LV does NOT stand by their product. Terrible quality and even worse customer service

[880]

I knew this is gonna be a spicy thread, but still...

None of these policies are official or anywhere written. The original design was prone to fail a little too easily, yes. Many of us were told that it can be brought in, exchanged, and some even heard about a 5 year window for this. This surely could be an internal policy that was told to many clients by the SAs, but that is nowhere near official. They don't have a Service website with all the Recall Programs like what Apple has (whose programs also end after a few years, and individual clients are never notified, they have to find out themselves). And even if they had this internal policy for a few years, ALL free repairs and exchanges were and are at the discretion of the Repair Specialist. They could follow this guideline if they choose to. I can imagine there were many bags so beaten up that they didn't offer free exchanges for. But there never was a PDF on louisvuitton.com saying anything about such a legally binding program or a 5-year extra warranty.
The bag was redesigned. It is highly likely that is was because of the fragile nature of the original, but Vuitton never ever officially stated so. We just assume. They redesigned the Speedy like 3 times since 2000, none of them was because Speedies were falling apart left and right. So this argument is also not valid.
I am not defending them for making a poor product, but they have 0 legal obligation to do anything after purchase. Their watches have 2 years of warranty, nothing else has any. After we leave the cash register, any of the "free" services are just gifts. They don't have to do them. The marketing about their quality (which is still true in most cases, like 99% of the time) is also not legally binding.
And my experience, if a client has a good relationship with the store and/or comes in with issues like this being very friendly and kind, the SAs tend to be very kind and helpful, and paid services can get cheaper or free, even if there is no magic policy for that bag.

This was an unpleasant experience, I understand that. If you try again (and maybe again), as others recommended, the response might be different, but this is a delicate game with their representatives.
And despite some shortcomings, their Repair Department is still unparalleled. No other brands offer such extensive services. Saying it as someone who was denied repair because of cracked canvas. These are their rules, I understood and moved on. Other times, they replaced handles for me for free, even though I didn't even ask for that.

While this was not my personal LV experience (my experiences with Hermes and chanel repair have been better) I agree with the points made by @BULL

 

[lill_canele]

My opinion only on LV customer service aftercare. Many years ago I bought both LV bags and RTW. I stopped when LV flagship NY informers me that they could not fix a raincoat whose pocket seam had separated. I purchased this the prior season. It was a waterproof mac. I like trench coats and have enough so this one did not get an inordinate amount of use. I asked if they could recommend an independent third party repair place, and they could not. I was willing to pay for the repair, BTW, and I wasn’t looking for a replacement or credit. I don’t recall if the issue was fixable or not, but I think they could have responded in a more thoughtful and polite way to my inquiry, and I stopped shopping there. I think I ended up donating the raincoat.

+1

I knew this is gonna be a spicy thread, but still...

None of these policies are official or anywhere written. The original design was prone to fail a little too easily, yes. Many of us were told that it can be brought in, exchanged, and some even heard about a 5 year window for this. This surely could be an internal policy that was told to many clients by the SAs, but that is nowhere near official. They don't have a Service website with all the Recall Programs like what Apple has (whose programs also end after a few years, and individual clients are never notified, they have to find out themselves). And even if they had this internal policy for a few years, ALL free repairs and exchanges were and are at the discretion of the Repair Specialist. They could follow this guideline if they choose to. I can imagine there were many bags so beaten up that they didn't offer free exchanges for. But there never was a PDF on louisvuitton.com saying anything about such a legally binding program or a 5-year extra warranty.
The bag was redesigned. It is highly likely that is was because of the fragile nature of the original, but Vuitton never ever officially stated so. We just assume. They redesigned the Speedy like 3 times since 2000, none of them was because Speedies were falling apart left and right. So this argument is also not valid.
I am not defending them for making a poor product, but they have 0 legal obligation to do anything after purchase. Their watches have 2 years of warranty, nothing else has any. After we leave the cash register, any of the "free" services are just gifts. They don't have to do them. The marketing about their quality (which is still true in most cases, like 99% of the time) is also not legally binding.
And my experience, if a client has a good relationship with the store and/or comes in with issues like this being very friendly and kind, the SAs tend to be very kind and helpful, and paid services can get cheaper or free, even if there is no magic policy for that bag.

This was an unpleasant experience, I understand that. If you try again (and maybe again), as others recommended, the response might be different, but this is a delicate game with their representatives.
And despite some shortcomings, their Repair Department is still unparalleled. No other brands offer such extensive services. Saying it as someone who was denied repair because of cracked canvas. These are their rules, I understood and moved on. Other times, they replaced handles for me for free, even though I didn't even ask for that.

+1 , Especially on store and SA relationships. I have had items replaced or repaired for free and I am convinced it was just due to my good relationship with my SA and management at my store. Policies and time frames are not really discussed. They just offer me a solution and I either take it or I offer different solution and either they agree or we compromise.

I have only had 2 customer service experiences with LV.
The former, being not very nice treatment but I let it go and just bought what I wanted.
The latter being a frustrating situation but with customer service being respectful, understanding and apologetic on the line.

At the end of the day, it is what it is and you told us what happened to you and how you feel about it. I understand you are frustrated and upset and I have been equally or far more upset with poor customer service or poorly designed policies from non-luxury brands. And I think it's good to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. It makes for an informative read for each person to decide how they wish to approach shopping LV on his or her own.
Hopefully you got to vent and move on to other brands that make you happy.

 

[LVlvoe_bug]

For a brand that loves to talk about their heritage and quality… it’s totally a SCAM. We all know the Palm Springs mini backpack was redesigned to fix all the defects of the original model (zipper catching onto the canvas piece the covered the zipper, fraying leather loops and tabs), straps fraying etc.

I brought my old model into the boutique for a replacement because of it’s known issues (my bag also had the same exact issues) but when I went they not only acknowledged that they were replacing the defective bags before but they told me they have stopped that and bc of when the bag was purchased any repairs would be at my cost.

I barely used the bag while I owned it bc I simply couldn’t get in and out of the bag without the zipper catching onto the canvas.

They can talk about their 5 year policy all they want but since when did the 5 year policy override the simple FACT that the bag they sold to everyone is defective? After 5 years is the bag not defective anymore?

These aren’t claims that the bag is defective… it’s widely known and LV themselves redesigned the whole bag to fix THEIR design mistake.

The main point here is… you sold me a defective bag… after 5 years it makes it ok now? Now you want to push a “repair” on it instead of replacing the bag like you have for others? The audacity or them to charge clients for “repairs” on a defective item? Sounds like the accountability stops after 5 years lol. This is not normal wear and tear here… this bag never functioned how it’s supposed to hence the redesign.
Like others said maybe trying a different store or different SA could get you a different answer..
Just a warning to everyone… don’t expect LV to stand by their brand and quality (lack of quality). They will tell you to keep a defective bag and tans behind policies that don’t make sense. Some people may love the old model but it’s safe to say most don’t and neither does LV since they redesigned it.

I do think that LV stands behind their products as proof by the recall of the empreinte and glazing bags that they took back for store credit. My empreinte speedy didn’t even have any issues and they still took it back for a store credit. Bringing it back after all these years and saying it’s defective and they don’t stand behind their items isn’t quite fair. How do they know these issues are not from wear and tear? I have the original mini palm springs and I doubt bringing it back after all these years they are not going to give me a new backpack and I buy a lot from my store. Yes it is really annoying getting in and out of the bag with the fabric covering the zipper but I don’t think they would exchange it for me because of the redesign. i kind of think of it as buying a car and they have redesigns and recalls but if you came in there with known Issues and they redesigned stuff they are not going to give you a new car. They will fix it and learn from the errors and redesign the style…Like others said, maybe trying a different store or SA could get you a different answer.

 

[Luxe888]

I do think that LV stands behind their products as proof by the recall of the empreinte and glazing bags that they took back for store credit. My empreinte speedy didn’t even have any issues and they still took it back for a store credit. Bringing it back after all these years and saying it’s defective and they don’t stand behind their items isn’t quite fair. How do they know these issues are not from wear and tear? I have the original mini palm springs and I doubt bringing it back after all these years they are not going to give me a new backpack and I buy a lot from my store. Yes it is really annoying getting in and out of the bag with the fabric covering the zipper but I don’t think they would exchange it for me because of the redesign. i kind of think of it as buying a car and they have redesigns and recalls but if you came in there with known Issues and they redesigned stuff they are not going to give you a new car. They will fix it and learn from the errors and redesign the style…Like others said, maybe trying a different store or SA could get you a different answer.

You should give it a try (if within the 5 year or maybe if they are just understanding) since you find it annoying how the bag works. Without naming locations and SA names you can actually research this on other platforms of people who have mentioned the location and their SA that replaced the old model for them and informing them LV redesigned it so that the issues of the zipper getting caught on to the canvas won’t/shouldn’t happen anymore. Bags were replaced years later… years of them not being able to use the bag the way it’s supposed to be which is zipping and unzipping the bag without issues. Regardless if you agree or disagree maybe you might benefit from this info!

 

[LVlvoe_bug]

You should give it a try (if within the 5 year or maybe if they are just understanding) since you find it annoying how the bag works. Without naming locations and SA names you can actually research this on other platforms of people who have mentioned the location and their SA that replaced the old model for them and informing them LV redesigned it so that the issues of the zipper getting caught on to the canvas won’t/shouldn’t happen anymore. Bags were replaced years later… years of them not being able to use the bag the way it’s supposed to be which is zipping and unzipping the bag without issues. Regardless if you agree or disagree maybe you might benefit from this info!

Thank you for the info, I had no idea they were replacing this bag just due to the design…..I’ll try and find some info….what other platforms are you referring to?

 

[Luxe888]

Thank you for the info, I had no idea they were replacing this bag just due to the design…..I’ll try and find some info….

Check out tik tok and YouTube. Tik tok will save you a lot of time since there’s quite a bit showing people literally in the store getting an on the spot replacement. They also mention they have used their bag for 3 or 4 years lol

 

[Luxe888]

Thank you for the info, I had no idea they were replacing this bag just due to the design…..I’ll try and find some info….what other platforms are you referring to?

Good luck! I hope at least someone can benefit from this info

 

[LVlvoe_bug]

Good luck! I hope at least someone can benefit from this info

Thank you! I hope you get your bag replaced…

 

[Luxe888]

Thank you! I hope you get your bag replaced…

Unlikely but thank you. I have been getting the whole “5 year” line and some have said to try asking another store. It’s unfair treatment in my opinion but it is what it is. Just wanted to warn everyone and hope others get better treatment! I just saw there’s a whole thread about the issue on the artsy and it’s basically the same reported faulty complaints with the same type of inconsistent responses lol

 

[Strep2031]

For a brand that loves to talk about their heritage and quality… it’s totally a SCAM. We all know the Palm Springs mini backpack was redesigned to fix all the defects of the original model (zipper catching onto the canvas piece the covered the zipper, fraying leather loops and tabs), straps fraying etc.

I brought my old model into the boutique for a replacement because of it’s known issues (my bag also had the same exact issues) but when I went they not only acknowledged that they were replacing the defective bags before but they told me they have stopped that and bc of when the bag was purchased any repairs would be at my cost.

I barely used the bag while I owned it bc I simply couldn’t get in and out of the bag without the zipper catching onto the canvas.

They can talk about their 5 year policy all they want but since when did the 5 year policy override the simple FACT that the bag they sold to everyone is defective? After 5 years is the bag not defective anymore?

These aren’t claims that the bag is defective… it’s widely known and LV themselves redesigned the whole bag to fix THEIR design mistake.

The main point here is… you sold me a defective bag… after 5 years it makes it ok now? Now you want to push a “repair” on it instead of replacing the bag like you have for others? The audacity or them to charge clients for “repairs” on a defective item? Sounds like the accountability stops after 5 years lol. This is not normal wear and tear here… this bag never functioned how it’s supposed to hence the redesign.

Just a warning to everyone… don’t expect LV to stand by their brand and quality (lack of quality). They will tell you to keep a defective bag and tans behind policies that don’t make sense. Some people may love the old model but it’s safe to say most don’t and neither does LV since they redesigned it.

Wow! I’m sorry this happened to you. Wish the outcome would’ve been different. I had an Artsy that I purchased in 2015 start peeling on me so I took it in to my local boutique in Demeter 2022. After inspecting my bag and raving about how well maintained the bag was (the hardware still had the plastic protectors on the inside), the Manager offered me a new Artsy on the spot or I could send mine off to repair. They gave me time to think about it. I returned the following week to pick up a brand new Artsy. It’s still in the dust bag because I said I was going to record a video for YT to talk about how LV stands behind their product.

 

[Luxe888]

Wow! I’m sorry this happened to you. Wish the outcome would’ve been different. I had an Artsy that I purchased in 2015 start peeling on me so I took it in to my local boutique in Demeter 2022. After inspecting my bag and raving about how well maintained the bag was (the hardware still had the plastic protectors on the inside), the Manager offered me a new Artsy on the spot or I could send mine off to repair. They gave me time to think about it. I returned the following week to pick up a brand new Artsy. It’s still in the dust bag because I said I was going to record a video for YT to talk about how LV stands behind their product.

Thanks for sharing! This is exactly why I said they are treating people unfairly. It’s funny that there were users that thought it was “entitlement” but couldn’t understand the expectation is to be treated fairly and to hold brands accountable. Anyways I’m glad you got great service and enjoy your new bag!!

 

[Strep2031]

Thanks for sharing! This is exactly why I said they are treating people unfairly. It’s funny that there were users that thought it was “entitlement” but couldn’t understand the expectation is to be treated fairly and to hold brands accountable. Anyways I’m glad you got great service and enjoy your new bag!!

I totally understand your position. There is a difference between wear and tear and a faulty product.

 

[daisy913]

Thanks for sharing! This is exactly why I said they are treating people unfairly. It’s funny that there were users that thought it was “entitlement” but couldn’t understand the expectation is to be treated fairly and to hold brands accountable. Anyways I’m glad you got great service and enjoy your new bag!!

“Fairly” to you means that you would receive a brand new bag. I get it. You bought your PSM before the redesign was released. Unfortunately, you were not able to bring it in shortly after the redesign was released.

Just because a company did not give you what you wanted, it does not mean that the company as a whole does not stand by their products or customer service.

You missed out on the free replacement that LV was under no obligation to provide in the first place. Not to mention, it doesn’t seem like your PSM even has the canvas cracking issue, which was the main reason for the redesign. Frayed straps can and will happen over time, so to argue that they are defective as well doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Same thing for customer service. Just because you didn’t get the exact thing you wanted, it doesn’t mean that the service you received is poor.

You went in expecting that you would be walking out with a new bag, but you walked out without one. We get it. You are very disappointed.

 

[DELUXXED]

Does LV contact you or make you aware in any way when they declare a bag is defective? If they do, I think that's their opportunity to state how long you have for the exchange/free repair.

OP, you may not intend it to be so, but you're definitely coming off very aggressive. I think the advice to type out your response, give it some time, and then reread it before you post was very good advice.

LV will not proactively reach out to clients to "recall" defective product, at least not at a corporate level. The only exception to this was during their "melting glaze" years when specific collections of their leather goods were having cracking and melting issues with the edge-dye on their bags and wallets. These were only specific units (mostly Empreinte, Epi, and select full-leather models) that were manufactured from 2013-2016. Many clients that purchased these products and linked the sale to their customer profiles were contacted if they had valid email address on file. This was the only time LV organized a corporate-level outreach campaign to inform clients that their product may have quality concerns.
Otherwise, LV does not contact clients to warn them of potential defects. Like others have mentioned, due diligence falls on the customer to be on lookout for concerns and have them addressed ASAP (even five years is now pushing it. Some stores will not no longer create quality reports for product purchased beyond TWO years!). Two years is now the new "time frame" with anytime after being case by case at the individual store level.
With that being said, make sure you register your purchases, and ask for an e-receipt at point of payment so you will forever have that record in your inbox.
Also assess your item before taking it to the store, and clean it if it looks like it could use a little freshening up. It needs to be in an overall gently used condition. Any sign of misuse or overuse could be used as an argument to not offer an exchange or complimentary repair.

 

[880]

“Fairly” to you means that you would receive a brand new bag. I get it. You bought your PSM before the redesign was released. Unfortunately, you were not able to bring it in shortly after the redesign was released.

Just because a company did not give you what you wanted, it does not mean that the company as a whole does not stand by their products or customer service.

You missed out on the free replacement that LV was under no obligation to provide in the first place. Not to mention, it doesn’t seem like your PSM even has the canvas cracking issue, which was the main reason for the redesign. Frayed straps can and will happen over time, so to argue that they are defective as well doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Same thing for customer service. Just because you didn’t get the exact thing you wanted, it doesn’t mean that the service you received is poor.

You went in expecting that you would be walking out with a new bag, but you walked out without one. We get it. You are very disappointed.

100% agree (my emphasis added) I find entitlement today troubling
I agree with the above POV despite not having the best experiences with LV CS aftercare