Disgraceful experience at Celine store in Istanbul airport

[amary18]

I recently purchased a pair of Celine sandals and purse at the Celine store at the Istanbul, Turkey airport.

I was indecisive about the colour (I purchased tan but felt black may be more suitable). I inquired about the price and return/exchange policy and was quoted a price in Euros, and was told I would have 14 days to change my mind (even when I got home to Toronto, Canada).

The integrity of the SA is disgraceful and I feel deceived for so many reasons:
1) I realize I was not charged in euros and was charged in TRY. With the conversion, I overpaid $904.21. This is compared to the Canadian website (both items retail for $5990 inclusive of all taxes/customs).
2) I was not provided a receipt. What I believed to be handed the receipt was the authenticity card in a sleeve.
3) I was lied to about the return/exchange policy. I was advised by Celine customer service that airport purchases are exempt.
4) I was not provided the box for the purse.

This upsets me so much because it was a substantial purchase and a very long flight. I am now home and feel deceived by the SA. I have contacted Celine and hoping they can launch an investigation and I am looking to file a dispute with my credit card company to see if they can do anything.

Has anyone had any similar experiences? How was it resolved?

This situation for me is a bit traumatic as I thought there would be incentive to purchase duty free from an airport.

 

[nicole0612]

I am very sorry about your experience. I regret that I cannot provide any input on most of these points, but I learned the hard way that you should have at least one credit card with no foreign transaction fee or currency conversion fee, and always use that for purchases in international currencies, it saves a huge amount.

 

[Suncatcher]

Lovely purchases. I suspect that you did not choose the right option when you put the credit card in the terminal. Normally, there is an option to select currency. Hopefully you do not need to exchange these items. In my experience, I do not find duty-free shopping to be cheaper. It is convenient and fun, but not always cheaper. Especially when you consider on a purchase like yours where you have to declare it for customs purposes upon by re-entry to Canada. You can easily end up spending a lot more once you factor in customs.

 

[amary18]

Lovely purchases. I suspect that you did not choose the right option when you put the credit card in the terminal. Normally, there is an option to select currency. Hopefully you do not need to exchange these items. In my experience, I do not find duty-free shopping to be cheaper. It is convenient and fun, but not always cheaper. Especially when you consider on a purchase like yours where you have to declare it for customs purposes upon by re-entry to Canada. You can easily end up spending a lot more once you factor in customs.

I’m learning my lesson! It was a little sketch to me that I didn’t have an option to select the currency (I always usually select CDN if that’s the option) so suspect the SA prompted it on his own.

 

[beautybybacteri]

Oh no! So it seems like the bank that the Celine uses in that airport has a terrible transaction rate. Did you also get a foreign transaction fee from your card as well? But the other issues one would like to hope that Celine can rectify this. If anything, what you chose are classics!!!

I just made my first luxury purchase in Rome and while in the store I compared the Euro to the US dollar to make sure that I was getting a significant deal. But with the US customs it was too much anxiety to see if they would charge me (they didn't bc I told the guy the bag was a congrats gift to myself for a promotion. I doubt I will go over that $1000USD limit again.

 

[amary18]

Oh no! So it seems like the bank that the Celine uses in that airport has a terrible transaction rate. Did you also get a foreign transaction fee from your card as well? But the other issues one would like to hope that Celine can rectify this. If anything, what you chose are classics!!!

I just made my first luxury purchase in Rome and while in the store I compared the Euro to the US dollar to make sure that I was getting a significant deal. But with the US customs it was too much anxiety to see if they would charge me (they didn't bc I told the guy the bag was a congrats gift to myself for a promotion. I doubt I will go over that $1000USD limit again.

I did reach out to Celine and was shocked to learn that the boutique in Istanbul is not considered as part of their standalone boutique and is a “reseller” (whatever that means). I definitely learned my lesson with airport purchases

Glad you were able to treat yourself in Rome! These purchases certainly do make for a memorable souvenir and is something I’d consider a heirloom with these price points! Lol

 

[EmmaPeel]

I am sorry for your experience. Celine should be more transparent with their reseller/standalone information.

I experienced something similar when requesting an exchange of an online ordered bag which had flaws. Customer service told me via phone that I can exchange the bag at a local boutique. They also gave me the adress of one near me and checked the availability for me.

Luckily, before driving there (still a decent distance for me), I called this boutique and asked them if the bag in stock is flawless. They informed me that they are not a standalone store and that therefore they are not allowed to accept these kind of direct exchanges.

On the Celine website this information can’t be found and also the customer service just gave me a wrong information.

You can not tell from the appearance of the store, the receipts, website or anything else whether a boutique is reseller or standalone. Standalonr stores sometimes even send staff for loan to the reseller boutiques.

There is lack of transperency and plenty of room for improvement imho.

 

[amary18]

I am sorry for your experience. Celine should be more transparent with their reseller/standalone information.

I experienced something similar when requesting an exchange of an online ordered bag which had flaws. Customer service told me via phone that I can exchange the bag at a local boutique. They also gave me the adress of one near me and checked the availability for me.

Luckily, before driving there (still a decent distance for me), I called this boutique and asked them if the bag in stock is flawless. They informed me that they are not a standalone store and that therefore they are not allowed to accept these kind of direct exchanges.

On the Celine website this information can’t be found and also the customer service just gave me a wrong information.

You can not tell from the appearance of the store, the receipts, website or anything else whether a boutique is reseller or standalone. Standalonr stores sometimes even send staff for loan to the reseller boutiques.

There is lack of transperency and plenty of room for improvement imho.

I am so sorry you experienced this!! I can’t believe flagship stores like this exist it should be illegal

 

[880]

I am so sorry you experienced this. In general I do not buy duty free unless it’s a special item that I have missed elsewhere and have to have. I really prefer to buy luxury goods from local stores where I have a relationship in case of aftercare or other issues. The aggravation is not worth it. The reseller phenomenon is not limited to Celine.

 

[msnfas]

I did reach out to Celine and was shocked to learn that the boutique in Istanbul is not considered as part of their standalone boutique and is a “reseller” (whatever that means). I definitely learned my lesson with airport purchases

Glad you were able to treat yourself in Rome! These purchases certainly do make for a memorable souvenir and is something I’d consider a heirloom with these price points! Lol

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I believe the proper term here is "Airport Operator/Travel Retailer". This means that these companies have the rights/brand licensing to operate certain brands only/mainly within airport(s) or travel related industry such as major train stations, ferry terminals (think duty free shops) etc. If they are operated by a Travel Retailer, then yes the brand principal itself will not be able to do anything in terms of exchanges etc since the sale/purchase does not go to them. My suggestion is to reach out to Istanbul Airport itself, the company that manages the Airport/ the shops to see if they can step in to assist. Good luck!

 

[amary18]

I believe the proper term here is "Airport Operator/Travel Retailer". This means that these companies have the rights/brand licensing to operate certain brands only/mainly within airport(s) or travel related industry such as major train stations, ferry terminals (think duty free shops) etc. If they are operated by a Travel Retailer, then yes the brand principal itself will not be able to do anything in terms of exchanges etc since the sale/purchase does not go to them. My suggestion is to reach out to Istanbul Airport itself, the company that manages the Airport/ the shops to see if they can step in to assist. Good luck!

Thank you! I’ve tried calling them multiple times and even though online it says they’re open 24/7 I’ve had zero luck getting a hold of them now that I’m back in TO. If anyone has any direct contacts to the Istanbul boutique please let me know!