Getting an item fixed at Louis Vuitton – My UK 2018 Experience

A few months ago, I travelled up to London for my birthday week. This was a celebratory holiday. My boyfriend and I were going to see Hamilton, I was turning 24 and we were just going to enjoy a week away together. But there was something else to go up for.

I had noticed that in the 14 months or so since I bought my Damier Ebene handbag from Louis Vuitton online, the straps had begun to crack. Naturally, I was beginning to panic. I had paid over £800 for this bag, and it had just turned one! So why were the straps doing this?

At this point, the strap were completely falling apart. But for somebody who watches their bags obsessively, it was something very noticeable.

I didn’t take any photos of the cracks, so here’s some I found on the PurseBlog forum. This is what my straps were looking like:

All the research I did pointed towards getting it replaced or fixed. So I rang up Louis Vuitton and explained my situation.

My closest Louis Vuitton is in London. And I live I think about 300 miles away from London. So this was going to be an issue.

So there I was, carting up my Neverfull in its dustbag in my suitcase so I could take it into the New Bond Street shop. At this point, I wasn’t sure if they could help me or not. On the phone, I explained that I simply couldn’t just drop in and pick up my Louis Vuitton. This was going to be a long process.

Inside Louis Vuitton, I was directed to the Repairs section and there sat a very glamorous woman. I had to sit down, explain my problem as she examined my bag and then we began the process of getting it fixed.

For ease of reading, I’ll answer some FAQ about this below and how it related to my experience:

Did I have to bring proof of purchase?

Yes. I had to prove the date that I bought it, and that I bought it through on Louis Vuitton itself. I took up my original receipt that came with the bag, and the confirmation of the shipping (printed out from My Louis Vuitton account)

Did I have to send photos?

I think the option was there, but I was going up to London anyway, so I was going to take it in straight away. However, it’s best you ring up and explain your situation. They’ll be able to help you.

Did I have to book an appointment with the Repair team?

No. However I did I ring up the weekend before and let them know that I was coming up. But I believe there isn’t an appointment slot needed.

What does the process entail?

After checking all my details, the woman confirmed that she could fix the straps and that it would need to be sent away. She also asked me whether I’d want any engraving/hot stamping, which I denied. She then said that she could fix the leather trim, which I agreed to and she gave me a client receipt that showed what I wanted to be fixed, price of repair and my address. At this point, she took my bag and I left.

Does it cost anything?

No. Well, mine didn’t. But that may be due to the fact the bag was just over a year old, and that it was clearly something that I hadn’t done to ruin it. It was just a fault with the Damier leather at the time. However, if you damaged your bag and wanted to repair it, there may be cost involved.

Anything you think we should know?

Yes. Initially, I was almost denied service because I couldn’t physically pick it up from London after the repair had been done. Apparently, the procedure for sending products away is that you need to come in when the product is fixed. Or you send it away via courier (if you live far away) and they send it back via courier. What I did wrong was I came into the shop, and hope that it could be sent back to me.

I think that sending it away via courier is an added expense (and one I would’ve paid for) but there weren’t any details about this on the website or over the phone.

However, after explaining that I travelled over 6 hours to get this dealt with, the lady did agree to send it back to me.

How long did it take?

They said up to six weeks for the item to be fixed and repaired, yet for me, it was just over 3 weeks.

Any issues?

Yes. I’ve had a bit of an issue with Louis Vuitton when it comes to address changing. Whenever I’ve bought something off Louis Vuitton online, I’ve tried to make sure it gets sent to a work address and not my billing address. This is just due to making sure my packages are secure, signed for and somebody has 100% received them.

This was the exact same thing. When the woman read off my home address, I asked her could it be sent to my work one. She agreed, and we wrote down my work address. I made sure she read it back to me and I double-checked it over.

However, when I received the ‘Your order is now ready for shipment’ – I rang up Louis Vuitton just to confirm it was for my work address. And lo and behold, it wasn’t. So I politely asked once again if it could be sent to my work address. They confirmed, and after giving my work address once again – I thought nothing of it.

Until I received the DHL shipping tracking. And what address did it say? But my home once. Naturally, I was very concerned about it. My house has people going in and out all day, and although it’s never empty for long, I didn’t want to risk it.

So yes, I’ve had an issue with Louis Vuitton over this.

How did the handbag arrive?

In a colossal box. With a ridiculous amount of packaging. The handbag was also put into another huge Louis Vuitton box within the shipping box, and in a new dustbag. So I’ve gotta hand it to them, they know how to wrap it up.

Is it all fixed?

Yes! Despite all my shipping woes, the straps are brand new, stiff and all cleaned up. Hopefully nothing like the old ones.