VCA ~ Van Cleef Arpels Discussion thread!

[ThisVNchick]

Guilloche bracelet!!
im going on Sat to Birks here in Vancouver to try it out. Well the SA I had first spoken to called me and when I said what I was looking for she said they didnt have it but then called me back and said they have the one that has diamonds so I could try for the look of it and to also see the other pieces that I’m interested in

wonder what the difference is between buying from vancleef directly as opposed to buying it from another high end jeweller...??

Here in the states, if one buys VCA through Neimans, one can make use of the store's 30 day return policy and 12 months no interest if the item was purchased on a Neiman Marcus credit card. I believe VCA only does returns/refunds, if you purchase the item unseen (so via charge-sends). Otherwise, it is final sale. Of course, there are exceptions if you have a good relationship with your VCA SA.

 

[BigAkoya]

Guilloche bracelet!!
im going on Sat to Birks here in Vancouver to try it out. Well the SA I had first spoken to called me and when I said what I was looking for she said they didnt have it but then called me back and said they have the one that has diamonds so I could try for the look of it and to also see the other pieces that I’m interested in

wonder what the difference is between buying from vancleef directly as opposed to buying it from another high end jeweller...??

Hi! I think others have given you feedback about the benefits of buying it from Birks (no interest on credit card, refund). Those are the obvious benefits.

For me though, I prefer to go directly to a boutique, especially for long term items such as jewelry that will require aftercare, even a simple cleaning. The main reason is that they have my purchase in their system. VCA seems really picky about repairs and maintenance, and I have read in some cases in the US, if you did not purchase your piece at a VCA boutique (e.g. they cannot find you in the system), you need to bring your COA to show proof. That would just annoy me if my "authenticity" to repair or clean a piece depended on my little COA. I would prefer they look my purchase up, and yup... they see it's my piece.. authentic, and they service it.

As for a refund, I know VCA says no refund, credit only. From my own experience, that's not a hard rule, and I would think if you are undecided about two pieces, they will have some leeway, knowing you will purchase one.

Birks carries VCA today, but they may not always. This is already true of Neiman Marcus... there are some NMs in the US where the VCA boutique closed down. Related, Chanel also shut down a lot of leased boutiques at Saks. This happened a few years ago. And with jewelry, it will always be something especially as we age and wear our pieces... My fingers got fatter, resize please. My bracelet is all dirty, clean please. My earrings are too tight, loosen please.

SAs come and go, leased spaces come and go, but the VCA maison remains.

Just my two cents for another point of view.
Good luck to you!

 

[A bottle of Red]

Hi! I think others have given you feedback about the benefits of buying it from Birks (no interest on credit card, refund). Those are the obvious benefits.

For me though, I prefer to go directly to a boutique, especially for long term items such as jewelry that will require aftercare, even a simple cleaning. The main reason is that they have my purchase in their system. VCA seems really picky about repairs and maintenance, and I have read in some cases in the US, if you did not purchase your piece at a VCA boutique (e.g. they cannot find you in the system), you need to bring your COA to show proof. That would just annoy me if my "authenticity" to repair or clean a piece depended on my little COA. I would prefer they look my purchase up, and yup... they see it's my piece.. authentic, and they service it.

As for a refund, I know VCA says no refund, credit only. From my own experience, that's not a hard rule, and I would think if you are undecided about two pieces, they will have some leeway, knowing you will purchase one.

Birks carries VCA today, but they may not always. This is already true of Neiman Marcus... there are some NMs in the US where the VCA boutique closed down. Related, Chanel also shut down a lot of leased boutiques at Saks. This happened a few years ago. And with jewelry, it will always be something especially as we age and wear our pieces... My fingers got fatter, resize please. My bracelet is all dirty, clean please. My earrings are too tight, loosen please.

SAs come and go, leased spaces come and go, but the VCA maison remains.

Just my two cents for another point of view.
Good luck to you!

Really good points to think about!

 

[Chanellover2015]

Hi! I think others have given you feedback about the benefits of buying it from Birks (no interest on credit card, refund). Those are the obvious benefits.

For me though, I prefer to go directly to a boutique, especially for long term items such as jewelry that will require aftercare, even a simple cleaning. The main reason is that they have my purchase in their system. VCA seems really picky about repairs and maintenance, and I have read in some cases in the US, if you did not purchase your piece at a VCA boutique (e.g. they cannot find you in the system), you need to bring your COA to show proof. That would just annoy me if my "authenticity" to repair or clean a piece depended on my little COA. I would prefer they look my purchase up, and yup... they see it's my piece.. authentic, and they service it.

As for a refund, I know VCA says no refund, credit only. From my own experience, that's not a hard rule, and I would think if you are undecided about two pieces, they will have some leeway, knowing you will purchase one.

Birks carries VCA today, but they may not always. This is already true of Neiman Marcus... there are some NMs in the US where the VCA boutique closed down. Related, Chanel also shut down a lot of leased boutiques at Saks. This happened a few years ago. And with jewelry, it will always be something especially as we age and wear our pieces... My fingers got fatter, resize please. My bracelet is all dirty, clean please. My earrings are too tight, loosen please.

SAs come and go, leased spaces come and go, but the VCA maison remains.

Just my two cents for another point of view.
Good luck to you!

These are really good points!! Thanks for sharing

 

[Deleted member 626500]

Hi! I think others have given you feedback about the benefits of buying it from Birks (no interest on credit card, refund). Those are the obvious benefits.

For me though, I prefer to go directly to a boutique, especially for long term items such as jewelry that will require aftercare, even a simple cleaning. The main reason is that they have my purchase in their system. VCA seems really picky about repairs and maintenance, and I have read in some cases in the US, if you did not purchase your piece at a VCA boutique (e.g. they cannot find you in the system), you need to bring your COA to show proof. That would just annoy me if my "authenticity" to repair or clean a piece depended on my little COA. I would prefer they look my purchase up, and yup... they see it's my piece.. authentic, and they service it.

As for a refund, I know VCA says no refund, credit only. From my own experience, that's not a hard rule, and I would think if you are undecided about two pieces, they will have some leeway, knowing you will purchase one.

Birks carries VCA today, but they may not always. This is already true of Neiman Marcus... there are some NMs in the US where the VCA boutique closed down. Related, Chanel also shut down a lot of leased boutiques at Saks. This happened a few years ago. And with jewelry, it will always be something especially as we age and wear our pieces... My fingers got fatter, resize please. My bracelet is all dirty, clean please. My earrings are too tight, loosen please.

SAs come and go, leased spaces come and go, but the VCA maison remains.

Just my two cents for another point of view.
Good luck to you!

If you bring a VCA piece into NM for repair, will they forward it the Maison's workshop? I ask, because the city where I live doesn't have a free-standing boutique--but there is a Neiman Marcus with an in-store VCA salon. Does it work the same as if were to go to the boutique?

 

[couturequeen]

If you bring a VCA piece into NM for repair, will they forward it the Maison's workshop? I ask, because the city where I live doesn't have a free-standing boutique--but there is a Neiman Marcus with an in-store VCA salon. Does it work the same as if were to go to the boutique?

Yes! It was always a seamless experience for me. They’d send and it would take a bit longer with shipping, but same great service. I had bracelets shortened and necklaces lengthened.

 

[nicole0612]

If you bring a VCA piece into NM for repair, will they forward it the Maison's workshop? I ask, because the city where I live doesn't have a free-standing boutique--but there is a Neiman Marcus with an in-store VCA salon. Does it work the same as if were to go to the boutique?

Yes, that is correct. My NM closed last fall, but they would ship items to the NYC workshop when needed. It was usually quite quick, ~1 week turnaround prior to covid.

 

[BigAkoya]

If you bring a VCA piece into NM for repair, will they forward it the Maison's workshop? I ask, because the city where I live doesn't have a free-standing boutique--but there is a Neiman Marcus with an in-store VCA salon. Does it work the same as if were to go to the boutique?

Yes, that is correct because that NM VCA store validates the authenticity on your behalf. But your purchase at NM is not technically in the official VCA system. They may have recently changed that, but it has not been the case. What you buy at NM is a NM purchase, hence the return policy/using a NM charge card/line of credit is different. It is not in registered in the VCA system, so if you walk into a VCA boutique, they cannot "look you up". Not being officially registered in the VCA system is the part that really annoys me. But it's all preference if that matters to you vs. being able to return something in 30 days/using a line of credit, etc.

 

[BigAkoya]

Yes, that is correct. My NM closed last fall, but they would ship items to the NYC workshop when needed. It was usually quite quick, ~1 week turnaround prior to covid.

I am curious... what do you do now when you send in your piece? Do they ask for authenticity? Do you have to show a photo copy of your COA? If more NM VCA boutiques close, I wonder if VCA will update their policy.

I do not live near a VCA, but when I need service, I just tell the VCA boutique, and they email me a FedEx label, and I ship it to them to deal with. I am just wondering how you service your NM purchased pieces now since the NM VCA boutique closed. That would be interesting to know. Did VCA change any policies for NM purchased pieces?

Thanks for sharing.

 

[BigAkoya]

If you bring a VCA piece into NM for repair, will they forward it the Maison's workshop? I ask, because the city where I live doesn't have a free-standing boutique--but there is a Neiman Marcus with an in-store VCA salon. Does it work the same as if were to go to the boutique?

I forgot to respond you to about how servicing works at the boutique for me. I too do not live near a VCA. When I need a service, I just contact the boutique, they see my piece in their system, and they email me a FedEx label. I take my piece to FedEx who puts it in a box for me (VCA told me I do not need to purchase any special box, take it to FedEx who will box it for me, fully insured by VCA). The item gets FedEx-d to their boutique, and they take care of sending it to the workshop. When the service is done, my piece gets sent to the boutique who inspects it again. Then before they mail it to me, they put it in the cute little package, the bow, pouch, shopping bag, and all that stuff and FedEx it back to me. They also include the VCA service order (the cost is free but it's evidence and a log to show what has been serviced with my piece which I save for reference). The Service Order looks like the same receipt when you make a purchase... a 8.5 x 11" paper with VCA letterhead. My name is on it, and the description of my piece and service performed.

Then they ship out my goody bag via FedEx Overnight Signature Required. The SA always checks with me prior to shipping to be sure the chosen arrival date works with my schedule. For overnight service, my FedEx guy always seems to deliver it by 12:30pm.

It's really easy. Hassle free. Hope that helps explains the process. It seems to be the same process for me each time.

 

[Deleted member 626500]

I forgot to respond you to about how servicing works at the boutique for me. I too do not live near a VCA. When I need a service, I just contact the boutique, they see my piece in their system, and they email me a FedEx label. I take my piece to FedEx who puts it in a box for me (VCA told me I do not need to purchase any special box, take it to FedEx who will box it for me, fully insured by VCA). The item gets FedEx-d to their boutique, and they take care of sending it to the workshop. When the service is done, my piece gets sent to the boutique who inspects it again. Then before they mail it to me, they put it in the cute little package, the bow, pouch, shopping bag, and all that stuff and FedEx it back to me. They also include the VCA service order (the cost is free but it's evidence and a log to show what has been serviced with my piece which I save for reference). The Service Order looks like the same receipt when you make a purchase... a 8.5 x 11" paper with VCA letterhead. My name is on it, and the description of my piece and service performed.

Then they ship out my goody bag via FedEx Overnight Signature Required. The SA always checks with me prior to shipping to be sure the chosen arrival date works with my schedule. For overnight service, my FedEx guy always seems to deliver it by 12:30pm.

It's really easy. Hassle free. Hope that helps explains the process. It seems to be the same process for me each time.

That's terrific! I didn't know that was a possibility.
Now here's a wrinkle . . . what if it's a vintage piece that may or may not be in the system and certainly isn't in the system under my name given that I would not be the original owner?

 

[ThisVNchick]

That's terrific! I didn't know that was a possibility.
Now here's a wrinkle . . . what if it's a vintage piece that may or may not be in the system and certainly isn't in the system under my name given that I would not be the original owner?

I've read that in cases this like, VCA will ask you to pay for the authentication service ($1800) before they proceed with servicing the item. The good thing is, it's a one time fee and VCA will issue you a documentation, so if the piece needs to be serviced again later down the road, you have proof to show them. The down side is, of course, the cost and if it's worth it (to you) relative to the price that you paid for the item.

 

[Deleted member 626500]

I've read that in cases this like, VCA will ask you to pay for the authentication service ($1800) before they proceed with servicing the item. The good thing is, it's a one time fee and VCA will issue you a documentation, so if the piece needs to be serviced again later down the road, you have proof to show them. The down side is, of course, the cost and if it's worth it (to you) relative to the price that you paid for the item.

Thank you!

 

[nicole0612]

I am curious... what do you do now when you send in your piece? Do they ask for authenticity? Do you have to show a photo copy of your COA? If more NM VCA boutiques close, I wonder if VCA will update their policy.

I do not live near a VCA, but when I need service, I just tell the VCA boutique, and they email me a FedEx label, and I ship it to them to deal with. I am just wondering how you service your NM purchased pieces now since the NM VCA boutique closed. That would be interesting to know. Did VCA change any policies for NM purchased pieces?

Thanks for sharing.

My Neiman Marcus closed in November 2020, so I have been purchasing via text/phone from my new SA at the New York boutique since then. Though I am located on the West coast, pieces purchased from our Neiman Marcus had been sent to New York when repairs were needed and our Neiman’s sourced all of their items through the NYC 5th boutique. It is as you say in your subsequent post; now I text my SA that I would like to send in an item, she sends me an insured FedEx shipping label and then she ships it back when completed. I have never needed to send in a receipt or COA, except for a vintage item I have which is apparently commonly faked, so she suggested that including a photo copy of the paperwork would expedite the process. I don’t know if it would have slowed down the servicing if I had not included the paperwork. My experiences with another boutique were different, but I was a new client there, which makes a difference. I think sometimes it is a case of the SAs just being extremely busy and not having the time to dedicate to these activities on a particular day. I will say that the repair process seemed even smoother through Neiman Marcus because they are so keen on customer service and they shipped items right to the workshop, rather than the piece going first to the sales department of the boutique.

 

[BigAkoya]

My Neiman Marcus closed in November 2020, so I have been purchasing via text/phone from my new SA at the New York boutique since then. Though I am located on the West coast, pieces purchased from our Neiman Marcus had been sent to New York when repairs were needed and our Neiman’s sourced all of their items through the NYC 5th boutique. It is as you say in your subsequent post; now I text my SA that I would like to send in an item, she sends me an insured FedEx shipping label and then she ships it back when completed. I have never needed to send in a receipt or COA, except for a vintage item I have which is apparently commonly faked, so she suggested that including a photo copy of the paperwork would expedite the process. I don’t know if it would have slowed down the servicing if I had not included the paperwork. My experiences with another boutique were different, but I was a new client there, which makes a difference. I think sometimes it is a case of the SAs just being extremely busy and not having the time to dedicate to these activities on a particular day. I will say that the repair process seemed even smoother through Neiman Marcus because they are so keen on customer service and they shipped items right to the workshop, rather than the piece going first to the sales department of the boutique.

Thank you, that was helpful. It seem your process is similar to mine. I am sure so many of us use the FedEx system as there are so few VCA boutiques in the US.

Thanks again!