I am so sad

[QueenLouis]

Yes, i learned about the return policy last Dec, anything i wasn't sure about went back. I do think that the new policies shoulsd have been communicated by Coach to its customers via email..

Yes, they have all our info and could have done that. I had several bags with tags I still could have returned and noticed the new 60 days policy when I made a FOS purchase in Dec. after nearly a year of not purchasing from Coach.

Anyway, sorry to go off on a tangent. I'm just shocked.

 

[katev]

Yes, i learned about the return policy last Dec, anything i wasn't sure about went back. I do think that the new policies shoulsd have been communicated by Coach to its customers via email..

I will take it to a cobbler. Using just the long strap bunches the bag into a wierd shape, can't do that. Just need to hunt one down in my area! Thank You!!

I wish that I had known about the change in the return policy sooner but I have been staying away from the outlet and the boutique and PF because I have been cutting back on purchases and so I missed the news. They have my email address to send advertisements and FOS sales to me so they could have easily informed me of the change.

Will they at least give you a merchandise credit if you return something over 60 days? In the past it has been my practice to pick up items on sale throughout the year and then give them as gifts (with the gift receipt) later for birthdays, holidays, and especially at Christmas. But if the recipients won't be able to take the items back with the gift receipt then I will stop buying goodies as potential gifts.

These new policies will further reduce my purchases because I've always felt comfortable trying something at home with the knowledge that I could take it back NWT when convenient if it didn't work for me.

The fact that I could expect to get at least a 40% credit if a bag developed problems later also gave me confidence to buy. I take good care of my bags and store them well and I expect them to last a long time. So I will continue with my current efforts to enjoy the high-quality bags in my closet rather than buying new bags all the time.

The thing that makes me saddest is missing the opportunity to find a great older bag at the outlet at an excellent price because someone recently returned it NWTs. I've gotten some terrific bags and deals that way! It's as if Coach is trying to drive people to sell/buy on ebay!

 

[rose10]

Yes, they have all our info and could have done that. I had several bags with tags I still could have returned and noticed the new 60 days policy when I made a FOS purchase in Dec. after nearly a year of not purchasing from Coach.

Anyway, sorry to go off on a tangent. I'm just shocked.

I completely understand!

 

[katev]

...I will take it to a cobbler. Using just the long strap bunches the bag into a wierd shape, can't do that. Just need to hunt one down in my area! Thank You!!

I have learned the hard way that the cheapest cobbler is not always the best choice. I enjoy restoring vintage bags and I've found a good cobbler that I like a lot but he can be pricey - but he always gives an honest opinion and price estimate and tells me when something may not look so great after repair - so that I can make an informed decision.

 

[rose10]

I wish that I had known about the change in the return policy sooner but I have been staying away from the outlet and the boutique and PF because I have been cutting back on purchases and so I missed the news. They have my email address to send advertisements and FOS sales to me so they could have easily informed me of the change.

Will they at least give you a merchandise credit if you return something over 60 days? In the past it has been my practice to pick up items on sale throughout the year and then give them as gifts (with the gift receipt) later for birthdays, holidays, and especially at Christmas. But if the recipients won't be able to take the items back with the gift receipt then I will stop buying goodies as potential gifts.

These new policies will further reduce my purchases because I've always felt comfortable trying something at home with the knowledge that I could take it back NWT when convenient if it didn't work for me.

The fact that I could expect to get at least a 40% credit if a bag developed problems later also gave me confidence to buy. I take good care of my bags and store them well and I expect them to last a long time. So I will continue with my current efforts to enjoy the high-quality bags in my closet rather than buying new bags all the time.

The thing that makes me saddest is missing the opportunity to find a great older bag at the outlet at an excellent price because someone recently returned it NWTs. I've gotten some terrific bags and deals that way! It's as if Coach is trying to drive people to sell/buy on ebay!

So, now if you send in a bag for repairs and it cannot be repaired, you are not offered a 40% off letter. Also, any item over the 60 day period cannot be returned or exchanged, no exceptions other than a defective item...

A lot has changed, like you it will change my buying attitude towards Coach...

 

[whateve]

I wish that I had known about the change in the return policy sooner but I have been staying away from the outlet and the boutique and PF because I have been cutting back on purchases and so I missed the news. They have my email address to send advertisements and FOS sales to me so they could have easily informed me of the change.

Will they at least give you a merchandise credit if you return something over 60 days? In the past it has been my practice to pick up items on sale throughout the year and then give them as gifts (with the gift receipt) later for birthdays, holidays, and especially at Christmas. But if the recipients won't be able to take the items back with the gift receipt then I will stop buying goodies as potential gifts.

These new policies will further reduce my purchases because I've always felt comfortable trying something at home with the knowledge that I could take it back NWT when convenient if it didn't work for me.

The fact that I could expect to get at least a 40% credit if a bag developed problems later also gave me confidence to buy. I take good care of my bags and store them well and I expect them to last a long time. So I will continue with my current efforts to enjoy the high-quality bags in my closet rather than buying new bags all the time.

The thing that makes me saddest is missing the opportunity to find a great older bag at the outlet at an excellent price because someone recently returned it NWTs. I've gotten some terrific bags and deals that way! It's as if Coach is trying to drive people to sell/buy on ebay!

Yes, it's changed my behavior too. I remember how much fun it was to find an older bag at the outlet. I ordered something from FP that I knew wouldn't work once I got it, and I got so nervous I wouldn't remember to return it before the 60 days were up, so instead of waiting for a time when there might be something I wanted to exchange it for, I returned it almost immediately. I guess that is better for them so they can resell it before it gets deleted.

I don't think they will take anything back beyond the 60 days. I know someone got a merchandise credit when they missed the January 18 deadline by a few days, but now I doubt they would take back anything from last year or earlier. I returned a bunch of stuff around Christmas that I might have eventually used but, to be honest, I don't miss most of it. I wish I had hung on to a few of the keychains.

If there was something new I really wanted, I would try to buy it from Macy's because they don't have a time limit on returns. Between the reduction in the quality, the hike in prices, the change in the return and repair policy, and the overuse of cross-grain leather, I haven't been as tempted to buy at FP. I've been spending most of my money on ebay.

 

[knightal]

OP, I am sorry to hear that Coach is not very helpful. It's disappointing to see that they have reduced their warranty and service to be like everyone else... I am sure it saves them a lot of money and cuts down abuse but it's bad news for honest customers that have issues.

My SA at Kate Spade told me that they sent their bags to a New Jersey shop for repairs. I looked up their website, and it appears that they repair Coach too. Maybe try to get a quote from them? Good luck!
http://ragobrothers.com/coach-handbag-repair.html

 

[katev]

I only have one Sophia (the embellished, gathered putty Sophia) but I noticed that the handles are constructed differently. The rolled handles have metal caps on the ends that connect to the O ring. I wonder if they made that change because of problems with the handles? Or maybe it was just part of the "embellishment" for this bag?

 

[highrider9o9]

I bought this bag in 2010. My first ever Coach bag. Used her the most out of all my other bags. Was filling her up to today and as soon as i put her on my shoulder this happened. I had noticed white threads coming out of the looped handles but did not know this could happen!! ��

This happened to anyone on any Coach bag with rolled handles?!?!

I am not hard on my bags and due to bad shoulders cannot load them up as they become heavy...but this still happened. I know nothing lasts forever, am i overreacting?

Not to play devils advocate, you've had the bag for 5 years now and you said you use it a lot more than your other bags, it is quite possible the life of the bag is over. Unfortunately they do not last forever. The average life of a leather bag as stated by Coach employees is 5-7 years. A lot of times we think were not as hard on our bags then we actually are, and maybe that isn't the case for you, but I have seen broken handles before, and I have never seen one like that. In my opinion, which once again might not be the case, it looks like it had frayed quite a bit before or some of the stiching had already come undone, and you kept using it. once again just speculation. The other thing that caught my attention, was that you mentioned you carried it on your shoulder? those are not shoulder straps, there too small, they are technically meant to be used as satchel handles. It could be possible that you contributed to the accident by using those as "shoulder" straps too. Best of luck in which ever option you choose, and I do hope your bag can be repaired, Sophias are amazing bags.

 

[katev]

Not to play devils advocate, you've had the bag for 5 years now and you said you use it a lot more than your other bags, it is quite possible the life of the bag is over. Unfortunately they do not last forever. The average life of a leather bag as stated by Coach employees is 5-7 years.../QUOTE]

I know that the bags aren't supposed to last forever, but I have many bags so none of them ever gets a lot of wear. And I take care of them and store them well so I do expect them to last for a long. long time. I would be devastated if my putty Sophia above suddenly fell apart. But your comment about putting strain on the handles by using them as shoulder straps makes sense and that may have been a factor in the demise of the black Sophia.

I collect/restore vintage Coach bags that are often quite old and many them still look almost like new. I recently gave this mahogany Stewardess bag to a friend and it was made in 1995. At least the older Coach bags were made to last forever - as long as you took good care of them.

 

[oldbaglover]

Not to play devils advocate, you've had the bag for 5 years now and you said you use it a lot more than your other bags, it is quite possible the life of the bag is over. Unfortunately they do not last forever. The average life of a leather bag as stated by Coach employees is 5-7 years.../QUOTE]

I know that the bags aren't supposed to last forever, but I have many bags so none of them ever gets a lot of wear. And I take care of them and store them well so I do expect them to last for a long. long time. I would be devastated if my putty Sophia above suddenly fell apart. But your comment about putting strain on the handles by using them as shoulder straps makes sense and that may have been a factor in the demise of the black Sophia.

I collect/restore vintage Coach bags that are often quite old and many them still look almost like new. I recently gave this mahogany Stewardess bag to a friend and it was made in 1995. At least the older Coach bags were made to last forever - as long as you took good care of them.

I agree with you Katev about the quality of the older bags. You can't beat that thicker leather. The Stewardess is beautiful!

 

[katev]

I agree with you Katev about the quality of the older bags. You can't beat that thicker leather. The Stewardess is beautiful!

Thanks, I bought it at the thrift store for less than $40 and my friend really loves it, and I hope that the OP can salvage her beloved Sophia too!

 

[whateve]

I only have one Sophia (the embellished, gathered putty Sophia) but I noticed that the handles are constructed differently. The rolled handles have metal caps on the ends that connect to the O ring. I wonder if they made that change because of problems with the handles? Or maybe it was just part of the "embellishment" for this bag?

Not to play devils advocate, you've had the bag for 5 years now and you said you use it a lot more than your other bags, it is quite possible the life of the bag is over. Unfortunately they do not last forever. The average life of a leather bag as stated by Coach employees is 5-7 years. A lot of times we think were not as hard on our bags then we actually are, and maybe that isn't the case for you, but I have seen broken handles before, and I have never seen one like that. In my opinion, which once again might not be the case, it looks like it had frayed quite a bit before or some of the stiching had already come undone, and you kept using it. once again just speculation. The other thing that caught my attention, was that you mentioned you carried it on your shoulder? those are not shoulder straps, there too small, they are technically meant to be used as satchel handles. It could be possible that you contributed to the accident by using those as "shoulder" straps too. Best of luck in which ever option you choose, and I do hope your bag can be repaired, Sophias are amazing bags.

I carry my Sophias on my shoulder too. The handles are more substantial then many tote straps. I've had 6 Sophias. The way the handles are attached is slightly different on different versions. I never had a plain leather version. I think the croc and patent versions had similar handles to the plain leather, but I bet the patent leather used for the handles is stronger, less likely to break. The signature version had identical leather handles but I don't have it anymore so I don't know how it held up over time.

 

[CoachMaven]

I only have one Sophia (the embellished, gathered putty Sophia) but I noticed that the handles are constructed differently. The rolled handles have metal caps on the ends that connect to the O ring. I wonder if they made that change because of problems with the handles? Or maybe it was just part of the "embellishment" for this bag?

I was curious about this as well, because when I saw OP's photos, I went to look at my Sophia. But mine is like yours, with the metal caps. Mine is a python embossed version, so perhaps the more 'fancy' ones were with the metal, and the all leather ones without embellishments had the leather attachment? But on a similar note, the Lindseys have the same as OP's, so I will keep an eye out on that for mine.

 

[highrider9o9]

Not to play devils advocate, you've had the bag for 5 years now and you said you use it a lot more than your other bags, it is quite possible the life of the bag is over. Unfortunately they do not last forever. The average life of a leather bag as stated by Coach employees is 5-7 years.../QUOTE]

I know that the bags aren't supposed to last forever, but I have many bags so none of them ever gets a lot of wear. And I take care of them and store them well so I do expect them to last for a long. long time. I would be devastated if my putty Sophia above suddenly fell apart. But your comment about putting strain on the handles by using them as shoulder straps makes sense and that may have been a factor in the demise of the black Sophia.

I collect/restore vintage Coach bags that are often quite old and many them still look almost like new. I recently gave this mahogany Stewardess bag to a friend and it was made in 1995. At least the older Coach bags were made to last forever - as long as you took good care of them.

I will tell you one of my favorite bags I have is a Coach clutch from the 70's that was my moms. She took phenomenal care of her bags. I really need to get around to posting a picture of it too.