What a bad turn of events (Resolution)!

Okay...today is the day...

A follow up on my Gucci bag incident.

After returning the bag to the store on Sunday, I waited patiently today for the SA to give me a call. Around lunchtime, the SA called and he happily told me the good news that a new bag will be exchanged. He had already reserve a new piece for me and just waiting for me to decide to either have it delivered to my place or self collect. Having completed my deadline smoothly for Monday, I gladly chose the latter to self collect. I feel it is much easier as I can inspect the new bag and if it is not up to satisfactory conditions, I dun have to accept it and will avoid further inconvenience to both parties.:-)

So I drop by the store after work. The SA very promptly took the new bag out for me to inspect. To be honest, I was not very convinced the bag was good enough as it was stored in an inappropriate way with insufficient stuffing and one of the bottom corners of the bag was kinda 'crushed'. My original bag was in a much better condition than this bag. Although there were no other faults to be detected, the 'rumpled' condition of the bag left me skeptical and I asked to have another bag for me to make a comparison and choose. I know I sound kinda picky but sorry, I just cannot accept a bag with the condition less perfect than my original one especially during exchange. After a few moments of checking, they found out there are none in the store (they even sold the display piece yesterday). They reassured me that this was a new piece and they did not keep the display piece for me. They wanted me to have the best bag they could find. Although there were three in the warehouse, they were unsure if the stock was for Malaysia's boutiques and hence it may be unavailable for me. Upon seeing I was not very comfortable with the bag that was presented to me, they must have felt bad so they decided to bring out a bag that was originally reserved for another customer for me to choose. To my disappointment, that bag is in an even worse shape than mine. Hahaha. Oh gosh, what on earth are they doing with the new bags....they did not put enough stuffing to store and retain the shape of the soft bag properly. It's such a pity. First impressions count a lot. When I first bought my original bag, I had 2 to choose from and both were in very good condition with proper amounts of stuffing to hold the bag's shape. Maybe this batch of bags, they run out of storage area and they took out the stuffing to allow for more space to keep more bags in the shop.

These 2 bags that were presented to me seriously lack good storage techniques. After close inspection, I decided the first bag was still better. I have to be very careful to check for any cracks, markings or scratches. I dun want to have the same incident repeated. Creases can still be taken care of by proper storage and thru usage, weight of your belongings will in time stretch the leather and give it back its shape. As this new Guccissima leather is distressed with inherent creasing, a bit of creasing is still acceptable and unavoidable. The crushed part is on the base corner, so that area is not a visible area. I have confidence with proper stuffing, I can ease up the creasing. So I accepted the bag. Perhaps not as pristine as the one I just returned, it was still reasonably good condition.

And I know this bag was not a display piece as the sticker used to protect the metal zipper ends are still well intact. And if that is being tampered with, you get finger prints on the sticker, which was not the case here. And I know display pieces always had the sticker removed to have better aesthetic appeal.

Today, I have to commend on the professionalism and good service that was rendered to me the entire duration I was in the store. All the SAs attending to me were very friendly, patient and tried their best to help. Although sometimes they might not have an immediate solution to my requests(such as other new bags for me to choose), they still go all the way to help. And while checking the bag, the very nice store manager even walk up to me and told me not to feel obliged to accept the exchange if I am not pleased or sure of the bag. And if I feel I still want the bag, I can use it for 2 weeks to a month to test the bag. Afterwards, if I am still worried about the bag cracking or somehow uncomfortable about the whole experience, I can bring the bag back to the store again and she will gladly give me a refund:-)

WOW...that was probably the most reassuring thing you can offer to a customer. The store manager's words really sets the whole Gucci service standards to new levels. That is what I absolutely defined as excellent, commendable after-sales service. I accepted the bag exchange on her reassurance. But I request more paper stuffing to prep the bag back to shape. The SA gladly puff up the bag...and when he came out of the storeroom...hahaha..the bag seems to have been given new life! It looked great! First impressions do count. When you buy something new, you need to make sure it appears in the best condition. It will be much easier to convince anymore as the eyes are the first to react and form an opinion in your mind.

So with the new bag all prep up, the SA gave me 2 email addresses to feedback on the way this whole situation is being handled and how it can be improved. This is also a nice gesture as it signifies they are confident they have done a good job and customer feedback and suggestions are important.

So kudos and thumbs up to Gucci! I left the shop a happy customer and garnered a new found respect for the brand and the service standards they instill in their staff:-)

Well done Gucci Singapore!

The Material Boy #132

D&G Menswear Fall Winter 2008/2009

Okies, enough of my 'whining' about my Gucci bag. Time to think ahead and plan for the looks I am going to try to achieve for next season. Starting with some stunning cool ones from D&G, one of the brands that I like most for this new winter season. I am having a hard time finding things and looks I want from other designers. We shall see. But D&G seems to come up with things that I can see myself wearing and it will suit me.

Apparently, D&G Singapore is trying to get a fashion show going. Dunno if that will happen. But I sincerely hope so. The last presentation a few years back was full of high energy and so glamorous that it totally reinforce what a fashion show should be about.

So if I am invited for the show (if it happens)...these could be the looks I can show up in. Of course, subject to availability in stock and pricing for these pieces.

1) My top choice (Pic 1)

A wool and leather trim jacket, vintage wash tee and cool skinny grey jeans. Absolutely easy to pull off. I love the big buttons on the jacket. And it is in a sweater/cardigan style except for the leather collar. Interesting. And the vintage-wash tee will proclaim my support for the 2 designers behind the collection:-P and show off easily that this is D&G:-) hahaha. Grey low-rise skinny jeans is perfect match for the more chunky tops. Pair with that cool pair of sunglasses, I think I will be look perfect for a fashion event:-)

Oh the model inspires me to cut my hair like that next time.:-)

2) 2nd choice (Pic 2)

Beautiful woolen pullover, in deep rich browns. Notice the colour is not even. Nice wooly effect too. I think it comes with a hood as there are 2 draw strings attached.:-) cool! The scarf is a great touch to add to the look. Pair with distressed wash jeans...absolutely manly rugged style. The belt seems to be in croc skin, with multiple metal strips near the buckle. Adds interesting texture to the look.

3) Partial choice 1 (Pic 3)

Not liking the full ensemble. But I like the leather jacket with the elastic stretchy cuff. The slim fit makes the model look sharp and suave. The flap pockets is also an interesting touch. Have to try in person to determine.

4) Partial choice 2 (Pic 4)

Boots! Boots! Boots! And it's a tall boots! With Dsquared2 absent from the retail scene in Singapore this season, I am looking for alternatives to the tall boots from D2. So this seems like a good replacement. Diagonal laces placement is interesting. Again, must try to see how it fits. Tuck my skinny jeans into the boots...oh wow...like I am ready to kick some ass.:-P

5) One of the best shoes for fall winter 2008/2009 (Pic 5)

Of course, as I have blogged before, the wool plaid high cut shoes with buckle details from D&G is a must have. So pretty. Must buy, must buy! Have bigger pics now...so you can see the details.:-)

What do you guys think? Which pieces do you like best? Or none?:-P

(Source: Pics from www.dolcegabbana.com)

What a bad turn of events (Part 3)!

So I went down to the store today...

Okay, I took a taxi and waste 3 hours of my Sunday to deliver the bag to the store and back. After sending the bag back, I went to my favourite store in Singapore, Club 21 Men's to have some 'retail therapy' to ward off this bad experience. They are having 60% off now! But unfortunately, nothing for me. Or maybe that is a blessing:-) I had wanted to buy the Kris Van Assche Bow Tie Shirt in white as I want to be able to swap the bow tie. But my size is gone! Darn! Oh well, no need to spend money, which is a good thing. Hehe.

So back to Gucci story, I took the bag to the store, very firmly I express my dissatisfaction about me not being able to get an exchange immediately. But the SA in charge of product repairs & complains explain he will still have to show the buyer to get advice on follow-up. I expressed my unhappiness of having to wait, when their exchange policy states there is a 14 day period for defective merchandise. I also told them I was not happy to have to make a trip down again tommorrow, which is a waste of my time.

This was the first such incident that happened with this type of bag, so it is in their protocol to show the buyer the defect. I told them my time is precious and I am not the sort that can come and go to the store any day they wanted me to. They apologise and empathise with me about the time wasted on making so many trips to the store. So they offered to send a new replacement bag (which they are pretty sure the buyer will agree to) to my home personally tommorrow as a goodwill service to me.They know I have been a supporter of the brand and that I would not be the sort to lie about the defect. They too see the crack as a product flaw. He told me he will give priority to my case, and get back to me asap tomorrow. I made sure they know I will only accept an exchange or refund and nothing else. So in view of this, I do not want to be too unreasonable. So I did not insist in getting this resolved today. I will give them the time till tomorrow to follow thru their so called proper company procedures, since they offered home delivery to my place for the replacement bag. I do not want to come across as being too difficult. Resolution in a cordial manner is the best way for such situations.

So there you go, this matter will have to wait till tommorrow for the outcome. One thing I have to commend on the guys today, is they were calm and tried their best to help. They were not rude. I was not either. I was very firm and clearly and eloquently express my discontent.

Will update here tomorrow. Much as I do not like this arrangement, but I accepted the compromise, in view that they make an effort to try to make 'life' easier for me. Now at least, that's some sort of after sales service.

What a bad turn of events (Part 2)!

Pics of the cracked portion of the Gucci Bag

I have taken some pics of the cracked area. If you look at the pics, you can see the tiny crack is smaller than the already very small Gucci GG symbol. On the first pic, if you do not look closely, you almost think that is part of a crease or graining on the leather. The middle 2 pics is when I deliberately pushed the crack wider so you can see the underlying lighter brown area of the leather underneath. This is definitely not a tear thru using the bag. Plus it is on the side of the bag which is not a high stress area (I have marked the area on the bottom pic). If it is the handles area, or the corners of the bag (most likely to be knock or rub against), then it is more likely for this to happen thru use. But only if the bag was 'abuse'! Seriously, who on earth could spoil a bag unless you really intend to thrash it!

I will be very firm today at the shop.

What a bad turn of events!

My Gucci Bag Is Defective!

It seems my shopping dilemma #01 is giving me a lot of problems. Remember the Gucci Brown Guccissima Tote bag I just bought a week ago...it's giving me grief now! Apparently while taking it out for it's maiden use, unknowingly, I found out there is a small crack on the leather on one side of the bag. The crack is small, almost blending into the creases of the leather, since the original leather is a bit distressed, so it takes a really sharp eye to be able to spot it amidst the huge bag. The reason why I found out was because I shoulder carry the bag and use my hand to hold the side of the bag for additional support. Somehow as my hands ran thru the soft leather, I felt a difference in the textural feel of the leather. There was something 'coarse' brushing against my finger tips. So I examine that portion of the bag and to my horror, I found a small crack(about 0.8cm long, vertical down) on the leather surface. It's so upsetting! A new bag and it happened for Gucci, which is supposed to have reputable quality. Furthermore, my bag is bought a week plus ago, not even fulfilling the 14 day exchange deadline the store has.

(BTW, even though I have taken the bag out for use for just a few hours, I have been very careful not to let anyone, anything 'touch' my bag. It was handled very carefully and no knocks or bumps along the way. I made sure of that. And I was not carrying heavy things. I also examine the crack, it does not look like tearing. The crack was not on a high stress area like where the handles are. It could be the bag already has this defect, just that I did not managed to spot it when I bought the bag. The crack was too subtle to spot. How unlucky!)

As I was in town when I found out this, I immediately brought the bag to the Takashimaya store. The SA told me to bring the bag on Monday so he can show it to the buyer. But the thing is I feel I should be able to exchange the bag immediately and not have to wait to get this resolved. And I feel more could be done to appease my dissastifaction about this incident. This will be a test on Gucci Singapore's service standards. If I do not get good resolution out of this problem, then we will all know what sort of service they offer. The verdict will be out soon.

Do you think I have a right to get an exchange since I can do an exchange on defective goods within 14 days? Or wait till Monday to see what the buyer says?

One thing that upsets me is that the SAs keeps mentioning about repairing the crack on the leather, they did not even remotely mentioned about exchanging the bag, like it was my fault that I damaged it thru my few hours of using the bag. I am seriously not happy about this!