Forgive me if this was already posted.
http://thebagsite.com/2007/10/23/th...h-declares-war-on-their-most-loyal-customers/
The (Scarlet) Letter; Coach Declares War On Their Most Loyal Customers
October 23rd, 2007 · 11 Comments
Its really a sad day when I have to publicly wag a finger at a company I used to admire. Ive kept my opinion to myself for the most part, but the situation has reached a boiling point and Im furious. And Im not alone.
It wasnt enough that Coach decided to move manufacturing abroad they have to answer to their stockholders, after all, and things are made more cheaply in China. Well, were all about low prices, arent we? And it also wasnt enough that they expanded their core leather line into a mostly-canvas product base and have strewn their brand-tastic logo across the globe with self-serving, self-advertising bags, wallets, scarves, key chains, hats and even fragrance.
Now theyve decided to play hardball with their customers. Specifically, the outlet shoppers. Seems Coach has decided that they dont like their products being purchased at the outlet and resold on eBay. Shame on anyone who thinks they can purchase an item at a low price and sell it for a profit.
It started with Coach limiting the number of bags any one shopper or group of shoppers could purchase. Fair enough, lots of stores do that. But, Coach has taken this a step after ugly step further.
Ive heard lots of stories recently about loyal outlet shoppers being unceremoniously, rudely and publicly handed what has come to be known as The Letter. I cant even imagine the humiliation these customers went through for the horrendous crime of buying Coach products. The Letter states, unequivocally, that the recipient is no longer welcome to shop in any Coach store anywhere. Ever again. The customer is banned for life. I have heard horror stories of women who learned that their picture had been taped to the staff room wall like some kind of bargain-hunters mug shot. Of others whose family members were banned for the crime of sharing a name or address. And still others who were handed a letter simply because they refused to give a name at the counter when paying cash for their purchases. Or mentioned the word eBay. Ed. Note: If anyone wants to email me a scanned copy of their letter, (with personal info blacked out), I would love to post one here.
But Coach didnt stop there. Now comes the worst insult of all. A well-respected eBay reseller with positive feedback numbers in the 5-digit range tells me she has had some of her auctions pulled by VERO the counterfeit fighting arm of eBay, in what must be the most egregious story of big-corporation-strong-arming-little-guy Ive ever heard.
A VERO takedown is no laughing matter. A seller can only have a certain number of these before they have all selling privileges suspended, under ALL IDs. VERO exists to protect all of us from buying counterfeit merchandise (or, more acurately, to protect the rights-holders). For the most part, VERO is a good thing. But if one is on the wrong side of VERO, and doesnt deserve to be, one is in a bit of a pickle. Once an item has been removed, the seller must prove authenticity and have the takedown lifted by VERO prior to re-listing. Should the seller try to re-list without this approval, they get suspended from selling on eBay. Permanently.
Heres the story as it was told to me: The authentic seller in question got on the bad side of a counterfeit reseller. (Bad seller was selling Hello Kitty Coach items which Coach NEVER made, BTW and mistakenly thought good seller was the one who reported her). Angry counterfeit seller reports good sellers items to VERO, and good sellers auctions get pulled. Ordinarily, this mistake would be a minor pain in the neck and resolved quickly. Unfortunately for good seller, it seems Coach is trying to make an example of her. Good seller tells of faxing receipts, pictures, etc. to Coach in her efforts to prove authenticity. She knows they are authentic she purchased them herself from Coach. She tells me that Coach has been trying very hard to get her contact details with each request for new informationand stonewalling herbecause she has been very clever in not releasing it (we all suspect they want her identity because they want to send her The Letter). For example, they want her mailing address so they can mail her a copy of their decision, even though everything so far has been conducted electronically. Yesterday, she says she received a message where Coach claims that the photos of the pulled items, items that she purchased from their outlet, items for which she has receipts, are counterfeit. So, are they saying they sold her counterfeit items? Or are they just flat-out lying? Shes currently considering her options, including filing in federal court for loss of earnings and illegal takedown. Of course, Coach would have her details thenand she will get The Letter and wont be able to buy any more from Coachthough I doubt highly that she would ever give them another dime anyway. If I had any say in the matter, bad-counterfeit-seller might be on the lookout for that subpoena as co-defendant.
But beyond this sellers story, theres a bigger picture. My question is this: why does Coach care what a person does with their merchandise once they own it? If Coachs outlet prices are so good that a savvy shopper can make a profit, shouldnt Coach be looking at their pricing structure? Or their marketing model? Or their return policy? If Coach hadnt opened up so many outlet stores, they wouldnt have cheapened their own brand in the first place. You cant tell me that straight-to-outlet lines dont bring down a brand name. If Coach sold past season and scratch-and-dent items online, as do many other retailers, all those eBay resellers would be out of business quickly and nobody would have to bear the shame of The (scarlet) Letter. Think of the overhead Coach would save if they closed most of the outlet stores and implemented an outlet website. I dont believe its too much effort to sell outlet items online. The resellers are managing just fine doing it themselves - for now.
I used to respect Coach for delivering American-made, quality leather goods. But I have recently lost all respect for them as a handbag manufacturer, as have MANY other handbag fanatics out there who have been following both the Letter story and what we perceive as a decline in overall quality standards.
What can you do? Act with your feet. And your (non-Coach) wallets.
Join the Anti-Coach Coalition.
Just Say No To Coach.
Tags: Editorial