Sephora Epic Rewards Failed Again!

ByCordelia

Sephora Epic Rewards Failed Again!

Sephora Epic  Rewards failed again! Sephora has now twice gotten VIB Rouge customers hopes up with these ‘epic rewards.’ The first time around, they sold out in mere minutes. This time around, it was less than 3 minutes (and I called that they’d all be gone in less than 3 minutes). I tried calling the Sephora VIB Rouge line to complain about this happening not once, but twice, and after sitting on hold for 15 minutes and listening to their message of ‘epic rewards are sold out, they were extremely limited’ I hung up.


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Sephora, this is not how to treat customers who spend THOUSANDS of dollars with you every year. As someone who has over 2,000 points just sitting there (and I’m a VIB Rouge through Dec. 2016), because often the rewards are not cruelty free or are not worth the points to spend to pick up a ‘deluxe sample of crap’, I was actually hoping to pick up the BECCA epic reward. Clearly, I was crazy for trying because it sold out by the time I tried to check out. And just like last time, I didn’t even get an email about the epic rewards, even though I get every other Sephora email since I’m subscribed.

Sephora, you’re doing it wrong. This is why, if I have the choice between buying an item at Ulta or Sephora, I choose Ulta. I get money back with my rewards at Ulta, which I use for future purchases. Sephora needs to do something with those points that many of us just have sitting in our accounts, doing nothing.

ETA: I also need to give a shout out to Nordstrom for being awesome and having great sales and customer service. Nordstrom also carries many prestige brands, including OCC and Urban Decay! They also have some Cirque Colors too! So I will continue to recommend Nordstrom as well.

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So tell me, did you just waste time like I did trying to get a Sephora Epic Rewards, only to see them sold out? Or were you one of the lucky few to get one?

Cordelia Frost is the creative force behind Phyrra, a treasure trove for cruelty-free indie and goth makeup enthusiasts. She's the author of the game-changing 'Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual' a must-read for hooded eyes makeup.

Cordelia's world is a kaleidoscope of alternative beauty, gothic fashion, and life-enhancing tips, making every visit to Phyrra a journey into a more colorful and inspired self.

158 Comments

  1. VIB Rouge here, until December 16. At no time did any of the rewards appear to be available to me while refreshing the page all day. I never received an email that they would be posted at a certain time, despite the fact that I get every other email from them encouraging me to spend more money with them. I love Nordstrom because at least the points I earn can go towards purchasing any item I like, instead of getting some lame sample size product that usually doesn’t come in a color that matches my extremely fair skin tone. Lately I’ve been spending more of money at SpaceNK. They don’t carry as many brands, but I do get notices about my rewards and can spend those rewards to get dollars off a purchase of my choice. So I think I will only buy items at Sephora that I cannot purchase any where else. Nordstrom for the win.
    If they really did underestimate demand, then they need to hire a new data analytics department. To say they had no idea of the demand means they have no idea how many VIB customers they have and I find that idea completely false.

  2. Ok, so NARS currently offers a free deluxe sample of their Audacious mascara with a pruchase and free shipping. Urban Decay routinely adds unsolicited samples to all of their order and…you got it, free shipping. Tarte…yup, beyond the fact that they consistantly have sales, they load you down with samples with your order. So the point is, most of the majors give you the samples free without having to wrack up a hundred dollars worth of points to get it. So why then do we shop at Sephora?

  3. I know everyone is saying to buy from ULTA, but man I’m just not into that company whatsoever.. The whole upcharging all the drugstore stuff just so you have to use their coupon of 3.50 off 10 every time you shop seems so unnecessary to me. Sephora may have dropped the ball with this one but man, I dont know about the whole “never buy from Sephora again” thing. I’m VIB Rouge as well and I still find extreme happiness in going on their website haha.

    With that said, I do agree their rewards for Rouge needs to get better, but none the less I still love them

    1. While I never said I would ‘never buy from Sephora again’ or that I would boycott Sephora, I definitely think they needed to be called out for this marketing ploy.

    2. Katherine, I’m not terribly wild about Ulta either; however, I can’t ignore them anymore when 1) They get UD products specifically in store AT LEAST 4 days before Sephora does as well as carries UD products that you can’t even get at Sephora anymore (like the Super Saturated Lip Pencils, which I LOVE!), and 2) They accept manufacturers’ coupons for the drugstore branded items! They also price-match at my local Ulta; if someplace else has it cheaper, they’ll match it and honor the coupon as well. From a business perspective, Ulta is starting to step up its game seriously to compete with Sephora. All in all, this is a good thing and will go a long way towards gaining market share away from Sephora.

      Now, if they would just hire people to work there that actually knew what they were talking about and were actually educated on their products, they really would give Sephora a run for their money!

  5. It’s a huge scam. They knew they didn’t have the stock to meet the demand, and Sephora is NEVER prepared for sales or anything else. I’m sure the stores are busy with returns today! I was on the phone today waiting/on hold because of another issue with the company. The second time this summer that Sephora has pissed me off.

  6. I stopped shopping at Sephora in 2014 after they treated me like shit. Basically, their customer service is instructed to not spend a dime on loyal high-spenders, rather than try to make them happy in order to keep their business, even when there was a mistake on their side. As a former customer service rep I find their level of service dismal, and I have no intention to enrich a company that treats me like a disposable cash cow.

    I only do exceptions when they have a sale – because makeup and skincare sales are rare, I can’t really miss an opportunity to save. Otherwise I do most of my beauty shopping from Nordstrom, Macy’s and Dermstore. You know, places where you don’t need to search for a code to get a deluxe sample or gift with purchase.

  7. I think I’m one of those rare unicorns that actually uses my points, so I didn’t have nearly enough to be part of the fiasco 🙂 I’m not annoyed enough about it to stop shopping at Sephora (the employees at both Ultas here are incredibly rude and Nordstrom is over an hour away) but ITA the whole thing was a huge customer service faux pas. They built up all the expectation when they knew there weren’t nearly enough of the rewards to go around. What did they expect to happen?

  8. I have never been a big fan of Ulta, but after the previous two UD seasonal launches were available at Ulta 4 FULL DAYS before they came to Sephora, I’m starting to come around. The new Moondust eyeshadows for fall aren’t even available at Sephora, even though they’re available online at urbandecay.com and they launched the same day as the Naked Smoky palette. I’m checking with Ulta to see if they have or will have them, and if they do, then I might just give up on Sephora for good. 🙁

  9. I agree. I also shop at Ulta vs Sephora when it’s something they both carry because I don’t think I’ve ever been in a Sephora in any state at any time where I was treated nicely. And usually I encountered rudeness instead of just indifference. And when I can get it at Nordies I always do. I’ve never ONCE had a bad experience with Nordstrom either on line or in person. And that’s saying a lot because I shop there frequently.

    2. I just visited a ton of sephoras on a road trip from Montana to Tennessee and Atlanta. That’s no less than 5 stores in 3 states. Only one was a less than great experience, and that was because there were not enough employees for the amount of customers. I’d never been into a sephora before this trip, so I’m pretty happy with what I’ve seen. I still have a few more to cover while in Atlanta, yay!

  10. I didn’t waste my time Cortney, but I know someone who did and they managed to get 2, and I don’t know how that happened but she did a haul and 1 on the pressed powders broke in her package and she said it was ALL OVER EVERYTHING! Everything in her bag was covered in Opal highlighter…..

  11. I didn’t try either. I have a little over 2,000 points and was eyeing the Becca and KvD rewards but I knew it wouldn’t be worth my time to try. I only buy from Sephora for brands that Ulta doesn’t carry (KvD, MUFE, and until recently OCC) and for items that are exclusive to Sephora/early launches at Sephora that I don’t want to wait months to hit Ulta. I’m still a Rouge despite that and I still really hate their “rewards” system. It’s utter crap. I doubt they care much though as we’re still spending money with them…

  12. This is pretty sad. I got fed up with them a couple of years ago when they didn’t notify me of their pre-holiday 20% off sale and I nearly missed it. When I complained they said, Oh well. So I haven’t shopped there very much. I buy most of my products on line especially nail polish from respected indi brands. I do shop at Nordstrom’s because their shipping and return policy is awesome.

  14. I didn’t even try this time. Sephora’s VIB Rouge program is a joke. The only good part of it is the free 3-day shipping with every order.

    I was switching to Ulta more, but their B&M stores aren’t any closer to me than Sephora’s. Plus, this last month or so, Ulta’s online shopping no longer works when I try to check out. I can’t figure out why, and they either blame me or say, “Sorry, but nothing we can do.” That’s another store and another story, but I’m getting fed up with both places.

    1. Even the free shipping w/Rouge status is pointless now since you can buy flash shipping (2-day and no minimum purchase) for $10/year. I never actively tried to qualify for Rouge (it just sorta happened) but this year I probably won’t, and I don’t care.

      1. True, the flash shipping is a cheap perk. I don’t try to qualify as Rouge, but I did a lot of updating to my collection, so I think I’m Rouge through 2016.

    2. Is it a weird cookie thing? or like the check out button isn’t working? I have an issue where I have to hit a very specific order to check out and pay or it doesn’t work. I can’t choose pay with paypal from the cart, i have to choose the normal check out button or it just doesn’t work.

      1. I tried that trick, but it didn’t work. I think maybe they updated something and it’s not getting along with something on my computer. I can’t track down what it is, though.

        I cleared my cookies and used CCleaner. I disabled or excluded their site from ad blocks and my security software, but it just keeps telling me there’s a problem with my payment. Mind you…I tried 4 different credit/debit cards, and PayPal, all of which I knew were good, and it rejected them all every time I tried. I used them before on the Ulta site. I had no problem using them on other sites. I tried three different browsers. I tried both mine and my husband’s computers.

        Their CS wasn’t able to help me. The first girl told me the error must have been because I put in my info wrong (yes, for 5 different forms, all of them, every time). The supervisor basically said, “Very sorry, but we have no idea what’s wrong. We’ll pass it on it IT.”

        1. Send me an email with a screenshot, maybe I can figure it out. I know they were unable to help me and I finally figured out that I have to do that very specific order or it just doesn’t work.

          1. That’s so sweet of you! I got the stuff somewhere else. If I have problems the next time I try, I’ll send you a screen cap. Thank you so much! <3

  17. Phyrra, thank you so much for posting this article on your blog. I think the visibility you are giving this topic is so important. I am so saddened by the arrogance of Sephora. Gifts with purchase are traditionally expected with beauty purchases- this is nothing new! Before the days of Sephora, 28.50 or 35.00 was all it took for an amazing full size gift from Lancôme, Clinique, whatever brand! Ulta, Nordstrom etc have a fair and tangible system. So what is with the tremendous stinginess of Sephora? It costs them so little to produce full size product, and Sephora’s customers only would have bought more if there was even close to a fair chance at receiving an award. Sephora could have had such great success with this promotion and totally blew it. We believe the points to have value just as airline miles do. We expect some sort of tangible value attached to them and since the points have driven our purchase, it is only natural to expect to receive value from them- not talking about the “free” samples
    we are supposed to pay 100 Points for, ugh. Like many of you Sephora is/was my major hobby since around the year 2000-I have been spending thousands every year. I could never imagine dreaming up such a borderline scam actually making me lose interest in shopping there but they have done it. Can you believe that Sephora is a major retailer? I like many of you was refreshing since 12 am pacific time until the rewards sold out. 3 devices and I never saw any awards become available. I was in it more for the fun of it- but it was only a big letdown since nothing actually appeared. It was a sweepstakes in disguise. And I have 11,000 points. I just keep on reading about this scandal
    because I am truly interested in what happens, and to see what Sephora tries to do for damage control, if anything. I really hope more major beauty blogs cover this epic failure. I just can’t get over how cheap and arrogant they are. Just let us redeem points for some decent full-size products. So easy. Thank you Phyrra!

    1. And yet… Could we even consider it a sweepstakes or contest or whatever when we didn’t even have time to enter it in less than 30 seconds?

    2. I know a lot of people have been offended by me making this post and video, but a lot more have spoken up that they felt similarly.

  18. This is at least the third time Sephora has screwed up lately, including the not selling to people with Chinese names. I wasn’t really hyped over today, but did try and never even got the page where I could load it in my cart. I’ll still shop at Sephora, but I have been thinking about the fact that I do most of my shopping online, so going to Nordstrom won’t really be any different. (No Nordstrom in my town.) I’m wondering what to do with all my points though? I really only use them when I send gifts to people and want them to have lots of goodies to unpack. I wish I could at least get a full size product out of them since I’m drowning in samples.

  19. I’m so glad I didn’t even try this time…I knew this would happen. I’ve been a VIB Rouge for years, but have drastically cut my spending with Sephora. I only purchase from them if they have something that Ulta or Nordstrom doesn’t. I prefer Ulta’s system that allows me to have discounts toward my purchases.

  20. The only thing good about Sephora rewards is that they just keep accumulating. Ulta reward points expire before I have a chance to earn anything I want. I would rather rack up Nordstrom points during Double and Triple Points days- Nordstrom also offers price matching on specific beauty items/lines and gifts and special events from time to time. Bloomingdales also has a rewards program that gives free shipping for Loyallist members, no minimum dollar amount. Both stores consistently deliver great selection and service. Sephora and Ulta are hit or miss, in my experience.

    1. I have the same problem with my Ulta points expiring before I have enough to get a decent discount.
      Also worth noting is Macy’s recently joining the Plenti rewards system, so you can accumulate points at other retailers (like Rite Aid) and then spend them at Macy’s!

    3. I like both places and Ulta’s rewards program the most. If you are platinum, your points shouldn’t expire but that is if you spend a certain amount. They have 20% deals occasionally as well. Sephora really did a bait and switch this time. I hope they use some method of good will to fix this to regain the customer base and our trust.

  21. They will not do anything if all of you keep buying things from them and hording points. They are unethical company who doesn’t value their customers. They need to loose customers and fb likes to even slightly feel the pain. Take your business somewhere else out of respect for your hard earned money.

  22. There has been very little advantage to being Rouge. The 2 day shipping is nice, but now that it’s so hot out, I don’t even use that. They rarely give advance notice on anything. The last ‘deluxe’ sample I got was defective. They need to get it together.

  23. I tried numerous times to get anything-no luck. I have over 8,000 points and I will NOT get something that I don’t want!!! Sephora should do something different, getting tired of this!!! Like numerous people have said, at least Ulta you have money back to get something you WANT-they are getting more of my money at this time!!!

  24. I got lucky – and I am NOT a lucky person. When I learned about the Epic Rewards, I decided to try for the 2000 PT Sephora Reward (thought it had a good selection of products, plus that adorable train case). Also, I didn’t see anyone who seemed to be clamoring for that reward on the Sephora Beauty Talk Epic Rewards thread….
    So, starting at 8 am EST, I sat in front of my computer and refreshed the page every few minutes, and continuously right before and after each hour. As soon as the rewards became available, I plopped that Sephora reward in my bag and placed the order. It didn’t really hit me that I had actually succeeded in getting the reward until a minute later when the order confirmation arrived in my inbox.
    While I admit I am thrilled to be one of the “lucky [very] few” to have not only gotten a reward, but the reward I really wanted, I think if Sephora is going to continue the Epic Rewards program they need to make some changes in how the program is administered.
    It may very well be Sephora doesn’t have any control on how many of each reward is given (I’m thinking they are probably given to Sephora by the cosmetics companies gratis). If that is the case, and there really are just a couple dozen (or less) of each reward, then posting the actual quantities would do much to improve customer satisfaction. (If I had enough points for the Paris trip, but knew, for example, there was only one of those – I would think twice about sitting in front of my computer for seven hours repeatedly refreshing the screen – not good enough odds of winning for me). Even if they publicized the quantities they’ll still get plenty of interest!
    I also like the idea of having a certain number of each reward for Rouge, VIB and BI’s – and a different “time slot” for each group to access those rewards.
    Oh well – I didn’t take part in last year’s Epic Rewards, but from what I’ve read it seems Sephora did listen to some of complaints about that program and DID make some changes this year. Hopefully, they will learn from the complaints this year and make further changes the next go-around.

    1. I really feel like the way they handled the past 2 rounds just was terrible from the customer perspective. There’s a difference, to me, between entering a sweepstakes and buying something you’re eligible for.

  25. This whole thing pissed me off to say the least… So I redeemed all of my points tonight and spent $147 at Nordstrom tonight instead.

  27. Sephora reward points are utter garbage. Free samples as a reward for spending thousands of dollars? No thanks

  28. How annoying! It is pretty bad PR if Sephora cannot organise itself properly to reward their loyal customers. No wonder you are considering to take your business elsewhere.

  29. I was well over 11,000 points and stalked the site on my laptop, phone, and iPad all day. Refreshed at the correct time and it never even loaded for me. I re-upped my VIB Rouge at the end of February this year. I’ve had it with Sephora’s deceitful tactics.

  30. I did stalk the site but didn’t even saw the reward pop up! anyway I’m not that mad, in fact I even think this is funny (in a pathetic way) Anyhow I’m Canadian so I will still have free makeup with my optimum point at Murale and Shoppers drug mart you know like some Chanel and NARS and Tataharper etc 😛

  31. I got the last one, the KVD signed contour set even though i already owned the contour palette ( the page wasn’t loading correctly and i panicked and checked out with anything i could ) This time around I did not have the points for it. But I probably could have gotten it. I’m a shark when it comes to these things i will wait and wait reload and reload and grab it. I understand though. The way Sephora does these bonuses suck! I’m dropping my rouge this December ON PURPOSE. I don’t like the way Sephora does some things. I’ve cut back on makeup and I’ve cut my Sephora purchases by 99%. : I hope they fix something though! Its not fair to all the people who spend equal amounts of cash there. ( or more )

  32. Totally wasted my time. At least you got notified that the rewards were gone. I got hung up on once and the second time I called I was on hold for about 40 minutes with no status provided at all (I finally hung up). I also didn’t get any email although, like you, I get every other email they send out. They really blew this one and I don’t think I’ll shop with them again. Total bullshit. They’ve lost a customer who spends a lot of money on makeup and skincare. Ulta and Nordstrom here I come.

  33. I stopped trying with Sephora. Anytime they’ve had a bonus, or a special presentation thing like this, it’s gone before you can get in on it. And their customer service on the phone is deplorable. UIta has been so, so much better to me.

    1. I’ve had sometimes good experiences with the CS, sometimes bad. For my VIB Rouge birthday, they didn’t include it in an order I placed online and I had to go in store to get it, which was kind of annoying. When one of the KVD shadows broke, they shipped out a replacement without a hassle.

  34. Nope: didn’t bother, didn’t care, and I was at work anyway. I’m not sure I’ve even spent much more than $1,000 total in the years I’ve been shopping at Sephora.

      1. I shop all over the place, really (although I’ve only ordered 2 or 3 times from ULTA and browsed in a physical store once. Their points expire in between my small hauls and thus are useless to me). As a teen, I saved my allowance for LE MAC releases, and didn’t sign up for Beauty Insider until mid-…2010? 2011? Whenever the birthday gift was a Philosophy body wash. I’m still just 21 and work part-time, minimum wage, so the issue is really that I don’t have much expendable income, ha ha. But with the help of gift cards and my mom’s addiction to Drybar’s Cream Soda, I made VIB in 2012, 2013, and 2014, and am $52 away this year.

  35. I can’t even remember the last time I went to a Sephora. I hate malls, so Ulta is much more convenient for me. And I like that you can redeem points in the store, not use them on samples. I think they have a better range of price points, too.

  37. A complete epic fail for Sephora. I had over 6,000 points ready to use and was not able to get a thing. I was on the computer for hours waiting for the release and then just like that thy were gone. I never ever was able to see them in the rewards section. I wish they had the same system as Ulta….less frustration and less hassle all the way around. I tried calling as well and after 20 minutes of waiting on the VIB Rouge line, I hung up.

  39. I had a different issue and have emailed Sephora about it but they have not responded yet. Basicaly have tried to attend their few an far between mall events. Both times I have tried to register for them they are full at nearby locations.I also spend alot fo money at Sephora and I totally intend to call the if they do not respond to my latest message b/c its bullcrap.

  41. I got an email from Sephora about the 4x points (VIB Rouge) it had something about an epic rewards down at the bottom. I was excited to try and get something. Like the Becca set. I stayed up after having to wake up at 2am for work. To get home and sit at the computer for 5 hours. To then see a message saying they were available but there was no rewards available. So I kept refreshing and lo and behold It popped up saying it was sold out. I never saw the items. I was and still am pissed. I could have been sleeping from a very exhausting busy day but instead I sat and watched youtube videos wasting time and checking the site every few minutes. Not happy at all.
    If there was an Ulta in Canada I would so buy from them for most of my stuff.

      2. I think there was something about the epic rewards.. I think I deleted the email so I can not check. I might have seen it somewhere else though. Not exactly sure though.

  42. 100% agree! I ALWAYS buy at ulta it I can!!
    I did waste my time and I felt like I almost got what I wanted (like you they were In my cart but we’re gone between the quick “add to cart” and “check out”-which took literally seconds)
    They need to seriously revamp their point program!!! If I had spent my 3000 points at ulta I’d have a heck of a lot more to show for it and be much happier than I’ve been with my sephora “rewards”!!!!

  43. I was up all night as well, afraid they were going to show up at 5am or something. Fell asleep but set my alarm for every hr. I had all my samples in my cart, as well as the iem I wanted to purchase and made sure I was logged in with correct shipping address and payment option selected. At 2:55pm EST, I refrshed the 2,000pt page and was able to snag the Kat Von D eyeliner vault! I couldn’t believe it. I missed out last yr and was so mad. Sephora needs to make more of these available. They are not going to lose money, they are going to lose customers. It definitely sucks that like 99% of people missed out on these rewards. I’m still waiting to see who got any of the 10,000pts items.

  44. I never got an email about the Epic Rewards and I am a VIB member. I have over 3,500 points just sitting there that I never use because as you said, the samples are always crap! This is BS.

  45. MAC sells out limited edition products in minutes after huge hype. It’s what businesses do. They cater to the ebay resellers, not to the real clients.

    1. Yeah I don’t buy MAC anymore because of them not being cruelty free, but I remember seeing lots of frustration over the hyped up releases ;(

  47. ULTA has a far superior rewards program, now if only they would get their website revamped! This was such a failure on Sephora’s part. So many people inquired about a launch time, yet they refused to give answers and instead were vague. People spend so much there, and they had to wait around all day wasting time…for nothing in the end. I wish they would get their act together!

  49. I was very lucky and happened to refresh my page at the right time. I got the Becca reward, but I do feel everyone else’s pain, my sister had the Smashbox in her card but ended up having to re-input here cc info and poof! gone.

      1. My receipt has a time of 3:01 on it, its even more shocking because I am in Canada! And last time i missed out because it said it didn’t ship to Canada, I’ll believe I got it when it gets here!

  50. I didn’t get anything either! I was refreshing all day long. I can’t even believe they were gone in three minutes – it seemed like 30 seconds….

    1. I checked at 4am, and thought it would be live then, no go. Checked again at 3pm got one in my cart, then it was sold out 🙁

  51. I didn’t even bother trying. I am at work and have things to focus on besides refreshing 100 times only to end up wasting my time on nothing. I’m done with Sephora. I am VIB Rouge through 2016, and yet I feel like I have zero added benefits because of it–zero *worthwhile* benefits, I should say. I’ve been buying more and more from Ulta and Nordstrom.com and am so much happier. Even though the Ulta store near me is super ghetto, I’d still rather go there because I feel like my purchases are rewarded in a tangible way that actually means something to me. I’ll shop at Sephora again when they prove their customer base actually matters to them instead of screwing them over again and again.

  52. I almost just spent hundreds of last minute dollars so that I could get 4x the points and be able to trade them in for the YSL 2,000 point set. I am so glad I didn’t, and I’m so sorry everyone is getting screwed. 🙁 I knew it sounded too good to be true. I agree with you, Sephora doesn’t have nearly enough perks for those of us who spend a TON of money.

  53. I have been up ALL GORRAM NIGHT waiting to get this awesome @thekatvond /@katvondbeauty Liner Vault set. When it finally came to becoming available I grabbed it, it was in my cart and between the LITERAL SECOND it took to press checkout button and load the checkout screen it disappeared. SERIOUSLY! The only reason why I spent what I did last week was to have enough points for that darn set. What is the point of this #epicrewards shtako if it won’t even work properly?

    Sephora is the only place that carries KVD, sadly. I will be ordering my other makeup stuff like CoverFX/First Aid Beauty/etc straight from those sites if they don’t have areas in Ulta/Nordstroms/Macys’/etc…

    Sephora has been ridiculously shady from the get go about today’s “release.” Never gave a time leading up to today, then said business hours (except their customer service starts a 6am….), they refused to answer anyone’s questions….GRRRRRRRRRRR! All that GORRAM hype for a complete fail.
    They “value” their loyal customers. HA!

    1. Did you make a Defiance reference? I love you for that! Seriously though, yeah, Kat Von D is only at Sephora right now, so I’ll continue to buy it. Anything that is carried by both Sephora and Ulta or Nordstrom, I’ll choose Nordstrom and Ulta over Sephora. Their epic rewards feels like a scam with the whole ‘earn more points’ last week

      1. Heck yes I did. KVD is the only thing I will buy from them for the same reason. It just makes me sad because I know I wasn’t the only one who had this happen to them. They’re a billion-dollar (at least) company and they can’t get their crap together. It’s a waste. I really do want to return my stuff (all but the KVD) and go buy my wears elsewhere… unfortunately I stocked up on OCC and since it’s being discontinued I’m straight outta’ luck.

          1. True but I can’t return the ones I bought from sephora. Oh well. I guess I just have ammunition for presents and maybe a giveaway.

    2. Yay for the Firefly and Defiance references! All you’re missing is a “fracking” from BSG! Make up and sci-fi are two of my favorite things. ?

  54. I seriously didn’t even know it went live. On their FB page they were being very vague about the time, just saying “it’ll go live during business hours and that’s all we know”. I wasn’t sitting on the site and waiting, but I was checking every so often, cart ready to go. Before I saw someone rant about it I had no idea it even happened yet lol So much for that. It’s pretty messed up since they ran the 4x event before hand pretending like those extra points really matter in the grand scheme of it all. At the end of the day, this tragic stunt won’t hurt Sephoras bottom line, people will still shop there. Which is a shame. If I can buy it elsewhere, I certainly will.

      1. I’ve been VIBR for years and had one of their phone reps insinuate that I was lying about a package that had gone missing. It held exactly one lipstick worth $22. He refused to ask UPS to look for that package. I called back the next day and got someone different who actually did contact UPS and lo and behold, my package was package was lost in their system. Every time he answers the phone, I hang up.

  55. I checked all throughout the day. 12am, 4am, and almost every hour after. I had to go to work, and got off of work right as the rewards went live, and sold out instantaneously. It’s really unfair that there wasn’t even a release time provided. I wasted a lot of time online checking for nothing. I don’t even know what to do with my 2300 points. They need to just make 1000 point rewards a regular thing, because they just continue to upset and disappoint a lot of people everytime they do this.

  56. I was lucky enough to snag the YSL set- by some miracle I refreshed at the exact moment- but 100% understand the frustration because I had the same frustration last time- and not just with these “epic perks” but in general I think Sephora is failing their customers – I also am Rouge and I feel like there really are no added benefits to being Rouge- one of the biggest ones was free shipping on any order but now you can pay $10 and get that so why spend a couple thousand – the “rewards” and “Perks” that sephora offer definitely leave a lot to be desired- but on the other hand there are brands that I love that Ulta doesn’t carry (I wish they did because their reward system is far superior)

    1. I’m happy to hear that you were able to snag a reward that you wanted! Someone mentioned that perhaps the Sephora Staff snagged most of them before they were even online. Everything I can, I buy from Ulta. Right now, I think the only brands I can’t buy at Ulta are Kat Von D, Cover FX and Ardency Inn.

  57. Epic Fail indeed! They only posted the link on the rewards Sephora page AFTER everything was sold out! Only reason I knew about the direct links was through a FB group page. Same issue with the checkout. No longer available. What a Crock! I have over 2500 points built up. I guess they will just stay there. I’m through with Sephora. I will go to the JCPenney store to look and swatch items I can’t get at Ulta. Then will go online and order through Nordstroms, etc… I don’t like the games that Sephora plays.

  58. Totally agree with you. Last week they gave us a chance to get 4x points so I took advantage of that to bring my points up to 3000. And for what? So that I have extra points that I’ll never use? Everything was gone in instants. There CS really stinks this time.

  59. I am so pissed about this whole situation. This is the second time this has happened to me as well. I just feel that ppl like VIB Rouge spend so much money to be treated so poorly. They need to treat their customers better!

  60. I tried but I knew it would be an epic fail because of what happened last time. By the time I saw that the “epic rewards” were live, the only 2,000 pt gift left was the Benefit gift. It wasn’t my first choice (actually my 3rd), but I use the mascara so I figured I’d go for it. I put it in my cart and when I tried to check out it told me that it wasn’t available so I wound up not putting an order through. At least my order wouldn’t go through, I saw some stories on the Sephora FB page that it put some people’s orders through without letting them know that the epic reward they chose was out of stock first. I saw a lot of complaints on Sephora’s Beauty Talk boards, Twitter, and on their FB page, but I’m surprised that more people aren’t aware of Sephora’s scams. They had a “promotion” last week promising 2x, 3x, and 4x points depending on what level you were at, so you could accrue points for these “epic rewards” that were never really available in the first place. Another shady bait & switch (or bait & nothing) scam from Sephora! I only tried because I already had the points. I’m a platinum member at Ulta and Ulta beats Sephora every step of the way for a rewards program, customer service, and follow-through on promotions. Money back to use on ANYTHING in the store ALWAYS wins! The only reason why Sephora gets away with this nonsense is because people keep buying there – they sell brands that Sephora doesn’t sell. If Ulta would up their game and sell more of the brands that Sephora does nobody would NEED Sephora for anything!

    1. You’re right, that’s so shady to be offering 2x 3x 4x points, and then have like what, 2 or 3 of each epic reward? So only a few people get them? SO SHADY! I agree with you 100% Ulta rocks, now if they’d just carry brands like Cover FX and Kat Von D.

      1. Yes! I also think that Sephora employees get first dibs on anything they are offering so that lowers the “limited availability” even more. This happens with the Sephora Sun Safety kit every year. There are only 3-4 on the shelves because store employees buy them up first. So lame.

        2. That’s so wrong that employees get first dibs. You know, that ones that already get a discount. I mean, I’m not mad that they do but mannn… what about the rest of us who spend SO much money!?

      2. I totally agree with you. I think Sephora has exclusive contracts with some brands, which is why Ulta doesn’t carry them. I try to buy everything at Ulta, but they don’t have NARS, Kat Von D and other brands. But I just traded in $50 in Ulta points and got a free UD Naked Skin Foundation as part of my haul. The rewards program at Ulta completely blows Sephora out of the water. Not to mention that Ulta mails out 20% off coupons to platinum members every few months that you can use on ANYTHING in the store, even prestige makeup. Meanwhile, Sephora has like one sale a year.

    1. I’ve seen some ladies on Reddit MakeupAddiction who got a few, but they said the same thing, sold out in blink of an eye.

    2. I got the Dr. Dennis Grossman things- probably less popular but they are a re-buy item for me so I ws very pleased to save the $150.

        1. I literally saw it go live as I refreshed- it flipped before my eyes at 11:57am pst. I got lucky but I am angry at their obvious marketing strategy.

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