Appalled and Disgusted at the Quality of my new Mini Chyc Cabas!!

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.Yuki.

.Yuki.

O.G.
Aug 15, 2009
44
0
#1
The strap clasp of my brand new mini Chyc Cabas snapped/broke after only THREE WEEKS of wear!!!

:mad::mad::mad::mad:

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I am absolutely appalled and disgusted at the quality of this $2500 AUD bag!!!

I have bags from Chanel, Dior, Balenciaga, LV etc etc but this is the FIRST TIME I have encountered something like this!!

None of my bags before this have broke after years and years of use...

But omg.. this bag broke after only 3 weeks of wear?? That's seriously disgusting when you think about how much they are charging for this bag!

I am sooo angry because there are no Saint Laurent stores in Australia!! I bought this bag 3 weeks ago at the Omotesando Hills store in Tokyo, Japan.

While I'm on a rant, I would like to tell you guys about my horrible experience buying this bag in the first place!!

So I went into the Saint Laurent store because I've been eyeing this bag for months and I really wanted to see it in person. Due to the weak yen, the price was comparable to the price in Paris so I decided to buy it!

However, because I didn't bring my passport, I wanted to come back the next day to get the bag so I can get the after tax price.

I wanted the new one from the back because the one on display had a scratch and the other stores only had one each. This was the only store with two. I tried to ask if I can put a deposit and come back tomorrow and was denied.

I found that ridiculous but maybe it could be due to the language barrier.

Because the SA didn't work the next day and was desperate to make a sale (probably to get her commission) she started convincing me to buy it on the spot and come back the next day to get my refund.

Due to my broken Japanese, there must have been a misunderstanding. I heard the word "refund" and thought I can just come back and they will just refund the tax back to my card.

So the next day I came into the store and guess what?!?!

They ended up refunding the ENTIRE amount back to my card and tried to charge the after tax amount to my card! Because the refund money doesn’t go back onto the card straight away, of course my credit card limit wouldn't allow another 2k transaction!

At first I was really confused and I wasn’t sure what happened because I thought the SA was simply trying to put the tax refund back onto my card. Then she started explaining to me what happened in Japanese and speaking really fast. Of course I didn’t understand and looked confused. After she repeated to me a couple times she DARED to roll her eyes when she realised I couldn’t really speak Japanese and started to explain again in English.

WHAT HORRIBLE SERVICE!!

First of all, if she could speak English, why didn't she in the first place??? Second of all, how dare she roll her eyes at me when I couldn’t understand her language??

She then disappeared to call some credit card company and handed me the phone. The lady on the other end couldn’t speak any English at all and I wasn’t even sure who she is. I thought she was from my credit card company.

The SA then left me alone with the phone and went to serve another customer.

CAN IT GET ANY WORSE???

I was so lost and gave up talking to this lady on the phone who was just as confused as I am and tried to talk to the SA again and finally worked out what had happened! In the end I gave her another credit card so the amount would go through on that cc. However, I was charged international transaction fees for both transactions since of course the cc fee wouldn’t be refunded!

If only I knew it was this stressful, I would’ve just came back the next day to buy the bag!! I was LIVID and APPALLED at the service! Because their SA was sooo desperate to make a sale, she put me through sooo much trouble and stress!!! And not to mention the disrespect and super bad service I received from the other SA!

I swear after this.. I am never buying anything from Saint Laurent again!!!

But before I finish off…

Can someone please advise how I can get my bag fixed?

I can only find the Retail store contact details online. I am going to ask my friend to call up the Tokyo store where I bought the bag and see what they are going to do, but I’m hoping I can settle the problem without sending my bag all the way to Japan then Japan to wherever to fix the bag, back to Japan then back to Australia.

Thank you in advance!!

Here is a photo of me modelling this bag.. (while the strap was still in tact!!! grrr)

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#2
What a bad experience overall! The SA was terrible!

I am not familiar with Saint Laurent customer service, but I recommend calling their customer service number to inquire about how to get the bag fixed from Australia.
 
#3
Wow that sounds awful. I don't appreciate how most SAs seem to be unaware of the concept of 'available balance'. I guess she was hoping you won't come back the next day. I can't believe they couldn't hold the bag for one day! That is so mean, especially for Japan.

I would contact their customer service. The bag has 12 months warranty. Is your sealant cracking too? It's a shame there are no YSL boutiques in Australia :(

Cute Totoro ;)
 
#4
_lili_ said:
Wow that sounds awful. I don't appreciate how most SAs seem to be unaware of the concept of 'available balance'. I guess she was hoping you won't come back the next day. I can't believe they couldn't hold the bag for one day! That is so mean, especially for Japan.

I would contact their customer service. The bag has 12 months warranty. Is your sealant cracking too? It's a shame there are no YSL boutiques in Australia :(

Cute Totoro ;)
Click to expand...
Wow lili good eye! Yeh it appears the sealant is indeed cracking.

My friend is going to call up the Japan store over the next couple days and will probably bring it back to the store to get it fixed.. they better cover the postage back to Australia!!!

Or I might try and contact the customer service and see if anyone responds =/
 
#6
Aww thank you wannabelyn. Very kind! And this is why it breaks my heart - because I love the bag and the style but I am just sooo upset about the super poor quality and customer service from YSL

This is what happened so far..

My friend called the Tokyo store - first time she was put on hold for 37 MINUTES!! Until she couldn't wait any longer and hung up.

WOW.. HOW RUDE AND DISRESPECTFUL IS THAT?? Not to mention this is a long distance call therefore very very expensive!!

Then she got through today, however, because she wasnt the one who made the purchase, they wont tell her the options. She tried explaining that I dont speak alot of japanese and that she was calling on my behalf, but they told her that I had to call them and explain the situation.

So I will try to call the store tomorrow but someone there better speak English!!!

Also, I emailed the YSL customer support.

On the website it clearly said:

REPAIRS
YSL OFFERS REPAIR SERVICE FOR YSL PRODUCTS PURCHASED ONLINE OR IN A YSL STORE. WE RECOMMEND YOU VISIT THE ORIGINAL YSL STORE OF PURCHASE FOR ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIRS. IF YOU CANNOT BRING THE PRODUCT TO THE YSL STORE, PLEASE CONTACT US AT THE FOLLOWING EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] SO THAT WE MAY PROVIDE A MORE DETAILED REPAIR ASSESSMENT. PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE REPAIR REQUEST, YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION, AND ORIGINAL SALES RECEIPT OR INVOICE. ALL REPAIR INFORMATION AND REPAIR CHARGE ESTIMATES WILL BE SENT TO YOU ONCE THE ASSESSMENT HAS BEEN COMPLETED.


This is the response i received:

Dear Yuki Chen,

Thank you for taking the time to contact Yves Saint Laurent.

Please know that you have reached online assistance for our US Online Boutique. We apologize for any inconvenience you have encountered with your merchandise.

Please know that at this time, YSL.COM does not provide repair or cleaning services. We kindly recommend contacting the boutique in which you purchased your merchandise to allow them the opportunity to advise you of their policy for repair. .

If it is more convenient please find below the link to our worldwide store locator:

http://www.ysl.com/en_US/stores

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us by replying to this email or you may reach us at 1.800.399.0929.

Kind Regards,

YSL.COM Customer Care

SAINT LAURENT


ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

Please know that at this time, YSL.COM does not provide repair or cleaning services.

Oh.. how convenient!!

Denying responsibility and hand balling the problem when it stated CLEARLY on the website that they will repair anything that was bought from a YSL store??

Geezus.. when i thought it cant get any worse!!!
 
#7
I am appalled. A luxury brand that won't do this isn't a luxury brand at all. Heck even mass market brands are better than this; sometimes they send you a brand new product.
 
#8
Wow, I am appalled at YSL for that. I love YSL but that would be a deal breaker for me. I would write them and completely rant about their terrible service. Spending so much money on a product should guarantee repairs, heck I think you should automatically get a lengthy guarantee and should be able to repair it anywhere!!
 
#9
I am surprised to hear of the service. I know for a fact that YSL or SLP in Japan has changed their SA's as they changed their name from YSL to SLP. I have not visited their stores since then.

If you have the guarantee card, the store should be able to take the bag and repair it. Maybe you should even demand a replacement.
 
#10
That sounds terrible. Have you thought of writing to them publicly on their facebook page or on twitter? This sometimes works wonders with companies with horrible customer service, since it could really hurt their brand value. I am surprised a brand like this one falls into that category.
 
#11
I am so sorry this happened to you. I know how frustrating this can be! If you can´t have YSL repair this I would take it to a local cobbler or leather repair service and see if they can fix it for you. Hope things work out!
 
#12
That's ridiculous. Ideally, they should replace your bag with a brand new one.
In the event you decide to repair it yourself, take it to MyBagSpa in Melbourne. They repair designer bags. I'll try to find the YSL head office number and PM you.
 
#13
Thank you everyone for your kind words and suggestions! Especially _lili_ for taking the time to PM me the head office number :)

Update:

So I sent YSL a scathing reply back

with this being my favourite and ending line of the email

"Simply denying responsibility and hand balling this problem to someone else is less than professional for a brand like Saint Laurent Paris. This is kind of service I receive for a $2000 bag? What a joke!"

This was the response I received:

Dear Yuki Chen,

Thank you for taking the time to contact Yves Saint Laurent.

Please note the website indicates that “YSL” (as in the brand/company) not “YSL.COM” “OFFERS REPAIR SERVICE FOR YSL PRODUCTS PURCHASED ONLINE (via YSL.COM) OR IN A YSL STORE.” Meaning that Yves Saint Laurent (as a company) offers repair services for products purchased in a boutique or on YSL.COM. Yves Saint Laurent does offer repair services, which are dealt with in-store so the product can be assessed and reviewed in-person, rather than through any online medium.

Additionally, to reiterate, you have contacted customer care for the US online YSL boutique. We are able to assist with repairs purchased through our site only. We cannot access information for any international purchases nor are we able to assist in any customer issues of a product bought outside of the US for a client also living outside the US.

Japanese customer care for the YSL online boutique may be able to further assist you as they will have more access to information in Japan than US customer care will. You may contact directly using the below e-mail address:

[email protected]

Kind Regards,

YSL.COM Customer Care

SAINT LAURENT


First of all...

why couldn't they have told me all this in the first email??

Second of all... how rude??? "Additionally, to reiterate"

wow..

But good news from Japan's end..

I ended up calling the Omotesando store and spoke to a SA. Then I got an email address from them and sent in photos and asked my friend to help me translate the email into Japanese.

The next day I received a call and an email basically saying the same thing:

That they will repair my bag and courier it back to me in Australia for free and it should take 2-3 weeks.

However.. unfortunately.. my friend that was going back to Japan had a family emergency so he couldnt help me take the bag back.

I sent another email to YSL asking if I can send them my bag instead and am still waiting on a response.

However.. today I took my bag into a local leather repair shop and they were really nice and they said they can fix it. I can't be too happy yet til I see the finished result in a week. Will be posting photos!

If they can fix it to look exactly like it was before then I will be sooo happy!!

I think I am just not prepared to go through more drama and trouble for this situation anymore.

And from here on out I am boycotting YSL/SLP!!
 
#14
Wow their second response was completely rude. Instead of trying to satisfy their customer and seeing what they could do to help, they just kept repeating what they CANNOT do, and also "reiterated".

Does it matter that you contacted the US online customer service? They couldn't have forwarded your inquiry to head office? That's the least they could do for customer service.

Gosh maybe Hedi Slimane's mannerisms and snobbiness has translated to customer service as well.
 
#15
Hmm I wonder if its better to get YSL to make the repairs only because if it breaks again (hope not!) they have to take responsibility for it.

It's fine if ysl US is unable to offer repairs but they could've been more sympathetic and seeing they knew the whole situation from the get go given you the email address of ysl Japan from the get go OR offered to contact them directly on your behalf. They should understand that you are an anxious buyer who spent a lot money who is now left with a defective bag. Amazon.com could give them a lesson in customer service.
 
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