Hey, Hex Squad! Ever felt lured right into a VIP program solely to remorse it later? That’s precisely what occurred with me and Madam Glam. At present I’m saying goodbye Madam Glam and sharing a significant replace in regards to the model. Initially, I used to be captivated by their dedication to producing vegan, cruelty-free, and non-toxic gel nail polishes. Nonetheless, my latest experiences, notably with their VIP program, have drastically modified my view.
Each model talked about bought by me. All opinions my very own. I’ve acquired PR from Madam Glam in 2021.
Madam Glam’s Lure and the Actuality of VIP Packages
Madam Glam gel polish appeared promising with its intensive “free-from” checklist—vegan, cruelty-free, and free from quite a few dangerous chemical compounds, making it a go-to for secure, DIY nail care. But, the VIP program, meant to supply worth by means of month-to-month credit and important reductions, turned out to be lower than stellar.
About Hema Free Gel Polish
I do know it’s crucial to make use of hema-free gel polish, particularly if you’re DIY’ing your nails at residence like I’m, to stop growing a gel allergy. When you develop a gel allergy, you may’t ever use gel polish once more. Sadly, I examine it occurring ceaselessly on RedditLaqueristas. I’ve even had a couple of buddies develop gel allergic reactions.
One of many manufacturers that I’ve seen repeatedly pop up as inflicting allergic reactions is the gel polish model Beetles. It’s a preferred, cheap model on Amazon. I’ve even bought a few of their gel polishes, however I take advantage of them very occasionally as a result of I don’t usually wish to threat my well being.
Be taught extra about gel allergic reactions from the Final Information to Nail Allergy symptoms.
Madam Glam VIP Program
Madam Glam polishes are priced at round $13.48 in the event you’re a VIP member or $26.96 in the event you’re not a member, relying on the formulation.
Regardless of claims of simple Madam Glam VIP membership administration, I’ve encountered points with unauthorized fees even throughout supposed pause intervals. These incidents, together with repeated fees after cancellation requests and delayed refunds, counsel a disconnect between their service guarantees and precise practices.
Madam Glam States You Can Pause the Membership at Any Time
Contained in the membership, it claims you can pause the membership for 1, 2, or 3 months.
Prior to now, I’d pause my membership for 3 months, then enable the membership to cost and spend that cash on both Madam Glam gel nail polish or their Gel Polish remover. Then I’d pause the membership once more.
I set reminders in my calender to test the membership and pause/unpause it.
Madam Glam’s VIP web page even claims you can pause or cancel your subscription at any time. This didn’t appear to be true in my case.
The Pause Did Not Work for Me
Nonetheless, a number of instances I had the subscription paused, Madam Glam would cost me in any case. The primary few instances it occurred I chalked it as much as a technical glitch.
In August of this 12 months, nonetheless, it occurred once more. I contacted assist and instructed them I wished the fee refunded as a result of my subscription was paused and I wasn’t presupposed to be charged. Their assist stated they might refund me and it wasn’t an issue.
Spoiler alert, it was an issue.
I don’t find out about you, however my funds is far tighter this 12 months than it was final 12 months.
I went to test my bank card assertion to see if Madam Glam had refunded me. Not solely had they not refunded me, that they had charged me once more. I contacted their assist once more, livid at this level. I used to be instructed there was a glitch and they might concern me a refund.
At this level, I used to be completed with Madam Glam and instructed them refund me and shut my account.
I lastly acquired my refund from the Madam Glam VIP program on the finish of August, however the harm was completed.
Not Price It
At this level, my opinion on their VIP program is that it’s a shady approach for them to get simple cash. I don’t know if most individuals monitor their bank card statements as carefully as I do.
The enchantment of unique reductions can’t outweigh the frustration and monetary unpredictability introduced by their problematic VIP system. It appears this system is extra useful to the corporate than to us as customers, selling overconsumption by means of attractive perks that don’t compensate for the potential hassles.
I don’t really feel the $29 month-to-month VIP membership price justifies the reductions and perks I really used.
Group Suggestions Echoes My Discontent
I’m not alone in my frustrations. Many others have voiced related disappointments on-line, pointing to a sample of customer support shortfalls and deceptive subscription practices amongst varied VIP packages.
I discovered complaints on a number of websites of people that had related points to me, resembling RaveCapture and the BBB. A number of individuals had the identical concern I had the place they put their VIP membership on maintain, solely to be charged.
Many had been additionally gaslit by Madam Glam’s customer support about refunds that didn’t occur. It definitely occurred in my case and it made me surprise the place the customer support was based mostly, as a result of it appeared like there have been a number of communication points.
Easy methods to Spot a Shady Membership Program
There are such a lot of misleading membership packages on the market. When researching about Madam Glam’s VIP membership program to see if others skilled my points, I discovered that Savage by Fenty, Fabletics VIP, JustFab VIP, Adore Me VIP, and ShoeDazzle VIP all shared related complaints.
It looks like shady membership packages have a couple of issues in frequent:
- Automated fees with no warning.
- Troublesome cancellation processes that require prospects to undergo a tedious or intentionally unclear course of.
- Deceptive signal ups that make some individuals assume you’re paying for a one-time buy as an alternative of a recurring membership.
I additionally bear in mind individuals complaining with points like this from corporations like ScentBird and Ipsy.
Sick of Subscriptions
In truth, I’m sick of every part having a subscription service simply to exist and I’m canceling as many as I can. The place I used to subscribe to all streaming providers, for instance, I now solely maintain 1 or 2 energetic at any given time. I not pay a month-to-month World of Warcraft price as a result of I’d quite play Baldur’s Gate 3, again and again. I paid a one time price for BG3 and it’s unimaginable.
Shining a Optimistic Mild for a Second
Madam Glam does do a couple of issues very effectively. I actually loved their gel polish formulation and it’s good for them to supply mini sizes. Their gel polish remover works effectively, too. However none of that’s value it to me to place up with their VIP membership and tacky customer support.
What Manufacturers am I Utilizing as Options to Madam Glam?
As a substitute of procuring with Madam Glam, right here’s what I’m utilizing on my nails.
- Vettsy – hema-free gel polish. Use my code of CORDELIA to avoid wasting 20%. They’ve some nice nail artwork tutorials. Store their $9.99 gels.
- Painted Desert – hema free gel polish. They make my favourite builder Cactus Gelly Plus, and favourite prime coat. I additionally love their suggestions. Their polishes are round $14.
- Every day Charme – most are hema-free gel polish. I purchase plenty of nail artwork merchandise right here too. They’ve the perfect nail artwork tutorials on IG. Their polishes are round $16 and so they have frequent gross sales.
- iGel Magnificence – they make my favourite true glow-in-the-dark gel nail polish (as an alternative of simply UV reactive). Largely hema free gel polish. Their polishes are round $14.99 and so they have frequent gross sales all the way down to $4.99.
- Nails by Dev – a neighborhood indie nail polish model that’s superior and Dev’s tutorials are unbelievable! Their gel polishes are round $14, however cheaper in the event you go to their retailer in individual.
- F.U.N. Lacquer – an extremely inventive indie model from Singapore. Their gel polishes are round $22.50
- Apres – I purchase their pure quick stiletto suggestions and Gel-X Prep. Their polishes, which I’ve by no means tried, are round $14.99
All of those manufacturers are decrease priced than Madam Glam’s non VIP gel polish pricing. The one one even near Madam Glam’s ridiculous $26.96 is Apres. And as you may inform, most of those manufacturers are priced round $14, which makes Madam Glam’s ‘low cost’ VIP worth of $13.48 not well worth the problem of the membership, in my humble opinion.
Vettsy
Vettsy is a new-to-me hema-free gel polish model that I discovered on Instagram who curates nail pattern containers. I’ve bought a number of of their jelly and creme hema-free gel polishes. The neon formulation was about the identical problem stage as iGel glow-in-the-dark gel polishes, which is to say barely lumpy and takes some additional tlc to get it to look excellent, however well worth the effort. The cream formulation was glorious for me.
Painted Desert
Painted Desert makes my favourite Cactuc Gelly Plus builder, which is what I apply on prime of my Orly Nail Tip Primer in a skinny coat, treatment, after which apply it to the bottom of my full protection nail tricks to adhere the tip to my nail. Additionally they make my favourite Shiny Prime Coat. It’s no wipe, however I nonetheless find yourself wiping with alcohol after I’m completed with all my nails to verify they give the impression of being their greatest. I’ve a couple of polishes from Painted Desert and so they’re pretty too. I like the complete protection nail suggestions that they promote and have a number of shapes from them.
Every day Charme
Every day Charme is the nail model that I’ve bought from essentially the most over the previous few years, primarily as a result of I like their intensive nail artwork choice. I do personal their UV-reactive nail polishes, however was dissatisfied that they don’t seem to be true glow-in-the-dark. What I imply by that’s with true glow-in-the-dark gel polish, I cost it both outdoors in direct daylight or in my LED nail lamp (carrying my LED safety gloves), after which it glows all evening at the hours of darkness. UV-reactive gel polishes solely glow below blacklight. I like the complete protection nail suggestions that they promote and have a number of shapes from them.
iGel Magnificence
iGel Magnificence is the model that I’ve tried essentially the most number of merchandise from. I attempted their dip merchandise, that are positively not for me. I like their gel polishes, particularly the glow-in-the-dark, temper change glow gel (thermals + glow-in-the-dark), pearl gel, platinum ombre gel, and blossom gel. iGel polishes are moderately priced and so they’re always having gross sales the place you may decide up gel polish for $5 a bottle. In order for you true glow-in-the-dark merchandise, you must store iGel. I don’t know some other model that has them.
Apres
I solely use two merchandise from Apres. I used their pure quick stiletto suggestions and Gel-X Prep. Gel-X Prep is a product used to etch the within of full protection suggestions to assist them adhere higher. And I choose the Apres pure quick stiletto suggestions to some other quick stiletto suggestions that I’ve tried. Their form suits me effectively.
No Extra VIP for Me
I’m over corporations that make use of VIP packages like Madam Glam. I perceive {that a} recurring income mannequin, resembling a month-to-month price, helps to supply companies with a gradual and predictable income stream. It additionally makes positive that there’s the next buyer lifetime worth with the automated renewal, as a result of many individuals overlook to unsubscribe or pause memberships.
These corporations use FOMO (worry of lacking out) to get individuals to affix their packages by providing VIP solely reductions, early entry to merchandise, and different issues to entice individuals to maintain the memberships even when they’re not frequent customers.
Nonetheless, these misleading enterprise practices can even hurt their firm’s popularity, particularly when coupled with dangerous customer support.
This expertise has strengthened my stance on supporting companies that worth transparency and buyer respect over misleading subscription techniques. It’s disheartening to see a model with potential falter by means of poor buyer administration. I’ll stick to Vettsy, Every day Charme, iGel, Painted Desert, Nails by Dev, F.U.N. Lacquer and Apres since they don’t deal with me poorly and have honest pricing.
Madam Glam, it’s time for a change—not simply in the way you deal with subscriptions, however in the way you deal with your loyal prospects. Till then, it’s a goodbye from me.
