Bath & Body Works Gingham Fresh Lotion Smells Sour and Spoiled

On June 18, 2026, at 5:33 PM, we purchased a body lotion called "Gingham Fresh Ultima" from the Bath & Body Works store at City’s Mall in Nişantaşı for my daughter. Since there was no tester available in the store, the staff told us that we could simply open the cap and smell the product. When I got home, I wanted to take just a tiny, lentil-sized amount to check the scent, and I have never encountered such an overpowering, sour, and unpleasant smell in my entire life.

I then called the store and said that I could bring the product back the next day to show them. The employee I spoke with said that because the cap had been opened and the product had been used, they could not exchange it and could only send it for inspection. Because I did not want to go back the next day only to be told that "48 hours had passed," I went to the store myself about 20 minutes before closing, especially since I live on a nearby side street. Despite being a regular customer, I found the employees extremely indifferent and dismissive. Their attitude was so thoughtless and sarcastic that I was even told that I could "give it to someone as a gift."

This is not about the money. I cannot tolerate the unfair treatment and disrespect I experienced. If a product cannot be exchanged once its cap has been opened, then I want to know how employees can open products from the sales floor, apply them to the back of their hands, and put them back on the shelf when there is no tester available in the store. I should not be expected to use a defective product with an unusually strong, sour smell, and I clearly demonstrated the problem at the store. Instead of helping me, one employee would walk away while I was explaining the issue and another employee would come over, forcing me to explain the same situation over and over again. This shows how little seriousness was given to my complaint. Trying to dismiss the issue by saying, "Our foreign customers like it," is also unacceptable. The preferences of your foreign customers are irrelevant to my complaint.

My receipt number is 0059, and the cashier listed on the receipt is A*** H****. I request that the defective and foul-smelling "Gingham Fresh Ultima" body lotion be exchanged, at the store staff's recommendation, for another product of their choosing or recommendation. I also request that the necessary warnings and actions be taken to ensure that staff treat customers with greater respect and focus on finding solutions. After this experience, I do not feel that I can trust the company, I do not plan to visit the store again, and I will specifically advise people around me not to shop at this location.