We’re Sorry For The Lack Of Chemicals In Our Products

I work in customer care for a company that makes bath and beauty products. All our stuff is marked with a sticker on the packaging stating the date it was made and the best-before date. 

One day, I receive an email along the following lines.

Email: “Dear [Company], I have a bottle of shower gel that has changed colour and consistency. It is clearly defective! I want a refund right away.”

The person has attached pictures. I write back.

Me: “Thank you for reaching out to us today. I took a look at your pictures and it does look like your shower gel has changed a bit. However, I also noticed that, based on the date sticker, it’s almost three years old. We usually recommend using our shower gels within about a year from the date of manufacture, as stated on the sticker. Unfortunately, since it’s outside of this window, I’m afraid I can’t offer you a refund.”

She responds, with certain words capitalised:

Customer’s Response: “Bulls***! I bought this because I thought that your company made high-quality products and I paid a lot of money for it. It should NOT GO BAD! My shower gel from [Other Company] doesn’t do this because SHOWER GEL SHOULDN’T SPOIL and I want my money back NOW.”

Me: “I’m sorry to hear that you’re disappointed. I can’t speak to the products made by [Other Company]. However, at [My Company] we are aware that our products do not stay good forever due to the ingredients we use. Many of them are natural components that have many benefits when fresh but break down over time, just like milk or fresh produce. This is why we put the use-by sticker on our packaging, to make sure that our customers are getting the full advantage.”

Customer: “THIS IS F****** R*****ED! SHOWER GEL ISN’T MILK OR EGGS OR FRUIT AND IT DOESN’T GO BAD! IF YOUR INGREDIENTS ARE CAUSING THE PROBLEM THEN USE BETTER F****** INGREDIENTS!”

Me: “I’m sorry that you’re not happy with our products. However, many of our products actually do contain the things you mentioned. Your shower gel, for example, has fresh strawberries in it. The other ingredients in the gel will keep it from spoiling or growing mold as quickly as it would on its own, but yes, it will eventually go off.”

The previous responses came very quickly; the next response takes over an hour to show up in the inbox.

Customer: “YOUR PRODUCTS STILL SUCK AND I’M GOING TO TELL EVERYONE YOU DON’T STAND BY THEM.”

Me: “I’m sorry to hear that. Please have a nice day.”