Aero Price Increase! and other mishaps on my Aero experence!

[elnico]

Hi.. I was hoping that my first post on this great site would be one which had me pictured in all my glory wearing my new Aero Waterfront but it was unfortunately not to be. I ordered my jacket from Amanda a couple of months giving my exact measurements and also those of my favorite coat. And i received the jacket a couple of weeks before Christmas .. the jacket looked fantastic straight out of the box and i put it straight on the .. the immediate feel of the fit was great and i went straight to open the left hand pocket flap .. but as i did no with some enthusiasm the press stud stayed locked tight and the material around it ripped open!

I phoned Amanda up and arranged return of the jacket by next day post for repair with a promise of a refund of my extra shipping cost and a speedy repair, So it went straight back in the box . Amanda was true to her word regarding the repair and i received the jacket back before the end of the week.
Even though i had not yet received the refund for the shipping cost i was not going to let that spoil the moment of at last getting the jacket .. until i looked in a mirror side on for the first time wearing the jacket and saw a most unwanted bulge of material.. I had ordered upon advise from Amanda a size 48 and add an inch to the arms and body.. but it was obvious that the width of the back was too wide and the bottom of the jacket was too loose around my waist .. so i again contact Amanda who puts me onto Will ( who i had met on a visit to the factory earlier in the year). I inquired if anything could be done to trim the jacket down but he stated that with this jacket he would have to make up another one , which would entail another long wait...or i could have a refund...

I could not decide what to do.. so i went away to think about it.. i was so looking forward to wearing it over the Christmas period. .. I Kept asking myself could i live with the bulge? did the jacket have to have that snug fit i was hoping for around the waist that showed off Brando so well in the original mover? My partner thought i was just being anal.. and everyone else who i showed the jacket to seemed to think that it did not matter,,, apart from those who thought it looked a bit lumberjackish..

I have another Aero jacket to add to this tale.. A secondhand black size 46 Veste de Rallye in Horse hide which i love but have always found a little short in the sleeves. I knew that Aero part exchanged coats so i made a decision to return both jackets to Aero and combine their value to order a brand new leather coat ( of which model i am yet to decide upon). I phoned Amanda up to discuss this and she agreed to this arrangement but recommended that as it was only a few days to go to Christmas that i might be better waiting for the factory to open in the new year before sending them over... i took her advise,,,,

have been having so much fun over the holiday period doing research into which jacket i was going to choose... would you believe that i have scanned every page of threads in the outerwear section for information! and through constant web browsing my eyesight is now suffering Aero blindness whereby i can now only see the colors antique brown and seal.

Now .. i am not a rich man ( i'm currently a stay at home dad) .. just a guy with a taste for quality and this exchange is the only way i could have acquired at last the leather jacket of my dreams ( the cheaper Waterfront was the most could afford wehn i was not yet willing to part with my Veste). So The day before the factory was due to open i sent the two jacket off by next day post (another £17 paid out in postage- i must have word with Amanda about that refund from the last postage!) i checked the tracking online and it stated it was delivered on time,, but when i tried to contact eh factory a number of times there was no answer on the phone.. i thought that this was understandable given the bad weather and also the first day back is probably a catchup day devoted to sorting and tidying up and getting back up to speed.

What i had not considered or been warned prior to the holiday was that Aero had some other business to attend to that day... That evening i carried on the heavy task of scanning the Aero web pages trying to decide which jacket to go for.. but this time this the aid of my partner ... as i scanned the pages my concentration upon the images before me was distracted by the fact that all the prices of the coat have increased dramatically that very day !.... so much so that even which my part exchange and refund i would have to fork out a considerable extra amount of cash to do get the coat that i want... i will contact Amanda on Monday and see what can be done. I guess the price increase has a lot to do with fuel cost and resource cost increases... but this is quite a hike up for such a successful company which seems to have up to now beaten the recession and has back orders stretching over months.
I know this is a quite long-winded start to a thread and i hold my hand in friendship to all who have managed to read this to the end..... thank you-- Any other thoughts to what has necessitated the price increases? or thoughts to what i should do in my situation? most welcome....

 

[andy richards]

Hi Elnico,
That truly is a very sad story I've just read. I have two great Aero jackets, with no problems at all, which I wear about every day. The people at Aero were always very helpfull and precise IMHO. Emails are answered promptly and great advise is given. For you I feel very sorry to learn that you have a bad experience with Aero. A failure in a snap-closure could have happen with every company. I suggest you talk the whole story over with Will and/or Amanda and discuss how to solve your problem. Did you make pictures of your jackets while wearing them? Please post if you have them. I wish you all the best. Please keep us informed about the progress in solving the problem.
Cheers,
Andy

 

[Creeping Past]

Welcome! And sorry to hear your tale of woe. It's a bugger when something you've been looking forward too goes wrong.

The separate matter of a price increase is just one of those things. It's put me in save mode for a bit longer than I'd expected. I'll be ordering a jacket late summer now, instead of early spring...

 

[Papa M]

Sorry, Elnico, that you've ended up without the joys of a Waterfront. Mine has proved to be my favourite non-leather winter jacket (along with my Red/Black Filson Mackinaw).
With our current dramatic icy weather conditions I guess that you would have benefitted from keeping the Waterfront and maybe bulking yourself up with some pies in order to get around the sizing problem!

Here's mine - deliberately cut more generously than Brando's to allow layering underneath.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=39891&page=13&highlight=Waterfront

 

[OneEyeMan]

Elnico,
Sorry for your unfortunate first experience with Aero.
As for the price increase, I'm sure if you ask, Amanda will honor the pre-price increase price (did I say that right) of any jacket you order, as well as refund your return shipping cost.
As for the jacket itself, no company is perfect and mistakes will be made.
I've had 2 Highwayman, the 2nd being by far the better of the two.
Even so, it isn't perfect, but the imperfections are basically trivial and have no effect on the jacket's fit, form, or function.
Good luck with the new jacket and let us know what you choose.
Here's a thought: since you obviously loved the Waterfront enough to order it the first time, why not order it again?
BTW, what leather was it?
Surprising that it ripped.
Did it rip at stitching, right at the snap closure, or in the middle of the leather somewhere?
Lenny

 

[Papa M]

Here's a thought: since you obviously loved the Waterfront enough to order it the first time, why not order it again?
BTW, what leather was it?
Surprising that it ripped.

Check my link above and you'll see that it is a non-leather plaid wool jacket.

Incidently - I personally feel that the price hike is a little heavy. For example - the Waterfront has gone from £140 to £225.

I think this brings Aero's leather military range just about into line with Eastman's.

 

[OneEyeMan]

Oops! :eusa_doh:
My mistake.
Lenny

 

[Edward]

That's very disappointing to hear about. I was hoping to order a Waterfront this Spring, but with such a significant price rise, that's probably out the window for quite some further time. I wish I'd ordered one last year.

The price rise does indeed bring the military jackets in line with Eastman's offerings, which is something I can understand them doing (even if it is disappointing), as clearly they are not shy of business, and are also confident enough in their product competing with Eastman on its merits that they can up the cost. Some things have gone up considerably, but are still competitive against the Eastman price - see, for example, Aero's B-10, which has gone up, I think, in the region of £100? Still £50 less than the Eastman offering. Makes the Eastman less of a stretch for those who fell it is a better product in terms of accuracy etc, but still enough of a difference for those to whom £50 is an issue.

This will definitely make significant cuts to the number of Aeros I was planning to buy over the next few years (four jackets now will, I think, cost the equivalent of five pre-rise, roughly speaking). I should have thought, though, that Aero know their own business well enough that they won't have taken too big a risk to their overall custom by upping their prices. [huh]

 

[Creeping Past]

Even with the increase the prices are still good for what are, if you wish, fully customisable one-off handmade jackets.

 

[Edward]

Even with the increase the prices are still good for what are, if you wish, fully customisable one-off handmade jackets.

This is true.... I wonder too how long the prices had held the same? Usually, I find when a company has such a sudden jump up in prices, it has a lot to do with prices having stayed what they were for many years on end. And, as I mentioned abov, they're still competitively priced against the competition, which is, I think most directly, ELC for the military stuff, and..... uh, anyone?.... for the civilian designs.

 

[Paden]

I think, it is stil a "cheap" price for a custome made jacket.
Look for popular brands and you know how cheap Aero is.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

But imho they will now have to be even more thorough when someone specifically wants something...or not.

The little note from Amanda to Moira was included in the package and it didnt really look like the note I wrote to Amanda.

This doesnt feel really good, specially since I felt that Amanda didnt really like answering all my questions i had. I am unsure how to proceed with my next order. Should I try to keep it short, or should I specify what I really want. Specifying too much might make them ignore it. This is the feeling I got.

 

[elnico]

thanks

Thanks for everyone's input here... i just thought i might add that the used section on the Website have stayed the same prices as one might expect... might we then further predict less used bargains here from now on if Aero still offer the same exchange price? would it be more tempting to sell on Ebay instead? I hope not.

Just to add to my post .. my head and heart were almost definately leaning heavily towards a Highwayman in front quarter brown before the price rise went to £500... but the A2 anniversary in Seal still catches my eye! is the an illness?

 

[blethook]

Sorry to hear about the troubles with Aero...

I've had a lot of dealings with them, both good & bad, although overall I would say they have been good.

One similar experience I had was an A-2 that didn't fit very well. I measured the jacket and they're quite way off from the measurements I had provided them. I mentioned this to Amanda the first thing after I had received the jacket. In this instance she told me to wear it anyway, and then they would look at modifying it, if necessary. So, my story is not too different from yours. To make the long story short, it wasn't possible to trim the jacket cut, and I ended up with a replacement A-2 jacket (FOC) that was done in a week's time!!!

But later dealings would tell me that the company was changing its direction...A lot of the things they used to do FOC, they wouldn't do it anymore now. One example is the hemming of jeans inseams that I got from them. In the past they were happy to do it FOC (just pay the postage costs), but now they simply refuse to do it.

Also, replacing zippers used to be FOC, but now they charge for the labour (I provided the zipper myself).

Re the fit of the jacket, it's true that often times, when you first receive your Aero jacket, the jacket fit would not look right. But with wear it will improve (hide stiffness may make the jacket looks more bulgy, or puffy). A quick way to check would be to measure the jacket and compare the actual measurements with what you gave them. I've seen their measurements being off by as much as 1.5", or even more!!

Sometimes you can provide all of the measurements that you want, and the jacket would still end up with measurements that are completely off from your specifications. If that is the case, it's best to return the jacket and ask for a replacement (which I did with the A-2, but wore it only on Amanda's advice).

Re price increase, I'm surprised to see it given current economic conditions, where inflation is basically zero...

I have one civilian jacket & 3 military jackets from Aero. I think that's enough for me.

I guess if I feel the need to get another Aero jacket (I am sure it'll come up later in the year) I will just get it off ebay (secondhand).

 

[Paden]

But imho they will now have to be even more thorough when someone specifically wants something...or not.

The little note from Amanda to Moira was included in the package and it didnt really look like the note I wrote to Amanda.

This doesnt feel really good, specially since I felt that Amanda didnt really like answering all my questions i had. I am unsure how to proceed with my next order. Should I try to keep it short, or should I specify what I really want. Specifying too much might make them ignore it. This is the feeling I got.

If you like a comment from the "other side", for me as a dealer it it always out target to have satisfied customers.
But sometimes, enough is enough, and for me it is the easier way not to sell
goods.
Normaly that is not the way, but every dealer wil have that special clients.
I am not saying, that you one of them.
If I would be Aero, I would make an order form with the thing you can order,
this is the way, we order jackets by Aero.
Sometimes less is better than more.
It is always the same, it is boon and bane together.
The expactation of customers will be much higher, the more details you can change.
And if you work under full pressure in the winter months, they make sometimes faults, like
every human makes it.
For me Aero is something special, they love the things they make, have a look a Belstaff
than you see how it goes when only money rules the world.
By the way, I am dealing since 22 years we new an used VW, too.
So nothing is strange to me, I will say, I saw every typ of customer.
Good and bad.
It is much harder for the dealer, when you have a hobby that is car or leather jackets.
The motions can turn from very, very happy fast into very sad.

 

[Creeping Past]

inflation is basically zero

Are you sure you're living in the same England I'm in?

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Just to be clear, there was a total of 10 mails from me for the order.

4 mails was to clarify what a custom order would cost and what measurements they wanted.

4 more mails was to ask some questions about what lining would work
and how long the jacket should be for me, plus the armlength, and at this point
I got some wierd answer back about the length that made me have to ask
on of the questions again but in a different way, along with 2 other clarifications.

The 8:th mail took longest time to get answered because she thought she already had answered those questions.

After I got that one answered i sent 2 more mails with the final ordering.


---

I have read people here having over 200 mails back and forth for one jacket.

Seriously, 10 mails for a guy who doesnt even have English as a mother language, if that is too much then I dont know.

The customizations werent many either, I know it had been done before many times because of people posting the jackets here, and some have more options than mine.


Anyways, now when I have learned about how it works from them I should be able to do the next order in maybe 3-5 mails.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Now to clarify something else.
I am very happy with the total experience and Amanda have been very helpful and friendly.
The jacket came out superb and everything was fine.

It is a dream come true that Aero is out there, and I will use them again.


What Im trying to say is just that it didnt seem like everything got through from me to the person actually making the jacket, this time it went ok, but next time maybe I wont be so lucky, and since the prices have gone up I want to feel that they are interested in helping me get the fit Im after. Thats all.

 

[blethook]

Are you sure you're living in the same England I'm in?

Likely yes... Or perhaps some parallel world

Looking at Retail Price Index:
Nov. 2008: 216.0
Nov. 2009: 216.6

Not much increase...

This, unfortunately, is what corporations use to determine if employees should get a inflationary pay rise, or not [huh] I'd be surprised if I get any.

 

[gfirob]

High stakes purchase

I must say I have noticed how emotionally charge the purchase of one of these jackets seems to be for many people, so that small disappointments, miscommunications or misunderstandings take on the air of almost deliberate betrayals for some buyers. I know it's a lot of money to pay for a jacket, but it's still a jacket and it's still an article being made by a bunch of human beings in factory.

Maybe we sometimes think that the jacket will endow us with something we didn't have before, or that such an expensive self-indulgence makes us more vulnerable to dissapointment, but in the end, its just a jacket.

The amount of agony that seems to go into the selection of leather or style or small alteration for a lot of people is a little surprising to me.

Overall, I think most of us would give Aero pretty high marks for their quality and their customer service. That they stumble every once in a while is a function of their being human.