My opinion of Hermes is changing...

[Leah]

^ It's called negative brand association. And I will put my hand up and admit that seeing endless birkins carried by the Kardashians, various football Wags and reality tv "celebrities" put me off the birkin for a long time...In the EXACT same way that seeing birkins carried by every third woman walking down Madison Ave made me turn to OTHER Hermes bags. ALL these sightings collectively made me feel that Hermes birkins became celebrity "IT bags" and put me off birkins for sometime.

So yes definitely, what I see around me, what I experience, which celebrities I'm reading about... all these change my feelings not just about Hermes but even about specific Hermes bags hence my appreciation for under-the-radar H bags.

And if I don't particularly admire a celebrity or their taste in fashion, this naturally negatively impacts my association and image of the brand.

This has nothing to do with class or snobbishness but about my personal right to admire a celebrity's taste (and be commercially influenced by that through a purchase) as well as my right to feel negatively about a brand because someone carries the brand in what I may view as a tacky manner hence the view that the Hermes image has been diluted over the years.

These perceptions impact how I feel about the brand and product. That is the power of marketing and I doubt that anyone on this entire forum can say they aren't influenced by a brand's marketing and image.

 

[ABlovesH]

Oh yes- my opinion has changed a lot, for most the reasons already discussed.

But what really bothers me is that Hermes still *implies* that their bags are entirely stitched by hand, by one craftsperson (for example, there was an exhibition where a craftsman sat stitching a bag by hand for days). And I have actually seen fashion magazines print that all Hermes bags are stitched entirely by hand- now, that might be editorial error, but I certainly have never seen Hermes issue a correction. I find all of that very misleading. Their official line is that the bags are "entirely handmade"- but I know a lot of people take that to mean "entirely handstitched" because that's how they used to be made (by the way, a $20 t-shirt from Target is also technically "entirely handmade"- so that phrase has little meaning without explanation).

 

[wekilledcouture]

My opinion has slightly changed.
I am no longer a die hard fan.
Customer service is the biggest issue for me. I am very spoilt by my home store. The SM and all the SAs know me and treat me like a princess (I went in the other day just to look, and they noticed I was hot so gave me a pelligrino) small things like this make the difference. And even though I don't go in as much anymore they don't treat me any different.
However.
In Australia this is not the majority. I go to any other store I am lucky to get looked at. Let alone served. (I am 21 and Caucasian and I feel this is why) it was even worse when I was younger.
Because of this. If I see anything in these other stores. I call my SA and he orders it into Brisbane store for me.
In Paris I did not have a problem at sevres or FSH and was helped by some lovely SA's (best h customer service in EU I found was actually in Amsterdam)
I cannot comment on quality of bags as I stick to jewelery and SLGs predominately. However I have seen a change in the silks even from my first one in 2011 to now.
I think that once I get my black b PHW and black k PHW. That is really all I want from h (and from the comments I might start looking at vintage as an option). Everything else I have. Whereas before I wanted everything and felt I needed it. I have started to explore other brands

Wow. My opinion has even changed whilst assessing the situation and writing this post.


--------------------------------

Chanel & Hermes addict 💸
Insta: @wekilledcouture
Sent from my iPhone using PurseForum

 

[mistikat]

I know the moderators have said 'back to topic' but I think everything said here is relative. Some people's opinions are changing because of quality and some people's opinions are changing because of who is now carrying Hermes.

I hear what you're saying but if the post is just "why is the quality so bad?" there are many other threads for that.

If people want to talk about the reasons for their opinion changing (or staying the same) that's fine.

But otherwise, the thread gets muddied and as noted, there are many others on the subject of quality declining, customer service, who should or shouldn't carry Hermes, perceptions of the people who catrry it, the skunk bags/items, etc.

Thanks again.

 

[Dany_37]

I hear what you're saying but if the post is just "why is the quality so bad?" there are many other threads for that.

If people want to talk about the reasons for their opinion changing (or staying the same) that's fine.

But otherwise, the thread gets muddied and as noted, there are many others on the subject of quality declining, customer service, who should or shouldn't carry Hermes, perceptions of the people who catrry it, the skunk bags/items, etc.

Thanks again.

Duly Noted!!

 

[Dany_37]

^ It's called negative brand association. And I will put my hand up and admit that seeing endless birkins carried by the Kardashians, various football Wags and reality tv "celebrities" put me off the birkin for a long time...In the EXACT same way that seeing birkins carried by every third woman walking down Madison Ave made me turn to OTHER Hermes bags. ALL these sightings collectively made me feel that Hermes birkins became celebrity "IT bags" and put me off birkins for sometime.

So yes definitely, what I see around me, what I experience, which celebrities I'm reading about... all these change my feelings not just about Hermes but even about specific Hermes bags hence my appreciation for under-the-radar H bags.

And if I don't particularly admire a celebrity or their taste in fashion, this naturally negatively impacts my association and image of the brand.

This has nothing to do with class or snobbishness but about my personal right to admire a celebrity's taste (and be commercially influenced by that through a purchase) as well as my right to feel negatively about a brand because someone carries the brand in what I may view as a tacky manner hence the view that the Hermes image has been diluted over the years.

These perceptions impact how I feel about the brand and product. That is the power of marketing and I doubt that anyone on this entire forum can say they aren't influenced by a brand's marketing and image.

I guess I'm just not that easily influenced but point taken and respected! :back2topic:

 

[Hermesaholic]

^ It's called negative brand association. And I will put my hand up and admit that seeing endless birkins carried by the Kardashians, various football Wags and reality tv "celebrities" put me off the birkin for a long time...In the EXACT same way that seeing birkins carried by every third woman walking down Madison Ave made me turn to OTHER Hermes bags. ALL these sightings collectively made me feel that Hermes birkins became celebrity "IT bags" and put me off birkins for sometime.

So yes definitely, what I see around me, what I experience, which celebrities I'm reading about... all these change my feelings not just about Hermes but even about specific Hermes bags hence my appreciation for under-the-radar H bags.

And if I don't particularly admire a celebrity or their taste in fashion, this naturally negatively impacts my association and image of the brand.

This has nothing to do with class or snobbishness but about my personal right to admire a celebrity's taste (and be commercially influenced by that through a purchase) as well as my right to feel negatively about a brand because someone carries the brand in what I may view as a tacky manner hence the view that the Hermes image has been diluted over the years.

These perceptions impact how I feel about the brand and product. That is the power of marketing and I doubt that anyone on this entire forum can say they aren't influenced by a brand's marketing and image.

Beautifully stated-I couldnt agree more.

 

[ladysarah]

Any brand has to evolve with the times. Hermes is by far my favourite, I. Love the whole ethos of the company, the simplicity of their designs, the integrity of the materials they use, they way they are sourced, the handmade factor....no doubt they did things differently 100 or even 50 years ago, but they still do things better than their competitors. ( who are their competitors anyway? They seem to be in a league of their own)

 

[MsHermesAU]

My opinion has slightly changed.
I am no longer a die hard fan.
Customer service is the biggest issue for me. I am very spoilt by my home store. The SM and all the SAs know me and treat me like a princess (I went in the other day just to look, and they noticed I was hot so gave me a pelligrino) small things like this make the difference. And even though I don't go in as much anymore they don't treat me any different.
However.
In Australia this is not the majority. I go to any other store I am lucky to get looked at. Let alone served. (I am 21 and Caucasian and I feel this is why) it was even worse when I was younger.
Because of this. If I see anything in these other stores. I call my SA and he orders it into Brisbane store for me.
In Paris I did not have a problem at sevres or FSH and was helped by some lovely SA's (best h customer service in EU I found was actually in Amsterdam)
I cannot comment on quality of bags as I stick to jewelery and SLGs predominately. However I have seen a change in the silks even from my first one in 2011 to now.
I think that once I get my black b PHW and black k PHW. That is really all I want from h (and from the comments I might start looking at vintage as an option). Everything else I have. Whereas before I wanted everything and felt I needed it. I have started to explore other brands

Wow. My opinion has even changed whilst assessing the situation and writing this post.


--------------------------------

Chanel & Hermes addict 💸
Insta: @wekilledcouture
Sent from my iPhone using PurseForum

^ It's called negative brand association. And I will put my hand up and admit that seeing endless birkins carried by the Kardashians, various football Wags and reality tv "celebrities" put me off the birkin for a long time...In the EXACT same way that seeing birkins carried by every third woman walking down Madison Ave made me turn to OTHER Hermes bags. ALL these sightings collectively made me feel that Hermes birkins became celebrity "IT bags" and put me off birkins for sometime.

So yes definitely, what I see around me, what I experience, which celebrities I'm reading about... all these change my feelings not just about Hermes but even about specific Hermes bags hence my appreciation for under-the-radar H bags.

And if I don't particularly admire a celebrity or their taste in fashion, this naturally negatively impacts my association and image of the brand.

This has nothing to do with class or snobbishness but about my personal right to admire a celebrity's taste (and be commercially influenced by that through a purchase) as well as my right to feel negatively about a brand because someone carries the brand in what I may view as a tacky manner hence the view that the Hermes image has been diluted over the years.

These perceptions impact how I feel about the brand and product. That is the power of marketing and I doubt that anyone on this entire forum can say they aren't influenced by a brand's marketing and image.

Excellent posts! :okay:

 

[Mariapia]

As a bag collector, I have always praised Hermès and the wonderful quality of their bags and scarves.
As for customer service, I can say that I have always had a warm welcome in every store I visited, even when I just asked to try on models while explaining that I had to sell a few things before buying a bag.
However, after reading the "odd leather smell" thread.... the way Hermès handled the situation ...the fact that some ladies here STILL get skunk bags or skunk Slg´s TODAY , make me think that there is something very wrong.
When you spend thousands of dollars or euros on a bag, you don't expect to have to face such big quality issues.
So, as other ladies said here, I will continue looking into vintage H or other brands.....

 

[MSO13]

My opinion of Hermes is changing in a positive way. This is in no way meant to diminish the terrible issues with skunks or the way that's been so badly handled for some customers. I still think it's appalling that there's not an immediate refund.

I'm fairly new as a customer to H, I've browsed the stores for years and was aware of popular bag styles and always admired the scarves but I found the stores less than welcoming environments, I never felt that anyone was interested in helping me. I had an awful experience in Paris many years ago. Nevertheless, I bought the occasional item as I got older and could afford a splurge now and then. I thought I would like H best if I could just order online but we know how delightful the website is

After meeting a great SA at my home store where I like the entire sales staff, I've now been to a half a dozen different boutiques around the US in the last 6 months and have had the most delightful service everywhere. I have no idea why this is, most of the time I'm just wandering or half heartedly asking if they have a wish list item though I would prefer to get that stuff at my home store. I only buy if I'm sure it will be a long wait at home. I am a friendly person and I've struck up the nicest conversations in each of the stores I've visited allowing me to nerd-out on the brand. So anyway, my opinion of H stores is changing for the better. I always expect snooty service but I keep being pleasantly surprised!

 

[Kitty S.]

I have similar experiences to Mrs. Owen. Years ago walking into a H store was intimidating and not pleasant. So I stayed away for years till this year. I have been lucky so far. Of the four boutiques and one franchise I have been to, my unpleasant experiences had been limited to the franchise. Either I have grown a thicker skin, or H costumer service has improved
With any business in life, personal connection and costumer service are pivotal to a successful business. In my limited experiences, I think H is getting better in this department. I sure hope it's a conscious decision made by H to improve their costumer service because they realize that at their price point, costumers are not just buying a product, they are also buying an experience.
Needless to say, I stop buying from the said franchise. There is no need to torture oneself while shopping for a luxury good, no matter how desirable that luxury item is. That's my philosophy.

 

[charmesh]

I completely understand how you feel as my "skunk" was also an SO. I was extremely disappointed in the beginning after I discovered that there was a problem with the bag, but unlike others on here, my boutique handled the problem exceptionally well which made the situation a little more bearable. My bag was sent to Paris within days of me reporting the problem to my SA and SM. Once Paris confirmed that the bag was defective, I was given a refund, offered a replacement bag immediately and also offered another SO. My SM has even said that she is going to try to get approval from corporate to allow me to pay the cost of my original SO which I had purchased in January, just prior to a price increase.

Over time, the disappointment has gone away and now I'm just waiting for my replacement SO to come in - waiting with the same excitement and anticipation that I usually feel during the wait for a SO. I know that the excellent service I received from my boutique is what made the situation so much easier to handle and I hope that everybody is now receiving the same good service. I really feel for all of you who have not been so fortunate as to have the situation resolved to your liking, but hopefully things are going to change now that the media has brought the story to light.

Why would you be expected to pay more to replace a bag they messed up on? That says volumes about their customer service.

And if a bag smells like skunk the SAs would notice the smell while handling the bag. Maybe they should return the bag to the factory as defective BEFORE selling it to a customer. That said, there are vintage bag styles I would buy if Hermes reintroduced them even if they smelled like skunk. I love the newer bright colors, but I am not interested in the Birkin or Kelly.

 

[ladysarah]

My opinion of Hermes is changing in a positive way. This is in no way meant to diminish the terrible issues with skunks or the way that's been so badly handled for some customers. I still think it's appalling that there's not an immediate refund.

I'm fairly new as a customer to H, I've browsed the stores for years and was aware of popular bag styles and always admired the scarves but I found the stores less than welcoming environments, I never felt that anyone was interested in helping me. I had an awful experience in Paris many years ago. Nevertheless, I bought the occasional item as I got older and could afford a splurge now and then. I thought I would like H best if I could just order online but we know how delightful the website is

After meeting a great SA at my home store where I like the entire sales staff, I've now been to a half a dozen different boutiques around the US in the last 6 months and have had the most delightful service everywhere. I have no idea why this is, most of the time I'm just wandering or half heartedly asking if they have a wish list item though I would prefer to get that stuff at my home store. I only buy if I'm sure it will be a long wait at home. I am a friendly person and I've struck up the nicest conversations in each of the stores I've visited allowing me to nerd-out on the brand. So anyway, my opinion of H stores is changing for the better. I always expect snooty service but I keep being pleasantly surprised!

 

[QuelleFromage]

My opinion has changed. If the quality were the same I would still wish to purchase Hermès mainly from the stores when possible. However, with lower quality, higher prices, and wildly varying customer service - I will almost always look at resellers first. The exceptions are jewelry (because I love my jewelry SA so much and he will get me anything he can), small purchases like small SLGs and home goods, and when things show up in my home boutique where I am treated very, very well.

I don't buy other luxury brands new at all, though - almost never Chanel, Celine, or BV and never LV - so at least H still has some of my custom. Ironically carrying an H bag gets you fawned over in any of those brands' boutiques, so I do get great CS there.