cookiejar said:
Resellers usually have people 'working' under them. A bunch of people, sometimes around the world, who get bags from the boutiques and sell them to the resellers and the resellers collect those bags and then offer them to the public.
Hermes Phone Orders
- Thread starter palmbeachpink
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Resellers usually have people 'working' under them. A bunch of people, sometimes around the world, who get bags from the boutiques and sell them to the resellers and the resellers collect those bags and then offer them to the public.
Yes I agree. I want to to know what is their reasoning for cracking down and enforcing all these new policies.
i think, before getting too worked up, everyone should speak to your respective SA's and find out how the new policies will affect you personally, and what reasoning they have. we all know hermes works in mysterious ways, and generalizations once in awhile, have exceptions.
Here's what happened to me.Hi Cosmopolitan:
Thanks for checking it out. I guess you are not a newbiesuch as me.
I will keep looking then. All I want is either a Lindy in Blue Electric or Kelly 30 in Rogue Garanche. Love those colors.
Thanks!
Since October 2011, I have been searching for the Lindy 34cm in bleu electric. Hermes in Vienna VA (near Tysons Galleria) took my credit card #, address, etc. and put my name at the top of the list for the bag. The sales associate said I would get the bag in a few wks. Naively I believed her (even though I was told by the SAs at the Beverly Hills and San Francisco stores, which I visited while in town, that Lindy in Bleu Electric would not be available until 2012 and even then the list was huge; but I could have it in red, cafe, colors, etc. I wanted in BLUE!)
So... December 2011 comes and still no bag. The SA at the Vienna VA store is very nice; she calls me every now and then to keep me posted.
By Christmas time, I had resigned to the fact that I would not get this Lindy 34cm Electric Bleu until 2012.
Jan 2012 comes... still no bag. The SA left me a msg saying she had not forgotten about me; that she was going to Paris for training but she would call me as soon as she got back in the US.
Feb 24 2012 comes (4 months since October when I first requested this bag)...
I got a call from the SA at the Vienna VA Hermes store. She told me she finally located the bag at another store; that she was very persistent; she called that store every day and finally that store agreed to let her have this Lindy 34cm Electric Bleu bag.
She said she would have that store ship to me, but I'd have to be sure to be around to receive the bag. As I am at work during the day, I cannot sign for the bag in person.
So we agreed she would have that store transfer the bag to her store; then she would call me and we would agree as to when the bag should be brought to me by a private courier.
She charged my credit card for $7200 (yes-- that's the new price for the Lindy 34cm; it has gone up 10% from 2011 price, when it was only $6600!).
Today, a week later, I am wondering why she hasn't called me. No way should it take this long for a bag to go from one store to another. (I have done store transfers with Neiman Marcus, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, etc.)
Do you know what she said to me??
Keep in mind the bag has already been charged to my credit card a wk ago.
She told me that the other store sold my bag!
Wow-- it was unbelievable! She called me a wk ago; said she had the bag;
she charged my credit card.
Then the other store didn't transfer the bag and sold it to another customer?!?!
I have to wonder if she would have even called me if I hadn't called her today.
She was very apologetic, and said she would have to charge back my credit card.
Well, of course, she would!
I certainly am not paying $7200 for a bag that I haven't even received!
As there is no guarantee that I would even get the bag, there's no way I would
pay $7200 upfront!
I remained calm... and told her that it wasn't her fault. Well, I'm not sure it's her fault; or
the fault of the other store. I mean-- I can't see the reason for her lying to me, since she could have charged my card during these past 4 months when I was waiting for the bag.
What I fail to comprehend is how this other store could have sold the bag when they know that the bag has been PAID FOR ALREADY; and that it was supposed to be shipped to another client.
I have been a loyal customer of Louis Vuitton for many years. LV has NEVER treated me this way, and I buy from the NY Flagship VIP ambassador.
This Lindy would have been the first serious Hermes bag for me (because I have been loyal to LV all these years).
What I experienced today is -- (I am left speechless.)-- appalling-- doesn't even begin to describe how I feel.
And this is a "world class" company of high-end luxury goods ...
The SA was very apologetic. Again I didn't lose my temper with her. I just told her that she did her best but something went totally wrong at the other store. (She wouldn't tell me the identity of the other store.) I asked her what corrective actions are there for this. I repeated that I simply couldn't understand how they could sell a bag that has been already paid for. To say that they made a mistake -- is that all?
I told her that it was just a bag; it was not life or death, so pls credit my credit card and keep looking. But I told her that, last wk, when she called me, I even said to her "So, if you charge my card, the bag is mine, right?" She said yes, yes.
Really??? They charged my card, and the bag wasn't mine!
So... I share this story in this thread because ... I'm trying to figure out a good reason for why this happened. My suspicion is that the other store simply didn't care; they had a client who wanted this Lindy 34cm Bleu Electric bag, so they gave it to this client DESPITE THE FACT THAT I HAVE PAID FOR IT ALREADY. (now, it is possible that my SA didn't make it clear that she's already charged my credit card.)
I feel that I should write a letter to someone at Hermes about this...
but if they permit such behavior to exist, then why should I even waste my time to write a letter.
I welcome suggestion/feedback/etc from this forum on this matter.
(At this point, I have no bag; and I'm feeling sickened by this whole incident that I have almost lost interest in getting a Lindy bag. As I have many bags, I am not one of those ppl who would be happy just to have a bag, any bag. I was looking for a specific color and a specific style. And this is what happened to me.
The SA told me that as long as she had my credit card info, she knew I was serious and would search the database every day to see who had a Bleu Electric Lindy 34cm bag.
Well, what I learned from this experience is that she can search all she wants but even after an item is paid for, I'm still not guaranteed the item. This part just renders me utterly speechless. I mean-- is this even in compliance with good business practices???
Thanks for reading about my experience.
Guess I'll go back to buying LVs from my VIP person at NY flagship.
I have a theory about this and it applies to the website also. The opportunity cost of phone/web sales is a big one for Hermes. If you don’t physically come into the store there is no opportunity to up-sell you. No way to show you what’s coming that is new, to have you touch, smell and feel the merchandise or to get a feel for the product overall. They can’t show you through the lookbooks, style you with RTW or have you try on shoes or different bags.
The silks, leather goods and CDCs sell themselves and we know the story with bags so they actually need to physical contact with the customer to do what it is the Sales Associates actually do.... which is sell. Otherwise they’re just order takers.
It is only because of fora like this that we even know what’s available from Hermes without physically being in the store. I’d wager that this is the reason for the crackdown on email photos.
The brand is guarding its heritage and protecting its techniques of manufacture so it follows that they would also be trying hard to maintain a personal relationship with clients.
The silks, leather goods and CDCs sell themselves and we know the story with bags so they actually need to physical contact with the customer to do what it is the Sales Associates actually do.... which is sell. Otherwise they’re just order takers.
It is only because of fora like this that we even know what’s available from Hermes without physically being in the store. I’d wager that this is the reason for the crackdown on email photos.
The brand is guarding its heritage and protecting its techniques of manufacture so it follows that they would also be trying hard to maintain a personal relationship with clients.
Just got an email. What happened to me was they agreed to Ship INTERNATIONALLY if
I wire transfer the amount due for two silk scarves they previously charged my credit card for and credited back. I think what Hermes is simply doing is cutting down credit card cost in terms of paying the credit card company for allowing us to use the card.
When I do wire transfer. which I do with another store, it is good as paying in cash upfront. Plus, I also pay all the charges to and from the banks.
Imagine the huge savings the transaction is in thousands lf dollars.
Your guess is as good as mine why the other store where I pay via wire transfer did
not inform me re this new "policy"
I wire transfer the amount due for two silk scarves they previously charged my credit card for and credited back. I think what Hermes is simply doing is cutting down credit card cost in terms of paying the credit card company for allowing us to use the card.
When I do wire transfer. which I do with another store, it is good as paying in cash upfront. Plus, I also pay all the charges to and from the banks.
Imagine the huge savings the transaction is in thousands lf dollars.
Your guess is as good as mine why the other store where I pay via wire transfer did
not inform me re this new "policy"
You are probably right on the dot. Wire transfer would cost the store 0.
I think this is what this is all about.
Churva said:
Why would Hermes want to save on merchant credit card charges?.. I mean, what year are we living in??
And haven't they made enough from all of us?
One is an SO placed four years ago, another is an SO from this year, the third is probably a podium order, if it comes at all. But I hear you on the fairness or lack thereof. My SO has taken four years and counting, while I see tpfers get very similar bags in 18 mos (or less if ordered from FSH). And if this new policy applies to my store, I won't get to buy any of them, so it doesn't really matter how many SOs I'm allowed to place
Thank you for your reply and forgive my impertinence- just spouting off over pent-up frustration that has built up over many years as a good and loyal customer of SoCal boutiques and the unfairness of the way SOs are granted.
I hope you get everything you ordered- it seems the policy should not be applied retroactively to orders already in the works. But as we all are keenly aware, Hermes corporate does whatever they please.
Went into the store to pickup something this afternoon and I inquired about the new policy. My SA told me that they won't do phone orders on new customers only. But if I have come in-person and have charged something before, I can continue to order on the phone even if I've moved out of town.
She cited that CC fraud was the main reason but I highly doubt that. She said that it is also to fight off resellers who try to corner the inventory by calling different stores and ordering the inventory. I don't get it. What is the difference between a regular customer and a reseller ? If they truly want to get rid of the resellers, they should pump out more bags and put them in the store and on their website. Stop playing games to get people spending thousands before they are 'offered' a B or K.
She cited that CC fraud was the main reason but I highly doubt that. She said that it is also to fight off resellers who try to corner the inventory by calling different stores and ordering the inventory. I don't get it. What is the difference between a regular customer and a reseller ? If they truly want to get rid of the resellers, they should pump out more bags and put them in the store and on their website. Stop playing games to get people spending thousands before they are 'offered' a B or K.
chkpfbeliever said:
May I ask what store it is? Because the 2 stores that I talked to are being totally strict about the phone policy!
I also heard this from four different stores. If you've ever physically gone into a store, they will continue to do phone orders. All the SAs involved were equally sarcastic and told me that is, until they change that policy on the spur of the moment also. All the SAs seemed just as annoyed/frustrated as we are, although none came right out and said it explicitly!
After spending thousands on non leather items like scarves and jewelry
hoping to be able to be offered a spring summer B or K,
it seems I will no longer be able to "continue building a relationship"
with my SA since I cant fly 12 hours just to physically pick up a scarf every
now and then.
If CC fraud was the main reason, then it should be all right for existing
customers to continue using phone/ emails to order.
Im baffled and not amused.
I went into the Beverly Hills Boutique today. As long as you sign a pre-authorization form and are an existing customer, you can order by phone. But, you have to do this every six months. And then, I had an experience with Palm Beach, where I asked them to fax me a receipt for something I bought two days ago over the phone (less than $1k), and they told me they were no longer allowed to do that! These "rules" are arbitrary, despotic, inconsistently applied, and I'm now done with Hermes retail. I'll happily deal with resellers, who may charge more, but who at least treat me with respect. I'm going to the BH boutique tomorrow and physically tear up the form. I will not allow anyone to dictate the rules of how I spend my money and how I expect to be treated. Period. End of story.
toujours*chic said:
No worries, I understand your frustration. In my case, the problem isn't placing the orders, it's having the orders actually show up in this lifetime. With any luck, by the time these bags come in, I'll be a retiree with plenty of time on my hands to make the two hour flight to my H store at the drop of a hat to pick them up
