I bought this florentine satchel from ILoveDooney and it does not look right. Just wanted to make sure I'm not going crazy. Especially not having a leather strip under the feet.
Florentine satchel issue
- Thread starter jpuz
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
There has been some discussion here on PF about some of the florentine satchel differences/changes at ILD.
I just made a purchase this morning at ILD, for the Florentine Satchel in Ivy, and I wonder if it will look like the picture with the belted area extending to the bottom with the hardware.
I just made a purchase this morning at ILD, for the Florentine Satchel in Ivy, and I wonder if it will look like the picture with the belted area extending to the bottom with the hardware.
Over time, the design/manufacturing of the Florentine satchels has changed.
And Dooney collectors either accept, reject, or love some of the changes.
Among the things that have changed are the design of the bottom, from center
seam with belting all across to a reinforced rectangular panel without belting.
And Dooney seems to be skipping the extra leather strip under the feet on many
of their satchels, in various leathers, in styles with or without belting on the
front/back of the bag. I do miss that extra piece of leather since the feet look
so small and I think the leather strip added some support to the base of the bag.
And depending on the era, or manufacturing site, the tassels may or may not
have green suede underside and the interior flap of the bag may have green suede, or
leather matching the exterior, or possibly just lining material.
Of course there are other designs with the name satchel, that have other differences.
And bags in leathers other than Florentine often have other differences, like
absence of whip stitching on the handles.
It's hard to tell until you get the bag, since the photos on the web site may be of
an older newer version of the bag you receive. And you can't control that by reordering
since you don't know what is in inventory. Unless you can get to an outlet and see the
bag in person, you can't be sure.
To me the bottom line is to either keep what you got if you like it or return it.
If the condition and price are good, I don't obsess about little details. There is no
perfect handbag. And the only certainty is things will change and great prices
can't be guaranteed for future offerings. BTW, I just bought the IVY Florentine
satchel from ILD this morning. I couldn't resist the price and I really do like the
Ivy color. The other colors are much higher priced.
And Dooney collectors either accept, reject, or love some of the changes.
Among the things that have changed are the design of the bottom, from center
seam with belting all across to a reinforced rectangular panel without belting.
And Dooney seems to be skipping the extra leather strip under the feet on many
of their satchels, in various leathers, in styles with or without belting on the
front/back of the bag. I do miss that extra piece of leather since the feet look
so small and I think the leather strip added some support to the base of the bag.
And depending on the era, or manufacturing site, the tassels may or may not
have green suede underside and the interior flap of the bag may have green suede, or
leather matching the exterior, or possibly just lining material.
Of course there are other designs with the name satchel, that have other differences.
And bags in leathers other than Florentine often have other differences, like
absence of whip stitching on the handles.
It's hard to tell until you get the bag, since the photos on the web site may be of
an older newer version of the bag you receive. And you can't control that by reordering
since you don't know what is in inventory. Unless you can get to an outlet and see the
bag in person, you can't be sure.
To me the bottom line is to either keep what you got if you like it or return it.
If the condition and price are good, I don't obsess about little details. There is no
perfect handbag. And the only certainty is things will change and great prices
can't be guaranteed for future offerings. BTW, I just bought the IVY Florentine
satchel from ILD this morning. I couldn't resist the price and I really do like the
Ivy color. The other colors are much higher priced.
Is this a glue spot or a repaired tear? This is the only that concerns me in the photos. Does it come off?
In the pic it looks like glue. I have never seen that before.
I recently purchased the florentine baguette handbag in chestnut. The bottom was scratched, and I returned the bag even though it was a good price. I put in a new order and ended up with a good one.
I put a note that it was defective, sent 2 emails with photos and was ignored. ILD charged me $10.00 to return the bag.
I wish you better luck if you return the bag.
That's such a shame! Good luck with the return. Hopefully they will take it back with no hassles.
Return the bag as soon as possible (and take some pictures of all the defective issues,
in case you need them later) and use the online return form to generate the return
label and packing slip to go inside. Follow the process they set out. Make it as
easy for them to get your return processed as possible.
Then, after about 10 days, follow-up with customer service. Use email, online chat,
and phone calls until you reach someone who will address the issue and get your
return shipping refunded.
Remember Dooney and ILD have different customer service depts, so don't
waste your time with the other one.
I have found that Dooney and ILD are credible organizations. Their customer
service is sometimes not what I would like it to be. But especially at this time
of year they have a lot to deal with. No, that's not your fault. And a defective
bag should not have been sent out to you. But lots of people return bags
they don't like, or have minor very cosmetic issues, and want a refund on the
shipping. My definition of a defect and your definition of a defect and their
definition of a defect may be different.
In the end, if the bag is returnable (some bags are sold as final sale)
you will get your money back. I have been buying from ILD for many years
and I have always gotten a refund. Sometimes I even get the return shipping
refunded. But I'm fair when I return the bag, and if I just don't like it or
the style or color isn't what I thought, then I don't claim it's defective.
And I'm realistic to know that when bags are sold at deep discounts, they
might have minor cosmetic issues that don't meet my standards.
But that is different than stitching problems or glue spots or splitting leather.
Those are defects.
I know it's frustrating and causes stress. I hate returns, following up,
tracking credits, etc. But I have learned to try to accept that if my
'cost' is the return charge of $10, it is not worth adding to my stress level
by getting overly upset about the process. Yes, it's not right, yes it's unfair,
yes it shouldn't happen. I can't control any of that (except by not shopping,
and I'm not willing to do that).... but I can try to manage my stress levels
by keeping it in perspective. Most of the time (not always) it helps.
Good luck. And I'm sorry you have to deal with the disappointment of not
getting a wonderful handbag and the hassle of the return. It takes the joy out
of handbag shopping.
I received my Ivy Satchel today. I snagged it 2 days ago when it suddenly appeared for $137. 🤗 One plus is it's absolutely smooth and beautiful! The color is amazing. Smells like our Florentine... But it's missing the strips underneath ( just reading here this is a thing now) and the zipper on the left is slightly off (bottom felt piece is a bit off) but it closes ok It's still stiff so I wonder if that will relax in time.
Like Lavenderj said, is the price worth a few of the things you can live with? We will see how it goes this week with the zipper! I dread their return process. And we know there won't be an Ivy even exchange 😄
Like Lavenderj said, is the price worth a few of the things you can live with? We will see how it goes this week with the zipper! I dread their return process. And we know there won't be an Ivy even exchange 😄
Luna: we are all dealing with choices like these with some of the newer handbags we
order online. Here is how I approach the decision... and yes, I hate returns too.
First I decide if the issue is cosmetic or functional. If it's functional and I think it will
affect using the bag or it's longevity, then the bag goes back.
If the issue is cosmetic, then I have to assess how much it bothers me. Is it something
that I will see when ever I look at the bag or is it something I found because I was
checking the bag over carefully?
And bottom line, if I was standing in the store, found the bag, in its current condition
at the price I got it for.... would I have bought it or left the bag behind? While we would
all like the bags we are buying for major discounts to be perfect, i don't think that
is realistic. I'm not sure even at full price there is much perfection in the world....
But if I pay full price, I expect perfection and excellence, especially for the list
prices of these leather bags. The more the discount, the more flexible I can be.
Of course, if you don't like a bag, then it doesn't matter what the price is or how
much you are saving. Not every bag is right for everyone, be it style, or color, or
condition or function.
Hope this mental exercise helps. Also, you can try rubbing the zipper with waxed paper
on the top and bottom of the zipper. This is what they did in the Dooney store I used
to shop in. The wax paper often helps lubricate the zipper. Some people use a white
candle (unlit) but that can get messy. The wax paper is clean and easy. You just need a
little bit so a roll will last you for many years. I have a roll of wax paper that is over 10 years old, I don't use it for anything other than zippers....handbags, coats, etc.
It does help so much! Thank you Lavenderj! I just ordered some wax paper. What a great tip! It is still a nice bag. But I will return if the zipper is a problem. The tighter, shorter tassel may be puckering that side in too so I'm trying to loosen it. Function is everything for sure. The strap hardware is not as shiny jewelry quality as my other satchels and if you didnt compare them, you wouldn't catch this. I can certainly live with that for price we got. The authentication patch inside would be nice to have. That I don't get. If all of the Florentine satchels are now being made like the new Ivy, I would not pay full price. It's the craftsmanship that always set Dooney apart. I've lived the glorious days of Florentine past so I am content 😄
I saw a new review under the Florentine Satchel on ILD noting her opinion that these changes are strictly from the deeply discounted ILD satchels. Not the main site. Her satchel from there was the usual that we are accustomed to. I have no idea. I just roll the dice with either one.
I hope you love your new Ivy! 💚And I saw the gorgeous Fuschia Lily you posted. 🩷
Luna: I've always wondered if the bags on ILD and the main site were the same.
You can't go by the name. But if the style number is the same the design should be the same.... all the same specs.
But that doesn't mean that ILD gets the same quality.... in addition to older styles or colors no longer being offered, does ILD also get the 'less perfect' bags, or the returns
from customers or dept stores? I don't know the answer to that. Does ILD get a
watered down version of the same bags using the same style number? How would
they even manage that?
Or is the quality thing all random in a mass produced world where there is far less
quality control?
In the past Dooney said they didn't make a different line for the outlets. Other companies,
like Coach have always had outlet only styles. But I don't know what Dooney does
these days. In the past I found the quality of the Dooney bags to be the same
regardless of whether I bought them at a Dooney boutique, Dooney outlet, dept. store,
or QVC. But there are no more Dooney boutiques.
And things may have changed. Dooney did make exclusive designs or versions of handbags to meet the needs of large vendors like QVC or Dillards. They might adjust the size of the bag or add exterior pockets or have unique colors or different leather. The bags might look similar, but you had to check the specs because there could be design differences. That made sense to provide exclusivity to a vendor or address pricing targets. The quality was the same, but sometimes the details were different... sometimes an improvement, sometimes just different.