Nightmare Alston!

rocksteady

rocksteady

Member
Jul 19, 2009
255
2
#1
So after months of searching I finally secured a Saddle Alston. The seller assured me that the bag would be packaged appropriately and arrive in a timely fashion. On my return from a trip to Tucson, much to my chagrin, I discovered my beloved Alston smashed into a box no larger than 12" x 4" x 14" on my doorstep.

The bag emerged misshapen and covered in dust, its leather handles bent. Additionally, the painted stripes were tarnished from the lousy packaging. Might I add, the bag was sold as NEW, and in its pictures it was flawless.

I'm so furious; I considered briefly returning this bag, but I know it's a rarity. Have any of you repainted/restored successfully a LAMB bag? I want nothing more than to restore this to its full glory. Also, is it too much to ask for some of my money back in order to make repairs?
 
#2
^ Firts of all... so sorry you got a bag in that condition! That is horrible!

Did the listing state any flaws whatsoever to the bag? Even with that though...wtf with the box size??! I received a bag like that once. Ugh! I would definitely ask for some of your money back. If you want to keep it that is.

Yvonne is the person to ask about repainting/restoring a bag. I got my alston from her and it was in great condition after she "refurbished it", so to speak. I would def wait for her response on this.
 
#3
Thank you so much, Lambiepie. It's so frustrating! He (the seller) listed no flaws at all, and I contacted him to ensure the packaging would be adequate and he insisted all was well. I'm so glad I found knowledgeable L.A.M.B. enthusiasts!
 
#4
We have all had our share of packages gone wrong! One of us even received an alston smashed up in a box that was oh so small. We were all so sad for that poor l.a.m.b! That lambie sent it back to the seller.

You have come to the right place!

Do you have pics of the bag you can show us? Maybe pics of the listing and pics of the bag you got?
 
#6
Oh my God.. I can't imagine smashing an Alston into a box that small.. Holy :sad: It indeed does look flawless in the seller's photos. I don't know hat people are thinking when they stuff large bags into small boxes. I received my Silver Morant like that albeit not as dramatically stuffed, just poorly packaged.

To post your pictures, either upload them and click the icon that has the picture of the earth with a paperclip like thing on the bottom right, OR, click the square, light yellow icon with the image of the mountain and sun and upload them.
 
#7
That is totally devastating! I would definitley at least try to contact the seller and let him know that the bag you received is not in the same condition as it was pictured. You could offer to send some pictures to him if you think he would need to see them. Let him know that you really don't understand why a bag that size was stuffed into a box that small and that kind of carelessness caused major damage to the bag.

If you think it can be repaired then I would definitely keep it for sure because it's such a rarity and who knows when you'll ever be able to find one again. If that turns out to be the case then I would also let him know you feel you need to be compensated for 1) the fact that the bag you received is not at all like how it was pictured, and for 2) the cost of restoration or repair.

In the meantime you could possibly try stuffing it with some t-shirts or sweaters to try and reshape it back to it's original state.

I'm sorry that happened :sad: I hope you are able to get through to the seller.
 
#8
I just received a response from the seller:

"That was the "large" box they gave me at the post office. They didnt give me a larger option but obviously if i thought it was going to hurt the bag i wouldnt have done it. You sent me an email about packaging even before you recieved it, so clearly you had some preconceived notion about the bag being damaged. Id be happy to take the bag back and refund you 100%. I will just relist it. Its not worth the aggrevation to me, of getting an email like this, and i can tell there will be more if we continue. So send it back and i will refund you the money. Best of luck to you."

Oh, and the seller, in a previous email, said the bag was made of vinyl, so it wasn't "delicate."

I'm keeping the bag, and I am working on those pictures. Thank you, guys!
 
#9
Hey Rocksteady!!

Sorry you're having such issues - it's sellers like that one that ruin it for other good sellers.

I would be frustrated as well - it's such a pain because a larger box would have only been about $4 more to ship and would have accommodated the size of the alston. I'm sure he shipped it in a large flat rate box, which is NOT large enough.

You do have a rare beauty in hand, and since you're keeping it - we will all help you restore it: don't worry - there's hope - I did a complete rehab job on the Alston (and a few other bags) and have a full list of what you can do to fix the stripe. Let me find the rehab link and repost the materials/directions.
 
#11
rocksteady said:
I just received a response from the seller:

"That was the "large" box they gave me at the post office. They didnt give me a larger option but obviously if i thought it was going to hurt the bag i wouldnt have done it. You sent me an email about packaging even before you recieved it, so clearly you had some preconceived notion about the bag being damaged. Id be happy to take the bag back and refund you 100%. I will just relist it. Its not worth the aggrevation to me, of getting an email like this, and i can tell there will be more if we continue. So send it back and i will refund you the money. Best of luck to you."

Oh, and the seller, in a previous email, said the bag was made of vinyl, so it wasn't "delicate."

I'm keeping the bag, and I am working on those pictures. Thank you, guys!
Click to expand...

UGH.. He's trying to somehow blame you now? Just reading that infuriates me. >(

*sigh* At least you'll be able to treat it better than he did.
 
#12
^^ Sooooo annoying! I had the seller of my Oxford freak out on me too. There was some king of food that looked like egg yolk in it and she said I was making all of it up and she made a "special trip to the store just for me". Sure she did! LOL He's just trying to scare you into not leaving him negative feedback. I love how he says you had a prconceived notion about it being damaged, what a jerk!!!
 
#13
rocksteady said:
I just received a response from the seller:

"That was the "large" box they gave me at the post office. They didnt give me a larger option but obviously if i thought it was going to hurt the bag i wouldnt have done it. You sent me an email about packaging even before you recieved it, so clearly you had some preconceived notion about the bag being damaged. Id be happy to take the bag back and refund you 100%. I will just relist it. Its not worth the aggrevation to me, of getting an email like this, and i can tell there will be more if we continue. So send it back and i will refund you the money. Best of luck to you."

Oh, and the seller, in a previous email, said the bag was made of vinyl, so it wasn't "delicate."

I'm keeping the bag, and I am working on those pictures. Thank you, guys!
Click to expand...

Are you serious?!:censor:
His "aggravation" ??? Where does he get off being all self-righteous, clearly when he is the one at fault. Wouldn't he realize when he started to put the bag in the box that it is too small? If you paid a pretty penny for the Alston, I don't see why they can't spend a few bucks to buy a box that the bag will comfortably fit in . I would definitely leave negative feedback, saying the seller was careless in packaging, mis-representted the item, and down right rude in dealing with.
 
#14
grayxie said:
Are you serious?!:censor:
His "aggravation" ??? Where does he get off being all self-righteous, clearly when he is the one at fault. Wouldn't he realize when he started to put the bag in the box that it is too small? If you paid a pretty penny for the Alston, I don't see why they can't spend a few bucks to buy a box that the bag will comfortably fit in . I would definitely leave negative feedback, saying the seller was careless in packaging, mis-representted the item, and down right rude in dealing with.
Click to expand...

I will NEVER understand this! All for people to save a few bucks :shrugs:, I don't get it!

I sold one of my bags on ebay and charged $10 for Priority shipping (figuring it would be a little more). When I went to the PO it was almost $60 because the box was so large. Knowing how infuriating it is for people to smash purses into bozes they don't fit in I simply emailed the buyer explained the situation and asked if it would be ok if I shipped standard (which was around $25). She was sooo understanding and was more than happy to wait a few more days rather than me stuffing it into a prepaid box! Ans the thing that really gets me is when you pay $16 + for shipping and they shove it in a $8 prepaid box. Ugh!
 
#15
I always pay more for shipping than I charge. I had a situation like that where the box size, not weight, was going to make it cost $35. I just went to the UPS store which is so much easier anyways, and there are no lines, and paid $15

Sorry the seller is such a tool, I had one like that dealing with my esquivel.
 
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