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your post, cakeymakeybakey!
I have never heard of this guy, but if his description of his Hermes experience is even remotely accurate (and that I can believe based on my own experiences!), then shame on Hermes. Come on folks - Hermes is running a retail establishment and one should not have to educate oneself before walking in the door! That is the job of the SA!
Most people would ask if it could be "ordered" -what they mean is can it be found in another store or gotten frm Paris. Most would be totally unaware of PO's or SO's and that is fine, folks. The man was trying to buy a wallet, not join an exclusive club!
And no, the uneducated man who just knows he wants an Aston Martin should also be treated courteously and helped with his selection. This is what sales people are paid to do. They are NOT the "admissions committee" - merely sales help and they and their employer should remember this.
Most people would ask if it could be "ordered" -what they mean is can it be found in another store or gotten frm Paris. Most would be totally unaware of PO's or SO's and that is fine, folks. The man was trying to buy a wallet, not join an exclusive club!
And no, the uneducated man who just knows he wants an Aston Martin should also be treated courteously and helped with his selection. This is what sales people are paid to do. They are NOT the "admissions committee" - merely sales help and they and their employer should remember this.
Well said cakey! 
I haven't read the other forum, but did he just walk in and want to SO a wallet just because he told the SA he wanted to, and they wouldn't let him? It doesn't work that way - special orders are reserved for special customers. The stores are only allowed so many orders a year and they want to use that quota on their long-term customers.
I haven't read the other forum, but did he just walk in and want to SO a wallet just because he told the SA he wanted to, and they wouldn't let him? It doesn't work that way - special orders are reserved for special customers. The stores are only allowed so many orders a year and they want to use that quota on their long-term customers.
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I thought the SA was not really helpful, it would have been far easier if she checked her computer which I do not think she bothered to do, then took his details and said " I will check if any other stores have the wallet" It is surprising the products Hermes have floating around their drawers.
I have seen people come into car showrooms (mini/bmw for example) and have no idea what car they want, it just has to be a certain colour and size, good salespeople sit down with those customers, inform them of their options and basically help them - offer booklets etc.
The fact someone comes into the showroom and wants to buy / find out more about a car should be reason enough to actually help.
I have seen people come into car showrooms (mini/bmw for example) and have no idea what car they want, it just has to be a certain colour and size, good salespeople sit down with those customers, inform them of their options and basically help them - offer booklets etc.
The fact someone comes into the showroom and wants to buy / find out more about a car should be reason enough to actually help.
I couldn't agree more with these posts.
I appreciate the post and welcome cakey!
I agree that the main fault is, as you say, how the SA wasn't clear in her approach on why he couldn't order the wallet.
I disagree with your assessment of the situation though. Foo came there prepared and knew what he wanted.
It is a lot easier to buy a Ferrari, a bespoke Rubinacci suit or John Lobb shoes than you think, provided you have the money. All you need to do is call the store and make an appointment. The price and knowing about the product is all the exclusivity they need. I don't think that Hermès needs to act like they did to Foo, since their items are priced as they are and speak for themselves. I think that not selling an item to a prospective buyer who is informed about the product and willing to pay whatever it costs is mind-boggling.
In the same manner, I'm sure a proper SA would have been able to work with Foo and get him what he wanted. I hope Hermès hears about this and the worker is dealt with properly.
Welcome, musicguy ... agree with your points as well as cakey's. Foo's conversation was, to put it kindly, oblique, and very Monty Python-esque. The phrase dead parrot comes to mind.
Agree that there is no excuse for rude or offputting behaviour and it would be a good thing for all high end retail if SAs could be clearer with customers about helping them obtain what they want without knowing the secret handshake. Will things change any time soon at Hermes (well, an LVMH takeover notwithstanding)? I doubt they have much motivation to change, alas. They are doing fantastically well, financially. My experience has been primarily positive, thankfully. So ... hoping that would continue into future encounters!
Agree that there is no excuse for rude or offputting behaviour and it would be a good thing for all high end retail if SAs could be clearer with customers about helping them obtain what they want without knowing the secret handshake. Will things change any time soon at Hermes (well, an LVMH takeover notwithstanding)? I doubt they have much motivation to change, alas. They are doing fantastically well, financially. My experience has been primarily positive, thankfully. So ... hoping that would continue into future encounters!
Hi musicguy, welcome to the Hermès subforum of the Purse Forum.
I suspect that you'll find most luxury brands, e.g., Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Rubinacci, John Lobb, Puiforcat, Breitling, etc. try to perpetuate the image of exclusivity in order to maintain the mystique and caché of their respective houses.
Why is brand exclusivity important? Because it's human nature to want what is difficult to attain, expensive, or in limited supply, and a luxury brand's financial success is dependent on that. Why do people want to drive a Mercedes or Range Rover instead of a Toyota Camry or Jeep Grand Cherokee? Partly because of the intrinsic value of the item -- its engineering, safety, reliability, resale value -- and partly because of the perceived value -- the exclusivity, the luxurious quality of the item, the personal wealth one must have in order to possess the item.
The same holds true for Hermès products. Not only are they ridiculously expensive, they are also extremely well-made, and have the kind of hand-crafted luxury that makes them coveted items for the aficionado. There is also a certain amount of insider information that goes with the territory of each brand's mystique -- the code, the terminology, the inside scoop. Knowing the secret handshake generates a certain amount of clout for the possessor.
Poor Mr. mafoofan was trying to gain entry to the Hermès club without knowing the secret handshake. He admitted himself in the first bit of dialog that he was not particularly familiar with the brand nor the various designs. Can you imagine how quick your buying trip to the Aston Martin showroom would be if you admitted the same level of ignorance about that brand? "Hi, I'm interested in a metallic blue Aston Martin car." "Are you interested in the DB9 Volante, or the Vantage Roadster, or perhaps the One-77?" "Well, I don't really know much about the cars, I just know this is a good brand, and I want it in metallic blue."
It simply isn't done that way. Nor is it possible to be completely uninformed about any luxury brand and expect a sales associate to take one seriously.
Now it does seem that perhaps Hermès needs to send some of their staff to etiquette refresher school so as not to waste an inordinate amount of time in sending the not-so-subtle message to Mr. mafoofan et al that there's a certain way to approach a purchase in the flagship store of an extremely coveted brand.
It probably would have allowed him to trim about seven paragraphs from his tale of failure.
Hope this helps.
The only difference is, you can easily walk into Lobb or G&G and order a pair of bespoke without having to deal with bad customer service. If you read through mafoofan's post, his main issue is with the SA's lack of knowledge and offputting attitude rather than Hermes' reluctance to custom a wallet. Your Aston Martin example is invalid since mafoofan clearly knew the model he wanted, perhaps a better example would be asking for a DB-9 in pink. If so, a good sales person would point out either 1) That is impossible or 2) The appropriate steps to ordering one, rather than giving incoherent excuses.
I went and read the entire thread (in the other forum). It was painful to read - not because the OP did anything terrible but, because he hit the proverbial 'brick wall' that is a French company. I truly think the SA could have/should have explained things to him in a way that left all parties satisfied; We don't currently have a dark green color available in the leather you are looking for and may not get one in a timely manner; we've exhausted our Podium orders and could not special order one for you at this time; we aren't near enough to our next podium order to request this for you at this time - there are, unfortunately, many possible hurdles to overcome at times.
Still, that SA could have taken a moment to explain it better - Holiday time or no!
Every forum has it's own unique cadence and tone and I think poor BBL got hammered for jumping into a situation without knowing the personalities of the group. Not fun. I hope that fellow finds a nice wallet - I had never heard the name of it before but, will smile about 'breast wallet' all day.
Still, that SA could have taken a moment to explain it better - Holiday time or no!
Every forum has it's own unique cadence and tone and I think poor BBL got hammered for jumping into a situation without knowing the personalities of the group. Not fun. I hope that fellow finds a nice wallet - I had never heard the name of it before but, will smile about 'breast wallet' all day.
It's funny that after the OP of that thread posted his conversation with an Hermès SA, the second poster wrote:
"Did you tell the salespeople who you are?"
WTF? Made me LOLz!
I guess what is to blame here is Hermès's policy that put that salesperson in a very strange position. How the hell should you tell a persistent customer (who was demanding a "breast wallet"; even more LOLz), who knows that things can be special ordered at Hermès, that he can't place a special order?
And I assume that that guy isn't the salesperson's first customer.
"Did you tell the salespeople who you are?"
WTF? Made me LOLz!
I guess what is to blame here is Hermès's policy that put that salesperson in a very strange position. How the hell should you tell a persistent customer (who was demanding a "breast wallet"; even more LOLz), who knows that things can be special ordered at Hermès, that he can't place a special order?
And I assume that that guy isn't the salesperson's first customer.
^Thanks Sweetie! That's all I want under my tree this Christmas 
and adding my 2.5 cents (adjusted for inflation) trying to be helpful in finding a very nice dark green wallet......... good luck with Hermes, hope you can find a good dark green in a wallet (could be difficult). I would try Swaine Adeney Briggs and April in Paris.
and adding my 2.5 cents (adjusted for inflation) trying to be helpful in finding a very nice dark green wallet......... good luck with Hermes, hope you can find a good dark green in a wallet (could be difficult). I would try Swaine Adeney Briggs and April in Paris.
Ah, but there's the heart of the problem. Foo, as you call him, went to Hermès prepared only with the knowledge of what he wanted. He didn't even know if Hermès made a "dark green breast wallet in pebble-grain calfskin." And in fact, if he spent some time on any of our reference threads here, he would no doubt glean that there really is a complexity to the Hermès product line. Just for your reference, here is a listing of the various skins that have been available in the past and are currently in use http://forum.purseblog.com/hermes-reference-library/reference-hermes-groupie-s-leather-book-49095.html. In addition, there are certain colors that are available in certain skins, and not every leather comes in the full spectrum of colors, because much like other areas of fashion and design, there are seasons that dictate the semi-annual offerings wherein Hermès introduces new colors and retires or "rests" other colors.
I don't disagree with the assessment that the whole situation could have had a better outcome for Mr. mafoofan had the sales associate been more cooperative and less intentionally obtuse. She might have been more helpful in assisting Mr. mafoofan in understanding the special nature of Hermès leather offerings, and the mysterious and difficult process of ordering something not on the shelf. Spend a little time here and you will come to see that even long-time Hermès customers have difficulties in the various orders and their arcane terminology and applications, be they special, custom, podium, and rack.
But you have to admit that there is a touch of the surreally comedic to the exchange which only adds to the intrigue and caché that is Hermès :
"I'm afraid I can't discuss that at this time. We'd have to check with Paris at some point"
"Okay . . . how do we get to the step where you check with Paris?"
"I'm not able to discuss that at this time."
"Okay, is there someone else we can talk to about custom orders?"
"That would be me. I'm the corporate representative in the store. If someone wants to do a custom order, all the questions come to me."
"So, can you help us? I would like to do this order today."
"It all depends."
The next line in my fantasy version of this story would have been, "If I tell you, then I'm afraid I'd have to kill you."
