Hermes Repair/Refurbish policy - Official Spa Thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter vanojr9
  • Start date Start date

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

#976
This is ridiculous. I live in the middle of nowhere and it's a minimum of a 6-8 hr drive to a boutique that DOES NOT HAVE A CRAFTSMAN. To get to a store with a craftsman, I would have to drive 12 hrs to NYC. Are they kidding? How on earth can one be expected to do this?

I'm guessing they have had some problems with employee theft of bags dropped off to be shipped or something, otherwise this makes absolutely no sense at all. I'm not driving or flying both ways to NYC to spa my handbags. Perhaps, they are following in the footsteps of Vuitton and now Chanel where they only repair manufacturing defects, and don't offer repair service except on a very limited basis. If that is the case, that takes away tremendously from the value of an Hermes handbag. They are supposed to be "forever".
 
  • Like
Reactions: ccbaggirl89
#977
india said:
this is ridiculous. I live in the middle of nowhere and it's a minimum of a 6-8 hr drive to a boutique that does not have a craftsman. To get to a store with a craftsman, i would have to drive 12 hrs to nyc. Are they kidding? How on earth can one be expected to do this?

I'm guessing they have had some problems with employee theft of bags dropped off to be shipped or something, otherwise this makes absolutely no sense at all. I'm not driving or flying both ways to nyc to spa my handbags. Perhaps, they are following in the footsteps of vuitton and now chanel where they only repair manufacturing defects, and don't offer repair service except on a very limited basis. If that is the case, that takes away tremendously from the value of an hermes handbag. They are supposed to be "forever".
Click to expand...

100%
 
#978
QuelleFromage said:
Have you called SF to see if they will accept the bag if you ship it direct? That's what I did before BH got Nora. It was a point of pride to them that people shipped to their craftsman from all over. The SM used to be Merna, it's worth trying :)
Click to expand...


I've been told by Madison, years ago, that I could ship directly to them rather than flying to NYC to drop off in person, and I imagine the same would hold true for SF. It was actually a good excuse to take a trip to NYC, so I never minded. I'm very nervous about shipping my high value bags anywhere, so I prefer dropping it off in person. That way I can dictate and see exactly what the SA writes on the spa form; plus if it has to be shipped to SF, the packing and insuring of the bag are the responsibility of the store, not me. I'll definitely ask the SF store about return shipping next time, and I might have to get over my paranoia if it saves me two trips.

As with most Hermes policies, I have a feeling that if I were a more regular customer at this store or threw a temper tantrum, they probably would've shipped it (but charged me an arm and a leg). I do have reason to drive to that city regularly, so it wasn't really worth the effort to raise a stink at the time. Plus, driving to the store means that I get to shop ;)
 
#979
lisawhit said:
When did they start this no shipping policy on spa items?
Click to expand...


I'm not really sure. About 5 yrs ago, I took a bag to Madison, and they shipped it back to me. I didn't send any bags again until last year when I took a bag to my local store to be sent to SF, and the local store wouldn't ship it back to me. Same thing this past summer. I haven't dealt directly with the repair department at either store in about five years, but I'll take a wild guess that they are more accommodating to their out of town customers than a store that is strictly retail.
 
#980
India said:
This is ridiculous. I live in the middle of nowhere and it's a minimum of a 6-8 hr drive to a boutique that DOES NOT HAVE A CRAFTSMAN. To get to a store with a craftsman, I would have to drive 12 hrs to NYC. Are they kidding? How on earth can one be expected to do this?

I'm guessing they have had some problems with employee theft of bags dropped off to be shipped or something, otherwise this makes absolutely no sense at all. I'm not driving or flying both ways to NYC to spa my handbags. Perhaps, they are following in the footsteps of Vuitton and now Chanel where they only repair manufacturing defects, and don't offer repair service except on a very limited basis. If that is the case, that takes away tremendously from the value of an Hermes handbag. They are supposed to be "forever".
Click to expand...
well said....I'm thinking along those lines as well...
 
#981
india said:
this is ridiculous. I live in the middle of nowhere and it's a minimum of a 6-8 hr drive to a boutique that does not have a craftsman. To get to a store with a craftsman, i would have to drive 12 hrs to nyc. Are they kidding? How on earth can one be expected to do this?

I'm guessing they have had some problems with employee theft of bags dropped off to be shipped or something, otherwise this makes absolutely no sense at all. I'm not driving or flying both ways to nyc to spa my handbags. Perhaps, they are following in the footsteps of vuitton and now chanel where they only repair manufacturing defects, and don't offer repair service except on a very limited basis. If that is the case, that takes away tremendously from the value of an hermes handbag. They are supposed to be "forever".
Click to expand...
1000%
 
#982
India said:
This is ridiculous. I live in the middle of nowhere and it's a minimum of a 6-8 hr drive to a boutique that DOES NOT HAVE A CRAFTSMAN. To get to a store with a craftsman, I would have to drive 12 hrs to NYC. Are they kidding? How on earth can one be expected to do this?

I'm guessing they have had some problems with employee theft of bags dropped off to be shipped or something, otherwise this makes absolutely no sense at all. I'm not driving or flying both ways to NYC to spa my handbags. Perhaps, they are following in the footsteps of Vuitton and now Chanel where they only repair manufacturing defects, and don't offer repair service except on a very limited basis. If that is the case, that takes away tremendously from the value of an Hermes handbag. They are supposed to be "forever".
Click to expand...


With all due respect to the inconvenience this would cause you I think that it's extreme to speculate that spa services are going away. This is how rumors get started. While I'm sure it's annoying for the poster who could not have her bags shipped back to her NO ONE has been told that they can't get their bags serviced, cleaned, refurbished etc. Just that they have to pick them up and drop them off and in a few cases provide a receipt.

Can we not start another panic like in Chanel in recent weeks?

Spa, cleaning and refurbishment is a service that Hermes is under no obligation to continue but I don't think they are eliminating it. It's more likely a loss prevention policy and insurance related. Who would be responsible if a bag were damaged or lost in transit? Fed Ex? I'm sure the insurance rates are astronomical these days.
 
#983
India said:
This is ridiculous. I live in the middle of nowhere and it's a minimum of a 6-8 hr drive to a boutique that DOES NOT HAVE A CRAFTSMAN. To get to a store with a craftsman, I would have to drive 12 hrs to NYC. Are they kidding? How on earth can one be expected to do this?

I'm guessing they have had some problems with employee theft of bags dropped off to be shipped or something, otherwise this makes absolutely no sense at all. I'm not driving or flying both ways to NYC to spa my handbags. Perhaps, they are following in the footsteps of Vuitton and now Chanel where they only repair manufacturing defects, and don't offer repair service except on a very limited basis. If that is the case, that takes away tremendously from the value of an Hermes handbag. They are supposed to be "forever".
Click to expand...

I have a big feeling that H will not stop spa-ing bags any time in the near future, as that is part of H's tradition and something of which they are so proud. When I read about the poster that a receipt was required, correct me if I am wrong, I believe it was a newer bag, and I wonder, as someone else mentioned, it is the annoyance of H with all the resellers, and maybe another method to try to figure out which clients are resellers, or big feeders to resellers.

I know the craftspeople at my store are proud of working on vintage bags, and I don't see an end to spa services any time soon. However, maybe too many bags were not "making" it to the client's homes, and to deal with those issues is likely too costly from a risk standpoint. So, I could understand why they won't ship to the client's home. Although, I completely understand your frustration- what do all the people who live nowhere near an H store do to get their bags to spa and back.
 
#984
MrsOwen3 said:
With all due respect to the inconvenience this would cause you I think that it's extreme to speculate that spa services are going away. This is how rumors get started. While I'm sure it's annoying for the poster who could not have her bags shipped back to her NO ONE has been told that they can't get their bags serviced, cleaned, refurbished etc. Just that they have to pick them up and drop them off and in a few cases provide a receipt.

Can we not start another panic like in Chanel in recent weeks?

Spa, cleaning and refurbishment is a service that Hermes is under no obligation to continue but I don't think they are eliminating it. It's more likely a loss prevention policy and insurance related. Who would be responsible if a bag were damaged or lost in transit? Fed Ex? I'm sure the insurance rates are astronomical these days.
Click to expand...
The Chanel "panic"turned out to be justified and forum members are certainly understandably concerned. Personally I don't see H discontinuing spa....the company seems very proud of the service.
To say they have "no obligation" to supply refurbishment...well, no. They also have no obligation to produce quality bags, continue hand-stitching, or avoid Hermès x Target collaborations, but I think we have a valid expectation of all the above.

IMO, Hermès customers living far away from a store and/or craftsperson should have an option for bag repair beyond flying or driving, even if it involves paying shipping insurance.
 
#985
QuelleFromage said:
The Chanel "panic"turned out to be justified and forum members are certainly understandably concerned. Personally I don't see H discontinuing spa....the company seems very proud of the service.
To say they have "no obligation" to supply refurbishment...well, no. They also have no obligation to produce quality bags, continue hand-stitching, or avoid Hermès x Target collaborations, but I think we have a valid expectation of all the above.

IMO, Hermès customers living far away from a store and/or craftsperson should have an option for bag repair beyond flying or driving, even if it involves paying shipping insurance.
Click to expand...


The Chanel thread is full of wild and incorrect speculation about not getting any services at all. Speculating that Hermes is eliminating spa services like Chanel because one member was told they can't get spa'd bags shipped back to them is a rather extreme and incorrect assumption in my opinion.

While I understand bag owners far away from a store would be frustrated by this I was simply trying to point out that India's statement could start rumors and there is zero evidence to support the idea that spa services are going away. I guess everyone has to trust that H will come up with an option for these clients or they will have to voice their concerns in whatever way they see fit but that should be said to H for the best chance of results.
 
Last edited:
#986
MrsOwen3 said:
The Chanel thread is full of wild and incorrect speculation about not getting any services at all. Speculating that Hermes is eliminating spa services like Chanel because one member was told they can't get spa'd bags shipped back to them is a rather extreme and incorrect assumption in my opinion.

While I understand bag owners far away from a store would be frustrated by this I was simply trying to point out that India's statement could start rumors and there is zero evidence to support the idea that spa services are going away. I guess everyone has to trust that H will come up with an option for these clients or they will have to voice their concerns in whatever way they see fit but that should be said to H for the best chance of results.
Click to expand...


I agree. I've gotten no inkling whatsoever that Hermes is trying to discourage or discontinue their repair service, despite being told twice that they won't ship back to me. It bothers me much less than the no shipping policy on new leather bags, since I can actually plan my trips to drop off or pick up bags from spa. It's nearly impossible to plan around buying a new bag from long distance.

The beauty of Hermes bags is that they really don't need frequent trips to spa. Most of my bags have never been back to Hermes because they simply don't need anything done. I view the repair service as just that...a place to send my bags if they need something repaired. If I need the handle or a whole panel replaced on my vintage Kelly, I will happily plan the trip back and forth to the store. Where else could I possibly take it for that repair, right? But I won't do it for just a corner scuff touch up. If there's an emergency ink spill, well, I'm out of luck regardless of the shipping policy.
 
#987
iamyumi said:
I learnt so much about the Hermes spa/repair here which made me so much more at ease and look like a pro in the Hermes shops :) After four months of waiting my vintage (1979) shoulder bag has just come back and I thought it's time to give back and share my experience here!

I brought this into the local Hermes store back in May to get the shoulder strap replaced as it was cracked throughout. There was also a small pen mark on the back and a white spot around it which looked like someone tried to clean it off. This was then sent to Paris and I got the cost estimates in June and they suggested a cleaning/polishing service too which I accepted, as I was curious how much difference it would make and the bag was pretty old. Was also told it would likely be delayed due to summer month.

Got it back today and now it has a shinny new strap! I was worried about the potential colour discrepancy between the old and new leather but as you can see here they've done an amazing job finding the matching leather! It's slightly thicker than the old strap though so it runs through the metal hoops less smoothly. The pen mark and the white spot also disappeared magically - they must have touched up the area somehow. The bag also now feels less dry. It was really worth every penny! I read in previous posts that sometimes the cleaning/polishing didn't seem to make any difference but in this case because it's a rather old bag and there were some visible imperfections, it actually did make a difference and I couldn't have gotten rid of the pen mark myself for sure!
Sorry for the long post but I hope this was useful!View attachment 3155464View attachment 3155465View attachment 3155469
Click to expand...

May I please ask the name of your vintage Hermes bag? I've never seen this style before and I've truly fallen deeply in love!!!
 
#989
Dear readers,

I have set my eyes on a Hermes 35 Kelly bag. The bag has already been Authenticated, the seller has no info about the Hermes store where it was initially purchased and doesn't have any paperwork that comes with it. The lady that is selling the bag told me that she bought it for a bit less than the retail price because the first owner didn't have the paperwork anymore. I really love this bag, it would be my first Hermes. I'm almost sure that I will buy it knowing that it is real. The bag needs a spa treatment because it has some minor scratches but I want it gone

Here are my Questions:

- If I would buy this bag and go to any Hermes store (knowing the bag is real), will they treat me the same (as nice) as a customer that has paperwork that goes with the bag?
- Can I enter a Hermes store without paperwork asking for a Spa treatment?
-Can Hermes help me with the following things if I ask them: Where the bag has been purchased, If the bag is stolen, If I can get any paperwork from Hermes that the bag is real.

Thank you! I will respond and post a pic with the bag if I decide to get it :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top