A Client Was Locked in a Hermès Boutique Bathroom for 80 Minutes — Then Given a Bottle of Cheap Champagne

Hermès employees sometimes behave as though they have been granted divine authority. At times, they seem all too willing to punish customers — and arrogance appears to come naturally.

The latest example of such behavior occurred at a German boutique of the French luxury brand. The unfortunate protagonist was Indian-American comedian and writer Zarna Garg.

The bestselling author spent 80 minutes locked inside a bathroom at a Hermès boutique in Berlin.

And before asking why employees at one of the world's most prestigious luxury brands needed 80 minutes to open a bathroom door, there is a much simpler question: How could something like this happen in the first place?

But the unpleasantness did not end there. According to Garg, the staff's attitude after the incident was even more outrageous.

While her children and team waited outside, Zarna remained trapped on the other side of the door.

The Hermès employees did appear to be concerned about what was happening. But, Garg claims, they seemed more worried about protecting the door than about the woman trapped inside.

Zoya Garg, Zarna's daughter and the COO and co-founder of Zarna Garg Productions, described what happened to Luxurylaunches:

“As you can see in the viral video, we stayed calm, held it together and even joked until the very end — until the managers slammed the store door shut right in my mom's face.”

According to Zoya, the employees behaved as though Zarna herself was somehow to blame for spending more than an hour locked inside a Hermès bathroom.

“They cared more about protecting a flimsy plywood door than about my mom's time and emotional well-being. It was outrageous,” she said.

At the time of publication, the brand had still not issued an apology.

Instead, there was a final insulting gesture — a bottle of inexpensive champagne. After that, according to Garg's account, the boutique employees coldly closed and locked the door behind the customers.

Apparently, fame and status do not always help you avoid experiences like this.

Just recently, Savannah James, the wife of basketball star LeBron James, and her friend April McDaniel said they were turned away from a Hermès boutique in Italy despite having a shopping appointment scheduled in advance.

Even earlier, in 2005, Oprah Winfrey — one of the world's wealthiest and most famous women — said that a Hermès employee had made her feel unwelcome.

Following that incident, Hermès introduced special staff training focused on appropriate customer service.

The stories keep piling up — as though Hermès has discovered an inexhaustible supply of unwelcoming behavior.

It is particularly ironic given numerous reports that Hermès' sales system allegedly involves carefully vetting potential buyers.

It is not just a customer's purchase history. As previously reported, even where they live and their activity on social media may reportedly be taken into account before the brand decides whether someone is worthy of receiving the coveted Birkin.

The result is a rather paradoxical picture: the brand may go to extraordinary lengths to study a customer before deciding whether they deserve a handbag, yet seems to do remarkably little self-reflection when it comes to its own customer service.

Perhaps Hermès should devote at least half as much effort to making sure customers leave its boutiques happy — and at the very least, with a basic glass of water.

As for Zarna Garg, it seems she has already made up her mind.

“I've had enough of Hermès,” she said.