Dear Sephora,

Your resolution of throwing inconsistent and valueless points into our beauty banks (or not), and giving a one-time $50 code for merchandise does not adequately address your Epic Rewards Fail of August 10, and we are asking that you take another look at what has happened.

Your customers who were affected by this fall into three categories: Beauty Insider (under $350 in a year, little commitment to the brand); VIB ($350 to under $1000 in a year, significant commitment to the brand); and VIB Rouge (top tier, spending over $1000 a year at Sephora - your most loyal and committed clientele).

As well, there were BIs who have saved their points from previous years (when lack of stock meant that they couldn't receive prior Epic Rewards).

What we'd like to see is a reimbursement that reflects what we were denied, in terms of the rewards. Perhaps those who had 1000 points at the commencement of the rewards should receive $50, those who had 2000 should receive $100, those with 3000-5000 points $150, and those who had more than 5000 points could get $200?

As well, you could consider changing to tier the points given out to appease your clients during your two-week 'cooling off period', in a similar vein (250/500/1000 points)?

And of course - a revamp of the whole 'points' system to provide better rewards overall, all year around. A 100 point reward shouldn't be a sample sized thing. It cost $100. When your competition is giving out multiple similar sized items as Gift With Purchase, do you really expect us to be grateful to have a single Barbie-sized eyeshadow as a 'bonus' for having spent $100? Really?

But what we'd really like is truth and transparency from you. Saying (as you did in the email that you sent with the $50 codes) that you had no idea what the demand would be, or that previous Epic Rewards had not prepared you is an outright lie. We are aware that you've bungled this promotion in prior years, and you have actively data mined your clients using the BI system - at any given moment, you have the data of how many points people have collected right at your fingertips. To claim otherwise is at best a sham, and it discredits the intelligence of your clients. Sorry- we're not idiots.

Why do we feel entitled to compensation? Simply because of the mishandling of this affair from the start to today.

1. No time given for a release of the rewards (and when your previous year's practice was to release them in the middle of the night) led many clients, out of desperation, to stay up late or all night trying to be among the first to get an Epic Reward.

2. When you did release them, the US clients had first dibs, and by the time they were released to Canadian clients, most were long gone.

3. Your system which allows people to add items to their cart, only to have them removed seconds later when they tried to check out. Not cool.

4. Insufficient stock.

5. Now people are left with thousands of points in their accounts which are useless, except to receive tiny trial-sized items (which are at many other retailers used as a free Gift With Purchase) which we neither need nor want.

6. Lack of communication. Different answers from Sephora's Twitter, Facebook, email and in store. Get it together, guys!

We're addicted to beauty, but there are other stores we can turn to.

Please, help your bottom line, and help us restore our love of your brand. Give us an honest, fair and respectful resolution to this.

Sincerely,

Your "Epically Disappointed" Clients