Maintaining an H relationship

[papertiger]

Please focus on the title of this thread rather than each other, TY

If you find it very hard to ignore certain people, please feel free in adding them to your 'Ignore' list.

For advice on how to obtain a B/K/C please go to the reading room in the Reading Room The Newbie's HOW DO I GET A BIRKIN (or other bag) Reading Room

For advice on how to shop at your local store please do a search in Hermes Shopping sub-forum and look for your store/region/country.

 

[DiuDiu]

My SA give my his phone number. I send him a poncho i want to buy. Is it normal that he didn't reply to me after 2 days? New to Hermes. Usually the chanel sa will reply to me in hours. Not sure if I need to change a sales associate. But i don't want to rebuild the relationship and my profile.

 

[FrenchNewbie]

My SA give my his phone number. I send him a poncho i want to buy. Is it normal that he didn't reply to me after 2 days? New to Hermes. Usually the chanel sa will reply to me in hours. Not sure if I need to change a sales associate. But i don't want to rebuild the relationship and my profile.

You might find your answer by reading a few pages back in this thread.

 

[nikotama]

My SA give my his phone number. I send him a poncho i want to buy. Is it normal that he didn't reply to me after 2 days? New to Hermes. Usually the chanel sa will reply to me in hours. Not sure if I need to change a sales associate. But i don't want to rebuild the relationship and my profile.

Totally normal

 

[addiCCted]

My SA give my his phone number. I send him a poncho i want to buy. Is it normal that he didn't reply to me after 2 days? New to Hermes. Usually the chanel sa will reply to me in hours. Not sure if I need to change a sales associate. But i don't want to rebuild the relationship and my profile.

Might have caught your sa on his off days? I would maybe follow up after a week and see if there is a response.

 

[coffeenpurses]

My SA give my his phone number. I send him a poncho i want to buy. Is it normal that he didn't reply to me after 2 days? New to Hermes. Usually the chanel sa will reply to me in hours. Not sure if I need to change a sales associate. But i don't want to rebuild the relationship and my profile.

Depends on the SA. Some respond right away, some take awhile. It’s good to know what days they’re off so you know you can follow up when they’re at the boutique.

 

[Crapples]

⏰ PSA Alert ⏰: New Folks please read through a few pages of this thread before commenting/asking questions. While I love the energy, the number of repetitive posts is getting exhausting. We answer the same question about SA ghosting (or rather lack thereof) every day it seems.

 

[880]

Common sense would suggest that if you don’t get an immediate response from your husband, your mother, your best friend, or your Hermes SA: don’t take it personally. They have really busy lives, and they get a lot of texts too. And, if your texts consist of a bunch of info or items they have to spend time sorting through, it’s easier for them to pass to the next one simply asking for an appt.

 

[A74]

Common sense would suggest that if you don’t get an immediate response from your husband, your mother, your best friend, or your Hermes SA: don’t take it personally. They have really busy lives, and they get a lot of texts too. And, if your texts consist of a bunch of info or items they have to spend time sorting through, it’s easier for them to pass to the next one simply asking for an appt.

OMG your statement just made me realize why I get such quick responses from my SA. My texts are infrequent and only ask “Are you available on X, Y or Z day for an appointment?” or “Look at this RTW/Scarf/Shoe I saw on the website. Let me know if you see it in store in my size”. Both require minimal effort from the SA. In the first case, she tells me her availability. In the second, she only has to say “I have it! Do you want me to send you a payment link?” Or “Yes, I will let you know if it comes in”. (And when she has or receives the item, she asks me if I want a payment link, I say yes and pay immediately and then I get happy Hermes mail).

This is how I communicate with all SAs across all brands and stores. I usually get very prompt responses but when I don’t, I usually forget about it very quick. There’s always someone or something else that will grab my attention.

 

[Crapples]

OMG your statement just made me realize why I get such quick responses from my SA. My texts are infrequent and only ask “Are you available on X, Y or Z day for an appointment?” or “Look at this RTW/Scarf/Shoe I saw on the website. Let me know if you see it in store in my size”. Both require minimal effort from the SA. In the first case, she tells me her availability. In the second, she only has to say “I have it! Do you want me to send you a payment link?” Or “Yes, I will let you know if it comes in”. (And when she has or receives the item, she asks me if I want a payment link, I say yes and pay immediately and then I get happy Hermes mail).

This is how I communicate with all SAs across all brands and stores. I usually get very prompt responses but when I don’t, I usually forget about it very quick. There’s always someone or something else that will grab my attention.

Add to this that you probably have a decisive mind and end up being happy with those purchases despite them being (in-person) sight unseen first. Your SAs work is not in vain and thus they see the value in working with you remotely. Am I right?

 

[A74]

My SA give my his phone number. I send him a poncho i want to buy. Is it normal that he didn't reply to me after 2 days? New to Hermes. Usually the chanel sa will reply to me in hours. Not sure if I need to change a sales associate. But i don't want to rebuild the relationship and my profile.

I think the stores are now open on Sundays through Christmas (at least in the US) and the SAs are swamped with appointments and walk in customers. This is the time of year when all retail employees are running from department to department, balancing existing and walk-in customers and generally not even resting for lunch. Either your SA is out those days or he’s completely overwhelmed.

 

[A74]

Add to this that you probably have a decisive mind and end up being happy with those purchases despite them being (in-person) sight unseen first. Your SAs work is not in vain and thus they see the value in working with you remotely. Am I right?

Yes, absolutely. I do shop in person as well, but when I want one specific thing, there’s no need to waste my time and hers on an appointment. In the decade that I’ve shopped with her, I’ve returned one item I bought remotely and I exchanged it for a different size. I’ve never returned anything I bought in person.

 

[withsriracha]

OMG your statement just made me realize why I get such quick responses from my SA. My texts are infrequent and only ask “Are you available on X, Y or Z day for an appointment?” or “Look at this RTW/Scarf/Shoe I saw on the website. Let me know if you see it in store in my size”. Both require minimal effort from the SA. In the first case, she tells me her availability. In the second, she only has to say “I have it! Do you want me to send you a payment link?” Or “Yes, I will let you know if it comes in”. (And when she has or receives the item, she asks me if I want a payment link, I say yes and pay immediately and then I get happy Hermes mail).

This is how I communicate with all SAs across all brands and stores. I usually get very prompt responses but when I don’t, I usually forget about it very quick. There’s always someone or something else that will grab my attention.

I think this is important! My own job is client service-adjacent (in-house attorney); I'm usually managing a lot of different requests from internal stakeholders and trying to keep them all happy. It's simplest and most pleasant and easiest to respond in a helpful way when I get an outreach with a very brief pleasantry, short background and clear request, and I try to bring that perspective to my interactions with my SA. There are few things I dread more than a Teams message just saying "Hi" with no other context...it takes me longer to answer while I sit and wonder about what crazy situation or request might lurk beneath! Also annoying is when I'm in a meeting or otherwise tied up and someone keeps pinging to try to get my attention about a non-emergency situation...I'm busy and when I stop being busy I will give you my full attention, but sending me 5 different messages in an hour or two isn't helping me want to prioritize you!

A lot of this may be intuitive, but I found the "treat my SA the way I want my clients to treat me" approach helped me keep perspective. The messages I send are pretty much exactly as @A74 describes above and I also get prompt responses.

 

[gogingercat]

OMG your statement just made me realize why I get such quick responses from my SA. My texts are infrequent and only ask “Are you available on X, Y or Z day for an appointment?” or “Look at this RTW/Scarf/Shoe I saw on the website. Let me know if you see it in store in my size”. Both require minimal effort from the SA. In the first case, she tells me her availability. In the second, she only has to say “I have it! Do you want me to send you a payment link?” Or “Yes, I will let you know if it comes in”. (And when she has or receives the item, she asks me if I want a payment link, I say yes and pay immediately and then I get happy Hermes mail).

This is how I communicate with all SAs across all brands and stores. I usually get very prompt responses but when I don’t, I usually forget about it very quick. There’s always someone or something else that will grab my attention.

A quick question: do you ask your SA to ship items to you that have come into the store? Because I usually go into the store to try it on and then purchase, and any items that have been shipped directly to me have only been charge-sends or H.com online orders. Thank you.

 

[Crapples]

I think this is important! My own job is client service-adjacent (in-house attorney); I'm usually managing a lot of different requests from internal stakeholders and trying to keep them all happy. It's simplest and most pleasant and easiest to respond in a helpful way when I get an outreach with a very brief pleasantry, short background and clear request, and I try to bring that perspective to my interactions with my SA. There are few things I dread more than a Teams message just saying "Hi" with no other context...it takes me longer to answer while I sit and wonder about what crazy situation or request might lurk beneath! Also annoying is when I'm in a meeting or otherwise tied up and someone keeps pinging to try to get my attention about a non-emergency situation...I'm busy and when I stop being busy I will give you my full attention, but sending me 5 different messages in an hour or two isn't helping me want to prioritize you!

A lot of this may be intuitive, but I found the "treat my SA the way I want my clients to treat me" approach helped me keep perspective. The messages I send are pretty much exactly as @A74 describes above and I also get prompt responses.

Fellow lawyer here 👋. This is such good advice!

 

[QuelleFromage]

I think this is important! My own job is client service-adjacent (in-house attorney); I'm usually managing a lot of different requests from internal stakeholders and trying to keep them all happy. It's simplest and most pleasant and easiest to respond in a helpful way when I get an outreach with a very brief pleasantry, short background and clear request, and I try to bring that perspective to my interactions with my SA. There are few things I dread more than a Teams message just saying "Hi" with no other context...it takes me longer to answer while I sit and wonder about what crazy situation or request might lurk beneath! Also annoying is when I'm in a meeting or otherwise tied up and someone keeps pinging to try to get my attention about a non-emergency situation...I'm busy and when I stop being busy I will give you my full attention, but sending me 5 different messages in an hour or two isn't helping me want to prioritize you!

A lot of this may be intuitive, but I found the "treat my SA the way I want my clients to treat me" approach helped me keep perspective. The messages I send are pretty much exactly as @A74 describes above and I also get prompt responses.

Fellow lawyer here 👋. This is such good advice!

Same here (not a lawyer but I run a company).
If a text is more than a couple lines, I will skip it until I have time to deal with it (and it may get buried).
If someone is blowing up my texts (by which I mean multiple texts in a row when one would suffice, or sending me a ton of photos and links that would be better by email), I am going to mute them. I have SEEN my Paris SAs mute clients who are inundating them

Expecting a salesperson at Hermès in or near December to respond swiftly is likely to result in disappointment; best to maximize the odds with brevity.
What text medium you're using matters, too. H uses a business WhatsApp account, which many SAs do not interact with after work hours or on off days; they also have an in-house SMS system. I have one U.S. SA where we use our personal WeChat accounts, and they always get back to me quickly - but I don't think that many US clients use WeChat.