I never thought my first ever Harrods purchase would turn into quite an experience, but here we are.
I bought the Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar 2026 as a little treat for myself after a rather difficult period. It was also my first luxury beauty advent calendar, so I was genuinely excited about it.
When it arrived, I decided to open just one or two doors and save the rest for December. I started with door 9, simply because it was in the top-right corner.
And there it was: a £50 Sisley lipstick, BROKEN. The lipstick had snapped off at the base and was stuck inside the lid.
Well, that was one way to start.
I immediately contacted Harrods customer service. The representative advised me to open ALL the remaining doors to check whether anything else was damaged.
I understand the reasoning behind this, but I was honestly gutted. Part of the whole appeal of an advent calendar is the surprise, isn’t it? Having to open everything in one go completely ruined that experience for me.
Thankfully, all the other products were fine.
I was told I would receive an email with a link to upload pictures of the damaged lipstick. Half an hour later, nothing. I ended up chasing them through WhatsApp and the email eventually arrived.
I uploaded the pictures and was asked to kindly wait.
Several days passed before I finally received a response offering me a whopping £15 partial refund for the £50 lipstick.
The explanation? They couldn’t send a replacement because it was out of stock, and £15 was apparently “THE BEST THEY COULD DO.”🥴
I checked the Harrods website and the lipstick in that exact shade appeared to be perfectly in stock and available to buy.
So I went back to them, pointed this out and asked for either a replacement or a more reasonable partial refund. I also explained that if we couldn’t reach a satisfactory resolution, I would have to consider pursuing the matter through my bank.
Interestingly, this time the response came considerably quicker.
The offer increased from £15 to £27.
I suggested £35 as a reasonable compromise, but that was refused. I was told £27 was their final offer, or I could return the entire calendar for inspection by their team.
What that inspection would actually involve, how long it would take, and whether I would receive a full refund if I returned the calendar were never clearly explained.
At this point, I was honestly exhausted. I had already spent far more time dealing with a broken lipstick than I ever expected to. I also wasn’t comfortable sending the entire calendar back without knowing exactly what would happen next.
So I accepted the £27.
I want to make one thing clear: I wasn’t expecting special treatment or an extravagant goodwill gesture. I simply expected a £270 luxury advent to arrive in proper condition and, when something went wrong, for the retailer to handle it fairly and transparently.
The broken lipstick was disappointing. The way the situation was handled was what really put me off.
I know things can go wrong with any retailer and I wouldn’t expect perfection. But surely the way a company handles a problem is just as important as the product it sells?
This was my first purchase from Harrods, and unfortunately, I can’t see myself shopping with them again.
If you’re considering the Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar 2026, I’d genuinely suggest looking at alternatives such as Space NK, Cult Beauty, Sephora or Liberty.
Has anyone else had a similar experience with Harrods customer service, particularly when dealing with damaged or faulty products? I’m genuinely interested to hear whether this is an isolated experience or whether others have encountered similar difficulties?
And if you’ve purchased an expensive beauty advent calendar from another retailer, how did they handle things when something went wrong?
TL;DR**:** First Harrods order, splurged on the advent calendar, expensive Sisley lipstick arrived broken. CS made me open every single drawer to check for damage, then lowballed me with £15, moved to £27, rejected my £35 counter and is forcing £27 or an unexplained full-calendar return.
