to be disappointed about luxury store customer service?

[yolofish]

My DD1 has just turned 21, so today we went to vv expensive, luxury shop to buy her possibly the 3rd cheapest thing they offer - agreed pressie, actually not too expensive in the scheme of things.

We were both reasonably dressed - possibly more so than the tourists wandering around - yet we were not treated that well. Apparently the system is you give your name at the door - no one asked us that, so we wandered around until I found a sales lady who said she would add our names to the list.

20 mins later we were then served by the most incredibly sullen youth I have ever come across. Absolutely no interest in us - slapped the chosen item on the counter, didn't bother to point out any its features or why it would be so desirable. No kind of "is this a special purchase" or any interest at all actually. The packaging was eventually lovely, and hopefully she will get beautiful emails from the store in question and maybe the odd glossy brochure in the future after we'd filled in all the inevitable details.

I feel mugged!

We still bought it, because she'd set her heart on it, but she was disappointed by the whole experience because of the way we were treated. She loves the present, but the experience was such a bloody disappointment!

yeah I should prob email customer service.

what to do actually the sullen youth was a he, not a she - does that make a difference?

and thanks andromeda for the pic which makes her pressie look so piddly small - yes it is, she she chose it, she loves it, I think it is a total waste of money but that's what she wanted?

I just wanted someone to realise that this was a young girl being bought something relatively expensive and it would have been nice if the sales assistant had kind of recognised that

But something relatively cheap, as you have repeatedly indicated, in this particular store. The retail assistant would have been pushed aside by the manager to serve Vicky Becks, or Mrs Rooney, or indeed, even Katie Price. But they have 1000s of customers every day buying cheaper end stuff. They haven't the wherewithal to give red carpet treatment to every single customer who walks through the door. Gushing over customers is exhausting for staff and keeps others waiting.
And lots of very wealthy people neither expect, nor even want, any preferential treatment. Not all extremely rich people are celebrities. Nobody knows who they are. That's how they like it. They don't want to attract attention, or to be made a fuss over. I wouldn't be at all surprised, in a very high-end establishment, that staff are instructed to keep their interaction low-key.
Piss off a 100 plebs. Impress a zillionaire.

I'm sure your daughter is a lovely girl, as, indeed, is mine.
I just gave mine cash for her 21st and we didn't make a song and dance about it. The specialness of the gift was that she could spend it on whatever the hell she wanted, with the promise from me that I would never, ever grumble about what she wasted it on.

All this putting your name down when you go into a shop then waiting 25 minutes to be served puts me in mind of the hell of shopping for school shoes.

andromeda what was the point in that? It's completely irrelevant what the item was. You're missing the point. There are no prizes for guessing what was purchased.

OP I can understand why you feel this way. It would have cost them absolutely nothing to make the experience more pleasant. Not just because it was a luxury shop. I think this is true of anywhere.

candle she WANTED to go to this shop and have me buy her this (apparently) pisspoor thing. so part of what she wanted was to go to a lux shop, get hte treatment, get the posh packaging etc. that's what she wanted to do for her 21st birthday. so I did it for her. is there anything wrong with her choice? and yy floella re the school shoes shopping - except for a much more intesive level of customer service for half the price!

Chanel in Paris treat you like they are doing you a massive favour by taking your cash!

Yes, I love it. They are so 'French'! And they fold your stuff up into the teeniest, tiniest bag they can find! And if you are English they try to find an even smaller one! I love the French.

Candle gushing is of course completely unnecessary and embarrassing, but just a nice, brief, pleasant conversation with the customer is just good service isn't it? As happens in most places, e.g. as lots of people have said Selfridges. It happens in my local green grocery even for a £2 bag of apples.

I would disagree with wanting coffee or prosecco as a PP mentioned though, that seems completely OTT and I don't understand why that would be part of buying something.

candle I'm sure Victoria or anyone else you mentioned wouldn't be nipping into the shop the same time as Yola to spend zillions.

Plebs - really!

I expect (and get) a "retail experience" at the Chanel counter, even if I'm just buying a nailpolish, which I wouldn't expect if I was picking up a Rimmel lipstick.

Really? I buy both from boots and get exactly the same experience- which is perfectly fine.

LV are generally fab - champagne when you're buying a bag in some stores. I've also ever had a bad experience in Mulberry.

*never

I absolutely think that getting good service is part of the high end experience. And I don't think that necessarily means they need to fawn over you because I don't like that either. I went to Tiffany once and was a bit scared to go in as I knew I'd be looking at the cheapest stuff they sell but they couldn't have been nicer. Drinks and chocolates were offered and I was never made to feel awkward.
I suppose when you knew what you were going in for it was never going to be a lengthy visit where you browse and decide but nonetheless I would have been disappointed too. But as long as your daughter is happy with her pressie I suppose that's what matters.

nxt time just walk out and say to your dd you'll get for her elsewhre lik harrods or selfridges-no point in saying its bad service and not doing anything about it

Yolo - do email about the youth's attitude. He doesn't sound like a useful member of any retailer's staff. I don't think anyone dealing with the public should be less than professional and courteous, natural friendliness is more rare, a real bonus!
Once in Selfridges the ten year old and I both gasped at the beauty of a purple Mulberry bag. As we circled it admiringly an assistant joined us. I said we weren't considering buying, just appreciating the bag, she said she felt exactly the same. I pointed out to the ten year old that those who worked hard at school were likely to have more choices in life which could include designer handbags. A pleasant and friendly interaction.

And they fold your stuff up into the teeniest, tiniest bag they can find!

Oh I can't afford the clothes so never experienced that as bags & shoes are fairly hard to fold.

And if you are English they try to find an even smaller one Lucked out here too as not English. :)

I would write a letter Head office
He person who served you name will be on the receipt
At the very least it always makes me feel better
I’m but I usually google the ceo and write to him by name so at least it goes somewhere

I work in retail and people get my name and I then do follow it all the way through even though it’s has sod all to do with me

And complaints also get read out on a Monday meeting in our retail Head office

what to do actually the sullen youth was a he, not a she - does that make a difference?

No. Why would it?

The issue here is you attempting to use their age as an insult. Gender is irrelevant.

Some people might not like to be gushed over. They might want to be treated like ordinary folk, No excuse for sullenness though. Even in cheaper stores. The trouble is people have such high expectations. The more they pay the better everything will be. Doesn't always work that way. Unfortunately you don't always get what you pay for.

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There is a happy middle ground between a shop assistant being sullen and a shop assistant being overly gushy and oleaginous. I think the OP was just hoping that the shop assistant would be interested and pleasant. 🤷🏻‍♀️

OP like you've said Louis Vuitton is very high end store, I wouldn't go there with only £150 to spend

The shop stocks an item that price and someone wants to buy it why shouldn't they?

I can see that it would perhaps be a bit upsetting at the time but maybe in time your daughter will realise that it is still just shopping wherever it is and that maybe she would rather not waste money on labels etc simply for the sake of the name. I was similar to your daughter at that age and dreamed of a pair of Louboutins back in the day but when i eventually bought a pair i realised they were just shoes like many others and that it was also just a shoe shop nothing actually special and that i had spent a lot of money on an image I had fallen for. I still love fashion but now if I am spending big it's because of great unusual design or quality, not simply because something has a name on it.

I'm am not for one second saying this attitude is right but in the mind of a commission based sales assistant, serving someone spending £150 in a high end store is stopping them from serving the customer who wants a £6k set of luggage.

I agree that shit service is bad however much one is spending (& short sighted as lots of smaller sales add up) but I can understand the frustration of a commission based assistant.

No excite for bad manners however.

I'm sure Victoria or anyone else you mentioned wouldn't be nipping into the shop the same time as Yola to spend zillions

Well that's not what I said. Although they do all pop into London stores on occasion, they are not the zillionaires of whom I speak.

Zillionaire is a whimsical figure for people who are far (way) richer than the Beckhams, but who live quietly and unremarked in this country without being CELEBS. They are richer than our wildest dreams. They shy away from ostentatious display of wealth.
They hate to be recognised as rich people.
They really want to be treated like any other customer.
Having money means nothing to them any more.
All customers should be treated the same, whether it or not it's a 21st birthday present being purchased.

I'm a bit 'meh' about all this now. What a big fuss about not much.

I expect (and get) a "retail experience" at the Chanel counter

WTAF is a retail experience!!??

You want it? You buy it.
You don't want it? You don't buy it.

The only 'experience' bit I can imagine is that of being persuaded to buy something you don't want.

What a fucking load of twaddle.