Okay, I couldn't wait any longer. I took off work today and went to the BV Boutique in Tysons. What a different experience from my adventure last week at the BV in New York City. Rather than being utterly ignored, I was greeted at the door by smiling, pleasant people.
I managed to escape without buying anything (not real sure how that happened, but I'm pretty proud of myself!). I brought them my carminio new ball and showed them the damaged piping, and they offered to send it for repair free of charge. They recognized that the bag is new and is in otherwise pristine condition, so they said it was not a problem. I paid $15 shipping. The only down side is that I won't get the bag back for 4-6 weeks. Gak!
I also got to see the resort catalogue. There are some crazy bags coming to BV late fall!