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New to this thread and wanted to seek collective advice after reading back some pages. I recently got one of H’s most premium bags at auction (at I’d say a top 3 - not the top 2 - house). Very excited to get it in my hands. It’s listed as like new condition from late 2010s with plastic still on. Given the high value, I’m still eager to triple confirm authenticity even given the brand of the house, and I felt like going to bbbb wouldn’t quite cut it; after all I trust the house just as much. If the bag is already in excellent condition, can I send it in for a “hey can you see what you’d recommend for me” quote, both to see how they’d clean it and to confirm with the ultimate authority the authenticity? Not trying to abuse the spa offering at all. Thanks for the advice.
You absolutely can do that. Just pop into the store and tell them you’d like to send the bag off to the spa. The assigned staff will, no questions asked, conduct a preliminary inspection of your bag and you’ll sort of have a chat on the “problem” areas you’d like improved (but of course, they’re not going to listen or write anything down as that’s entirely up to the repair craftsman).
Now, off to the spa it goes and you’ll hear back from your boutique on what the craftsman will recommend for your bag and at this point you can choose to
1) not do anything and have your bag sent back to the boutique to be collected or
2) have everything that was recommended done or
3) just some of the recommended work done
You can take this recommendation/quote on the repair/restoration as a sign that your bag is authentic. But do note that if your bag is found to be inauthentic, Hermes reserves the right to not ship the item back to you (the staff at the boutique will have you sign a T&Cs document before accepting your bag)
Hope that helps!
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Hermès generally does repairs on all their items, so as long as the beach bag was purchased from Hermès, I'm sure they will at least attempt to repair it. If you want an idea of what types of repairs can be done, I'd recommend stopping by your local boutique to speak with an After Sales Representative about what sorts of repairs would best fit your situation. Not a silly question at all; best of luck!
Although I can understand why you wish to 'triple confirm authenticity' your plan might fail at the first hurdle. Hermes does not offer an authentication service and has got wise to this ruse. Despite your protestation, you have declared to us that your intention is to confirm its authenticity thereby 'abusing the spa offering'. If the condition of your bag is as good as you have been led to believe, it is possible that it might not be accepted for spa.
To add on: if your bag has been previously spa-ed by a 3rd party, the Hermes spa will reject your bag immediately.
Does Hermes send any type of official communication (like via email) regarding your spa processing? Or does all communication come via your SA? My SA sent in my Evelyn and said I would hear in a month with a quote for repairs. It's been about a month and I haven't heard anything yet.
I only received an email for the quotation and when the bag was back in my store for pick up from my store's after sales department. They had to send my bag to Paris, it's normal to not hear anything for a month or more if that's the case for your bag as well.
This varies by store. My home store sends a receipt email (we have your item and it will be assessed) with a tracking link, then an email with a quote, then an email when the item is ready to be picked up. Having the tracking link is great as I can check on the status at any time.
However, the primary boutique I work with in the US doesn't do any of this, and my SA lets me know what's up.
Two months since I dropped off and not a peep... My expected return time frame is August. I wonder what Hermes would do if the bag gets lost in transit or misplaced.
In my experience I've always had an email from the Aftersales coordinator rather than an SA. One to acknowledge receipt, which could be anywhere from the same day (when dropped off to a boutique with an artisan and pre agreed to do a swift repair!) to several weeks when sent to Paris. Then another email which included a quote.
I do vaguely remember a tracking button, but if I remember correctly it basically said "your item is in safe hands" or words to that affect, up until it changed to ready to be collected.
Time wise I wouldn't worry too much.
If you have an artisan in the store that you took it to it may be faster, but I very much doubt H sends every individual bag separately to Paris for instance.. so guessing here, but lets say they send them every month, or when they have sufficient bags.
Your bag could be waiting almost a month in your boutique. It gets sent to Paris (or wherever they've sent it for repair)and it's then in a queue with possibly hundreds of other items until someone examines it and determines what is required.
If they're busy it's going to take quite a while. Sometimes weeks, sometimes months in my experience!
That's what i was thinking too (one large shipment) but I get a little paranoid since its my first experience with SPA! Thank you!
Well, first of all I would trust Bababebi more than any of the auction houses, top 2 or 3 or not. If you're spending six figures on a bag, it's not exactly a big price to pay.
Hermès is pretty wise to the "let's spa this for authenticity" racket, but if the bag can possibly be improved by a light cleaning or minor touch-up, they'll do it. If the bag is perfect, then it's up to either your usual Hermès SA or the after-sales service coordinator to accept it. Note that it can be accepted by after-sales care and sent for evaluation, and still be returned without a spa receipt, because it does not need service. This won't tell you that much about authenticity, but perhaps will set your mind at ease.
You know of course that if the bag is deemed inauthentic, you may not get it back. I do know of someone whose inauthentic bag was returned to them in order for them to chase up a reseller for redress, but it's not policy.
Just got my quotation and they confirmed that my vintage bag is Courcheval leather not Epsom as my SA said it was. They suggested some cleaning/ touch up, stitching and replacements of the hardware. Leadtime approximately 20 weeks.
And now I’m wondering if anyone wasn’t happy with the work done on the courcheval leather?
And now I’m wondering if anyone wasn’t happy with the work done on the courcheval leather?
I have purchased a birkin 35 in "Excellent" condition from fashionphile for 12.5k. There is slight discoloration in one corner of the bag that I overlooked in pictures because of angulation. It looks like the leather has rubbed off and now there is a small visible area of discoloration. Is this something that can be quickly fixed if I send to NYC Madison or should I return the bag all together. It is my OCD getting to me, I am sure most will think this in inevitable wear and tear. Would love to hear all your thoughts- I appreciate your time and effort in replying. TY