety of premium flat irons and curling irons
*Finding a customer service number is easy -- it's all over their page (1 800 537 4642)
*30-day No Hassle Return policy
*Give a lot of product information on each product's page
*Authorized distributor of FHI products
*Processing time is only 1 - 3 days ** see below
*They are willing to offer a $165 FHI Platform iron for the same price as the iron you just ordered, and they throw in express shipping and a free extra 1-year warranty
*No taxes for most states
*Customer service is friendly when you actually get a hold of them (my recommendation: email them)
*Send you a prompt email when order is submitted (which is printer-friendly)
Cons:
*There are hidden processing times (such as the extra "drop shipping once a week" processing time that comes with the CHI)
*Heavy marketing tactics (such as emails) that try to get you to switch to the FHI
*Hard to contact customer service -- I never once reached a live person without having to leave a message... which they don't return.
*No email when product ships
*Your receipt when the order is submitted is not printer-friendly
*Poor packaging
UPDATE: 10/26/06 -- So, I finally gave up and sent the iron back in; suffice it to say, it stunk. I shipped it back with UPS stating they received the package on 10/17. It is now 10/26 and their website states that returns will be processed within 3 to 7 business days -- needless to say, this is the seventh business day since they received my return and I have not received my refund at this time. The machine had never been dropped or damaged in any way, so we'll see what their customer service has to say. I emailed them two days ago, but that went unanswered... as did a phone call I logged to their number today.
Time is ticking on my patience with BeautyGalaxy. Tomorrow my rate goes down to 1 star because of atrocious customer service.
UPDATE: 10/27/06 -- It is now 4 pm the next day and I have yet to receive any answer as to why my refund has yet to be processed. Both the email sent on 10/24 and the call made on 10/26 have gone unanswered. My rating goes down to One Star and my recommendation goes to Not Even If They Were the Last Internet Beauty Provider. I'll give them until Monday before I contact my bank and the BBB about getting my refund back. I'll continue to update then.
UPDATE: 11/03 -- I spoke to someone (Micki, I believe) on Monday about the missing refund. After some muttering about an "accident" and an employee being "retrained" (like I care), I was then offered a curling iron instead of a refund. What? Why in the freakin world would I want a curling iron? No, I want my stupid money back. So then I was assured that my refund would really be processed ASAP. Fastforward to today, Friday, and my bank account is still not showing any trace of the refund. I made one last call to their services before I file a report with both my bank and the BBB. I'll let you know when (or even if) that call is returned.
This has been another "As the Refund Turns"
Final Update: 11/30: -- After numerous phone calls and much waiting, the refund finally arrived last week. No one knows what happened with my account but I'm told that people have been "retrained," whatever that means. Every single time I talked to someone (which was, on average, twice a week) I got the same response: refunds take time to process. Every time I'd tell them the same thing: you've had the returned product since October 17th and I have proof. No one could answer that response, so they'd all tell me it would just take another 3 - 7 business days. I threatened them with the BBB (which has an UNSATISFACTORY rating of the company) and also with my bank refuting the charge -- neither of which spurred them to faster action. I couldn't even get a straight answer as to HOW the refund would be given. When I finally received it, it was in the form of a postal money order (?!) which is just as good as the direct return to my bank account. At least it wasn't a check that could bounce!
Anyway... I really wouldn't recommend this place unless you are buying a CHI and you know you'll be keeping it... but even then you take a risk... would you trust a company that can't even return money in a timely fashion to take care of the product warranty? For a while there I was chalking up my money as a loss -- after their runaround, I really wasn't expecting to get anything back.
I'd stay away if I were you.
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
About the Author
Location: Orlando, FL
Reviews written: 247
Trusted by: 125 members
About Me: Pregnant with LO #2 -- Get ready for MORE Kids&Family Reviews!!!
|
