Van Cleef & Arpels (London - Selfridges)

Reviews

• SS

  Saboor

  Sep 25, 2026
  1.0
  Unfortunately, our experience in the store today was extremely disappointing and fell well below the level of customer service I would expect from a premium/luxury brand. When my wife and I entered the store, we were accompanied by our four-month-old baby. There were approximately nine members of staff present, with only two other customers being served. Despite this, we were not acknowledged or approached by anyone. Two members of staff moved away shortly after we entered, while the remaining staff continued with their activities without acknowledging us. One of the members of staff who had walked away later returned and spent several minutes making small talk with the security guard, while my wife and I continued to wait at the entrance with our four-month-old baby, simply to be acknowledged and welcomed. After approximately ten minutes, the lady eventually approached us, but only after another member of staff told her to come and speak to us. It was therefore disappointing that, even after we had been standing at the entrance for several minutes, nobody had proactively taken the initiative to welcome us or explain the situation. She then explained that the store operates a queuing system. We were asked to scan a QR code, leave the store and continue shopping elsewhere until we received a message informing us that someone was available to assist us. We were also reassured that there was nobody ahead of us in the queue. I completely appreciate that stores may have systems in place to manage customer demand, and I have no issue with using a queuing system when necessary. However, in this particular situation — with very few customers in the store, a significant number of staff present, and us standing at the entrance with a four-month-old baby — the experience felt unnecessarily impersonal and unwelcoming. Ultimately, we decided to take our business to the brand next door, where we were welcomed immediately upon entering and treated with the courtesy, warmth and professionalism one would expect from a premium retailer. What makes this particularly disappointing is that this was meant to be a special day for my wife, and unfortunately, this experience put a real dampener on it. There is also another aspect of this experience that I feel I cannot ignore. Having now read some of the previous reviews about this store, alongside our own experience today, we are left concerned that there may be a racial element to the way some customers are treated. I cannot say with certainty that this was the reason for how we were treated, and I am not making that accusation as a fact. However, the similarities between some of the experiences described by other customers and our own experience have understandably left us questioning whether race may have played a role. If the company genuinely takes customer feedback seriously, I would hope this aspect is also considered when reviewing what happened. Every customer should feel welcomed, respected and valued, regardless of their background or appearance. Sadly, based on our experience today, I would not consider returning to this store or choosing this brand for future occasions. A luxury shopping experience is about more than the products themselves; it is also about how customers are welcomed, valued and treated. Unfortunately, on this occasion, those standards were lacking. I would also respectfully ask that I not receive the generic response that appears to have been given to other customers leaving reviews. If the company genuinely wants to understand what happened and put this right, you already have my contact details from my visit. I was registered in your queue at approximately 15:40, so my visit and details should be straightforward to identify. If someone genuinely wishes to reach out and discuss the experience, I am more than happy to do so. I would simply hope that, rather than receiving a standard response, the company takes the opportunity to properly reflect on what happened, investigate our experience seriously, and address any underlying issues accordingly.
• RR

  Ro

  Sep 22, 2026
  5.0
  I had a rather lovely visit to the Van Cleef boutique recently at Selfridges. After being seated and offered a beverage I was promptly greeted by Joel. He was refreshingly attentive, efficient and delightful to deal with. I had popped in to inquire about a quick repair which I was pleased could easily be done in house, on the spot. After Joel had this attended to he offered the opportunity to try some of the high jewelry pieces that he thought would suit me. And his choice pieces were not far off to say the least. In fact, his ability to gage my personality, taste and response to each piece was quite impressive. His approach and ease made it all too easy to have wanted to try a few more. However, the ones that I did try were great contenders to leave with in mind for a future VCA gift;)
• HT

  Huang Thomas

  Aug 31, 2026
  1.0
  I am extremely disappointed with the way my girlfriend and I were treated at Van Cleef & Arpels inside Selfridges today, 31 August 2026 at approximately 1:12pm. We came to the boutique with the genuine intention of purchasing a necklace. I registered our details and joined the waiting list so that a sales advisor could assist us. After waiting for around 10 minutes, a male staff member standing at the reception/entrance told us that we could be waiting for a long time and then suggested that we should go outside and wait. I found his attitude incredibly rude, dismissive and completely inappropriate for a luxury brand of this level. We were already registered, patiently waiting inside, and were there specifically because we intended to make a purchase. What made the situation even worse was that at almost the exact moment he was telling us that we would have a long wait, I had already received a message saying that it was our turn to be seen. So what exactly was the purpose of telling us to leave the boutique? It genuinely felt like a very obvious and disrespectful attempt to get rid of us. A member of staff working at the entrance should understand that every customer deserves to be treated with basic respect, regardless of whether they have already made a purchase or are still waiting to be assisted. For a prestigious brand such as Van Cleef & Arpels, this type of customer service is completely unacceptable. Staff behaviour like this can seriously damage the reputation and image of the brand. Customers come to a luxury boutique expecting professionalism, courtesy and hospitality — not to be made to feel unwelcome or indirectly pushed out of the store. I hope management reviews who was working at the entrance at approximately 1:12pm on 31/08/2026 and addresses this properly. The attitude of this particular employee seriously needs to improve.
• AL

  A Learmouth

  Aug 29, 2026
  5.0
  Booked an appointment and was met by Scarlet who assisted me with the purchase of a bracelet. She made the whole experience really special and I love my new purchase.
• WY

  wang yijiang

  Aug 2, 2026
  1.0
  A very arrogant Italian sales associate showed me a few necklaces, but the service was extremely disappointing. He didn’t offer to help me try them on, so I had to put the necklaces on myself. While I was trying them on, he was busy looking at his phone. Let’s be clear: customers come here because of the Van Cleef & Arpels brand, not because of any individual sales associate. When people are spending thousands of pounds on fine jewellery, attentive and respectful service should be the minimum standard. Unfortunately, this experience fell far below what I would expect from a luxury boutique.

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