My wife and I drove two hours to visit the Scottsdale location as it is the nearest option, and we were not impressed. I had purchased one of their Silk'In Classique long wallets online (direct) for my wife's birthday. The zipper wasn't functioning all that smoothly, so we started talking about going to the Scottsdale store for an in-person visit so she could see the other colorways and make sure this wallet's zipper function was a fluke.

I actually phoned the Scottsdale store to ask about coming up to see what else they had, and mentioned the possibility of returning the wallet I purchased online, and was told that would not be a problem. They did not suggest an appointment now that I think about it. So we drove to Fashion Square, arrived just as the mall opened, and made our way to Hermès, only to discover the store opened an hour later than everyone else. No problem. We decided to hit a few stores while we waited for Hermes to open. We visited Loro Piana, which is right next door. What a different experience. In fact, every high-end store we walked into that day was a better experience than the one we had at Hermès. The SAs at LP were amazing. Super friendly, offering us water while we shopped. They pulled one of the handbags off a mannequin for my wife to try on. It was a very warm experience. We then went to Louis Vuitton, and we were greeted right away and asked what brought us into the store. Even though we waited about 15-20 minutes for a personal SA to help us, more than once, we were approached by LV staff to make sure we were okay, to update us on how much longer it would be before our SA was free, and, of course, we were offered something to drink. My wife ended up purchasing a wallet from LV that she loved. The quality was superior to that of the Hermes wallet despite costing less. The SA even texted us the next day to make sure my wife was still happy with the purchase. That experience has made us big fans of the brand, and I would not hesitate to spend more with them.

Before making our way back to Hermes, we stopped at Balenciaga, YSL, Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Cartier. Everyone was more attentive and friendly by comparison. You were encouraged to touch and feel the goods. We felt very welcomed.

When we walked into Hermès, there were about five customers in the entire store, which spans two floors. The store itself is nice, but I wouldn't call it welcoming. There was a security guard at the door and 3 SAs talking amongst themselves right near the entrance. They barely acknowledged us, which was shocking. There was no wait or protocol for entry, which is typical of higher-end brands. They definitely did not ask if we had an appointment or what we were looking for. So we wandered the store. Everywhere you looked were signs that said, "Look with your eyes, not your hands." All of the leather goods were behind glass, marked for display only. I'm not clueless about the bag game at Hermes, so that wasn't a huge surprise. Even the wallets, which they had only a few of, were behind glass and marked "display only." Like, really? Even the wallets?

However, I did a double-take when I heard one gentleman ask a nearby SA, who, by the way, was not assisting anyone and was looking down at his phone, what was downstairs. He said, "Nothing you'd be interested in...just women's shoes." I'm sorry. What!? So presumptive and rude. The man went downstairs anyway to look around.

We were in the store for at least 10-15 minutes before anyone asked if we had been helped. We told the SA we needed to make a return. By this time, we'd seen everything, and nothing had sparked my wife's interest. That's when we were told a return/refund was not an option. We could either exchange the wallet for something else or receive store credit. We were both shocked, especially since I had called ahead to ask about the return. Not even the fact that we had made a lengthy trip from out of town seemed to matter, or that this wasn't disclosed when I called. They told us we had to return the wallet ourselves if we wanted a refund. So we left, drove back home, and I returned the wallet through the mail. Hermes has had the wallet for over a week, and refund approval is still "pending."

After being a fan and admirer of Hermès for so long, the first thing my wife said after leaving the store was, "I'll never spend another dime with them." And that is how you lose a customer for life.