WSVN — She had a purse she really loved. She took it to a repair shop to be cleaned up, and when they finished, she says they damaged her Louis Vuitton purse. What do you do if you think something isn’t repaired properly? Let’s bring in Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser for an answer.
Many people are collectors. Some people like to collect watches. Some like to collect coins.
And some like purses.
Tanzanier McClain: "My purses are my favorite. I love purses."
Not just any purse. One kind of purse for Tanzanier.
Tanzanier McClain: "My favorite is Louis Vuitton. I love the quality of it. It attracts me."
Tanzanier has five Louis Vuitton purses. One recently needed cleaning, so Tanzanier took it to a shop she says the Louis Vuitton store recommended.
Tanzanier McClain: "I said that I wanted the inside cleaned. ‘Please do not touch any of the outside of the bag because Louis Vuitton instructed me to make sure that I don’t let them clean the leather because the leather would turn a dark brown color.’"
A few days later, Tanzanier went to pick up the purse and was not a happy girl.
Tanzanier McClain: "It was dark, dark brown. I said, ‘I don’t like my bag. I told you guys not to clean the outside of my bag,’ and he goes, ‘Well, you brought it in like that,’ and I said, ‘No I didn’t."
Tanzanier said the shop had cleaned the outside, making the straps darker. Here is a picture of a new purse and the straps after the cleaning.
Tanzanier McClain: "I said, ‘I am not paying for something that I don’t like.’"
The store then agreed to replace all the straps. A few days later, she went back again, and again was not happy.
Tanzanier McClain: "I feel like they replaced my leather with unreal Louis Vuitton leather. The stitches were shiny. The real one doesn’t come like that. It doesn’t come shiny like that."
You have to be a Louis Vuitton aficionado to notice the changes. Clearly Tanzanier is.
Tanzanier McClain: "I pay attention to everything. If there’s a spot on there, trust me, I know that spot is there."
Tanzanier took pictures of her purse before she dropped it off, and pictures after it was redone. Notice, she says, the straps are now longer, and the stitching is different.
Tanzanier McClain: "There are three that run down and one across. When I picked it up today, there are four that run down."
Tanzanier refused to pay for the repairs and told the store she wanted them to replace the $1,400 purse. They said no.
Tanzanier McClain: "It looked nothing like a regular Louis Vuitton bag, and I was highly disappointed with the bag."
Well, Howard, legally what are Tanzanier’s rights?
Howard Finkelstein: "If you take something to be cleaned or repaired and they are negligent and they damage it, they have to either fix it or give you the purse and compensate you for the value that was lost because of the damage to the purse, if any. They do not have to give you what you paid for the purse."
I first spoke to the repair shop. They told me they spent $500 to repair the purse and were only going to charge Tanzanier $200 dollars.
They told me they used genuine Louis Vuitton leather, that when you replace items, they are never going to look like the original purse. They told me the purse now looked amazing, and since Tanzanier refused to pick it up, it was sitting on their counter and customers had offered to buy it.
Tanzanier then agreed to let them sell it, keeping $200 for their work and giving the rest to her.
When we met Tanzanier, she was not happy about her bag, and now that we are leaving, nothing has changed.
Tanzanier McClain: "No, I am not happy. I am being honest. I’m not, I am not happy at all."
What’s that old line? Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you. We don’t solve every Help Me Howard.
And by the way, if you take something in to be repaired, take a picture in case there is a dispute as to whether or not it was damaged after you gave it to them. The picture can answer a lot of questions.
Purse-uing a solution to you problem? Don’t want a fancy expensive lawyer? Then contact us. We’re a bargain when we try to repair things. With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
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