LaRitzy Beauty Subscription Box Review – August 2016

As a follow up to my previous comment, as well as response…I actually did manage to get my money back, but it took a good amount of effort. As a recap, I’d purchased the 12 month sub for $180 when they offered it immediately before announcing the switch to their branded makeup. Not enjoying their branded makeup (the lipstick and liner, while nice colors, were so drying I couldn’t wear them, and again, that pumpkin orange correcter, ummm no!) I really didn’t want a gift card, especially since that meant paying full price for their items, when I was told I’d get 3 per month (for the $15 I’d paid)! I emailed them with my frustration, that what they’d done was unethical if not fraudulent, and after a huge wait they offered me $30 back as a credit card refund, when based on the 6 boxes I’d received, I should have been getting $90 back. I emailed again,a fairly strongly worded email, and reiterated that the amount I should receive was $90, reminded them that the reason I wanted to cancel was because they’d changed the terms without notice (and that I never would have purchased a 12 month sub to a brand new makeup line I’d never tried), and actually quoted some of the info from EC, the lawyer/judge who chimed in on this thread. I said that I had so far not involved my bank and was hoping to resolve it without filing a bank claim, but what they’d done was fraudulent, and if necessary I’d treat it as such. (I’m sure I came across as a real b***h in my email, but my first email was nicer, and it didn’t work 😉 ) A while later they responded. They were nice, saying how they were really sorry I wasn’t happy. They then said that however, by my subscribing and continuing to subscribe, I had agreed to their Terms. They then linked to the terms, which I noted had just been updated in Sept 2016, which basically said that they are able to change the terms/form of the subscription at any time, and by subbing, we agreed that they could do this. It also said they could offer gift cards rather than refunds. Interestingly, they also stated that by subbing, you agreed to waive your right to participating in a class action lawsuit against them, that any issues would be arbitrated…in Quebec. So…it definitely seemed like the terms had recently been updated after they’ve gotten major flak from tons of people, and that they are in CYA mode. But…in spite of their terms that I’d apparently agreed to (even though I’m sure they’d changed them after I agreed), they said that “to apologize for the inconvenience and thank me for my honest opinion” they would refund my $90. It took a couple days, but the money did go back onto my credit card…yay! At this point, I actually feel a little sorry for them. Don’t get me wrong…this is definitely their fault, as they handled this whole situation, in my opinion, extremely unethically and unprofessionally. But, with that being said…I don’t think they meant to scam people…I think they just got in way over their head and didn’t approach things from a good business perspective. I also am guessing that all the money they collected up front when they sold the 12 month subs and then Gilt subs, they put right into producing their makeup line…so they probably didn’t have the $$ available to refund people, because it had all been used. It’s a really unfortunate situation all around…especially since I really loved their boxes before they made the massive change. After this situation, though, of course I would never consider subbing to them again. Good luck…reply back if you end up getting refunded or anything new transpires!

I was unable to get a refund. I signed up around the time that they switched to their new business model. After seeing all the past reviews on this site (from when they were offering other products), I was so excited to join. However, after my first box I felt a bit cheated. I just thought the product quality wasn’t that great and the value to cost ratio wasn’t there. You’re essentially paying full price for products you don’t choose, and because it’s all the same brand, it’s not like it’s a diversity of well curated items. I had also assumed that the new box would resemble the old boxes in some way, but it was like an entirely different brand/vibe.

I think it’s good that they lowered their prices, but it’s just not possible for one company to put out enough great samples to fill an entire year of subscriptions, even with only one product per month. Even huge established brands have a lot of throw away products before they develop 2-3 standouts that they know everyone will want to try/buy.

Hi there. I wanted to alert you, and caution others, as I’ve had some situations with LaRitzy recently in which they have behaved extremely unethically. As you mentioned, they recently rebranded, and are now sending only products from their own, LaRitzy cosmetics line. Basically immediately before announcing this major change to their subscription, they sold 1 year subscription deals…without bothering to tell subscribers that they had planned this major change, moving from multi-brand boxes to solely their own line. (And, there’s no question that they already knew they had planned the change when they sold the 1 year sub…they made the announcement very very soon after the big subscription sale.) I felt this was extremely unethical, as I never would have purchased a 1 year plan for a brand new makeup line that I had never tried! But, I figured I’d give it a go, as I’d paid $15 per box and figured getting 3 items per month for that amount was a good deal. Then a couple weeks ago, they sent another email that they were no longer going to be doing the 3 product per month, they were switching to 1 product per month, for $6.99 plus $3.99 shipping. As for how they were going to handle their prepaid subscriptions…instead of fulfilling them as promised (which, keep in mind, had already changed once, without our knowledge!) they are going to be cancelling them and giving us refunds for the prorated amount left on our sub. Here’s the kicker, though…they aren’t giving us refunds to our credit cards, they are only giving GIFT CARDS to their own, LaRitzy products sold on their website!! So, now instead of receiving 3 items per month for the $15 per box fee we paid, we now have to pay $16-$24 for a single product on their website. I contacted them to let them know that I didn’t want a gift card, and that, since they were unable/unwilling to fulfill the subscription that they had sold to me, that I would like a credit card refund. A week later, after my sending multiple emails and attempting to contact them via Facebook, they finally responded. They said they would give me a credit card refund for the 6 months remaining on my subscription, and that it would be based on the $25 value of each of the boxes I received. Therefore, they claim I’ve received $150 in value of boxes, so they’re giving me $30 back. Well, based on the fact that I paid $15/box, I have received $90 in boxes, so should be getting $90 back…not $30! I shouldn’t be penalized because they incorrectly valued their boxes, or sold subscriptions at a pricepoint they couldn’t manage. They were the ones who changed the terms of their subscription…twice…which in itself is extraordinarily unethical…but then to refuse to refund the remaining unfulfilled paid amount when they’re unwilling to fulfill what they’ve promised, is not only unethical, but also fraudulent! I sent another email requesting $90 back, as opposed to $30, or for them to fulfill the subscription as originally promised, and have, no surprise, not heard back. I’m sympathetic to the fact that they are trying to make a go of their makeup line, and appreciate that it’s cruelty free…but the way they’ve handled this entire situation, from start to finish, is really unethical. I subscribe to over 20 boxes, and even with all the complaints some of them get about CS issues, this one definitely tops them all as far as unscrupulous behavior goes. Please be very very wary of dealing with this company.