Savannah James Says Hermès Employee Was Fired After Allegedly Refusing Her Pre-Booked Appointment

Savannah James says a luxury shopping trip in Milan took an unexpected turn after she and her friend April McDaniel allegedly were refused service at a Hermès boutique despite having a pre-booked appointment.

The wife of NBA superstar LeBron James recounted the incident during an appearance with McDaniel on Danielle Robay’s Question Everything podcast. According to the pair, the situation escalated after a saleswoman allegedly refused to honor their appointment, eventually resulting in the employee’s reported dismissal.

Hermès has not publicly confirmed the firing.

“We Had an Appointment”

McDaniel said she and Savannah had arranged shopping appointments at Hermès during a European trip.

When they arrived at the location in Italy, however, McDaniel claimed the women were treated poorly by a sales employee.

Savannah confirmed that they had a scheduled appointment but suggested the employee initially acted as though the appointment did not matter.

McDaniel, who described herself as more confrontational than Savannah, said she immediately stepped in to defend her friend.

“I said, ‘Baby, you caught the wrong one today,’” McDaniel recalled.

According to McDaniel, the confrontation ultimately resulted in the employee being fired. Savannah backed up her friend’s account during the podcast, although neither woman provided independent documentation of the alleged termination.

From Conflict to VIP Treatment

The situation reportedly changed dramatically after the confrontation.

McDaniel said Hermès staff eventually took the two women into a private room, where they were offered champagne, caviar and macarons.

“They brought out everything,” Savannah recalled.

The women joked about the sudden transformation in service, with McDaniel saying she was prepared to shop for a wide range of luxury items, including handbags, bathing suits and silverware.

What began as an apparently frustrating encounter had turned into an extremely personalized shopping experience.

McDaniel Says She Was Defending Her Friend

McDaniel made it clear that she was particularly upset because she believed Savannah had been treated unfairly.

She described Savannah as “very nice” and herself as the friend who was willing to confront the situation when necessary.

The two have been close friends and business partners for years and also co-host the Everybody’s Crazy podcast.

Their account of the Hermès incident was presented in a humorous way during the podcast, but the alleged firing has attracted considerable attention because of Savannah’s celebrity status and the exclusivity associated with the Hermès brand.

A Second Luxury-Store Dispute

The pair also described a separate incident at a Chanel boutique in Paris.

According to McDaniel, a male sales associate repeatedly told Savannah not to touch a miniature handbag displayed inside the store.

Savannah said she did not see any sign indicating that customers were prohibited from touching the item.

McDaniel again became angry and said she was prepared to contact the store’s management over the incident.

The Chanel encounter was not connected to the Hermès incident, but the women said both experiences left them frustrated with the treatment they received at luxury boutiques.

Luxury Shopping and Celebrity Treatment

The story has sparked discussion about the difference between ordinary retail experiences and the highly controlled environment of luxury fashion.

Hermès is particularly known for its exclusive approach to some of its most coveted products, with customers often developing relationships with individual sales associates and boutiques.

That exclusivity has also generated criticism over the years, including accusations from some customers that they were treated differently based on their appearance, background or perceived spending power.

However, there is no evidence that Savannah’s reported experience was the result of discrimination, and the reason for the alleged employee’s actions has not been independently established.

Hermès Has Not Confirmed the Alleged Firing

The most significant unresolved detail remains the claim that the saleswoman lost her job.

PEOPLE reported that representatives for Hermès, Savannah and Chanel were contacted for comment. No public confirmation from Hermès regarding the employee’s employment status has been reported.

That means the alleged firing should be treated as a claim made by Savannah and McDaniel rather than an independently verified fact.

Savannah’s Luxury Shopping Experience Continues

Despite the awkward encounters, McDaniel said the experiences did not discourage her from shopping at luxury fashion houses.

Instead, she portrayed the Hermès episode as an example of why she is willing to speak up when she believes her friend is being mistreated.

For Savannah, the incident became another memorable story from a European trip—one that began with an allegedly rejected appointment and ended with a private room, champagne, caviar and an extensive selection of luxury merchandise.

Whether the Hermès employee was actually terminated remains a matter for the company to clarify, but Savannah and McDaniel’s account has already turned an ordinary shopping appointment into one of the more talked-about celebrity luxury-shopping stories of the week.