Zipper damaging leather.

[Carlos840]

Hi all,

I just received an Alexander Leathers Cafe Racer, my first horse hide jacket.

The jacket fits great, but i am a bit worried by the damage the zipper is doing to the leather around it.
The jacket is unworn, but already showing a lot of damage all along the length of the zipper, the worst being at the bottom male part, where it has almost gone through one of the layers already!
It's like the zipper is just chewing through the leather.

Is this normal on horse hide? i have never seen anything like this on any of my steer/cow jackets.

 

[Monitor]

Slight wear around the zipper is normal but this sort of thing definitely shouldn't be happening, no matter what leather's the jacket from. Don't like what I'm seeing here... Safe to say you should contact AL as soon as possible.

 

[jon11]

If this were my jacket I would be less than impressed. Nothing to do with the leather in my opinion. I would ship it straight back for a full refund or exchange, damaged goods for me.

 

[Stand By]

I agree. I'd be asking the same questions and sending the same photos to AL … today.

 

[Plumbline]

Yup .. agree with other comments ... it will wear round the zipper but that is damaged and needs repaired.

 

[Carlos840]

I agree. I'd be asking the same questions and sending the same photos to AL … today.

This is what i did before i even started the thread, just wanted to get more opinions on the matter...

 

[Plumbline]

So what did they say ????

 

[Carlos840]

So what did they say ????

They haven't had time to answer yet, i received the jacket this afternoon, saw this, sent an email but it was 5pm already.

I then wondered if i was being to OCD for my own good and if this was a usual thing, and started this thread.

I'm glad to see everybody seems to also think it isn't right... will update you guys when they answer.

 

[tmitchell59]

i received the jacket this afternoon,

Arrived like that? Not right.

 

[Carlos840]

Arrived like that? Not right.

Yes, i've literally worn it for less than 5 minutes and zipped it twice!

 

[nick123]

In my experience the zipper rubbing against the leather has always caused some of the leather to lose its top coating (it's the part that has always aged the fastest for me) but there shouldn't be a gouge in the leather like that.

 

[Monitor]

I then wondered if i was being to OCD for my own good and if this was a usual thing, and started this thread.

I'm glad to see everybody seems to also think it isn't right... will update you guys when they answer.

OCD? Man, you don't get to see this sort of thing on a cheapest of the cheap mall jacket - and even if you did, the jacket would be on a serious discount. Think of it this way; if you saw this jacket hanging in a store, would you buy it, or would you ask if they had another one that wasn't damaged?

 

[tmitchell59]

if you saw this jacket hanging in a store, would you buy it, or would you ask if they had another one that wasn't damaged?

exactly,

 

[IXL]

I have a heavy cowhide jacket from Espinoza's that exhibited the same problem in three locations along the length of the zipper. First, I tried applying chapstick along the entire zipper, with limited success. Next, although I was informed through the Lounge that silicone spray-lube is a tool of the devil, which it might well be, I coated a cotton swab with the stuff and spread it over both sides of each zipper and the leather in the problem areas.

This eliminated enough friction that the leather avoided further damage. At some point, as a result of wearing the jacket quite a bit and using the zipper, the leather facing around the zipper relaxed enough that it will never be a problem again.

The rest of the story: prior to my dance with the devil, I found myself in the wife's sewing room and discovered a tube of sewing machine lube resting on the table, next to the machine. If it's good enough for the delicate and complicated mechanisms found in these machines, it surely should work for my intended purpose.

Shortly after coating the problem-zipper areas with this Teflon-looking stuff, my wife inquired why I had been using her tube of glue on my jacket: she was in the process of making a costume for our niece to wear in the grade school play, and needed to glue glitter on parts of it. Being the trained investigator I am, I never bothered to actually read the label on the tube.
Needless to say, the starting-to-harden glue didn't help the zipper problem any! Oh, and the school play wern't half-bad, neither!

 

[robrinay]

Don't try to fix it thats ALs responsibilty and if you tamper with it you will undermine your legal rights. It's been pressed under a significant weight - perhaps driven over by a vehicle - that's the only way in my opinion a zipper could make that kind of impression in any leather. It may have occurred in the post as AL quality control wouldn't have allowed it to be packed. You've done the right thing in contacting them straight away and I'm sure they will replace the jacket without difficulty. You are protected by the 'Sale of Goods Act 1979' so relax.

 

[Superfluous]

 

[jon11]

If I was looking at this jacket on a rail, and saw that, I would be looking for another jacket without damage. I think it was very careless sending you out a jacket like that in the first place. Their quality control should have picked this up in my opinion. If this has happened in the post its still their responsibility.

 

[eggleman]

As everyone else has stated , this is not normal .. replacement required methinks ..

 

[LouisBailie]

They routinely discount 100% perfect jackets 25% (when returned) to resell them, for that defect(s) it should require more, down to their cost to produce at about 45-50% of retail.

So when they reply with 'what you would like them to do' 1) be ready with a request for them to pick it up and replace or 2) accept a refund of 45-50%, then be happy with either one they offer.

It is a cost, stuff happens and life goes on....

 

[trapp]

Don't try to fix it thats ALs responsibilty and if you tamper with it you will undermine your legal rights. It's been pressed under a significant weight - perhaps driven over by a vehicle - that's the only way in my opinion a zipper could make that kind of impression in any leather. It may have occurred in the post as AL quality control wouldn't have allowed it to be packed. You've done the right thing in contacting them straight away and I'm sure they will replace the jacket without difficulty. You are protected by the 'Sale of Goods Act 1979' so relax.

This makes sense and in fairness to AL it's entirely possible this happened after packing. That first pic looks like the zip was pressed into the leather with great force - something unusual may have happened to the package. People should give AL a chance to respond and make good before piling on.