Hunting for a 2004 Chanel Valentine's Bag! That heart link chain needs to be mine!

It's going to be a long wait if you hold out for mint given the purse was issues in '04. You're going to have to check all the reseller sites and be very, very patient. Perhaps, accepting something less than mint will get you one a tad sooner.

I rescued one a few years back and had it spa'd; however, that said should you find one that needs help, do not send it to Chanel if you live on the East Coast. I have had two Chanel items not be repaired in less than a year!!!

Good luck on your hunt. . .
 
Ack, I guess I need to re-read the rules, apparently I've made a novice mistake and my post was removed as a result.

Thank you so much for your reply; I agree, I need to grasp the fact that what I want is becoming increasingly rare and even more expensive. I don't mind going for something less than mint; it just depends on what the color is, what the extent of the damage/wear and tear is like, and how much the buyer wants.

I am completely new at all of this - I just decided very recently that I wanted a real, honest-to-goodness Chanel handbag, and I don't know very much about purchasing one other than visiting a Chanel boutique. Would it be possible for you to name some of the reputable reseller sites? I appreciate your time and wonderful advice!
 
Ohh, I almost forgot to ask you: What happened when you sent your Chanel items back?! They simply refused to help you at all, or was the damage beyond repair, or were there other factors? That sounds all so disappointing. :sad: I'm on the West Coast (in California) so hopefully I'll have better luck if I find myself in a similar situation.
 
The purse non-repair was the limited edition patent red Mobile Art flap. The stitching in the strap was deemed defective. Some stitch holes were normal while others were ginormous with splits off to the side. I left it at the boutique in Jan and it "came back" not repaired so it was sent off again and then came back as nonrepairable. Then it was "supposed" to go to France to see if they could make a new strap. There's a lot I can't say but if you want more info pm me. I ended up taking a refund. Then a capiz necklace, one of the shells broke so I took it to NM in March. Around May I got a call saying it would be $55 to replace the shell, which if you google capiz shells one finds they cost less than $2. Last week I got a call saying the necklace was back at NM and it, too, is unrepairable. So two items in less than a year. Somewhere along my 22 year plus history w/C there has been a change and it's not looking so great on the side of the client. I will buy another shell, take the old one off and put on the new one. (Doh!) I'm sure it's not going to cost $55.

There is a place on the West Coast called Factotum, located in Laguna Beach that does refurbishment as well as Luvinmybags. I have not used either one but Factotum was mentioned on the forum awhile back and I wrote it down. Luvinmybags, I highly recommend their cleaner, conditioner and above all the cream protectant and would trust them with a refurbishment.
 
Wow, I can't believe they wanted to charge you $55 for ONE shell! That's really too bad; I've always thought Chanel was the epitome of fabulous customer service, considering the quality of their items and the considerable costs. I'm so sorry you've had some trouble with them recently; that's completely unfair. At least you received a refund for the MA flap (though I would be disappointed with their inability to repair it after so much back and forth nonsense).

Thank you for your recommendations! Luvinmybags sounds very familiar; I'll definitely check that one out, along with Factotum. I'm in Northern California but hopefully I can make a trip out there or at least give them a phone call. Good luck with your necklace! You should definitely post some pics once you replace that faulty shell; I'm sure it'll look just as good.

Thanks again, and God bless! :heart:
 

Ohh, that pink one is STUNNING! (So is the blue, but I don't wear blue very much, even though that particular color is amazing.) Yeah, ever since I started to search for the 2004 version, the 09 was has popped up again and again, and I'm almost considering going for it. Thank you for the links!