Bergdorf Goodman Inc. Chanel Bag Theft and Switch New York New York

On December 23, 2012, I dropped off my Chanel handbag for repair at Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan, where I had purchased it in 2009. When I returned to Bergdorf Goodman to pick up my bag on or May 4, 2013, I instead received a different Chanel bag, of lesser value. I checked the documentation from my original purchase and confirmed that the serial number of the bag that I received did not match my bag's serial number. Both bags were Chanel Medium Caviar Classics, but my bag was an older model that was made with higher quality leather, which now holds significantly higher value than the newer version.

A Bergdorf customer service rep eventually admitted that I had been given the wrong bag, but inisisted that my bag was now lost. Additionally, the customer service rep admitted that the bag I was given came from Bergdorf's current inventory, not from Chanel's repari service. This means that the bag was not lost while being serviced by Chanel, but rather that it was apparently stolen by a Bergdorf employee who attempted to swap me a cheaper bag in its place. 

I was offered a new bag plus a $1000 gift card, the combined value of which was less than what my old bag is worth. When I declined this offer and explained why it was insufficient, the customer service rep no longer returned my emails or phone calls.

At that point I contacted Neiman Marcus, the parent company of Bergdorf Goodman. The Credit Fraud department at Neiman Marcus claimed that I was given the correct bag and that I had never even purchased my original bag. This is of course contrary to the admissions by Bergdorf's customer service rep, and added insult to injury. 

I have several Chanel bags and in the future I will purchase my new Chanel bags from any other store.