VCA shopping experiences and insights, corporate / store policies, etc.

[chiaoapple]

Hi all,
Lately there has increased discussion in various threads about our VCA experiences in terms of corporate or store policies, either shared by SAs or otherwise gleaned from interactions with SAs, including how certain pieces are allocated to clients, who “qualifies” for what, whether it is possible to place orders / deposits for items, etc.
In my observation there has also been an unfortunate trend of SAs talking about “profile-building” and maybe even misleading clients (either because they themselves don‘t clearly understand the policies or for the more unsavoury reason of driving sales) about the policies attached to purchases.
So I hope, to the extent it doesn‘t violate trust where a SA has told us something in confidence, we can share our experiences and insights in one thread for easy reference, to help everyone separate fact from fiction and give transparency to the process. It can also be simple ”general“ knowledge that might help those who are newer to VCA.

There is a very recent post about a particular experience a member had, which I link here:

Rather strange store experience

Is anyone a old VCA client and not feeling the love with the new "system"? I had a really rude exchange today at my local store. I came in to purchase a YG Vintage Alhambra pendant with diamonds, but they didn't have it in stock. The SA was particularly snotty and didn't offer to put me on a...

forum.purseblog.com

A couple of things I can share to start us off — if you have a different experience than the below please do share so we can compare notes!

- The recent special releases of pietersite, RC and silver obsidian were directly offered to clients based on their past 12-months’ spend. Ie even if you have an overall higher amount of purchases, someone who spent a higher amount recently would be ahead of you in the queue

- Holiday pendants or other “special“ pieces are allocated according to the client‘s “home store”, so it may be worthwhile for those who have shopped in more than one boutique to understand where their ”home” account is, and to alter it if necessary. For example, I started my VCA purchases in country A. I then relocated to country B and bought significantly more in B than A. However my home account still showed as A, so a couple years ago my B SA had some trouble getting me the HP as she had to convince corporate to change my home account to B in order to sell me the HP.

Will post some more later.

 

[etoupebirkin]

I shopped in three stores this year. Even so, I spent a fair amount in total. I might have eventually received a RC piece, but I decided that I wanted to save up for something else.

But, I was told that these limited edition pieces were being allocated to people whose spend levels were probably in the $300K range and above. My spend was no where near that level.

I’m finding these experiences noted here on the Forum are very like Hermes. And that is truly disappointing. I will not play games with luxury purchases. Period.

 

[etoupebirkin]

Another thought aimed at VCA executives and staff who become aware of this thread.

I believe it is counterproductive to penalize clients who shop and purchase at multiple locations. You are putting clients who buy in untenable positions. We are buying VCA products from a global brand, not just one location. This year I purchased from the NYC Flagship on 5th Avenue, Ginza, and from Tysons Corner (which is quite close by to my home). My pieces are Van Cleef, not Van Cleef NYC, Ginza, or Tysons.

I view my total spend as what I put on my credit card in any one given year, not what I spent at one location.

If VCA will penalize me for this, I am likely to make luxury purchases elsewhere.

 

[A bottle of Red]

Yes my purchase at short hills is not counted on my profile , only my nyc ones are which is ridiculous. They're both van Cleef !
I agree wholeheartedly about these types of games, they're not for me .
I mentioned in the other thread about how I called a boutique to ask about the availability of an item ( not holiday pendant nor the rc/obsidian limited editions) and I was told politely to keep on spending on my 'journey' and maybe the piece would become available later on.

@etoupebirkin i agree with you and it's a huge turn off.

 

[A bottle of Red]

I shopped in three stores this year. Even so, I spent a fair amount in total. I might have eventually received a RC piece, but I decided that I wanted to save up for something else.

But, I was told that these limited edition pieces were being allocated to people whose spend levels were probably in the $300K range and above. My spend was no where near that level.

I’m finding these experiences noted here on the Forum are very like Hermes. And that is truly disappointing. I will not play games with luxury purchases. Period.

$300,000?! If it's that exclusive (stupid imo when it's not even high jewelry) then don't release it to the public.

 

[Kuro-Kuma]

Very good topics!
Here's my experience on getting the Holiday Pendant

I've only shopped at my local store vca with the exception of 1 PC this yr during my travel. Prior to that I probably havnt purchased anything for the past yr or 2? I have always maintained a good relationship with my SA as I pop by to say hi whenever I'm near (once a month or 2). This year I really wanted the HP and was disappointed when I was told it is based on corporate allocation (mainly spend based). I was told it was not possible in October. I tested my luck in Hong Kong when I was visiting and the sa there said it shouldn't be hard and put my name forward but I never heard back.

Fast forward early November I tried asking my local SA again with no avail but she said she'll keep me in mind. On Friday I receive a text saying they're expecting a 2nd shipment to come in and she will have an allocation for me.

Picked up my piece today and I'm over the moon! She told me the boutique recieved shipment and then it's allocated to each SA meaning each SA may get 1 or 2 piece for their client. If this is really true (my husband is not convinced) than my SA really valued me even though I have not made any purchase with her for the past year+.

I think building a good relationship with a SA is key in trying to acquire pieces. The boutique rarely has stocks but I was always told it can be ordered in. Not sure if it's cause the market I'm in (Canada) is a lot slower than other markets? When I was in HK the SA also said they cannot order in items but recently changed and you now can.

 

[vcaboy777]

Another thought aimed at VCA executives and staff who become aware of this thread.

I believe it is counterproductive to penalize clients who shop and purchase at multiple locations. You are putting clients who buy in untenable positions. We are buying VCA products from a global brand, not just one location. This year I purchased from the NYC Flagship on 5th Avenue, Ginza, and from Tysons Corner (which is quite close by to my home). My pieces are Van Cleef, not Van Cleef NYC, Ginza, or Tysons.

I view my total spend as what I put on my credit card in any one given year, not what I spent at one location.

If VCA will penalize me for this, I am likely to make luxury purchases elsewhere.

I totally agree with this. I'm trying to expand my newly formed VCA collection but live btw south Florida and NYC. I find the Florida SAs so much nicer and have more pieces in store, especially the Miami Design District store, but recently a gentleman there advised me not to get from them, since I started a profile at the NY store. Very frustrating...

 

[A bottle of Red]

I live nowhere near a vca so....
plus people like to purchase on vacation as a nice memory, or another location has what you want.

 

[Bdbunny]

Yes my purchase at short hills is not counted on my profile , only my nyc ones are which is ridiculous. They're both van Cleef !
I agree wholeheartedly about these types of games, they're not for me .
I mentioned in the other thread about how I called a boutique to ask about the availability of an item ( not holiday pendant nor the rc/obsidian limited editions) and I was told politely to keep on spending on my 'journey' and maybe the piece would become available later on.

@etoupebirkin i agree with you and it's a huge turn off.

The same thing happened to me. I shopped for YEARS at the SH location, not realizing it was actually a franchise owned by London Jewelers. I switched to 5th Ave about a year ago and my SA there explained that since it's not a corporate owned location, my purchases do not show up on my profile. However my purchases in Paris VCA do show up. Very frustrating. I feel like there should be a public service announcement alerting customers shopping at the Short Hills location!

 

[880]

Somewhat connected. My VCA SA had told me that for those clients who purchase abroad, you can ‘register ‘ your purchases at your home store. I don’t remember whether this is for spa aftercare services, but I do feel like it can tilt the weight a bit in one’s favor for future pieces. I also find it is important for your primary SA to know what you already own, in order to help you find the right items going forward. In this way, i agree with @Kuro-Kuma that rules can sometimes be bent slightly

It is disappointing, but it seems to be the way premier luxury brands operate. If pietersite and RC are produced in such limited quantities, then the company does have to decide on a mechanism as to who gets offered what. I believe Cartier and VCA are owned by Richemont Groupe, and these policies are part of the strategy to keep stock prices up for their shareholders (unlike Kering which is a bit more mainstream and not projected to do as well in 2024). If the store only gets x limited release items, and one client has spent y dollars with that store, they should get the piece. Even if it means I personally don’t have that opportunity. JMO

ETA: There is of course the down side of being loyal. I decided to pass on the perfect Liane in Milan, and the perfect Bulgari tubogas serpenti necklace (that matched my bracelet) in Rome, (both offered at great prices due to the exchange rate and other factors). I did this on the rationale that my home SAs could source it for me, and I was sadly mistaken. But, that’s the disadvantage of loyalty to the home store.

 

[A bottle of Red]

Somewhat connected. My VCA SA had told me that for those clients who purchase abroad, you can ‘register ‘ your purchases at your home store. I don’t remember whether this is for spa aftercare services, but I do feel like it can tilt the weight a bit in one’s favor for future pieces. I also find it is important for your primary SA to know what you already own, in order to help you find the right items going forward. In this way, i agree with @Kuro-Kuma that rules can sometimes be bent slightly

It is disappointing, but it seems to be the way premier luxury brands operate. If pietersite and RC are produced in such limited quantities, then the company does have to decide on a mechanism as to who gets offered what. I believe Cartier and VCA are owned by Richemont Groupe, and these policies are part of the strategy to keep stock prices up for their shareholders (unlike Kering which is a bit more mainstream and not projected to do as well in 2024). If the store only gets x limited release items, and one client has spent y dollars with that store, they should get the piece. Even if it means I personally don’t have that opportunity. JMO

ETA: There is of course the down side of being loyal. I decided to pass on the perfect Liane in Milan, and the perfect Bulgari tubogas serpenti necklace (that matched my bracelet) in Rome, (both offered at great prices due to the exchange rate and other factors). I did this on the rationale that my home SAs could source it for me, and I was sadly mistaken. But, that’s the disadvantage of loyalty to the home store.

And that's another reason to disagree with being 'loyal' to one location.
And if it's so limited to only super high spenders then don't show the pieces publicly imo.

 

[Kuro-Kuma]

Somewhat connected. My VCA SA had told me that for those clients who purchase abroad, you can ‘register ‘ your purchases at your home store. I don’t remember whether this is for spa aftercare services, but I do feel like it can tilt the weight a bit in one’s favor for future pieces. I also find it is important for your primary SA to know what you already own, in order to help you find the right items going forward. In this way, i agree with @Kuro-Kuma that rules can sometimes be bent slightly

It is disappointing, but it seems to be the way premier luxury brands operate. If pietersite and RC are produced in such limited quantities, then the company does have to decide on a mechanism as to who gets offered what. I believe Cartier and VCA are owned by Richemont Groupe, and these policies are part of the strategy to keep stock prices up for their shareholders (unlike Kering which is a bit more mainstream and not projected to do as well in 2024). If the store only gets x limited release items, and one client has spent y dollars with that store, they should get the piece. Even if it means I personally don’t have that opportunity. JMO

ETA: There is of course the down side of being loyal. I decided to pass on the perfect Liane in Milan, and the perfect Bulgari tubogas serpenti necklace (that matched my bracelet) in Rome, (both offered at great prices due to the exchange rate and other factors). I did this on the rationale that my home SAs could source it for me, and I was sadly mistaken. But, that’s the disadvantage of loyalty to the home store.

Totally agree with you. Also it's not a surprised to me that the account for any brand is not connected globally purely because I don't think their technology is there yet 😂 (technology is prob there but they haven't adopted yet).

Not just VCA but all the brands...I was introduced to LV in Paris where my account was first made but in Canada where I'm actually based they have no record of me lol. When I asked the Paris location they told me it should be global but obviously not. I know ppl who sprinkle a bit in countries they visit often to increase their odds of acquiring a special item but I agree it'll be a lot easier if it was a global account and not store specific. Atleast within the same country like come on it's 2023/24 lol

 

[chiaoapple]

$300,000?! If it's that exclusive (stupid imo when it's not even high jewelry) then don't release it to the public.

For what it’s worth, I heard that the images were not meant to be widely published but the VCA at (redacted) location posted it, which is how everyone got to see them. This naturally created a flurry of inquiries with boutiques all around the world which the SAs had to manage. (It was not pleasant for them.)
Although in this age of social media how did VCA realistically think the info wouldn’t be shared?

 

[chiaoapple]

Regarding shopping at multiple locations and how this is apparently discouraged by VCA policies —

I think it comes down to VCA not being customer-centric. In speaking with VCA SAs, what I understand to be corporate’s POV is that (and note this is my interpretation of what was said, not a literal transcription), if a customer shops at multiple locations it is “difficult“ for them to determine who their primary SA / store is, and therefore difficult to determine who should be contacting the client on matters such as HP or special pieces allocation, extra-special SO opportunities, etc.

At first blush it sounds “stupid”, but I can see why it makes sense from an operational perspective. However I think VCA should think of a workaround that prioritises the client.

And regarding SAs who advise you have a “home“ store and to stick with it — it could be that they are being helpful in making sure all your purchases can be counted towards any ”quotas”. Or the other possibility is that the SA does not get any credit for “tourist” clients — I don’t know if this is VCA‘s policy, but I do know that for some luxury leather goods / clothing brands, the SAs don’t receive commission for so-called ”tourists” (which is such a horrible practice IMO).

 

[A bottle of Red]

Idk about these brands but I don't operate this way, I either look online to see what I like or browse in store and then buy it if it's in my budget.
If it's on the shelf or shown on social media then imo it should be available for purchase without jumping through hoops, being loyal to a location or particular Sa, nor having a pre spend.
My money is acquired legally and that's all that should matter, I should not have to prove that I'm worthy enough to purchase.
When I'm on vacation and stroll into xyz store and make a purchase, it shouldn't be counted against me or make me look disloyal, that's ridiculous. I'm so loyal that I even buy on vacation far from home, or to mark a special occasion, makes more sense to me.