Wonderful shopping experience

I had the most wonderful experience dealing with Fragrance Boutique. They really are the best.

I contacted their head office via email or WhatsApp whenever I had a problem or request and always received a prompt, friendly, professional reply from their Customer Service Department or from their Warehouse Manager, Maraweja.

And it wasn't some generic reply that was just slapped together or AI generated - they really listened to me, gave me a personal reply and did their best to accommodate me. I even got a few friendly voice notes from them.

I was a VERY demanding customer to say the least. I would order a perfume, receive the correct one and then change my mind and say I want a different fragrance. They would then take back the used bottle and send me the new fragrance I asked for.

I even ordered a perfume, decided it wasn't exactly the same as their tester, sent back the used bottle and asked for a new bottle of exactly the SAME fragrance. Even after telling me that they can virtually guarantee me that the perfume will smell exactly the same as the one I returned, they still sent me a new bottle. As predicted, it smelled the same so I returned it and asked for a new fragrance, which they sent to me without any questions or hassles.

One of the replacements I asked for, after sending back yet another perfume, was the same as one I had ordered a week or two earlier and liked. However the new one wasn't strong enough (according to me) and didn't have the right level of sweetness when compared with my other bottle, so I returned it and asked for a completely new fragrance. They sent me the new perfume, no questions asked.

When I received a defective bottle where the spray mechanism was damaged they immediately said they would replace it with a new one or give me a refund. With every perfume I returned, they always gave me the option of getting a full refund.

Each time they had to send a courier to come pick up the perfumes I weren't happy with and later deliver the new ones. And they didn't charge me a cent for all the extra courier costs. They also didn't charge me for all the used (tested) perfumes I returned, which they wouldn't be able to sell again.

Apart from their excellent service, they also have an excellent product. Their perfumes smell 100% like the real thing. I know that many places who sell generics of brand name perfumes claim the same thing, but with Fragrance Boutique it really does smell EXACTLY the same, even though they say "inspired by" (probably for legal reasons). They use reverse engineering to analyse a brand name perfume so that they know, down to the last molecule, what ingredients and how much of each is in it. They can then recreate it with 100% accuracy.

As mentioned, I'm not an easy person to please. I made two trips to a huge mall filled with perfume shops and went and smelled almost all the original brand name perfumes that's on Fragrance Boutique's list. I would ask the assistant to spray it on a card for me, which I then labeled and put in a sealed bag. The ones I really liked I sprayed on my skin. I also ordered one of each of Fragrance Boutique's testers, which I tested at home and used for comparison.

I compared Fragrance Boutique's perfumes with the brand name ones and they smelled exactly the same. Not cheap or synthetic at all.

The only slightly negative thing I can say about Fragrance Boutique is that some of their perfumes are a bit hit or miss. I sent back so many perfumes because, even though I often received a perfect match the first time round, I sometimes received a perfume that was maybe not as strong as the original or tester or was missing a note or two I liked. It still smelled 95% the same, it was just that I won't settle for anything less than 100%.

The new packaging and bottles the perfume come in also blew me away. They are absolutely gorgeous. I would say in some cases they are even more beautiful than the original bottle. Fragrance Boutique doesn't copy the bottle design or colour of the brand name perfumes. They use the same bottles for all their fragrances.

The male EDT comes in a black embossed box with gold lettering and a stunning emblem on the front. The emblem is also printed on the clear, rectangular glass bottle with silver cap. The ladies Perfume comes in a white embossed box with gold lettering. The clear glass bottle has a very elegant shape with a fancy glass top. Both bottles would make a great addition to any perfume collection.

Even though their perfumes are manufactured locally and are proudly South African, their ingredients are imported from France's perfume capital, Grasse. And this family business has a heart. None of their fragrances are tested on animals. Very good to hear.

And last but not least is the very reasonable pricing. A bottle of perfume from Fragrance Boutique costs, in many cases, about a tenth of the price of the brand name perfume. And their courier fee is free for orders over R600. They also sell 5 ml testers and other products like body lotions and linen sprays in the fragrance of your choice, as well as a wide variety of hair products.

They even sent me one of their lotions (after asking me what fragrance I want) as a free gift to thank me for my support.

I can highly recommend this business and would encourage anyone who loves fine fragrances to visit their website to see everthing they offer.

Thank you, Fragrance Boutique, for your patience, professionalism and great service. I hope I'll be able to shop from you for many years to come