looking for some expert advice so of course i come here!
sorry it's rather a long story...
i have a 35cm kelly in togo which i purchased in paris FSH a few years ago, which i love and used on city trips sparingly. soon i realized that the leather loop on the handle - the part that attaches to the mental loop - felt soft and not quite right. i waited until the next time i was in paris with it and took it to the repair dept to ask if it seemed right to them. long story short, they said no, it was likely a manufacturing defect since it was clear the bag was in good condition otherwise, however it would make more sense to leave the bag for review for repair or replacement at my home store near NYC than in Paris because of proximity.
so, i left the bag at an Hermes near my home in the US. they sent the bag to Paris, who confirmed the handle was not correct by their error, and it (the handle) would be replaced free of charge. several months later, i was called to come pick up the bag. when i was inspecting the handle, i noticed that some small holes were visible on top of the bag by the leather tab (just 2 or 3) where the new tab didn't cover up presumably holes from the original handle assembly.
the SA was a bit reticent when i pointed it out, said that changing the handle again could weaken the leather - there were only so many times they could stitch and re-stitch in the same spot - and advised maybe they could fill it in a bit with paint the holes, but it would not be permanent. i felt that was not quite an okay solution, and asked to leave the bag again, this time to be assessed by craftspeople in NYC. NYC agreed it was not done to the level expected by the repair team - they were surprised it passed the quality check in Paris in fact, and they said they'd see about it again.
well, i got the call today they replaced the handle again and the bag is ready for pick up. that makes 3 handle replacements on a bag which is otherwise in very nice condition. i expressed some hesitation again - explaining it was one of their own SAs who had said restitching over may weaken the leather. what should i do if in 10 years from now the handle is so weakened and pulls and looks awful? the person i spoke with, in charge of repairs for the store, said that all the paperwork is electronic, and that if in a couple years something is not right would the handle they would have a record of that. he also kindly read on the paperwork that Paris hoped i was now happy with the result, and reminded me that they do did the repair free of charge.
so, my question to all of you is - does this sound typical? should i go and pick up the bag and just not think about everything it's been through to get it fixed? am i being too much of a worrywart? i plan to use this bag for a lifetime, it's not a throw away item of course, or one i hope to resell.
i should mention we have moved several times and don't have a regular SA anymore; I am not a good customer of the store here in the US where the repair is being handled (I don't think that should matter but perhaps it does).
also sorry for no photos, i lacked the forethought to do it each time. sort of the emotion of the moment when they take the bag, i never said, "wait, let me take a picture!"
thanks for all your advice and thoughts on this!
