Nine weeks after placing my Karin Herzog order it still has not arrived.
This should act as a warning for others like me who are keen to try what appears to be a wonderful product which is loved by celebrities. The problems is their UK distributors do deliver to their bread-and-butter customers like myself. I am not alone. I found links to five dedicated Facebook site highlighting complaints following orders which were not dispatched. It’s frustrating, hugely disappointing – and also illegal. They appear to blame Royal Mail. I don’t believe a word of it. The group on this site questions whether they have gone bankrupt. Investigations by Zoltan Szipola found these worrying results and four months ago urged buyers to beware:
I think they have just went bankrupt. Have not been despatching products to customers, responding to emails or even picking up the phone for almost two months now
Interestingly, they are still accepting orders on their website. (you can blame Royal Mail or Customs for delays, but not for all orders, can you?)
Moreover, the website does not even name the company behind the distributor. The only clue is that the domain karinherzog.co.uk is registered to Loren Marketing, which – according to Companies House – is in liquidation.
It is becoming a bit of a fraud now. Beware!
That was certainly my experience too. After a succession of emails and phone calls which were ignored, and no response from their reputed CEO, someone called Julie, who appears to be Julie Cichocki Noakes, I called Directgov’s consumer advice line who informed me that they were in breach of the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 which states that orders should be received within 30 days, and that I should write to them by recorded delivery and demand a refund. That is what I did.
I also contacted my bank to reclaim my £181 back from them and they were going to investigate them for fraud. In the meantime, I met an accountant from Royal Mail’s head office at a party who told me it was a very simple process to track missing orders and could be done within a matter of seconds.
Suddenly, they woke up. My letter did the trick and I had an email from someone called Jenny at Karin Herzog who had previously replied once about my missing order; she doesn’t sign off her email with her full name, job description or contact details which is a cautionary sign and in itself is a clue that this is not a company which work transparently.
Here is what Jenny told me:
Its Jenny here and I have been away on holiday and only back now and I am sorry that your email seems to have been in my in-box only!
When I last spoke i advised we were having to put out a trace on your delivery as the products had gone
As I have now returned it appears that that trace was effective and your products are on their way back to us unable to deliver by royal mail. They do not always leave cards when a delivery is not able to go through the post box, or no one is in to sign or take delivery. I am also told that we have received a letter last week from you saying that you have never been given an explanation as to why you had not received your delivery. I did however advise you that we would need to put a trace on the parcel which had gone out and that the goods had not at that time been returned to us! I did advise we were working on it to find the parcel or at least get confirmation from Royal Mail that the goods had not been delivered.
The letter asks for a refund, which will be done for you straight away. A confirmation will be emailed to you once this has been actioned and it takes about 3 days to appear back on your card.
I apologise for any inconvenience, we have been tremendously busy and we do always explain that the products are hand made, and thats why they get the results they get, this means they are not mass produced items, and so when demand is high delays can be expected. However your order was shipped out from us and the delay, which is regrettable and unfortunate has been tracking where the parcel was or at least getting confirmation from Royal Mail
I will ask the warehouse to send you a complimentary gift as an apology for this inconvenience to you
I found this email quite astonishing. Is Jenny the only person at the company who answers emails? I have never once known Royal Mail not to leave a card if I have been out; normal practice is that the package is left with a neighbour who works from home or a card is left telling me I can collect if from my local Post Office. Neither did I know their products were hand made. How can an international company spend time delivering to its international clients if it is literally making its product by hand?
It’s obvious my order was never dispatched. Karin Herzog’s UK distributors keep taking orders they cannot meet. I order constantly from online companies and this is the first experience I have had like this. Certainly their competitors, Elemis and Liz Earle are some I have used who have no difficulties with Royal Mail and deliver within three days. Why should Karin Herzog be the only company with these delivery problems? I have even ordered a fridge freezer and washing machine online, and both were delivered within a matter of days you could count on one hand.
I’m lucky. I got my money back. I still haven’t received their complimentary gift and hold out no hopes.
I definitely think this is one for Watchdog. Watch this space.
UPDATE: 10 August, 2011, I’m delighted to say I received a package with a face cream from Karin Herzog posted delivery, which proves that Royal Mail can do its job. Thank you for the cream. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to try it, even though it is different to my order. I think the problem is that there is an overwhelming demand for my choice face cream, and Karin Herzog cannot produce enough to go round due to the delicate “hand made” process involved which you can read about in the comments with this post explained in an email by the Julia referred to above.
 UPDATE: 30 September, 2011, a statement from Julie Cichocko:
I acknowledge that this year has been very challenging for us and we are genuinely sorry that as a consequence we had a period where we were struggling to keep up with demand, and so the delivery aspect of our service has been compromised. We regret this sincerely and have made the necessary changes. It would be true to say that this year we have been a victim of our own success. Success born out of the fact that these products really do work better than almost anything else on the market, but more than that, when you combine great products with our expertise and hand-holding service, which is available to all our customers, it means that we alone, have the necessary and vast experience / knowledge that allows us to stand by our guarantee that we can and will get all our customers, the best results they have had! We are able to advise our customers on wider health and well being issues.
We have helped clients get to the bottom of skin care problems that have been unsolved for years. We have also helped many clients by recommending medical intervention on certain issues, and this has resolved deeper routed problems that had other wise gone undetected. This is something that we are enormously proud of. Our routine and regular telephone consultations take time and can sometimes tie up lines, and so we have opened up more lines with more staff to answer. We spend limitless amounts of time on the telephone with clients, consulting, listening and advising, and we never want to restrict or reduce this service. We also ask customers to stay in touch through the application process so we can tweak and work with them to maximise the results and optimise the products. These products work on so many conditions and in so many ways, I could not possibly go through them all in this message.
We would, however, be more than happy to go over them on a one to one basis with anyone who needs help and who calls us. This bespoke service ensures a complete regime (Inc none-Herzog hints and tips), that as a package means that the results the customer achieves are in a class of their own. It is not just about buying a product off the shelf, getting it delivered and then leaving them to their own devices. To really exploit the product, experience and education is invaluable and we offer this to all. We send thousands of parcels out and ideally like a personal relationship with all our clients, if possible. We believe it is that relationship that is key to real results.
We have been really extremely busy this year, offering this consultancy service and then handling new enquiries due to massive press coverage for certain high profile users. And this has caused some internal issues which we have had to address. I would like to point out that these users choose us because of the full package we offer: Listening, consulting, recommending and products and advice that works. In addition our extremely generous loyalty scheme which again we alone fund and which is not offered anywhere else in the World, enables our customers to have FREE products to help spread the cost of their regime. It is a really well supported and popular scheme.
We have put in place several procedures to enable things flow more smoothly going forward and these include an office move and additional internal resources. A big improvement is that now all orders are dispatched 1st Class Royal Mail recorded delivery. This will enable clients to track deliveries. Over the past year we have had a small percentage of problems as a result of Royal Mail delaying or loosing parcels, but this still adds up to too many individual items going astray or being late. The recorded delivery system should help this immensely.
I can promise you EVERYONE gets their products delivered, EVERYONE is entitled to the very best level of advice and consultation, EVERYONE who works with us gets the best results possible and EVERYONE enjoys the loyalty scheme. We will continue to look at ways we can improve, But in terms of working WITH our clients to maximise their products and widen the results they get, I believe the service we offer is exceptional and unparalleled.
Karin Herzog is different in every way to just about any product out there, and education is fundamental. We alone have the necessary experience to offer that education, and when clients talk to us, and follow our advice they reap the rewards. We get emails on a daily basis from very happy customers who have benefited from our knowledge and have seen advanced results on so many different levels! Thats when the money clients spend becomes money well spent, when 1) the results are real and 2) On more applications than they originally brought the products for.
I would invite anyone who is looking for a true solution and who is not seeing results currently with their skin to call us on +44 ( 0) 1299 269211 10 – 6 UK GMT. It is such an important part of the process. Clients who work with us in this way have remained passionately loyal and have come to rely on our experience and holistic knowledge. We genuinely take every users results personally! We EXPECT and so GUARANTEE that we will work with them to achieve visible results.
Again may I reiterate that we are sorry that we have had a period of delays and back-logs but these are now greatly reduced and we hope to return to the service we always did offer where deliveries go out within 3 – 5 days of order.
Such a pity, creating a product that seems to attract many buyers and then getting into trouble for who knows what.
Yes Merisi, I agree, and the biggest disappointment is that I am unable to try their products, as well as many other clients who have suffered the same experience.
I am pleased and surprised to say I have had an email from Julie, who, like Jenny, includes no personal information when signing off, such as her full name, job title and contact details. I don’t find this very professional. Company executives should be instantly accessible and engage transparently with their clients, especially when they have a major problem, such as this. This is what Julie said:
We sent you the message below on Monday 1st Aug and confirmed the refund you requested as your products had not reached you and we had traced them but they had not returned to us, no have they still
I saw a blog post from you saying that the products had not been delivered to you! You have had a refund as requested and we did send the products out originally. We also said we would be sending you a complimentary gift to apologise for any inconvenience.
Please can you confirm that you received this previous email Last week and that the funds have now been placed back on your card, which can take 3 – 3 days but is down to your card provider not us.
And No we have not gone bankrupt, yes we always did send products out within 3 – 5 days until last year when things got crazy. Yes we sent yours and in fact Zoltans products to Ireland ( different last name on his shop account but I assume it is the same guy ) and yes we are tracing that for him too, and have been in touch with him, we have not ignored him. It was actually mailed to him on 20th may ( 3 weeks after he ordered ) and obviously no royal mail did not leave a card. He did not pay for recorded so we have re-sent him his products in good faith, despite, as with you, having sent one previously which has not come back. As you will see therefore, Finally NO royal mail do not always leave cards. We are not trading fraudulently but we are working extremely hard to help diagnose skin problems and recommend real regimes for real results and get products through to clients. We apologise that there is a delay but to suggest we do not send out orders for 4 months is WRONG and yes we are sending out products all the time.
Please can you forward the contact you have at Royal Mail since we have many items going back to December in with them for trace and refund and compensation but it certainly has not been an easy matter of searching within seconds! If you have sent recorded they have an automated service but this does not help if it was sent in normal post as most of our parcels are. We are going to introduce a paid for system if clients wish to pay for deliveries but many have voiced that they would continue to request free post via RM, which is on the whole very good, but not infallable
Regards
Julie
Hi Julie,
Thank you for contacting me – eventually. I have written to you personally and copied you in an email to Jenny, but didn’t get a reply then. My phone messages to Karin Herzog were not answered either as there is nobody at Karin Herzog to answer the phone, and do not personally contact clients by phone to discuss your difficulties in delivering orders which we would appreciate.
Yes, I was still hoping against all hope, that perhaps after 9 weeks, my order might somehow get delivered by Royal Mail. Perhaps you should consider suing them if they are failing your company so badly, or seek some redress from them. I have never had a problem with Royal Mail’s service and order prolifically from the internet, so I cannot understand why you have the difficulties you describe. Why were my products posted to Ireland, as well as others you mentioned? Yours is the only company I have dealt with for internet purchases who not to send an email saying an order has been dispatched, and I have never heard of Royal Mail never leaving cards if nobody is in. A lot of what you say doesn’t make sense. You could learn a lot from the way Amazon works and delivers promptly to clients via Royal Mail.
Certainly Zoltan’s difficulties with Karin Herzog were posted on Facebook four months ago, and they do not seem to be resolved. I’m pleased to hear you are not going bankrupt. It must be alarming for you when this is the belief that customers have in your company because of its poor service.
I wouldn’t have written these posts if I had been alone, but it was because I learned of so many others who had had the same disappointing experiences as myself that I decided to write them. Here is a recent complaint posted by Olga Johnson a couple of weeks, the problems still go on, so I am very grateful for my refund which has been paid into my bank, though disappointed not to be able to try what I believe is a great product:
I have placed the Order Number: 11344 on 31 May and I haven’t received it as write this on 18 July. I have sent email to Mark Parker and haven’t heard from him regarding my order/ or refund. I have left messages here for Julie but i had no luck with it either. I had problem with this company earlier, in fact 3 times i placed order this year. I had to bit my order out of them ….. This time KARIN HERZOG – REFUND MY MONEY FOR THE ORDER 11344. I am going to contact trading standards if i don’t receive the refund. I will not leave it like this.
I note that Julie’s email is very defensive about her company’s service, there is no personal apology from her.
I have received a more contrite email from Julie:
Hello Ellee
Thank you. We do try to get back to everyone but we are small, I think you may think we are a massive Company but we are not. It is also true that All of the Oxygen based creams in the range ( this makes up about 75%) are administered by hand in the initial stage when the oxygen is stabilised as it is a very intricate, precise and tricky procedure since Oxygen is so volatile. This formulation and process is unique to Karin Herzog’s brand and is the very reason why this brand is the original and remains the ONLY brand to have the ability to increase oxygen within the skin, as the formula is so stable and effective.
I am the team are truly sorry that you have suffered none delivery and we do try to rectify and sort all issues out. All orders are satisfied and dealt with and we truly regret the inevitable delay on occasions when things are crazy. We used to deliver within days and we are striving to get back to that
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. That gift is in hand too, as we promised
Regards and Best wishes
Julie
Thank you Julie,
Apology accepted. I do not take out personal grudges on the internet, I was simply highlighting the same difficulties experienced by so many of your customers, and particularly the way your company fails to respond. If you are not talking to them, they will talk about their problems elsewhere, and usually it’s the internet. Saying sorry and meaning it goes a long way.
If I were you I would seriously consider hiring an Operations Exec from Amazon to show how how to deliver orders via Royal Mail. They are brilliant.
I look forward to receiving my samples from Karin Herzog and when your difficulties are resolved, I would be grateful if you could let me know so I can attempt to place another order, as long as you guarantee delivery within a matter of days. I can see you really care about your product, it sounds lovely, and I am sorry you have had so many difficulties. It must be very hard for you.
I would suggest you too use social media to interact with your clients during this difficult time, get back on Twitter and Facebook and communicate with those still waiting for deliveries, own up to your problems and let them know you truly care and are doing your best. If you need any help with this,…….
I have just sent another email to Karin Herzog regarding the whereabouts of my order. They have taken £361 from my account on 17th June and still nothing. The answermachine is always on. I grew suspicious and googled complaints and find others in the same boat. Either they are so bad and inefficient and have not got a clue how to run a business,no customer service or we have been done.
I am in exactly the same position. I placed an order on the 2nd July for the Dynamic Duo cream, and after countless phone calls, leaving voice messages and emails i have still received nothing. However they were very quick to take the £48 from my bank account. I was promised a re order and complimentary gifts and a call back the same day to update me, however that was 4 days ago. This may not seem a lot of money, but as a mum of 3 this is a lot of money to and now i do not know which way to turn.
Hi Samantha, I’m sorry to hear about your situation and fully understand how upsetting it is. The worst part is their indifference towards their customers who struggle to get answers. I would suggest you write to them recorded delivery as I did requesting an immediate refund as they are in breach of online trading regulations.
Curiously, I was given two explanations for their failure to deliver my order: 1. I was out when Royal Mail came, and 2. My order went to Ireland instead. I still can’t make sense of it.
Hi Pauline, that was my experience too. I think Karin Herzog need to employ extra staff to answer the phone and reply to emails and speak to their customers truthfully about their difficulties and how they are trying to overcome them. They have handled it dreadfully so far and their actions cause great distress to their buyers – or would-be-buyers.
Hello all
where are all these deliveries going??? All this reordering, there must be a glut of products heaped high somewhere. hmmm! I am trying to remain optimistic but struggling now. oh and no reply to my email of yesterday.I am going to get my bank and trading standards involved.
Pauline, I think they have all been sent to Ireland!
Good luck with trading standards.
Hi Ellee
I wonder what the beauty editors of the mags would make of this???? I wonder if they have been given the same treatment. An absolute shame, i used the products years ago when they first came to the UK they are fantastic products, all this is shocking PR.
Hi Pauline, as you know, you are not alone, though that is no comfort. My advice to Karin Herzog is:
1. Get in extra staff to speak to customers who are being let down by delivery problems.
2. Hire an external consultant experienced in online retail and Royal Mail to sort out your problems – someone from Amazon would be my recommendation as I buy from them dozens of times throughout the year and have never been let down once.
3. Be transparent and truthful about your difficulties and use social media to demonstrate how the company is genuinely doing its best and cares for its customers.
You are right to warn consumers. I tried to chase this company again today and their phone lines are down! This has been after several previous calls, emails and a formal letter of complaint to the MD about my missing order. She signed for the letter over 3 weeks ago but has not responded. Doesn’t look good. By the way, their Switzerland office is closed for the holidays so no joy there either. I have been left with no alternative but to claim my money back through my credit card company. Very damaging to a great brand.
Hi Audra,
I’m sorry to hear about your difficulties. I also wrote to their office in Switzerland too and the first time they told me they would forward my email to their UK office (oh no!) and the second time they ignored me. It made no difference.
I think reclaiming your money from you credit card company is the best solution, sadly.
Dear Julie, I did receive a complimentary gift today of a Rose face cream only a few days after you told me that you would. If only all your orders could be delivered so speedily, and it was signed for.
I’ve also ordered one of your new face creams through another distributor via Amazon and have been informed that it’s been dispatched.
I hope you are having luck resolving your difficulties. I think they are probably caused by being swamped by demand, and the time it takes in producing your face creams because of the process invovled, rather than Royal Mail.
unbelievable i received an email from Karin Herzog today still trying to sell me something. All i want is what i have paid for.
Message to Audra
Hello Audra Your order ref 12959 placed on 17 Oct 11 has been dispatched today, 18th October 11, and the recorded delivery number is AH899572581GB.
Regards
Julie
I have just had an email from Julie to say that they have delivery of all stock and it will take 5 days to deliver, and they are trying to get that down.
I run a spa that uses Karin Herzog products and placed an order with them on 28 June – most of which was delivered but some of which I’m still waiting for. I was told they would be sent on 21 July but haven’t received anything. I’ve been trying to phone them but I just get the answerphone. I will email Julie to see if she responds further to the above comments.
I’d advise noone to order with them!
I’ve always been disappointed with their customer service – I’d be out of business if I treated my clients like they treat us!
Thanks for the messages, it’s useful to see how other people are getting on.
Good News
I have finally received all of my Karin Herzog products. It hasn’t been a pleasant experience and still didn’t get a reply to my last email. I hope you all receive yours very soon.
Similar situation. I placed my order on the 19 July & am still waiting for my goods. I have chased via emails. Either I get no response or an automatic reply. Nothing personal to explain where my order is. I think their customer service is disgusting! I also received the email with a complimentary gift gesture. At the end of the day all I want is my orginal order! Tried the phones, left numnerous voice messages. Glad Im not alone!
I am a small Salon and I invested heavily in KH last year. The products were massively late, they did eventually arrive. There is no response via email or phone, I have training I have paid for and cannot book, it is a total nightmare. Ellee, what can we do to get the message out to others? It seems KH is nothing more than three people in Devon. They are in a Unit of an Industrial Park and seem to have spun a story that they are far bigger than they are. They have had unbelievable luck with Kate Middleton backing the brand, but they can’t keep up now and are disappointing everybody. They think the answer is to ignore emails and to put the phone onto voicemail! Nice.
I’m watching this space. As a journalist involved in the beauty industry this is alarming and if anyone else has any other tales to tell please add to the comments list as I will investigate.
Thanks
Isabel, please do something before other people lose their money. Karin Herzog are being so unfair fluffing and bluffing, blaming Royal Mail, not answering emails or calls. I have over £2K of product downstairs and I cannot complete my training because Mark and Julie cannot pick up the phone. I think the company is a lot lot smaller than Mark made out to me when I decided to invest in them last year. They certainly answered their emails back then. Such a terrible terrible shame.
I’ve found out that in Switzerland where KH is from, their products are stocked at hairdressers,etc – including small places which are out of the way. There looks like a serious flaw when it comes to proper POS, etc.
I was slightly suspicious last year when KH weren’t available in stores, just from a couple of online retailers and their own site. I had to call KH at their offices in Cornwall 5 times before Julie called me back about a press feature and I’ve also noticed that there are two or three PR companies who USED to represent KH but don’t. I am guessing here but presumably they never got paid?
KH sounds like a runaway horse which could cause salons and individuals to lose money – many already have from what I’ve researched and this is not on.
Am going to research deeper and see what I can do to make the public and beauty industry professionals aware of this – Ellee’s remark about Watchdog is very valid!
I ordered a product on 6 October 2011 and received an immediate automated email to say that due to lack of stock, items should be delivered within 14 days from the date of order. This was after I had ordered (and PAID!!) for the item. There was no mention on their website of this problem. After the 14 days I sent 2 further emails 5 days apart but had no response. I then contacted KH again on Wed 1 November 2011 only to be told that they tried to deliver it on 26 Oct but it wouldn’t fit through the letterbos and as the item was not claimed, it had been returned to them. I order online from all sorts of companies and all delivery companies, Royal Mail and couriers ALWAYS leave a calling card. There was no calling card to prove that the item had been delivered. I was told that the product would be sent straight back out by Recorded delivery. Again no delivery, so I called again on Tues 8 November 2011 to air my frustration but this chap could not even confirm whether the product had been dispatched and was going to ring me back that afternoon. He never called. I will write to KH as per someone else’s suggestion above and will also put in a call to Wathdog and will also contact my bank regarding possible fraud. This is absolutely unacceptable and definitely not worth the trouble!!!
I’m in shock. Absolute shock. I’ve just tried my fortnightly call into the KH offices and the answering machine message had changed, so I chanced my luck and left another message. This time I got an almost immediate call back from Julie. Julie was really really lovely on the phone, she apologised repeatedly for the experiences I’ve had in the last few months and even booked me on my Body Training course. I kept telling Julie on the call how shocked I was that this call was actually taking place, and she apologised and explained the last several months had been really really difficult but that they had everything in order now with all deliveries fulfilled and noone waiting for missing deliveries. So here goes… hopefully KH have turned a corner and this ship will sail off into the sunset.
My order from 8th August has still not been delivered despite numerous emails and voicemails that have been left for them.
Does anyone have a direct email addres for Julie?
Yes, it’s Julie Cichocki: julie@karinherzog.co.uk
Good luck, Ellee
Lucy, I’m really pleased to hear that. Let’s hope other dissatisfied clients get a similar response.
I am surprised by your experience.
I had a great telephone consultation with them and although I waited a bit longer than I hoped for my order to arrive, I am glad I did, really good products!
My second order arrived in less time and I think most of these problems with delivery sound like they are stretched with orders.
I will post again when I place my next order, as I do want to try a few more things.
Laura, I am delighted to learn that your experience was so much more positive. I really hope that these difficulties have been overcome, and clients won’t in the future have to go through what I did, and others too.
Hi all. I am having the same problem as everyone else. I placed an order on the 19th of July and as yet it has not been delivered. I have emailed more than once with no reply. I have left phone messages – again no reply. So this problem is still ongoing. I have asked for a refund if they can’t or won’t deliver the products I have ordered and paid for – over TWO MONTHS ago!! I would appreciate it if someone who has had some success getting their products or refund would tell me just who they contacted and how they did it. Many thanks, Karen Rowe
Hello Karen
Your order has been processed and sent and I will email you on your private email address the delivery reference number. Quench oils are not Karin Herzog they are a private brand made for Polynesian Monoi De Tahiti and your order had 2 of those included, Monoi has an Appellation Controlee and is monitored for export and has to be hand blended. If you need help with application hints and tips or how to maximise your Herzog products when you start to use them give me a shout on my email
Regards Julie
Hi Emma
As discussed I know your products reached you a few weeks ago now and also delighted to hear how pleased you are that they have sorted out the slight exzema problem on the arms
I am happy to post a statement from Julie Cichocki and genuinely hope they have resolved all their difficulties.
I have been a stockest of KH for years now. In my first year Mark informed me I was the fastest growing retailer even though I. A small business and they supplied big spa’s. In my 2nd year I had a terrible time as KH couldn’t supply me for months and I had confidently built a very loyal business using their products and selling them. There where times I was reduced to tears as I built my business up without ever considering my only line might become unavailable to me for both treatment and retail. The incident almost put me out of business.
I accepted they had grown fast and we are all learning as we go in business. I put another very good but also unique hand made line in place for support incase anything like this happened again.
Thankfully I did this. No matter how polite and helpful on the calls KH head office are…they still have not delivered. They Promised to supply me with a tracking order by tonight. Again I had no reply. I get no reply from emails. I’m nearly 6 weeks in and my stock has not been delivered but is claimed to be in the mail or will be re-sent by Tuesday. Incidentally I was also promised this last week. I had to phone daily all day before I got a response. I have to say what I’m reading above is what I’m repeatedly finding and more than that the orders are paid upfront. We are as businesses giving KH 30 days …it’s the other way around with all my other suppliers. I’m so reluctant to put my sizeable Xmas order in as I’m not prepared to have thousands of pounds sitting out for months with no promise of a delivery.
I can only say I’m disappointed and im very concerned at the suggestion above that they may be going bankrupt.
These are wonderful products but they are only wonderful if we can actually get the supplies. Were constantly having to move people onto the other range and that’s sad considering how passionate we were about KH.
I hope things are resolved very soon.
I sincerely hope I do get my delivery by Tuesday but I’m not holding my breath and I’m seriously considering if not that I should contact my bank in order to attempt to get my money back.
Hello Kirsty
I acknowledge your last order was delayed but that it has now ALL been recieved by you I believe you should surly think that over the years we have been very fair with you and I can well rememebr times when you needed our help and we gave it. I dont want want to go into details here as its not the place, but I am certain you will remember. We value you as a salon and always when you speak with me, I try to help you in any way I can. As we advised, we have been enormously busy and under pressure but it is behind us now. We have liaised with you about the order and as you also know you have been advised that trade orders are fully up to date and that all orders are guaranteed to reach you within a 2 week period from now on. THINGS ARE RESOLVED and I and Mark and possibly even David have spoken with you many times recently. David is your trade point of contact going forward and he will contact you regularly.
Hi, I’m a therapist working with the Herzog range and we are having trouble too. Our pay is set on retail targets but we can’t sell it when it’s not in stock. I had been so fed up of my boss telling me she has ordered stock and we never see any. I was thinking my boss wasn’t buying it in. I’m glad I found this blog because I thought we were going under at work and I was thinking of looking for a new job.
I just decided I would check of Herzog had stock online when I found this page.
There were rummers at work saying we were going in to liquidation because we have not got stock coming at all and were told it’s coming all the time by the boss. While I’m happy my jobs not going, I’m sick of being targeted on sales I will never reach without the products on the stand.
Thanks ellee for making this page. I feel more settled at work now.
Katie
Hello Katie
ALL Trade orders are up to date contact us direct to enquire about yours but as I dont know where you are from or even if there IS an order for you that has even been placed, I can not advise. All salon orders are delivered within a GUARANTEED 2 weeks following the enormously busy period this year but thanks to changes we have made. I hope to hear back from you Katie so I can look into it. I will tr to look through our training records to see if I can find your details and what salon you are from so I can send you details of any orders from your salon and dispatched
Regards
Julie
I had problems in the past but mine were mostly due to Royal Mail not delivering to their promise. How do I know this? I’ve been a loyal user of Karin Herzog for 10 years! I would say, 20% of my orders over that time took more than 2 weeks – why.. because of a number of factors – high demand of certain product lines which always resulted in slower deivery and last year was the relocation of the KH warehouse to a bigger property to improve the delivery service. In April, I moved to South Africa to work. I ordered my products whilst visiting the UK in June. I can get the products here but they are more expensive and I would loose my loyalty points anyway. So I ordered in the UK and KH sent it via Royal Mail on their recommended 5 day overseas trackable delivery. What a joke that was. The tracking of the parcel was hopeless because it said the same status for 2 weeks. Mine you, the PostNet Service in South Africa is one of the worst in the world! When the parcel did arrive in this country some 6 weeks later, it sat in the central Postnet office for 3 weeks with no notification to us at all. Suddenly the status on the Royal Mail website changed to ‘in Africa’. We rushed to the sub office here, paid the duty, only to be told it has been returned due to lack of response – lack of response by central office to sub office more like! The system here is nothing short of useless! So back to KH who were extremely helpful, and sent another parcel via FedEx this time. Only problem was that the value of the goods attracted a high custom duty so I ended up paying double for the goods. KH did refund some of the custom duty. the moral of this story is…… If you want anything, fetch it yourself – it’s not always the supplier that’s at fault. The combined inadequate postal services of both countries turned my simple order into an epic costly saga. The solution? Find a friend and get the delivery sent to them. They bring it over in their hand luggage. You avoid duty and I still get to have lovely skin. Thanks Karin Herzog for persevering!
I’ve been waiting for my second order for KH for nearly 2 months. The first order took about 6 weeks to arrive but at least that time I did get an email to appologise warning me it would be late. This time I’ve had no contact at all. Have tried to contact KH 3 times by both email and phone but have had no reply at all. They were quick enough taking £90 from my card however! Will be sending them a recorded letter today and also reporting to my card issuer. Such a shame that a brilliant product like this is so firmly let down by appaling customer service. The products aren’t cheap so I can’t see why they are having such massive promlems – the cashflow must be adequate!
Hi everyone,
glad to have found this – and REALLY disappointed with Karin Herzog distributor in UK. I used them about 10 years ago without any problem. Placed my order on 15th October and yes, there was a note on their site saying they estimated dispatch times to be 14 days after date of order – but it’s been 28 days now. I know this isn’t as long as some people have waited, but this company have had over £200 of my money for a month and nothing – no response to emails, no response to voicemails. I will be writing a letter today and sending it recorded delivery unless I hear from them today.
I appreciate that they’re busy, and have become a victim of their own success, but if they’re so successful then employ more people to deal with the queries, this really does beggar belief.
So disappointed that it’s come to this.
Hope this post might prompt something but if a telephone call doesn’t, then……who knows?!
thanks for flagging the number of problems
regards
L
I finally got a response from Julie Chichocki (but only in response to my complaint letter and request for refund) along very similar lines to the one listed above – something like, we’re very busy, but we’re very good – we did post your parcel but your postman probably didn’t leave a card, or perhaps it’s lost at a depot somewhere.
Since then, despite my emails asking for the reference number (as it must have been sent recorded delivery according to their own policies) and details of when the delivery was supposedly attempted, I’ve had nothing from them.
Today, I received the dispute form from my credit card company – lets see if that will prompt them into further action….
Hi everyone,
Same old story about Karin Herzog!! I have regular Karin Herzog facials and stock at the salon are running out and I BELIEVE my therapist when she says they have ordered and are not receiving the stock, because on 29 & 30 October 2011, I placed two orders, thinking that as the products are so good I would like to use the whole range at home and yes I havn’t received any of the orders and NO I don’t believe it is the Royal Mail at fault.
I have tried e-mailing, no response, I have left two messages, no response. I am in process of sending them a letter demanding a refund or the goods.
I don’t believe that they are a ‘victim of their own success’ because where they are based in West Midlands has a very high rate of unemployment and as one person said their products aren’t cheap so they could surely afford a few more people at minimum wage.
I have e-mailed the Karin Herzog Head Office in Switzerland because I do not believe it is fair that such appalling customer service from the UK distributor should reflect on the name of Karin Herzog.
I note that their website is quoting ‘final order dates for pre-christmas delivery’ PLEASE BE CAREFUL AS THIS ORGANISATION APPEAR NOT TO CARE ABOUT THE VERY PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEM WHAT THEY ARE AND DISAPPOINTMENT IS TANGIBLE!!!
I had a badly delayed order in the summer, it took about 2 months to arrive. To say sorry Karin Herzog sent an e-mail offering a free Glyco Rose Serum. I clicked the link and gave my details, the Rose Serum was promised to be delivered by the end of September 2011. It is now 22nd December 2011 and no Rose Serum. I have contacted Karin Herzog repeatedly over the last 3 months (4-6 e-mails per month
) All but 2 e-mails have been ignored and in the 2 replies I got delivery was promised within 2 weeks – the last e-mail from them was on the 28th October – I have had no responses since. Last week I even sent 4 e-mails to them – yet again no response.
The free rose serum was to say sorry for poor customer service and delivery – but if a company was really concerned about great customer service should they not answer e-mails and calls promptly? (or in Karin Herzogs case answer them at all!) If you promised a ‘sorry fro poor customer service to loyal customers gift’ wouldn’t it be a great idea to actually ship that gift? I am a loyal customer and I feel even more let down by Karin Herzog than before! If you have no intention of shipping the gift – then do not promise it.
Purchasing a product on the internet should not feel like entering into battle. Karin Herzog can no longer hide behind issues with Royal mail and poor stock levels. Even with these issues they can still reply to e-mails and calls and communicate with their customers, ignoring e-mails is not a great customer service strategy. If they had adopted professional customer service techniques, even with the stock issues they have faced they could be being applauded for their customer service by their customers in these posts.
I want my e-mails to be replied to and I would like the product that I have been promised – it should not be this hard.
I had similar problems with Karin Herzog in late 2010 – having been lured by their offer of spending £80 and getting £80 in vouchers. They debit your card immediately and warn of delays up to 14 days, but then you hear nothing for weeks. I didn’t use all my vouchers in the end as I was worried the company were going under and din’t want to give them any more orders until the earlier ones had been fulfilled. I boycotted Karin Herzog for a year but in November placed another order – as the creams really do work. I am still waiting for delivery some 5 weeks later and my e mails go unanswered. Really shoddy service and this order will reluctantly be my last.
I really wish I had read this before ordering more products. I suffered terrible service in May (order took 6 weeks to arrive and I suspect it was only posted because I emailed constantly asking where it was) – oh, and the order was wrong!
Still, I love the products and stupidly ordered more at the end of November for a Christmas present. Needless to say, my order hasn’t arrived, my emails and voicemails ignored and now the voicemail box says it’s full.
I didn’t use my credit card so I’m not particularly hopeful about getting my money back but I’m absolutely livid with this shoddy service.
I’m interested that more people are suffering from these issues – I work for in News and am interested in running a piece on the company – as we all know, they’ve featured heavily in the media because of the amount of celebrity clients – I think people should know how they treat their customers.
I’ve had a similar negative experience; products took over three months to arrive, no replies to emails. Once the products arrived I no longer had any use for them, was promised a refund once the products were returned. I sent them back two months ago and am still waiting to get my money back. Seriously disappointed and currently considering my options… Having delivery problems due to manufacturing issues is one thing but the delay in payment is unacceptable.
You all should use Amazon.com to order this stuff. Never go through company websites. At least with Amazon, if it doesn’t get to you, then you get your money back asap
I placed order #13624 on 21 Deb 2011.
I emailed 9 times. Only received 1 response telling me it had been “dispatched”. However, I belive this order was never fulfilled.
I am demanding a refund and an apology. I am asking for a refund in the amount of $80.23. We’ll see if that does anything.
I regret doing business with them.
They should have a separate distributor State-side.
Well things haven’t changed then!!! My boyfriend brought me a xmas present off their website on 14th Dec 2012. After chasing them for a few weeks and the same excuses that the Royal Mail has tried to deliver it and will track and will come back to me, which they never did and they have dispatched a new package but they never did. I asked for a refund which they said they would do straight away and would show on card in 3 days, it never did so my boyfriend demanded it to be done while his was on the phone. This company is a joke and will never use them again. I have worked with this product and know how good it is.
If only I knew bit sooner rather then later. I have fallen victim of this matter, same as all of you here. Same excuse, royal mail, lost in the process, 100% sorted etc etc etc. I don’t care, all I want is my product of Oxgen face cream I have ordered last year in December 18th 2011. Can you believe it. it’s how long I’ve been waiting.
Hi
Just thought I would add my experience, have been waiting since Dec.2011 for my product.Same excuses really as all the others, Royal Mail, showing as being dispatched but cannot duplicate my order due to tracking previous order. left emails and phone calls they never return calls, you have to keep trying just to add voicemail full, engaged tone or answer machine, I have given up now so I threatened them with legal action and asked for a full refund which they did while I waited on the phone, have received email to say should reach my bank in 3 days- so will wait and see.
Hi Anna, this week I emailed them and just like you threatened them. However, Julie is saying 100% sorted!!! wait and see. But I am not waiting at all, done enough of that since December.
Same thing here! I ordered on Dec 31, 2012 but no delivery, no response since then while my credit card charged immediately. And the worst thing is, I’m leave the State in March….
Hi Antonia
I have just emailed Switzerland to inform them what is going on, so hopefully they will reply soon. Good luck.
I would like to add, as Anna mentioned. I have too emailed KH in Switzerland yesterday, after putting this message on here of my experience. Well lets hope something will be done about it.
I just got my order – ordered 13 Dec, complained end of January 2012 because I was moving house a few weeks later….. They told me that they were sending a DUPLICATE order (yes, in capitals) & WE APOLOGISE FOR THE DELAY WHICH HAS BEEN MAINLY DUE TO RECORD DEMAND AND YOUR ORIGINAL ORDER BEING RETURNED TO OUR UK OFFICE (love the professionalism of the capitals)…. the thing is I live & lived in a gated community, all parcels go to the clubhouse for picking up & I also pay for a forwarding service – so there is no way that my parcel would have been returned. I still haven’t had my £80 of voucher codes from the December offer either. I don’t think they will be going much longer
KARIN HERZOG and personal customer services.
I placed my next order with Karin Herzog on the website just over a week ago. I read that delivery was up to 14 days. That concerned me. I emailed Julie Cichocki at KH and said please help me. Guarantee the order to be delivered to a friend in the UK within 7 days as he’s due to fly out to South Africa 2nd week of April. Delivery after that would have been futile as I then move on to Australia. She responded immediately. Arranged for the goods to be packed that day, recorded delivery, and they were received 2 days later! Now that’s what I call EXCELLENT customer services.
It is’nt always the company. They rely on delivery services to be equally customer conscious. If I could find another friend that made regular trips to Australia after April, then I would continue to be a faitthful customer of Karin Herzog UK.
Hi again
I have placed a couple of orders since my last post and received them both within 4 days..so a much better experience than some of you, I also called them to get a recorded number as they sent me confirmation they had sent it. They also said they are now sending emails to confirm the dispatch which will include the recorded number. They have hand held me on a number of occasions and helped me with lots of advice, even on some silly questions! I have also just received a free loyalty product which is great so I am very happy! My skin by the way is brilliant! would not go back to using anything else!!
I will keep you posted soon.
Laura
Hi, just to let you know, you don’t have to be without Karin Herzog in Australia – there’s a distributor here and they don’t even charge for delivery!
You can get these creams in Australia – free delivery from a company in Perth. Shame so many people are having problems as the products themselves are fantastic.
Sorry to hear you’re having problems with the UK Karin Herzog people – I’ve been using the products for a few months now and my skin has never been better. I order mine from the distributors in Australia and they’ve always sent them out within just 1 or 2 days with free delivery! They also have some great specials if you get their newsletter.
Hi thank you for this webpage-it has been so helpful! Does anyone have Julie’s email or phone number please?
Selina
Hello again
Last posting in Feb.this year, update for all you potential customers.
After 3 months I thought I would give KH. another chance so on May 9th
rang Mark asked if I placed an order today when would I receive, he checked stock -said all in stock so would be within the next 5 days so after 7 days no sign, tel.Mark said he would get back to me that day, surprise surprise no call so tel.next day got Julie she said she would track my order and call me back- nothing, but did send an email after hours to say I would receive part of my order asap, and the oil would be with me in 7 days, received within 2 days even though when I placed my order everything was in stock, now 4 weeks later still waiting for the oil, spoke to both of them still the same old jargon – very busy in warehouse, stock not arriving from Switzerland etc.etc. I have drawn my own conclusion these pair are the biggest liars I have ever had the misfortune to speak to.
So please beware if you place an order immaterial to what they tell you, you will be dissapointed and won’t receive your products.
Anna
Hello Anna
I am so sorry to read your mail. I have looked in detail into the system and the only order we have for 9th May is for a Lady called Anna who was indeed waiting for a Vita-A-Kombi oil but I am not sure if it is you or not as I dont have your details in full. The client in question on our system has had delivery of a vita-A-Apricot and A Free Vitamin H and A free VAK 3. We did not take payment for ANY of this order until the oil was ready to ship. Therefore we did not charge for the Vita-A-Apricot which along with the 2 free products was dispatched 14 May 2012. We have now sent the oil via royal mail recorded delivery which is how ALL orders are dispatched and have been for some time now. Clients get informed via email of the recorded number for their dispatch. We have advised the Anna on our system of the recorded number for her oil delivery and that her order will now be passed for payment. My email direct is simply julie@karinherzog.co.uk if I can help with any more details please do come back to me
Regards
Julie
Hi Anna,
I too, like you, placed an order on May 19, 2012 with Karin Herzog after a bad experience last year with them. I thought (hoped) they had worked out all their kinks and business would be better. But, I guess I was fooled again. Only this time I paid via PayPal and they will not tolerate such actions. I will give them a few days to respond to my emails and get back to me after that I plan to take actions against them. I will not be fooled twice by them. I am glad to see that I am not the only one out there being duped by this company.
Wanda
Hello Wanda
We have already replied via PAYPAL but hwere is the message:
This parcel has been dispatched. It is an oversees delivery so has gone via International Airsure which has the unique tracking number as follows: LY573829389GB. It normally takes just 7 -10 days to reach USA. We have had a longer bank holiday in UK since this order was placed which delayed it a little but it has been sent and is on its way
Hello Selina
I have been trying your mobile several times to contact you direct as I know you wanted me. It is just ringing out. My email is julie@karinherzog.co.uk if you need me. I have asked the warehouse to send an email with your recorded number details for tracking but if there is anything else just drop me a line I will reply by return
Regards
Julie
Hi
Like you I won’t be fooled again.
Do not use this Company, you will never get a straight answer or the truth, the pair are so good at lying, they should be politicians.
Hi Anna
I posted my comments back in Feb and having looked at the comments since then. Nothing seems to have changed one bit… Very sad indeed and bitterly disappointing!!!!
I am defo not ordering from them and look elsewhere. No need for the stress given by them.
Just wanted to say and update. As its documented EVERYONE on this blog has had their products, or where requested a refund. IN addition many of the historic problems as you will read, were down to missing parcelsm and were prior to us implementing the sytem that ALL PARCELS GO OUR RECODED DELIVERY VIA ROYAL MAIL, Which we pay for. Since we implemented that change we and IMPORTANTLY clients are able to track their orders, which is much better
Since the press recently reported that Independent scientific Advice and opinion along with Digital imaging inside the skin, PROVE Using Karin Herzog makes your skin younger, we have again experienced a spike in demand. Again over 2 months of orders came in within 2 – 3 days. We have managed those orders with the help of the new systems and orders are getting through to clients now smoothly. We normally like to send an email to clients now, as the parcel leaves the warehouse, but huge demand has meant we have temporarilly suspended this whilst we prioritise getting the goods out.
We also have a direct one to one after sales service which liaises with vlients direct to help monitor results. We GUARANTEE our results and are the most experienced and able group who have achieved brilliant and sometimes remarkable transformations for peole, who are obviously delighted. We will continue to implement changes where necessary, and again I would emphasise that these creams are not mass produced produucts with similar formulations to many other products on the market; They are hand made Artisan products that are quite definitley unique
We want to help everyone achieve great results. You can contact me direct on julie@karinherzog.co.uk
Just found this blog, thanks for all the info. I’ve been using the Karin Herzog products in Australia for a few months and they have just been so fantastic for my skin – hardly any breakouts now and much more even looking. Love it! The people who sell it here have a beauty therapist that will email advice about which products you should use and that’s been so useful as I didn’t know where to start!
Hi
I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER I WILL GET MY MONEY BACK OR PRODUCTS. i HAVE ORDERED PRODUCTS ON 9TH AUGUST 2012 STILL WAITING FOR MY PRODUCTS. I PHONED THEM 4 TIMES THE GENTLEMEN AT THE Karin HERZOG TOLD ME ABOUT THE STORY OF ROYAL MAIL AND I BELIEVED. i HAVE ALREADY SENT AN EMAILTO REFUND THE MONEY( THIS IS MY 2ND EMAIL ). I AM WORRIED AND ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR THE REPLY. I PAID £209 FOR THE PRODUCTS.
Hello Tharkshayany we wrote an email to you on 25th August advising you of the Unique recorded delivery number for your products which were sent out within the 2 weeks we were advising. We have recieved again amazing press in many Nationals due to the results these products and our advise generate, and so we notified clients to allow longer for dispatch but all would go out as quickly as they could be processed. We do not blame royal mail as all parcels are sent recorded delivery and all clients get a written email advising of the tracking number.You then get information abou your loyalty points and free product claim. I am not sure why your products have not arrived with you yet but suggest it is iminent. If you have any queries when you get the product, on how to maximise your pruchase, we are the best and most experienced people to work with to get real results. Call us or email us and we will help you with pleasure.
Thanks Julie for your reply. I just spoke to MARK a minute ago. Still i have not received my products and also the Unique recorded delivery number which mark sent could not recognize and telling me to come back later.Mark assured me that i will get my products tomorrow. Hopefully i will get my products. Waiting anxiously.
Hi Shaz Used regularly and correctly Karin Herzog WILL correct many common skin problems and get amazing results. We in the UK work one to one with vast numbers of clients who are unsure what to use and how and together we have generated unparallelled results. Our ederm service http://www.karinherzog.co.uk/eDerm/index.htm allows you to fill in a form and reciee a bespoke home care plan with help and hints and tips
Hi Julie,
Good day!
I am keen on trying the KARIN HERZOG skin-care products, however I don’t think there’s an active distributor here in Singapore now.
May you kindly direct me on how I can be able to purchase Authentic Karin Herzog products from an Authorized Retailer that can ship to Singapore?
Thank you so much and looking forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Marie.
Hi,
Good day!
I am keen on trying the KARIN HERZOG skin-care products, however I don’t think there’s an active distributor here in Singapore now.
May you kindly direct me on how I can be able to purchase Authentic Karin Herzog products from an Authorized Retailer that can ship to Singapore?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Marie.
You can get the products from a beauty shop in SG. Do email me if you would like buy from a retail shop. as i have bought two of the items. it is quite costly but its very nice.
Dear Wei Hua,
May I know which shop in SG sells it ? And what is the address?
Also what is your email address?
Thank you.
I too love these products but couldn’t handle being messed around by the company. Last year I waited over two months for my products to arrive on two occasions and finally had enough. I now get my KH products from Beauty Flash Shop. It arrives within two days! and no I don’t work for the company and am not in any way affiliated with them; simply a happy customer. I would prefer to buy directly from KH as I love the products and would like to show them support, but until they sort out their delivery times and customer service, I will buy from elsewhere, sorry.
Karin Herzog Owners ( Noelle & Donato ) personally promised to pay all outstanding payments. The polish company Swit Pharma, which is a producer of this cosmetics (as you see theses are polish products not Swiss) is still waiting for out standing payments of 23 538,91 EUR for delivered goods for more than 1,5 Years!! Be aware!! Don’t buy anything from them!!