Bad repair experience?

[regius]

I just posted a story on VLC, here's it again.
I bought a 40s HH Sears Hercules D pocket jacket, the silver Hercules label, not the Oakbrook label, very very nice horsehide in mint condition and the green wool checkered lining perfect, almost like a NOS. However, the coin pocket has a top corner ripping a bit, the thread must have rotten. Just a little, one could almost not care and wear it.

I wanted to try out my local Italian family-owned shoe repair business called Occicones, they are rated top repairer by department stores for bags, furniturs, garment and shoes.

I didn't really explain the "intricacies" of a D pocket, just showed them hey, the corner is coming off please sew it back.

After one full week and $35, guess what, I was aghast to see some fool stitched the flap pocket all the way through the D pocket into the body panel, eliminating the use of the D pocket!!! It was a "WHAT THE FFFF" moment when I tried to reach into my D pocket at a gas station (I didn't examine the work at the shop a I thought this should be obvious).

Now I managed to cut the threads from the body panel and now the flap pocket only has the hidden stitch left. Will have to send it to Johnson to fix.

As a caveat, I tried to offer them a new business model and become partner with them, but they don't care about my idea and don't believe they have the know-how, well, so much for old Italian craftsmen in New York. They'd rather take their company to grave (a bit like my current employer...) than get a new management to take it to the next level.

 

[Seb Lucas]

These things happen, I had a small hole on a jacket shoulder I asked to be discreetly patched up. The hole was a fraction of an inch but the patch, in a different colour leather, was two inches square. But I'm not surprised they didn't accept your new model - no one likes being told what to do.

 

[regius]

These things happen, I had a small hole on a jacket shoulder I asked to be discreetly patched up. The hole was a fraction of an inch but the patch, in a different colour leather, was two inches square. But I'm not surprised they didn't accept your new model - no one likes being told what to do.

Note: I didn't really phrase it that way to them, and didn't impose a new model to them, just some ideas, but the impression is they are done in this industry. i explained the big picture of the dying hand-make, old fashioned style and made in USA, but the folks just don't care. Well, they have their right to do whatever they want with their business.

 

[Seb Lucas]

It may not be about not caring. As you probably know change is one of the hardest things for people to cope with and accept. That's one of the reasons why advice is so often unwelcome. Even if it is needed.

 

[Mark Ricketts]

You may not know the whole story, so do not judge. Repair work is not all the same skill set as production, so fair dues to them not wanting to get into something they cannot handle. Also, customers can take the joy out of any job, this is not a comment on what happened to you, but personal experience.

In a previous career I was a highly skilled man, enjoying what I did, and producing some quality product. In the end I had an absolute gut's full of people paying more for crap I would be embarrassed to put my name to and then trying to beg something from me that was much higher quality.
Even though I loved what I did, dealing day to day with people who don't know, don't care and wear their ignorance like a badge of honour can be soul destroying. In the end the best thing I ever did was get out of the game so now people get what they want and deserve what they get.

 

[xOUTLAWx]

You may not know the whole story, so do not judge. Repair work is not all the same skill set as production, so fair dues to them not wanting to get into something they cannot handle. Also, customers can take the joy out of any job, this is not a comment on what happened to you, but personal experience.

In a previous career I was a highly skilled man, enjoying what I did, and producing some quality product. In the end I had an absolute gut's full of people paying more for crap I would be embarrassed to put my name to and then trying to beg something from me that was much higher quality.
Even though I loved what I did, dealing day to day with people who don't know, don't care and wear their ignorance like a badge of honour can be soul destroying. In the end the best thing I ever did was get out of the game so now people get what they want and deserve what they get.

Skilled jobs are brutal these days. I was like you before and I'm done working with the public. Too many ingnorant idiots.

 

[Monitor]

Well, this is... It's just sad. I cannot understand this, all the sewing holes are already there, it doesn't take a genius to figure out how to go about fixing the pocket. It's not that there's any need for improvisation, you just quite literally need to follow the dotted line. This kind of repair work should've been done by hand anyway, while this looks like they just threw the jacket under the sewing machine...

But you guys are absolutely correct about quality - it's the reason why such services get rated highly, because people who can appreciate actual quality are too few.

 

[regius]

Well, this is... It's just sad. I cannot understand this, all the sewing holes are already there, it doesn't take a genius to figure out how to go about fixing the pocket. It's not that there's any need for improvisation, you just quite literally need to follow the dotted line. This kind of repair work should've been done by hand anyway, while this looks like they just threw the jacket under the sewing machine...

this is exactly how I saw it happened. What happened in this case was a sheer act of irresponsibility, it like saying "Let me out of this trade now", well, they still would like to charge people.
I mean, look, there are fine craftsmen out there who has both the skill of the trade AND the skill to deal with people, plus some of them also have the correct attitude for being a BUSINESS OWNER, and these people survive and thrive, Johnson Leather, Aero, John Chapman, Brian.

If a craftsman had decided to make money out of his skill, then set your attitude straight, you are first and foremost a business owner, a service provider, you don't do this for your own hobby anymore. The lack of or deterioration of this public service attitude (whatever those idiots may say and how ignorant of them at your art) is what's sad here.

 

[handymike]

Fortunately, there is a great leather repairman in LA.
Sorry for your bad experience Regius.

 

[Dumpster Diver]

Learn to Sew.

 

[IXL]

As grandmother Golda used to say, "before you open a shop, you had better know how to smile."