My negative Cartier experience today

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#46
i just find it really tacky that your SA had the balls to even say that to you to begin with. when i worked in high end retail, i would NEVER, EVER say something like that to a customer/client. we would be fired!!!! and i worked for nordstrom, neiman marcus, saks & ralph lauren—so not low-end boutiques/stores.

believe me, it happens all the time with clients—they are notorious for going elsewhere or work with another SA, because they don't care that you work on commission, they just want what's best for them. simple as that. but like others have said, that is their right as a customer. i know i want what's best for my pocketbook.

regardless of how frustrating it is, we still could never say such a thing to a client.

i hope you get it resolved because i'd be very weary of shopping at that boutique again. there are plenty of cartier boutiques around the country where they would gladly give you free S&H.

and i also think 5% is crap—i would rather get the free service than 5% off of the price (which isn't that much considering how much you're spending).
 
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#47
Hokaplan said:
I just called the corporate office to officialy complain. The Cartier ambassador was very thorough and efficient in taking down the whole story. I gave him dates, (Oct 19&20) locations (Boca Raton&King of Prussia) and SA's names. He assured me that they value their customers and will take care of me. We'll see...... He said that I'll get a phone call or e-mail from someone soon. I just don't want to step foot in that location! Do you think that it is fair to accept the 5%, 1st free service and 4 yr warranty? Or am I being greedy to expect or want even more than initially told for my time and aggravation. What would you do?
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I think if they offer 5%, 1st free service and 4 yr warranty , then that's a good deal, especially for a Cartier boutique. Or you can just not deal with Cartier all together and get about a 20% discount at an AD. I don't think you are being greedy, given the service recieved. If it were me, i'd wait to hear what they say/offer, and unless they offer all 3, then I'd take my business elsewhere...
 
#48
It sounds better if I can get 20% off from another AD. That is about $1.000 off! My store card for other jeweler though won't have enough credit limit until early Spring. I waited this long - what's another 4 months! Or I'll just wait to see what Cartier corporate has to say. I'll let you know as soon as I hear!
 
#49
tbbbjb said:
That was just sneaky and wrong. I agree with the person that says go back with some one else and talk to the manager, but I would take it one step further (a la Pretty Women) and bring my newly purchased watch with me and show them how they made a big mistake BIG!
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Funny. Whenever business men bring hookers into the store, I usually am super super nice because of that PW scene.

Hokaplan, if I were you I would go through a AD for bigger savings. With the brand I work for, it makes sense to buy full price from one of our boutiques because we can have our factory repair items. We don't extend that courtesy if someone bought the item from a wholesale client like Nordstrom.

But if the repair policy still covers ADs, then why not?
 
#50
Just heard by e-mail from the East Coast Director of Cartier and then followed up with a personal phone call. He will honor the 5% discount on the red card. The red card is a service they pay for. So he said that it is like getting an 11% discount. He will send me a letter for 1st free service cleaning which is about a $475 value today. In a couple years it'll be even more. But the warranty is 2 years and not 4. I told him I did not want to purchase it from my local boutique. He said I can have it shipped from Boca Raton and gave me the manager's name who is familiar with the story. But the shipping price was not brought up. Should I order the watch and just pay whatever it is or should I push to waive the shipping?
 
#51
OK - local AD at jewelery store will only do 10% discount and has no financing plan. So the Cartier red card has 12 months zero interest, 5% discount and 1st free service. I think that is the best I'm going to get. Might have to pay an extra $50 for shipping and insurance though. Should I obsess about it over the weekend or order it in the next hour?
 
#52
If you were to order online, you would get free shipping for spending that amount.....Why don't you just ask if shipping is complimentary when you call Boca - it doesn't hurt to ask. I guess I would ponder until Monday given it won't be shipped out until then anyway. I think you'll be thrilled though when you get that beautiful B.B. on your wrist.
 
#53
I did it!!!!! The lovely manager of the Boca Raton store said that shipping cost is $25 for 2-day. She said she would waive it but not provide complimentary overnight shipping. That is fine - I don't need overnight. So in the end, I got 5% off, 1st free service and 12 months zero interest. The warranty is 3 years. I'm finally excited!
 
#56
WHat you guys need to know is, if you're just asking over the phone for discount, 99% of the time you'll get that sort of answer.
The only way to ask for discount is when you are 100% ready to buy, then go to the shop and tell them honestly how much discount you would like and see what they can do for you. Most shop assistant won't really talk so much about discount unless they know you are ready to buy.

I don't know about US, but here, the best way to get discount is if you pay by cash. But in OP's case, the SA was really not the best one I must say, I'd probably take my business somewhere else if it was me. Plenty of shops selling Cartier watches, and I can definitely get better discount from high end watch retailers too.
 
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#57
djmm - I was in the process of buying! The SA had my charge # and was putting it through. The 5% was the best I could get in person. From my understanding, it is very difficult right now to get Cartier watches discounted. This was not the case a couple years ago. And again, virtually impossible if you're financing over 12 months. Most stores won't allow you to double-dip. Saks, for instance, used to discount j12s 10% and allow you to pay out zero interest over 12 months. Now it is 10% OR regular price over 6 months. They only do 12 months once or twice a year. So I think I did good!
 
#58
its sarcastic how the job descriptions at there high-end places (or all retail jobs) require "excellent" customer services. this makes me think of how these SAs got the job in the first place.
like the others have said, and what i always do when i get treated like that, take my business elsewhere.
but hey, congrats on the happy ending!
 
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#60
I bought my Cartier from an authorized dealer (I checked to make sure they were listed on the Cartier website), but never heard anything about the first service. I paid $4000 plus tax for my Roadster.
 
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