“

With this being such an expensive purchase, I expected it to be kept safe and out of harm’s way, rather than having random people pawing over it and risking it getting marked or scratched.  When I asked why it the bag had been put out, I was barely given a response.  

MY BIRKIN STORY (& HARDLY EVER WORN IT REVIEW)

  • 21st December 2017
  • Fashion
  • by Dominique Waller

With this being such an expensive purchase, I expected it to be kept safe and out of harm’s way, rather than having random people pawing over it and risking it getting marked or scratched.  When I asked why it the bag had been put out, I was barely given a response.

I’ve been meaning to write this post for ages as I’ve had so many questions regarding my recent “Birkin drama”.  I shared part of the story on Instagram but if you’re keen to know the rest, read on!

For any luxury fashion-aholic a Hermes Birkin bag is the holy grail piece to have in your wardrobe.  I’ve lusted and drooled over them since my early teens.  Everything about it screams craftsmanship, quality and timeless elegance.  Unfortunately, the scary price tag and their elusiveness (Birkin’s are renowned for being almost impossible to buy in store), meant I remained without one.

However, when I spotted one on Hardly Ever Worn It, the UK’s version of Vestiarie Collective, I thought now might be the time to invest.  I have a big birthday coming up in January (I’m turning 30!) and figured it would be the ultimate birthday treat for myself.

The bag was priced at £5670.00 and after doing some research on the age, colour and condition, I felt confident this was the one.  I fell in love with the colour which was a perfect mix between baby blue and grey.  For those interested the official colour name is “Blue Lin”.

I rung Hardly Ever Worn It to double check the bag was still available.  They lady who picked up was very curt and uninterested in me to begin with until she realised I was enquiring about a very pricey item and suddenly she switched to being nice as pie.  It was a complete 180, red flag number one!

I mulled over the bag for a couple of days before taking the plunge and purchasing it.  Rather than having it posted to me, I opted to pick it up from their Central London office.  Hardly Ever Worn It suggested I pick it up on a day they were having a special shopping event, where they were showcasing some of their VIP items.

When I arrived, I was ushered into the room where the event was being held and noticed a baby blue Birkin similar to the one I’d purchased on display.  As I got closer I realised it was in fact mine. I was standing there watching women yanking and pulling at it trying to find a price tag (there wasn’t one given it was already sold!) with a glass of champagne precariously balanced in the one hand.  They would then plonk it back into the Hermes box, crumpling all the tissue paper as they did so.

Perhaps I am being pedantic but I was REALLY upset by this.  I had already paid for the bag, so in my eyes, it should NOT have been put on display.  With this being such an expensive purchase, I expected it to be kept safe and out of harm’s way, rather than having random people pawing over it and risking it getting marked or scratched.  When I asked why it the bag had been put out, I was barely given a response.  Just a shrug of the shoulders and a swift remark about how they wanted people to see it.  Red flag number 2.

Despite being so upset, I still ended up purchasing another handbag!  This particular one is sold out everywhere and I just couldn’t resist it.  Annoyingly, when I went to pay my card was declined.  I later found out there was a security issue as I’d just bought the Birkin on it and the bank wanted to verify my transactions.  Anyway, Hardly Ever Worn It kindly kept it aside for me and I purchased it the next day once I’d spoken to the bank.

A couple of days later I went to pick up the second bag from their office.  While I was there I was pulled aside by the COO who had told me they had accidently undersold the Birkin bag by £2500!

They explained that a new member of staff had made a mistake with the listing (who they since “let go” aka fired!) and the woman who originally owned the bag was absolutely furious (hardly surprisingly).  They asked me if I would either return the bag or pay the difference.  I was totally shell shocked!  I said I’d sleep on it and get back to them.

I ummm’d and errr’d about it for 2 days and asked just about anyone I could for advice.  Legally, Hardly Ever Worn It didn’t have a leg to stand on.  The bag had been fully paid for and was in my possession so it 100% belonged to me.  Technically, I didn’t owe them anything and I was certainly under no obligation to return it.

A lot of people advised me their mistake is your gain and to a certain extent, I agree with them.  As a business owner, I would never ask a client to make up my shortcomings.  However, I am also the sort of person that if I have the ability to make something right then I will.  I’m also a great believer in doing the right thing and karma will reward you later (which in this circumstance, it did, but more on that later!).

Also, I still had the two red flags etched in my brain, so I decided to return it.  I wrote a strongly worded email saying how disappointed I was that they had put me in this position.  As a result, I would be returning both bags I’d purchased from them as they’d lost me as a customer.

It took a couple of day before I received a reply from the COO.  She said she understood my disappointment and offered a £250 voucher to use in case I changed my mind.  We arranged for me to drop the bags back a few days later.

The day before I was due to return them I began having second thoughts about the second bag as I really did love it and wanted to keep it.  I asked if I could use the £250 credit they had offered against the bag.  Knowing that they needed me return the Birkin which was saving them £2500, I was fairly hopeful they’d agree to it and they did.

Although I had to return the Birkin, I got another gorgeous bag and managed to save £250 on it, which meant my experience with them had a slightly happier ending.

However, I still wouldn’t shop with Hardly Every Worn It again and would advise others to be careful when buying or selling with them.  There were too many red flags throughout my experience and I’m still bemused by the fact they asked me, a customer, to rectify an internal mistake.  The disappointment and anguish they caused just isn’t justifiable.

I mentioned earlier about good karma and something amazing happened about two weeks after this whole drama.  When I told a relative of mine, who has been collecting Birkin’s for nearly 2 decades, about Hardly Ever Worn It she informed she was potentially looking to part with a couple of hers.  I ended up buying one off her for £2000 less than the Hardly Ever Worn It one.  It’s not my ideal colour but it’s still a beauty and I can’t wait to reveal it very soon!  Watch this space!

Don’t forget you can also keep up with me on Instagram @thatnewdress, Twitter @thatnewdress, Bloglovin That New Dress, Snapchat thatnewdress and Depop @dominiquew.

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67 Responses to “MY BIRKIN STORY (& HARDLY EVER WORN IT REVIEW)”

  8. Gemma

    Wow what a horrendous ordeal. Honestly i’m shocked. Glad you have a lovely new bag coming after Christmas though. When making a purchase that big everything should be perfect… especially the service.

    Have a lovely Christmas hun and a Happy New Year..

    Gemma x

    22nd December 2017 at 2:07 pm
  15. Ana

    I honestly felt rage while reading about this! Asking you to return the bag so they could fix an internal problem? Such drama! I’m glad karma was on your side at the end! Can’t wait to see the bag got! Btw I just followed you on Bloglovin’ and other socials so I never miss a post!
    xx
    Ana
    http://www.anapicazzo.com

    23rd December 2017 at 2:10 am
  27. Alyssa

    OMG! That was an infuriating experience 🙁 legally, you can actually keep the Birkin bag because it was their mistake, not yours and you fully paid it. Something similar happened to my friend with a GoPro 5. There was a big 11-11 sale in Lazada (a popular online store here in Southeast Asia) and the majority of the products were 60-90% off and the GoPro was 60% off. Unfortunately, after paying full my friend was informed the next day that the GoPro was not included in the sale but they gave it to him anyway for reason that it was their mistake not my friend’s.
    So kudos to you for returning it despite that you can keep it, legally, and I’m glad it works out in the end since you got a brand new bag for 250 less and you found a new Birkin bag to buy 2000 less 🙂 Looking forward to seeing it in your next year!

    Merry Christmas! And wishing you all a magical and blissful holiday! ❤

    xx Alyssa | STYLE VANITY

    25th December 2017 at 5:17 pm
  52. thatnewd

    I was so tempted to keep it but something was telling me to send it over! At least it worked out for the best and I managed to snap up another one! I’m glad your friend managed to get the GoPro at the price advertised. xx

    27th December 2017 at 12:25 am
  55. Mercy

    Aww this is such a happy and sad story, sad that you had to let go of this icy blue beauty and happy that you got another one with a lesser price tag. I would have done the same too, that is not acceptable and really bad customer service. I couldn’t wait to see your new Birkin girl. For now, I’m wishing you a happy New Year ahead!!!

    http://www.busyandfab.com

    28th December 2017 at 4:34 am
  56. Lorna

    Oh my gosh! What a mess! I always enjoy reading your posts as they’re so thought out and we have similar likes and style, so I’m horrified by this. I can’t believe they put the Birkin out when you already bought it, that’s literally one of the worst things. Can you even imagine if Hermes knew how their bag was being treated?! Them making an error on the price too is shocking. You were kind to give it back even though you didn’t have to. Sometimes though not getting what you want works out better because of the other Birkin you have now, which I cannot wait to see. This blue one is pretty, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be. And I’m intrigued by your other new bag too!

    Happy new year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday time!

    Raindrops of Sapphire

    28th December 2017 at 7:12 pm
  59. thatnewd

    I love hearing that you enjoy the posts, that’s seriously made my year, thank you! I think putting the Birkin on display after I purchased it was the thing I was most angry about! I just don’t understand why they’d do that xx

    30th December 2017 at 5:48 pm
  60. Lorna

    Neither do I, that’s pretty shocking to be honest and such bad practice. I’m thinking they clearly wanted people to see what sort of stock they had and that they were a luxury company. A Birkin, like you said, is the holy grail bag, so it’s probably why they did. Which is seriously awful business practice, especially what they did after as well. Oh well, at least you can warn others away from it and you ended up with a great bag you love! xx.

    30th December 2017 at 11:39 pm
  64. Fatima

    Oh my goodness! I just read this! I’ve recently been noticing red flags with HEWI also!

    I’ve been selling my bags with the for the last 2 years, and last month they refused to give me my payment for a bag that had been sent and was received 2 weeks prior! Honestly has been the worst experience. I’m thinking to cancel my account with them because I’ve just lost trust in them!

    But SO happy for you that you got your bag! My dream bag is a Birkin too!

    23rd February 2018 at 2:36 am
  65. Kourtney

    I have always been fascinated by these bags and wondered about the process of buying one. That’s interesting that you can’t find them in store. I understand your obsession with the Birkin you initially bought, there’s just something about that powder blue color. However, I think you made the right decision. They should have paid the difference to the seller, instead of expecting you to do so. Thank you for putting it out there that they do bad business.

    This post was incredibly interesting and your blog is so beautiful! I’m definitely a new subscriber.!

    25th February 2018 at 2:08 pm
  66. thatnewd

    It’s such a shame because it’s such a great concept and their stock selection is amazing but the customer service just isn’t there. If you’re noticing red flags, I would definitely think twice about using them. Not paying you for your sold item is not OK! xxx

    25th February 2018 at 4:30 pm

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Meet Dominique - the happy-go-lucky woman behind the London lifestyle, fashion and beauty blog, That New Dress™. Accompanied by her adorable chihuahua Simba, Dominique keeps us in the loop with the latest fashion and beauty trends as she stylishly stumbles around London. Learn more

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