Inorder to compose the summaries of the brands Paula reviews, we have to gather information about the company history and background in order to put the brand’s products into context for Paula and, of course, for the benefit of Beautypedia subscribers. While compiling information for Sally Hansen, I encountered another positively baffling encounter with a customer service rep, which just might be the kookiest yet!
I thoroughly searched Sally Hansen’s website and that of their parent company Coty, Inc. to find some information about the brand—for instance, who is Sally Hansen? Why is she so focused on nail care? How did the company come to be a drugstore mainstay?—and was coming up with zilch. I couldn’t find any information, not even when it was founded and by whom—basic stuff that almost all cosmetic brands put on their websites. Even a search on Wikipedia and Google yielded no results. So I opted to call Sally Hansen’s customer service, explaining that I was doing some research on the brand and wanted to know some background history. Here’s how that conversation transpired:
Me: Hi! I’m doing some research and I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about the Sally Hansen brand. Who is Sally Hansen? How did the company originate? Or can you put me in touch with someone who might know?
SH: Sure! I can direct you to our website. All that information is available on SallyHansen.com.
Me: Actually, I started there, and there’s no “About Us” info on your site at all. Or if it is there, I’m just not seeing it.
SH: Then it should be on Coty.com.
Me: I tried there too, but Sally Hansen isn’t even listed as one of Coty’s affiliate brands. That’s why I thought I’d give you a call.
SH: Well, I guess that site hasn’t been updated in awhile! Can you please hold?
*TEN MINUTES PASS*
SH: Sorry for the long delay. I can tell you that Sally Hansen wasn’t actually a real person, and all the other company history information we have is available at SallyHansen.com.
Me: Okay, that’s helpful. But I’m just not seeing where that information is on your site. Can you tell me the tab you clicked on or the URL of what you’re looking at?
SH: Did you click on Contact Us or Customer Service?
Me: Yes, I’m looking at that page now.
SH: All the company information is listed there.
Me: But there’s nothing there.
SH: Well, then, I’m told that’s all the information we have.
Me: So all the information you have is no information?
SH: Yes, all the information we have is listed there.
Me: But have you looked at the page? There’s nothing there. It’s only the customer service phone number and an email address.
SH: Well, you should send your inquiry via email and someone can get back to you.
Me: Great! Which department receives those emails?
SH: This department. Customer Service.
Me: But aren’t I talking to you now? How would emailing you help?
*EXTREMELY AWKWARD SILENCE*
Me: Thank you for your time.
*CLICK*
So, dear readers, after all that, all I know for sure is that Sally Hansen wasn’t actually a real person. Whether or not that accounts for the company’s gaps in their employees’ logic and the staggering lack of background information they give their customers, I can’t say. But in my experience this kind of doublespeak and nonsense at the customer service level doesn’t bode well for how their products will stand up to Paula’s scrutiny. Either way, look for those reviews on Beautypedia soon!
13 Comments until now
It’s a shame when companies do not inform their customer service people and don’t bother to rectify the situation when information is called for. It pretty much says the company doesn’t give a damn.
What a stunning lack of customer service. That women should be embarrassed by her lack of knowledge. At the very least she should have been able to direct the call to a more informed individual. Weird indeed. I do use this line of products and am very much looking forward to getting Paula’s “take” on them now more than ever.
LOL!!!!!!!!! that is hilarious ’cause I’ve been there. I feel for that representative because she had to come back to the phone with no real answers for you. So she has to bs until you, the customer, gets annoyed and hangs up.
Call me jaded, but I’m less surprised at the lack of service/knowledge, than at the issue of there not actually being a “Sally Hansen”! LOL. These products are even very well known in Oz – and have been for years – so it’s quite staggering that there is no information about the company’s founder.
I found this:
Sally has been that trusted friend you have always counted on. She also happens to be a lot like you. Recognize the Sally in you with our site that celebrates real women that inspire us everyday.
Thanks Marcus.
Hmmmm…. so Sally Hansen is a generic all-woman?
Why do you care who Sally Hansen is? It is obvious that it is just the name brand. I find it hilarious that you would take the time to care about who Sally Hansen is… Get a life! I side with the representative who calls a company and asks such ridiculous questions!!!
Tammy, you’re either not familiar with our work or have something against what we do. We’re a detail-oriented team and Daynah was only doing her job to find out as much as she can about this particular brand, just as any person researching a subject was. I only hope you don’t work in the customer service industry!
Back to the original point, every company has a history/background and as an employee (and not even in Customer Service) you should be able to speak to it. This info has turned me off Sally Hansen for good. I hope they are reading this. I suspect it is not just this one Customer Service agent, but the company hasn’t educated ANY of the employees because they have no mission statement, no integrity, no goal to make decent products, no idea what the company stands for.
Anything you hear from Sally Hansen is hollow marketing- speak by some random marketing employee who has no idea about the products and their ingredients. Don’t buy it.
Sorry – but I agree with Tammy. What relevance does who “Sally Hansen” was or was not have to do with the quality of the the products today? It’s very funny how ya’ll have become so defensive and irritated over such a minor matter. LMAO
Yep. That’s SH. Weird but par for the course with them.
Nancy, you’re welcome to agree or disagree with anyone’s comments on this blog. Thanks for sharing your opinion.
I worked in public relations for a Fortune 100 company for nearly 20 years. I was often the person who received calls such as the one Daynah made to Sally Hansen. ANY company should have someone on staff (and customer service should know who they are!) who can address these kinds of questions.
Tammy and Nancy are wrong to assume this is none of the public’s business. When a company is selling products/services to the public and/or if a company is owned by stockholders, this information is absolutely the public’s business! My question to Tammy and Nancy is: Why would you put something on or in your body that came from a source you knew nothing about?
Last month, I dropped the company providing my computer’s security package because their customer service dept. didn’t answer my questions adequately and they had no alternative contact information on their Website. Anyone who pays for products should take this attitude and products would be better.
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