RW
Rikus W
Active since Nov 2023
5
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Reviews
5 reviews23 months ago
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
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24 months ago
Disappointed by "generic" fragrances
I was so excited to receive my three 30 ml bottles of Hugo, Issey Miyake and Eros because I believed that they would smell just like the originals. I was wrong. They are supposedly reverse engineered so that the formula can be perfectly recreated. I fell for the advertising and hype and paid the price for it (R180 to be exact). The fragrances smell nothing like the real thing and are absolutely unrecognisable. They come in very cheap, minute bottles and are filled with fragrances that you can smell cost no more than R20 to make. I would never wear it and would be too embarassed to give it to someone else for free. I would not recommend these fragrances because they are most certainly not the generic version of the original. I really had high hopes for these fragrances and am feeling very disappointed. But as they say: You get what you pay for.
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25 months ago
Turned away as future patient
Discovery Health wanted me to appoint a GP as my primary doctor. Dr Kruger was recommended to me by a friend who has been a patient of his for years. He said both the doctor and his receptionist, Vicky, are very warm, caring people who always make you feel welcome. Unfortunately I had a very different experience. I sent a very friendly email to the receptionist asking if the doctor is still taking new patients. In the last paragraph of my email I mentioned that I very seldom get sick, but that I am on several schedule 5 psychiatric pills at higher than normal dosages. I only mentioned it to give him some background information about my medical history. I have been seeing my specialist psychiatrist, dr Koller, for about four years. He prescribed a long list of schedule 5 medications for me when I first went to see him. I admitted myself to a mental hospital for three weeks so that he could monitor me. The pills did wonders and I started to feel normal again. The doctor never increased my dosage and I take the pills exactly as prescribed. After my first email I received a reply from dr Kruger's receptionist saying that the doctor still accepts new patients and asked on which Discovery plan I am. She also asked me to send my latest chronic script to her and said appointments were to be made telephonically. I only wanted some information and was in perfect health so I assumed it was only a general comment. She never once told me that the preferred method of communication was by phone and not by email. A simple paragraph like: "Welcome Rikus! So nice to have you as a new patient. We are quite busy, so I am not always able to reply to emails, so please give me a call and I will gladly answer any questions you have." That would have prevented me from sending more emails to gather information. In my second email I sent my four last scripts to her, including my latest script which is still valid for four months. I did this so that dr Kruger, as my future primary doctor, would know exactly which medication I am on and at what dosages. I received no reply so I sent another email with some relevant questions I needed answers to. I asked whether dr Kruger had a direct email address so that my psychiatrist and previous GPs could send my private medical information directly to him. I also wanted to know if they just needed all the documents and notes in my file or whether my doctor had to write a report. One of my questions was whether a GP is allowed to write out a short script for schedule 5 psychiatric medication. The doctor might not have thought so, but one CAN have medical emergencies when it comes to psychiatric medication. Two months ago I had an emergency situation like that. I drank the last of my Venlafaxine XR pills that morning, but I wasn't worried because I knew I still had one repeat left. I went to the pharmacy in my lunch time to quickly pick up the pills. The pharmacy loaded the repeats incorrectly and told me I had already received my last repeat. I knew they were wrong, but they would not listen to my explanation (they later admitted that they made a mistake and that I did in fact have another repeat left). They insisted on a new script from my psychiatrist, otherwise they would not give me my pills. Getting a script from my psychiatrist can take anywhere from three days to a week. Venlafaxine has a very short half life, which means it leaves your system very quickly. I knew that if I did not get the pills that day and drink them the next morning I would start feeling very bad and experience withdrawal-like symptoms. I frantically phoned my psychiatrist's receptionist but could not get hold of her. I then sent emails marked "Urgent" to the receptionist and my doctor. I whatsapped the doctor on his private WhatsApp number and even tried to phone him several times on the same number. I could not get hold of either of them and did not have the number of another psychiatrist who knew my prescription and medical history. I arrived back at work and burst out in tears. I was in such a state that they sent me home to try and sort out the situation. It was for very, very rare occasions like that, that I wanted to know if a normal GP would be able to assist as a Plan B. The reply I eventually got from dr Kruger's receptionist did not answer my question about whether a GP can prescribe schedule 5 psychiatric medication for a very short period of time (a week or less) in an emercency. The reply I received was rather blunt and just said I must get my scripts from my psychiatrist or go to the ER (who would not be able to help me). I sent another email asking the same question and asked her to please answer my previous questions. I never heard from her again. I then wrote a polite email asking if they still wanted me as a new patient because she stopped replying to my emails and did not answer any of my questions. I sent the email on the Friday. When I still received no reply by Tuesday evening I wrote a short, rather blunt email expressing my dissatisfaction and told them that they could have at least let me know that dr Kruger does not want me as a new patient. Shortly afterwards I received a relatively professional email from dr Kruger saying that my emails give the impression that "I am very hard up for schedule 5 and 6 medication". It made me feel like he thinks I am a druggie looking for a new doctor to get my next fix. This despite the fact that I told him on numerous occasions that I ONLY need him as a GP. And only because Discovery required it. He also told me to stop "harassing" his receptionist with my emails. As mentioned, it would not have been necessary to send numerous emails if she answered my questions the first time round. I felt angry and humiliated by his reply because he was 100% wrong about me and my situation and neither he nor his receptionist bothered to find out the truth. I rep**** that I am still seeing my psychiatrist, that he is still writing out all my scripts and that I still have a valid prescrption for four months, so I am not "very hard up" for pills. I worded the situation a bit stronger in my previous review about dr Kruger, but he had it removed and managed to put a hellopeter.com block on me so that my queries about the reason for it would not go through. Luckily I managed to get hold of a friendly lady at hellopeter.com by following a different route. She pointed out all the problematic areas and said I am welcome to post my review again once all their guidelines are met. Dr Kruger ended his email to me saying he would advise that I find another GP. I felt very rejected. All in all it was a very unpleasant, disappointing experience for me and I am still traumatised by it. At no point did I experience the warmth, empathy and welcoming spirit the doctor and his receptionist are known for.
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25 months ago
Worst experience ever with dr Arneaux Kruger
Dr Arneaux Kruger at 49 Tanner St, Windsor Park, Kraaifontein, was recommended to me by a friend who said dr Kruger and his receptionist, Vicky, are warm, caring people who instantly make you feel welcome. I was very excited to become a patient because I had only heard good things about dr Kruger and needed a good GP on the Discovery Network to apppoint as my Primary Doctor. Unfortunately my excitement quickly turned to horror when I received the worst treatment I have ever received from a professional. I sent an email to the receptionist to ask if the dr is still taking new patients. She said yes and asked on which Discovery plan I am. She also said I must send a copy of my chronic script to the dr. Her email wasn't particularly friendly or warm, but it was okay. I rep**** with the information she asked for. I then sent my last four scripts, including my current one which is still valid for four months, to her. I got no reply from her so I sent another email asking questions like whether the dr had a dedicated email address so that my dr can send my personal medical information directly to dr Kruger. I also wanted to know if they just need the documents in my file or if my dr needed to write a report. I mentioned that my primary dr is actually a psychiatrist who is also on the Discovery Network, but that I didn't nominate him because Discovery wanted a GP. I gave some of my medical details such as the fact that I am in perfect physical health, but on schedule 5 psychiatric medication. I made it clear though that I only needed dr Kruger's services as a GP and that I will continue to see my psychiatrist to get all my scripts from him. I also asked if a GP is allowed to write out a script for schedule 5 psychiatric medication for a very short period of time (a week or less). I had a situation a month or two earlier where I still had one repeat left of Venlafaxine XR, but the pharmacy made a mistake and wouldn't give it to me (they later admitted they made a mistake). I drank the last of the pills that morning, but wasn't worried because I knew I still had one repeat left. Venlafaxine has a very short half life and you start to feel terrible within a day or so, so I needed the pills that day. I tried to get hold of my psychiatrist and his receptionist but both were unavailable. I had no plan B and was in tears. That is why I asked dr Kruger if a GP would be able to help me in a situation like that. The receptionist didn't answer my question so I had to ask it more than once. And so the nightmare started. I got a pretty cold email from the receptionist saying I must get my pills from my psychiatrist or go to the ER if I have an emergency. She could have just said GPs are not allowed to write out scripts for medications like that. But she didn't. She also didn't tell me that they actually only help people who phone them. I have a phobia of phones so I prefer writing emails. She just wrote that I must make an appointment telephonically. This didn't make any sense to me because I wasn't sick and didn't want an appointment. She didn't show an ounce of empathy, warmth or friendliness. I would write beautiful, very polite emails to the recptionist to ask questions but got no answers. I found this very frustrating. Eventually I wrote her a long email explaining my situation again and said if they didn't want me as a patient they must just say so and I would find another GP. That was on the Friday. By late Tuesday afternoon I still hadn't heard a word from her. A "Welcome, Rikus. So glad to have you as a new patient. We are very busy at the moment, so please phone us and we will gladly answer any questions you have. Looking forward to hearing from you" would have been a much better approach. I was forced to send quite a few emails with legitimate questions but received no reply. After the very cold: "Go to the ER if your psychiatric medication is finished (like they would be able to help me)" comment I never heard from her again. By the Tuesday evening I was very upset and wrote a short, strongly worded email saying it is shocking that they just flat out ignore me. After that email I received an email from dr Kruger himself saying my emails "give the impression that I'm hard up for schedule 5 and 6 drugs". I never once mentioned schedule 6 medication and only mentioned the schedule 5 medication because that is what my psychiatrist prescribed for me. It formed part of my medical history so a Primary Doctor should know these things. Instead I was basically called a druggie who is hard up for schedule 5 and 6 drugs. Again, I have a valid prescription for everything I need and my psychiatrist would gladly write out a new script for me. And then dr Kruger told me to stop bombarding/harassing his receptionist with my emails. He gave some lame excuse (which he would no doubt use if he bothers to reply to this revue). He copied and pasted some stuff about only helping people telephonically and replies can take up to seven days, and huge work-loads and bla, bla. Then he told me to go find another GP. Him and his receptionist were ice cold and unhelpful. Don't believe the hype that he is the best dr ever and so warm, friendly, helpful and nice. It's all an act to lure in rich patients like my friend who recommended him. My Discovery Plan was obviously not grand enough for them. Imagine being told they don't want you as a patient because you seem like a hard up druggie. And any questions or requests for a reply is called harassment. AVOID DR A KRUGER AT AL COSTS!
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26 months ago
Avoid Clicks Soneike Pharmacy
I am reviewing Clicks Pharmacy Soneike in Kuils River. Nine out of ten times they make mistakes. Either they give me the wrong medication, type in the script wrong (3 times for the same script!) or get the information about the medication they dispensed wrong. And they take you for a ride. I take pills where I need to take 450mg per day. So I asked for a bottle of 150mg and one of 300mg. Then they asked can they give me three 150mg bottles instead of 150mg and 300mg. It's still 450mg so I said yes, okay because I trust(ed) them. Later, after I paid I found out that paying for three bottles of pills are much more expensive than two (R1,115 vs R844). And they know it, but do it to get more money out of you. At the end of January I went to pick up my pills (different ones that I get at a different time) and was told I need a new script because I reached 5 of 5 repeats. All my other pills were still 4 of 5 repeats, but the pills I needed (I had completely run out of pills and was going into withdrawal) they wouldn't give me without a new script. I tried to explain that it was a mistake on their side, but they refused to listen. So I had to urgently contact ny doctor and pay R450 for a new script. And that evening I realised I was right, it was 4 of 5 repeats, so I still had one repeat left and didn't need a new script. The day before yesterday I went to pick up different pills. I noticed it said 1 of 4 repeats on the bottle, while all my other medication which I got at different times during the month still said 1 of 5 repeats (including the pills I got the day I "needed" a new script). Today I went to them to explain that they made a mistake, but the lady who helped me just said, no, it's right. They count it from the day the script was received. I still had pills left so I only needed new ones on 6 February. That was the original. Then the pills I got the day before yesterday was my FIRST repeat, thus 1 of 5. But she insisted it was 1 of 4. I demanded to speak to someone else and they told me the same story. It's repeat 1 of 4, even though it was only my second bottle, which I got on 6 March. My script was wrtten out on 25 January, so I didn't need any other pills for that month. I got my first original prescription for the pills in February and my first repeat on 6 March. They made me look like a fool and wouldn't listen. Soneike is a terrible pharmacy. The staff is *********** and sneaky and always out of stock, so you either have to come back or pay more for the pills they have in stock. Do not use or trust this pharmacy. I plan to ask for my script back and go to Dischem. I don't know if they are any better, but I can't imagine that they can be worse than Clicks Pharmacy Soneike.
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1 (20%)
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1 Star
4 (80%)