Customer Service in London MAC stores

[J90]

i love the pro store in soho. there is one ma that im slightly wary of just because she seems to take pleasure in ignoring people. now i just go in, if i find a nice ma great, if not i ream off a list of things that i want and then ask for certain products as samples. that gets them running....

 

[tigerli17]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J90 i love the pro store in soho. there is one ma that im slightly wary of just because she seems to take pleasure in ignoring people. now i just go in, if i find a nice ma great, if not i ream off a list of things that i want and then ask for certain products as samples. that gets them running....

I didn't even know we could ask for samples in London...I might have to try that and ask for some foundation samples...I'm crap at choosing foundation. Thats mainly what I went in there for last time on my lunch hour and I couldn't grab anyone at all...Gonna be brave and speak up next time

 

[Shepherdess]

When I was in milton keynes they said they stopped doing pigment samples.

 

[amber_j]

I went to the MAC counter in Selfridges yesterday and the service was terrible, as usual. I had to pratcically beg someone to help me pick out some products - they were all so disinterested and unapproachable. For the record I'm one of those 'over-25' ladies (33 in November) but apparently I look like I'm still at uni. I guess that's why the MAs always avoid me like the plague.

The Soho Pro store is OK, but I've regularly been ignored in there too. I've found that people who wear heavier makeup and are dressed up tend to get better service. Which sucks, because I can't wear heavy meakeup at work and need to dress conservatively.

The Neal Street store is my absolute favourite. Every time I go there the MAs are friendly, welcoming and approachable. I've been there as a clueless student who had no idea what she wanted and was too scared to spend more than a tenner. I've also been there as a 30-something with a job and a wishlist as long as her arm. I've felt like a valued customer every single time.

 

[Ang9000]

Ive only been to a MAC counter twice. Both times Selfridges in Oxford St. The first time I was looking at e/s not for very long & I was asked if I needed help. The girl was great, really helpful! She suggested a few other products for me & helped me choose a blusher, trying some out on me etc. It wasn't exactly empty in there either.

The 2nd time it was absolutely packed as it was the day after Fafi was released. I was looking at lipsticks for ages, trying to find Plastique but I wasn't offered any help. However, like I said, it was packed & it wasn't as if all the MA's were standing around doing nothing.

Also like to add that I look about 15 & rarely wear makeup when shopping dressed in jeans & trainers

 

[trollydolly]

im going to london next week and i want to make a visit to a mac counter or store but im not quite sure which one to go to. im going to be in the oxford street area (doing some major shopping!)...il prob end up going to selfridges and getting ignored again

 

[tigerli17]

I went to Harrods for the first time last thursday and I couldn't praise the service at their MAC more! It wasn't all that busy though which probably helped but I was asked twice if I needed help and then the loveliest MUA, Ryan I think his name was, sat me in a chair and dusted me over showing me the natural MSF and had a nice lil chat too. The customer service I got there was wonderful, I just wish I worked close enough to go there!

Trollydolly, go to Carnaby St Mac instead - the service isn't the best i've had but its a million times better than Selfridges. Or Neal St which is just off Shaftesbury Avenue, I've only passed it before but i've heard good things.

 

[ilovegreen]

I'd say go to the Carnaby Street (Pro) or Covent Garden stores they're way better than Selfridges.
I think both stores open at 10am and it's better to get there earlier rather than later

Have fun !

 

[sillymoo]

Just been reading through this thread and like most others, i really don't like shopping for MAC in Selfridges - you never get any help!

Trollydolly - my fave places for MAC shopping are the Pro store and Kensington Church Street (near Kensington High Street tube). Covent Garden is good too - but i find they are always so busy on a Saturday. hope you have a great trip!

 

[amber_j]

OK, I went to the Pro store in Soho again today bearing in mind a comment someone made in a thread on the industry discussion board - i.e. staff at Pro stores are used to dealing with MAs who know what they want and just want to get on with selecting items, so this might be why they don't immediately pounce on customers and ask if we need any help.

I decided to be more forward in asking for help. I also went in with a list and a really clear idea of what I was looking for re. the products I wasn't sure about. I usually do this anyway, but I made sure I was uber-focused so I wouldn't dilly dally.

The girl who served me was fabulous! Really friendly and helpful, and she was great with all my questions. So I still rate the Soho store highly, but if you're a bit timid like me - speak up! They're all nice people.

 

[QueenEmB]

I love the counter in Harvey Nichols - they sell palettes and other pro items. V friendly too.

I do love my local counter in Bristol HoF though - the girls are super friendly and I'm practically a regular now haha!

 

[J90]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigerli17 I didn't even know we could ask for samples in London...I might have to try that and ask for some foundation samples...I'm crap at choosing foundation. Thats mainly what I went in there for last time on my lunch hour and I couldn't grab anyone at all...Gonna be brave and speak up next time

o you should definitely ask for samples! Definitely walk in and talk confidently, at the end of the day we are there to make purchases and keep the till ringing, and on more than one occasion I have been tempted to leave my basket and walk out because of their blatant attitudes but Ive realised if I speak up a bit and dont give them a chance to act all bitchy then its ok. Maybe a couple of us should get together and go for the next collection thats coming out... that would be a laugh! x

 

[DirtyPlum]

I have had the chance to meet a few of the MAs from Selfridges London on training days and spoken to them about the customer service and how it is for them on the counter.

They all seem to say the same thing that they are unbelievably busy and they now have a queuing system (which is the best way to get served) as once a MA has finished with their customer he/she must go back to the counter and serve the next person in line.

They also mentioned some pretty nasty customers they get so i can empathise with them in some way cos they have a vast variety of customers and are swamped with all sorts of queries and gripes.

Its a shame that some of us have had bad experiences but we're all human at the end of the day and all have crappy days... the MAs are on their feet all day, running around, trying stuff out and having to clean their brushes etc - its hard work (I work at a pretty small counter and we are crazy busy so Selfridges must be manic) .......
so I guess we can either be more patient with the MAs and if we are experiencing some seriously mean cow then we should speak up then and there.

I made a visit to Self.London the other week after boycotting it for ages lol and to be honest was happy with the service and hope we can all give them another chance. They are the number one store in the WORLD - there has to be some reason for that!

 

[JesseVanity]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirtyPlum They are the number one store in the WORLD - there has to be some reason for that!

Are they?

 

[MsCocoa]

If Selfridges is the no.1 store in the world then they have to have that title due to have everything under one roof, I know the MA's are only human but that counter is notorious for bad service; I will say that they are nice to once you've been served or if you just ask for what you want, but you can forget being greeted as they walk past you or even stand next to you for 5 mins.

 

[DirtyPlum]

If Selfridges is the no.1 store in the world then they have to have that title due to have everything under one roof

I'm not sure of the exact reason for them being number one in the world but its something to do with sales (dont quote me on this) and therefore due to how busy they are and how much they sell, they pick seriously talented MUAs - yeah I guess you could argue that they are so busy cos they have everything under their roof but then so do Harvey Nix and Harrods...

I would suggest for anyone who has a serious gripe with them to contact the counter manager and express their concerns... lets look at solutions to the problem?

 

[amber_j]

Just a quick post...

I was in Canterbury today and popped into Fenwicks to see what the MAC counter was like. Even though it was small, it was well stocked, clean and tidy. Major bonus points go to the MA I dealt with. Not only did she approach me to say hello and ask if I wanted any help (I'm still scarred by my Selfridge's experiences), she also seemed genuinely interested in MAC products and excited about Cult of Cherry!

Lately at the Covent Garden store I've tended to come across MAs who don't seem that interested in MAC and don't know what collection is coming out next (or don't really seem to care). I know everyone has a bad day occasionally. I used to work in retail and some days really do suck. But if you have a nice customer who's obviously excited about their purchase, would it hurt to smile and be a bit more chipper? I'm seriously considering going to Canterbury to do my CoC haul. This is probably my new favourite UK MAC counter.

I'm off to the Portsmouth CCO in a couple of weeks. Will let you know if I spot any goodies...

 

[vocaltest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amber_j Just a quick post... I was in Canterbury today and popped into Fenwicks to see what the MAC counter was like. Even though it was small, it was well stocked, clean and tidy. Major bonus points go to the MA I dealt with. Not only did she approach me to say hello and ask if I wanted any help (I'm still scarred by my Selfridge's experiences), she also seemed genuinely interested in MAC products and excited about Cult of Cherry! Lately at the Covent Garden store I've tended to come across MAs who don't seem that interested in MAC and don't know what collection is coming out next (or don't really seem to care). I know everyone has a bad day occasionally. I used to work in retail and some days really do suck. But if you have a nice customer who's obviously excited about their purchase, would it hurt to smile and be a bit more chipper? I'm seriously considering going to Canterbury to do my CoC haul. This is probably my new favourite UK MAC counter. I'm off to the Portsmouth CCO in a couple of weeks. Will let you know if I spot any goodies...

Wow, you had good service at Canterbury? Thats my 'local' counter, well my nearest one (live near Ashford, i'm at uni in Canterbury), and I try to avoid it like the plague! There is only one nice MA in there I feel. Every time I go in there (unless its the nice girl), I don't get a hello, I get half arsed help, and just a general 'I don't want to talk to you' attitude. But oh well, at least you had a good experience there!!

I'm also off to Portsmouth CCO soon

Going on Friday!!

 

[QueenEmB]

I've been going to Covent Garden quite a bit recently because I'm working on Shaftesbury Av a couple of times a week and I've been happy with the MAs in there - I tend to try to be quite confident with them about my product and make-up knowledge so they know who they are dealing with haha!

 

[sinasuse]

wow that bad Quote:

Originally Posted by trollydolly im going to london next week and i want to make a visit to a mac counter or store but im not quite sure which one to go to. im going to be in the oxford street area (doing some major shopping!)...il prob end up going to selfridges and getting ignored again