No customer dared to pay this weekend the more than three MLC (freely convertible currency) that a bottle of Suchel cologne costs at the La Filosofía store in Centro Habana. “They got out of hand with the alcohol,” warned one of the sales clerks as she discouraged shoppers from taking a “fragrance-free” product.
“You have to take care of your customers’ pockets,” he explained, in a display of good faith, but later, with less honesty, he qualified: “I have to avoid the paperwork for the return.” According to the worker, the Suchel company had sent the entire batch damaged. “Most likely, the same thing is happening in other stores,” she estimated.
The employee invited customers to check the problem themselves. She would offer them the bottle, she would uncover it and then, satisfied, she would ask: “Tell me if they are not just alcohol?” A girl raised the vial to her nose and nodded.
“Whoever wants to take them is at their own risk,” insisted the worker. “I am already alerting. Later I am not going to return the money to anyone.” Neither Suchel, she clarifies, accepts the return of the product. “They will stay there forever,” she settled, with the recommendation to ask, in other establishments, if the colonies had been affected by the same situation.
“Whoever wants to take them is at their own risk,” insisted the worker. “I am already alerting. Later I am not going to return the money to anyone”
“I don’t like to sell things that don’t work,” he said, but he is aware that other stores do not have the same sales “policy” and do not want a discussion with Suchel representatives. According to the clerk, the company always wants everything to be sold, even if the product is deficient.
The company, associated with the Dutch giant Unilever, has had a long-standing reputation for failing to meet quality standards. Adulteration, theft, corruption, delays and substitution of compounds are some of the factors that characterize its operation.
It is not uncommon to find in the informal market, or in advertisements on sales sites on-line, the same essences that the colonies of La Filosofía lack. The same happens with the components of the detergent manufactured by the company, the shavings with which the soap is made and flavorings in which the fragrances stolen from the Suchel warehouses are dissolved.
Given the mistrust generated by these products, Cubans usually look for imported perfumes, shampoos, hygiene products and cosmetics. Even if they are of the worst quality or from a brand they do not know, the purchase will not have the same risk as trusting Suchel.
________________________
Collaborate with our work:
The team of 14ymedio He is committed to doing serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for accompanying us on this long road. We invite you to continue supporting us, but this time becoming a member of our newspaper. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
