Very disappointing service at Hermes Manhasset

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#106
gazoo, Word to your entire post. :)

Shopping (especially in a luxury boutique) should be a pleasant
experience. The only thing I can recommend for newbies like me
is to go in knowing what you want and thanks to this board I am
educated in leathers and styles. I'll still dress up a little bit, that is
my personal choice. I think we need two sticky threads (but that is
up to the mods, of course) one for positive experiences at H and
one for negative ones. It would be interesting to see which one
would have the higher posting volume. :)
 
#107
Kelly_Birkin said:
gazoo, Word to your entire post. :)

Shopping (especially in a luxury boutique) should be a pleasant
experience. The only thing I can recommend for newbies like me
is to go in knowing what you want and thanks to this board I am
educated in leathers and styles. I'll still dress up a little bit, that is
my personal choice. I think we need two sticky threads (but that is
up to the mods, of course) one for positive experiences at H and
one for negative ones. It would be interesting to see which one
would have the higher posting volume. :)
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what your point is. I can't imagine why this would be of interest ... :confused1:
 
#108
Kallie Girl, I'm sorry. That's due to another
forum I visit. They have a 'celebrity smart quote'
section and a 'celebrity dumb quote' section. I would like
to think that the positive threads would have more
posts than the negative ones. I meant no harm.

It's interesting to me, because I
like reading about customer service and
management, due to taking those classes
in school when I went for my first Associates
Degree. That is why it is of interest to me.

:)
 
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#109
Kelly_Birkin said:
Kallie Girl, I'm sorry. That's due to another
forum I visit. They have a 'celebrity smart quote'
section and a 'celebrity dumb quote' section. I would like
to think that the positive threads would have more
posts than the negative ones. I meant no harm.

It's interesting to me, because I
like reading about customer service and
management, due to taking those classes
in school when I went for my first Associates
Degree. That is why it is of interest to me.

:)
Click to expand...

You know, K_B, I guess we see this whole customer service thing differently from each other because we're in such different places in our lives. You're just starting out and I'm in my late 50s, with over 35 years in business... owning my own for 7 years and working for my present employer for 26 years. Both businesses involved retail sales, mainly through catalog and (now) Web. I've taken and given many customer service seminars.

During my years in business, I've dealt with customers directly and indirectly as part of management and I've just found that things are not necessarily black and white. For example, I will get an email from a customer complaining that no one returned her call. I'll investigate with our staff and then follow up. Turns out that the customer was called back and a message left on their answering machine. Their young son got the message off the machine but didn't tell anyone. So, once things were straightened out, everything was fine. But many examples such as this have just taught me that there are two sides to every story and it can really hurt a business's reputation if only one side is heard.

Another example, if you'll bear with me... The company I work for has a product review section on our Web site. We'll get a review that says she didn't like her personalized product but was "stuck with it since returns aren't allowed on personalized products." That was the customer's error. We allow returns on anything, whether it is personalized or not. It's shown right there on our home page. So if she had posted this info on a blog or complaint Web site .. she would be posting incorrect information and hurting our reputation unfairly.

Sorry for the long post and I'll close it now with this: I just feel that it isn't very pleasant to hear of every negative experience every time someone visits H. Ranag's experience I think was very unique and I'm glad she shared with us. There are people here who seem to have a really negative opinion of H and I'm shaking my head in wonder why they don't just move on to another brand that may better meet their expectations. I see this H forum as a place for H aficionados, not a place to bash H at every opportunity.
 
#111
Thanks for the reply, Kallie Girl. :)

and yes, I agree that there are customers that
don't follow the rules such as the people you mentioned who
want to return personalized items that you know can't
be taken back. I bet they aren't polite about it when you try
to explain your stores policy on the issue.

I'm certain that you have to deal with many horror stories in
your job.

and yes, financial restrictions aside, I do love Hermes,
and I want my dream Bolide someday. :) The negative
SA stories just make me afraid to walk into a boutique
with confidence, but when the time comes I will. :)
 
#112
Kelly_Birkin said:
Thanks for the reply, Kallie Girl. :)

and yes, I agree that there are customers that
don't follow the rules such as the people you mentioned who
want to return personalized items that you know can't
be taken back. I bet they aren't polite about it when you try
to explain your stores policy on the issue.

I'm certain that you have to deal with many horror stories in
your job.

and yes, financial restrictions aside, I do love Hermes,
and I want my dream Bolide someday. :) The negative
SA stories just make me afraid to walk into a boutique
with confidence, but when the time comes I will. :)
Click to expand...

Hi, just to clarify... customers thought they couldn't return personalized items, when in fact they COULD.
So, the wrong info gets out there and can really hurt a company's reputation.

Awww, really.. there is nothing to be afraid of. I wish you could come
to my boutique. I promise you would have the greatest experience
ever! If you want to take a trip down south, I would be glad to meet
you at my H!
 
#113
Kallie Girl said:
You know, K_B, I guess we see this whole customer service thing differently from each other because we're in such different places in our lives. You're just starting out and I'm in my late 50s, with over 35 years in business... owning my own for 7 years and working for my present employer for 26 years. Both businesses involved retail sales, mainly through catalog and (now) Web. I've taken and given many customer service seminars.

During my years in business, I've dealt with customers directly and indirectly as part of management and I've just found that things are not necessarily black and white. For example, I will get an email from a customer complaining that no one returned her call. I'll investigate with our staff and then follow up. Turns out that the customer was called back and a message left on their answering machine. Their young son got the message off the machine but didn't tell anyone. So, once things were straightened out, everything was fine. But many examples such as this have just taught me that there are two sides to every story and it can really hurt a business's reputation if only one side is heard.

Another example, if you'll bear with me... The company I work for has a product review section on our Web site. We'll get a review that says she didn't like her personalized product but was "stuck with it since returns aren't allowed on personalized products." That was the customer's error. We allow returns on anything, whether it is personalized or not. It's shown right there on our home page. So if she had posted this info on a blog or complaint Web site .. she would be posting incorrect information and hurting our reputation unfairly.

Sorry for the long post and I'll close it now with this: I just feel that it isn't very pleasant to hear of every negative experience every time someone visits H. Ranag's experience I think was very unique and I'm glad she shared with us. There are people here who seem to have a really negative opinion of H and I'm shaking my head in wonder why they don't just move on to another brand that may better meet their expectations. I see this H forum as a place for H aficionados, not a place to bash H at every opportunity.
Click to expand...

Totally agree Kallie Girl. There are good and bad examples of customer service at every single business around the world. We've all been on the receiving end of good and bad customer service. And, there is ALWAYS two sides to the story and in the court of public opinion we rarely hear the entire story. In the end there is no need for the sales associate or the customer to treat one or the other poorly period. There is really no need to continue with berating Hermes. It's time to move on IMO.

If people have an issue, perhaps it would be better to bring it to the attention of the store manager who can resolve and not here -- in the court of public opinion -- as the corporation can do nothing in this forum to manage it's reputation -- as it would be the company against the individual. And, in such a forum, it is the individual who always wins -- and it might not necessarily be the "right" winner. And, I do believe that it is in the best interest of companies to monitor forums (related to their industry) such as this to manage their reputation. In the end, it's up to them to modify their business practices if they so choose; just as it is up to the individual to adjust their purchasing patterns (in store or online) if they are dissatisfied with the service.

In Hermes (as in every other business) there are good sales people and less than ideal, if someone doesn't like dealing with a particular sales person, find another --- even in the same store. It is the client's prerogative to change the sales person, store or take their business elsewhere. In my store in a major cosmopolitan city, the staff is great but that is not to say that it will be like that forever. If I run into poor, snarky service I can make a quip remark as to their mood but if it doesn't improve, I have no problem walking away from the person and getting service from their colleague right beside them. In the end, it's my money and I hold the power. Plain and simple.

As they say, bad news travels faster and further than good news. Right now there seems to be a lot of bad news on this thread. Please look at all the good news stories as people purchased their first Hermes piece (whether it be a bottle of perfume, a twilly, scarf or bag). So please for those hesitant on entering an Hermes store, please don't be. Please go in and make your own impressions and get your dream bag.
 
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#114
Kallie Girl said:
You know, K_B, I guess we see this whole customer service thing differently from each other because we're in such different places in our lives. You're just starting out and I'm in my late 50s, with over 35 years in business... owning my own for 7 years and working for my present employer for 26 years. Both businesses involved retail sales, mainly through catalog and (now) Web. I've taken and given many customer service seminars.

During my years in business, I've dealt with customers directly and indirectly as part of management and I've just found that things are not necessarily black and white. For example, I will get an email from a customer complaining that no one returned her call. I'll investigate with our staff and then follow up. Turns out that the customer was called back and a message left on their answering machine. Their young son got the message off the machine but didn't tell anyone. So, once things were straightened out, everything was fine. But many examples such as this have just taught me that there are two sides to every story and it can really hurt a business's reputation if only one side is heard.

Another example, if you'll bear with me... The company I work for has a product review section on our Web site. We'll get a review that says she didn't like her personalized product but was "stuck with it since returns aren't allowed on personalized products." That was the customer's error. We allow returns on anything, whether it is personalized or not. It's shown right there on our home page. So if she had posted this info on a blog or complaint Web site .. she would be posting incorrect information and hurting our reputation unfairly.

Sorry for the long post and I'll close it now with this: I just feel that it isn't very pleasant to hear of every negative experience every time someone visits H. Ranag's experience I think was very unique and I'm glad she shared with us. There are people here who seem to have a really negative opinion of H and I'm shaking my head in wonder why they don't just move on to another brand that may better meet their expectations. I see this H forum as a place for H aficionados, not a place to bash H at every opportunity.
Click to expand...

First, I just want to thank KallieGirl for posting this. I like having different viewpoints. :yes: As I said before, I had a REALLY negative view of H from before and it was only reading all the POSITIVE things tPFers said on the forum that made me give H another try. And the flip side is that, after reading the NEGATIVE things that tPFers said, I felt relieved knowing that I wasn't the only one who had had these experiences with H.

Second, I agree with KallieGirl that things are not always as they seem - but as long you realize it goes both ways. It's not as simple as saying that the H customer service was poor, but it's also not as simple as saying that the customer was just wrong, had a terrible personality, etc. etc. Keep in mind that 1) H is not the only store that people have shopped at, so there is much to compare in terms of customer service, and 2) if we have received MUCH worse service from H, and on a CONSISTENT basis, than any other retail business, well yes, H will stick out in our minds as having poor customer service. That's just reality.

Third, and it's been stated several times but I guess this is just not registering with people: if we say negative things about H but haven't moved on to another brand, it's because we love the PRODUCT, we're just disappointed with the SERVICE. We don't shop at H for the service, or at least I don't. :p

Finally... I do hope that people who have H dreams get the things they're saving up for. I'm thinking specifically of Kelly_Birkin and allan :heart:. I do know that not all H stores have terrible SAs (or SMs, as the case may be) and it's more a question of finding a good "fit" SA, so I really look forward to seeing your reveals in the near future. The more I think about my own experiences, the more I see that most of my "poor" experiences were limited to one or two SAs at one particular store, and I've kind of let those experiences ***** the very positive and generous experiences I've had at other stores just because those were my first impressions ... :nogood: but it's not really fair to the really really generous SAs I've met...
 
#116
Kallie Girl said:
There are people here who seem to have a really negative opinion of H and I'm shaking my head in wonder why they don't just move on to another brand that may better meet their expectations. I see this H forum as a place for H aficionados, not a place to bash H at every opportunity.
Click to expand...

My sentiments exactly. And I'm certainly glad that I'm not the only one who has noticed all the H. negativity flowing from a few members lately.

There are wonderful high-end companies out there who make wonderful products (Valextra and Bottega Veneta come to mind.) If Hermes makes you miserable, why not find a company whose products and customer service put a smile on your face. Life is just too darn short to be tied in knots by a handbag brand.
 
#117
liness92 said:
As they say, bad news travels faster and further than good news. Right now there seems to be a lot of bad news on this thread. Please look at all the good news stories as people purchased their first Hermes piece (whether it be a bottle of perfume, a twilly, scarf or bag). So please for those hesitant on entering an Hermes store, please don't be. Please go in and make your own impressions and get your dream bag.
Click to expand...

Well said, liness! And . . . excellent advice too.:woohoo:
 
#119
I think one thing we can all agree upon is that our customer service experiences have been extremely varied in Hermes boutiques. Some SAs are more knowledgeable and helpful, while others are not.
 
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