Thanks. I can't wait to show it to you! Now that everything is moving back in the proper direction I can finally try to relax and enjoy the process. I can't say I still don't have a bad taste over the entire BE customer experience BUT I"m going to try my best now to move on and just enjoy!
Customer Service/Quality Control issues post here.
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Thanks. I can't wait to show it to you! Now that everything is moving back in the proper direction I can finally try to relax and enjoy the process. I can't say I still don't have a bad taste over the entire BE customer experience BUT I"m going to try my best now to move on and just enjoy!
Karmen - thanks for raising this excellent point. I"m sure this probably had something to do with Jackie's decision to change her mind once she read this.
I am glad you got a good resolution Lovebags.
For me, I am done with BE. I will not purchase another from the company (either BEC or directly).
After waiting since monday and asking my questions repeatedly, the response I got back this morning was to send the bag back to the factory but to list its value at $20 for customs or else the factory will not take it. None of my questions were addressed. I was expected to pay for the return and I guess be reimbursed at a later point, but no details were mentioned. The response was just send the bag back, lie on customs, and let us know if you have questions.
I have decided to keep the bag and be done with this. My questions on return shipping customs, leather and how the repair would work, etc. were not addressed at all.
At this point, I can't even tell you what they were offering. I think it was just to get the lining replaced, but no clue since they never told me how the repair would work.
I think it is disgusting that the company asks me to lie on customs forms but they expected me to pay customs on this bag (which i did for more than they are asking me to list it at since I paid UPS $25.30), but they want to avoid that?
For me, I am done with BE. I will not purchase another from the company (either BEC or directly).
After waiting since monday and asking my questions repeatedly, the response I got back this morning was to send the bag back to the factory but to list its value at $20 for customs or else the factory will not take it. None of my questions were addressed. I was expected to pay for the return and I guess be reimbursed at a later point, but no details were mentioned. The response was just send the bag back, lie on customs, and let us know if you have questions.
I have decided to keep the bag and be done with this. My questions on return shipping customs, leather and how the repair would work, etc. were not addressed at all.
At this point, I can't even tell you what they were offering. I think it was just to get the lining replaced, but no clue since they never told me how the repair would work.
I think it is disgusting that the company asks me to lie on customs forms but they expected me to pay customs on this bag (which i did for more than they are asking me to list it at since I paid UPS $25.30), but they want to avoid that?
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Hi LionLaw.
Oh dear, that isn't the resolution I would have expected either. To me, the only resolution to this was to take the bag back, make another and refund you all the postage and customs duties.
I know that the majority of BEC bags are perfect (mine have been) but when they are not, there has to be a better process than the one you have received in place.
Oh dear, that isn't the resolution I would have expected either. To me, the only resolution to this was to take the bag back, make another and refund you all the postage and customs duties.
I know that the majority of BEC bags are perfect (mine have been) but when they are not, there has to be a better process than the one you have received in place.
Thanks for you're kind words about my situation LL. I"m so sorry to hear you're news though. I was hoping for a happy ending for you, me and Vanbod today. All three of us!
I understand how you feel about Jackie's request on customs. I once returned a handbag and naturally I declared its retail value in order to insure it properly. They will only allow you to insure what you declare. So if I had declared 20 then I could only receive 20 in insurance. That makes total sense to me.
Then when Jackie found out that I did that instead of declaring 20/25 I received an email where she was quite upset stating she wished I hadn't done that and now she has a lot to pay in fees due to my declaring its real value.
I walked away with a headache from her email since I felt horrible that I was upsetting her BUT at the same time I did what I felt was right and take the high insurance. At that time Jackie was just trying to help me by accepting a return and I would've felt even worse if anything happened or it went missing. I needed that insurance for re-assurance on my end. However, after that email I asked her to accept full responsibility for the bag if I honored her request going forward in case I ever needed to ship another bag to London.
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Well, they obviously don't value me as customer. Which is fine with me. I am done with them. The response to my email this morning basically telling them I will no longer be a customer since it took over a week for them to get back to me and the response did not address my questions and asked me to lie on customs is as follows:
I’m really sorry to hear that. By way of response:
On timing:
We contacted you initially to inform you that our atelier had a national holiday until Thursday, so we didn’t have any way of contacting them. I believe that X kept in touch with you every day to inform you that we were still waiting for them to get back to us with answers, which they did as soon as they got back on Friday.
Today is Saturday and X doesn’t work on Saturdays, but she made an exception as she knew that you were waiting.
On customs:
As for lying on a customs form. Duty is payable on bags sold, so this is not a lie. It is just the information that you are not selling the bag to our atelier and therefore it has no commercial value in this sense.
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My take on all this is that I did not order from the factory directly. Regardless of where they are, BE in my opinion should have taken responsibility for this. The fact that the factory was closed doesn't matter. The bag was purchased from BE not the factory.
As to the customs forms, unless it is a gift, everything (at least in the US) has a value. Even if I dont sell an item, I have to list its true value. I can't insure a bag if the customs is not listed for that amount.
I have my receipt from UPS. I paid $25.30 to get the bag out of customs. To expect me to undervalue it so they dont have to pay after making me pay it in the first instance is ludicrous.
In my opinion, this CS is just awful.
At the end of the day, I have no clue what they were offering (repair or replacement- no clue?), they did not address my questions on return shipping customs, how the repair/replacement, whatever, would work, etc., and responsibility was totally shifted away from the company I purchased the bag from.
I have not replied to the company's email (above) and will not. I am done with them. If a mistake is made in a BEC bag, take warning of what happened to me because this treatment is not acceptable imo.
I’m really sorry to hear that. By way of response:
On timing:
We contacted you initially to inform you that our atelier had a national holiday until Thursday, so we didn’t have any way of contacting them. I believe that X kept in touch with you every day to inform you that we were still waiting for them to get back to us with answers, which they did as soon as they got back on Friday.
Today is Saturday and X doesn’t work on Saturdays, but she made an exception as she knew that you were waiting.
On customs:
As for lying on a customs form. Duty is payable on bags sold, so this is not a lie. It is just the information that you are not selling the bag to our atelier and therefore it has no commercial value in this sense.
------
My take on all this is that I did not order from the factory directly. Regardless of where they are, BE in my opinion should have taken responsibility for this. The fact that the factory was closed doesn't matter. The bag was purchased from BE not the factory.
As to the customs forms, unless it is a gift, everything (at least in the US) has a value. Even if I dont sell an item, I have to list its true value. I can't insure a bag if the customs is not listed for that amount.
I have my receipt from UPS. I paid $25.30 to get the bag out of customs. To expect me to undervalue it so they dont have to pay after making me pay it in the first instance is ludicrous.
In my opinion, this CS is just awful.
At the end of the day, I have no clue what they were offering (repair or replacement- no clue?), they did not address my questions on return shipping customs, how the repair/replacement, whatever, would work, etc., and responsibility was totally shifted away from the company I purchased the bag from.
I have not replied to the company's email (above) and will not. I am done with them. If a mistake is made in a BEC bag, take warning of what happened to me because this treatment is not acceptable imo.
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Oh, lionlaw, this sounds not good, I am sorry
as for customs: when you return a bag, you will get your customs fees back, from the US customs office,you just have to proove that you send the bag back( you probably should phone ups about this), you get it back, but unfortunately you have to fill out some papers
normally, when I send something back to a company, I have to state on the customs form the value, but also the wording( i.e) italian returned merchandise/goods--------so the company does not have to pay any customs on returned merchandise
for you as a customer, it is normal that you have to pay customs, but of course for a returned merchandise the factory itself has not to pay any customs, they did not import and buy merchandise from the US
as for customs: when you return a bag, you will get your customs fees back, from the US customs office,you just have to proove that you send the bag back( you probably should phone ups about this), you get it back, but unfortunately you have to fill out some papers
normally, when I send something back to a company, I have to state on the customs form the value, but also the wording( i.e) italian returned merchandise/goods--------so the company does not have to pay any customs on returned merchandise
for you as a customer, it is normal that you have to pay customs, but of course for a returned merchandise the factory itself has not to pay any customs, they did not import and buy merchandise from the US
All I can say is wow.
Lionlaw, I cannot believe this outcome. I think you should seriously consider a charge back as you did not receive what you ordered. It makes me so angry actually because Jackie herself came and posted about 4 people checking the bags and such. And that things got screwed up when CUSTOMERS filled in the comments field with things that were mis interpreted. In your case you selected a lining from the choices THEY offer, and they still screwed it up. I know you are speaking with your wallet and never buying again and I completely understand that but if I was you I would send it back to BE direct (not the atelier) and I would send it C.O.D shipping. I would ask for a full refund, including shipping , customs fees, etc. If you don't get it I would just file a chargeback. The fact that you send the bag back and that the bag was not what you ordered should be proof enough?
The fact that they've asked you to send it to the atelier blows my mind. I cannot believe that they don't comprehend that THEY represent the atelier. I mean if you wanted to deal with things this way, why even use BE at all - you could go to an atelier in Italy and have them design you a bag! BE is not simply the middle man between you and the atelier. They are the designer and should hold up their end of the bargain. You should not even hear about anything to do with the atelier. I would've thought that you should've gotten a very quick response saying, "I'm so sorry it happened, it is unacceptable. We take full responsibility for this matter and we're sending you a prepaid shipping box. We will have the atelier make you a brand new bag of the same quality leather and get it expedited to you". (or something like that).
I am just baffled at the outcome of this, truly.
LoveBags -- I am glad Jackie has honored the price -- Also I went to BEC today to configure the same bag and it still comes up as $720 so they have done nothing in the way of correcting the price.
I'm left with a sour taste after all this. It's like when things are good, they're really good, but when they go bad, they are terrible. The defensive attitude when something goes wrong really needs to stop if BE wishes to retain it's loyal customers. The bags are too nice for all of it to be ruined by bad customer service.
Lionlaw, I cannot believe this outcome. I think you should seriously consider a charge back as you did not receive what you ordered. It makes me so angry actually because Jackie herself came and posted about 4 people checking the bags and such. And that things got screwed up when CUSTOMERS filled in the comments field with things that were mis interpreted. In your case you selected a lining from the choices THEY offer, and they still screwed it up. I know you are speaking with your wallet and never buying again and I completely understand that but if I was you I would send it back to BE direct (not the atelier) and I would send it C.O.D shipping. I would ask for a full refund, including shipping , customs fees, etc. If you don't get it I would just file a chargeback. The fact that you send the bag back and that the bag was not what you ordered should be proof enough?
The fact that they've asked you to send it to the atelier blows my mind. I cannot believe that they don't comprehend that THEY represent the atelier. I mean if you wanted to deal with things this way, why even use BE at all - you could go to an atelier in Italy and have them design you a bag! BE is not simply the middle man between you and the atelier. They are the designer and should hold up their end of the bargain. You should not even hear about anything to do with the atelier. I would've thought that you should've gotten a very quick response saying, "I'm so sorry it happened, it is unacceptable. We take full responsibility for this matter and we're sending you a prepaid shipping box. We will have the atelier make you a brand new bag of the same quality leather and get it expedited to you". (or something like that).
I am just baffled at the outcome of this, truly.
LoveBags -- I am glad Jackie has honored the price -- Also I went to BEC today to configure the same bag and it still comes up as $720 so they have done nothing in the way of correcting the price.
I'm left with a sour taste after all this. It's like when things are good, they're really good, but when they go bad, they are terrible. The defensive attitude when something goes wrong really needs to stop if BE wishes to retain it's loyal customers. The bags are too nice for all of it to be ruined by bad customer service.
Wow, that is BAD the whole way around. I'm sorry for your troubles, LL. I am shocked about lying on customs forms! It is not just for selling, which I know you know already! When you list a declared value, that links right up with the insurance! So, if it was lost/damaged or whatever, BE would have their money and you'd get $20, IF you were lucky. You just can't do that- it is good for them to not pay any fees, but what about you, if something goes wrong? Just asking you to lie on declared value is absolutely not okay.
The other responses and shifting responsibility to the factory are terrible too. You didn't order from the factory! I don't understand why they never addressed what the plan was either! I could write much more, but I'll just say the responses you received were inappropriate and I understand your frustration w/ not purchasing from BE in the future directly.
What about a chargeback? This was not what you ordered and I think I would get so pissed off everytime I looked at the bag...
Co-sign to both of these. The defensive attitude, which has been discussed here before, makes the problem even worse. I don't work in CS or anything, but in high school and college, I worked in hotels and did front desk and reservations. I never offered excuses when ppl where unhappy w/ the experience (resort towns/historic properties, not run of the mill things)- I just listened, apologized and asked what I could do to help the person and make it right, w/ some suggested alternatives, but also asked for input on what would make things better for them, in case my suggested alternatives weren't okay. If BE took this approach, I think people would be a lot happier w/ problems. Jackie has all the power in the world to suggest solutions, but many times, from posts, it seems like she does not do this outright. I think if people were apologized to, offered options and asked if x, y or z was okay and if not, let's discuss, with a gracious attitude and no backpedaling/discussion of the factory/how much it costs to make the bags, costs to BE w/ returns, etc., things would go smoother.
I am glad lovebags has a resolution, which should have never been a question from the start. To ask for a price difference after payment is insane and not kosher. It happens w/ BIG retailers when they screw up, like listing super expensive TV's for x price, but have a disclaimer on the website that due to errors, they have the right to cancel x transactions, etc. Still not good for business, but I don't think BE has that. Further, when that happened before w/ some retailers, they'd send out gift cards in nominal amounts for inconvenience. Here, though, BE had confirmed your details w/ having to process your Paypal request!
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Lionlaw, I am sorry to hear about your situation. I would be very unhappy too. Finzup made some pretty good suggestions. I am much like you though - when I get bad service, I don't bother complaining endlessly. I tend to just walk away. It may be a bit of a monetary loss on my part but it isn't worth the headache. And in the end, it is the company that loses out from poor service.
I know that in light of the number of bags produced these events are probably not common, but for the sake of BE (and the beautiful BE bags to be had) and potential repeat customers I do hope they find a better/less painful solution to these kinds of dilemmas. After all, there are few who would be willing to risk more $$$ after 1 bad experience.
I know that in light of the number of bags produced these events are probably not common, but for the sake of BE (and the beautiful BE bags to be had) and potential repeat customers I do hope they find a better/less painful solution to these kinds of dilemmas. After all, there are few who would be willing to risk more $$$ after 1 bad experience.
ITA with finzup and the highlighted sentence.
I got a snooty email from Jackie today which was totally off and upset me ...
I wish I could say that I didn't understand this situation at all, but I've been right there too, LL. I felt aggravated, but ended up swallowing it and not posting. I was struck especially by the last sentence. Last week I counted up how much money I've given away in BEC bags that came with flaws or not created correctly. I've given away nearly 5 figures in bags that weren't right and that I got tired of struggling to get taken care of. If I'd spent the same amount on a birkin, I'd still have it, no question.
All of this makes me so weary. Weary is the antithesis of luxury for me.
Wow - that totally sums up how I feel about BE. Sorry to hear about your experience too.
It's downright exhausting dealing with Jackie. You worded it perfectly re luxury or lack thereof. Everything becomes a struggle from customs to orders and in between!
Maria, I"m sorry to hear about the unfriendly email you received today.
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