First off let me say, I really wanted to give this establishment zero stars, but Yelp requires at least one. This location is located within Becker Village Mall. When I first entered this location I was greeted by an over friendly sales attendant, Janice. While her bubbly personality was a bit much, she was helpful in assisting me in my makeup selection. In the studio light (of course it does), my makeup application looked very decent. However, once I got home and into different lighting, the makeup looked too dark and had an ashen appearance.
The following day I decided to go back to this location for an exchange. I even brought in pictures to show how horrible the makeup looked on my face. Once again, Janice was eager to help, and she helped me choose the "right" colored foundation and cheek color. Yeah, right! I looked fine in the studio lighting, but I encountered the same issue as before once I got into a different light source.
At this point, I began to get frustrated with the Merle Norman line due to the fact that none of their shades seem to suit my African-American skin tone. I went in this past Friday for a return ($52), and I was told by Janice that all returns are overseen by the owner, Yvonne, who wouldn't be in the store until the following Tuesday. I call ahead of time to remind them about my refund and to ensure that the owner is available. Once I got a hold of Yvonne on the phone, I couldn't believe my ears! She began to berate me, saying that she didn't understand why the products didn't work for me, and that Merle Norman doesn't work on Black skin!!! Wow!! She very accusatory, and I tried to calmly, at first, explain the situation to her, but to no avail. I kept the cheek color, so I tried to tell Yvonne that I wasn't totally dissatisfied with my purchase, just the foundations. Here's the shocker, she really told me that I was not welcomed in her store anymore as a patron due to the fact that I wanted an exchange!!! I barely used the makeup before I came in for a refund, I actually had it my car so I wouldn't forget to return it. I wasn't trying to scam them, however that was the implication that I was receiving while on the phone with Yvonne. I was rightfully offended seeing that I did nothing wrong. As a paying customer, I have the right to return a product if I am unhappy with it. Although I am not too big on their makeup, I was looking forward to returning to this location for their other services ( i.e. Facials and waxing). Now, all I want is my money back and to never walk in there again, especially if this is their customary treatment of customers. All in all, I'm totally offended by the experience, and anyone interested in going to this location should be cautious. read more
