This last Christmas I literally ran out of ideas and time for shopping and bought something that was practical and also looked a decent quality. There was no budget when you only have a few hours before the shops start closing. This year has been the first year with our new business and it was a matter of working right through leaving no spare time hence the last minute present buying.
Being made out of leather I did not see much that could go wrong and how wrong I was. They offer a 5 year guarantee so obviously the manufacturers are confident in their products and why I was disappointed to see the inside stitching filing after only 3 days of use.
Substandard
My wife started using her gift this week on Monday so she has slid her laptop in no more than 6 times and I was a little stunned to see the bag failing already. This is also happening on the opposite side so tis tells me the material being used is not suitable for the functionality of the bag . This is Busby's Heritage collection and comes with a premium price so you would expect a high end product.
Refund
I am not sure what the solution is here as replacing the bag will result in exactly the same happening again due to the materials used for the inside lining. We shall see what they say, but it looks like a full refund coming and not exactly what I had planned.
Sadly these days it is very hard to find any quality that lasts and price certainly does not equate to a better quality product like it did 30 years ago. I still have leather boots with truck tire soles that are still in mint condition having bought them back in 1988. They were so good I bought 2 pairs and crazily I do not need the 2nd pair as they are that well made. You cannot buy them any more as I know plenty people who have searched and found something similar, but these are mass produced and not the same.
I have a suede leather jacket that I bought in France back in 1999 and it is still in excellent condition. I have sent it off to the cleaners after struggling as 3 refused to touch it saying they would damage the jacket. I found a specialist cleaning company who will get it done over 8 days guaranteeing their work. Even they mentioned when dropping it off earlier this week they have not seen a jacket like it before. Quality stands out and why when you see quality I am normally tempted if I like it.
Leather belts are another product that used to last years and now you are lucky if they last 6 months. The genuine leather tag has to be questionable as I do not know leather that cracks so easily. I know you get a product called pleather which is imitation leather and I avoid those as those look horrendous within months.
What is becoming more clear is craftmanship is being lost and finding any product that is quality is almost impossible to find. Maybe out in the rural areas you will still find hand made items, but in the cities not a chance. Everything is Chinese and I bet you this Busby bag is Chinese having changed their business model after coming out of business rescue during the lock downs. This brand was known for their local leather products, but this just looks too flimsy and has China written all over this. If it is locally made then they should be able to offer an alternative inner lining.