Waiting on SA

[ajean321]

Hello,

I had ordered a necklace awhile ago and the stone wasn’t the right color to match my bracelet. I sent it back to my SA and she said she would do store credit instead of refund in the hope that the company would send her one that closer matched my bracelet. It’s been crickets for over a month and a half now. I’ve texted her to check in once and she said they have not gotten the color in and that fingers crossed, hopefully they will get one. Originally, she had led me to believe that she had a better shot of getting the right stone if she did the store credit instead of refunding me. But now I’m out over $8k and have nothing to show for it and there seems to be no urgency on her part. Any advice? I’m not sure if this is normal for this company or if I should try calling other boutiques to see what they have in stock. Please note, I don’t live close to a boutique so have been doing everything over the phone. Thanks

 

[SpicyTuna13]

My first thought/assumption is:

No urgency = No stock

Not sure if you’ve heard, but stock is a bit random out there.

Patience is key here especially since you are desiring a particular color match. Personally, I would follow up every month or so assuming you are dedicated to receiving this piece. Otherwise, I would request a refund and be done with it.

Good luck!

 

[orangeboxwhisperer]

Hello,

I had ordered a necklace awhile ago and the stone wasn’t the right color to match my bracelet. I sent it back to my SA and she said she would do store credit instead of refund in the hope that the company would send her one that closer matched my bracelet. It’s been crickets for over a month and a half now. I’ve texted her to check in once and she said they have not gotten the color in and that fingers crossed, hopefully they will get one. Originally, she had led me to believe that she had a better shot of getting the right stone if she did the store credit instead of refunding me. But now I’m out over $8k and have nothing to show for it and there seems to be no urgency on her part. Any advice? I’m not sure if this is normal for this company or if I should try calling other boutiques to see what they have in stock. Please note, I don’t live close to a boutique so have been doing everything over the phone. Thanks

Your store credit is good at most VCA boutiques (not NM) so I would call Customer Service and have them tell you which boutiques actually have the item you’re looking for then contact them yourself and ask for pictures and videos.

Each boutique is getting less inventory because they want to create scarcity (following footsteps of big H) so the previous SA probably doesn’t have anything to show you, which is totally not their fault.

Take matters into your own hands on this one. I also don’t like my money just laying around as credit for months so I totally understand your frustration. It’s not $100 it’s thousands.

 

[ajean321]

Your store credit is good at most VCA boutiques (not NM) so I would call Customer Service and have them tell you which boutiques actually have the item you’re looking for then contact them yourself and ask for pictures and videos.

Each boutique is getting less inventory because they want to create scarcity (following footsteps of big H) so the previous SA probably doesn’t have anything to show you, which is totally not their fault.

Take matters into your own hands on this one. I also don’t like my money just laying around as credit for months so I totally understand your frustration. It’s not $100 it’s thousands.

Thank you! I don’t want to screw over my SA so was worried to do this, but at the same time I hate waiting for months or longer for something I’ve already paid for, with no guarantees. I will try this route

 

[Swanky]

I’d request a refund now.
If they can’t source one immediately, then your $ should be in your bank, not theirs - before it’s too late and they won’t refund.

 

[chiaoapple]

I don’t think it‘s necessarily that your SA lacks urgency — I assume she has placed the order for you, and there is nothing much she can do at this point. The stock just needs to be allocated. (Of course, there may be certain SAs or boutiques that have more influence to be prioritised, but it would depend on a number of factors which may or may not be reasonable, such as how big the boutique is, the client’s purchase history, etc.).
I do also think that your SA was right in saying store credit would place you in a better position to get stock, as you have effectively already paid for the item and are waiting on your order, compared to another client who is just asking to try the item.
The above being said, definitely ask for a refund now if you feel the wait is too long / not worth it to have your money tied up like that. Shopping for expensive non-essentials items such as jewellery should be a lovely experience, not stress-inducing!
Hope it works out in the way you want it to!

 

[waterlily112]

If you're waiting on a carnelian or blue agate, I do believe that the right shade may be hard to come by. Those two stones are hard to shop for because the SA don't know what coloration of the stones would be until they arrived at the boutique. With limited pieces being allocated to each boutique, and that you want the right shade from the limited stock available can result in a longer waiting time. If you don't want to wait, you can see if refund is still an option so you can at least get your money back, but the waiting game for the right shade of stone would still continue whether you order from another boutique/SA or e-boutique (assume you still want to add it to your collection).

 

[september1985]

agreed with taking matters into your own hands. I believe customer service can look up boutique inventory to help aid in the process.

 

[Yssie]

SAs have quick access to all inventory, boutique and online, in North America. We consumers don’t. Sadly!

What SAs don’t have access to is details about colour nuance.

If you get your refund, and you call another boutique, and they’ve got two necklaces available… What then? Do you travel to that location to check for colour-match? Do you buy both and have them shipped out, and most likely return one or both (because matching colour for these stones is just really hard) to an SA you’ve never worked with and who probably won’t have any interest in helping you find a better match? Do you keep buying and returning from the online boutique?

The only realistic path to getting a good match is to trust someone who (A) has direct access to inventory, and (B) is committed to helping you. And anyone in sales is going to prioritize helping a loyal repeat customer… And if a loyal repeat customer already has money on file for something, and someone new walks in and wants the same piece, the customer who’s already paid up and is waiting will be prioritized.

I hate to say it but a month isn’t long at all in VCA-land. Inventory is appalling in general, and that’s ignoring colour specifics… And your SA can have all the urgency in the world to help you but unfortunately remains powerless in terms of what inventory that boutique is allocated! There are some restrictions around pulling pieces from other locations (I don’t know what they are outside of my own asks). It’s unfortunate and inventory seems to be improving but for now we’re in all the long-wait boat together!