Currently I am writing this in my hotel in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh), Vietnam because I'm still shaken up this even happened to me.. So many times I've heard stories about bag snatching and warnings about keeping your valuables at home especially during travel -- it was a really big wake up call for me.
I was only a block outside my hotel grabbing a drink with my friend and I had my Chanel Mini flap slung over crossbody. I didn't think it would be noticeable as I had a shawl over as well. It was raining & dark and we were heading back literally in front of our hotel. As we were crossing the street, a motorcycle with two men drove up behind me & my friend and I felt a tug on my shoulder chain and was flung forward on wet concrete as they tried grabbing my Chanel strap. It took me a while to realize what had happened as I lay on the street and my friend was crying out for help.
I am fortunate enough to leave with minor bruises/cuts and I only had a bit of cash in my bag -- no passports or valuable documents, and that they had unsuccessfully grabbed my bag. And when I finally examined my bag back at the hotel I was in shock at how well my Chanel stood up after being tugged and dragged against wet concrete. (see pictures)
Yes, the chain unfortunately broke..
The leather on the strap is stretched but not torn at all! The caviar that got wet was dark at first but when dried off showed little to no damage/scuffing. Besides some obvious indenting from the pavement, I was SO relieved my little bag was alright. I know that Chanel can replace the chain links which I'm relieved to hear.. and when I get back home, I'll be taking it back to my local boutique to see what they can do (I'll keep you all posted on here!)
My family friend had an unlucky experience with a non-branded bag, where she was walking and a similar incident occurred, but her strap was cut and her bag swiped in an instant!! This made me really appreciate the quality of my Chanel bag holding up after this incident (I've read many stories here on tpf about their quality declining.. but I still love Chanel
)
I hope that this experience will help anyone with travel plans in the future. If anyone has experience with Chanel repairs regarding replacement of the chain, please share your feedback here! I'd love to know how long the process takes etc.
I was only a block outside my hotel grabbing a drink with my friend and I had my Chanel Mini flap slung over crossbody. I didn't think it would be noticeable as I had a shawl over as well. It was raining & dark and we were heading back literally in front of our hotel. As we were crossing the street, a motorcycle with two men drove up behind me & my friend and I felt a tug on my shoulder chain and was flung forward on wet concrete as they tried grabbing my Chanel strap. It took me a while to realize what had happened as I lay on the street and my friend was crying out for help.
I am fortunate enough to leave with minor bruises/cuts and I only had a bit of cash in my bag -- no passports or valuable documents, and that they had unsuccessfully grabbed my bag. And when I finally examined my bag back at the hotel I was in shock at how well my Chanel stood up after being tugged and dragged against wet concrete. (see pictures)
Yes, the chain unfortunately broke..
The leather on the strap is stretched but not torn at all! The caviar that got wet was dark at first but when dried off showed little to no damage/scuffing. Besides some obvious indenting from the pavement, I was SO relieved my little bag was alright. I know that Chanel can replace the chain links which I'm relieved to hear.. and when I get back home, I'll be taking it back to my local boutique to see what they can do (I'll keep you all posted on here!)My family friend had an unlucky experience with a non-branded bag, where she was walking and a similar incident occurred, but her strap was cut and her bag swiped in an instant!! This made me really appreciate the quality of my Chanel bag holding up after this incident (I've read many stories here on tpf about their quality declining.. but I still love Chanel
)I hope that this experience will help anyone with travel plans in the future. If anyone has experience with Chanel repairs regarding replacement of the chain, please share your feedback here! I'd love to know how long the process takes etc.
