You know...the more I think about this, the more angry I get.
First of all, Coach sells a product. If you purchase the product, it's yours to with as you please. Whether you sell, use, give away...it's not Coach's concern, their part of the equation has been successfully met. It's not as if they were going to get *more* for the item then what you paid for it. What do they care if you're using it...or if someone else gets to opportunity to enjoy it? Coach still got paid.
I believe strongly in moral behavior...I do. And I've said many times that I have a love/hate relationship with resellers, which is strictly because I have used their services but wish sometimes I had the opportunity to get more at my outlet. However, it's not for Coach or any one else to judge. How can they possibly believe it is their right to police previously sold items?
If you're going to issue "ban letters" for excessive returns, okay--fine. I get that the practice of having a revolving door undermining in regards to their finances and I can go along with a lot of that. But then Coach needs to change their policy. They need to get proactive...they cannot say one thing and do another...because that is undermining to their customers! If we've all been told XYZ for years and years, and then all of sudden it's like XYZ but... that is unacceptable. I run a business, and I work daily to strive for the best possible relationship with my clients and customers...I couldn't imagine the backlash I would get if I said one thing and did another.
I believe that if someone is going to be banned, they at least deserve a warning first. It's the least Coach can do for someone who has spent hundreds upon hundreds of dollars with them. Seriously. It's just the right thing to do.
I could not have said this better!! I also echo Coachgirljami's comments.
To me the time to put limitations on things is at the cash register, not beyond. I have no issue with an item limit rule, but enforce it across the board at every outlet. Beyond that, there's little you can do except tell the buyer they have reached their quota. Yes, there will always be those that attempt to abuse any policy, and resellers will always find a way to circumvent the policy no matter what. Still, IMO, Coach would be better off trying to stop the counterfeiters and take those reports seriously. I used to report this all the time, and basically I got a letter back saying they can't stop the smaller vendors. I got "don't bother" with the letter. Thus, it got to the point that if they can't be bothered, then neither can I.
As for resellers, seems that they need to really look in different directions because almost every time I'm at the outlet I'm quite certain I see resellers, and nobody ever bothers to comment to them other than I hear an occasional question as to why the customer is purchasing so many items, and when they say it's a gift, the cashiers allow the purchase. Only once have I seen anyone recording info and taking DL info.
I'm sorry, but let's face it... I'm not "renting" their items. I'm not a reseller, but if I want to gift, sell, trash, burn...whatever... I feel that is MY right to do with MY purchase that I bought and paid for with my own money....and I will do so! Returns, I do try not to make them, but if I don't want to keep the purchase, then I don't. I can't tell you how many SAs ENCOURAGE you to "buy and try, and return". I'm sorry, but that just breeds what they don't want. Don't say one thing and do another, kwim?? In any event, I would say that returning without receipt is the thing that can nab you.
As for reselling... I've also been asked if I was a reseller recently simply because I buy a lot of bags, and they remember me. I'm really buying them for me, with the occasional gift for some of DH's family, or occasionally for my friends because obviously I'm there at the outlet, and my friend isn't..and I try to get gift receipts for those occasions. However, I guess in one holiday weekend, we bought about 10 bags between my husband and me, and all 10 of those (minus the one that I discovered had blue dots on it and returned), are still happy at home with me. They were bought for ME, and so I did not appreciate the questions and innuendos the SA made.
Let me say that if I ever got a letter, trust me, I wouldn't want to get around their asinine policy to buy Coach ANYWHERE after that, period! There are plenty other great brands out there!! Coach is just one of them, and if they don't want my business, then so be it! I can assure you, they will lose others' business as well because I will surely spread the word. There was a time recently I got very worried when I heard a buddy got the letter, and I could really not understand why that was the case... but honestly, now I just don't care anymore. It's their loss if they want to lose my business...and trust me, my family and I buy a LOT of Coach IMO!
OP, I'm really sorry you got the letter, and I guess I would call and try to speak to someone in loss prevention to see what their rationale was. Beyond that, I would personally be done with the brand. JMO. I don't think I would sell off the pieces I cherish, but there are probably a ton of things I could return and sell...and I probably would do that. Just be sure you really want to get rid of the pieces you love before doing so, because that in itself can be quite emotional...and it's hard to recover. As much as I would dislike the company, I could probably never dislike the pieces I cherish in my collection. It's a very individual choice, though...many people just need to get rid of everything that reminds them of something bad.