BERNARDS OF ESHER ....... For anybody who thinks they have received appalling service - you havent heard anything yet!

Hi Lovelies,

On this cold wet Monday I have to share a pretty awful experience that happened to me recently. 

Earlier in September I was doing a Blog post and sourcing a potential outfit for an online client.

While I was looking, I noticed that a Designer store, quite local to me was looking for Sales Consultants on a full and part time basis.

The link is HERE

You know me well by now readers! You know that I know what I am talking about when it comes to fashion - (there is not much I can't help any of you with!), plus I have a sales background. so I thought, if the hours worked for both this store and me, it could be fabulous. So I fired off a covering letter early in September along with a CV to the email address that they requested.

A week or so later (14th September actually) I was meeting a friend for coffee, directly opposite where this boutique is based in Esher, Surrey. The Boutique in question is Bernards - Esher.

I hadn't heard back from them, but I hadn't expected to. So I thought it would be a great opportunity to see what the current SAs were like and more importantly, to see how they edit each collection and what kind of pieces they were selling.

So we popped in on the Friday morning to a very quiet boutique. At least it was for a couple of minutes.

While we were browsing, we heard the most awful scream - the kind that you are not quite sure is actually real because you really don't want it to be! My friend and I looked at each other in shock (My first thought was that perhaps the store was being robbed).

But no - that wasn't it. Sadly a member of staff in this store had started fitting and convulsing in their staff room and the young girl on the shop floor had come running out to see if anybody knew first aid.

We rushed in to see if we could help, and it was traumatic. I can only explain it as when everybody around you is panicking, you have to be the one to hold it together. The young SA called for an ambulance while I put a towel behind this poor ladies head to stop her choking, and noticed that she was boiling. Autopilot is amazing, I was just asking for cold towels to cool her down, placing them on her chest and forehead and all the time asking what the ETA of the ambulance was and talking to this lady. Telling her that everything was going to be fine and that help would be there shortly. It was then that she started bleeding from her mouth and I sat with her, mopping it up - all the while thinking - wow this isn't really happening is it.

The ambulance staff were fab, and arrived in good time. We stayed with the SA just for a while longer to make sure she could contact this ladies family and tell them what had happened.

And then we left. I couldn't stop shaking.

Well, so much for my nice little jaunt out to see what the boutique was like from a customer's point of view huh!

I got home and the shock of it all promptly made me burst into tears - nobody really expects that to happen to them and it is truly not a nice experience when it does.

The reason for my blog is what happened after. Or rather what didn't.

The very same afternoon - I sent a letter to Bernard's of Esher, just saying that I had been in the store that morning and that I had helped comfort a member of their staff. I left them my email, my mobile number and my address. I sent it via first class post - they are not even 3 miles away from me!

I was not looking for Thanks (I choose to believe that we would all try our very best to help somebody who was in serious need) - but I NEEDED to know what happened after. I was very clear about this in the letter. (I also thought I should explain that I had actually applied to them recently for a position).
I helped this woman, and it was awful.

EVERYBODY else in the store was panicking, I was the only one who stayed level headed and kept this woman comfortable and calm, even my own friend had to walk out - it was that bad!

Well, they never even bothered to reply

Not a text, not a brief note to say she was ok, not even an email.

Nothing, Nada

A member of their own staff, that was helped by a complete stranger - and Bernards of Esher don't even bother to send me a 15 second TEXT that could have helped put my mind at rest that she was ok. That what I had done had helped her. I left their store with this woman's blood on me, but I am not important enough to even be told that she was ok.

Now of course, we are 4 weeks on, and obviously I would not now work for Bernards of Esher if they were the last store on earth. But I needed to ask you readers, can you believe that they can treat somebody quite so disgustingly? How can a company have no values or morals whatsoever?

So, all you Acne, Mouret, Chloe, Mulberry lovers out there. Please I emplore you now - if ordering online - go to Matches.com, go Cricket.com to BrownsFashion.com, got to Selfridges.com, got to Net-a-Porter, but please, please do not give any money to a company that has truly sickened me with their conduct. I follow a lot of boutiques, I would LOVE to know if you would let this happen after an incident in your store?

This is closure for me here, (I am speaking the complete truth and have played down parts of the fitting to not embarrass the SA) but the truly outrageous behaviour of Bernards afterwards, I believe, should be highlighted.

Thank you for reading, and please feel free to retweet this and forward it. A company should never behave in this way to somebody who went out of their way to help them.