Angel Perfume

Nonamenoone

Bought a 100ml genuine bottle of Angel perfume as saw online for £100 with 15% off code (plus delivery charges) from what tooled to be a legitimate site (also looked up online reviews) bottle arrived in what looked like genuine packaging and sealed. Opened it and sprayed. Smells nothing like the perfume I have used and loved for over 20 years! What do I do now? I obviously have opened it (and sprayed 2 pumps) and am gutted. Advice welcomed please x 

Nonamenoone

Looked not tooled! Apologies! 

donnac2558

If you have worn for so long, your nose could be so used to it now you can't really smell it.

Now saying that on Saturday I was in Boots and sprayed a tester of Angel, they had it on offer. I was really shocked at how different it was compared to how I remember it going way back.  It was over 30 minutes before it actually started to smell anything like Angel to me, and only just.  Angel, like other perfumes, have been reformulated over the years.

Go to one of the cosmetic checker sites and put in the product code and check the year and if it is genuine.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Where did you buy from OP?

If a legit UK company I don't see any reason perfume can't be returned under the right to cancel. 

Nonamenoone

Cosmetify is the place I bought from. Could you advise where I would go to check the batch etc as advised x 

MyRealNameToo

Nonamenoone said:

Cosmetify is the place I bought from. Could you advise where I would go to check the batch etc as advised x 

They appear to be a market place not a retailer, each page has a "sold by" with a different brand. 

Mugler Angel comes in a variety of forms, are you sure you've ordered the one you know? eg Nova, Seduction, Elixir, Stellar etc

I'd suggest you (quickly) go in store and also smell the identical version - brands do reformulate things over time and know recently bought a perfume the Mrs used to love that its well publicised had been "updated" by the brand and she doesnt like the new version. 

Nonamenoone

MyRealNameToo said:

Nonamenoone said:

Cosmetify is the place I bought from. Could you advise where I would go to check the batch etc as advised x 

They appear to be a market place not a retailer, each page has a "sold by" with a different brand. 

Mugler Angel comes in a variety of forms, are you sure you've ordered the one you know? eg Nova, Seduction, Elixir, Stellar etc

I'd suggest you (quickly) go in store and also smell the identical version - brands do reformulate things over time and know recently bought a perfume the Mrs used to love that its well publicised had been "updated" by the brand and she doesnt like the new version. 

I definitely bought the "original version" but it's nothing like the bottle I had from last Christmas. They are currently arguing that since I opened the seal of the packet I cannot return. I am really sad as I don't have loads of spare cash to literally just waste almost £100 on what was supposed to be a treat from a very tiny win I was lucky enough to have. You live and learn I guess. I shouldn't have bought online! 

Ergates

Nonamenoone said:

MyRealNameToo said:

Nonamenoone said:

Cosmetify is the place I bought from. Could you advise where I would go to check the batch etc as advised x 

They appear to be a market place not a retailer, each page has a "sold by" with a different brand. 

Mugler Angel comes in a variety of forms, are you sure you've ordered the one you know? eg Nova, Seduction, Elixir, Stellar etc

I'd suggest you (quickly) go in store and also smell the identical version - brands do reformulate things over time and know recently bought a perfume the Mrs used to love that its well publicised had been "updated" by the brand and she doesnt like the new version. 

I definitely bought the "original version" but it's nothing like the bottle I had from last Christmas. They are currently arguing that since I opened the seal of the packet I cannot return. I am really sad as I don't have loads of spare cash to literally just waste almost £100 on what was supposed to be a treat from a very tiny win I was lucky enough to have. You live and learn I guess. I shouldn't have bought online! 

Assuming they're a UK company (and thus subject to UK consumer law) then what they've said isn't correct at all.

Perfume does come with a hygiene seal, so opening it doesn't mean you can't return it.   

If this was a change of mind return then they *might* be able to deduct an amount from any refund for loss of value resulting from opening and "using" the product.  But they can't just entirely refuse to accept a return and any deduction would have to reflect an *actual* loss of value.  (i.e. how much less would you expect to pay for a bottle that has been opened but is essentially still full).

But also - if the company doesn't properly inform you of your rights of return under consumer law, then they lose this privilege entirely.   From what they've said so far it seems quite likely they they haven't done this.  If so, then they're not allowed to deduct anything.

Also... this isn't a "change of mind" return anyway - this is you saying the item is not as described.

If you wanted to be sure, you could also pop into a perfume shop (or department store, or wherever) and do a sniff test on a sample bottle of Angel - just to confirm it's the bottle you've had the smells different, and not something about your sense of smell or something that has changed.

Largs

www.checkfresh.com is one where you can check when it was manufactured.

donnac2558

Nonamenoone said:

Cosmetify is the place I bought from. Could you advise where I would go to check the batch etc as advised x 

Cosmetic Checker or checkfresh.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Ergates said:

Assuming they're a UK company (and thus subject to UK consumer law) then what they've said isn't correct at all.

Perfume does come with a hygiene seal, so opening it doesn't mean you can't return it.   

If this was a change of mind return then they *might* be able to deduct an amount from any refund for loss of value resulting from opening and "using" the product.  But they can't just entirely refuse to accept a return and any deduction would have to reflect an *actual* loss of value.  (i.e. how much less would you expect to pay for a bottle that has been opened but is essentially still full).

But also - if the company doesn't properly inform you of your rights of return under consumer law, then they lose this privilege entirely.   From what they've said so far it seems quite likely they they haven't done this.  If so, then they're not allowed to deduct anything.

Also... this isn't a "change of mind" return anyway - this is you saying the item is not as described.

If you wanted to be sure, you could also pop into a perfume shop (or department store, or wherever) and do a sniff test on a sample bottle of Angel - just to confirm it's the bottle you've had the smells different, and not something about your sense of smell or something that has changed.

Whilst I think it will be a long argument (with the retailer), perfume can commonly be tested in shops so testing the perfume shouldn't permit a deduction.

The EU guidance makes the suggestion of the retailer including a tester to reduce the requirement for the consumer to open the bottle in order to find out they don't like the product.

Although with this being third party sellers it does make you wonder if it's fake in which case it's straightforward (although could of course be reformulated as suggested above).