#WashDayExperience: Eternally in Amber Box & CS Review

Hey!
So this #WashDayExperience, I wanted to do my first product review. I've been subscribed to Eternally in Amber's bimonthly hair accessory subscription box since its debut in January. Every other month, a book of 4-6 hair accessories is sent to you. I recently canceled this subscription, but mine was for the Deluxe Box ($25). There is a Basic Box which costs $15. You can purchase the subscription here.

Money-wise, it is more cost effective to purchase the box than to purchase each individual piece separately. In the newest box alone (the Summer-themed May box), the contents in the box comes up to $36, not mentioning the "Emergency Hair Accessory Kit," which includes bobby pins and ponytail holders.

I believe that this hair accessory kit is great...for someone else.
The pieces are cute.
The material is sturdy.

The problem though is that many of the pieces are not kinky curly-friendly.  They pull on my kinky curly strands. The longer my hair gets, the more accessories that are made for straighter hair types are just not compatible for my hair. This is why I prefer the PuffCuff over any other hair accessory. It is circular so it does not pull tightly on my strands.
There are pieces which I can use for my hair. I briefly used the barrettes, the clips, and the clamps. Maybe I'm just not a hair accessory type person. Beside hair accessories, the box also includes combs. These are more useful. While you do not need to use accessories all the time, combs are mostly always needed.

The reason why I canceled my subscription was not because the pieces weren't beautiful. It had nothing to do with the quality and everything to do with I found out not only am I not actually big on hair accessories, but I prefer to finger detangle as well. I subscribed to the box because I wanted to start getting into using accessories and into detangling my hair with combs. However, I ended up learning my favorite accessories are headbands, which the box has never included so far, and finger detangling is far the best method for me in detangling my hair.
I know the blogger Christina of the Mane Objective raves about Eternally in Amber so you can check out her reviews by following this link. Her reviews on the boxes and products will be a lot more informative than mine since she actually loves and uses everything.

This post is mostly about Eternally in Amber's customer service than anything else.

 

I disliked my customer service experience with EIA. My mistake was using social media (Instagram) to try to communicate with the creator. However, I had used IG earlier to have her refund  money to me and she did so. Therefore, when I wanted to cancel my subscription, I did not think twice before going that route again. Although I should've checked the website first to see how to contact her, I still feel like if she saw my message on IG she could've easily just told me to refer to the FAQ page on the EIA website. Instead, she ignored my message. 

   Because I saw that she saw the message (IG shows when people reads the message), I assumed I was in the clear. I thought she canceled my subscription and was going to refund me the money that is automatically taken out for the box. I understood she was very busy and I did not want to hound her for my money.   

So I waited a month and I never received a refund. I actually saw a post that the boxes will be mailed soon, so I messaged her on IG again. Clearly she'd been on IG in the past month and I just wanted my money back. She did not answer even though it said she saw the message. Again, I assumed she was just busy. 

So I finally got the bright idea to check out the FAQ page, which told me to which email to send my message. I sent her an email about the situation. The FAQ page had said that once the box is shipped, I cannot receive a refund. She had just shipped my box so I knew asking for a refund was a lost cost. I was messaging her to cancel the subscription. In the FAQ page, it said to message the email to cancel the subscription. 

What I received was a rude (in my opinion) reply. Maybe she did not mean to be rude, but it came off as such 1) because she saw and ignored my messages 2) because she called my simple request a "demand" (I felt as though she was labeling me as a demanding customer, when I patiently waited over a month to ask for a refund and in the end never got my money back) and 3) because I did literally what the FAQ page had said. If I had to cancel the subscription by logging into my account, then that should've been on the FAQ page. I did not even know I had an account because I was one of the first subscribers. I was there for her since the box started, and I felt upset I was being addressed in such a manner.   

The message, as shown in the picture: 

Hi,

I don't take demands via DM from Instagram. You have full control over you account like all my other subscribers. Log into your account and take the necessary actions that you desire. You can cancel, change information, as well as numerous other things. This is the only way to make any changes to your account. Have a great weekend!

Best,

Amber

Again, perhaps she didn't mean anything by it. But 1) she accepted my previous request on IG. She could've easily told me then about handling any future problems via my online account, 2) she ignored all of my messages related to my refund until I emailed her, and 3) because she ignored my refund messages, I was never refunded in time.  

It is a learning experience. Next time I will not contact a shop via social media and I will go straight to their FAQ page. Many businesses answer questions via their social medias such as Au Rebelle (very great customer service by the way), but not every business owner is as friendly to take that time out of their day. I understand they are very busy, but if they happen to open the message they might as well respond. She could've told me in April that I can cancel via my account when I first messaged her on IG but she chose to ignore me.  

I believe that if I was a famous blogger, she would've been more courteous when I emailed her. I believe if I was a famous blogger, she would've responded to my IG direct message. I could be wrong. This could be a misinterpretation of her actions. All I know is what had happened, and I am perceiving everything from my own perspective.

In summary, her products are of good quality and you can find a better review of them on the Mane Objective's website, which was linked above. They did not work for me because I realized that I like headbands more than other types of accessories and that I do not like combs much. I do not think she has very good customer service skills, and I do not feel comfortable buying from her in the future. If I had a problem with my order, I cannot guarantee she would actually be helpful. She might ignore me again and I cannot guarantee that she will refund me money if I ever need a refund.  

I was going to go on her shop and buy buy buy but thanks to this experience, I can save my money. I will never purchase from her again. There are other places that I can take money where I will be treated how I'd like to be treated. 

Until next time!