Known for its inspiration behind the four-leaf clover, French luxury jewelry company Van Cleef & Arpels faces high criticism after an influencer named mangomonica on TikTok exposed their unpleasant experience after purchasing a 5 motifs bracelet that rusted and tarnished just 2 months following its purchase.
Monica noted that the accessory was an 18 carat yellow-gold bracelet that should not be tarnished in the first place, highlighting her confusion and frustration.
The Tiktoker shared that she reached out to her shopping associate and that her bracelet was then brought back to the store for cleaning. It was even transported to New York to get it professionally polished. When she received it, however, the damage was still evident. While the attending sales associate also pointed out that the tarnish was still noticeable after Monica had gone back to voice out the same concern, the store’s manager, Cathy, was reported to have “gaslit” the two.
She was audible in Monica’s video, stating, “I don’t see it,” and reasoned that it was a mere finger reflection from the associate that made the bracelet look like it was rusted.
While Monica voiced that her friends and husband were able to see the tarnish, the store manager reportedly “had the audacity to ask if my (Monica’s) friends were there in person” to point it out for her. Cathy ended up giving Monica two options of either paying $180 to have the bracelet shipped back to New York for another polish, or to “pay out of pocket” to get the motif piece replaced.
As Monica took to TikTok to share her experience, she additionally noted that her other gold jewelry pieces from Cartier had not even been tarnished in over 5 years of wearing it, making her question the quality of the bracelet that she had invested in.
After the Tiktoker gained over five hundred thousand views for her unpleasant and unaccommodating customer service experience, the luxury brand then reached out to her in a corporate phone call offering a replacement and a refund which she highlights, “they normally don’t offer refunds to their clients but for me they’re making an exception.” Monica remarked that she no longer wanted the bracelet and did not support the brand any further, and the store eventually offered to retrieve the accessory back from her instead.
The issue would only persist after Monica posted another video last March 26, showing that as she was packing the bracelet for return, she received another package from them. While there was an orchid plant and a hand-written apology from Cathy, there was a book titled, “In Praise to Hands: The Art of Fine Jewelry at Van Cleef & Arpels.”
Seemingly amused, Monica noted, “I don’t know if they’re sending this over to me to try to educate me on their Van Cleef pieces because when I look at it it’s basically like the process (I think) of Van Cleef and how they make their jewelry… It literally shows you the process of how to craft their freaking motifs… Wow.”
The video’s caption read: “These gifts were a thoughtful gesture, but frankly, they weren’t necessary. A direct message or email from Cathy offering an apology would have meant far more to me and spoken volumes. Knowing that she will be retrained in how to treat customers with respect and to have humility would have been better than any gift. @Van Cleef & Arpels”
Viewers of Monica’s experience then came to her support and called out the brand for their “passive-aggressive” apology, with a user remarking, “Van Cleef read the room, why would you give her that?” Another user expressed, “If this is not the most passive-aggressive apology then I don’t know what is. Van Cleef, come on. Do better.”
As Monica consulted a representative from the luxury brand, it was also made known to her that they would not be addressing the issue online despite their social media page gaining thousands of comments talking about the tarnished bracelet and their lack of action. The representative allegedly told Monica that “Van Cleed is very discreet, they’re not gonna address it. They’re gonna look at it internally and they’re gonna move forward, but they’re not gonna address it on social media.”
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