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Experience from Geneva stores: PP vs. AP
I thought you might find interesting my experience from visiting Patek
Philippe and Audemars Piguet in Geneva. In both cases, I followed
the same procedure: I visited the stores with my companion. I greeted
the first person that approached us in French. I asked to see a
specific watch.
Here are the experiences:
Patek Philippe
Upon entering into the shop, I was amazed by the old world luxury in
the decoration. There was a very nice, elegant perfume in the air and
plenty of space. The shop was very quiet. The lady that greeted us with
a smile asked what we were looking for and called a person to take care
of us. The gentleman that served us was very serious, seemed to
be unexcited, spoke to us in English and offered us a seat in one of
the available counters. There was no drink or anything else offered to
us. Upon explaining what I was looking for, he rushed to bring us
the watch. He came back with the watch; the watch was in a really bad
shape, full of scratches and with a really used strap. I put on
the watch myself and tried to check how it looked on my wrist on a
small table mirror. I made a comment on the condition and he explained
that this was a display model. I expressed an interest on another model
but he did not bother to bring it to us. On our way out, they did not
offer to give us any brochures.
Audemars Piguet
The shop was much more contemporary and sparkling. It felt smaller and
there was not a particular perfume in the air. It was luxurious
but in the new world version, i.e. plenty of money but less taste. The
lady that greeted us was the person who helped us. We spoke French. She
was very pleasant, courteous, upbeat and always with a smile. She
offered us something to drink or eat. After confirming what I was
looking for, she was sorry to inform me that it was not available.
Nonetheless, she rushed to bring us 4 watches that might interest me
and 1 for my companion. The watches were in a perfect condition.
She helped me put them on after adjusting their straps. I could check
the watches on a full sized mirror. I did not like the watches
but she kept being very apologetic for not having what I was looking
for.
On our way out she offered to give us the latest Collections book and wished she would see us again soon.
Overall
I have mixed feelings. I loved the ambience at PP but the
customer service was "tired". On the other hand, the customer service
at AP was superb but the environment was too "blingy"; It felt as if I
was surrounded by diamonds. In the end, I cannot say I was
totally satisfied by both of them. I expected more from their flagship stores (watch availability, environment, service). Now,
the boutique stores in Paris... but that's a different posting!
I hope you enjoyed it.
