Dream Montaigne arrives in dirty condition-help!

[mistikat]

Well, received the Milano Club Stripe I have wanted since I first saw it. Eagerly take it out of the box and its sleeper bag - and it is, honestly, filthy. I was shocked. The bag's inside is clean, the box does not appear as though it got wet or damaged in any way (it was shipped UPS from the SF store to me here in Toronto). I am really disappointed and have put in a call to the store (left a message) and have no clue what to do. I don't want to pay $2500+ for a bag in this condition - but returning it is going to be a nightmare (and I paid $112 in duty on it and not even sure how to go about getting that back). At first I thought maybe I was imagining this, but I have seen this bag at the Rome store and the pinkish leather (I think it's corallo) was pristine. This looks, honestly, like someone dragged it on a floor or rubbed it with newsprint. It's a mess. I took photos - I think you can see the damage. The brighter coloured one is with flash; the others were not. But the shot of the entire bag is closest to how dingy it looks. I peeked under the weaving to be sure I wasn't wrong about the colour, and it's very vibrant and clean. The interior of the bag also seems clean. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome....

[kiss_p]

I saw this bag in NM a couple of months ago. It was in a glass case and it looked dirty. I asked the SA if it was dirty or had been handled a lot and she told me no, that was how it was supposed to look. So, I don't know if the black color bleeds on the other colors or what. It is a pretty bag, though!

[mistikat]

That's what they just told me when I called the store again and spoke to a SA. I handled this bag in Rome and it was not dirty like this. If it's supposed to be .... I don't know, should I call it distressed (kind of like how I am feeling at the moment), then I would have liked to know that before getting it. But that sure looks like dirt to me and not distressing of the leather...

[kiss_p]

Here's a link to rox_rocks thread on this bag with pictures.

New BV's from Hong Kong

[catabie]

this is terrible and i am sorry this is happening to you. i actually saw one a few days ago in my local NM and it looks kinda like yours. it doesnt look pristine like a new bag should be. the black leather probably did rub it off to cause that "dirty" look.
if i were you, i would probably return it back to a store and speak with the manager of the department and see what they can offer you. maybe they can locate a cleaner one to ship to you?
good luck.

[mistikat]

kiss_p, thank you for pointing out those pix, because I have been looking for pictures of this bag and coming up empty handed. catabie, thanks for your point of view on seeing the bag IRL. Yes, rox_rocks's bag looks like the leather is a bit dirty where the handles hit, but this is pretty uniform. It's really weird. The entire coral and a lot of the red just looks very dull. If I lived in the US I'd return it tomorrow - but having the bag go across the border again, and recovering the duty I paid .... it's a huge headache. If it's supposed to look like this (which I truly find hard to believe) I guess that's one thing.... but if it's just gotten really shopworn, that's another matter and I think at that point, I might send it back and not take a chance on another one.

[rox_rocks]

so sorry mistikat...but the bag is supposed to look like this

it carries that distressed look...I bought mine in store at BV Harbour City in Hong Kong and I was able to handle it IRL before making the decision.

I am not bothered by the look at all and I'm lovin mine right now, in fact I have been carrying it around everywhere.

to me it's great 'coz I don't really have to bother with wearing it down and it pretty much stays under the "handbag radar", I still get the occassional stare from people who know BV though...

If you're really unhappy with the handbag you should seriously consider returning it...can you get a tax credit or a refund on the duties you paid?

[mistikat]

rox_rocks, thanks SO much for confirming. I did see it in Rome and I could swear it wasn't dirty like this one (or distressed ... or whatever word is approppriate!).... Is yours quite as distressed as the photos of mine?

If it IS supposed to look like this then yes, I can live with it. I guess the upside is that I don't have to worry about getting it dirty now.

[rox_rocks]

^yup, mine is

...and so are all the ones I've seen at the BV boutiques in Hong Kong

[mistikat]

OK..... Haven't heard back from the boutique yet (either to my phone message or the pix they asked me to send) but will update what they say, too.

Thank you again - you've made me feel a lot better about the bag.

[kopibaby]

hi mistikat,
i had heard more than on sa from different stores telling me the same thing too.
i commented on the "dirt" on the bag when i saw it in the shop and they told me that it is the way it is supposed to be. it is "intentional"....although, mabbe some pieces may be more distressed than others...

i am sorry to hear that you are feeling down. do think about it and do what your heart tells you. we'll support you!

[mistikat]

Thanks, kopibaby! I really, really, really love the bag and my bigger concern was that I just paid a lot of money for something that was very shopworn. If this is how it's supposed to look then the advantage is that I don't have to worry about that first dirt mark (perverse as that is)..... I just wish the SA had mentioned it on the phone when I ordered it because it's not how I remember the one I handled in Italy at all. So it was kind of a rude shock!

[jane]

I saw this bag at Saks in SF last week and noticed the "dirty" look as well, which, intentional or not, was a big turnoff for me :( WHY did they do this!?! It would look so much more beautiful with bright, clean colors instead of what looks like faded, dirty leather. It just seems so out of place on this bag.

I would have been more tempted to buy it (on sale!) if the pinks and reds had been the same as they look on other pieces in those colors.

[mistikat]

I don't understand it myself, jane - and maybe the lighting in the Rome boutique was so soft that I just didn't notice it on the bag I nearly bought there. Not sure.... I also think it would have looked nicer with the leather untouched .... but I still love the design.

[rox_rocks]

^^ I mine and I paid full price for it...to each his own opinion...