John Derian Company Inc — Local services in New York

This year I wanted to gift my sisters one of a kind, high quality ornaments.

I went in on Christmas Eve and bought two ornaments. I watched the associate wrap them up while making small talk and went straight home.

These sat in their John Derian bag on my dining room table, wrapped as they had been given to me, for a week because I was too busy to send them until New Years Day.

I literally unwrapped them just to rewrap them in more tissue, only to find that the more delicate one (a clip on yellow flower) was snapped at its stem.

I couldn't call them New Year's Day because they were closed, so I sent an email via their website and then called them on my lunch break today.

The manager immediately was nasty to me, told me that I was lying and that it has already been 10 days since I bought it so they wouldn't honor an exchange because I was asking for a "replacement" not an "exchange".

I was willing to ignore the uppity nature of the staff while shopping in store, but am no longer going to frequent this based upon how they respond to a client. If I was "lying", how would one ornament be damaged and the other snapped if they were in a single bag?

You can find unique beautiful things at another store more worthy of your money.

Luxury and class and quality should not be synonymous with poor customer service and condescending attitudes.

If you shop here, be aware it comes with an attitude and no returns or exchanges.

I've worked luxury retail for over 10 years. I've never seen any person on my team speak or treat a client like this.

Keep your measly $110 I spent with you. I'm never shopping here again.

UPDATE: Jan 3rd. Changing from once to three stars, because Scott (who answered my panicked email I sent to the general inbox) was so kind and APOLOGIZED before saying anything else. Instead of accusing me of lying, he believed me. His customer service, in dramatic contrast to the manager on duty so answered my phone call, was prompt and amiable.

He kindly issued me a credit to use for a replacement ornament.

I will never shop this store in person again, but may be back to shop online in the future.

Thank you for treating me like an honest customer, instead of a...

DON'T SHOP HERE - 25-30% markups!!

I found a pretty little mug here that didn't have a price tag. The cashier had to look the price up during checkout and didn't tell me what it was, just turned the Apple Pay device around towards me... I was expecting it to run me ~$50 and it turned out to be nearly $400! My phone was already in Apple Pay mode, so by the time I saw the price, it was too late - the transaction had already gone through! No green button to approve the price or anything, nor did the cashier check to see if that price was OK! I was clearly shocked and looked at the cashier with my mouth wide open. When I asked him how he got that price / why it was so expensive, he went silent. After a few seconds of looking around, he gestured towards the mug section and said it was handmade in Paris out of black terra cotta. I was baffled because terra cotta is an incredibly inexpensive material, but I was honestly too stunned to do anything and was on a tight schedule, so I decided to leave and deal with it later.

When I looked up the item online, I found that the boutique had marked it up from the original seller by nearly $100! When I went back today to try to return it, and they said they could only give me store credit! (Would've been good to know...) I mentioned to the cashier that it was marked up from the original price by nearly 30% and he said condescendingly that the price I used must have been in Euros. When I informed him I'd converted it to dollars when I did my calculation, he clearly didn't know what to say and just mumbled that their price was different from the original price because it was shipped from Paris.

Unbelievable!! I'm furious that I got tricked into this $400 purchase, cannot get my money back, and the store has no explanation for their...

You've likely seen John Darien's decoupage plates and domed glass paper weights at your favorite high-end housewares store or gift shop. However, you're missing out until you've experienced the full-frontal vibe of his three, side-by-side East Village shops.

The aesthetic suggests a Victorian botanist fell in love with a steampunk entomologist and together they decided to open a stall at the Paris Flea Market. That's NOT an insult.

Trigger warning: expect to be overstimulated by the visuals: plates, plaques, platters, catch-alls, sconces, lanterns, chandeliers, glassware, pictures, pitchers, ewers, cards, ornaments galore, antique angels, and holiday delights of every ilk.

Despite the appearances, this is not a "shabby chic" jumble shop. The store may look like a decrepit Mrs. Havisham in a tattered gown with cobwebs in her hair, but look closer: the torn outfit is Vivian-Westwood-chic and the cobwebs are hand-strung crystal garlands.

Which is to say, beware. Darien's store will likely cast a spell over you and you will want to buy something....many things....everything. Bring along your trust fund—it's going to cost you. But, you're going to enjoy...