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!

What a fucking load of twaddle

I think that sums up my feelings quite nicely!

WTAF is a retail experience!!??

It means making the process of buying something even longer and more tedious than it was to start with, as simpering assistants brown-nose you to buggery.

That's disappointing and I'd contact head office to say so. High end products should come with good quality service for all customers. I've been to high end restaurants and ordered the cheapest set menu and have still been treated like a highly valued customer, not brushed aside for the person ordering £3K bottles of wine. Which is as it should be.

to be recognised as rich people. isn't the issue here. It's spending money, any amount of money, in a shop and getting a good experience that Yolo clearly didn't get which is wrong.

A friend of mine bought a £300 belt there for her son. Same experience. She didn't necessarily want anything other than a transaction but said the disdain for her and manners made her even more annoyed to be spending that. It was a lovely treat for your daughter and at least polite manners should be a given. If she still loves it and had a great day then I'm glad but I'd be cross too.

It means making the process of buying something even longer and more tedious than it was to start with, as simpering assistants brown-nose you to buggery

BadLad and Diazepam

I used to work cold-selling advertising space in a national newspaper.
The size of my monthly bonus depended largely on how well I could schmooze companies into taking a couple of columns or a half page ad. I had heaps of training, and became quite good at it I made money for them, and money for me. It was pressurised, so it didn't last long and I burned out quite quickly. I didn't like doing it really.

But the upside is that I am massively cynical about everything!
And all those fecking telephone scammers have met their match when they get through to yours truly.

So as you can imagine, a 'retail experience' has me guffawing at my deepest level. Fecking nitwits to fall for this shit.

Calm down Candlemiss love.

It's spending money, any amount of money, in a shop and getting a good experience that Yolo clearly didn't get which is wrong

I go to my local bakery, to buy a loaf of bread. They sell me a loaf of bread. They don't ask me why I want it or how I'm going to use it.
It might be that I am going to make sandwiches for my daughter's birthday party. They don't know, and it makes no difference to my purchase. My daughter might be having her third birthday tomorrow, and I'm going to make the sandwiches from the loaf I bought from them.
So did I get a good experience, or a bad experience?
Would it have been a better experience if I'd told them how I was going to use the bread? Or if they'd asked me how I was going to use the bread? Bearing in mind that it was very important to 'me' because it was my daughter's 3rd birthday party sandwiches. So, to me, an important purchase.

No. They just sold a middle aged woman a loaf of bread.
WTAF is this thread all about?

You want badly paid staff to enthuse about you buying stuff that they would struggle to afford? I would expect efficiency and civility.
No more than that.

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

Oh my word I agree - the French are so darling!

In the end, it might have been a good learning moment for her anyway. Status and spending money are not all they're cracked up to be. I spent a ridiculous amount of money on my wedding dress. I still love the dress itself, but I went shopping with my mum, expecting the whole experience to be exciting and pampering, and it really wasn't. As an experience, it was pretty shit and not what the movies make it out to be at all. I guess, in the end, I realised that the dress didn't matter that much, and the shopping mattered even less.

OTOH, don't these luxury brands make most of their money from the cheaper products? i.e. perfume, sunglasses, ties, scarves etc. The snootiness and bad service only reflects the hypocrisy of that.

I've always found the same with LV. The staff are so rude and dismissive and at the time I was shopping for a bag and it's put me off them for years (do like some of the new stuff).

I remember going to buy a money clip as a present in Cartier. I was on my lunch break and wanted to get in and out. I was treated as if were buying diamonds for hundreds of thousands of pounds instead of one of the cheapest things in the shop. Special room, offer of drinks. It wasn't fawning just very respectful of the money I spent and yes it does buy brand loyalty.

You must be talking about Louis Vuitton, send an email to customer services they are very good at dealing with complaints of this nature. Seems is far too common.

You’ll probably get an email survey which you can fill in and express your disappointment. Regardless of special occasion you should never be treated rudely. Complain.

i go to my local bakery, to buy a loaf of bread. They sell me a loaf of bread. They don't ask me why I want it or how I'm going to use it.

My local bakery don't ask how I'm going to use their bread but they are always friendly and cheerful. If they were sullen I'd go elsewhere.

I'm guessing it was the sullen'I don't give a shit' attitude that was the problem

I don't go in shops like that. I think it's all a bit emperors new clothes. If a child of mine wanted to get something like that I'd think they were mad. So no I would not buy it for them. They can buy it with their own money. And £300 for a belt for ones son! Wowzer

And I would be deeply disappointed in my kids if they were into such ostentatious displays of wealth

@Candlemiss

Yeah well I changed my mind on having said they were right when I read the OP go on to say "we were in the Apple store for her laptop...." OMFG.

Tbh while the shop assistant doesnt sound great.

I think you and dd had unrealistic expectations. The fawning and asking if it was a special occassion is just an odd expectation. I really dont get why anyone would be excited by a beautiful email.

It was her birthday. She wanted a particular gift. You got it. I don't see anything wrong with her choice. Everyone spends money that technically could be better spent or that someone else would call 'ostentatious'.

splendid is it a particular problem that she has an Apple laptop? serious question. I think they are very widely used, especially in the creative industries which is what she is studying.

@yolofish

No a mac isnt inherently wrong but I think she sounds spoiled as a 21 year old with a high end laptop requesting a luxury experience and gift for her birthday, and you're feeding into that by teaching her that you should expect to shop in luxury stores and be treated like royalty, and then act outraged when you dont get brown nosed.

Have a bit of style and class.

I knew this was LV as soon as I had read your post! You are not being unreasonable to expect a better level of service. When I'm buying something from a luxury brand, I expect the whole package. I think it's irrespective of how much you are spending, if it positions itself as a luxury brand then it needs to offer not only the goods but the whole 'experience' of shopping, such as helpful sales assistants, quality product wrapping such as bags and boxes etc. It is disappointing that you didn't get that, and I do think recognition that it was a gift for your daughters 21st is an easy hook for a SA to pick up on to start a conversation and for them to wish her happy birthday. It isn't difficult!

Unfortunately I find the service part hit and miss across brands. Generally Selfridges is pretty good (except the makeup section). I've previously had pretty bad service from Chanel, on one occasion the SA was so disinterested. Longchamp on Regent St however is currently scored my best customer experience to date and that isn't even 'that' high end in comparison to LV/Chanel/Hermes.

It’s like asking an Apple SA to be as enthused about your £10 charger purchase vs a £3000 MacBook Pro.

Thread is dying now, and this has probably been said - but I have to say - the above was posted by someone who considered themselves proficient in high end selling!? Ha, it's total bollocks and shows the complete opposite.

Proper training in good customer service teaches that every single customer who walks in through the door should walk out again feeling happy and keen to return: that's people spending mega bucks, people spending £10, people just browsing and even people who just come in from the rain!

It's not rocket science, it's basic good business sense. Secondly good customer service and happy people makes everyone's day a bit nicer. Both sides of the counter.

Bloody hell this thread. So pleased I am a pleb. "Vicky becks"
I always thought hermes was a cheap shop like bhs :o
And the op said "M Luigi Vuitton", was that a typo?

too funny splendid I'm sure you're a laugh in rl too!

I think we should all go into LV, take something to the counter, let them ring it up and then when it's time to present the card say "nah, you're a bit rude. I've changed my mind" and walk out.

I'd expect many 21 year olds to have Apple lap tops because they are superb. My 14 year old has been saving for 2 years for a Mac Mini. Would prefer a Pro but they are too expensive, we are putting a bit aside each year and will send him off to uni with one.

The customer service in Apple is superb,really superb. I have walked in with my crappy very,very old battered crashed IPhone for help and they have sorted it with a smile. My techs kids go in and drool every weekend. Never buy,ask loads of questions and always get patience,knowledge and kindness from the youngest of staff. My dc once bought some cleaner( must be the cheapest thing for sale) for me and asked for a Saturday job😂they couldn't have been nicer. That is style and class.