Deposit for fine jewelry paid but item never arrived

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papilloncristal

O.G.
Oct 6, 2009
263
730
#1
Hi all,

In early 2018, there was a pink sapphire fully paved Kelly bracelet on display at my local boutique and the SA informed me that it is a pre-order only item. I fell in love with it immediately and the SA told me if I pay the deposit now then it should be arriving in the 2nd half of 2018. I was so crazy for it that I paid a deposit immediately. The SA told me that it should be arriving in June or July the earliest. This is also how I started the relationship with her and she has been quite helpful. Time flies.. it’s already March 2019 already but the bracelet hasn’t arrived, still. In between I’ve already queried my SA many many times and every time she’d just say that she’ll ask her colleagues. It has been over a year already and I got really annoyed by this. Does anyone know that in this case can I ask them to refund the deposit as it is Hermes side that has failed to deliver the item? I do not want any store credit to be honest as I’m already prepared to break the relation with her and move on to other brands instead. Guaranteeing a jewelry item (not even special order) to be delivered in the same year but ended up having no news for such a long period of time is getting me really nuts.

Can anyone please advise or share your experience with me?

Btw I’m based in Hong Kong. Thanks.
 
#3
The first thing to do is to find out what your legal position is.
This will hep with what you are entitled to expect.
Are there any legal protections for buyers in Hong Kong?

Secondly your relationship with your SA is irrelevant.
That is nothing to do with whether you choose to move on to other brands.
If you are dissatisfied with Hermes and want no more to do with it would be understandable, but that is separate from your SA.
Your SA does not appear to be very reliable as she has not chased up this order for you.

Take it up with the manager immediately.

I know that I see this from a European perspective and that it is not the Asian way to cause someone to loose face, but you certainly need to be more assertive and get a specific answer, not a promise to investigate further.
 
#5
Talk to the manager directly and ask for your deposit back. If you are not able to get your money back easily, explore your legal options (assuming going that route makes sense and will not let you lose more money in the process).
 
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#6
How often do you meet or in contact with your SA? Because it cost a lot and she should be more than happy to help you tracking down the bracelet. I mean hermes usually will taking care of you more because you seems like a big spender. And do you have any receipt?

Because I pre ordered many things from hermes ( with or without deposit ) and usually it has never a problem. Even for overseas stores.

If I were you I would mention it to your SA again and ask her/ him what's really going on and find the store manager or someone who is the head position of the jewellery department.

And like @PJW5813 said it has nothing to do with you moving forward with other brands. It can happen to any brands to be honest.

HTH
 
#7
I know the piece in question as I tried something similar on in Paris. Your store might have to check if it actually went into production or not. It may either be a (very) long delay or I am quite sure, a refund if you ask for it. I don't think there is any cause to try legal means yet. Do you still want the piece? If you can no longer wait, as mentioned above, please speak to your store manager and ask for a full refund and not store credit. This is not the same as a bag return or exchange situation.
 
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#8
Hi everyone, thank you very much for your advice. It has been a long day for me today so I wasn’t able to go to the store myself. I called the boutique multiple times and asked to speak to her directly but every time they just told me to wait for her call back. At this point I am already very tired of this and I think if she’s not calling back tmr, I will go to the store and ask for a refund.

@ZZZZZZZ I’m not a big spender honestly and only visit her store maybe once a month or even two months. I only buy items that I consider as useful and I really like so from time to time I do turn down her “suggestions” on insanely priced items that I know I’d never use. Maybe that caused her to consider me as a second tier customer.

@periogirl28 I like the piece a lot but I do not want to wait for it anymore. I would rather leave it now and if in future it’s readily available in store then maybe I will consider buying it from another SA.
 
#9
I hope you get your money back without difficulty.
It does appear that consumer protection is not good in Hong Kong.
Your post prompted me to look them up and there was more about campaigns to improve them than explaining what your rights might be.
In the UK the rights of the consumer are very strong and clearly set out making it illegal for a shop not to follow them.

Face to face must be better in your circumstances.
It might also be better if you do not see the SA that you have been working with.
Did you by any chance pay the deposit, or any part of it, with a credit card?
In UK, and I think it could be Internationally, credit card companies are liable for faulty goods or services bought with them.
Just because you know the legal position and your rights, does not mean that you are intending to go down the route of legal action (that is the last thing you want to do), but if you are well-informed it helps you to be firm and insist on what should rightfully be happening.
 
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#10
There is probably a delay in the production.
I have a necklace in global search and they have promised to make it in Paris. The item has not appeared yet. My store did not ask me for a deposit because they know they have a mind control collar on me.

I trust my SA and SM. Unfortunately, they couldn't find out when that necklace will be available. It is definitely not a lack of effort by the store in my case.

I hope that you will have a calm discussion with your SA and SM. And if you truly no longer want the bracelet, you should ask for the refund. Your SA and SM should understand. And you don't have to severe your relationship with the store or brand over this.
 
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#11
I’m always amazed when SAs estimate an arrival time for anything in the store. There’s no way she could know when your bracelet was going to arrive, though it does sound like she was merely giving an overconfident estimate rather than a guarantee. I’ve had bags and jewelry special ordered, and I’ve learned to just double the estimated time given for anything special ordered, pre ordered, or custom made in Paris. I’m sure your bracelet will show up at some point, but I understand being unhappy about having paid out money with nothing to show for it. I imagine you should get a full refund of your deposit since there’s no merchandise for you to return, but that’s just a guess. I’m not familiar with Hong Kong store policies or deposit policies. I agree with others that you should speak to the manager regarding the deposit and also regarding the SA who won’t return your calls. Good luck
 
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#12
As all have said it's likely the piece just hasn't been made. You've waited long enough and now you're over it - that definitely happens!
If you haven't even gone to store management yet, I would not fret about legal action. First, ask the manager (not your slow SA, whom I would drop like a hot potato) for a refund (it's a deposit, not a purchase, so you should get a refund, not a credit). If you have issues, which you should not, I would start with your CC company rather than jumping to thinking of lawyers.
 
#13
Since this SA has been dodging your calls, there's no point in trying to contact her. Even if you do catch her, she'll probably just try to pacify you with more guesstimates for the delivery. Go up the food chain and speak to the SM. Get your refund and voice your feedback.
 
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#14
Finally I managed to get a refund today. I went to the shop directly and asked for her and of course her colleagues said she’s busy with other customers so I asked for the manager of fine jewelries. After talking back and forth on their communication system, the lady at the entrance told me her colleague will assist me. A relatively junior sales lady came and I told her I want to discuss with her about my order so we sat at a quiet corner. I told her what has happened and all the communication issues with the original SA and this lady immediately told me the cause of delay and said they actually recommend customers to get a refund first and wait for the items to arrive first before considering again if we still want it. I was surprised by her words and told her this is exactly what I want. She then said she needs to inform her manager for initiate the process so I said ok. A few minutes later she came back with another lady who’s one of the boutique managers along with my SA. The manager apologized to me about the disappointment and said she will work on the refund process immediately but it will still take some time before I see it on my bank statement. She also explained to me again about the delay. After she left my SA started talking to me about how much she has worked on following up my order and it’s one of her first tasks everyday. Honestly I’m not sold by her words and at this point she was still trying to sell me other jewelry items. I told her before this is settled properly I won’t consider any new purchases. So now I’m waiting for their updates and the refund on my bank statement. I hope they are really working on it seriously and I hope I don’t need to go there again.

Anyways this is quite a pleasant refund experience but i definitely won’t go back to this SA in future.
 
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#15
“I’m not sold by her words and at this point she was still trying to sell me other jewelry items.”
She did not act professionally in this situation before, and this was a moment for apologies, not to be selling.
...... and I do not believe she was honest about her actions earlier. I don’t think she followed up or contacted anyone about this. I think you are wise to find another associate to work with.
 
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