Let's Talk About Warranties For Bags

Most of the time, I focus on buying, and finding the best deals instead of researching Companies' warranty information. I was inspired to figure these out because someone in my Portland Leather Goods Facebook group mentioned she had trouble with the zipper on her bag and was told the zipper is not covered under their warranty policy. I was surprised to hear that as zippers may be one of those parts that are first to fail on a bag. After reading through many warranty pages from different companies, I realized what PLG has isn't bad compared to companies that don't even have a warranty for their bags or leather goods. 

For a disclaimer, I don't claim what I said here is definite truth as company policy tends to change from time to time. In addition, you may have different experiences and stories when dealing with repairing and replacing your bags. Feel free to comment below, and I am sure your perspective and history with brands will be helpful to others. 

Before I studied through all these company policy pages, I would often fantasize about how the bag I am buying would last a long time and how the company would repair it if I had problems. Unfortunately, once I read up the warranty policies from these companies, I concluded that I am likely on my own if I ever have issues with my bags. This blog post will list out what I found on some fashion brands and how I interpreted the terms they used. I would also share stories I heard or other people's experiences while dealing with their bag incidents. 

Coach
The first company I looked up was Coach. My reason was straightforward because I love their bags, and I frequently buy from both Coach retail and their outlets. The first thing I noticed was how challenging it was to figure out their warranty policy. It wasn't clear from most of the pages I saw. They mentioned how they intend to create products that last generations and would love to help if we have issues with our Coach bags. The product care page on Coach seems to use generic terms but nothing specific, so I ended up going through many more pages using Google Search. 

Finally, on the "Our Planet" page on the Coach website, I found the mention of offering a one-year warranty on their leather goods for all quality defects. Beyond that, the repair fees could range between $45 to $110 based on the damage assessment. Unfortunately, they don't seem to repair anything from their outlet store. Therefore, buying more affordable products from the outlets may be less environmentally friendly.

While doing my research, I also saw someone mentioning if your bag is older than two years, they may not have the right part to repair it even if they are willing to help. Sometimes, Google does send me to some interesting pages when I search. For example, the first Coach warranty information I found from my search result was a warranty page on Coach's Italy website. It is interesting to see the page talks about offering a two-year warranty instead of one year in the United States. 

For Coach outlet products, I did find their one-year warranty statement, which oddly specifies "handbags, briefcases, and small leather goods." If manufacturing defects were found during that one year, they would replace the item for you, but no repair services. They specifically said they would refer you to your local repair shop beyond that one-year warranty time frame. After I looked through multiple companies' warranty policies, I noticed a strange pattern of mentioning specific items they would cover. For example, the Coach outlet notes handbags, briefcases, and small leather goods, but how about duffels, luggage, or clothing? I wonder if that means items that are not falling under the umbrellas of those terms are not covered by their warranty. 

Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs has warranty information on covering their products for one year if you purchased the items from their authorized vendors and have proof of purchase. However, further reading into it also listed some exclusions, including if the product you bought was from their final sale listing. In addition, dye transfer, color fading, and excessive wear and tear are also not covered by their warranty. It seems they may repair your items if they are under one year, but they specifically said they don't clean your products, refurbish or replace the piping on your handbags. Since they are being clear about the piping, you may want to know if the bag has piping the next time you shop on their website or stores; your bag may become useless if the piping fails after one year. 

Dooney & Bourke
Dooney & Bourke offers one year warranty for their product if you find any craftsmanship defects within the timeframe. Although I couldn't find more detail on things they would cover or not cover, I find their bags are well made, and I rarely heard about defects from other people's experiences. 

Kate Spade
Kate Spade is one of the companies that specifically listed out products like handbags, baby bags, and small goods under their warranty page. It is strange to see them mentioning baby bags, as I don't think that represents a major category of products they provide. Also, they said they were happy to assist if manufacturing defects were found within that one-year timeframe. However, they didn't talk about how they would "help" repair or replace it. The word used, "assist," sounded vague, in my opinion. I prefer them to tell us directly what they would or wouldn't do. They also require you to provide proof of purchase, so if it was a gift, you might want to politely ask for a gift receipt if something happens to your bag. My friend, who had a broken Kate Spade bag after she had it for three years, was referred to a repair shop based in New York. I don't think my friend ended up repairing her bag as the repairing fees could be more pricey than buying a new bag. 

Michael Kors
Like other companies, Michael Kors provides a one-year limited warranty as long as you can provide proof of purchase and if the problem was from their defective material or workmanship. However, they do have more warranty statements related to their luggage, footwear, watches, and eyewear on their website if you are interested to learn more. 

Telfar
I love Telfar shopping bags! I don't say it lightly because most of their bags are made with faux leather. Personally, I always prefer full-grain leather in terms of bag material, but Telfar shopping bags are well-designed, and I love using them during my daily routines. However, I couldn't find any warranty information on their website. On top of that, they recently switched their policy on shopping bags that you could no longer return or exchange. I don't fully understand their policy change, but I know they are still taking care of their customers if the issues are within reason. When I ran into a questionable quality issue, they did provide me free exchange and pay for shipping. So, for now, I do trust that they stand behind their products even though there's not much on paper. 

Tory Burch
Tory Burch's warranty policy is quite interesting. They are not providing a warranty, but they said they stand by their products. I found their statement to be an oxymoron. How do you stand by your product if you are unwilling to provide a warranty? I know it is possible to ask Tory Burch to repair your bag, but without the policy written out, you are at their mercy, which doesn't sound good for consumers. They further mentioned they would cover defects within the first six months of owning the product, but they didn't say they would repair or replace it. Tory Burch asks you to reach out to their team for assistance, but then what kind of help could we expect as a consumer? At this point, I see the trend of fewer warranties provided the higher end the products. 

Longchamp & Ted Baker
I could not find warranty information on Longchamp and Ted Baker other than Ted Baker mentioning they would cover their luggage for five years. If you own a Longchamp bag, you probably know the corner wear tends to be the main issue for your bag. From what I heard, they would do a one-time repair for your bag if you reach out to the right person. Since I haven't had problems with my Longchamp bags, I don't know if this is true or not. 

Louis Vuitton
For whatever reason, I shockingly learned Louis Vuitton does not have a warranty for their bags. They made it clear that they do not provide a leather goods warranty for their products. A complimentary repair might be offered based on their assessment of the issue is related to craftsmanship. However, since they didn't mention covering the defects, I wouldn't get my hope up unless I had a good relationship with my SA. I do not think this is right for consumers, but as a private company, LV does have the right to do whatever they want, just like we have the right to decide if we're going to buy their products. Although I heard their customer service is excellent and they are usually helpful, I do not want to try my luck depending on my personal encounter with an SA. Moreover, it is often impossible to schedule a visit on LV's website scheduler(at least for my location); it could be challenging to even get into the store before thinking about getting their help. 

Filson
For a long time, I thought Filson would provide a lifetime warranty on their products. Now I realized I have been wrong to believe that after reading their warranty policy. I don't know if their policy has always been like this or if they made changes like what LL Bean did with their warranty policy. What Filson would guarantee is the lifetime of a product and not guarantee the product for a lifetime. Perhaps they know their policy sounds tricky as they further explain what that means in their FAQ section. "The lifetime guarantee specifically refers to the time at which, through normal use, the product can no longer function in its intended purpose." I could be wrong, but since they said they don't cover normal wear and tear if a bag breaks down after some time, that would consider it has been through its lifetime, right? They do not list out the expected lifetime of each product, so technically, Filson could argue they don't have to repair or replace it because they did say it depends on the evaluation of their returns team. Most companies like Filson have an excellent reputation for repairing defective products, but if we simply read the words, it is challenging to see any promises were made. 

Tanner Goods
When I think more about my experience, dealing with Tanner Goods was the first time I realized a warranty a company provided might not be what I would expect. A while back, I bought a Tanner Goods wallet when they gave a lifetime warranty and supposedly would repair the leather goods we purchased from them. After a few years of using my wallet daily, the stitching came apart near the bills slot. It was a natural leather wallet that aged with patinas; that's why I wanted to get it repaired and continue to use it. I reached out to them, and I even told them I would pay for the repair work, but they simply told me they couldn't repair my wallet. I was shocked, so I looked up their warranty policy on the website. Right there, it talked about their lifetime warranty and how they would repair your purchase. I was confused and frustrated, so I screenshotted the page and sent it back to them. There's when they changed their tone. They told me they couldn't repair my wallet because their workshop was closed due to the pandemic. They said they would send me a replacement if I had not had the wallet for more than eight years. I couldn't remember how long I had had the wallet, so I kind of just gave up because I didn't want a replacement.

Portland Leather Goods
Portland Leather Goods is currently one of my favorite companies, but it doesn't mean they are perfect about their warranty. They do provide a lifetime warranty for their manufacturing defects. However, they do set some exclusion on their hardware, stitching, and zippers. I thought it is odd they specifically list out those parts to mostly avoid shipping costs. They would still repair the hardware on your bag after two years as long as you pay for the shipping. It seems the only part they don't want to deal with is replacing the zipper on your bag. Compared to many companies I have looked into, it is not bad, but if you are worried about the zipper failure (which rarely happens), you may want to stick with bags without zippers.

Go Forth Goods
I would say Go Forth Goods is one of the best in terms of the warranty. They seem to really provide a lifetime warranty without listing too many exceptions. However, they do need you to be the original purchaser, so if you bought your GFG bags from other people, you probably would have to pay the repairing fees. 

Do Your Research
By the time I was done researching, I had come to this thought of feeling gimmicky regarding the warranty. I said that because most companies use rather vague terms when it comes to what they would cover. Often, they don't tell you what they would do if something happens to your bags. They often don't say if they would repair or replace the defective products. In addition to that, the pandemic has changed so many things in our life. Some companies literally went out of business, and whatever lifetime warranties they promised thus became irrelevant. 

Although it felt discouraging to believe my bags were not always protected, it would not stop me from buying. So put the worry aside, there are many things I can do to improve my shopping experience, to make sure I am buying bags that will last. 

For example, a warranty may not always provide what you think it would give you, and you could still evaluate a product based on the length of time a company would guarantee the bag. Bags from fast fashion brands often come with a one-year warranty; that's likely because the bags may only last about three years if you use them frequently; thus, one year is their safe bet. For companies who offer some sort of lifetime warranty, I would assume they are pretty confident with their products, or at least they are not likely to break down within a year. What I usually do with my bags is I check them thoroughly when they first arrive. If you look closely, you will notice flaws or potential issues of a bag, and then you could decide if you want to return it or take your chance. 

I can't stress enough how important it is to be in the community. You can read reviews and stories on websites like Reddit, Facebook, YouTube, etc. Although some YouTube reviews may not be truthful, at least you may get a chance to see a bag in a video showing different angles and sizes. Personally, I love being on Facebook groups. I joined Facebook groups for companies I love like Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Telfar, Portland Leather Goods, and Go Forth Goods. From there, I get to see real-life pictures of bags I am interested in. They also share their concerns when they run into a defective product. By being in the groups regularly, I understand which bag will last and which bag is problematic. The Internet has given us this excellent opportunity to connect and share our experiences. This information is valuable and potentially helps our bag-loving community when it comes to buying new bags. 

Other than reviews, I also pay attention to the material of the bags I purchased. It is most likely to last more than five years for a full-grain leather tote unless you accidentally pour coffee on it. For coated canvas, depending on which company makes it and how you store it, it may last for a long time or not at all. For genuine leather bags, they are likely to fall apart in three to five years if you use them frequently. If you are not familiar with the term genuine leather, it often refers to the lowest quality of leather. It has been a misleading term, and I encourage you to Google it. If you are not sure how a bag will last, one easy trick is to look up the second-hand reseller market to see how a bag aged. Websites like Poshmark, Mercari, eBay, and even Facebook Marketplace would have used bags you are looking for, and you could see how some of the bags turned out after years under someone else's possession. 

It is also essential to keep the companies accountable by keeping a copy of their warranty statement. If you ever discuss quality issues or anything regarding your bags with a representative, try to keep a record of that as they may not honor what they promised later on. Therefore, I prefer email or online chat when I need help with my bags. That way, I could save the chat history or screenshot it. I wouldn't be able to prove anything later on with phone calls unless I do audio recording, which could be illegal in some states. 

Conclusion
I indeed consider myself a pragmatic person. I try my best to make sensible decisions without losing the joy of shopping. Depending on your personality, you may not enjoy researching before buying a bag. Everyone will have to find a balance to either be realistic or just go for it. As for what changed in our lives in the last couple of years, I have also modified my shopping behavior. I had lost a few people I knew, and it wasn't easy. Life became unpredictable, and I tried to remind myself to be less rigid and cautious. I need to find ways to be myself and enjoy life; doing what I am passionate about has become a rather important goal. That's when I started my YouTube channel to challenge myself and learn new skills. 

Back to the theme of bag shopping! At the moment, I simply want to buy products I enjoy without overthinking them. As long as I am not hurting anyone, I will purchase whatever sparks joy. I know I am worth it, and so do you! Treasure the moment when a new bag brings you happiness; even if it doesn't last, you are worth it to enjoy the short moment of delight! Yes, sometimes people around you may criticize and judge your shopping addiction. If it doesn't affect them, I would politely send them out the door. It is time we need to be with people who understand us and give us the support we deserve! Enjoy your shopping!