Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This started as a 5 star review when I wrote it. After a month of using the second one I purchased, I need to revise my rating. Additional comments toward the end of this review. I like a structured purse, and this delivers, standing up even when empty. Yes, it's close to the LV Alma with Epi leather, so the leather is firm, sturdy and substantial. It is close to the PM size, meaning in inches it's about 11 wide by 9 1/2 and 6 front to back. That size of the designer-make with the shoulder strap would set you back about two grand. LV need not worry - they didn't lose a sale, as I'd never pay that for a purse, and people who really know the original won't be fooled. There's no monogram on the exterior or the zipper handles, and this doesn't have the microfiber lining. Still, this purse stands on its own merits. If you have strong feelings about hardware color, look carefully at the pictures, as some come with silver, some with gold. Mine came with gold which I normally don't like, but it is a soft gold, not blazing yellow, tasteful, and is also used on the zipper. The matching padlock (wrapped in clear plastic I'm going to leave on for scuff protection) comes on the handle loop but can be moved to the zipper if you plan to use it. The key is inside the hanging leather key bell and mine worked fine. There was a bonus key fob that I'm going to throw away, as I don't need it, and it's got a fold mark on it, and it is only finished leather on one side, raw on the other, and my raw side has blotches on it. No biggie. The bottom of the bag has two leather straps, each with two little feet on it to keep the bottom from wearing. The short handles are big enough to hand-carry or drape over your forearm, but won't go past your elbow. The extra shoulder strap comes inside the bag, and attaches to metal loops on the short handles. The shoulder strap is about an inch wide, and has 6 holes and a buckle so you can choose your length. Because the leather has the wood grain embossing, it doesn't look like traditional leather with a natural grain, which is why some reviews question if it's real. If you look closely, you can see some of the leather grain within the wood grain texturing. The strip at the bottom is patent leather. My purse had no strong smell, just a slight smell that did smell like leather to me. I would have found it reassuring if the purse had come with an inner tag stating materials, country of origin and manufacturer, but mine had NO inner tag. I choose the "milky white" color which is close to ivory, maybe a shade darker than the LV ivory, bordering on very light tan. The interior of my bag is a dark brown satiny fabric. The one side has a small zipper pocket that would hold cards or small items. The other side has two open pockets, one would hold a cell phone or a pack of smokes, the other is bigger. The center portion is open, undivided. I wanted a purse that had class with an edge, and am very pleased. The color I got will be perfect for spring through summer and into early fall. After that, yeah, I might be back for another bag in a different color. Added Dec. 5, 2014 - As planned, I again bought this bag in late August -this time in black- planning on using it for fall and winter. After 1 month of light wear (I don't work outside the home, so this bag has only gone out maybe twice weekly for shopping) the handle has come off. It tore where the ring inserts for the shoulder strap. (The key bell had already ripped before the month was up.) As of today, my review is the second most helpful review on this item, probably because I spent a lot of time trying to describe it to assist others. I would hate to have to leave this review online as a much-seen warning to others. It's my intent to contact the seller and see if they will make this right. If they do, I will add praise for their integrity and revise accordingly. Added January 13, 2014 - Amazing. This is proof the system can work. With the Christmas buying rush over (most of my presents bought here on Amazon) I got back on dealing with the purse. This was sold directly by Amazon and not a third party seller, so I called Amazon and had the pleasure of dealing with an excellent Amazon rep named Thomas. He understood that it was frustrating to have a bag that was basically in new condition, though not recently bought, having sat on the shelf until it was the season to use black accessories. Because it was well past the 30 day return period, I couldn't get an exchange, but was given a small credit on future purchases. This was as much as the rep could do within his discretion. I appreciated the gesture, grudgingly understood the return policy. It was indeed past 30 days since purchase, but the purse was essentially new, so I was still a little rankled. When I received the credit, I was also sent a survey link. The first question asked is if you were satisfied. You are also asked to rate the rep (which I did highly because he was really good, not just because he made a concession, but his listening and phone skills and empathy were outstanding). The link asked how easy it was to deal with Amazon (I gave 5 stars), the rep's skills (5 stars) and the Amazon policy (3 stars). If you answer the question asking if you were satisfied with "Yes" you get a text box to add anything else. If you say "No" the screen says basically to please give Amazon another chance and contact them after completing the review. I hesitated because my rep Thomas had been very good and I did not want my lack of satisfaction to reflect badly on him... but on the other hand, I was still in possession of a new but broken purse, the sting slightly removed by a credit... so no, I wasn't really satisfied. The system then said "May we call you?" - I said yes, and my phone rang, and I had been sent to a department that essentially handles escalated issues. Again, I had a fabulous rep, Robert, with excellent listening skills, empathy, ability to make judgement calls, but with a little more latitude. He heard me out, was totally understanding, and issued a full refund. I was very impressed. I had had two excellent representatives with top notch skills AND because of the Amazon online system of asking about my satisfaction, I actually was finally completely satisfied. At that point, I asked if I could give my positive feedback to a superior, and was passed along to one, with whom I shared my feedback about the reps, and the system working. And she, Janet, was very good too. Said she would share my feedback with the direct superiors of Thomas and Robert. Happy to hear that everything worked, that the reps were good and I was happy. Who would've thought a purse breaking could show me how decent and professional Amazon can be?