BLOCKED on H.com

[leechiyong]

Slightly OT, but this reminded me...I almost feel like CS are generally not very good at identifying the issue quickly when it's related to stuff like purchase limits (and bans). I was in a thread in the LV sub-forum recently, where the OP started getting into the brand so they purchased multiple items in a short amount of time, and hit the LV limit so their orders get cancelled. But when they called CS, CS didn't tell them that's the reason (instead it was like, maybe item was out of stock, let's try again...and of course the re-try also failed). And LV even lists their limits on their official website in plain text! But for some reason, CS didn't identify the problem. Maybe they have to follow certain scripts and can't or don't deviate? It's just nothing but frustration for customers. I'd rather be told the truth even if it is accusing me of being a reseller, I want accurate information!

I worked in CS for a couple years. I'm not excusing how they treat people at all, but please know it's often as frustrating for them as it is for you. Different information is available through different systems, some don't have access to them and some aren't familiar with them. This is done deliberately.

Most aren't going to suspect a customer has been banned out of the gate. Credit card and account issues do make up a lot of their phone calls and no one wants to go worst possible case scenario when someone's just entering the wrong zip code for the card. Information on bans is likely in a separate system and I doubt any company would trust their CSRs with the details of the causes. Not because they're untrustworthy, but in their attempts to help, would share this with the customer and if said customer was actually a reseller, teach them how to game the system, or potentially opening the company up to litigation which the CSRs are not trained in how to avoid.

All of this is predicated on wanting to keep bad actors out. Honest customers, like OP or the OP in the LV thread? Unfortunately, they get the run around or treated like they're guilty. If I had any say in how to make this better, they should set a flag on the accounts and have a dedicated, trained team familiar with all of the nuances they have to know to answer these calls that customers are referred to. On the flip side, and the reason they may not do this, is because quite frankly, if I'm treated like this by a company that I had spent substantial sums of money on, proving my innocence is not worth it.

 

[CMilly]

I agree and they might be limited, but like , TRY to find someone who can help me? When I was on the phone with her, I asked to speak with the supervisor she had supposedly asked about this. She didn't put me on hold music and I heard her talking with someone in the back awhile, like 5 min. She came back and said, yeah supervisor is in a meeting so they will have to call you back later today or tomorrow. Seriously? Very non-high-end service for a high- end company.

In fairness we are in the middle of a pandemic and they have a lot of staff to worry about. I appreciate we all need a distraction and a mood lifter but you probably aren’t their number one priority right now and nor should you be. They have a lot of staff depending on them to do the right thing now for their own personal and economic security. Unblocking youre online account probably is not a priority at the moment and try to be patient.

 

[marbella8]

This is not new and has been going on for at least the last 15 years. I had many discussions with Hermes upper management about resellers and they are aware that the resellers themselves are not the ones buying bags from Hermes, they all have been blocked years ago. The resellers buy their bags from people like you and me, so any of us who purchase a lot of bags, in their eyes, are potentially the people who are flipping the bags over to the resellers to sell. They know, in detail, how bags are purchased in other countries and how many hands they go through until they arrive in the hands of the resellers in the states. It was really quite eye opening to hear how this is done. And yes, once you're blocked, I'm sorry to say there isn't much you can do. My only advice would be to bring someone from Hermes to your home and show them that you have all of the bags in your possession that you've purchased. Seriously if they see you're purchasing and still own all of the bags you purchased, then you may have a chance of getting taken off of this list.

You literally took the words out of my mind- take your bags from h.com to your SA and SM of your store, to show you don’t resell and have them contact corporate go remove your block.

 

[QuelleFromage]

Tracey, I don’t think your spend is suspicious. I know this is a freaking rarefied world we here live in but I see new people spend six figures in one visit at Hermès, and other stores, all the time. It’s not that big a deal....in that world.

I think it’s a mistake and they’ve handled it horribly. Maybe someone in this thread has done CS and can chime in, but I’ve run businesses that share call centers with multiple brands, so each rep is switching brands constantly. I stopped doing it because of exactly this - the reps were not hired by my team, were not on brand and were not knowledgeable enough to truly make a customer feel valued.
Normally I’d be surprised if H did this but given how bad the website is....it’s possible. And again...I think this is just a really dumb glitch on the part of a company that has always been digitally challenged.

Please escalate to corporate. I don’t even think you have to, like, photograph your collection...anyone willing to escalate this far is unlikely to be a reseller.

if they don’t help fix this I can understand not buying from the store any further. This will hurt your store’s numbers unless you’re in a financial center, and even then it will be way more than a rounding error. Your SM will be upset. But, you may be over them, and I get that.
Still....it’s a brand not a relationship and what you bought already isn’t tainted in the same way as a gift from a bad ex. I’d keep the purchases you love. They’re yours, made by an artisan somewhere who had nothing to do with this BS, and you should enjoy them. Whom you choose to spend with going forward is up to what makes you feel good.

 

[StaceyLyn]

Hi all -

I am sure this post will be met with many different types of comments, but here goes. I am almost in tears as I write it.

In January, I placed several orders on H.com that were canceled. At first the CSR's said it was my credit card, or billing address or other technical errors. So I tried everything, different browsers, different cc's, a different email, you name it, nothing worked. FINALLY after about 7 calls, a supervisor called me back and said I was blocked from ordering any handbags from FW2019. But come spring, not a problem. I had just reached quota for H.com for fall, but to be on the lookout for spring as it resets. BUT I am able to order SLG, twillies, jewelry, etc. Mind you I believe I ordered 6 bags for fall, and returned 2 (my store place the order for me on the website for 2 that didn't work and I returned) so net 4 bags.

I went all in on Hermes after selling/ consigning all of my Chanel. I was super excited about moving over, and with several boutiques along with H.com, I guess I spent about 400k over maybe 4 months? About 175k of that was 6 exotic pieces I purchased through boutiques, along with some high jewelry, so it wasn't a TON of bags. Online I ordered a couple of Evelyne and a couple of Roulis, some twillies, and a couple of rodeos.

So I have been blocked since January from ordering any bags. Low and behold a few nights ago, a Vert Criquet pops up on the site in an Evelyne and I am all excited cuz I am dying for that color in ANYTHING really. Same thing, order cannot even be placed.

I called CS today, just now, and the CSR spoke with her supervisor who confirmed that my account is blocked for life, and the block cannot be removed. She said in her history of working at Hermes she has never seen this before, and said that there is no one who can remove it. Despite the supervisor telling me last month, no worries, just wait till spring, she said that was misinformation. I cannot ever order another leather goods item again. I asked her why, what was going on, I didn't understand , who do I talk to, she said ma'am we are not trained to answer all of these questions and I cannot help you so please stop wasting my time.

I said I am so disappointed because I feel now I have invested so much in switching over to Hermes, sold everything else to go almost 'all in' here and am extremely brand loyal. I feel so stupid. SO STUPID. Truly, it makes me want to put all of my beautiful things in a pile and burn them. I am embarrassed and have never experienced anything like this before. It's humiliating.

So heart on my sleeve, this is what is happening. I am not sure I can ever feel good about purchasing again, if you were me, would you?

Let's look at this logically. The ban/prohibition you are experiencing was triggered by a computer, not a person. The IRS does this as well when anomalies are detected. Hermes Boutiques are used to dealing with wealthy clients and SA's are all too happy to sell, sell, sell, when the $$$ is in front of them. But the reality is that to H.com/Corporate your buying patterns are a red flag. I know it's frustrating, but Hermes has a right to protect their brand and experience has taught them what to look for and how to combat it. Put yourself in Hermes' place: you come out of nowhere and spend $400k in four months. Yes, many people can do that and they do just that. But they generally have an established relationship with the brand. As so many other posters have already articulated, Hermes has a clear purchase policy and it's designed to thwart resellers. Whether or not you are a reseller is moot. All that matters is that Hermes THINKS you are a reseller and that's the rub. As an aside, forwarding this thread to anyone at Hermes is a bad idea. Actions speak louder than words; you say you are "extremely brand loyal" in the very same post where you admit to reselling all your Chanel bags. Not a great example of "brand loyalty."

 

[TraceySH]

You need to try to put things in perspective. They don’t want your business. It may be due to a misunderstanding but it is what it is. I would take my business elsewhere. I would probably sell anything of the brand that I currently own..as your experience would leave me with a tainted impression of the company....They don’t deserve your business.

Thank you. Right now that's CERTAINLY what it feels like to me. Continuing this way would be conflicting for me emotionally/ ethically in a way that I would not experience the same joy. For certain.

 

[TraceySH]

Tracey, I don’t think your spend is suspicious. I know this is a freaking rarefied world we here live in but I see new people spend six figures in one visit at Hermès, and other stores, all the time. It’s not that big a deal....in that world.

I think it’s a mistake and they’ve handled it horribly. Maybe someone in this thread has done CS and can chime in, but I’ve run businesses that share call centers with multiple brands, so each rep is switching brands constantly. I stopped doing it because of exactly this - the reps were not hired by my team, were not on brand and were not knowledgeable enough to truly make a customer feel valued.
Normally I’d be surprised if H did this but given how bad the website is....it’s possible. And again...I think this is just a really dumb glitch on the part of a company that has always been digitally challenged.

Please escalate to corporate. I don’t even think you have to, like, photograph your collection...anyone willing to escalate this far is unlikely to be a reseller.

if they don’t help fix this I can understand not buying from the store any further. This will hurt your store’s numbers unless you’re in a financial center, and even then it will be way more than a rounding error. Your SM will be upset. But, you may be over them, and I get that.
Still....it’s a brand not a relationship and what you bought already isn’t tainted in the same way as a gift from a bad ex. I’d keep the purchases you love. They’re yours, made by an artisan somewhere who had nothing to do with this BS, and you should enjoy them. Whom you choose to spend with going forward is up to what makes you feel good.

Very very phenomenal points thank you. And you are right. The things I have were made by someone somewhere who put pride into their work - the exotics I have are just breathtaking. I am hard in the grey areas. But I am gonna try. And definitely their CS leaves much to be desired. Literally if I called a Home Depot they would have more dimensional service than this!!!

 

[onlyk]

I think its all about money, probably they banned you because you had returned two bags not because you had bought many in a short period of time. Bought then returned (30% rate of return in your case) probably put you in a "difficult" or "picky" customer category. When Hermes is in high demand, they can pick and choose their customers.

Can't tell you times I had bought brand new bags in store and online and found out obvious defects or imperfections when collecting in store or later when looked over again at home. I still took them even was very disappointing, they were so bad that i didn't want to wear them because felt embarrassed for the defects of items, didn't want others thinking I'm wearing "fakes". I just resold them to got rid of them.

 

[TraceySH]

Let's look at this logically. The ban/prohibition you are experiencing was triggered by a computer, not a person. The IRS does this as well when anomalies are detected. Hermes Boutiques are used to dealing with wealthy clients and SA's are all too happy to sell, sell, sell, when the $$$ is in front of them. But the reality is that to H.com/Corporate your buying patterns are a red flag. I know it's frustrating, but Hermes has a right to protect their brand and experience has taught them what to look for and how to combat it. Put yourself in Hermes' place: you come out of nowhere and spend $400k in four months. Yes, many people can do that and they do just that. But they generally have an established relationship with the brand. As so many other posters have already articulated, Hermes has a clear purchase policy and it's designed to thwart resellers. Whether or not you are a reseller is moot. All that matters is that Hermes THINKS you are a reseller and that's the rub. As an aside, forwarding this thread to anyone at Hermes is a bad idea. Actions speak louder than words; you say you are "extremely brand loyal" in the very same post where you admit to reselling all your Chanel bags. Not a great example of "brand loyalty."

I disagree. I was brand loyal to Chanel for a very very long time, and what changed that for me was their restructuring and the impact that it had on their employees, first and foremost. Companies change. I am extremely loyal until I see something unethical or people being abused in some way, then I no longer consider the relationship valid. Crippling their employees by cutting their wages in half while taking away benefits was a bit alarming to me as a company I had supported for some time. I still have relationships with all of my SA despite having moved on.

I can speak up, try to change things, but if nothing happens, I have the clear to move on.

Second, I am not upset that I was blocked. If you read my post you will see that I was upset with all of the mixed messages, misinformation, getting the runaround from CS. I asked for a clear line or explanation, and I got 10, all of them conflicting. It's a handbag brand. Do you HONESTLY think I care if corporate sees this? Honestly? OMG no! Are you kidding? I put it out there as a PSA, not because I am pining away for Hermes to somehow give me a warm fuzzy blanket, a bottle of milk, and tell me it's ok. And no, I did not come out of nowhere. I have been buying since 2017. Also no, I am not flagged at any boutique for any reason. ALSO H.com cannot see my boutique purchases, but boutiques can see H.com purchases. And I CONSIGNED my Chanel bags with 3rd party sellers, which is a bit different than me selling them, which I did not. Anyone who consigns with TRR or FP on most occasions takes a massive loss, not even speaking to that 95% of Hermes bags' resale is abysmal. While I appreciate your post above, it does not accurately address any of the sentiments I was relaying in the thread.

 

[TraceySH]

I worked in CS for a couple years. I'm not excusing how they treat people at all, but please know it's often as frustrating for them as it is for you. Different information is available through different systems, some don't have access to them and some aren't familiar with them. This is done deliberately.

Most aren't going to suspect a customer has been banned out of the gate. Credit card and account issues do make up a lot of their phone calls and no one wants to go worst possible case scenario when someone's just entering the wrong zip code for the card. Information on bans is likely in a separate system and I doubt any company would trust their CSRs with the details of the causes. Not because they're untrustworthy, but in their attempts to help, would share this with the customer and if said customer was actually a reseller, teach them how to game the system, or potentially opening the company up to litigation which the CSRs are not trained in how to avoid.

All of this is predicated on wanting to keep bad actors out. Honest customers, like OP or the OP in the LV thread? Unfortunately, they get the run around or treated like they're guilty. If I had any say in how to make this better, they should set a flag on the accounts and have a dedicated, trained team familiar with all of the nuances they have to know to answer these calls that customers are referred to. On the flip side, and the reason they may not do this, is because quite frankly, if I'm treated like this by a company that I had spent substantial sums of money on, proving my innocence is not worth it.

I think that's a great idea!

 

[TraceySH]

In fairness we are in the middle of a pandemic and they have a lot of staff to worry about. I appreciate we all need a distraction and a mood lifter but you probably aren’t their number one priority right now and nor should you be. They have a lot of staff depending on them to do the right thing now for their own personal and economic security. Unblocking youre online account probably is not a priority at the moment and try to be patient.

I agree with that. But this has been a long time coming and many calls. My SA suggested I call them about this, so I did exactly that. FWIW I am trying not to capitulate to all of the horrible things happening around us, and the markets crashing. I am most certainly not on a buying spree, but if we all scale back to nothing, retail will implode even further. Now is the time for companies to really cultivate business, not eschew it. Like Nordstrom 10% off everything, Neimans 20% off everything, etc. I grew up in a commercial real estate family, so retail is EVERYTHING. If you can, DON'T. STOP. SPENDING.

 

[StaceyLyn]

I disagree. I was brand loyal to Chanel for a very very long time, and what changed that for me was their restructuring and the impact that it had on their employees, first and foremost. Companies change. I am extremely loyal until I see something unethical or people being abused in some way, then I no longer consider the relationship valid. Crippling their employees by cutting their wages in half while taking away benefits was a bit alarming to me as a company I had supported for some time. I still have relationships with all of my SA despite having moved on.

I can speak up, try to change things, but if nothing happens, I have the clear to move on.

Second, I am not upset that I was blocked. If you read my post you will see that I was upset with all of the mixed messages, misinformation, getting the runaround from CS. I asked for a clear line or explanation, and I got 10, all of them conflicting. It's a handbag brand. Do you HONESTLY think I care if corporate sees this? Honestly? OMG no! Are you kidding? I put it out there as a PSA, not because I am pining away for Hermes to somehow give me a warm fuzzy blanket, a bottle of milk, and tell me it's ok. And no, I did not come out of nowhere. I have been buying since 2017. Also no, I am not flagged at any boutique for any reason. ALSO H.com cannot see my boutique purchases, but boutiques can see H.com purchases. And I CONSIGNED my Chanel bags with 3rd party sellers, which is a bit different than me selling them, which I did not. Anyone who consigns with TRR or FP on most occasions takes a massive loss, not even speaking to that 95% of Hermes bags' resale is abysmal. While I appreciate your post above, it does not accurately address any of the sentiments I was relaying in the thread.

The details behind your dealing with other brands and what you did or did not do with other handbags is moot to this entire discussion. Hermes does not know any of that (unless you tell them). You are clearly upset at being blacklisted as any of us would be. Sadly, none of us can change the policy for you or do anything other than offer opinions. SA's cannot help you, either, as they are rarely privy to Corporate logic, decision-making policies or the logistics of intra-company information sharing. I read all your posts and understood everything you typed. And, after gleaning the relevant facts from those posts I remain committed to my position that Hermes acted appropriately.

 

[CMilly]

I agree with that. But this has been a long time coming and many calls. My SA suggested I call them about this, so I did exactly that. FWIW I am trying not to capitulate to all of the horrible things happening around us, and the markets crashing. I am most certainly not on a buying spree, but if we all scale back to nothing, retail will implode even further. Now is the time for companies to really cultivate business, not eschew it. Like Nordstrom 10% off everything, Neimans 20% off everything, etc. I grew up in a commercial real estate family, so retail is EVERYTHING. If you can, DON'T. STOP. SPENDING.

A little patience and humility goes a long way even if you believe retail is everything and a person is wealthy. If you are so upset, contact your SM or an executive to see if they can assist. They can probably do more for you than we can. Good luck.

 

[TraceySH]

The details behind your dealing with other brands and what you did or did not do with other handbags is moot to this entire discussion. Hermes does not know any of that (unless you tell them). You are clearly upset at being blacklisted as any of us would be. Sadly, none of us can change the policy for you or do anything other than offer opinions. SA's cannot help you, either, as they are rarely privy to Corporate logic, decision-making policies or the logistics of intra-company information sharing. I read all your posts and understood everything you typed. And, after gleaning the relevant facts from those posts I remain committed to my position that Hermes acted appropriately.

You brought up the other brands, not I. Thus my clarification. And I am fine with your opinion being different here, but you are indeed wrong, which people are certainly allowed to be.

 

[TraceySH]

A little patience and humility goes a long way even if retail is everything and a person is wealthy. If you are so upset, contact your SM or an executive to see if they can assist. They can probably do more for you than we can. Good luck.

Already have. And no one would describe me as haughty, entitled, rude, disrespectful etc. I’ve never been that way and never will be that way. Once a line is crossed, and people treat me that way, I don’t hesitate to push back as I’m not a doormat either. My approach has always been on of being learned, open-minded, diplomatic, logical and teachable. I can tell you my SA is horrified BECAUSE she knows me. And this particular instance has crossed that line as I rarely ever ever ever am emotional.