Hermes Repair/Refurbish policy - Official Spa Thread

[periogirl28]

Epsom
I realise Epsom does not have the reputation of being like new after spa.
Scratches and abrasions are not expected to be magicked away.
However if there are some more superficial marks and lines like these,
might one expect a visit to spa to make a worthwhile improvement?
Thank you


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Although I haven't any experience myself sending in Epsom for restoration I don't really think it's going to work that well. I love Epsom but I do realise that there are two difficult aims to achieve to hide scratches - replicating the texture exactly and matching the colour.
As always, I would ask if you could live with this or if you could send it in for asssesment at your store for an opinion before approving any work. Please let us know and it would be useful information. Thanks in advance!

 

[Hikar1]

It should be an email asking you to approve work before it commences. . .

I agree, it should be... It's likely I might've stupidly deleted it and now I'm unable to recover it. I actually don't recall getting an email from after sales services asking me for permission to proceed with the repairs.

My receipt from Hermes says on one line: "cleaning + makeup + finish + anti-mold - classic leathers".

My purse was in decent condition to begin with, maybe all the spa did was a cleaning..

Ugh, lesson learned I suppose - don't delete your emails or just assume you'll get everything in paper from the SA I guess.

 

[WhiteBus]

Although I haven't any experience myself sending in Epsom for restoration I don't really think it's going to work that well. I love Epsom but I do realise that there are two difficult aims to achieve to hide scratches - replicating the texture exactly and matching the colour.
As always, I would ask if you could live with this or if you could send it in for asssesment at your store for an opinion before approving any work. Please let us know and it would be useful information. Thanks in advance!

Thank you.
You have confirmed my thoughts exactly.

 

[caruava]

I just dropped my bag off at the Hermes spa a week ago but did not receive any emails regarding this drop off (however, I was given a physical note with the estimated collection date). Is that normal?

Yes it is normal. The bag will be sent to be assessed. After it is assessed you'll receive an itemised email to review and approve work.

 

[dollymolly_precious]

Yes it is normal. The bag will be sent to be assessed. After it is assessed you'll receive an itemised email to review and approve work.

Ok good to know, thank u!

 

[stephbb9]

I agree, it should be... It's likely I might've stupidly deleted it and now I'm unable to recover it. I actually don't recall getting an email from after sales services asking me for permission to proceed with the repairs.

My receipt from Hermes says on one line: "cleaning + makeup + finish + anti-mold - classic leathers".

My purse was in decent condition to begin with, maybe all the spa did was a cleaning..

Ugh, lesson learned I suppose - don't delete your emails or just assume you'll get everything in paper from the SA I guess.

I brought one of my bags for spa a couple of weeks ago.
It is in really good condition (besides a little corner wear and stains) so they would mostly likely have nothing else to do.
The repair assistant told me that it would probably be $325 for the makeup+cleaning and touch up where needed and it would take about 12 weeks.
I got an email when I dropped it in with a link to follow the process.
I don’t think they will ask for permission to do the work since it was already quoted at drop off and there’s not too much to do.
Maybe they already gave you a quote when you dropped your bag?

 

[Hikar1]

I brought one of my bags for spa a couple of weeks ago.
It is in really good condition (besides a little corner wear and stains) so they would mostly likely have nothing else to do.
The repair assistant told me that it would probably be $325 for the makeup+cleaning and touch up where needed and it would take about 12 weeks.
I got an email when I dropped it in with a link to follow the process.
I don’t think they will ask for permission to do the work since it was already quoted at drop off and there’s not too much to do.
Maybe they already gave you a quote when you dropped your bag?

That sounds exactly like what I experienced. I dropped off the bag at my local store and my SA handled everything, it wasn't with a repair assistant. My SA took several pictures of my bag and made notes on scratches, corner wear, discolorations, etc. She quoted me about $400ish, and said that they would likely send it to a local atelier as opposed to Paris unless the artisan(s) thought it would need more work.

There wasn't an email notification of what was to be done, or permission to proceed. I do recall getting an email saying that my bag was ready for pick-up.

There are two reasons why I wanted the receipt I was shown at pick-up: 1) I bought my purse secondhand and what they had listed as the leather was different from what I thought it was, or maybe I may be misremembering. 2) The bag looks good after spa treatment, but I felt that there were some areas that were overlooked or not addressed at all. It's a little disappointing to pay money and not really have the work completed. The issue with the bag is all on the exterior of the bag as well.

I didn't do my due diligence and put my trust in the store. I should've taken notes myself and before/after pictures of the work. Lesson learned for the next time.

Thank you to everyone that's commented and provided some insight to their experience! I'll update you all if there is anything new that occurs.

 

[Virevolte]

That sounds exactly like what I experienced. I dropped off the bag at my local store and my SA handled everything, it wasn't with a repair assistant. My SA took several pictures of my bag and made notes on scratches, corner wear, discolorations, etc. She quoted me about $400ish, and said that they would likely send it to a local atelier as opposed to Paris unless the artisan(s) thought it would need more work.

There wasn't an email notification of what was to be done, or permission to proceed. I do recall getting an email saying that my bag was ready for pick-up.

There are two reasons why I wanted the receipt I was shown at pick-up: 1) I bought my purse secondhand and what they had listed as the leather was different from what I thought it was, or maybe I may be misremembering. 2) The bag looks good after spa treatment, but I felt that there were some areas that were overlooked or not addressed at all. It's a little disappointing to pay money and not really have the work completed. The issue with the bag is all on the exterior of the bag as well.

I didn't do my due diligence and put my trust in the store. I should've taken notes myself and before/after pictures of the work. Lesson learned for the next time.

Thank you to everyone that's commented and provided some insight to their experience! I'll update you all if there is anything new that occurs.

Just chiming in here to say (a) what you two have written mirrors my experience with the spa at Madison Ave as well and (b) they did explain to me that I would only receive an email asking for permission to proceed if the work they planned to do went beyond the scope of the regular, $325 refurbish and clean treatment. So for instance I did get such an email when they wanted to know if I was interested in having them change the (weirdly oxidized) palladium plate on the lock on a Kelly of mine — and they didn’t move ahead with even the cleaning or refurbishing until I had responded to that email about the possibility of replacing the hardware.

I have also noticed, having sent many of my H bags to the spa there over the past few years, that the intake person at the spa has in different cases incorrectly written down the leather type (Togo vs Clemence; Box vs smooth Barenia), the color (Gris Tourterelle vs Gris Pale; Brique vs Cuivre), and the material (Toile vs Crinoline). So those incorrect details then became part of the official H service record for those bags, even though I pointed out the errors to them and looped in an SA to confirm for example that one bag was vintage Barenia and not vintage Box, and that another was a Crinoline and not a Toile Kelly.

It’s unsettling to say the least to think that the intake people at the H spa aren’t as familiar as most of us in the TPF H Clubhouse are with basic features of our bags. The only explanation I can think of is that they are also charged with intake for other, non-bag products in need of repair, such as watches, belts, and shawls. So their knowledge is perhaps of a broader kind; but still, it would be reassuring to think that they would not make the kind of — to me elementary-seeming — mistakes I have encountered first-hand.

 

[Hikar1]

Just chiming in here to say (a) what you two have written mirrors my experience with the spa at Madison Ave as well and (b) they did explain to me that I would only receive an email asking for permission to proceed if the work they planned to do went beyond the scope of the regular, $325 refurbish and clean treatment. So for instance I did get such an email when they wanted to know if I was interested in having them change the (weirdly oxidized) palladium plate on the lock on a Kelly of mine — and they didn’t move ahead with even the cleaning or refurbishing until I had responded to that email about the possibility of replacing the hardware.

I have also noticed, having sent many of my H bags to the spa there over the past few years, that the intake person at the spa has in different cases incorrectly written down the leather type (Togo vs Clemence; Box vs smooth Barenia), the color (Gris Tourterelle vs Gris Pale; Brique vs Cuivre), and the material (Toile vs Crinoline). So those incorrect details then became part of the official H service record for those bags, even though I pointed out the errors to them and looped in an SA to confirm for example that one bag was vintage Barenia and not vintage Box, and that another was a Crinoline and not a Toile Kelly.

It’s unsettling to say the least to think that the intake people at the H spa aren’t as familiar as most of us in the TPF H Clubhouse are with basic features of our bags. The only explanation I can think of is that they are also charged with intake for other, non-bag products in need of repair, such as watches, belts, and shawls. So their knowledge is perhaps of a broader kind; but still, it would be reassuring to think that they would not make the kind of — to me elementary-seeming — mistakes I have encountered first-hand.

This is so insightful, thank you for sharing your experience! My SA who took the bag didn't even realize it was a vintage Trim 31 (even when I had seen the new Trim duo in the same store multiple times).

 

[stephbb9]

That sounds exactly like what I experienced. I dropped off the bag at my local store and my SA handled everything, it wasn't with a repair assistant. My SA took several pictures of my bag and made notes on scratches, corner wear, discolorations, etc. She quoted me about $400ish, and said that they would likely send it to a local atelier as opposed to Paris unless the artisan(s) thought it would need more work.

There wasn't an email notification of what was to be done, or permission to proceed. I do recall getting an email saying that my bag was ready for pick-up.

There are two reasons why I wanted the receipt I was shown at pick-up: 1) I bought my purse secondhand and what they had listed as the leather was different from what I thought it was, or maybe I may be misremembering. 2) The bag looks good after spa treatment, but I felt that there were some areas that were overlooked or not addressed at all. It's a little disappointing to pay money and not really have the work completed. The issue with the bag is all on the exterior of the bag as well.

I didn't do my due diligence and put my trust in the store. I should've taken notes myself and before/after pictures of the work. Lesson learned for the next time.

Thank you to everyone that's commented and provided some insight to their experience! I'll update you all if there is anything new that occurs.

You should bring it back and ask for explanations. They took pictures and have the records their end.
It’s like going to the hairdresser. If you are not happy with what you paid, it should be corrected. H has high standards so they will listen to your feedback and questions.

 

[sarong13]

I have a question about Hermes and bags purchased from re sellers. I was told at the newish Naples, FL boutique yesterday by the manager that H will not send any bags not purchased in an H boutique for spa treatment. I was carrying a beautiful B in no need of work, but asked for the future. I'm reading many cases on this thread where people have been able to use the service. I am appalled, as I own 3 Bs and an ostrich K I paid a ton for from resellers, and they are all authentic. What recourse do I have??

 

[CBZ]

I have a question about Hermes and bags purchased from re sellers. I was told at the newish Naples, FL boutique yesterday by the manager that H will not send any bags not purchased in an H boutique for spa treatment. I was carrying a beautiful B in no need of work, but asked for the future. I'm reading many cases on this thread where people have been able to use the service. I am appalled, as I own 3 Bs and an ostrich K I paid a ton for from resellers, and they are all authentic. What recourse do I have??

I cannot speak for current policies because I haven't used the spa in a long time but I know for a fact they used to do repairs on any authentic Hermes bag. It didn't have to be purchased in a store. Years ago I sent in a vintage box K I had bought preloved on ebay. No issues whatsoever.

 

[CBZ]

I have a question about Hermes and bags purchased from re sellers. I was told at the newish Naples, FL boutique yesterday by the manager that H will not send any bags not purchased in an H boutique for spa treatment. I was carrying a beautiful B in no need of work, but asked for the future. I'm reading many cases on this thread where people have been able to use the service. I am appalled, as I own 3 Bs and an ostrich K I paid a ton for from resellers, and they are all authentic. What recourse do I have??

Also, how will they even know as people have bags that they could've purchased years ago before they had any sort of digital proof of purchase. It doesn't make sense either as regardless of whether a bag is from a reseller or an actual H store, H made their money on the item. I can understand if they were stolen bags but that's not usually the case.

 

[Virevolte]

I have a question about Hermes and bags purchased from re sellers. I was told at the newish Naples, FL boutique yesterday by the manager that H will not send any bags not purchased in an H boutique for spa treatment. I was carrying a beautiful B in no need of work, but asked for the future. I'm reading many cases on this thread where people have been able to use the service. I am appalled, as I own 3 Bs and an ostrich K I paid a ton for from resellers, and they are all authentic. What recourse do I have??

Like @CBZ I have had no trouble submitting vintage (pre-digital) H bags for spa treatment in either NY or Paris. It sounds to me as if the manager of the “new-ish” store you went to is quite simply incorrect in his/her/their statement of their spa policy. If there are other H stores in Florida - Palm Beach? Miami? - it might be worth your contacting them on this matter, either to get your bags worked on there or to gather proof that the Naples store manager should reverse his/her/their decision.

 

[sarong13]

Like @CBZ I have had no trouble submitting vintage (pre-digital) H bags for spa treatment in either NY or Paris. It sounds to me as if the manager of the “new-ish” store you went to is quite simply incorrect in his/her/their statement of their spa policy. If there are other H stores in Florida - Palm Beach? Miami? - it might be worth your contacting them on this matter, either to get your bags worked on there or to gather proof that the Naples store manager should reverse his/her/their decision.

Good up date. I called the 800 number and spoke with a great guy who had been head of that department in San Francisco, and he was appalled, and said he was terribly sorry for what happened, and that he was going to be in touch with the management team on this matter as soon as we hung up. I am so relieved, and very much wish I could have been a mouse in the corner when the nasty manager from yesterday got this call.

Further, I told him the story from years ago when I had a new LV I bought for a European trip. The zipper broke when we were in St Tropez and we went into the LV boutique, were told the zipper would be repaired in their shop upstairs, and would we please relax in the courtyard with some champagne , surrounded by jasmine plants. Never was I asked where I had purchased the bag. I am still stunned by the difference in attitude. The man on the phone saved me from selling my 3 Bs and ostrich Kelly asap.