Treatment in Hermes Stores

[nit_ang]

I hope it all works out and that you get either the Lindy you do want or a refund. I'm not sure this has been answered already, but why not consider a return of the green Lindy back to London and get a store credit (or perhaps even a return)? When I last exchanged something, they told me I had an indefinite period of time to use the store credit I got in return. Especially if you shop at London frequently, you'll be bound to find or be offered something you like in the future.

Not to say that what Glasgow store did was right. But you could get around it by buying the blue L in Glasgow and get a refund at London SS within 14 days of purchase. I think it's fair to do this.

Totally agreed. Since london store sa said its your right to do it. Why don't u buy the blue one and return the green one back to London store.

Hi ladies, thanks for your opinion. It just doesn't make sense to me to buy another bag when the policy clearly states that I have the right for an exchange. Why do I have to buy 2 bags just because the store manager told me so?

I have just took out a receipt of a standalone H store and here is how it reads at the back of it:" Exchange policy ... only applies to the following Hermes stores: London Bond street, London Sloan street, London royal exchange and Manchester King street.... Refunds and exchanges for non faulty goods will be dealt with in accordance with this policy, subject always to the discretion of the relevant store manager..."

On top of that, goods sold at Harrods are subject to their own policy. H at Harrods and Glasgow HoF are not standalone H stores and they do not belong to Hermes as a company. You are making the store manager's life miserable for no good reason. You should have just bought the blue L from the Glasgow store and get a refund from Harrods as you are well within the refund period.

you bought your bag at Harrods correct? your Harrods receipt says you can refund and exchange your purchase within 14 days. but only in Harrods.

It is not an Hermes store receipt. I believe H refund and exchange policies only apply to their standalone stores - H Sloane St, Bond St, RE and King St.

The standalone stores and H Selfridges and H harrods may well have an agreement to allow exchange of goods, which I have done a few times but never with bags though. I am not familiar with the Glasgow concession store, so they may not follow what the London/Manchester stores do. They are not obliged to anyway.

xiangxiang and chinac, you both have raised good and new points - changes my opinion of the situation.

OP - Best option for you is to buy from Glasgow and return first bag back to Harrods. Just because a SA verbally said something (which is incorrect), what you are bound by is the sales receipt (probably says something or implies that returns/exchanges are within harrods stores). Sorry....

I have confirmation from Hermes office (not the stores) that the policy applies to all Hermes stores (stand alone and concessions). I even bought a bag at Hermes Paris in October, and can exchange the bag at any Hermes store in the UK. At what point am I making the store manager's life miserable? Does she have any rights to yell at me and treated me rudely?

Fyi, Harrods' policy is to accept exchange/refund in maximum 1 month. And yet in my receipt it says that full refund can only be obtained in 14 days, and exchange can be done in 3 months - meaning that Hermes has its own policy.

I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't want throwing 2 x £4570 just to obey with what the store manager wants and not what the policy said.

Today the Comm. Developer told me that the only reason a store manager is allowed to decline exchange request (when the bag is available) is when the bag is not in a saleable condition, or the box is in a bad condition, or there was no receipt provided. Which in my case didn't happen. Hell, the SM didn't even ask for my receipt or even glance at the bag. The Comm. Developer told me that it is not right for the SM to refuse my request because of color preference.

 

[babielovah]

I have just took out a receipt of a standalone H store and here is how it reads at the back of it:" Exchange policy ... only applies to the following Hermes stores: London Bond street, London Sloan street, London royal exchange and Manchester King street.... Refunds and exchanges for non faulty goods will be dealt with in accordance with this policy, subject always to the discretion of the relevant store manager..."

On top of that, goods sold at Harrods are subject to their own policy. H at Harrods and Glasgow HoF are not standalone H stores and they do not belong to Hermes as a company. You are making the store manager's life miserable for no good reason. You should have just bought the blue L from the Glasgow store and get a refund from Harrods as you are well within the refund period.

Well said

 

[babielovah]

Hi ladies, thanks for your opinion. It just doesn't make sense to me to buy another bag when the policy clearly states that I have the right for an exchange. Why do I have to buy 2 bags just because the store manager told me so?








I have confirmation from Hermes office (not the stores) that the policy applies to all Hermes stores (stand alone and concessions). I even bought a bag at Hermes Paris in October, and can exchange the bag at any Hermes store in the UK. At what point am I making the store manager's life miserable? Does she have any rights to yell at me and treated me rudely?

Fyi, Harrods' policy is to accept exchange/refund in maximum 1 month. And yet in my receipt it says that full refund can only be obtained in 14 days, and exchange can be done in 3 months - meaning that Hermes has its own policy.

I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't want throwing 2 x £4570 just to obey with what the store manager wants and not what the policy said.

Today the Comm. Developer told me that the only reason a store manager is allowed to decline exchange request is when the bag is not in a saleable condition, or the box is in bad condition, or there was no receipt provided. Which in my case didn't happen. Hell, the SM didn't even ask for my receipt or even glance at the bag. The Comm. Developer told me that it is not right for the SM to refuse my request because of color preference.

First of all, I would never buy a bag intend to exchange for another bag at a different store. And if I was the manager of a franchise/concessions store I wouldn't want customer do that to my store either. I just treat people the way I want to be treated. Just my 2 cents.

 

[nit_ang]

First of all, I would never buy a bag intend to exchange for another bag at a different store. And if I was the manager of a franchise/concessions store I wouldn't want customer do that to my store either. I just treat people the way I want to be treated. Just my 2 cents.

Hi, thanks for your opinion . Just to confirm, I did not buy the green L solely with the intention of exchanging it with the blue L. As I said before, the SA on my 2nd call told me that she couldn't find any reservation under my name - meaning that there is a possibility that the bag will not be there on 21 Jan when I came. I bought the green L to avoid the possibility of not getting any L at all.

Also, I didn't know whether I will like the blue L over the green L from the very beginning. Because when I googled "blue sapphire Lindy" it shows a vibrant blue. But when I came to the store it was a very dark navy blue, which I like, hence I wanted an exchange.

 

[nit_ang]

As long as the green Lindy was unused with receipt and box, I think the SM should have agreed on an exchange. I don't think she handled this situation correctly at all.
And I am sure she would be able to sell the green one too sooner or later, even though it might be less populair than the blue one.

I am sorry to hear this happened to you, nit_ang and I hope all works out at the end .

Thanks a lot. What you said meant a lot

 

[eagle1002us]

A few years ago when I purchased my Lindy in Paris I exchanged it in MIAMI for another color. No problem at all I had all the paperwork and the box, I also did this recently for a charm I got for my B in Paris exchanged the charm for a scarf. And I do think the H in Miami has some of the worst customer service.

barbie444, are you referring to the new H boutique in the design district in Miami or the Bal Harbour H?

 

[barbie444]

I'm talking about the one in the Design district, I am not a fan of anyone who works there. I exchanged my lindy in the Bal Harbour store and I miss that store so much better than the design district

barbie444, are you referring to the new H boutique in the design district in Miami or the Bal Harbour H?

 

[eagle1002us]

I'm talking about the one in the Design district, I am not a fan of anyone who works there. I exchanged my lindy in the Bal Harbour store and I miss that store so much better than the design district

barbie444: The Bal Harbour H boutique closed? (Was last there a couple of years ago, always pleasant experience).

 

[QuelleFromage]

Thanks a lot. What you said meant a lot

Sorry you are going through this. In the end you may be dealing with franchise store vs. boutique issues, but IMO it doesn't matter what the fine print says. You reserved a bag; it was "un-reserved"; you bought another with understanding you could exchange. Good customer service would allow you to do so.
I do not believe that customer service equals what the SM or other "is required to do". That is baseline. Customer service is about what they WILL do and that is where the service is either great or mediocre. Good business should exceed both legal requirements and customers' expectations.

 

[chicinthecity777]

Hi ladies, thanks for your opinion. It just doesn't make sense to me to buy another bag when the policy clearly states that I have the right for an exchange. Why do I have to buy 2 bags just because the store manager told me so?








I have confirmation from Hermes office (not the stores) that the policy applies to all Hermes stores (stand alone and concessions). I even bought a bag at Hermes Paris in October, and can exchange the bag at any Hermes store in the UK. At what point am I making the store manager's life miserable? Does she have any rights to yell at me and treated me rudely?

Fyi, Harrods' policy is to accept exchange/refund in maximum 1 month. And yet in my receipt it says that full refund can only be obtained in 14 days, and exchange can be done in 3 months - meaning that Hermes has its own policy.

I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't want throwing 2 x £4570 just to obey with what the store manager wants and not what the policy said.

Today the Comm. Developer told me that the only reason a store manager is allowed to decline exchange request (when the bag is available) is when the bag is not in a saleable condition, or the box is in a bad condition, or there was no receipt provided. Which in my case didn't happen. Hell, the SM didn't even ask for my receipt or even glance at the bag. The Comm. Developer told me that it is not right for the SM to refuse my request because of color preference.

The policy is written on the back of your receipt and it doesn't state you have a right for an exchange. In the UK, exchange and refund of non faulty goods is a privilege, not a right. It is always subject to store's discretion. Employees from head office or other SAs don't set the policy, nor do they all fully understand how concessions operates. And none of them have to worry about HoF H concessions sales target.

You are not throwing 2 X £4570 if you return the green L to Harrods. You get your money back almost instantly.

And I can see why the HoF in Glasgow has a different client base compared to Harrods. Harrods is a large store with high volume of clients, a lot of them are tourists who prefer brighter colours. Glasgow is a LOT less touristy and serves mainly local customers who in general prefer conservative styles.

The bottom line is, is it good customer service? Probably not. But is it against H policy? I don't think so.

 

[hermes_lemming]

Hi everyone, I want to share my experience with Hermes.

So, let me tell you the whole story from the very beginning. I've been searching for a Lindy bag for around 2 weeks and have contacted every stores in London, Manchester, & Glasgow almost every morning/day.

Finally, on 20 January (around 12pm), I was able to book a Lindy 30 in Blue Sapphire in Hermes Glasgow store to collect on 21 January. After I got this info, I directly booked a return ticket from London to Glasgow (fyi, I live in London).

On 20 January around 5pm I got a call from Hermes in London (Harrods) and an SA offered me a Lindy 30 in Green Malachite. She told me that I have to make a decision in the next 15-30mins, and if I refuse, she would put the bag on display for others to purchase.

I then called Hermes in Glasgow (at around 5.15pm) to confirm my reservation for the bag. An SA told me that she couldn't find my reservation, but informed me that the bag is still there, so "hopefully" it'll still be there to purchase on 21 January.

With the risk not getting any of the bags, I decided to purchase the one in London, and was told by the SA that I can exchange the bag with another bag in any Hermes store, or even return it for a full refund. I asked her whether it will be the managers' discretion or is it Hermes policy to accept such exchange, and she said that it is my right as a customer. I confirmed this detail with Hermes store in Manchester and another Hermes store in London.

Today (21 January) I went to Glasgow and I brought the Green Lindy with me. When I enter the store and asked about the Blue Lindy, the SA said "Oh you're Miss Xxx (my name)?" And I said yes. Afterwards, she then proceed to take the Blue Lindy from the display and showed it to me. When I told her that I wanted to do an exchange, she said that I'm allowed to do so and she is going to prepare the bag for me.

A couple of minutes later, the SA came out and told me that I couldn't do the exchange, because the Blue Lindy was reserved to be bought, not exchanged. I told her about the Hermes policy, and afterwards she disappeared to speak to the manager.

After another couple of minutes, the store manager stormed out and spoke rudely to me. She said that she wouldn't accept such exchange because blue is a very popular color and that the she wouldn't be able to sell the green one in Glasgow. She also said that it is not Hermes policy to accept exchanges, but it is up to the manager's discretion, and that Hermes policy only applies to stand-alone stores (Hermes in Glasgow is located inside a department store). Then, she said that the only way I can get the Blue Lindy is to purchase it, and she didn't care what will I do with the green one. She gave me time to think, and left.

I was very offended, so I went out of the store and called Hermes in London (Sloane Street) and discussed about this event. An SA told me that it is Hermes policy to accept exchange in 3 months, given that I have the original receipt, box, and the bag is in saleable condition, despite the color of the bag, and what happened to me in Hermes Glasgow was weird and inappropriate. He then contacted the Commercial Developer about this matter and told me that either him or the Comm. Developer will contact me later on.

To make the story short, when the Comm. Developer contacted me after he investigated the real story of this incident, he said that according to Glasgow store manager, she couldn't accept an exchange because the bag was reserved by someone else, and not me. I think this is absurd, because if it was true, why would the SA showed the bag to me after she knew my name, and the manager asked me to purchase the bag?

I told the Comm. Developer the whole story again from the very beginning, and gave him all the small details. I even told him that I could screen shot my call log if he needs more proof. He said that the will investigate the matter further and offer me a solution.

I am very much offended and surprised by the way I was treated. I bought a bag from a very reputable brand, for more than £4000 and I was treated like rubbish. How can a store manager defy the company policy and used her power as a manager to make certain things different according to her "discretion"?!

We'll see what will the Comm. Developer do to solve this matter.

I'm hoping the Community Developer can do something because this is so unfair. If H wants to increase their prices while decreasing their quality, the very least they can do is be civilized in how they treat their customers. You should have been able to exchange the bag.

The Hermes store is inside House of Fraser. And yeah, she is. I'm also thinking of sending an email to Hermes about this story.

I honestly think you should because such treated for what's basically dyed leather is bs imo.

Probably blue is considered a more safe and neutral color than green. However, is it really my business that it is a difficult color to sell in Glasgow?










Thanks everyone! Hopefully this will all be sorted positively.




The receipt clearly says "14 days for full refund and 3 months for exchange". And apparently this policy applies to every Hermes store (in the UK) that I called, both for stand alone stores or concessions. How weird is that?
And yes, I do feel like both the SAs and store manager in Glasgow is just making up excuses. I feel like they wanted me to buy the bag instead of exchanging it, so that the sales in Glasgow store will increase. But then again, it is none of my concern, is it?

Someone is definitely lying. There is no what that bag is reserved for someone else if they knew your name AND showed you the bag.

I live in London and unfortuantely I can't go back and forth to Glasgow as I please.



As I said before, I have asked almost every store in the UK and they said that it is my right as a customer, and not up to the manager, to do exchanges. I've confirmed this several times to so many SAs..

I totally believe you. It's unfortunate Glasgow was so unfair to you. This story (which definitely needs to be shared in a public forum) will affect their sales for sure. Who wants to deal with nonsense?

Hi ladies, thanks for your opinion. It just doesn't make sense to me to buy another bag when the policy clearly states that I have the right for an exchange. Why do I have to buy 2 bags just because the store manager told me so?








I have confirmation from Hermes office (not the stores) that the policy applies to all Hermes stores (stand alone and concessions). I even bought a bag at Hermes Paris in October, and can exchange the bag at any Hermes store in the UK. At what point am I making the store manager's life miserable? Does she have any rights to yell at me and treated me rudely?

Fyi, Harrods' policy is to accept exchange/refund in maximum 1 month. And yet in my receipt it says that full refund can only be obtained in 14 days, and exchange can be done in 3 months - meaning that Hermes has its own policy.

I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't want throwing 2 x £4570 just to obey with what the store manager wants and not what the policy said.

Today the Comm. Developer told me that the only reason a store manager is allowed to decline exchange request (when the bag is available) is when the bag is not in a saleable condition, or the box is in a bad condition, or there was no receipt provided. Which in my case didn't happen. Hell, the SM didn't even ask for my receipt or even glance at the bag. The Comm. Developer told me that it is not right for the SM to refuse my request because of color preference.

Wait she yelled at you? Wtf? Now that's really unacceptable. If you're having a bad day, don't show up to work! Especially if your job relies on interacting with the public. This is unbelievable. My store would never ever hear the end of it if any of their staff yelled at any of the customers.

Hi, thanks for your opinion . Just to confirm, I did not buy the green L solely with the intention of exchanging it with the blue L. As I said before, the SA on my 2nd call told me that she couldn't find any reservation under my name - meaning that there is a possibility that the bag will not be there on 21 Jan when I came. I bought the green L to avoid the possibility of not getting any L at all.

Also, I didn't know whether I will like the blue L over the green L from the very beginning. Because when I googled "blue sapphire Lindy" it shows a vibrant blue. But when I came to the store it was a very dark navy blue, which I like, hence I wanted an exchange.

This just validates my other post about pictures being sometimes different than irl. It's the photographer's job to portray the object in its best possible angle and light. So it would be foolish to use a photograph to base a 4 figure and up purchase.

 

[nit_ang]

I'm hoping the Community Developer can do something because this is so unfair. If H wants to increase their prices while decreasing their quality, the very least they can do is be civilized in how they treat their customers. You should have been able to exchange the bag.

I honestly think you should because such treated for what's basically dyed leather is bs imo.

Someone is definitely lying. There is no what that bag is reserved for someone else if they knew your name AND showed you the bag.

I totally believe you. It's unfortunate Glasgow was so unfair to you. This story (which definitely needs to be shared in a public forum) will affect their sales for sure. Who wants to deal with nonsense?

Wait she yelled at you? Wtf? Now that's really unacceptable. If you're having a bad day, don't show up to work! Especially if your job relies on interacting with the public. This is unbelievable. My store would never ever hear the end of it if any of their staff yelled at any of the customers.

This just validates my other post about pictures being sometimes different than irl. It's the photographer's job to portray the object in its best possible angle and light. So it would be foolish to use a photograph to base a 4 figure and up purchase.

Thank you, this means a lot. If the SM declined my exchange request, couldn't she at least said that to me in a nice manner? Even if I didn't buy the bag at H Glasgow, I still bought an H bag - so couldn't she show me a bit more respect?

 

[hermes_lemming]

Thank you, this means a lot. If the SM declined my exchange request, couldn't she at least said that to me in a nice manner? Even if I didn't buy the bag at H Glasgow, I still bought an H bag - so couldn't she show me a bit more respect?

There’s definitely no yelling. Not by H staff to the customer nor vice versa. I'm still honestly shaking my head she yelled at you.

 

[nit_ang]

There’s definitely no yelling. Not by H staff to the customer nor vice versa. I'm still honestly shaking my head she yelled at you.

Yes, but she did. She asked me questions as to why I bought the green L, etc in 1 long sentence and everytime I gave her an answer, she just directly ask more questions, as if she didn't care what my answer was. She didn't even ask to see my receipt or the bag.

 

[VigeeLeBrun]

The policy is written on the back of your receipt and it doesn't state you have a right for an exchange. In the UK, exchange and refund of non faulty goods is a privilege, not a right. It is always subject to store's discretion. Employees from head office or other SAs don't set the policy, nor do they all fully understand how concessions operates. And none of them have to worry about HoF H concessions sales target.

You are not throwing 2 X £4570 if you return the green L to Harrods. You get your money back almost instantly.

And I can see why the HoF in Glasgow has a different client base compared to Harrods. Harrods is a large store with high volume of clients, a lot of them are tourists who prefer brighter colours. Glasgow is a LOT less touristy and serves mainly local customers who in general prefer conservative styles.

The bottom line is, is it good customer service? Probably not. But is it against H policy? I don't think so.

I am inclined to agree with xinagxaing and chincac, although this goes against the popular opinion on this thread. I would have bought both and exchanged one for credit. It's all up to the H SM's approval.