Harvey Nichols Reviews 

UPDATE
Be very careful buying expensive fragrances from here, especially Creed.
I am updating this review to reflect the full outcome of my complaint.

I purchased a 100ml bottle of Creed Aventus from Harvey Nichols. I have worn Aventus for many years and know exactly how it should perform. The bottle I received was noticeably different from what I would reasonably expect. The scent was significantly weaker, the balance of notes appeared different and the fragrance did not last anywhere near as long as previous bottles I have owned. I tested it repeatedly, on different occasions, on both skin and clothing, with the same result every time.

What ultimately concerns me far more than the fragrance itself is how the complaint was handled.

I raised the issue promptly, within days of purchase. During discussions with the perfume stand manager, it was accepted that batches can vary and that there can be differences between bottles. However, despite this, the position appeared to be that no exchange would be offered. I was invited to compare my bottle against a tester, yet it was also made clear that the outcome was unlikely to change. This created the impression that a conclusion had already been reached before any meaningful consideration of my concerns.

The matter then became an exhausting exercise in persistence.

Over the following weeks I corresponded with numerous individuals and managers, escalated the matter repeatedly, contacted Creed directly, submitted formal complaints and eventually involved my bank. By the time Harvey Nichols agreed to resolve the matter, my bank was already in the process of investigating and recovering the transaction.

Eventually Harvey Nichols accepted the return, covered the return postage and issued a full refund. I acknowledge that this was the correct outcome and I am pleased that the financial aspect of the dispute was finally resolved.

However, it is impossible to ignore what was required to get there.

No customer spending more than £200-300+ on a luxury fragrance should have to devote this amount of time, effort and energy simply to have their concerns taken seriously. The issue could have been resolved much earlier through a more balanced and customer-focused approach.

One positive lesson from this experience was the importance of purchasing expensive items using a credit card. Had I paid by debit card or another payment method, my options would have been significantly more limited. As the matter became increasingly protracted, I took reassurance from knowing that consumer protections existed and that my card provider was able to independently investigate the transaction. In the end, Harvey Nichols resolved the matter before that process concluded, but consumers spending significant sums should be aware of the protections available to them when things go wrong.

What I find particularly disappointing is that after all of the correspondence, escalation, inconvenience and time invested, not a single goodwill gesture was offered. No voucher, no store credit, no acknowledgement that months of unnecessary effort had been imposed on the customer. The eventual refund merely returned me to the position I should have been in all along. It did nothing to recognise the considerable time spent pursuing a resolution.

The overall impression left with me was that the eventual refund was treated almost as a favour rather than the resolution of a genuine customer complaint. At times I felt I was being expected to justify and re-justify concerns that had been raised almost immediately after purchase, despite having been a long-standing user of the product and despite being willing to attend store assessments and engage throughout the process.

Luxury retailers charge premium prices because customers expect premium service when things go wrong. In this case, whilst the eventual outcome was correct, the journey to get there was unnecessarily difficult, time-consuming and frustrating. The level of effort required to secure a resolution was wholly inconsistent with the level of service I expected from Harvey Nichols.

The refund has resolved the financial dispute, but it has not restored my confidence. Unfortunately, I cannot see myself purchasing expensive fragrances from Harvey Nichols again.

Disappointed Delivery
I ordered a dress for over £600 and it turned up in a brown Jiffy bag with no tissue or not wrapped in anything. I thought I was opening a parcel from Amazon, I was so disgusted. How can you delivery high quality goods like this. I will never order anything online again.

The customer service is appalling. They have lost my return and are withholding my refund. The return was generated on their website and I have an email providing a return label for that item. I have provided proof of postage for the same tracking number. Royal Mail (RM) have confirmed the item was delivered to Harvey Nichols (HN) both on their website and in a call between HN and RM. Despite all this proof, they will still not issue a refund.

The customer service has been terrible. First they blamed Royal Mail for not delivering it, then they suggested (having been happy with the tracking number up to that point) that I had provided the tracking number for another item which was returned the week before. The item in question was refunded 4 days before the missing parcel was delivered so that is physically impossible. I also provided the tracking details and proof of delivery for the other item.

I have asked them to clearly explain why they are breaching their terms on the website which clearly state that refunds will be processed within 10 days. They have not answered my question. (They have also misquoted their terms at once point telling me they have 20 days to refund.)

I have asked for this to be escalated on multiple occasions. They will not confirm any escalation has been made.

They have provided no timeframe for sorting this out. They have provided no details on the process they will follow and when they will refund me.

They have confirmed they are checking CCTV, but if they have internal issues that need to be investigated, that is not the consumer’s issue.

I have wasted a lot of time and energy on emails and phone calls with no resolution.

I am escalating this issue to an external business and in the meantime have written this review to warn others.

The fact that Harvey Nichols have such a low rating on Trustpilot yet no one from their business ever comments or connects with reviewers to sort out issues or apologise says it all. I certainly wouldn’t dream of buying from them again.

Further update
I have now realised that they have also refunded the wrong amount (too little) for a separate item I returned the week before. (No refund at all still for the item they lost.) Customer services don’t understand the basics of discounts and loyalty points. I have never regretted purchasing from a company more than I have this one.

Ordered an expensive perfume which was delivered to the wrong address.
The courier denied this even though I could prove it and Harvey Nicholls said there was nothing they could do !!!
The law says it’s their responsibility until it is delivered to me so the are utter thieves and I wouldn’t shop here if your value your hard earned money.
I’m £288 down

Harvey nicholls had the chance to do the right thing and did !!
They have now offered me a full refund and restored my faith in the company

Ordered a couple of items online as the delivery time specified 1-3 working days...... 4 working days later and nothing has arrived... DPD stating they have yet to receive items... Tried cancelling orders, but they are now ignoring my messages.... The one message they did respond to was replied with a rude and unhelpful message.... have now contacted my credit card company to get amount refunded....... Terrible service for such a well known brand.

Good welcome, great attentative customer service, pleasant relaxing and helpful staff especially Helen amazingly good at customer satisfaction.

I would come here over selfriges now again and again.

Visited the London branch recently to purchase a gift for my wife. Customer service was excellent and helped me pick a good perfume. Great service

My daughter booked a personal shopping experience at Harvey Nichols. What a pleasure to meet Trung. She was warm relaxed and did not make the experience feel intimidating at all. She took the time to listen to my concerns and encouraged me to try things on which I would not normally consider.
Unfortunately, I did not find the wedding outfit but I will continue to look on Harvey Nichols website and will come in to the store again.
What an asset you have in Trung and and the customer service she provided was first class.
Many thanks,
Angela.

Still trying to get a refund for an item ordered but never even passed on to the delivery company. A label was created with DPD but parcel never handed to them. It’s been over a week… Attempting to contact their customer service but been really struggling. Can someone please get in touch with me or reply to my emails?

Update: I finally got a response and they sorted it out.

We ordered a handbag which arrived quickly and was as described. Had our experience with HN ended there, I would be leaving a five star review,
We exercised or right to return using the HN returns process, dispatching the bag by Royal Mail the day after receiving it. RM lost the parcel.
We contacted HN several times over the next 50 days. Even after agreeing the parcel was lost, they said they needed to conclude their ‘investigations’ before a refund would be issued.
Since we had discharged our responsibility for the package when we got proof of postage from RM, we eventually contacted our payment provider who immediately actioned a chargeback.
After 70+ days, we eventually received a confirmation of refund from HN but we weren’t sure whether this was just how long their process took or was prompted by the chargeback.
With HN being a company of some reputation, we didn’t expect such poor handling of a simple return.

I visited the Carolina Herrera Counter at Harvey Nichols in Leeds today. Indy did my make up and she made look beautiful and feel so special. I would highly recommend her to everyone.

I’ve now ordered two high-value items from Harvey Nichols, and both experiences have been extremely disappointing. On both occasions, the products arrived faulty and were packaged so poorly that it was clear little care had been taken to protect premium goods in transit.
What’s even more frustrating is that, despite the faults being entirely on their side, I was required to pay return fees both times. Being charged to rectify a retailer’s own mistakes is simply unacceptable - especially from a company positioning itself as a luxury brand.
Customer service only added to the frustration. Rather than resolving the issue with professionalism and accountability, the support I received was dismissive and unhelpful, making an already poor experience even worse.
Given the consistently low standards in both product handling and aftercare, I would strongly advise others to avoid taking the risk. There are far more reputable luxury retailers who understand the level of service and quality customers expect...and deserve.

The worse experience ever.
Firstly they didn't deliver 2 items l originally ordered 😑. I only received the bag and makeup was missing.
I rang customer service and they asked to take pictures of the box and item delivered which l found very stupid and silly request. I send the pictures and l had to chase them again about my makeup they said are going to investigate it and it might take 3 weeks.
This is a mistake they made from packaging someone overlooked the makeup.
I finally got an email saying they can't replace the item missing but will refund with no details how long the refund process takes. I felt this was not dealt properly they should l have replaced the item that was not delivered.
I really found the whole service appalling honestly .

I would like to commend the exceptional service provided by Tauriq. He handled a complex customer return dispute with remarkable professionalism, patience, and fairness. Throughout the interaction, he listened carefully, communicated clearly, and worked diligently to reach a resolution that felt respectful.
He took personal ownership and it was clear he genuinely cared about resolving the situation in a positive and constructive way with integrity. This level of customer care not only resolved the issue effectively but also reinforced my confidence in the Harvey Nichols brand.

Ordered on the 10th, 3 days later the delivery notification stated the order was to be delivered on the 12th but stuck in a sorting centre. I emailed HN because this had happened before - they state perfumes can’t be sent back (even though this breaches statutory rights) so last time I replaced the delayed item and when it eventually arrived, I sent it back and they sent it straight back to me and kept the money. This time I wanted assurances, I’d be able to send it back - they replied saying sorry it’s delayed, you can send it back for a refund when it arrives or if it’s doesn’t arrive by the 20th it’s deemed as lost and we’ll refund you. On the 21st they emailed to say, oh it’ll be delivered in the next couple of days! Apparently delivery was attempted on the 21st even though we have a ring doorbell and cctv and were home all day and nobody ever came…they’re now saying I can’t have a refund until I’ve refused a delivery and it gets sent back to them. I already bought the item (and received it) from Liberty! Utterly dreadful. For the past 2 years, the customer service has been sharply declining and I keep giving them chance and after chance but I’m done. I looked back and for the last 5 orders I’ve placed, I’ve had to contact customer service on 3 of them for various reasons.

I eventually declined delivery on the 23rd. It went back to Harvey Nichols. They were still refusing to refund, said they had to check the item was intact (even though I never took delivery). Then they sent it back to me using DPD, I refused delivery again. Emailed them and their CEO - kept getting vague responses saying they were looking into it (CEO never replied). Eventually I got the refund.

Would have been zero if it was an option. Bought an item which was the wrong size so returned it. CS says the item can't be returned yet the website generated a return label. They then sent the item back to me despite the web site saying it was ok to return as in the item wasn't on their can't be sent back list, Completely dreadful company utterly useless, can't call it customer service because there's no service.

I purchased the HN perfume calendar at the end of November. I was also gifted the Iiberty advent calendar from my hubby (lucky me!) so had a quite a perfumes to try. I attempted to open a bottle called Cardnal Flower a couple of days ago. It literally would not open, the top was like welded on, tried rubber gloves for the grip, my husband tried, simply faulty..other than smashing the glass there was no way I could try it. Got in touch with HN customer services, Kyle dealt with me although super nice and polite was totally missing the point in the fact a paying customer could not sample what she had paid for..offered a 30.00 refund but that would not be enough to cover the cost of me spending nearly another 30.00 to sample the scent that I had already paid for, yes the sample size in the box was 8ml and the 10ml available to purchase.. I even offered to send the bottle back and I would take a few samples from the beauty hall to compensate..but it was no, no...not our company policy! I worked in high end ecommerce for a London based company for 11 years, customer was King and looked after, there are thousands of places to shop on line...really disappointed :-(

I just wanted to say how impressed I am with your product and customer service. The quality of the product exceeded my expectations, and your team was incredibly professional. It's rare to find such great service these days. Keep up the amazing work!

We purchased a rather expensive Le Creuset pepper mill which was faulty within 10 months. I emailed twice and filled in the online form but had no response from HN. I then telephoned and Lilly was useless.

The item is over six months old which means the burden of proof lies with me to show it was faulty at time of purchase. I have a report to show this is the case and under the Consumer Rights Act HN are on the hook to deal with it. They flatly refuse. Thankfully the credit card company are jointly liable and a chargeback secured the funds.

I ordered a gift online and paid extra to include a personalized note — the note never arrived with the gift. When I contacted the company, they apologised and promised a refund. That was over a month ago, and I have still not received it.

The original issue was disappointing, but the real problem is the lack of follow-through. Promising a refund and then going silent is not acceptable customer service. I followed up again a week ago and still nothing.