I was disappointed about not being able to choose one of the Mad Men curated boxes this month. I sent Birchbox an email to ask why and received an answer designed to put me off. Below is my response. Hopefully they will take my concerns into consideration.
As an ACE and someone who’s taking a chance on Birchbox by spending an extra $20 for two products I may not even want/like/need, I feel like Birchbox should have handled this in a completely different manner. Birchbox’s response that they are simply “unable to honor guest editor box selections for this type of subscription” is simply a restatement of my question, and therefore, more of a way to put me off rather than providing me with a legitimate answer to my question.
> I have to admit that I’m getting nervous about paying $30/month for two full size products (one of which might be nail polish) and samples. For the same $30, there are several subscription boxes that would send me 5-7 full size items.
> I don’t understand Birchbox’s thinking is on this. I feel like I’ve gone out on a limb with this “upgraded” subscription and so far, the only thing I’ve received is downgrades: I’ve spent three times the money for a box that I didn’t get to select; as far as I know, I didn’t receive any Birchbox points when I upgraded my subscription (over a year, this will represent an additional $240); and the points for the full size reviews are the same as the points for the sample reviews.
> For the same amount of money, I could have purchased two additional annual women’s subscriptions or one men’s – all which would have come with Birchbox points.
> So far, so disappointed. I expected more from Birchbox. The launch of a new subscription box should generate excitement and anticipation, not anxiety and an overall feeling of let down. $30/month may not seem like a lot to some, but over a year, this adds up to $360 and for that amount of money, I expect A LOT MORE than what I’ve seen from this “new” subscription so far.
> I do not need a response to this email, unless Birchbox has additional INFORMATION to provide regarding the details of this new subscription/upgrade. For the record, I don’t even know that I would have chosen one of the two Mad Men boxes. I just wanted the same option as everyone else, and after spending several hundred dollars on Birchbox.com, I feel like I’ve earned it.
> Just consider this email early feedback on the launch of the new subscription box. Birchbox does so many things right, I’m surprised they’ve handled this launch the way they have. I don’t know if the intent was to create an aura of mystery, but the ABSOLUTE and TOTAL LACK of COMMUNICATION with your initial subscribers has not had the desired effect.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
I followed up with an email asking if the reason the curated boxes weren’t available on the upgraded subscriptions was simply because those subscribers would be receiving a completely different box designed to accommodate more/larger products. This would actually make sense. If this is the case, a simple explanation would have sufficed.
I also emailed Birchbox separately with the question about the value of the two full-size products. I’d assumed it was $50 just for those two products alone, NOT FOR THE ENTIRE BOX. Sure hope I read this correctly! I’ll let you know what I find out.
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