Coach Quality

[pammie20]

I understand the economics of it all but I say do as it has done before make 'limited' amounts of the thicker/legacy style bags as they have done with Kira and the python styles.

You are correct that it is not a big money maker but if the quantities are limited truly Coach will see the fan base. Like others I haven't seen much that has peeked my interest in the new styles either too young for my liking are just don't like the styling. As with the other styles that are limited edition I realized that I couldn't be on the fence when they came out because like now I didn't get the Kira/Kristen - older style when they originally came out.

I shop both boutique and outlet and if there if something that I like at the boutique I will purchase - I try to have a coupon but when Coach started limited the styles of certain bags I bit the bullet and purchased anyway.

The outlets have become a zoo and I use to really enjoy going but all they have for the most part or MFF items that I am not a fan of and the occasional FP item that didn't seem to sell well.

I'll admit that quality has become an issue with Coach and it could be said due to the economy but that is what I like about Coach they do stand behind their bags and that keeps me purchasing. Sorry to be so long winded, but I share the same sentiments as others and as I have said before I have been a lover and buyer of Coach bags for 20 years.

 

[LovePink]

I am agree with Ms-Whitney , I can see no designer standing by their product as Coach does.
Sorry that I am not a Coach fan but I do impressed how they stand by their product.
About quality, ( not just this economy) but they do have flaws bag Burberry , Gucci, Chloe, Prada, ect... they do have flaws bag. What they did to their "issue"? Nope, they are not send out the coupon 40% off, they are not give you credit back, not exchange it. You are upset... they don't really care.
For me Coach is "expensive" if I compare with Designer. Because Coach bag ( the one I like is arround $700 - $1000) , you can buy a designer bag when it's on sale just arround $500 ....and up.

I think Ms-Whitney is right, the price Coach asking to pay is included their service. When your bag, your wallet broke... you simply bring to Coach, they will waived the shipping , send to FL , you either got 40% coupon or store credit ( if your bags under 2 year frame). You think you will receive this service if you buying designer bag? My answer is NO...

As Gucci , they will asked you ton of question before they takes your bag, and will asked you for receipt.

As Chloe, you could email them, tell them the issue, they will send you bag to local cobber, not Italy... ( if your bag still NEW), if not, then you HAVE To do it by yourself. You need a part to replace? They will charge you. And if you still want to send to boutique, they need to talk to you as RMV ... And mind you, you have to send the package by yourself, you have to insure package. You might end up paying $20 to $25 for shipping charge.

As Prada, when they are selling Cervo.... they never told you : take care your bag , because it is so delicate leather, it will easy to get fade.
My Prada strap is broke, it's not Cervo line, I called them, they said I can bring it to Cobbler to fix it as they will send to cobbler anyway...

 

[wyllowdaemon]

Agreed. I too have never had any issues with my Coach bags.

I have had no issues with any of my bags either.

 

[crazy4]

After three, yes, THREE defective bags in a row in the fall (Exotic Maggie with a cut in the leather, Ocelot Audrey w/peeling leather and Metallic Audrey where the purple wears off under the handle) I stepped back from Coach for a breather.

The only saving grace IS their return policy, I got all my money back, which was what, $1500 worth of bags? That's scary.

I love my two Sabrina's, have no complaints, I think certain lines just "tank" quality wise. And when they do, it's best to realize that sometimes companies make bad choices in leather, styling, and design. Some bags will come apart more easily. Coated leather will peel eventually. Metallics will rub off.

That said, I just received a Madison wallet for my birthday and it's lovely...the leather smell is wonderful and intoxicating, the stitching is beautiful, logos perfectly placed etc. I remember now why I love Coach and to me, the Madison line was a success quality wise.

So to put it more in perspective, some lines are going to be crap (which I personally found the Fall to be with three defective bags) some are going to be stellar (for me, Madison is my happy place) and other like Legacy are timeless.

Sometimes just stepping back for a while helps and waiting for the next floorset that YOU think is amazing is the thing to do. I hated the Fall and have never been so disappointed in bags, but still love the Madison line and can't wait to see what's next.

 

[goneshopping201]

I am agree with Ms-Whitney , I can see no designer standing by their product as Coach does.
Sorry that I am not a Coach fan but I do impressed how they stand by their product.
About quality, ( not just this economy) but they do have flaws bag Burberry , Gucci, Chloe, Prada, ect... they do have flaws bag. What they did to their "issue"? Nope, they are not send out the coupon 40% off, they are not give you credit back, not exchange it. You are upset... they don't really care.
For me Coach is "expensive" if I compare with Designer. Because Coach bag ( the one I like is arround $700 - $1000) , you can buy a designer bag when it's on sale just arround $500 ....and up.

I think Ms-Whitney is right, the price Coach asking to pay is included their service. When your bag, your wallet broke... you simply bring to Coach, they will waived the shipping , send to FL , you either got 40% coupon or store credit ( if your bags under 2 year frame). You think you will receive this service if you buying designer bag? My answer is NO...

As Gucci , they will asked you ton of question before they takes your bag, and will asked you for receipt.

As Chloe, you could email them, tell them the issue, they will send you bag to local cobber, not Italy... ( if your bag still NEW), if not, then you HAVE To do it by yourself. You need a part to replace? They will charge you. And if you still want to send to boutique, they need to talk to you as RMV ... And mind you, you have to send the package by yourself, you have to insure package. You might end up paying $20 to $25 for shipping charge.

As Prada, when they are selling Cervo.... they never told you : take care your bag , because it is so delicate leather, it will easy to get fade.
My Prada strap is broke, it's not Cervo line, I called them, they said I can bring it to Cobbler to fix it as they will send to cobbler anyway...

wow, so much to remember. each company policy is so different, I guess when come to buying any kind of bags, guess you really need to give second thought as to "is it the bag you can't live without". I agree with you Coach prices raised tremendously. thank you for sharing with us the knowledge you have for returns of each company.

 

[pammie20]

I agree with Crazy - this past season has not been the best for "me" but others have rallied the different lines. I am still a fan and will always be a fan - and normally for me I buy bags that I am going to enjoy for the long run which may be why I haven't purchased too many recently.

One thing is for sure about Coach they stand by the product which is more that a lot of other brands.

 

[notoriousliz]

This whole thread kind of scares me as I am just getting into Coach and to me it IS a luxury and the 3 bags I have are the most beautiful bags I have EVER owned. I hate to think of them as "low quality".....

 

[CaptainPicard]

I was just at a Coach store today grousing to the salespeople about this. I had a PCE burning a hole in my pocket, but couldn't find a single thing I wanted, either style-wise or quality-wise. I mentioned to the salespeople that if Coach brought back the thick leather of yesteryear, the classic styling, or the Legacy-type bags, including that gorgeous silk striped lining, I'd be willing to spend $500 on a bag. The saleslady said that they keep telling corporate to bring back the striped lining, but that they were told that the thick quality leathers are not "cost-effective." I'm very disappointed.

Not "cost effective" meaning they are not satisfied with say a 500% markup it has to be 600%. Let me get this straight Coach...you move all your production factories overseas to China, Vietnam where you are paying dirt cheap wages and factory overhead, no US regulations/high taxes (compared to what you paid here in the States, say you pay a US factory worker $18 an hour verses .80 cents an hour in China-no medical benefits, disibility insurance, sick leave, etc.) this immediatley increased your profit margin, but rather then turning around and sharing that savings with your loyal customers you sought to increase your profit margin even more by using cheaper leathers and linings. And obviosuly the mass producing of these bags HAS affected the "quality" rather some here want to admit it or not. You never used to have thread after thread about "my bag stitching is coming, my bag is fraying, the color is wearing off my bag, etc.etc). The "mass producing" has also flooded the market and reduced the name Coach as every high school girl and her mom is carrying one. I own 6 Coach bags but am not buying anymore for the quality issue and the market flood issues and the quick to Outlet issue as well. My PCE card is in the trash. And fact is if these Coach bags did not carry the "Coach" name and were the same styles sold under another name many of you would not buy them, lol. Its that name that makes you feel like you have somethin "special", well its really not so special anymore.

 

[sissabelle]

I love the style of the Kristin line, but the leather is not up to par IMO. I saw various floor models with little rips/cuts & spots where the color was rubbed off or peeling. I bought & returned a NWT tote which had problems, most notably the leather was ripping from around the metal magnetic closure from opening it a few times. A couple SA's commented that it's a delicate, soft leather and should be treated as such. I wonder how many people realize that & how many threads we'll eventually see about defects since it's selling so well.

I would gladly pay more for better quality bags/thicker leather... IF they would also stop shipping bags to the outlet so fast. How many times have we heard this would stop... and surprise, it hasn't. Look at all the Poppy that's been there over 2 months now! You know the same Poppy that "would NEVER make it to the outlets!" AND I wish they would stop with the constant outlet coupons. Remember when the outlet discount was only 20% off the factory or redlined price? And they only did 10% coupons from Thanksgiving - Christmas (and maybe holiday weekends).

Remember last June/July when they SWORE there would be no more coupons & the 50% off would end? I'm far from rich & definitely a bargain hunter at heart, but I personally think it's too much now. It's so hard to walk into an outlet & feel like it's a bargain basement sale, then want to buy things at FP.

I'm not just a "Legacy snob". The leather on the old Carly, Zoe, Bleecker, Soho, Hampton, etc lines was quality without weighing a ton. Times have changed & I guess this new approach seems to be working for Coach. I'm not trying to bash. I love the old Coach & have a large collection. I'm just really disappointed with the direction they've taken. I'll still pay attention & if a bag comes along I think is worth it, I'll buy. But at this point I'm not holding my breath & moving on for the most part.

 

[Luv2Shop1]

^^ I really liked the Kristin tote and wanted to buy it...but after seeing it IRL I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I bought a MBMJ bag from Nordstroms.

I'm still open to buying Coach bags, I just am more selective. I don't automatically assume that the quality will be there...

 

[kells1983]

I love the style of the Kristin line, but the leather is not up to par IMO. I saw various floor models with little rips/cuts & spots where the color was rubbed off or peeling. I bought & returned a NWT tote which had problems, most notably the leather was ripping from around the metal magnetic closure from opening it a few times. A couple SA's commented that it's a delicate, soft leather and should be treated as such. I wonder how many people realize that & how many threads we'll eventually see about defects since it's selling so well.

I would gladly pay more for better quality bags/thicker leather... IF they would also stop shipping bags to the outlet so fast. How many times have we heard this would stop... and surprise, it hasn't. Look at all the Poppy that's been there over 2 months now! You know the same Poppy that "would NEVER make it to the outlets!" AND I wish they would stop with the constant outlet coupons. Remember when the outlet discount was only 20% off the factory or redlined price? And they only did 10% coupons from Thanksgiving - Christmas (and maybe holiday weekends).

Remember last June/July when they SWORE there would be no more coupons & the 50% off would end? I'm far from rich & definitely a bargain hunter at heart, but I personally think it's too much now. It's so hard to walk into an outlet & feel like it's a bargain basement sale, then want to buy things at FP.

I'm not just a "Legacy snob". The leather on the old Carly, Zoe, Bleecker, Soho, Hampton, etc lines was quality without weighing a ton. Times have changed & I guess this new approach seems to be working for Coach. I'm not trying to bash. I love the old Coach & have a large collection. I'm just really disappointed with the direction they've taken. I'll still pay attention & if a bag comes along I think is worth it, I'll buy. But at this point I'm not holding my breath & moving on for the most part.

I couldn't have said it better myself!! I have faith, though... Coach may surprise me, yet!

And I also couldn't agree more about the Legacy snobbery. I used to be so in love with Legacy, but have opened my eyes to its flaws, and am into Bleecker and Zoe more now. I thought it couldn't get better than Legacy, until the sealant issues that Coach won't admit is a defect on "old" (2 y.o. and older bags). I still have an '06 Mandy that I've only worn once, because the other Legacy bags I've worn more than once (4 shoulder bags, another 2 Mandys, Lily, etc.) have all had sealant issues. The one that I did bother to send in, resulted in a 40% off letter because it was 3 years since I bought it. Lovely - a bag that has a strap that is probably going to break someday is not defective? I am not "hard" on my bags. I wear a bag, then switch, and tend to "save" the bags I love. And like I said, I can't even wear the one Mandy I love because I know a sealant issue will pop up, and it's so "old" that Coach won't fix it. I'm finally rid of all but a select few Legacy bags, and have grabbed some Bleecker that don't seem to have the sealant problems.

All I'm saying, is Legacy isn't all it's cracked up to be. Bleecker has nice lining too.

 

[sissabelle]

^^ I really liked the Kristin tote and wanted to buy it...but after seeing it IRL I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I bought a MBMJ bag from Nordstroms.

I'm still open to buying Coach bags, I just am more selective. I don't automatically assume that the quality will be there...

LOL I went to Nordstrom after I returned my tote & was looking at the MBMJ bags (RM & Kooba too).

Enjoy your new bag!

 

[sissabelle]

I couldn't have said it better myself!! I have faith, though... Coach may surprise me, yet!

And I also couldn't agree more about the Legacy snobbery. I used to be so in love with Legacy, but have opened my eyes to its flaws, and am into Bleecker and Zoe more now. I thought it couldn't get better than Legacy, until the sealant issues that Coach won't admit is a defect on "old" (2 y.o. and older bags). I still have an '06 Mandy that I've only worn once, because the other Legacy bags I've worn more than once (4 shoulder bags, another 2 Mandys, Lily, etc.) have all had sealant issues. The one that I did bother to send in, resulted in a 40% off letter because it was 3 years since I bought it. Lovely - a bag that has a strap that is probably going to break someday is not defective? I am not "hard" on my bags. I wear a bag, then switch, and tend to "save" the bags I love. And like I said, I can't even wear the one Mandy I love because I know a sealant issue will pop up, and it's so "old" that Coach won't fix it. I'm finally rid of all but a select few Legacy bags, and have grabbed some Bleecker that don't seem to have the sealant problems.

All I'm saying, is Legacy isn't all it's cracked up to be. Bleecker has nice lining too.

Thanks, great minds think alike I was ITA with your post in the Julia line thread. I wish Coach would slow down with having to put out new designs all the time. Quality not quantity!

I guess I'm a bit of a Legacy snob, but I don't think it was like the only wonderful & memorable line they put out. I loved all the other ones I had mentioned & more. And the tattersall lining was tdf too. I guess I'm an "older Coach snob" haha

I've been fortunate to not have any sealant problems on my Lilys or shoulder bags *knock on wood* I feel so bad for those of you who have. Sucks, especially when it seems like something they could fix easily if they wanted to. I'm sorry you had such bad luck!

 

[kells1983]

Thanks, great minds think alike I was ITA with your post in the Julia line thread. I wish Coach would slow down with having to put out new designs all the time. Quality not quantity!

I guess I'm a bit of a Legacy snob, but I don't think it was like the only wonderful & memorable line they put out. I loved all the other ones I had mentioned & more. And the tattersall lining was tdf too. I guess I'm an "older Coach snob" haha

I've been fortunate to not have any sealant problems on my Lilys or shoulder bags *knock on wood* I feel so bad for those of you who have. Sucks, especially when it seems like something they could fix easily if they wanted to. I'm sorry you had such bad luck!

Yeah, that Julia "thing" was ridiculous! I still like Legacy, don't get me wrong, but that sealant thing by the "o" rings was just silly. They could have just used a folded-over piece of leather and sewn it together underneath for that part of the strap - instead they used two thinner pieces, stitched them together, and sealed them at the edges with some sort of glue! Nice, for my $800 Mandy, right? I agree that they *could* fix it easily, but they said that they *wouldn't* because there was no way they could warranty the repair. Sounds like a defect to me! LOL.

Anyway, I digress...

But I agree that the list of bags you mentioned were great lines as well... Bags that wouldn't fall apart if you looked at them funny. It seems strange to me that a lot of these leathers that Coach is making bags out of are uber-sensitive, no? That shimmery leather, and the Sabrina-type metallic? I just feel like everyone, in about a month or two (just saw one about an Audrey, actually), will be posting threads about how their bag has all these awful-looking scratches, and that the leather isn't sturdy, and "why would Coach make a bag out of such materials?" My question would be, "why would you buy a bag that was made out of that material?" I saw all of those shimmery leather bags at the store too, and said "ooh, how pretty," then walked away, toward my older style bags that were more sturdy.

Because in case I get tired of "saving" my bags and want to wear them, I'd rather they not fall apart and have awful white scratches on them!! LOL.

 

[ms-whitney]

Not "cost effective" meaning they are not satisfied with say a 500% markup it has to be 600%. Let me get this straight Coach...you move all your production factories overseas to China, Vietnam where you are paying dirt cheap wages and factory overhead, no US regulations/high taxes (compared to what you paid here in the States, say you pay a US factory worker $18 an hour verses .80 cents an hour in China-no medical benefits, disibility insurance, sick leave, etc.) this immediatley increased your profit margin, but rather then turning around and sharing that savings with your loyal customers you sought to increase your profit margin even more by using cheaper leathers and linings. And obviosuly the mass producing of these bags HAS affected the "quality" rather some here want to admit it or not. You never used to have thread after thread about "my bag stitching is coming, my bag is fraying, the color is wearing off my bag, etc.etc). The "mass producing" has also flooded the market and reduced the name Coach as every high school girl and her mom is carrying one. I own 6 Coach bags but am not buying anymore for the quality issue and the market flood issues and the quick to Outlet issue as well. My PCE card is in the trash. And fact is if these Coach bags did not carry the "Coach" name and were the same styles sold under another name many of you would not buy them, lol. Its that name that makes you feel like you have somethin "special", well its really not so special anymore.

lol.
most bags are made in china or worse, third world countries. have you seen kate spade bags lately? i couldn't even pronounce the name of the country when i peeked inside and rummaged to find the 'made in ___________' tag

same goes for marc by marc jacobs (hugeeeee cry from marc jacobs)

juicy couture

etc

i remember the price of the ponytail scarf four years ago when i started..it was 38$ and it is STILL 38$. gallery totes where like 328$ (398$ for limited edition patchwork) respectively..soho hobos were 218$ for the small one and now you have kristin signature sateen op art hobo for, granted, 258$ so its forty bucks more but it also includes a long strap for shoulder or crossbody depending on the person as well as an outside pocket which soho never had..so i think if you take out the extras..the price would be relatively same..

basically what it is is, coach had a decision to make..raise the prices (or keep them raised as the legacys were a bit pricey) and keep the 'quality' or..find ways to cut cost (therefore losing some of that 'quality') and keep the pricing relatively same as it was around the 2004ish time (when i first started, because what i used as examples up there, are from when i was hired) or maybe even further back then 2004! as that is only from what i know pricing wise, what i've seen/experienced.

consumers want a better deal. always a better deal. always a better price. maybe those who are reading this objecting with their fist in the air like 'na-ah' she doesn't know what she's talking about, cos i want better quality and am willing to foot for it.

maybe you guys would

but that is a small majority

and for those who want the same quality as before and at the same price too..seriously..think about it..with everything rising in terms of price..and with the cost of doing business (which eats up most of that 500% or 600% markup thank you very much) it is not possible

EVERY brand out there purse wise, has raised prices over the last few years..hell..chanel and hermes have price increase as well as vuitton so often that people are outraged..and even so, would you say their quality has increased? or stayed the same? i would say stay the same and the higher prices are to combat the economy and the inflation.

one of the reasons i don't mind working for coach, despite some of my friend's put downs because really, it is not as 'high' of a name compared to the bags they buy..is because if a customer comes in with a bag that broke because something defective and not wear and tear-- coach will replace it if its super new or just a few months old..and repair if its a few years..hell i've seen bags that lasted twenty years come in for a quick strap fix..