Chanel’s Rise & STALL: Defects, Difficulties & Deflection (formerly the 19 tote saga thread)

[TraceySH]

@PurseCloset I’m in the US!

 

[PurseCloset]

I think that rampant price increases and lack of transparency are rampant throughout fashion, especially premier fashion houses that are big business (as opposed to luxury). At this point for example, Dior RTW is skyrocketing in price but of flimsy construction. In fact, some chanel items seem better made and better value Lol. The disgruntled chanel customer always has the option to walk away and not to purchase leather goods. Many of us primarily buy bags from Hermes or another brand nowadays. And, I say this having had good luck with the many chanel bags I’ve purchased from the boutique throughout the years.

Thanks for that perspective. Can I ask if u might be a VIP status at Chanel , where u get to the first dips of the offerings on launch day.

I noticed where I m located at which is Sg, I do get better quality Chanel bags from resellers, bags that quickly flew off the shelves but showed up at resellers platform literally the next day. Usually these resellers have VIP status coz of the volume they buy n hence priorities given to the first dipd

 

[PurseCloset]

I think that rampant price increases and lack of transparency are rampant throughout fashion, especially premier fashion houses that are big business (as opposed to luxury). At this point for example, Dior RTW is skyrocketing in price but of flimsy construction. In fact, some chanel items seem better made and better value Lol. The disgruntled chanel customer always has the option to walk away and not to purchase leather goods. Many of us primarily buy bags from Hermes or another brand nowadays. And, I say this having had good luck with the many chanel bags I’ve purchased from the boutique throughout the years.

The good old adage of what u get is what u paid for certainly runs contrary to where Chanel bags are concerned n their gravity defying prices. That's ethically n morally wrong but if the company seeks to max profits above all else then I think the customer deserves better treatment elsewhere n word must spread to raise awareness on this. Thank goodness there r alternatives, toying of the Hermes journey recently

 

[ntntgo]

I will send you my beige one that smells like chemicals. I can't use it. It's embarrassing, the smell. Shall we donate it to science?

Let’s do it. I’ll call Artbag today. They have been the foremost Hermes repair shop for over 90 years. So I want to make sure they’ll allow me to film them taking it apart & they’ll have to sign a release.
I’ll DM you after I speak to them this morning.

 

[Tina1010]

I was thinking, since Artbag moved to South Florida, I’m considering buying a 22, Lord knows the boutiques here are full of them, and taking one of my 19s that isn’t currently at Chanel’s outsourced repair shops up north and having them take them apart while I film it.

Oh and for everyone that thinks their bags are going to Paris for repair, sorry to disappoint. They get checked in through their repair department in New Jersey then go to a place whom I don’t know if I can name as I’m not sure if they have an NDA or not. Bags that come in to the boutiques before they’re sold and are damaged go directly to their outsourced US repair company without having to be checked in through NJ.

I thought everyone knew this in the US but I’ve seen a lot of people saying that their bag was sent to Paris. Why would anyone think that? Maybe I misunderstood.

I know Chanel has a repair place in the UK and one in China. Not sure where bags in the ME & Africa go but I’m sure they’ve got places there as well. I’m assuming that all of APAC goes to the shop in China. Maybe someone in this thread that’s located in greater AP knows for sure.

@TraceySH, do you want to ship your 19 or 22 to Artbag and I’ll make the arrangements? I’m willing to use one of my 19s but out of the 11 I had, I sold the 3 newest ones. A 22 I’d have to go buy but I’m willing to do it.

Thoughts anyone? Do we want to see the most prestigious Hermes repair shop in the US take apart a Chanel?

This is new information for me, as I had multiple SA's tell me this year as I've just started purchasing Chanel that the bags are sent for repairs to Paris as part of the 5 year warranty program. Either they don't know the truth themselves or they lied to me. I had to send a bag into LV for repair and at least the mgr there was honest that the bag will be repaired in California.

 

[PurseCloset]

Alright, for our next round we have BBQ sauce (I don't have any ketchup). Poured on, smeared in, put under hot water, wiped off.

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I have this exact same design, Chanel 19 , 21 B grey, puffy, pillowy and absolutely crease fee. i must say that year 2021 has seen some of the best quality leathers for chanel 19 coz i saw subsequent ones at the boutique as I was eyeing to collect the caramel, the 22A , leather was really thin , strectched , wrinkly and definitely not the same quality leather and the bag looks starved without its iconic puffed up pillowy look. I do tend to notice that Chanel has the horrid behaviour of "cutting corners" in the quality department of returning popular colours like the caramel, coz they know people will still buy them regardless.

 

[rainbowneko]

I have this exact same design, Chanel 19 , 21 B grey, puffy, pillowy and absolutely crease fee. i must say that year 2021 has seen some of the best quality leathers for chanel 19 coz i saw subsequent ones at the boutique as I was eyeing to collect the caramel, the 22A , leather was really thin , strectched , wrinkly and definitely not the same quality leather and the bag looks starved without its iconic puffed up pillowy look. I do tend to notice that Chanel has the horrid behaviour of "cutting corners" in the quality department of returning popular colours like the caramel, coz they know people will still buy them regardless.

Me being one of the delusional customers!!! because the caramel was a seasonal color, now i think its a yearly repeated seasonal colour because it keeps coming back

because if i don't buy today (regardless of the quality), the bag is gonna have a price increase soon (and its gonna costed sgd$9k for a fabric lining bag which is ridiculous!!)

 

[PurseCloset]

Me being one of the delusional customers!!! because the caramel was a seasonal color, now i think its a yearly repeated seasonal colour because it keeps coming back

because if i don't buy today (regardless of the quality), the bag is gonna have a price increase soon (and its gonna costed sgd$9k for a fabric lining bag which is ridiculous!!)

Ya i get what you meant. The colour hardly comes by and to even be offered, one just had to grab it. The bags are just flying off the shelves and go out of stock so quickly but guess where it ends up, literally on the reselllers platform the next day!)

The quality of caramel 22A of Chanel 19 certainly didnt measure up to past models like 21P, 21K where the bag is certainly puffier and pillowy-ier and that leather seems to be of better quality too. Also noticed that gold antique chain straps seems to have "oxidised" for my caramel 22A, just look out at the nooks and cranny of the chain strap where each metalliic chain connects to another, there are some dark spots as if the chains gotten rusty , I had to use Q-tip to clean out those parts and I am talking about a bag which i have kept it in the box all this time and yet to use.

 

[rainbowneko]

Thanks for all the insights rainbowneko on the ongoings with Chanel. No wonder despite the steep price increases the quality has not improved in anyway.

Wat happened to your c19 caramel the chain strap ? (noticed that there are some black stains in between each of the connnecting antique gold hardware chain) Which series was this? Beginning to see very huge differences in leather quality of c19 (especially the popular colours like caramel) over the seasons actually. I am also done with Chanel too. Recent ones quality issues has become so bad it's surfacing across all product lines .

My 22A C19 have several issues:
1. shoddy work on the chain, because of the antique look idk why the interlink between one and other is uncoloured (?) or rather do not have antique effect, and also look at the gap between the links my goodness. Actually there is a core (i assumed its a plastic because its white underneath wrapped around with the antique gold brass(?))
2. Leather wise, on the sides and bottom of my bag feels abit dry (feels like a dry skin) so I put on the leather lotion and its slightly better. The main flap itself looks like coated and i suspect the inner flap might be bonded leather instead (not sure whether bonded leather has pores or not but the main front flap has pores but the inner flap doesn't have visible pores to me)
3. Wrinkly leather -> i tried to convince myself its natural for leathers to have wrinkles (not sure this can be proved as not being a bonded leather???)
3. Stitching issues (i dont think its serious) and i have checked with the after sales team, they said the stitching holes (its not very visible unless you look up close) are within the chanel standards. I will take a pic and show you when i got back.
4. Their quality control cannot make it -> how many holes can you spot on the wallet (I went to exchanged in the end)

 

[rainbowneko]

My point exactly. 24 is insane. That’s how fast they’re turning over inventory & replacing it. Yet people think it’s being hand made????

The average inventory turnover rate for Mercedes Benz is 8. So Chanel is cranking out products at a rate that is over 3 times what Mercedes Benz is. Hermes for 2021 was 1.97.

The only people that benefit from that high of a turnover rate is the investors.

What I’d like to see that I can’t find is Chanel’s inventory days on hand.

If anyone can find that, I’d love to know because if their IDOH is low and their turnover rate is high, plunge in quality across the brand makes sense. It also means they’re back in “We’re for sale” mode.

Let me see if i can go capitalIQ and find past f/s for chanel limited

 

[rainbowneko]

Ya i get what you meant. The colour hardly comes by and to even be offered, one just had to grab it. The bags are just flying off the shelves and go out of stock so quickly but guess where it ends up, literally on the reselllers platform the next day!)

The quality of caramel 22A of Chanel 19 certainly didnt measure up to past models like 21P, 21K where the bag is certainly puffier and pillowy-ier and that leather seems to be of better quality too. Also noticed that gold antique chain straps seems to have "oxidised" for my caramel 22A, just look out at the nooks and cranny of the chain strap where each metalliic chain connects to another, there are some dark spots as if the chains gotten rusty , I had to use Q-tip to clean out those parts and I am talking about a bag which i have kept it in the box all this time and yet to use.

if you can send it for repair even tho its up to 6 months (seems like they got a lot of repairing to do)

 

[PurseCloset]

My 22A C19 have several issues:
1. shoddy work on the chain, because of the antique look idk why the interlink between one and other is uncoloured (?) or rather do not have antique effect, and also look at the gap between the links my goodness. Actually there is a core (i assumed its a plastic because its white underneath wrapped around with the antique gold brass(?))
2. Leather wise, on the sides and bottom of my bag feels abit dry (feels like a dry skin) so I put on the leather lotion and its slightly better. The main flap itself looks like coated and i suspect the inner flap might be bonded leather instead (not sure whether bonded leather has pores or not but the main front flap has pores but the inner flap doesn't have visible pores to me)
3. Wrinkly leather -> i tried to convince myself its natural for leathers to have wrinkles (not sure this can be proved as not being a bonded leather???)
3. Stitching issues (i dont think its serious) and i have checked with the after sales team, they said the stitching holes (its not very visible unless you look up close) are within the chanel standards. I will take a pic and show you when i got back.
4. Their quality control cannot make it -> how many holes can you spot on the wallet (I went to exchanged in the end)

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My chains had that exact same situation as yours - the dark spots where you circle up. Did the boutique say they will do anything?I originally thought it was humidity that caused the oxidisation (seriously less than one month? )so I cleaned up all the connecting parts myself.
Should i bring it the boutique to have it inspected? this is so distressing for a SGD$8260 bag!

 

[rainbowneko]

My chains had that exact same situation as yours - the dark spots where you circle up. Did the boutique say they will do anything?I originally thought it was humidity that caused the oxidisation (seriously less than one month? )so I cleaned up all the connecting parts myself.
Should i bring it the boutique to have it inspected? this is so distressing for a SGD$8260 bag!

Yup!! qualified for repair service, the chain doesn't fully close up just annoyed the hell of me and I have to resort to using twillys to loop through the chains and tie a ribbon knot on the end of each side pic for ref

 

[rainbowneko]

Let me see if i can go capitalIQ and find past f/s for chanel limited

Nope.. they only started to disclose f/s results from 2018 onwards ((

Chanel Publishes Annual Results for First Time in 108 Years (Published 2018)

The French behemoth, known for its perfumes, handbags and double-C logo, reported strong sales growth and rising investment. But that it published at all was a surprise.

www.nytimes.com

Can you guys imagine if there are early 2010s f/s floating around, it will be great to compare the cogs relative to the sale

 

[PurseCloset]

Yup!! qualified for repair service, the chain doesn't fully close up just annoyed the hell of me and I have to resort to using twillys to loop through the chains and tie a ribbon knot on the end of each side pic for ref

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Yeah, i had the same chain gaps too and i thought it was part of the fashion!!! lol

Did they say the will have the gaps looked into? This is hardware issue so I suppose that's why they are sending it to Paris for repair....
22A caramel definitely dont look like 21 P (looks impecable!)
My 22A bag does look really wrinkly and different from the ones in this video 21P