When in Italy the other week I did a full on search – we must have visited at LEAST 25 handbag shops (my mother and aunties say it was 50 but they are Italian… i.e. they exaggerate!) – to find an ideal bag for using when travelling. I was looking for a leather bag so it was durable, reasonable size so you can get documents, small camera and maybe even a guide book in, something that you can use when out and about all day long, that looked smart if going out in the evening but also casual enough with day-tripping clothes.
After two shopping expeditions, and a second visit to the Mandarina Duck store in Florence, I found it! A soft, leather handbag with a front end pocket for my mobile, a back end pocket for keys, decent size to hold what I may need, long enough strap to wear diagonally over my shoulders and attractive enough to be smart-casual from the Venice range. The price tag was not inconsiderable (£150+) for this bag, but many of my Italian relatives have used Mandarina Duck bags for years and found them to be good quality and my wallet is by Mandarina Duck and after a few years of use it still looks as good as new, so although the price tag was healthy I thought I was buying a quality, leather bag that will last me for years to come….
So, when in London at the weekend I decided to give my new handbag a try out…. and imagine my disappointment when I noted on day 2 of it’s outing that a bit had fallen off!!!
Missing a rivet in the handbag strap
On my return I fired off an email to customer services, as the telephone number for Customer Services UK in London that was printed on my Guarantee did not work, and a few hours later I got a reply thanking me for choosing Mandarina Duck and apologising for the inconvenience and (quoted directly from the email):
“In reply to your e-mail, we’d like to inform you that our guarantee – terms and conditions- are based on the European laws in force (European directive 99/44/EC ).
In accordance with the present European laws, the guarantee is given to the consumer by the shop where the product has been bought and paid for – therefore in case of complaint you should first ask the seller , who is responsible to fulfil the guarantee. Other shops, expecially when located in a different country, are not bound to replace or repair a product which they have not sold.
However, we understand that sometimes it might be difficult to follow the common rule, and we will try to find another way to assist you : can you please email us a picture of the bag and of the broken part, as well as a copy of the purchase ticket ?”
Whilst I am sure that is the correct answer, is that really putting your customer first?!
I did send an email with the photo of the damage, the guarantee and my receipts from the Firenze shop. Now, I know that it’s only a wee part that’s fallen off, but its in the strap – a pretty important part of any handbag – and seems to be what holds the two pieces of connectingleather secure, also it’s a BRAND NEW HANDBAG that cost me a fair penny!!
After they saw the photos and receipts I got a further response –
