Dooney quality going down?

[PcanTannedBty]

Hi "Dooneynistas"!!!

I first want to say that I'm a long time Dooney lover and collector and always will be however, I've noticed lately that the quality is going down. Has anyone else noticed this? I'm seeing this most in the bags that are sold in department stores. Dooney outlet bags seem to be ok. I've also noticed that Dooney uses snow white stitching on some bags and the leather on some is not as substantial as on the older DB bags, which makes it look cheap... in my opinion.

What are your thoughts?

 

[DooneyDucky]

I haven't noticed the quality going down but I have noticed that it's not uncommon for the bags in department stores to look scratched and beat up. My bag from the Q also had "boo boos" but I blame that on the poor packing. It was packed in a clear plastic bag inside a cardboard box and that's it. The Dillen leather on my Zip Zip satchel is very much like the AWL on my Made in the USA bag from the 90's. Goodness, I hope the quality doesn't go down!

 

[HarliRexx]

The only bag I've seen recently that I felt was poor quality was a pebble leather domed satchel I got from QVC. The buckle prongs stuck out and caught on my clothing and the tassels felt cheap because the underside was just untreated leather instead of being backed with the usual suede. Also a lot of people had problems with the zippers being wavy on these bags.

 

[Twoboyz]

The only bag I've seen recently that I felt was poor quality was a pebble leather domed satchel I got from QVC. The buckle prongs stuck out and caught on my clothing and the tassels felt cheap because the underside was just untreated leather instead of being backed with the usual suede. Also a lot of people had problems with the zippers being wavy on these bags.

Sorry for the long post....

I found this on mine that I ordered as well. I ordered a black and a brown thinking I'd keep the one I liked best. Well the black one had a sticking out buckle and the brown one was perfect in that respect. However I preferred the black so I decided to keep it. It doesn't bother me much. It's because they are glued down and the notch doesn't line up perfectly with the buckle prong on all bags (I think).
The wavy zipper doesn't bother me much either. It seems like it is a characteristic of domed bags.

As far as I know, the suede details are a characteristic of the florentine bags, so the pebbled leather tassels are probably not a downgrade, but just how they chose to finish them for the pebbled leather bags. At least this is what I suspected when I heard Sue Clifton say the suede detailing is on their florentine bags. This is just what I suspect, so I'm not sure if it is true. I thought they originally put the suede on the florentine bags that have a fold down top to help them bend there. Well that doesn't explain why it's in the Kingston and Clayton. Maybe just a design detail to clarify they are florentine too?

Some of the new leathers seem to be lighter weight/thinner like the Toledo and the florentine on the Stanwich and the Chelsea. I don't know if Dooney did this to cut costs or if they did it in response to people's complaints that the bags are heavy. I kind of like it on my Stanwich because it's lighter and more slouchy. I still feel like it will hold up for many years so I'm not worried about it too much.

We see this in many industries. Companies try to keep up with higher manufacturing costs and still keep a competitively priced product for their customers. Unfortunately it sometimes means cutting back on materials.

 

[collegechic]

The only bag I've seen recently that I felt was poor quality was a pebble leather domed satchel I got from QVC. The buckle prongs stuck out and caught on my clothing and the tassels felt cheap because the underside was just untreated leather instead of being backed with the usual suede. Also a lot of people had problems with the zippers being wavy on these bags.

I think the wavy zipper is what has been holding me back from buying the pebble leather zip zip satchel. I saw it at Macys but might try to go to a Dooney store and see if it is different

 

[beyondtheoldme]

Hi "Dooneynistas"!!!



I first want to say that I'm a long time Dooney lover and collector and always will be however, I've noticed lately that the quality is going down. Has anyone else noticed this? I'm seeing this most in the bags that are sold in department stores. Dooney outlet bags seem to be ok. I've also noticed that Dooney uses snow white stitching on some bags and the leather on some is not as substantial as on the older DB bags, which makes it look cheap... in my opinion.



What are your thoughts?

I have been carrying Dooney bags since I was in middle school (to give you an idea on how long that has been, I will be graduating from college in a few weeks). With that being said, I have noticed that a lot of my "earlier" bags (meaning middle school - high school, etc), have continuously held up through the times due to their craftsmanship no matter what I have put it through (rain, snow, stuffed, stored in the armoire, tripped over, etc.).

On the other hand, I did run into a problem with my Nylon Large Pocket Satchel in February (purchased in October). Somehow, there was a small tear (or what appeared to be a small tear) on the bottom of the bag along with this weird sticky substance that I could not get off to save my life. When I sent the bag in to Dooney they told me that the bag was damaged beyond repair. Since that is the only problem that I have run into in all of my years (and all of my bags) with Dooney, I don't think that the overall quality is going down, there are just a few bags here and there that are having some issues. I saw that with this in mind, the quality of items manufactured today aren't what they used to be in the past.



Sent from my iPad using PurseForum

 

[HarliRexx]

Speaking of cutting back to keep manufacturing costs low, I forgot about the strap on that domed satchel. That strap is definitely too narrow for that bag. It should be as wide and substantial as the long straps on the florentine satchels IMO.

 

[MiaBorsa]

My biggest gripe was when they started using the nylon key leash instead of the leather. UGH. I guess it doesn't matter to a lot of people, but it mattered to me.

 

[Twoboyz]

Speaking of cutting back to keep manufacturing costs low, I forgot about the strap on that domed satchel. That strap is definitely too narrow for that bag. It should be as wide and substantial as the long straps on the florentine satchels IMO.

I agree, it's just too narrow for such a heavy substantial bag. It almost makes me want to get the Mailbag just so I can use that nice thick strap on my other bags. One of our fellow Doonynistas has a YouTube video on how to make a leather strap pad for a narrow purse strap. It's pretty cool. She's 49ldavis and the video is called "How To Make Leather Shoulder Strap Pad".

 

[PcanTannedBty]

I agree, it's just too narrow for such a heavy substantial bag. It almost makes me want to get the Mailbag just so I can use that nice thick strap on my other bags. One of our fellow Doonynistas has a YouTube video on how to make a leather strap pad for a narrow purse strap. It's pretty cool. She's 49ldavis and the video is called "How To Make Leather Shoulder Strap Pad".

Thank you all for your feedback!

I too agree about the straps being too thin with most of the bags, I think it makes the bag look cheap. I'm one who loves to have my strap hanging when carrying on the crook of my arm and that thin strap looks a bit weird.

As far as the the toledo bags, I think that quality is awesome. Thinner than the Florentine but still substantial and rich looking.

Yes, 49ldavis is one of my #fans on YouTube. We were the cause many times of each other going out and getting a bag. I started the "Dooneynista" club on YT. LOL. Now I got everyone using that term. I thought it was cute. Check me out on YouTube if you'd like. I do hair, fitness and lots of Dooney reviews, bag of the day, etc. You can find me under: ThePecanTannedBeauty.

Thanks again you all for sharing your thoughts on the quality of Dooney!

 

[PcanTannedBty]

My biggest gripe was when they started using the nylon key leash instead of the leather. UGH. I guess it doesn't matter to a lot of people, but it mattered to me.

Yeah, the key keeper bothered me at first but I guess now, I'm use to it. I just wish they were consistent with the color or at least match the color of the bag and have the clamp in gold like the other hardware.

 

[PcanTannedBty]

Speaking of cutting back to keep manufacturing costs low, I forgot about the strap on that domed satchel. That strap is definitely too narrow for that bag. It should be as wide and substantial as the long straps on the florentine satchels IMO.

I agree... the straps need to be wider like the Florentine bags. I have have 2 Pebbled Leather Domed Satchels and though I love the bags, the straps really bother me and I didn't feel like it was worth returning. I plan to look for another bag that has a strap I can use on those bags.

 

[PcanTannedBty]

I think the wavy zipper is what has been holding me back from buying the pebble leather zip zip satchel. I saw it at Macys but might try to go to a Dooney store and see if it is different

I carry my domed satchels by the top handles and it doesn't seem to wave as much. I don't think it's a way around it because of the shape of the bag. But I notice that it does help when I stuff it really full with bag stuffers (tee shirts, etc), I also make sure the zipper is really straight. It's tedious but seems to help a lot. I've tried everything. I've actually taken a break from domed satchels because of this... Sighing!!!

 

[Twoboyz]

Thank you all for your feedback!

I too agree about the straps being too thin with most of the bags, I think it makes the bag look cheap. I'm one who loves to have my strap hanging when carrying on the crook of my arm and that thin strap looks a bit weird.

As far as the the toledo bags, I think that quality is awesome. Thinner than the Florentine but still substantial and rich looking.

Yes, 49ldavis is one of my #fans on YouTube. We were the cause many times of each other going out and getting a bag. I started the "Dooneynista" club on YT. LOL. Now I got everyone using that term. I thought it was cute. Check me out on YouTube if you'd like. I do hair, fitness and lots of Dooney reviews, bag of the day, etc. You can find me under: ThePecanTannedBeauty.

Thanks again you all for sharing your thoughts on the quality of Dooney!

You don't have to tell me Pecan. I'm already a huge fan of yours and the rest of the Dooneynistas on YouTube. Where do you think I got "Dooneynista" from. Lol! Your video on your red pebbled leather dome satchel was the very first purse review I ever watched on you tube. From there I found 49ldavis, Leigh Ann, Denise and the others. Now I'm addicted! Keep 'em coming. I love your videos!

 

[PcanTannedBty]

You don't have to tell me Pecan. I'm already a huge fan of yours and the rest of the Dooneynistas on YouTube. Where do you think I got "Dooneynista" from. Lol! Your video on your red pebbled leather dome satchel was the very first purse review I ever watched on you tube. From there I found 49ldavis, Leigh Ann, Denise and the others. Now I'm addicted! Keep 'em coming. I love your videos!

LOL... That's too funny. You already watch. I wasn't trying to promote my channel but lots of threads on here relate to some of my vids and felt it would be good to get up close and personal sometimes. Thanks so much for watching my videos. Do you have a channel or do videos? I'm so addicted to YT bag videos. LOL. I'd love for everyone to pick up this awful monster of a habit.

And awwww... thats very touching to know that my video was your first.