FENDI India Is In The News For All The Wrong Reasons (Update)

FENDI is one of those luxury labels that opened shop in India when the first batch of  luxury labels made its foray in the country. The Italian luxury high-fashion label known for extravagant furs and leather accessories was acquired by the luxury conglomerate – LVMH in 2001 and had the czar of fashion – Karl Lagerfeld as the brands’ creative director since 1965 and it is only recently that Silvia Venturini Fendi took over as the creative director of the brand’s accessory range. But Lagerfeld still oversees it all.

In India FENDI has six stores and in the past few years notched up good sales and popularity. But with that they earned notoriety too. Today Fendi is infamous for bad quality handbags and shoes and belts that they retail in India. Average complaints that flow into Fendi’s Delhi store in DLF Emporio is as high as 100 a month. This is absolutely unpardonable. I doubt if Fendi, India is selling seconds or rejects or worst, fakes in India.

Adding salt to the wound, when you go to the Fendi store in India for repair of a bag for, which you paid upwards of Rupees 2 Lacs, you are told that the bag will be sent to the Fendi atelier in Italy for repair. It’s a white lie. Fendi in Delhi has an arrangement with the famous leather accessory store – Kim Brothers in Jorbagh for all repair and fixing job. I went to the store and when they realized that I was being extra nosey, they said the branded leather stuff are directly brought in by the customers.

I wrote couple of emails on the official Fendi website to enquire if Kim Brothers at Jorbagh is the authorized repair shop but as expected got no reply. But I trailed runners from Fendi’s Emporio store who carried lots of repair job not to be couriered to Italy but to handed over to Kim Brothers. 

It is very unethical on Fendi’s part to cheat its naive customers. Hope LVMH takes note and it reaches the ears of Pietro Beccari, CEO of Fendi. I would suggest that you do not buy Fendi from India.

By the way you can buy FENDI 100% Cotton Towel on Indiamart.com for Rupees 500 and this towel is manufactured by: S N Clothing Company, Panchkula, ,Haryana.

Here are few complaints I am posting verbatim:

Dear Sir/ Ma’am

 This is regarding the Fendi Bag 8BH253- MSQ-GOH4U i bought this bag on 29 october -2013. I used this bag may be just twice and since, i also have a residence in UK. I was in UK for good amount of time. The bag was packed in the Dust Bag and was safely kept in the cupboard once i came back and saw the bag color got changed and have black spots on the bag. I spent Rupees 90,500 which is a big amount on the bag and that has gone total waste because that bag cannot be used again. The bag was totally new and i have also kept my other branded bags like (LouisVuitton, Channel, Selvato Ferragamo , Micheal Kors) Bags along with this. Those bags are totally in a clean and good condition with me. 

It is really sad to see that your product quality is somewhat equal to Duplicate or Fake. I think there’s no difference left between a fake and original Fendi bag.

When i happen to complaint in the Emporio Mall Fendi Outlet i happened to meet one of the customers with the same problem. I think its is not only me but others as well who are not satisfied with the quality of the bag you are selling. I did the complaint in July and the reply which i got from them is that it is non-replacable.

I Want to request you to please replace my bag or just rectify with the problem i am facing with my bag. I ll be really oblige if you do that. Otherwise. i think i will knock the door of consumer court and will never enter the Fendi Outlet again.

Indifference to swipping the card twice

Purchased a bag at Fendi, Emporio Mall, New Delhi , India. AND they swiped(made payment on) my card twice!!! I called them over the phone and told them to get back to me after correcting the mistake. They dint bother. After a few days I actually had to go down to the store. I managed meeting the retail head there. No one bothered to call me back and update me on the case. The staff was very indifferent , and Fendi does not have a customer complain number which i think is legally wrong. It took two weeks for the money to come back into my account,it just make me think Fendi is quick in taking peoples money and very stingy when it comes to returning. During my last call to the retail head Vikram , he was actually rude enough to say, “should i hang my self if the money has’nt reached your account, and when i told him i would sue Fendi , He said please go ahead. I will not be buying Fendi after this experience. I literally had to run behind them to get my money back which they took unauthorized.