I'd recommend bringing your business elsewhere - there are plenty of other leather stores in Penn's Purchase and plenty of other Coach outlets in the area.
I've been a loyal Coach customer for over ten years (especially at this location). It's an expensive line, but I value good quality and have a very high standard for my bags - so Coach is a great fit. However, I have to say, over the years my experience with this particular Coach store has plummeted. This is an outlet store - and with Coach, as they've personally explained to me - that means it's actually a different product entirely from what you get at the standard stores (not 'last season's' merchandise). But I've been buying from them for years and the distinction was indiscernible until my most recent purchase.
I was thrilled to find a gorgeous leather bag - exactly what I'd been searching for - last year for just over $100 (after all of their great coupons and discounts - an absolute steal). However, within less than a year of use, I noticed obvious wear in the leather strap as well as on the front of the textured leather trim. I've never had this issue before so I stopped by this location to see if anything could be done, and they said they would send it to the factory.
A few weeks later, I receive a call from the store saying that they received notice from corporate that they could not repair my bag. So, they would be returning my bag to me along with a gift card for $84 (current value of the bag). I was pleasantly surprised by the generosity: I had made it clear in the store I just wanted the bag back if nothing could be done, but the fact that they were also sending a card my way was a true testament to their level of quality and customer service.
Fast forward to a few weeks later, when I receive the gift card in the mail with a letter from the Coach corporate headquarters. Turns out, the outlet store had completely misled me: they were NOT returning my bag, and they were ONLY giving me the card, my bag (which was no longer available to purchase) was not to be returned. Which was completely the opposite of what I wanted - in addition to completely backwards of what they had clearly and EXPLICITLY explained to me on the phone.
I am completely understanding of miscommunications, but what really turned me off and the catalyst for this review was my subsequent conversations with the manager at this location about the issue at hand. Despite my respectable manner about the whole thing, she was EXTREMELY pushy and from the beginning, she outright refused to acknowledge the possibility that one of her staff could have misspoken - "it just isn't possible." She was nothing shy of a bully as she tried to pressure me into believing it was all *my* fault and no one at the store could possibly take responsibility. I was so shocked and appalled that a store that represents products of this caliber could be so crass and anti-customer!
Was the false information from the store annoying? Yes. The deteriorating quality of their merchandise? Also not great news. But it was the customer service and - each time I had to speak with her over this issue - the terrible bullying attitude of the manager that warrants nothing higher than a 2-star rating for this store, so long as that manager is in charge. read more