Uh-oh, Carly troubles (and it's not fabric fray) - opinions wanted!

arsweb

chocolate bag addict
O.G.
Jul 25, 2008
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I was transferring my stuff to a new bag tonight, and I always inspect and condition the emptied bag as needed. Well, I noticed a stitching issue on my Carly:

Normal tight stitch on leather bottom strap:
IMG_3762.gif


Very loose fraying stitch on leather bottom strap:
IMG_3760.gif


I'm concerned the stitch will come apart totally since it is not flush to the leather like the others.

This doesn't look like normal wear to me (I've carried the bag no more than 6 weeks total combined since purchase), the thread is loose, and maybe unraveling from the inside of the bag where I cannot see it. Is this something Coach can repair? Do you think it would warrant bag replacement/credit if I took it to the boutique? If you have any input, or a similar situation, I'd appreciate some advice on what to do.
 
Uh oh. This would drive me bonkers being loose like that. If you have only used it 6 weeks I don't think it should do that. Can you go into the boutique asking for replacement upfront and expressing your extreme dissatisfaction and if they don't want to replace then insist on repair instead? LOL I always try to ask for the most extreme option upfront so it leaves more bargaining ground in the end. :P
 
I think you should be able to replace it since that doesn't look like normal wear! The stitching is supposed to hold for a loooong time. I would take it back for sure.
 
By the way, I did have a bag (not coach) that had this happen. The stitches will only keep getting looser until you can't use it anymore. Coach should replace it or at least give a credit.
 
you know what? all I can say is have an arsenal of bags if you can. I own two Carlys and maybe the only thing that keeps them intact is the fact that I own a bazillion bags that I rotate. I also never try to overload any one of them. I mean lets face it, they are designed to look pretty not functional unfortunately.
 
I cannot believe the junk Coach is selling ! We see post after post about the failing quality of the bags now... seriously does anyone expect this kind of nonsense from a $300+ bag ! ? A $25 bag from Target might be better quailty..geez..
 
I have a slim black leather carly and a stitch came undone on the handle. The bag was still functional but I took it to coach because I didn't want to wait until something worse happened. So they sent it off for repair and I had to pay shipping which sucks.

I haven't gotten the bag back yet but I imagine it should be a easy fix.
 
This "loose stitch" is the same exact thing that I just noticed on my Lily satchel, except my stitch is completly apart, as if it were cut. (i posted about it yesterday) Your pic came out a lot clearer than mine!
With yours, I'd be more concerned about the looseness rather than the fraying. I've notcied a little fraying on my carly. Not sure if others have sent it in simply for fraying?
 
you know what? all I can say is have an arsenal of bags if you can. I own two Carlys and maybe the only thing that keeps them intact is the fact that I own a bazillion bags that I rotate. I also never try to overload any one of them. I mean lets face it, they are designed to look pretty not functional unfortunately.


I honestly think this is the reason I don't have more problems than I do, but as of late, I've had some bag issues as well. The bags really should be functional and live up to the Coach reputation, but I do think a lot are slipping through the QC check cracks, as well as some issues that are not apparent on a brief inspection simply show up after a few uses. Sad but true!

I would do as the other poster suggests, go in and ask for a replacement right away. I never thought about it, but I've done that twice, and when I asked, the SA that handled my gunmetal Peyton issue said ok, I'll ask the manager and BRB. I stayed in the front of the store because I was trying to decide between the Lindsay and Peyton (since they were the same price). THe SA returned quickly and said I could replace with anything in the same price, or buy a more or less expensive item and pay the difference...or get it refunded to my card for the lower priced item diff. It was no hassle, but keep in mind I took it in after using it for 1.5 days and the metallic wore off. I guess they could have said "normal wear and tear", but I would have argued like everything.

On the other hand, I had the Legacy top handle and HATED it, everything about the bag...nothing worked. I did use it for a while, and last time I was at the boutique, I asked my SA to "do something", and she told me to remove my stuff and that I was not going home with the bag. I was credited on the spot and got the satchel. I had used this top handle quite a bit, actually.

Overall I can't complain with the boutique's handling of my problems at all, but the thing is all repair issues are really subjective and depends on the interpretation of the SA and/or manager involved. And sometimes it seems to depend on their "mood". I've always made up my mind to push the issue, but also to leave and go to another boutique when I get an answer that I don't like. If you keep asking, eventually it's likely you will get the answer you want since there's so much variability between stores and management.

This is part of the reason I shop at a boutique (in general) that's out of state and over an hour away from me...I get the best service there! However, I admit I'm lucky in that there are a lot of boutiques I can choose to go to that's 1.5 or less away from me. I've made my rounds over the last year, and hopped around a bit just because the service is so crappy at some of them. I also will NOT deal with any SA that has an attitude or acts like a snot bag. Hell will freeze over before I give that person and store my business...I would resort to ordering directly from JAX or online before that happens, so if they don't want my business, that's fine with me. That's one reason I stopped shopping at the boutique that's only about 10 minutes from my house.

I think sometimes our "bad experiences" make us less willing (and more timid) to ask when we have a problem or don't like the specific bag they want to sell us. I'm sure that sometimes they get annoyed with me when I have them bring out several bags from the back so that I can choose, etc., But just remember that you pay a LOT of money for the bag, and excellent customer service is built into the price of the bag, whether they want to admit it or not. Also, there's a warranty on the bags for a reason, so don't be shy to ask when you have a problem!
 
i think we shouldnt have to rotate a bag to keep it in good shape. i mean we do have treat these babies well but we dont spend hundreds of dollars to leave them in the closet. also i dont think most of us can afford to have more thne a few bags at a time so rotation isnt always feasible.

if i pay $400 for a bag i want to b able to use it every single for a few yrs if i feel like it. also, i think that there are bound to be quality control issues on anything. as long as coach takes care of us though and repairs or replaces, im not gonna complain.
 
you know what? all I can say is have an arsenal of bags if you can. I own two Carlys and maybe the only thing that keeps them intact is the fact that I own a bazillion bags that I rotate. I also never try to overload any one of them. I mean lets face it, they are designed to look pretty not functional unfortunately.

This is just plain silly imho. If they weren't designed to function, they might as well be called knickknacks and not handbags. I buy my Coach to carry stuff and look pretty, not to sit on a shelf and look pretty-I've got plenty of other junk to do the latter for me.
 
This is just plain silly imho. If they weren't designed to function, they might as well be called knickknacks and not handbags. I buy my Coach to carry stuff and look pretty, not to sit on a shelf and look pretty-I've got plenty of other junk to do the latter for me.



Um, I really don't think either one of us meant it the way you both (including gabz) took the comment.

We are (or at least I was) just making a statement that we would probably see more issues if we used the bags more. My example is the Thompson hobo, which I personally don't care for on me. Thus,I don't wear it. There's clearly a defect with this bag, as crazy4coachbags and a few others have experienced with multiple bags. I have not yet had a problem with my first one, but I would expect to if I used it daily. Otherwise, I completely agree...for the cost of the item, it SHOULD be functional if that's what you're buying it for. If you buy a metallic, you have to know it will not wear the same over time. 24 hours is a different story, though!
 
^^I didn't mean anything offensive to either of you. I was just commenting that I really think if I buy a handbag (or anything for that matter), it should be functional. You guys might indeed see more issues if you used any particular bag on a more regular basis but that doesn't make it any less silly for Coach to sell expensive items that are more "pretty" than functional when the product is something that should be functional.

My comment was meant toward Coach's quality issues which I just see growing in leaps and bounds recently. It wasn't meant as offensive to anyone here and I'm sorry if it came off that way.