So here's the full dramatic story, complete with good guys and bad guys....
I had bought the Mandarin Epi Speedy back in late April (not quite a month ago) and it wasn't long before I realized it had the dreaded stinky cat pee smell. I finally decided it had to be returned this past week, and on Wednesday afternoon, I called the 866 number to find out if I would have any trouble returning it. They said that it was a known Quality Control issue and that I could take it back to any LV store. A few minutes later (this was now just before 6pm) I went to the LV website to find the number for the new free-standing LV store in Chevy Chase. All they had was the 866 number, so I called back and asked to be connected to the Chevy Chase LV. The phone rang, and I asked "are you the Chevy Chase LV?" and they said yes. (this will be important later)
I said that I was going to be there on Saturday to return a defective bag and did they have any Mandarin Jasmin bags there? They said yes we have one left and I asked them to hold it for me for my Saturday visit and gave them my name (again, important detail).
So today my friends from alt.fashion and I went over to the free-standing LV at Chevy Chase to return the stinky Speedy and buy the Jasmin to replace it. The LeatherGoods manager there is Jaleh and she is the Number One Good Guy of this story. She realized immediately that the store with which I had been connected by the 866 number was NOT their free-standing store, but it was the tiny LV counter down the block at the Chevy Chase Saks. Since she knew that I didn't want to have to explain the stinkiness of the Speedy all over again, she offered to call ahead to let them know I was on my way.
....and here's where things go horribly wrong....
The Chevy Chase SAKS LV says they have a Mandarin Jasmin on hold, but NOT on hold for me. They won't tell Jaleh WHO it is on hold for, but it's definitely not on hold for ME. But because Jaleh is the Leather Goods mgr of the REAL Chevy Chase LV, she knows that on this past Wed afternoon, just before 6pm, the SAKS CC LV had requested that the last Mandarin Jasmin at the REAL LV store be sent over to SAKS because a customer had requested a hold. (Yes, that was exactly the time that I had called, and remember, that SAKS counter never said they were SAKS so I had no idea that this was going on behind the scenes.)
Yet the SAKS LV still insists that the customer for whom they are holding this Mandarin Jasmin bag -- the last one available in the entire MD/VA/DC area (as we come to find out during this time) -- is NOT me. After much calling and insisting and digging, Jaleh is told on the phone that the other person's name is "Cammie". That's all -- no last name, no real confirmation as to when this other person allegedly put this same bag on hold.
At this point, everyone there at the REAL Chevy Chase LV knows that something fishy is going on. But they can't do anything -- SAKS LV has taken the bag and won't give it back to them and won't sell it to me even though I can prove I'm the one who called at that exact day and time to put it on hold at what I had been led to believe was the REAL Chevy Chase LV.
So Jaleh does what she can after all her attempts to get things fixed for me: she takes the stinky Speedy and gives me a full and complete refund back on my Visa card (yay!), she takes my name and number and says she will do everything she can to track down another Mandarin Epi Jasmin for me within the week.
I am so angry at this point, but not at Jaleh and not at the REAL Chevy Chase LV. My friends and I had already planned to hit the SAKS next, and we did go there and buy some Armani makeup, but I couldn't resist going to the teeny tiny LV counter and asking the SA there who was Cammie and could I talk to her? At first, he acted like he didn't have any idea what I was talking about, but then when my friend asked why does Cammie get the bag when you can't even tell us when she called, he said "we just don't know, that's just how it is". So I looked him in the eye and said that the REAL Chevy Chase LV is going to make things right for me even though none of it was their fault, and that it's too bad Cammie wasn't around because I'd like to have a chat with her. And then we left.
Why would the SAKS Chevy Chase LV do this? Well, hey, if that's the last available Mandarin Jasmin bag in a 300 mile radius, I'm sure there's lots of reasons why they might want to do this to me. There are all kinds of possible scenarios, and it would be a shame to speculate in a way that could slander them. Mostly.
But I wanted all you LV lovers to know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. The REAL Chevy Chase LV, the free-standing store that just opened last fall -- they are the good guys. Jaleh the Leather Goods manager was so awesome, even when one of my friends was getting all outraged on my behalf and I was trying to keep her calm and telling her no, no, this lady is doing everything she can to fix this for me and none of it is even remotely her fault. By the end, even my friend was impressed with how professional and wonderful Jaleh was to us.
But I wouldn't give those unethical people at the SAKS Chevy Chase LV the time of day, let alone one thin dime of my money. And I would advise any of you to give them a wide berth as well.
Oh, and to add fun and excitement to the whole drama: in the middle of it all, I got to meet my first PF member IRL! Hey PGN! It was soo cool to meet you! You all should have seen her with her two HUGE FILLED LV shopping bags. And you should have seen the shocked LV people when we were all talking like best buddies even though the only connection we had was PF. I told them that we all talk about LV and we know all about what they are doing and which stores are the good ones and which ones are bad. Heh.
Sorry this was so long but I wanted you all to know what happened and what you should know for any future LV buying in the DC area. The best part is knowing that LV stands behind their warranty and that if your bag goes stinky, you can get a full refund, even if you don't end up buying another bag right then.
Now I have my fingers crossed that Jaleh can find me another Mandarin Jasmin. OTW I have to return the strap I already bought from ELux, and hope that they don't ban me for being the chronic returner I obviously look like I am. LOL
DON'T buy from SAKS Chevy Chase LV! Don't let your friends buy from SAKS Chevy Chase LV! If the 866 number had connected me to the REAL LV like I had asked, or if the SAKS LV had actually owned up to being the SAKS counter (because I asked them and they never said the word SAKS), then I would have my Mandarin Jasmin bag right now. F-ers.
I had bought the Mandarin Epi Speedy back in late April (not quite a month ago) and it wasn't long before I realized it had the dreaded stinky cat pee smell. I finally decided it had to be returned this past week, and on Wednesday afternoon, I called the 866 number to find out if I would have any trouble returning it. They said that it was a known Quality Control issue and that I could take it back to any LV store. A few minutes later (this was now just before 6pm) I went to the LV website to find the number for the new free-standing LV store in Chevy Chase. All they had was the 866 number, so I called back and asked to be connected to the Chevy Chase LV. The phone rang, and I asked "are you the Chevy Chase LV?" and they said yes. (this will be important later)
I said that I was going to be there on Saturday to return a defective bag and did they have any Mandarin Jasmin bags there? They said yes we have one left and I asked them to hold it for me for my Saturday visit and gave them my name (again, important detail).
So today my friends from alt.fashion and I went over to the free-standing LV at Chevy Chase to return the stinky Speedy and buy the Jasmin to replace it. The LeatherGoods manager there is Jaleh and she is the Number One Good Guy of this story. She realized immediately that the store with which I had been connected by the 866 number was NOT their free-standing store, but it was the tiny LV counter down the block at the Chevy Chase Saks. Since she knew that I didn't want to have to explain the stinkiness of the Speedy all over again, she offered to call ahead to let them know I was on my way.
....and here's where things go horribly wrong....
The Chevy Chase SAKS LV says they have a Mandarin Jasmin on hold, but NOT on hold for me. They won't tell Jaleh WHO it is on hold for, but it's definitely not on hold for ME. But because Jaleh is the Leather Goods mgr of the REAL Chevy Chase LV, she knows that on this past Wed afternoon, just before 6pm, the SAKS CC LV had requested that the last Mandarin Jasmin at the REAL LV store be sent over to SAKS because a customer had requested a hold. (Yes, that was exactly the time that I had called, and remember, that SAKS counter never said they were SAKS so I had no idea that this was going on behind the scenes.)
Yet the SAKS LV still insists that the customer for whom they are holding this Mandarin Jasmin bag -- the last one available in the entire MD/VA/DC area (as we come to find out during this time) -- is NOT me. After much calling and insisting and digging, Jaleh is told on the phone that the other person's name is "Cammie". That's all -- no last name, no real confirmation as to when this other person allegedly put this same bag on hold.
At this point, everyone there at the REAL Chevy Chase LV knows that something fishy is going on. But they can't do anything -- SAKS LV has taken the bag and won't give it back to them and won't sell it to me even though I can prove I'm the one who called at that exact day and time to put it on hold at what I had been led to believe was the REAL Chevy Chase LV.
So Jaleh does what she can after all her attempts to get things fixed for me: she takes the stinky Speedy and gives me a full and complete refund back on my Visa card (yay!), she takes my name and number and says she will do everything she can to track down another Mandarin Epi Jasmin for me within the week.
I am so angry at this point, but not at Jaleh and not at the REAL Chevy Chase LV. My friends and I had already planned to hit the SAKS next, and we did go there and buy some Armani makeup, but I couldn't resist going to the teeny tiny LV counter and asking the SA there who was Cammie and could I talk to her? At first, he acted like he didn't have any idea what I was talking about, but then when my friend asked why does Cammie get the bag when you can't even tell us when she called, he said "we just don't know, that's just how it is". So I looked him in the eye and said that the REAL Chevy Chase LV is going to make things right for me even though none of it was their fault, and that it's too bad Cammie wasn't around because I'd like to have a chat with her. And then we left.
Why would the SAKS Chevy Chase LV do this? Well, hey, if that's the last available Mandarin Jasmin bag in a 300 mile radius, I'm sure there's lots of reasons why they might want to do this to me. There are all kinds of possible scenarios, and it would be a shame to speculate in a way that could slander them. Mostly.
But I wanted all you LV lovers to know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. The REAL Chevy Chase LV, the free-standing store that just opened last fall -- they are the good guys. Jaleh the Leather Goods manager was so awesome, even when one of my friends was getting all outraged on my behalf and I was trying to keep her calm and telling her no, no, this lady is doing everything she can to fix this for me and none of it is even remotely her fault. By the end, even my friend was impressed with how professional and wonderful Jaleh was to us.
But I wouldn't give those unethical people at the SAKS Chevy Chase LV the time of day, let alone one thin dime of my money. And I would advise any of you to give them a wide berth as well.
Oh, and to add fun and excitement to the whole drama: in the middle of it all, I got to meet my first PF member IRL! Hey PGN! It was soo cool to meet you! You all should have seen her with her two HUGE FILLED LV shopping bags. And you should have seen the shocked LV people when we were all talking like best buddies even though the only connection we had was PF. I told them that we all talk about LV and we know all about what they are doing and which stores are the good ones and which ones are bad. Heh.
Sorry this was so long but I wanted you all to know what happened and what you should know for any future LV buying in the DC area. The best part is knowing that LV stands behind their warranty and that if your bag goes stinky, you can get a full refund, even if you don't end up buying another bag right then.
Now I have my fingers crossed that Jaleh can find me another Mandarin Jasmin. OTW I have to return the strap I already bought from ELux, and hope that they don't ban me for being the chronic returner I obviously look like I am. LOL
DON'T buy from SAKS Chevy Chase LV! Don't let your friends buy from SAKS Chevy Chase LV! If the 866 number had connected me to the REAL LV like I had asked, or if the SAKS LV had actually owned up to being the SAKS counter (because I asked them and they never said the word SAKS), then I would have my Mandarin Jasmin bag right now. F-ers.
I never expected to meet a pf'er IRL! 
Much less the way the saks LV is acting!! I'm sorry to say I made a purchase from them yesterday before I met you
but from here on out it is the other LV for me!!
It will be so gorgeous in the jasmine....I know the SA will find one for you!!! Keep us posted and let me know when you are making another trip to LV!!!
Sorry this happened and I hope they can get one for you!