FYI – So Choix is Canceled – Contact Your Bank
UPDATE: As of May 12th at 10 PM ET this was posted on the SoChoix site and their Facebook page:
Dear So Choix Customers,
We regret to inform you that due to the difficult economic environment we must close our doors. Despite our best efforts, our last day of business was May 11th, 2017.
We are sorry for this outcome and for any inconvenience you experience as a result of this. Please know we are working to address this with those that are affected.
If you have any questions in the meantime please contact us at [email protected]. We want to thank you for all your support and for having been a part of this journey with us.
Management Team
So Choix
1288 Columbus Ave. Suite 145, San Francisco, CA 94133
So sorry to share this news. So Choix sent the email above on April 23rd. This month, they have deleted their site, their social network accounts, and all posts founder Ellie Bolus made on Medium and her profile on Crunchbase.
If you have a subscription with this company I recommend filing a chargeback with your bank.
If you’ve had any luck getting a response from So Choix, please let us know.
(Check the forum for discussions on this as well.)
Written by Liz Cadman
The bank is refusing to refund the money to me because it’s been over 60 days. I spoke to a manager and it has been denied. I have lost out on $80. What can we do? I say a class-action lawsuit is in order.
I got the same email today. She’s basically telling us to do the work of getting the refunds we are entitled to, which is fine…but if she had cared about doing this in a considerate, ethical manner it could have been done differently. Lost a lot of customers who may have followed her to her next enterprise. And next time someone sends rambling emails making you feel guilty for complaining…cancel the sub!
I got the same response, and I’m glad. If their assets are locked up and they legally can’t give us refunds, having them put it in writing will make it easier to state my case to my bank.
I finally got a response from them today. They are not issuing any refunds (not surprising):
We sincerely apologize for the frustration and are working hard to resolve all issues. We want to make things right where we can but unfortunately there are legal claims to our assets from specific creditors, and this process will take some time.
In the meantime it is highly recommended that you reach out to your credit card company for assistance in addressing the issue. Ask for a chargeback and they should reverse the transaction since you did not receive the goods you paid for. Sorry for this inconvenience but this will be the quickest and easiest way for you to receive your money.
We hope this information helps and thank you for having been a part of this journey with us.
So Choix
In all honesty, though, I got more $ from my bank than I otherwise would have, because the bank just refunded me for the whole transaction (or plural transactions in my case), without deducting any months I’ve already received from So Choix.
I canceled my Play and Allure to save money by choosing my own samples. I live in a rural area 4 hours to the closest department store which sells YSL, Chanel etc. I subbed for a Year with SoChoix. Very pleased with my first shipments (January-March) then I received a very sloppy/very skimpy shipment early April. I wrote them and received an apology along with an inquiry as to which cream samples dried out too quickly (so they could resend them). Then the “please be aware your shipment may be delayed” email which I just skimmed. I should have canceled! I just received a letter obviously printed on a printer Running out of ink!! I’m out $64 as it is too late to dispute on my cc and feeling-yep-Scammed And Naive!
I also received two letters from them in the mail today, one for each subscription, saying exactly the same thing they posted on their website. I wonder what on earth they were thinking, or how they thought it would go over with their customers, when instead of any mention of a refund they “thank” us for having been a part of their journey. [eyeroll]
I had a three-month sub, which auto-renews, but I temporarily suspended it in March (because I just had too many samples to use and my queue was bare bones). So technically my next payment would be in June. I wonder if I have anything to worry about? I hope they won’t take any future money out of our accounts? What can we do to prevent that?
My interest in sub boxes is already waning & scandals like this don’t help bring me back. No more annual subs for me!
Same as others, I got a reply to my email saying they’d get back to me early next week, pointedly not using the work refund. I filed a credit card dispute. But while I understand why people are skeptical about their quality control, labeling, etc. I will choose to believe they were honest about what they were doing (until proven otherwise.) The samples I got, mostly eyeshadows and foundations were so specific in color and texture that it would have been near impossible for them to figure out dupes for every item.
Same way as I chose to believe their statement about sterile conditions and tools for the product transfer. 🙂 Simply because misleading the public on that would have resulted in a legal nightmare for them (but looks like that happened anyway).
I mean, deluxe samples would have been better, but there is no beauty box subscription in existence where you can pick and choose which exact samples you want to receive, so what are you gonna do…
I wish there was one, btw, especially now with So Choix out of business.
Yes, I would sign up for a pick and choose deluxe sample sub. Through So Choix mystery bags, I got great deluxe samples of creams from Dior, Chanel, Burberry, etc. And as for the monthly samples, I like to think of it like a friend had expensive makeup and scooped out a bit for me to try. Now I just wish they’d give me the rest of the Chanel eyeshadows I sampled!
I will say, the specific samples I got that I purchased again (elsewhere) in full size had the same quality, texture, color, and consistency in full size and (So Choix) sample size, so I do believe the products were authentic.
Even if everything was authentic, I still highly doubt they had permission from these high-end luxury brands to re-package their products as tiny samples. It goes against the “brand experience” Chanel, YSL, etc have spent decades establishing.
You would think, though, that they would get that authorization prior to marketing that business model to the public, right? I mean, if they never did, I wonder why they thought they could get away with it.
I am so disappointed! I really loved this sub!!! I would watch my fav beauty gurus then sample what they were using and see if I wanted to splurge on the product. So Choix was such a great concept. Sad to see it go and sad I had to spend an hour on the phone with my bank. 😢
After just going through this with with Cohorted, my bank is like are you serious? Same thing, just closed down with no explanation at all or notification nothing tho. The kept accepting money too! I had a long fight and i still ended up losing out on 44$.
At this point, I think closing subscriptions abruptly is an actual business plan. They run a bunch of promotions, close their doors, and laugh their way to the bank. And get away with it.
I got badly burned with my sub to the SeasonsBox fiasco … I learned my lesson and now only sub long-term with established names.
Oh FFS! I thought I found the greatest thing ever when I first learned of So Choix, and now they do me like this?? I had three different subscriptions with them! (one for my mother and one for my sister in addition to mine)
Now I have a bunch of phone calls to make…
I really should have canceled my subscriptions the day they sent out that preposterous email.
Update: their Facebook page just reappeared with the following message:
Dear So Choix Customers,
We regret to inform you that due to the difficult economic environment we must close our doors. Despite our best efforts, our last day of business was May 11th, 2017.
We are sorry for this outcome and for any inconvenience you experience as a result of this. Please know we are working to address this with those that are affected.
If you have any questions in the meantime please contact us at [email protected]. We want to thank you for all your support and for having been a part of this journey with us.
Management Team
So Choix
Thanks for letting us know. I’ll update this post with that info.
I notice they are very very careful to not promise or mention giving refunds or fulfilling orders.
Their website is back and I was able to email customer service as well. I got a reply fairly shortly afterwards with further info to come next week. I’m not holding my breath, but hopefully I’ll get a refund for the 4 boxes I never got!
I also got a reply from them assuring me that they received my email. How does that help me exactly? They don’t mention anything about a refund anywhere.
At least my bank already posted a refund, so I know I am covered.
I never subscribed but I have been burned by other fly-by-night subscription boxes. I have learned never to pay for more than one month at a time and stick to the usual round up of long lasting boxes.
Subscribed 3/31 to a 6 – I’m on the phone with Discover & they’re being pretty good about it (when the guy went to do research, he actually found this post!) Only problem is that they asked for the email saying it was a 6 month contract – I deleted that & since it’s been over 30 days, it was auto discarded. They still are going to investigate & give me an initial credit, but I think that email makes it easier! Lesson learned.
It’s interesting to note, btw, that I contacted them on 5/5 because I received my shipment then and a couple of the items arrived dried out. They apologized profusely and issued me 5 credits (i.e., one free additional box). How generous with the credits when they had literally less than a week to go, huh…
I did pay with my debit card, but at least Chase refunded the money without any problems.
I never subscribed, but I was always skeptical of this box’s legality. I just don’t see a world in which Dior, Chanel, and comparable brands were on board with their products being sold as manually re-packaged samples in unlabeled packages. I wouldn’t be surprised if the company shut down due to a cease and desist order.
Not to mention no idea how or where it was packaged. Did they have a health permit? For all you guys know your samples could have been packaged at a filthy kitchen table by someone using their bare hands. Gross. I never understood why so many women were ok with this company. I also wondered how you guys knew you were getting what they claimed. I emailed them and asked once how do I know that I will actually get Dior and not Elf. They never answered me. I also asked to see the proof that these companies were ok with their products being repackaged and sold like this. No surprise they ignored that too. Shady all around.
That was my reaction when people on reddit were suggesting this as alternative to Birchbox, once they ended the points system. I was ready to sign up until I saw that it was just someone filling vials and jars and making their own labels. One reason I love Ipsy and Birchbox is the cute packaging. The so choix samples just looked so sad.
Jay and Karen I had the same thoughts, concerns. Even if they were more transparent showing how they were packaging, where they ordered from, I’d still be wary as they could easily, unethically switch product, send anything. They weren’t company direct samples in their rightful packaging so who knows. I often thought soon enough they’d get a cease and desist order or sued immediately, since high-end brands are well known for going after counterfeiters, which is essentially what you’re doing if not an authorised retailer using approved brand name packaging. I know from experience (a nasty split with my biz partner who stole merch she wasn’t authorised to sell) even small boutique brands just establishing themselves are ultra-protective, will go after unauthorised retailers. I don’t know all the laws but ever notice how samples say “not for resale”? I think they were on very shaky ground. 💄⚡️Jet
This would make a lot of sense.
Exactly. I never subbed to this company for this exact reason. No idea how or where these unmarked sampled were packaged, could be the old bait n switch as one would never even know. Kinda made me shudder with the thought of smearing an unknown all over my eyelids.. nope. I do hope everyone owed $ is able to get it back tho….
I received the first box of the $60 6 months deal and really liked it. I received the delay email on 4/23, and when there was no update by 5/2, I emailed asking for an ETA. When not received by 5/6, I sent a cancelation request. The next day I received a very polite apology for the delay in response and was promptly refunded for $45. I liked the concept, and I am sorry that they could not make it but specially sorry that they did not refund all customers prior before going MIA.
I remember now that their welcome page changed recently to show they weren’t taking new members. I thought this was a good thing as it meant they could take care of current members’ orders in a more timely manner. All it really meant was they were good enough not to take money from new memberships they wouldn’t be fulfilling.
I canceled this a few months ago. I realized I was paying $10 a month for samples I might eventually get around to using, just so I could get $10 off my favorite Chanel powder. It didn’t really make sense, since I don’t buy the powder monthly. I just order it at full price from Macy’s now. Comes more quickly, too, and I’m not accumulating more samples.
That being said, I enjoyed it while I had it. I discovered my favorite foundation from Bobbi Brown and also the aforementioned Chanel loose powder.
Oh no I paid $60 for six months and only got two. I suppose it could have been worse since I thought about getting a full year. One annoying minor thing is I had five foundations at the top of my queue so I spent a lot of time researching shades on various sites. I can’t believe they’d just vanish without a word.
My last email from them
I sincerely apologize for the delay in receiving your order and the delayed response to your email 🙁 We’ve been experiencing a high volume of orders, which has led to fulfillment being backed up and delayed, and unfortunately, your order has been impacted by this delay. We know that this is super inconvenient for you and it is not the experience that we want you to have with So Choix. I went ahead and instructed them to prioritize your order so that it is sent out hopefully by Friday. Also I wanted to go ahead and combine all three orders and send them out to you to avoid any further delays but I noticed two different address. Could you verify which address you would prefer? Please let me know asap so I can make sure your order gets out to you.
Best Regards,
Antoinette @ So Choix
http://www.sochoix.com
They said they will sent out my order by last Friday and I finally got my shipment email this Wednesday and got delivered today. Luckily I subscribed just last month with a free month trail. By I’m not okay that they have my cc informations… Luckily it just a temporary cc with $$ limited and usages till June.
In trying to find out how they went from “What I don’t want is for you … to think your being scammed.” (quote from Ellie’s April 23rd email) to completely vanished, I dug around on LinkedIn. I found the following professional profiles to list themselves as being associated with So Choix:
Odile Roujol (Current: Advisor at So Choix)
Mary Anderson (Current: Member of the Board of Directors at So Choix)
Plus, there is a LinkedIn Member with hidden name who identifies as being a current Growth Marketing at So Choix.
I can’t send them an InMail since I’m not connected to them and I don’t have a paid LinkedIn membership. If anyone does, perhaps reaching out to them to see if we’ve been scammed is in order.
I like your stalker skills 😉
Thanks, but that’s nothing. If I put my husband on it, there’s a decent chance he’ll have phone numbers some in no time.
This woman Odile Roujol was the ex CEO of Lancome,; I assume she invested in the company and is an advisor. She should advise on business ethics first of all. I found her twitter account. You can tweet to her @Odile_Roujol
Ooooh, thank you, and done!
@Odile_Roujol , Now that the So Choix website has vanished and emails to CS bounce, do you have any insight? #didwegetscammed
(included screen shot of the April23 email with “What I don’t want is for you to feel mad or frustrated, or to think you’re being scammed.” highlighted)
just tweeted he same to her – I also noticed the mention of SoChoix has been removed from her LinkedIn profile ;-(
I signed up for 6 for $60 and received 2. Not a happy camper – feeling stupid for signing up for this one.
In all seriousness, though, there should absolutely be a subscription where you can choose your own samples. They should just have deluxe samples of as much stuff as possible (after all, So Choix actually only carried a very limited selection) and subscribers should be able to pick the exact products they want to try.
In a perfect world 🙂
Their crunchbase page has also been deleted. From a Google cached version of a crunchbase.com page, these are two other So Choix board members:
Noah Gift
Consulting CTO @ Noah Gift Consulting CTO
Mike Soby
President & CEO @ CumuLogic
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:jVCnWQzFw1IJ:https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/choix+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
Apparently Lorinda “Ellie” Bolus is an Australian poker player. Damn she played those Venture Capitalists!
Other founders are working day and night putting their own money in businesses . Due to the lack of funding , no $$ for marketing, they fail . I always tried to support startups who don’t have these big VC fundings, I know they put their heart into. They might not afford fancy packaging but they do their best.
Here is our babe:
http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-players/41066-lorinda-bolus/photos/18429-lorinda-bolus-wins-appt-ladies-event
That’s actually a hilariously appropriate photo for today, thanks for finding it!
I saw that too earlier, but wasn’t sure it’s her because the pic I saw of Ellie in relation to So Choix didn’t totally match this girl. I assumed it might be a sister? But you may be right, since Ellie is Australian, and “Ellie” does sound like a nickname for a longer name…
I liked the SoChoix box that I got but recently dumped a small foil sample into one of their containers and it nearly overflowed. I don’t think paying for a foil-packet-worth is for me.
My box came within a couple weeks. I try really hard not to be a part of instant gratification movement. However, if people had to wait for weeks, perhaps it was time for them to create a waitlist? Growth is good. Not being able to keep up is not.
I am learning not to trust Ellies anymore.
This concerns me. I am waiting on boxes from two other companies that I paid for over 2 months ago. And it wasn’t cheap.
But companies like this hurts other companies who are legit. I won’t pre-pay anymore.
WHAT! Another one! 🤦♀️
Things happen and companies go out of business. I understand that. But to try to disappear is inexcusable! What on earth led them to use that approach? How could it possibly help anything? And even more mind-blowing for me is how you could even face your family and friends after doing such a thing?? Terrible.
I have about 7 months left on an annual so choix sub. Between that and LLB (bank says it’s over 60 days and they can’t do anything), it’s been a bad year. Definitely going to limit my subscriptions now – 1 month for most, absolute max of 3.
I so agree with you on disappearing all of a sudden 😞
Every couple years I see a bunch fail,The rest do well afterwards(less competition) So it gives people the false impression its easy money…So a bunch start up again…And a bunch fail again.Over and Over.The more boxes there are,the harder it is to compete for items to wow us with.I think the longer you subscribe to boxes,the more cynical you get about whats a deal or not too
I know when I first started subscribing to boxes, I was so impressed with getting anything from Urban Decay, Tarte, etc.
Now, it seems like I am just like- meh….
I also feel like if I don’t get at least 4x my money’s worth, that I don’t feel like it’s a good deal. So I definitely agree that the longer you subscribe, the more jaded you get. Which makes me think that maybe it is time for a break. But the FOMO is just so strong,lol.
I completely agree!!
this actually makes me kinda sad – I’m looking at the past reviews and looks like something I would sign up for :/
WOW. I saw this go down on Reddit (along with receiving multiple long-winded emails from the founder) and canceled then and there. I actually subbed to SoChoix in the past AND LIKED IT. It helped me try a bunch of concealer shades and formulas until I found one I liked, along with finding some other goodies. The concept was interesting and unique.
But… These startups are run by driven, energetic, creative people often without common sense or the willingness to give up control over anything. Witness what is happening to Uber.
I am not surprised. Other sub box owners – PAY ATTENTION TO THIS. I hope this is not the demise of my other favorites!
Well this is not promising. Here is the domain registry info:
Registrant Contact
Name: Web Manager
Organization: Choix
Mailing Address: 1288 Columbus St., San Francisco California 94133 US
Phone: +1.8667624649
Email:[email protected]
The physical address is a UPS Store and the phone number is out of service.
Nice work.
And this is why I will not be prepaying for subscriptions any longer…
I almost gave them my money last month. It seemed like something interesting and new. I feel so awful now for all of you, guys…
Man, it’s survival of the fittest out in the sub world this year… smh.
Doesn’t surprise me at all when there are 15 new subs coming out per week!! The market is completely oversaturated.
Why do they keep coming out, though? I mean, unless it’s some radically new concept, do they really think they can compete with the “big boys” in the industry?
This reminds me of how I tried out a few very little known beauty boxes (Makeupsy, The Surprise Beauty Box) only to experience firsthand exactly why they were unknown.
That’s just crazy, how do people live with themselves. I was part of the LLB stuff and thankfully was able to get my money back from my bank. I hope anyone here that was subscribed has the same luck. To not even acknowledge the wrong you’ve done to the customers who were supporting you.
Has anyone had success with getting refunds on LLB? My credit card (Barclays US) won’t do the charge back because the initial charge was in 7/2016 and they say it is past the 60 days I have. Has anyone managed to overcome this?
I have the same problem, my credit union won’t dispute the transaction because it’s past 60 days (I made the payment in August 2016).
Ugh really? That’s so annoying! What Sochoix did should be illegal…(is it?)
If they took your money and didn’t send you anything – yes it’s illegal. It’s theft, fraud, and possibly mail/wire fraud depending on how they marketed. If they refund you, then no, not illegal.
That’s weird! I used to work in Disputes for a CC company and the rules were that we could only file disputes if it was within 120 days of the transaction (granted, August would still be too old) – BUT – if the situation was that the merchant wasn’t supposed to provide the merchandise/service until the 120 days was past, then we had extra time based on the date it was agreed to be provided by. I never dealt with any subscriptions, so I’m not 100% sure how the various delivery dates would play into that, but I don’t think it would have been a problem. I would have at least done a chargeback and advised you that we would do a “best attempt” and it’s possible we may have to put the charge back on your card.
Note: I dealt with Mastercard, but am fairly sure Visa worked the same. Not sure about DIscover/Amex.
It’s possible you spoke with someone new who didn’t know all of the rules. I would give it a try calling back again and speaking with someone else. Make sure you’re really clear that the agreement included future product to be shipped on X and X dates (I’m sure you were on your last call, but just in case) They really should at least be *attempting* a chargeback for the prorated amounts for the missing boxes.
Yes – I got credit for half of my subscription because I got three out of the six boxes. I couldn’t do an official dispute because the charge was over 60 days so I sent a message through “account inquiry” and stated my case, provided supporting documentation (LLB emails about the delays, my email to LLB about asking for a refund with no response) and I let Chase know that the company had gone out of business. It took about a week and I just saw a $29.97 credit on my account.
Sorry — here’s the response the person received. http://i.imgur.com/kSXMO1M.jpg
Wooooooow……they would have been better off not replying to that email at all.
please copy and paste the words if you can. I am bored at work and this is blocked 🙂
Haha me too jill!
Can’t copy and paste but I wrote it out for you because it’s short:
Original email (from a customer who received the email in the post above):
Hi,
I am sure that Ellie has good intentions when writing e-mails to her subscribers, but could you let her know that the recipients are finding them off-putting and somewhat insulting? I think it might be helpful for her to read some of her subscribers’ reactions to the e-mail she sent today in the comments of this reddit post: [link to reddit thread, where people talked about how Ellie’s email was causing them to lose faith in the company]
—
Response from So Choix customer service:
Hi [REDACTED],
That’s not the reaction we’re getting today from our customers but thanks for sharing. We dont think Reddit is a place for actual warm blooded human beings so we’re not phased by that thread because of course that’s exactly what a Reddit thread would say. Reddit is probably one of the most disgusting places on earth and something we’re not concerned about. Our customers have been nothing more than supportive and if anyone feels off put by the emails they are more than welcome to unsubscribe.
Best Regards,
Meg @ So Choix
Can’t copy and paste but I wrote it out for you because it’s short:
Original email (from a customer who received the email in the post above):
Hi,
I am sure that Ellie has good intentions when writing e-mails to her subscribers, but could you let her know that the recipients are finding them off-putting and somewhat insulting? I think it might be helpful for her to read some of her subscribers’ reactions to the e-mail she sent today in the comments of this reddit post: [link to reddit thread, where people talked about how Ellie’s email was causing them to lose faith in the company]
—
Response from So Choix customer service:
Hi [REDACTED],
That’s not the reaction we’re getting today from our customers but thanks for sharing. We dont think Reddit is a place for actual warm blooded human beings so we’re not phased by that thread because of course that’s exactly what a Reddit thread would say. Reddit is probably one of the most disgusting places on earth and something we’re not concerned about. Our customers have been nothing more than supportive and if anyone feels off put by the emails they are more than welcome to unsubscribe.
Best Regards,
Meg at So Choix
Can’t copy and paste but I wrote it out for you because it’s short:
Original email (from a customer who received the email in the post above):
Hi,
I am sure that Ellie has good intentions when writing e-mails to her subscribers, but could you let her know that the recipients are finding them off-putting and somewhat insulting? I think it might be helpful for her to read some of her subscribers’ reactions to the e-mail she sent today in the comments of this reddit post: (link to reddit thread, where people talked about how Ellie’s email was causing them to lose faith in the company)
—
Response from So Choix customer service:
Hi (REDACTED),
That’s not the reaction we’re getting today from our customers but thanks for sharing. We dont think Reddit is a place for actual warm blooded human beings so we’re not phased by that thread because of course that’s exactly what a Reddit thread would say. Reddit is probably one of the most disgusting places on earth and something we’re not concerned about. Our customers have been nothing more than supportive and if anyone feels off put by the emails they are more than welcome to unsubscribe.
Best Regards,
Meg at So Choix
Damn Meg! That’s so nuts. I had a subscription for a few months with So Choix and I loved it. So weird and disapointing.
Thanks for typing that out btw, that was too nice of you!
I tried, but it looks like my comment may have gotten picked up by a spam filter. Sorry! You’ll just have to wait til it goes through or until you get home from work 🙂
Basically calls Reddit and its users disgusting, implies they are subhuman and therefore she dgaf what is being said about her there.
Liz, did you see this Reddit thread where someone wrote into them about that email and received an incredibly unprofessional response? https://www.reddit.com/r/BeautyBoxes/comments/6arygm/is_so_choix_gone/
Ugh, as shady as this is, I hate to say that I kind of saw it coming…
This is interesting to me because I got notice of shipment the other day (for what I am assuming is my April box?) and an email today that says my shipment is out for delivery. Now I’m curious if I’ll get it. Guess I’ll have to wait for my mailman to arrive to see.
Wow.
“Find patience in your heart” yeah right! Sorry everyone who got burned by this!
You know, it makes me so angry that they couldn’t even acknowledge this to their customers. To just disappear without informing us of anything. Shame on you Ellie whatever -_-
What a cowardly thing to do. I’ve been with sochoix since its early days and I’m so disappointed with them. I joined their petite program after they stopped allowing samples to be purchased without a subscription and subsequently lost $15.00.