Aero Leather - Caveat Emptor?

[Edward]

The USN jackets are incredibly neat fitting - all manufacturers are the same. It's just the way of it - of course, if they went the "modern sizing" route, there'd be all sorts of folks howling at them for lack of accuracy. C'est la vie. There's always an inevitable risk in buying something online, to some extentg or other, when it comes to fit. Contacting the company for advice / measurements in advanced is always best. Aero have always been very efficient that way with me - as have ELC.

 

[Atticus Finch]

. I accepted Aero’s response at the time that this was a “historically accurate” fit...

Actually, the M-422A had a more roomy cut than the G-1...especially the late 'sixties G-1s. It was larger in the torso and longer than Navy jackets made since the 'fifties.

AF

 

[NavyDoc]

Hi there, as an aside I'm curious how you found the leather and construction on that jacket? Were there any flaws etc?

Anyway when I talked to holly about sizing for the m422a pattern she did suggest two sizes up my normal based on my measurements. This is just my experience though based on my measurements and I'm not sure if you had a chance to check with her prior to buying. Ymmv

Well, I was impressed enough to order another one! I actually ordered a G1 from Lost Worlds as an immediate replacement, but definitely preferred the leather and construction of the Aero, and returned the G1 immediately upon receiving it.

 

[NavyDoc]

Update - Ken and Holly from Aero contacted me this morning after news of this thread reached them. Many thanks to TFL members both individually and collectively. There is real value in people with like minds gathering together! Thanks again.

 

[NavyDoc]

The USN jackets are incredibly neat fitting - all manufacturers are the same. It's just the way of it - of course, if they went the "modern sizing" route, there'd be all sorts of folks howling at them for lack of accuracy. C'est la vie. There's always an inevitable risk in buying something online, to some extentg or other, when it comes to fit. Contacting the company for advice / measurements in advanced is always best. Aero have always been very efficient that way with me - as have ELC.

Yes, I always understood that the jacket was meant to fit tight, and that it was sized in a way that reflected standards of the day. And I had worked with Aero before in determining correct sizing for me in another jacket. Yet as someone who comfortably wears a 38 in other slim-fitting jackets, and could get away with a 36 in others, a 40 should have fit me. The issue I have here is that this jacket was NOT a 40 - merely tagged as one. Aero said as much when they reposted it for sale after at LEAST 2 people had returned it for being too small. Here are their words on he sale page - after I'd returned it:

We've marked this as a size 38” on the listing as these were always cut very neat to size during the 1940s and, as we use original specification patterns, we’ve fitted a 40” tag fgor authenticity, despite the fact that the jacket would be better for someone smaller.

That is where I believe I have been let down in the way of service. The error was not mine in judgement or failure to account for all the factors involved in sizing. I am simply the one paying for it.

 

[Edward]

The best course of action is always to ask for exact measurements for the pattrern rather than the tag size. Aero are very far from the only company where I can be anything from a 42 to a 46 depending on the cut of the particular pattern. It's just the nature of clothes. If we were all the same body size and shape it would be a lot simpler!

 

[NavyDoc]

The best course of action is always to ask for exact measurements for the pattrern rather than the tag size. Aero are very far from the only company where I can be anything from a 42 to a 46 depending on the cut of the particular pattern. It's just the nature of clothes. If we were all the same body size and shape it would be a lot simpler!

That may be so, but again, that is not the issue. Aero has, regardless of whether they intended to, admitted their mistake by re-listing this particular 40 as a 38 on the sale page. If it were simply a case of "this jacket is a slim cut" then they would have said "all of our 40's are actually 38's." But this is not what has happened. This is an individual jacket which has been mislabeled. I have a reasonable expectation to receive a jacket that is at least the same size as the others in its range, regardless of the fit relative to other styles or manufacturers. Every 40 should be the same. This 40 is different from the other size 40 M-422's.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Oh well not good. Maybe time to move on.

 

[eggleman]

Oh well not good. Maybe time to move on.

Agreed ..

 

[NavyDoc]

I would like to report that Holly contacted me today and very graciously agreed to a full resolution of my problem. Aero will be refunding the full shipping cost, as well as any details required for me to recover import fees. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the forum for their advice, as well as my genuine gratitude to Aero for their response. Too often, both companies and customers forget that we are all simply people who wish to be treated fairly and respectfully. Quite obviously the people at Aero have not forgotten. I can now see why so many people here on this forum speak so highly of this company. From now on, I will certainly do the same.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Import fees is hard, both for the customer and the company. There really is no fair way to do it. Best would be to double check before ship, but in todays world sometimes we simply dont have the time and making this a standard might even be more expensive in the long run.

I have gotten a few Gustin things wrong and sometimes I sent them back and othertimes they offered me 60% of the price and to keep the bad item. There is no winners imho, I really dont think the company should have to pay for import fees, but in this case I do feel that you really couldnt know and understand the frustration.

As long as the company is willing to discuss it I usually am sold and the rest is a bonus haha