Kate Spade What can I do to prevent this from happening again?

[joycelim]

Oh no! You could try touching the handles up with a leather dye (I like Kiwi brand) and a polish. I've had really hit-or-miss experiences with the outlet purses too. I've had better luck getting secondhand pebble leather pieces on ebay; those have held up nicely after a lot of abuse! Good luck.

I have exactly the same problem with my bag.
I bought a new KS bag from outlet in US when i went there for a trip.
When i tried the bag, it looks perfect. i was in a rush and the price was very good, i just paid and left.
Now that i am thousands of miles away from US and found out the handle is totally cracked. Believe me, much worse than yours. i think it might be because they have stored the bags in a very humid environment for too long.
It will take about 100 USD to restore it in a bag spa and the bag cost me like 150 USD.
I am in the dilemma whether to repair it now.
I do agree that the outlet quality is much worse than the boutique. Lessons learnt.

 

[Surfercisco]

The OP mentioned the idea of saving for a better quality handbag. I would like to add something about this. A high price point doesn't guarantee quality. We assume that if we pay $1500 or more for a handbag that we are owed at least that, but sadly this is not always the case. Taking a quick read at the LV section, one can read time and time, the angst people have with their handbags or SLGs cracking, glazing melting, etc. So many posters have been so stressed about what they have paid for a beautiful item only to seriously disappoint. I agree with the other person who recommended that the OP look at the other forums to decide what will work within a budget. There is no need to spend excessively for a terrific handbag that will serve you well and make you happy.

 

[Alyciastone]

I had problems like that with patent leather. I forgot the brand. Try to use a leather conditioner on all of your leather items. Furniture, bags, wallet, shoes, etc. I would advise to not buy anything at an outlet store, they use very low quality items and it is worth 1/5 of the price, for retail. Try to get a kate spade purse at their regular store. It might cost you more, but you will literally get what you pay for. I have 1 ks bag and wallet. Neither are outlet, but from the regular line. 2-3yrs old. It shows more wear than my louis vuitton bputems, but those are also higher quality materials being used to produce the items. I hope this helps!

 

[lotusflowerbaum]

Buy a better quality bag. This isn't a problem with the type of handle.

Please don't misunderstand: I wasn't at all slamming your taste or budget. Quality isn't always about the price paid. But I know that KS quality can be poor, and outlet stuff sometimes is worse than the store product, and for the same $$ you might have better durability in other brands. You may want to browse the Contemporary Designers forums to see what else is out there that would give you better quality.

I've been on this forum for 10 plus years and do not have a reputation for rudeness, so the answer is, no.

I think your delivery was awful. How can someone not interpret that as rude? She's asking for advice and your one liner, "buy a better one the problem isnt the handle" especially when read online can definitely mistaken for being rude. Had you combined it w/ your 2nd post after the fact she called you out, maybe it would have sounded better since you actually offered a solution not a blunt statement. Your time on the forum doesn't mean you're not rude - perhaps no one said something about it to you. I can sense you have a sarcastic sense of humor.. it doesn't translate well onto writing.