Help! 2 “new” bags with issues

[VertColSwift]

I would appreciate a lot if I could get some advices since I never thought I would be experiencing something like this. I have been collecting Hermès for a few years, almost 15 pieces of BK/K/C until now, I have 20 years old Birkin and 10 years old Kelly and I study the bags and appreciate craftsmanship and I feel disappointed with newer bags. I don’t know if I am too picky but those 2 bags were bought in my country where Birkins in Togo for example have their prices for more than double Europe price. I am like paying a Premium price at boutique but it’s fine since it’s in my country and I have good purchase history with even furniture, tableware and stuff which make easier to purchase quota bags, but long short story, bought a Constance in March 2019, used it like 10 times and hardware clasp is breaking

Plastic still on hardware and they say I should wait 1 year because they will send it to Paris where it should be inspected and repaired, they say the reason is because customs are not same as other countries but all taxes were paid and this is the reason we pay really high price for bags here, have been waiting for 2 weeks for any answer from boutique but nothing
Today I used another bag bought July 2019, BK35 and interior resin is falling apart


Also used like 10 times mainly because I have a 35 also black with gold but Swift.

What I would appreciate a lot to know is your opinion on paying double Europe price for bags that after 1 year or a year and something with no use and plastic on hardware show stuff I call issues, defected bags. Am I being too picky? Anyone with similar issues? How should I handle? Because I feel like if I keep being nice, nothing is being solved, should I start having a certain attitude and start moving slightly to the "unpleasant customer"? Should I act like those stuff are normal without not even have really used them? And wait 1 year to have them back? I can’t believe this situation

 

[baileylab]

totally not acceptable. plus waiting for a year of use before repair? please.... hermes is getting worse.

that's why i'd rather pay a premium to resellers because i don't want the stress / bad experience I get from waiting for a coveted bag.

what's wrong with your SA? can you talk to the manager?

Good luck!

 

[VertColSwift]

I don’t think that if you buy from resellers, you won’t have any problems, since the bag can have issues the same way, and you even have to worry about authenticity, and Bla Bla Bla, that’s why I buy local store even this price in my country, and also i don’t have to wait if they have what i want and I have piece of mind and I know that I bought myself the bag in store, receipt in my name and i always take pictures of when buying anything more than 2 thousand, showing if possible serial number, but even being cautious with this and more stuff, here we are with this situation. We have 3 stores in my country, i buy in 2. Constance bought in store where my sa said sent pictures to manager, director, and Paris, but no answer after 2 weeks, today went to this boutique to get some gifts I usually buy to give every month as birthday gifts to friends and manager were there and I found him, started saying I bought a watch with the promise I would be getting croc strap for it but after two years, no strap and had to buy in Paris, also talked that I wanted a black or vert cypress 24/24 size 35 that I have been asking since was released and sa didn’t even know what bag it was before I showed to him, and also talked about the Constance that he didn’t even know about because sa haven’t told him, he was brave enough to tell me it wouldn’t be 1 year, I should be calm, so I asked how long it would take to repair something I don’t feel like my fault, he said about 7 months, I don’t know what to do, I was wearing this birkin and when I got home and I was storing it to use other bag, I noticed issue in interior and contacted another sa from the other boutique in another mall, where I bought it but I think same will be said

 

[acrowcounted]

There is a lot going on here. First, I guess I’m not sure why your country’s price being higher than Europe is a factor. They are expensive bags in every country and the quality is irrelevant to that. If you prefer the European price, perhaps you can start shopping there instead. Second, if the bag is damaged, you should take it back to the store and yes, they will likely contact the experts in Paris and yes, this often takes weeks. Paris will decide whether it’s a defect or wear and tear and then will send the bag to Paris for repairs, either at your cost or gratis depending on their original fault decision. Third, I truly mean no offense but your Birkin looks completely smashed and out of shape. You bought it brand new and only used it ten times (approx)? The resin can likely be easily fixed in Paris (for a fee) and I’m guessing they will not consider this a defect but rather just a result of usage. Lastly, it sounds like your SA is a dud and I’d probably stop shopping at that store in favor of the other store you mentioned you shop at, or Europe if you can regularly make the trek. Good luck.

 

[VertColSwift]

I live in Brazil, if you search about my country, you will understand why this is a factor. It’s not like United States, France and many other countries where there are many boutiques and “many people” are used to the brand. Just a small fraction of people choose to buy Hermès in my country. Prices are really insane. A Birkin 30 in Porosus Crocodille is about 89.000 thousand dollars, so you can understand how different the prices are when compared to many other countries and not only Europe. I mentioned price because anywhere in the world, when you buy any Hermès product, you expect high quality and this is what I always had in the past. You never expect to buy a bag and after 1 year of use, or better, almost no use, you will find out those types of issues. That being said, I only mentioned the price because in my country, only items bought in that exactly store can be asked for any after sales service, and only with receipt, what means they won’t accept any Hermès product bought in other countries, or bought in the store and more than 5 years old and you lost receipt (they can’t get second copy of receipt after 5 years) or any second hand piece, and when like in my case, you have the receipt and have any issue even those caused by the person that used the bag, the bag is sent to Paris and it can take from 7 months to 1 year and a half, and depending on the situation, even more. I have my SA in 2 cities in US, and a SA at GeorgeV Paris, if I want a bag or anything, I could buy there, better price, but having the commodity of buying in my country and also when buying home stuff, I choose to buy some pieces here. After it, Do you really think that buying a bag in my country, for this price, having those type of issue after 1 year bought (just made 1 year in the Birkin case) in a bag that was really almost not used, and when I asking for help, get the answer that I should be without my bag for 1 year or maybe more, is something correct? Here are some pictures of the bag, so you can see the condition of it, maybe the first pictures didn’t give you a clear view of the situation.

 

[VertColSwift]

I am sorry but this can’t be considered as used. The issue can’t be considered as a result of usage. Also, you mentioned only buying at 1 store but both stores I buy, the 2 sa I work with are connected, so there is no problem in doing it here also. The only problem and reason I started this thread was because I didn’t think this should happen, I didn’t think it was normal, I never experienced this with much older bags. And would appreciate to see how things were handled if anyone here also had those type of issues. But maybe I am really picky and I should accept it’s normal even if you buy Europe, this can happen, resin getting opened is normal, broken clasp is normal, and the price doesn’t matter, I mean, even if bought Europe, 7500 euros is expensive but those type of issues are normal and extremely consistent with the price tag of Hermès. I felt a little bit sad and bad with your post.

 

[acrowcounted]

I’m sorry. I certainly did not mean to make you feel badly with my post. The issues that you’ve noted are not “normal” or common but they are not absolutely unheard of either. Unfortunately what is normal is Hermes’ policy of requiring the bag to be sent back to Paris for months at a time to be fixed, regardless of whether the issue is a ‘defect’ or wear and tear. We’ve even had examples of issues in brand new bags, noted the day after purchase, where H still required that the bag be sent away for a long time for repair. Is this disappointing and frustrating? Yes, but it’s how H handles these situations. My opinion is that kindness should always be attempted first so I would recommend returning to the store and asking to speak with the manager and explaining, nicely, your dissatisfaction while requesting if it would be possible for a rush to be put on your bag’s services in Paris. Honestly, even if 100% Hermes’ fault, it will be difficult for your store to control the process once the bag is sent for repairs so I would mentally prepared for the bag to be gone for several months.

The good news is that your SAs in the USA and/or Europe should be able to help you if your bags need spa services after the weird five year limit that Brazil seems to apply to bag purchases, even without the receipt.

 

[VertColSwift]

Thank you for understanding me. And I appreciate it a lot. Today I will be talking to the manager and I hope things work out, I am really frustrated and sad with it My 2 SA are also seem really ashamed of the situation, but I first talked on the phone about it and no answer, I went at the store to buy a shoe and after that one more week and no answer, than I went again to buy a pillow and request a word about it and nothing, 3 days ago went again and manager were there and was not to nice as he used to be when I am buying and said he would get a word From Paris because he didn’t know about my case. After that when I got home, saw Birkin issue and thought that I would feel better if someone else had this problem and got solved, but apparently not
Constance was one store and now Birkin other store, hope now they can help Me. Sorry for big texts, just my feelings

I’m sorry. I certainly did not mean to make you feel badly with my post. The issues that you’ve noted are not “normal” or common but they are not absolutely unheard of either. Unfortunately what is normal is Hermes’ policy of requiring the bag to be sent back to Paris for months at a time to be fixed, regardless of whether the issue is a ‘defect’ or wear and tear. We’ve even had examples of issues in brand new bags, noted the day after purchase, where H still required that the bag be sent away for a long time for repair. Is this disappointing and frustrating? Yes, but it’s how H handles these situations. My opinion is that kindness should always be attempted first so I would recommend returning to the store and asking to speak with the manager and explaining, nicely, your dissatisfaction while requesting if it would be possible for a rush to be put on your bag’s services in Paris. Honestly, even if 100% Hermes’ fault, it will be difficult for your store to control the process once the bag is sent for repairs so I would mentally prepared for the bag to be gone for several months.

The good news is that your SAs in the USA and/or Europe should be able to help you if your bags need spa services after the weird five year limit that Brazil seems to apply to bag purchases, even without the receipt.

 

[momoc]

We totally understand your frustration OP! Unfortunately we've seen the whole "it needs to go to Paris for them to check and it will take X months or even a year"...even when the bag was literally just purchased (the most recent one in memory is the problem with a hole/mark on the inside of a flap of a Constance noticed by the member the day she received the bag and how long that whole problem dragged on and on...)

I too feel frustrated by the price differential in other countries vs Europe, but regardless of this, even if your bag is half the price, heck even 1/4 of the price or even lower, H should provide good quality products and good quality service PERIOD. Unfortunately as we've seen, even for H, they can fall short...I hope they eventually come through and do the right thing for you. But as we've seen sometimes how it is frustrating and takes a lot of escalation, not giving up & keep trying...*hugs*

Compared to the price difference, I find the "only 5 years and with original receipt" policy difference for your country to be more problematic...tbh I was surprised to hear that they do this! Luckily like acrowcounted said you can at least go through your US or Europe SAs because as far as I know that's not needed in US/Europe. Still I think it's really sad and maddening that they can make that the rule in your country...

 

[costa]

This is really so wrong! And the attitude of your sa and boutique manager is also wrong! They should insist with Paris.
You are right this is something that shouldn’t happen with Hermès, but sometimes it does. One of my Birkin had the same problem years ago. It had been fixed in Paris and it was fine after that.
7 month for a repair sounds really a too long period and they should do something about it.
I never realized that prices in some regions of the world are so high, and I now understand why so many tourist buy Hermès in Europe and why resellers have such a high price.
I really hope you can have your birkin fixed as it deserves.

 

[maxroxxherhandbags]

To be honest Price differences aside The thing I find most upsetting is the broken hardware on the Constance after just one year.
(The resin inside the Birkin although not good i could deal with as the bag is still very usable.
As a comparison I have a Celine bag thats 4 years old that I used almost daily for more than two years (The trotteur) I noticed the clasp fastening was growing a little loose-I took it into the celine boutique -they could see it was a well loved every day bag and commented on the patina on the leather-The clasp got repaired free of charge, bag repolished and arrived back as new.
If I brought a Constance (or any Hermes bag for that matter) I would expect the quality to be good enough that I could also use it daily with no more than normal wear and tear-I would not expect broken Hardware on any Item of Hermes until very many years down the line.
Or maybe I'm an idealist?

 

[VertColSwift]

We totally understand your frustration OP! Unfortunately we've seen the whole "it needs to go to Paris for them to check and it will take X months or even a year"...even when the bag was literally just purchased (the most recent one in memory is the problem with a hole/mark on the inside of a flap of a Constance noticed by the member the day she received the bag and how long that whole problem dragged on and on...)

I too feel frustrated by the price differential in other countries vs Europe, but regardless of this, even if your bag is half the price, heck even 1/4 of the price or even lower, H should provide good quality products and good quality service PERIOD. Unfortunately as we've seen, even for H, they can fall short...I hope they eventually come through and do the right thing for you. But as we've seen sometimes how it is frustrating and takes a lot of escalation, not giving up & keep trying...*hugs*

Compared to the price difference, I find the "only 5 years and with original receipt" policy difference for your country to be more problematic...tbh I was surprised to hear that they do this! Luckily like acrowcounted said you can at least go through your US or Europe SAs because as far as I know that's not needed in US/Europe. Still I think it's really sad and maddening that they can make that the rule in your country...

Exactly. People who buy Hermès, are not buying just to show off, they buy it because of the quality, no other brand makes the same as Hermès quality, that’s why those type of situation make me rethink my point of view. But I went to the boutique today and felt really better. As I told, I work with 2, today I went on the one I bought many many more stuff and my sa in this boutique usually makes me have a great experience, the manager was also there and he was apologizing for it and I am sure it will be solved soon. Those two bags are clearly not used, and clearly defects. They made the experience good and made clear that they are not fine with it, and they also feel sad because they want the best. My sa was so cute today that I actually bought a new bag and some scarfs to use as decoration in my new beach house. The other boutique doesn’t have the same treatment, it’s sad.

 

[VertColSwift]

This is really so wrong! And the attitude of your sa and boutique manager is also wrong! They should insist with Paris.
You are right this is something that shouldn’t happen with Hermès, but sometimes it does. One of my Birkin had the same problem years ago. It had been fixed in Paris and it was fine after that.
7 month for a repair sounds really a too long period and they should do something about it.
I never realized that prices in some regions of the world are so high, and I now understand why so many tourist buy Hermès in Europe and why resellers have such a high price.
I really hope you can have your birkin fixed as it deserves.

The other manager and sa were really bad, but in my main boutique where I usually shop, things were better today. Hope they can fix it soon. And yes! Prices are insane in some countries, mine is one of them. Other bags are usually same price as United States, but all the taxes we pay (you can search Brazil taxes, insane) are in Birkin, Kelly and Constance. It’s sad but true. In my country, resellers also doesn’t even exist lol, only second hand with lower prices than boutique, because the price at boutique are so high that they can’t have any profit lol

 

[VertColSwift]

To be honest Price differences aside The thing I find most upsetting is the broken hardware on the Constance after just one year.
(The resin inside the Birkin although not good i could deal with as the bag is still very usable.
As a comparison I have a Celine bag thats 4 years old that I used almost daily for more than two years (The trotteur) I noticed the clasp fastening was growing a little loose-I took it into the celine boutique -they could see it was a well loved every day bag and commented on the patina on the leather-The clasp got repaired free of charge, bag repolished and arrived back as new.
If I brought a Constance (or any Hermes bag for that matter) I would expect the quality to be good enough that I could also use it daily with no more than normal wear and tear-I would not expect broken Hardware on any Item of Hermes until very many years down the line.
Or maybe I'm an idealist?

I feel the newer bags are the problem. They are not the same as they used to be. I have 15/17 years old bags that looks better than those two. Old leather feels stronger, Stiching is not 100% handmade in last years, and many issues have been seen. Celine is a great brand and since they don’t play games like h, maybe costumer service can feel better.

 

[periogirl28]

I have to add that the plastic piece inside the Constance clasp is the weak link in its design. It is common to see it fractured or even having parts broken off, but that would be seen in very vintage bags. This is not acceptable being so new, it has not happened with any of my new Constances. The skill lies in the craftsperson putting just enough torque on the 2 screws to firmly attach it without causing a stress fracture. (Can you tell I am medically trained? ) Anyway being just that, the replacement is actually very easy and fast. That's good news in a way, the actual procedure would be very simply done by the after sales/ repair department in Paris.