So lets be real here –
ALL designer bags have their share of quality issues whether Chanel, Hermes,
Gucci. . .whatever. And
ALL those designers have been through a period where stuff was just bad for a stretch. Honestly in my years of buying LV I have only had two issues with bags from LV and the problem was rectified immediately. Now I am not saying there are not problems because clearly there are but I also feel there is a false perception that a bag should be 100 percent perfect because we paid over a grand for it. Nothing absolutely nothing is perfect but we can ask for darn near perfect – I get that. I also know that the excitement of buying the bag takes over our senses to
actually look over the bag before leaving the boutique. Now when ordering over the phone from a boutique unless you have an SA who really knows you and how you are when buying bags you are not going to get someone who actually tries to make sure the bag is darn near perfect for you. At the end of the day they are trying to make a sale and with them all on commission now believe me the sale is first and foremost. Ordering online yes there absolutely should be someone in a quality control type roll who is looking over the bag before shipping. Does this happen before something is shipped – maybe, maybe not. I have purchased online and in the boutique and have had a great experience with both. Will I generally buy a bag that has been on the shelf – NO. A bag that has sat in a drawer – sure if after I have looked over and it meets my standards. But honestly I have my SA order the bags I want to purchase from the warehouse and she will only let me know it is ready for pick up after she has looked it over. Then I look it over once I get to the boutique. Has there been a time when a bag arrived and my SA text me and says she is ordering another because I will not like the one that came – only twice. To give LV the benefit of the doubt some of the things are a little hard to detect upon first glance. Now bags for sure you need to make sure you inspect are the Neverfull and Speedy’s- these bags have been known to have something or the other wrong with them that one person or another may not like. These two bags there needs to be a few to look at to choose from. That has been that way for quite some years now and I believe that is due to the amount of them that are made. Yes do machine play a part – absolutely. When I hear someone state the bags are hand made I want to laugh because that is not true any longer. No possible way would LV be able to keep up with the demand if all of them were hand made and stitched. Now are there bags that are just prone to issues – sure but that’s when you do your research before buying and decide whether you want to take the chance or not. Some bags wear differently from others and not all of them are meant for daily heavy use. For instance I have a Pouchette Metis – have had it going on the third year and it is just fine (looks great actually) – where others have had problems. Am I saying I won’t have a problem – I do not know the answer to that but will cross that bridge when and if it happens. This was a bag that has had issues and I decided to take that chance. Also these bags are not indestructible just because you paid thousands none of them are and there will be wear just like anything else. You have to take care of them properly.
So with all that been said I think we need to be our own quality control. If a bag does not meet your standards return for a new one or choose something else or yes a different brand. Asking everyone else’s opinion on whether you should return something or not is useless – if the bag does not fit your standards of darn near perfection then it is what it is – no one else’s opinion is going to change that – right? Same goes for asking is this normal – what may be normal for someone else may not be normal for me. Only your opinion really matters at the end of the day. So does LV need to step it up sure maybe but I think we as buyers need to as well. . .
