Odd leather smell

[chicinthecity777]

Oh no swezfamily!! I just saw your beautiful SO, I'm so sorry this happened to you too.
Definitely bring it back, the smell will not go away and is even worse in warm weather. I can't believe Hermes is letting these bags go through, they need to implement a sniff test!

Now I'm close to tears, over a bag. I'm feeling so stupid. Really, I do know that there are more important things in life.

Anyway, I just talked to my SA and he has encountered this twice with his clients, but was unaware of bags being sent back to Paris. He told me to open up the bag, fill it with scented dryer sheets and then put it in an open area to air out for a few days. I'm supposed to call him on Monday to let him know if it worked. If not, we'll discuss sending it back to Paris.

This is terrible! I know there are worse things to worry about in life but this quite bad enough. I mean we spend so much money on those bags and it better not smell this bad! I must double check the smell next time I buy a bag.

 

[Nico_79]

Now I'm close to tears, over a bag. I'm feeling so stupid. Really, I do know that there are more important things in life.

Anyway, I just talked to my SA and he has encountered this twice with his clients, but was unaware of bags being sent back to Paris. He told me to open up the bag, fill it with scented dryer sheets and then put it in an open area to air out for a few days. I'm supposed to call him on Monday to let him know if it worked. If not, we'll discuss sending it back to Paris.

Oh hunny, it's okay. We are all distressed over our bags, it's not stupid to feel this way. Plus a SO is very special and something you've been waiting for, I can only imagine your disappointment. I'm surprised you SA didn't mention Paris if he encountered this twice already. My SA mentioned another clients Birkin with the same issue and it was sent back to be replaced with a new bag. This is what she said would happen for mine too, so it could be quite some time before it arrives. I hope it works out for you.

 

[swezfamily]

This is terrible! I know there are worse things to worry about in life but this quite bad enough. I mean we spend so much money on those bags and it better not smell this bad! I must double check the smell next time I buy a bag.

Thank you. I feel like I need some support right now from the lovely TPF family. I called my husband at work and he's quite busy, really didn't want to discuss it and didn't give me the sympathy I thought I deserved.

I didn't notice the smell at all when I first saw the bag in the boutique and not even when I brought her home. Wasn't until I was in a car with her for 30 minutes that I smelled the skunk smell. And, it's very cold here. Previous posters say the smell is unbearable on a hot day.

 

[Israeli_Flava]

Thank you. I feel like I need some support right now from the lovely TPF family. I called my husband at work and he's quite busy, really didn't want to discuss it and didn't give me the sympathy I thought I deserved.

I didn't notice the smell at all when I first saw the bag in the boutique and not even when I brought her home. Wasn't until I was in a car with her for 30 minutes that I smelled the skunk smell. And, it's very cold here. Previous posters say the smell is unbearable on a hot day.

I'm so sad to see this problem is becoming more like an epidemic. I have received countless PMs and emails from friends here on the forum. SOs have been showing up smelling like stink bombs on many occasions. Not everyone is willing to go public with this problem. Sad that you happen to also have a stink bomb!

One thing I discovered is that if I am in my SUV, with the stinky bag on the seat next to me and the sun is shining on it... it will stink. The smell is VERY obvious on hot days with tons of sun but the bag also smells in the cold weather when it's in the sunlight for about 30 minutes. I discovered this 2 weeks ago after getting my bag back from the boutique... claiming "Paris didn't smell a thing". Yea right. My bag never left that boutique, let alone went to Paris and back in less than 3 weeks! They couldn't smell the bag in the indoor, open aired boutique so I was accused of "reading about this problem on the Purse Forum" but that the problem doesn't exist in "Epsom bags...Paris is only aware of it in Togo".... Meanwhile, the bag stunk up my SUV during the long and infuriating ride home... Imagine being told that after carrying around a dead skunk Birkin for months bc you're too scared to cause any drama or have confrontation in the boutique?! I'm the biggest fool ever. Send your bag back immediately. The smell never goes away. Don't hold onto hope like I did... it will just make the boutique reluctant to help you.

 

[swezfamily]

Oh hunny, it's okay. We are all distressed over our bags, it's not stupid to feel this way. Plus a SO is very special and something you've been waiting for, I can only imagine your disappointment. I'm surprised you SA didn't mention Paris if he encountered this twice already. My SA mentioned another clients Birkin with the same issue and it was sent back to be replaced with a new bag. This is what she said would happen for mine too, so it could be quite some time before it arrives. I hope it works out for you.

Thanks for the support! I'm doing what my SA suggested and currently have it airing out with scented dryer sheets inside of it, but I have a feeling it's only going to end up smelling like perfumed skunk. I just can't imagine sending it back and going through the wait all over again. And who knows if I would be granted another SO…

 

[glamourbag]

I know your question was not directed towards me, but I have sent my K back to Paris as well. My SA said it could take months as they will need to replace the bag. Also the craftspeople would have been on Holidays during December, so I am sure they are backlogged with a number of things.

Hi! Just wondering if you have gotten your baby soufre back yet? If so, what was the outcome? I have not heard a word on my bag, it has been a month.

Mine went to Paris in August 2013, it still has not been replaced. I am patiently awaiting...

 

[glamourbag]

oops..disregard my previous question. This makes me sad because now I think I probably need to send mine too. Hubby is going to be irate that we paid so much for a bag that I won't get to use for months. I'm really not happy.

Iam so terribly sorry to hear this! Especially when it is a SO! I sent in my B back in August 2013 and am still awaiting the replacement. I was informed it will be replaced, just that it may take a few months.... As for the smell lessening...no it will not. No amount of airing out, Potpourri-ing, wiping with a cloth, etc will take the smell away. And in the heat it is unbearable. I hope they will be able to remake your baby asap. Please keep us in the loop! Good luck.

 

[glamourbag]

Thanks for the support! I'm doing what my SA suggested and currently have it airing out with scented dryer sheets inside of it, but I have a feeling it's only going to end up smelling like perfumed skunk. I just can't imagine sending it back and going through the wait all over again. And who knows if I would be granted another SO…

Please trust me, this will NOT work. I just dont want you to try this approach and then the smell dissipates for a while (bc the smell comes and gones time to time - so strange) and then you tell your SA all is ok, and then a month down the road, or in springtime or summer the scent returns....

 

[swezfamily]

I'm so sad to see this problem is becoming more like an epidemic. I have received countless PMs and emails from friends here on the forum. SOs have been showing up smelling like stink bombs on many occasions. Not everyone is willing to go public with this problem. Sad that you happen to also have a stink bomb!

One thing I discovered is that if I am in my SUV, with the stinky bag on the seat next to me and the sun is shining on it... it will stink. The smell is VERY obvious on hot days with tons of sun but the bag also smells in the cold weather when it's in the sunlight for about 30 minutes. I discovered this 2 weeks ago after getting my bag back from the boutique... claiming "Paris didn't smell a thing". Yea right. My bag never left that boutique, let alone went to Paris and back in less than 3 weeks! They couldn't smell the bag in the indoor, open aired boutique so I was accused of "reading about this problem on the Purse Forum" but that the problem doesn't exist in "Epsom bags...Paris is only aware of it in Togo".... Meanwhile, the bag stunk up my SUV during the long and infuriating ride home... Imagine being told that after carrying around a dead skunk Birkin for months bc you're too scared to cause any drama or have confrontation in the boutique?! I'm the biggest fool ever. Send your bag back immediately. The smell never goes away. Don't hold onto hope like I did... it will just make the boutique reluctant to help you.

OMG! I feel terrible for you. How awful that they aren't even taking the problem seriously and that they more than likely lied about sending it to Paris. This is what I fear will happen with mine. That it's not going to stink in the nice, airy, temp controlled boutique. Even my husband smelled the bag when he came home from work this evening and said it smelled fine to him. I need to lock him in the car with it for a half hour with the heat blasting…maybe I'll have to do that to my SA.

I had the same experience as you. Cold temps outside, but bag was sitting on the passenger seat in the sun with the car heat cranked and I smelled skunk, but assumed it was coming from outside.

So what are you going to do with your stinky bag?

I did see a post to Docride from Begforbag and it was recommended she try something called smelleez pouches. I wonder if she tried that.

 

[swezfamily]

Please trust me, this will NOT work. I just dont want you to try this approach and then the smell dissipates for a while (bc the smell comes and gones time to time - so strange) and then you tell your SA all is ok, and then a month down the road, or in springtime or summer the scent returns....

Good advice. I'm curious if your bag is a SO? I just wonder if SO's get replaced exactly as they were ordered.

 

[Israeli_Flava]

OMG! I feel terrible for you. How awful that they aren't even taking the problem seriously and that they more than likely lied about sending it to Paris. This is what I fear will happen with mine. That it's not going to stink in the nice, airy, temp controlled boutique. Even my husband smelled the bag when he came home from work this evening and said it smelled fine to him. I need to lock him in the car with it for a half hour with the heat blasting…maybe I'll have to do that to my SA.

I had the same experience as you. Cold temps outside, but bag was sitting on the passenger seat in the sun with the car heat cranked and I smelled skunk, but assumed it was coming from outside.

So what are you going to do with your stinky bag?

I did see a post to Docride from Begforbag and it was recommended she try something called smelleez pouches. I wonder if she tried that.

yea, I'm beyond livid at this point. I'll handle it. But I think the key for you is to bring the bag into your boutique when it smells DEFINITELY! It needs to reek and be undeniable. This is the mistake I made. It was too cold and the heater trick in the car didn't work. The bag didn't reek so no one smelled anything. It needs to be in the sun so I suggest putting the bag in a sunny room for an hour prior to going to the boutique. One friend did this with her SO and returned it to her boutique... Wah lah... They smelled it and took care of her. Once the bag cools down... The leather smell takes over rather than the funk. My coworkers can't smell anything inside my office but my son knows the smell bc he's locked in the car with me and stink bomb on a regular basis hahaha

The smelleze pouches only work if you carry the pouch in your bag. I did that for a while this summer bc the smell was so embarrassing but I still couldn't get the courage to tell the boutique! They do get rid of the smell once it's released into the air but does not get the smell out of the leather so it keeps on stinkin. I did as doc suggested... With the black garbage bag... Etc... It makes the smell go away in the air but the bag continues to stink in full force to this day. That's why I said don't hold onto the bag thinking the smell will go away. Sadly, it won't. Or maybe it will be less stinky in 5 yrs but I don't plan on finding that out for sure.

 

[glamourbag]

Good advice. I'm curious if your bag is a SO? I just wonder if SO's get replaced exactly as they were ordered.

No my bag was not an SO, but I would imagine it would be redone to your specs. I just dont understand why YOU, as a purchaser of a 10K+ bag, has to find solutions to mask a problem which you did not create!?! I have to say my SA and store was 100% supportive. I hope your store understands that this is a QUALITY issue. The atelier is kept cool so of course the leather will not smell. Quality control probably misses it bc the bag never gets hot enough to start emitting the scent. It probably doesnt get warmer than in the 60s F in there! As I_F said, try to time the return to the boutique when it is warm...even if it means blasting the heat in your car to get it warm and having your DH drop you off right at the door of the store (so you dont loose the smell once the bag gets cold again on your walk between car and store).

 

[glamourbag]

yea, I'm beyond livid at this point. I'll handle it. But I think the key for you is to bring the bag into your boutique when it smells DEFINITELY! It needs to reek and be undeniable. This is the mistake I made. It was too cold and the heater trick in the car didn't work. The bag didn't reek so no one smelled anything. It needs to be in the sun so I suggest putting the bag in a sunny room for an hour prior to going to the boutique. One friend did this with her SO and returned it to her boutique... Wah lah... They smelled it and took care of her. Once the bag cools down... The leather smell takes over rather than the funk. My coworkers can't smell anything inside my office but my son knows the smell bc he's locked in the car with me and stink bomb on a regular basis hahaha

The smelleze pouches only work if you carry the pouch in your bag. I did that for a while this summer bc the smell was so embarrassing but I still couldn't get the courage to tell the boutique! They do get rid of the smell once it's released into the air but does not get the smell out of the leather so it keeps on stinkin. I did as doc suggested... With the black garbage bag... Etc... It makes the smell go away in the air but the bag continues to stink in full force to this day. That's why I said don't hold onto the bag thinking the smell will go away. Sadly, it won't. Or maybe it will be less stinky in 5 yrs but I don't plan on finding that out for sure.

My goodness IF what the hell are you expected to do?! Im PO'd and its not even me! I cannot believe they are reluctant to acknowledge this issue!!!!

 

[Israeli_Flava]

My goodness IF what the hell are you expected to do?! Im PO'd and its not even me! I cannot believe they are reluctant to acknowledge this issue!!!!

I've been through it Hun! The worst case scenario I played out in my mind (which made me reluctant to take the bag to them in the first place) actually happened! Beyond livid. Beyond. This is not my fault. I was sold a defective item and they expect me to just deal with it bc "...Paris has only heard of this problem in Togo". I think it's the chèvre interior on all the bags that stinks anyway! The smell seems to be coming from the inside of my bag not the rigid exterior! Either way, I was sold a lemon. They need to do a recall bc our bags are as expensive as some cars!!!!

 

[swezfamily]

yea, I'm beyond livid at this point. I'll handle it. But I think the key for you is to bring the bag into your boutique when it smells DEFINITELY! It needs to reek and be undeniable. This is the mistake I made. It was too cold and the heater trick in the car didn't work. The bag didn't reek so no one smelled anything. It needs to be in the sun so I suggest putting the bag in a sunny room for an hour prior to going to the boutique. One friend did this with her SO and returned it to her boutique... Wah lah... They smelled it and took care of her. Once the bag cools down... The leather smell takes over rather than the funk. My coworkers can't smell anything inside my office but my son knows the smell bc he's locked in the car with me and stink bomb on a regular basis hahaha

The smelleze pouches only work if you carry the pouch in your bag. I did that for a while this summer bc the smell was so embarrassing but I still couldn't get the courage to tell the boutique! They do get rid of the smell once it's released into the air but does not get the smell out of the leather so it keeps on stinkin. I did as doc suggested... With the black garbage bag... Etc... It makes the smell go away in the air but the bag continues to stink in full force to this day. That's why I said don't hold onto the bag thinking the smell will go away. Sadly, it won't. Or maybe it will be less stinky in 5 yrs but I don't plan on finding that out for sure.

No my bag was not an SO, but I would imagine it would be redone to your specs. I just dont understand why YOU, as a purchaser of a 10K+ bag, has to find solutions to mask a problem which you did not create!?! I have to say my SA and store was 100% supportive. I hope your store understands that this is a QUALITY issue. The atelier is kept cool so of course the leather will not smell. Quality control probably misses it bc the bag never gets hot enough to start emitting the scent. It probably doesnt get warmer than in the 60s F in there! As I_F said, try to time the return to the boutique when it is warm...even if it means blasting the heat in your car to get it warm and having your DH drop you off right at the door of the store (so you dont loose the smell once the bag gets cold again on your walk between car and store).

I think you ladies are right and I probably just need to give it up. :cry: If I knew that the smell would go away in a matter of weeks or months, I'd be willing to wait it out. But glamourbag is right, for as much as these bags cost, why should we have to fix the problem ourselves or wait for the smell to go away? They should be perfect and be of the highest Hermes quality. I just hope that I don't get a stinky replacement bag. Can you imagine?

I have a very good relationship with my SA and I think he might even be willing to come out to my car and smell the stink for himself. I'll just have to pick a sunny day, sit it in a sunny window for a while before I leave, then crank the heat in the car and get it good and stinky.

Israeli_F you need to give it another try and make another attempt to return it. You shouldn't have to keep that stinky bag.

glamourbag I hope you don't have to wait too much longer for yours to come in. Were you given any indication as to whether or not it would be given higher priority over other bags?