You were justifiably annoyed about yesterday's post about the rip-off culture that's endemic in the business of beauty in this country and we hope with your input things might change. I promised you some more on the issue and here's part two - several of you wanted to know what you could do to change the status quo, and I like a bit of a complain personally, so here are my recommendations for your next step.
LET PEOPLE KNOW
Beaut.ie has about 20,000 readers a day, so lots of you beauty fiends have seen the post already. We don't want to shout in the dark, so we need more eyes to see the article, especially those who may not normally visit blogs. For starters, email the link to yesterday's story to all your friends and family. Encourage them to pass it on to all their friends and contacts as well. Use the toolbar in the green panel below each post to add the story to your Facebook, Bebo and Twitter accounts. Remember, the more people who see it, the better!
GET IN TOUCH WITH PRICEWATCH AT THE IRISH TIMES
I've been in touch with the fantastic and tenacious Conor Pope at the Irish Times. Mr Pope is the man behind the Pricewatch column and blog and is a true consumer hero. He has given us his ok for you to contact him over this issue. If you visit the Irish Times' website you can do just that: click on any of his online features - like this one on paying through the nose - and to the top there is an 'email to author' link. Use this to let him know about how you feel about overcharging in this area, and to flag any specific incidents you've noticed.
TALK TO THE NATIONAL CONSUMER AGENCY
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I have spoken to the National Consumer Agency about this issue and they have advised me that because this is not illegal, they have no powers of legislation to force brands to adopt more realistic pricing. They did assure me that they would be happy to talk to anyone who would like to call to complain and that they do use such calls to compile statistics. You can also check their website for further information on consumer rights.
So while there may be nothing enforcement-wise they can do, if enough of you make some noise, your voices will be heard within their statistic-compiling method, and that may prompt a response. You can lo-call them on 1890 432 432.
ALERT THE PRESS
Talk to your local newspaper or radio station and see if they'd like to write or talk about this issue. Tell them Beaut.ie sent you! We will be doing the same. Journalists, if you're reading, we'd be happy to talk to you.
CONTACT THE BEAUTY BRANDS
Because there is no legislation in place and there is no illegality to what we see as over-charging, contacting your favourite brand direct via the contact details on their individual websites may be just the ticket. We would ask you to communicate politely and factually in any letter or email you send. State the facts, convey how disappointed you are and how you hope that the brand will review its pricing policies for the Irish market. But please don't resort to accusations, name-calling or insults.
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VOTE WITH YOUR FEET
This is in essence what the National Consumer Agency advised me to do. As they have no powers of enforcement their advice was for consumers to vote with their feet, which is a perfectly legitimate way to show your lack of support for a brand who you feel is taking advantage of its Irish customers.
