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

[skybluesky]

I think it's becoming more of a norm now that they only have what is on display... Specially popular items like mop I find they never have in stock anymore

This is pretty normal now. Unless you get lucky and they happen to have better stock of something that day/week, most pieces don't have a ton of options in at one time (if they are there at all!). Gone are the days of going into a VCA boutique and being able to try on a tray of several different pieces in one stone (or at least that is a rare occurrence now.)

Earrings in particular seem to have been lower in stock lately for whatever reason.

Congratulations on your bracelet!

Thank you both for the insights! It makes sense. The service I got was great and now I have an SA at VCA!

 

[citykitty24]

Thank you both for the insights! It makes sense. The service I got was great and now I have an SA at VCA!

You're welcome! Also good to have an SA relationship for the future if there are any other pieces you might like to add to your collection.

 

[keekee]

Does anyone go out to lunch/dinner with their SA? I have been shopping consistently with my SA for now ~5 years. She has wonderful customer service- always sends vca gifts, invites to vca holiday events. We have a great time during our appointments. She recently suggested that we grab a meal together for my upcoming birthday.

Had anyone's SA done this?

 

[waterlily112]

Does anyone go out to lunch/dinner with their SA? I have been shopping consistently with my SA for now ~5 years. She has wonderful customer service- always sends vca gifts, invites to vca holiday events. We have a great time during our appointments. She recently suggested that we grab a meal together for my upcoming birthday.

Had anyone's SA done this?

I’ve done it with my Hermes SA. One time we were both in Japan for vacation so we met up to grab soufflé pancakes & then visited the owl cafe together.

 

[chicaboo]

Does anyone go out to lunch/dinner with their SA? I have been shopping consistently with my SA for now ~5 years. She has wonderful customer service- always sends vca gifts, invites to vca holiday events. We have a great time during our appointments. She recently suggested that we grab a meal together for my upcoming birthday.

Had anyone's SA done this?

Yes, my SA and boutique do this as normal practice. Makes me really appreciate vca as a luxury brand that puts relationships with customers first.

 

[oranGetRee]

Does anyone go out to lunch/dinner with their SA? I have been shopping consistently with my SA for now ~5 years. She has wonderful customer service- always sends vca gifts, invites to vca holiday events. We have a great time during our appointments. She recently suggested that we grab a meal together for my upcoming birthday.

Had anyone's SA done this?

Same here. My SA recently asked to have a meal after my busy period. I also have been consistently shopping with VCA for a few years but my pirchases each year were not that high. Makes me feel a bit strange as it has not happened to me before. Not sure if there is a change in their marketing/ entertainment strategies.

 

[keekee]

Yes, my SA and boutique do this as normal practice. Makes me really appreciate vca as a luxury brand that puts relationships with customers first.

have you ever felt pressured to buy more because of it? and who pays for the meal? your SA or you guys split?

 

[keekee]

Same here. My SA recently asked to have a meal after my busy period. I also have been consistently shopping with VCA for a few years but my pirchases each year were not that high. Makes me feel a bit strange as it has not happened to me before. Not sure if there is a change in their marketing/ entertainment strategies.

did you end up taking your SA up on their offer and go out to a meal? just not sure what to expect.

 

[chicaboo]

have you ever felt pressured to buy more because of it? and who pays for the meal? your SA or you guys split?

They pay. I’ve never felt pressured to buy more and only buy what I love. Truthfully though, I love a lot of vca pieces 😍

 

[oranGetRee]

did you end up taking your SA up on their offer and go out to a meal? just not sure what to expect.

I have not taken up the offer. I believe they would pay, this would probably be part of the entertainment expense.

 

[DeryaHm]

I have not taken up the offer. I believe they would pay, this would probably be part of the entertainment expense.

I have in the past. This is not new. You don’t pay, but I think they have a relationship with the restaurants so I don’t know how much Van Cleef pays really either. When I did this it was at not high demand times in restaurants that are not easy but not impossible to get a prime table. I think it is a win-win for the restaurant and Van Cleef because it is also a way to introduce new potential hnw customers to a restaurant. I didn’t feel obliged after but it did feel my SA had expectations and was annoyed when they were not met, which was due to stock issues and not wanting the specific very limited use to me high price pieces they had available and were pressuring me.

When I did this I think I was a more naive Van Cleef customer. I have posted in other threads my frustration about no MTO or SO or even special but not limited pieces like noeud. I would tell others not to accept these. Some wise tpf members never accept gifts from SA, which is my new policy

 

[waterlily112]

I have not taken up the offer. I believe they would pay, this would probably be part of the entertainment expense.

If it's during their work days then definitely sounds like a business expense. I know Tiffany does it with their high spending clients too.

 

[skybluesky]

My account managers would usually take me out to lunch when they were in town in my line of work at a previous job (I was the buyer) and they'd just expense because even if we didn't talk about business, it was part of the business relationship building. This sounds kind of like that.

 

[8seventeen19]

If you get the opportunity, definitely go! It's always a lovely experience. I've been out with my SA and SM numerous times. More than I can count, actually. We've always had a special 'bond' (and a bit of spending over the years ). Birthdays are a big occasion for both he and I. I can only recall one time paying and it was because I took the bill before he got a chance.

 

[caudalie_]

I just assume they’re lying, I never trust SAs.

Long time lurker and rare poster, but wanted to share my recent experience here.
Based in the Sydney boutique, Australia.

• When enquiring about the Pietersite Alhambra 5 motif bracelet, I was told by the SA that it is only for clients invited by the French HQ management, and that she doesn't know what the French HQ standard is.
• Holiday pendants are offered to clients based on their "loyalty to the brand, which does not always necessarily equate to spending" - quoted also word for word by the same SA....

I find that the lack of clarity regarding policies/'qualifications' makes it hard to distinguish whether the SA is being dishonest or it's just the brand's overall policy ambiguity.

Admittedly I'm a newbie collector for van cleef (started around 5 years back and only purchased 1-2 small pieces each year) - have been saving up for the PDA Poetic Complications watch. Can understand the rationale behind building a good rapport/spending/full payment orders, but I cannot bring myself to purchase an item if the SA is dishonest.

I'd much rather they say I didn't spend enough than pull up some fancy elusive lie.

SA here - this is actually pretty honest answer from your SA. We did not have any control over who was offered the rare materials as they were selected by country or region-level executives typically. This can be different from boutique to boutique because an older store with more high-spend clients will receive more than a smaller boutique; and we received no guidelines on what makes a client “eligible”.

The HP is also true, though in my region we were given a (quite low) spend just to be sure that the client wasn’t a reseller, and we had to petition for them to be offered one. I think I received maybe 3 personally.