Maybe your store would do that but the only time they would check in my store (I should say the old SA I had) was if it was a scarf and that was before these new changes.
Hermes Phone Orders
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Maybe your store would do that but the only time they would check in my store (I should say the old SA I had) was if it was a scarf and that was before these new changes.
Hi. Thought I'd follow up on a msg I posted a few days ago regarding my experience with the Hermes Vienna VA store, where a Lindy bag I paid for (it was already charged to my credit card) was then resold to someone else "by accident" and I didn't find out about it until a week later, when I called the store to ask why I haven't received the bag that I paid for already. Yes, talk about appalling customer service and business practice.
(Thanks to some of you who sent me private response. Sorry I can't msg back because I need to post more than 10 msgs before I can do msging.)
I was so upset that I wrote two letters, one to the General Manager of the Hermes Vienna VA store; the other was to the Customer Service Manager of Hermes USA in NY. I did a search online and found the names for these individuals and addressed my letters specifically to these Hermes staff. Of course, these specific staff may have moved on and I wonder if my letters would be received at all.
The incident happened on March 2; I sent my letters on March 4.
Imagine my surprise when I received a call just now from the Hermes USA/NY store!
Apparently my letter landed in the hands of the Regional VP for Hermes USA, who takes care of the Eastern region of US. Her admin called me to assure me that they have received my letter; are doing an investigation on what happened; they assured me that it was NOT common business practice to sell a merchandise that a client HAS PAID FOR ALREADY to someone else. (I told them it's not ebay or an auction where I can be outbid; I paid for the merchandise and it's seriously bad business practice (and out of compliance) that it can be sold again to someone else when I already own it.)
Anyway, I'll share with the forum what the Regional VP of Hermes says to me. This person is supposed to call me next wk.
But I have to say that I'm impressed that I got at least a phone call to acknowledge my letter... At least if you write a letter and the situation is severe enough, Hermes does respond (although I'll hold out on the verdict of what type of corrective and preventive actions they will recommend in my situation, aside from crediting my credit card, which is the minimum expectation).
(Thanks to some of you who sent me private response. Sorry I can't msg back because I need to post more than 10 msgs before I can do msging.)
I was so upset that I wrote two letters, one to the General Manager of the Hermes Vienna VA store; the other was to the Customer Service Manager of Hermes USA in NY. I did a search online and found the names for these individuals and addressed my letters specifically to these Hermes staff. Of course, these specific staff may have moved on and I wonder if my letters would be received at all.
The incident happened on March 2; I sent my letters on March 4.
Imagine my surprise when I received a call just now from the Hermes USA/NY store!
Apparently my letter landed in the hands of the Regional VP for Hermes USA, who takes care of the Eastern region of US. Her admin called me to assure me that they have received my letter; are doing an investigation on what happened; they assured me that it was NOT common business practice to sell a merchandise that a client HAS PAID FOR ALREADY to someone else. (I told them it's not ebay or an auction where I can be outbid; I paid for the merchandise and it's seriously bad business practice (and out of compliance) that it can be sold again to someone else when I already own it.)
Anyway, I'll share with the forum what the Regional VP of Hermes says to me. This person is supposed to call me next wk.
But I have to say that I'm impressed that I got at least a phone call to acknowledge my letter... At least if you write a letter and the situation is severe enough, Hermes does respond (although I'll hold out on the verdict of what type of corrective and preventive actions they will recommend in my situation, aside from crediting my credit card, which is the minimum expectation).
Good for you for writing the letters. I have a hunch you will be getting your Lindy because of your actions. I certainly hope that is the case.
Please share the names of the people you wrote to. Perhaps if we all took the time to write this policy would be changed or at least modified. If this policy had been in place at the beginning of the year I wouldn't have the two handbags I bought this year (a Victoria Elan and a Massai).
Keep us posted on what happens.
I'd really appreciate it if you'd post the name of the person(s) you sent the letter to as I'll definitely write one about this new policy.
I hope something extra good and special happens for you since you took the time to have them 'right their wrong'.
Sometimes it also helps to contact the BBB about these kinds of issues since this should be a violation of store policy to sell an item twice. The least they could do is to make things right by locating just the bag you want/purchased.
Please keep us updated.
Hi. Following up on an earlier posting about me contacting Hermes USA with feedback (complaint) about having paid for a Lindy bag and then finding out it was later sold to someone else...
The person I originally directed my letter to actually no longer work for the company. But I didn't know this at the time I wrote the letter; I just did a search in Google and LinkedIn and found a name. But what I did was the following-- I addressed the letter not only to this person but added "Current Customer Service Manager of Hermes USA" and also added to this "c/o (care of) Hermes of Paris Boutique." By doing this, I figure whoever is the Current Manager is legally allowed to open my letter; likewise, by addressing "care of Hermes Boutique", anyone who works there can open my letter too.
I have to say-- it was super hard to find the address for Customer Relations for Hermes!
Louis Vuitton (which I love and love even more now, in light of this awful experience with Hermes) is much easier in terms of finding their customer relations contact info, etc. (Then again, I shop at the LV flagship in NY and have the names and phone numbers for the site manager, the VIP ambassadors, etc. so I know whom to contact to praise and complain.)
Anyway, in getting the phone call from one of the staff at Hermes USA (headquartered in NYC), I now know the name of the VP of Retail for Eastern Region of Hermes USA. (That's the full title.) I hesitate to post her name so openly online, although if you do a search on Google under VP Retail Eastern Region Hermes, you'll figure out who it is because her name and photo are posted in grand openings and events that Hermes host in Chicago, NYC, etc.
The staff who contacted me told me that, even though I wrote the name of a staff who no longer worked for Hermes, my letter still made it to the hands of this VP because of the way I addressed the letter; and also this VP apparently reads all letters that are addressed to customer relations, etc. Good and negative feedback. (I think they were just impressed that I manage to write the name of a staff who worked for them long ago! They asked me how I got the name and I explained to them.)
Anyway... for those of who who wish to contact Hermes about this phone policy or any other policies they have implemented that you wish to give constructive feedback...
You can send the letter to:
VP of Retail Eastern Region of Hermes USA
c/o Hermes of Paris Boutique
55 East 59th St
New York, NY 10022
Even if you wrote "General Manager of Customer Service", the letter will go to this VP or a member of her team. (Mine did. But then again, who would make up such a story??? I still have the voicemail msgs that the Sales Associate from the Vienna VA store, and the Amex charges as proof of what happened. And, yes, I thought of contacting Better Business Bureau, but figure I give Hermes a chance at corrective and preventive actions.)
ps
I asked if I could have this Lindy 34cm bag made for me in electric bleu, the staff deferred the question and said the VP could explain to me when she calls me on Monday (3.12). Yes, I will ask because I heard that in North America one cannot special request bags to be made; but one can still do that in Europe and Asia. (I know I can have a bag made just for me in Europe because last summer when I was in Stockholm, I went to Hermes and they offered to have the Jypsiere made for me; it would take a while; and I didn't know when I would be back in Stockholm, so I politely declined their offer.)
Sorry for the digression, but it's good to be able to share this experience with ppl who are avid handbag collectors!
The person I originally directed my letter to actually no longer work for the company. But I didn't know this at the time I wrote the letter; I just did a search in Google and LinkedIn and found a name. But what I did was the following-- I addressed the letter not only to this person but added "Current Customer Service Manager of Hermes USA" and also added to this "c/o (care of) Hermes of Paris Boutique." By doing this, I figure whoever is the Current Manager is legally allowed to open my letter; likewise, by addressing "care of Hermes Boutique", anyone who works there can open my letter too.
I have to say-- it was super hard to find the address for Customer Relations for Hermes!
Louis Vuitton (which I love and love even more now, in light of this awful experience with Hermes) is much easier in terms of finding their customer relations contact info, etc. (Then again, I shop at the LV flagship in NY and have the names and phone numbers for the site manager, the VIP ambassadors, etc. so I know whom to contact to praise and complain.)
Anyway, in getting the phone call from one of the staff at Hermes USA (headquartered in NYC), I now know the name of the VP of Retail for Eastern Region of Hermes USA. (That's the full title.) I hesitate to post her name so openly online, although if you do a search on Google under VP Retail Eastern Region Hermes, you'll figure out who it is because her name and photo are posted in grand openings and events that Hermes host in Chicago, NYC, etc.
The staff who contacted me told me that, even though I wrote the name of a staff who no longer worked for Hermes, my letter still made it to the hands of this VP because of the way I addressed the letter; and also this VP apparently reads all letters that are addressed to customer relations, etc. Good and negative feedback. (I think they were just impressed that I manage to write the name of a staff who worked for them long ago! They asked me how I got the name and I explained to them.)
Anyway... for those of who who wish to contact Hermes about this phone policy or any other policies they have implemented that you wish to give constructive feedback...
You can send the letter to:
VP of Retail Eastern Region of Hermes USA
c/o Hermes of Paris Boutique
55 East 59th St
New York, NY 10022
Even if you wrote "General Manager of Customer Service", the letter will go to this VP or a member of her team. (Mine did. But then again, who would make up such a story??? I still have the voicemail msgs that the Sales Associate from the Vienna VA store, and the Amex charges as proof of what happened. And, yes, I thought of contacting Better Business Bureau, but figure I give Hermes a chance at corrective and preventive actions.)
ps
I asked if I could have this Lindy 34cm bag made for me in electric bleu, the staff deferred the question and said the VP could explain to me when she calls me on Monday (3.12). Yes, I will ask because I heard that in North America one cannot special request bags to be made; but one can still do that in Europe and Asia. (I know I can have a bag made just for me in Europe because last summer when I was in Stockholm, I went to Hermes and they offered to have the Jypsiere made for me; it would take a while; and I didn't know when I would be back in Stockholm, so I politely declined their offer.)
Sorry for the digression, but it's good to be able to share this experience with ppl who are avid handbag collectors!
Got a call from my SA in Las Vegas today apologizing for their new policy. Contrary to what my local SA said, I got the same crap from the out of state SA that I can no longer order on phone and have it ship. Neither can they hold anything for me even if I go into the store. Am I going to risk taking a trip to Vegas and come back empty handed ? Hack no !! As most of you know, Vegas is full of tourist so the lucky person with no established relationship now can walk into the store and purchase anything without having to return. These people can also be resellers. At the end, the resellers will still find a way to game the system. I wonder how much business they will lose from the phone orders. Even though I'm fortunate to live in a city with a local store, it is so new and small that they never have generate enough volume like NYC or Vegas to purchase the goods that most people want. Getting a wallet is like pulling teeth !!!
My SA told me that if I like an item, I can pay for it via bank transfer, but they will not be able to ship it (apparently one of their shipments got stolen so they decided to stop shipping anywhere anymore).
So that means that you can buy it, and they will keep it for you until you pick it up.
I guess whatever I buy from her would have to stay in the store for about a 6 months before I go back and collect it....
So that means that you can buy it, and they will keep it for you until you pick it up.
I guess whatever I buy from her would have to stay in the store for about a 6 months before I go back and collect it....
What a horrible thing to happen. I certainly hope that Hermes makes this right asap.
One thing I know about the Vienna, VA store is that the store manager left. I am not sure the date she left, but I found out about it on 3/2.
The store is currently a rudderless ship.
My SA told me that if I like an item, I can pay for it via bank transfer, but they will not be able to ship it (apparently one of their shipments got stolen so they decided to stop shipping anywhere anymore).
So that means that you can buy it, and they will keep it for you until you pick it up.
I guess whatever I buy from her would have to stay in the store for about a 6 months before I go back and collect it....
OMGosh.
I thought the same too.
Hermes should do a worldwide search for the 34 BE Lindy for you. Once found, they should overnight it to you at no additional expense. If a bag is unavailable, then assign a craftsperson to make one for you, immediately.They should send it to you as quickly as possible and be responsible for any applicable duties or taxes. They should throw in a matching scarf and a HUGE apology.
Hermes needs to bring in someone to manage the Vienna, VA store because it's clear that the store is in dire need of leadership.
Also, I think that apart from "weeding out the resellers", perhaps H should try and improve the attitudes of their workers to provide a more welcoming experience for their walk in customers since they are pushing for a more "physical" transaction between stores and customers.
I guess from now on, I will definitely frequent reseller stores, use personal shopping concierge services and purchase more from my SA in Japan instead. I'd rather pay more to get good service and I can buy an item whenever I want without having to deal with all these complicated policies.
I guess from now on, I will definitely frequent reseller stores, use personal shopping concierge services and purchase more from my SA in Japan instead. I'd rather pay more to get good service and I can buy an item whenever I want without having to deal with all these complicated policies.
biogcc2, I'm sorry to hear that this happened and I hope that H corrects its error and sends you your Lindy. 