Vacheron terrible boutique experience

[Bug04]

List is long for black as well, lower than blu but still years wait, if not “closed”. So it was a matter of real intention of the boutique to handle the years jump, cracking the list and “pushing“ the client on top of it as remedy for the embarrassing error, but it did not seem boutique intention. Which is quite surprising, considering that no other remedy has been even proposed.

Anyway, such mistakes are really unfortunate but I do not see them brand connected and I would not blame VC, whose list management I find fair, at least in relative terms compared to other high end brands.

Originally Posted by llngoc

Since it is a black dial, I would say that they should move your name to the “real” list vs the imaginary interest list and provide a solid ETA.

If it is a blue dial, I can understand why there is nothing which they can do as the list is already long.

[Bearxj86]

My experience at Hublot is even better. I can get any watch I want without a wait.

:)

Originally Posted by jakjuventus

My experience with A. Lange boutique was very pleasant.

I called them first time in February to tell Im interested in their Little Lange 1 and put my name on the waitlist. I made second call around March to have some follow up and once I told them Im the guy who called you before about Little Lange 1, the SA she immediately recall my name even though I called them on landline and there is no Caller ID here.

I was very impressed.


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[llngoc]

Originally Posted by Bug04

List is long for black as well, lower than blu but still years wait, if not “closed”. So it was a matter of real intention of the boutique to handle the years jump, cracking the list and “pushing“ the client on top of it as remedy for the embarrassing error, but it did not seem boutique intention. Which is quite surprising, considering that no other remedy has been even proposed.

Anyway, such mistakes are really unfortunate but I do not see them brand connected and I would not blame VC, whose list management I find fair, at least in relative terms compared to other high end brands.

I had a conversation with another brand’s boutique and they are not happy with this waitlist situation. Instead of educating and selling the watch to a “happy” customer. They are now in the work of expectation and anger management.

[HMHM]

Originally Posted by llngoc

I had a conversation with another brand’s boutique and they are not happy with this waitlist situation. Instead of educating and selling the watch to a “happy” customer. They are now in the work of expectation and anger management.

Indeed! But that’s the name of the game these days. I went to the Lange boutique in London in an attempt to get the Odysseus but was also declined. Service was great. Got to try different watches but ultimately no chance for the Odysseus. Unsure if that will ever happen even if demand subsides due to the current situation.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by llngoc

Instead of educating and selling the watch to a “happy” customer. They are now in the work of expectation and anger management.

I truly feel for the salespeople. Of course they'd love to sell you ____, yet yeah, instead, now it's more explaining and whatnot.

[kaiserphoenix]

Thats absolutely shocking...The overseas is soo overrated anyway, good riddance man! Take your money elsewhere!

[Bug04]

Let me share a different view on this. I really do not find the Overseas overrated at all, on the contrary I really like it, likewise other integrated bracelets such as Nautilus or RO. If these are gathered at list price. Otherwise … VC entered in the loop traced by PP and AP (and others), and for such kind of references, on grey mkt, it is pure craziness … we all know … a dial color may rocket the prices by grands multiples.
On certain hands what happened to the opener shows a kind of “freshness” of VC boutique people not used to handle properly the lists, exploded for VC relatively recently, in the last 18 months.
An issue is that now such dynamics are spreading also on indies, which are aiming at providing new solutions, ideas, proposals and are trying to keep a certain relationship with clients, treating them as watches passionates, but lists are often inflating also there more and more.

Originally Posted by kaiserphoenix

Thats absolutely shocking...The overseas is soo overrated anyway, good riddance man! Take your money elsewhere!

[jarecki]

Just walk over to a Rolex boutique, and grab one instead. They’re nicer than Overseas anyway. Oh, wait…

[enjoythemusic]

The great news is that many independents are coming on super strong. Sure there may be a wait, yet you will get one without being forced to buy 'package deals' and other silly 'hoop-jumping' games.

[JF100]

So much nonsense. Why would you even want to write that? Either you have the money or you don't because you 'knew' this purchase would eventually come up and happen.[/QUOTE]

This is the total opposite of nonsense. It could well be unequivocal fact sir. Unless you have all your money in cash (and enjoy losing 8% a year guaranteed burn). Whether or not you 'have the money' - that blunder could essentially be equivalent to someone taking 10-15k usd out of your account. The two outcomes are the same, but the means different.

[Willyjo]

*

[Wahlberg]

Originally Posted by JF100

This is the total opposite of nonsense. It could well be unequivocal fact sir. Unless you have all your money in cash (and enjoy losing 8% a year guaranteed burn). Whether or not you 'have the money' - that blunder could essentially be equivalent to someone taking 10-15k usd out of your account. The two outcomes are the same, but the means different.

That's none of their concern. That's all on you, the client, how you manage your money and how you want to pay for it.

Nothing is final until you have the watch and the invoice. So put it on your CC and sell your stock or w/e afterwards to get the funds.

[Willyjo]

Buy what you can easily afford. Period.


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[llngoc]

Originally Posted by Willyjo

Buy what you can easily afford. Period.


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Conventional wisdom says buy what you can afford to break

[rag5178]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

The great news is that many independents are coming on super strong. Sure there may be a wait, yet you will get one without being forced to buy 'package deals' and other silly 'hoop-jumping' games.

My experience trying to buy an H Moser Streamliner Centre Seconds would suggest that independent brands are certainly not immune and, once they've experienced enough success, are likely to adopt the same practices as the big boys.

[rag5178]

Originally Posted by JF100

So much nonsense. Why would you even want to write that? Either you have the money or you don't because you 'knew' this purchase would eventually come up and happen.

This is the total opposite of nonsense. It could well be unequivocal fact sir. Unless you have all your money in cash (and enjoy losing 8% a year guaranteed burn). Whether or not you 'have the money' - that blunder could essentially be equivalent to someone taking 10-15k usd out of your account. The two outcomes are the same, but the means different.[/QUOTE]

To play devil's advocate with you, with the market in a downtrend, it could just as easily lead to you selling stock at a higher point and buying back lower. In the short term, whether it is a positive or negative pretty much amounts to a coin flip. If it benefitted the person, should they let their sale associate know and leave them a nice tip for the blunder?

[David001]

How things change, I was sat in VC in MOE in 2019 trying on a variety of Overseas, I was tempted but left without buying and the sales people hounded me for weeks afterwards with calls and texts to try and sell one to me. For a while I even avoided walking past the shop in case they came out and grabbed me.

Mixing up clients is not unusual, AP did it with me, they called me to go and collect a RO and the next day when I got there they apologised and said it was a mix up, or at least that's what they told me, I think the reality is someone with more influence took my allocation.
It put me right off and I'm not saying I'll never buy another AP again, but they'd have to work hard to get me back into the store.

[Bug04]

It does not surprise me at all. You mentioned a very negative experience with AP, that someone else sees, under his perception, as positive benchmark. The point is that it is not brand related, when talking about strong and old established high end brands, but something that at boutique level could happen (even if it should not happen) while handling lists.
Exceptions may be young indies, in the sense that following possible errors like these discussed, they may have more incentive to repair the situation (eg ensuring to provide the ref in short time) to build and strengthen the customer base.

Originally Posted by David001

Mixing up clients is not unusual, AP did it with me, they called me to go and collect a RO and the next day when I got there they apologised and said it was a mix up, or at least that's what they told me, I think the reality is someone with more influence took my allocation.
It put me right off and I'm not saying I'll never buy another AP again, but they'd have to work hard to get me back into the store.

[Wahlberg]

Originally Posted by Bug04

You mentioned a very negative experience with AP, that someone else sees, under his perception, as positive benchmark.

A positive benchmark? What? For who exactly? Even the person getting the watch isn't aware of what happened.

[Bug04]

If you read just few messages above on this topic, someone stated that AP customer experience is by far the best…
Not my view, my personal perception is more positive for VC than for AP, but this is not the matter I pointed out … because I would not make it a “flags battle”, I think it is case by case related and errors (unfortunately also trivial errors sometimes) occur here and there, should it be AP VC PP etc.

Originally Posted by Wahlberg

A positive benchmark? What? For who exactly? Even the person getting the watch isn't aware of what happened.

[JF100]

To play devil's advocate with you, with the market in a downtrend, it could just as easily lead to you selling stock at a higher point and buying back lower. In the short term, whether it is a positive or negative pretty much amounts to a coin flip. If it benefitted the person, should they let their sale associate know and leave them a nice tip for the blunder? [/QUOTE]

Yeah ofc u make a point here but then if i play DA with you theres still bid/offer spread you paid unnecessarily ;)
Anyway we gone off watch topics here. So i'll leave it at that.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by rag5178

My experience trying to buy an H Moser Streamliner Centre Seconds would suggest that independent brands are certainly not immune and, once they've experienced enough success, are likely to adopt the same practices as the big boys.

You said "likely", yet did H Moser adopt that practice? Have you heard that H Moser is forcing package deals? Am truly curious.

Czapek and MB&F have not as best i can tell. Sure the wait may be 'long', yet very understandable when you consider the quality and very low production output. No worries as the next big Stonk Market crash may help sort things out somewhat (unless it does the opposite as stock traders and those foolish enough to have low-yielding bonds run away from...).

[Wahlberg]

Originally Posted by Bug04

If you read just few messages above on this topic, someone stated that AP customer experience is by far the best…
Not my view, my personal perception is more positive for VC than for AP, but this is not the matter I pointed out … because I would not make it a “flags battle”, I think it is case by case related and errors (unfortunately also trivial errors sometimes) occur here and there, should it be AP VC PP etc.

My bad, I get it now.

[rag5178]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

You said "likely", yet did H Moser adopt that practice? Have you heard that H Moser is forcing package deals? Am truly curious.

Czapek and MB&F have not as best i can tell. Sure the wait may be 'long', yet very understandable when you consider the quality and very low production output. No worries as the next big Stonk Market crash may help sort things out somewhat (unless it does the opposite as stock traders and those foolish enough to have low-yielding bonds run away from...).

I have been told by two separate H Moser authorized dealers that, in order to have a chance at a streamliner, you would have to first buy an Endeavor or Pioneer.

ADs go rogue all the time, so it may not be a direct reflection of the brand, but it's not as if H Moser has hundreds of ADs to monitor so I'd be pretty surprised if they aren't aware of the practice.

[enjoythemusic]

^^^^^ :(

[Noxa]

I have to say my last visit to the London boutique was quite the turn off, went in just on the way through wearing a scruffy old tshirt and a pair of joggers a pair of converse, was almost accosted at the door by a lady as if what are you doing here, ‘can I heeellllpppp you’ in a confused condescending time, like I didn’t belong in there till she finally realised I had an Overseas on my wrist and oh sir can I get you something to drink, all smiles and red carpet treatment. Just wasn’t impressed. Went into Piaget and JLC the same day and both were so welcoming and polite from the get go.

[ILoveFerrari]

Originally Posted by Noxa

I have to say my last visit to the London boutique was quite the turn off, went in just on the way through wearing a scruffy old tshirt and a pair of joggers a pair of converse, was almost accosted at the door by a lady as if what are you doing here, ‘can I heeellllpppp you’ in a confused condescending time, like I didn’t belong in there till she finally realised I had an Overseas on my wrist and oh sir can I get you something to drink, all smiles and red carpet treatment. Just wasn’t impressed. Went into Piaget and JLC the same day and both were so welcoming and polite from the get go.

to err is human.

The SA once seasoned will realize the "worst" dressed customers are sometimes the most affluent ones. This SA had a lot to learn.

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[mickyd329]

Sorry to hear about your experience. They should make some effort to try and make it right even if it's not right away.

I think these experiences are not brand dependent, but rather AD/Boutique/SA dependent. A lot of it has to do with your relationship with them.

I wouldn't turn off the brand over it. I would write to the boutique manager and regional office and see where it goes. If they brush you off, then that would be a reason to turn off the brand IMO.

[gnuyork]

Originally Posted by Willyjo

Exactly.

AP customer experience is by far the best.


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Not in my personal experience. The exact opposite, actually. But that's one boutique and I'm one person. Maybe they could sense I was not a buyer (I was there to browse), but it was the rudest experience I have ever had at a boutique.

PP was the best, and all of the others I visited were nearly as fantastic, including VC. This was in Las Vegas years ago.

[amphr1]

jaw dropped.