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I spent the day in Manhattan today and decided to check out the A. Lange & Sohne boutique while I was there. On the way to the AL&S boutique, I passed by the F.P. Journe and Vacheron Constantine boutiques. Needless to say, I had to go in to both, especially since I had not been in to either before.

I found the environments unwelcoming from the sales people in both VC and FP. In F.P. I was not even greeted let alone offered assistance. In VC, it seemed that speaking to me was something the salesman was reluctant to do. I understand that they don't expect a guy in his early 20s in a polo and shorts to be buying a VC or FP, and even though they were correct in assuming I was not actually a potential buyer today (I wish I had that kind of disposable money!), I hold firmly to the philosophy that every patron, regardless of estimated buying potential, should be treated kindly. It really soured my feelings towards those brands. It bothered me even more because I had no intention of inconveniencing them by asking them to show me any pieces; I just wanted to admire the watches and chat. I actually don't like the idea of asking a sales person to show me a watch if I am not exploring an interest in owning that watch at some point.

I expected more of the same treatment at A. Lange & Sohne, but I could not have been more wrong. From the moment I walked in, the sales people and security personnel kindly and enthusiastically greeted me. I want to spread the word to you guys about the experience Sales Advisor Lindsay Hess provided to me at the boutique. Even though I told her that I was in just to check out the store after I read a review of it, she chatted with me about the brand, the pieces I was admiring, helped me nail the proper pronunciation of AL&S, and volunteered to give me a tour of the boutique when she saw how impressed I was by what I had seen.

The Lange boutique was stunning and I sincerely recommend you guys check it out if you're in the area!

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Breitling Navitimer 01 LE

They should treat everyone with respect. You may not have the disposable income now, but one day you could- which may influence which brand you choose.

Dead right.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Always treat the customer with respect. It's the right thing to do, they won't forget it and looks can be deceiving.

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Scott

AP Royal Oak 15400, silver
Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Classic Cars
Vintage gold Corum
Rolex DJ 36 TT, oyster dial, oyster/smooth
Baume & Mercier Riviera 200m, silver dial/aquamarine bezel
Breitling Superocean 57, rose/stainless

thats pretty sad the mentality of some sale people.

you just never know these days who has money to spend.

Well that's all sad, but at least AL&S were welcoming. Kind of makes you wonder what reasons some outlets are in business for!

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Jim

"You have Control".

These were my exact thoughts. If I have the money in the future, I would prefer to purchase a VC elsewhere precisely because of how I was treated!

AL&S on the other hand would certainly get my business! For that matter, so would Breitling on 57th, they are always great!

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Breitling Navitimer 01 LE

It was a beautiful day this past Saturday in NYC so the wife and I took the opportunity to visit the city and check out "Watch Alley" in Manhattan. While strolling up Madison Avenue we made a point to stop in the Jaeger LeCoultre Boutique. Having never visited this particular boutique I was interested in checking out some of the newer models. Unfortunately, the staff could not have been less interested in a potential customer. The young lady who approached us had absolutely no knowledge of the brand and no interest in showing us any of the watches that my wife and I were interested in. After five awkward minutes we left with little help from the doorman.
Further north we came upon the Vacheron Constantin store. Although Le Baron had a bad experience in the VC store, ours was not quite that bad. The store is quite small and with four customers who entered all at once the staff was somewhat overwhelmed. After a few minutes Hisham, a VC watch consultant, came to our assistance and was quite helpful. Although I was not ready to purchase a watch that day Hisham was more then helpful and answered all of our questions. He even offered a free strap if I was looking to do the deal that day!
Unfortunately, the Overseas Chronograph was a little too much for my budget to handle!
Right up the block was A. Lange and Sohne, and our experience was the same as Le Baron's! Ronaldo, the assistant boutique manager was fantastic. Although they did not have the 1815 Chronograph that I wanted to look at, Ronaldo was willing and eager to show me any watch in the store. A few of those that he did bring out for us to look at cost more than what I paid for my house 25 years ago! Ronaldo was more than willing to talk with us, he explained the differences between the various lines and answered all of our questions that we had!
Hats off to VC and A Lange! As far as JLC is concerned, they need to work on their customer service.