Saturday, April 11, 2015

how to lose a customer

My Louis Vuitton Neverfull Tote — the one that half of Manhattan owns — is falling apart. 



One strap broke and the other is about to.  The stitching around the top of the bag is coming apart. The tote is only five years old so my hope is that LV via Bloomingdales (where I bought the bag in December of 2009) will fix it for free.  




But that is not what happens. Not even close.

I go to the LV boutique at Bloomingdales, and when the sales woman there can't help me, I ask for the manager. A well dressed, good-looking man approaches me with a smile and asks, "How are you today?"

I show the manager where the bag needs to be repaired. He looks at it and tells me that each strap will cost $110 to fix. That's $220.  And two years ago I spent $120 to fix a side strap that had broken. This bag is like maintaining a car.

After I digest the ridiculous repair cost, I tell the manager to go ahead and process the paper work. It's still a lot cheaper than a new bag.  

But then I notice the manager continuing to inspect my tote.  He looks up at me sadly,  and says, with sincere sadness, "I'm so sorry.  But here, look. Underneath this (the clover-shaped piece of leather that the strap attaches to) you can see a slight crack in the vinyl." He tries to show me but honestly, I can't see what he's talking about.

"Oh—kay," I say, still not sure where the conversation is heading.

"So we can send the tote back to our artisans, but it'll take four to six weeks weeks for you to get your bag back, and  I'm certain they will conclude the same thing." 

"Conclude what?" I ask.

"That they won't be able to fix it.  You see, if the vinyl is starting to crack, it could get worse if ....." but I am barely listening.  I am just hating Louis Vuitton.

Can Customer Service get any worse than this? 

I take my bag and leave. 

I jump on the subway up to Pavlos, the best shoe repair place on the Upper East Side, maybe Manhattan.

Michael, the magician there, looks at the bag.  "Sure, we can fix it. I can deliver it to you early next week.  Is that okay?" 

"Of course,"  I respond. "How much?"

"$20."  

Michael even poses for a picture when I ask. 

Perhaps Louis and his artisans should meet Michael and his. They would undoubtedly learn a lot.












1 comment:

  1. ..........and you want this LV bag because.....? I think it is outrageous to think that there be ANY vinyl on a bag that is so outlandishly priced in the first place! Why not purchase a new better looking leather bag at TJ Max for a much lower price and stop paying so much to advertise LV in the first place.? LV should pay you to walk around with this bag all these years! REALLY?????

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