My first Aero -- is it a keeper?

[Carlos840]

Gamma, I’m really sorry this happened to you and you have every right to be pissed off as that outcome is unacceptable and should have never happened, but to all other members weighing in on the issue I suggest that a little decorum should be on order here and let Johnson’s Leathers answer to this issue first instead of writing them off completely and dragging their name through the mud.
Alan and his company have a long history of happy customers and good reviews here and anyone can have a bad day or make a mistake.
Let’s not get carried away and destroy a company’s reputation for a mistake without letting them explain themselves first.
Just my two cents.

I'm sorry, but nothing JL can say will make up for this!
Missed holes, untrimed threads, broken snaps, how would one ever justify not seeing this was such a poor repair before sending it out!
There is no excuse that can make this ok, and nothing he can do will get rid of the damage he has done.

 

[JMax]

Let’s see what JLs response is and how they try to make it right. That this situation is impossible to remedy is just not true.

I get that no one is asking, but if it were me, I go to JL first. Well, maybe a rant full of WTFs first but then a call. They are very reputable and by all accounts Alan is a good dude. See what the response is before trying to harm the guy and then pile on. This is JL, not some cheesedick operation (OPs jacket notwithstanding).

 

[Fonzie]

I'm sorry, but nothing JL can say will make up for this!
Missed holes, untrimed threads, broken snaps, how would one ever justify not seeing this was such a poor repair before sending it out!
There is no excuse that can make this ok, and nothing he can do will get rid of the damage he has done.

So, according to you, they don't deserve even the opportunity to explain themselves or even try to compensate for the damage caused?
Are they in your opinion a write-off of a company that no one should use anymore just because they have made a (very) bad repair job, even though they have a solid history of previous top quality service amongst other forum members?
I personally think that people deserve second chances or at least the opportunity to correct mistakes if they own up to them, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Mich486]

The attitude is horrible, I am glad I didn't choose JL to do my next jacket, I did look up many jacket they done in the past, and I found their stitch looks little sloppy and rough compare to other high end maker, consider what I need to pay is nearly $1500, it's just not worth it.

Attitude? What are you talking about?! Come on let’s try to be serious. Why should we give away unfounded bashing for no reason?

This is a botched up job but there is no need apart from Gamma to complain at this stage.


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[Hh121]

Attitude? What are you talking about?! Come on let’s try to be serious. Why should we give away unfounded bashing for no reason?

This is a botched up job but there is no need apart from Gamma to complain at this stage.


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That is my opinion according to Gamma's repaired jacket, and yes, I need to speak up about what I think, why you care? I don't care about what you say.

 

[Mich486]

I just don’t understand why should drop a bomb like that on a small artisanal maker of which you don’t own a single piece. This people’s business relies on internet a lot so leaving these kind of negative feedback for no reason I think it’s just unfair towards them. If you had a bad experience speak up (like gamma did) otherwise I think it’s wiser to keep your opinion for yourself. Case closed for me.


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[Gamma68]

I'm getting more upset as I read through this thread so let me clarify a few things.

I had one prior experience with JL on a zipper repair. It was a chest pocket on a CR. The repair was done professionally and quickly. No complaints on that one.

It's clear a few things went terribly wrong with this Aero zipper repair. Shoddy work, no oversight, irreparable damage to the jacket. It came back in worse condition than when I sent it. The results speak for themselves.

Yeah, QXL FQHH is not the easiest to work with. That's why I sent it to JL in the first place, for their reputation for working with tough leathers and doing it right. A zipper repair is NOT something you want to do more than once.

A new Aero is not within my budget. But I wanted to invest in this second-hand example and "make it mine." When I heard the UPS truck rumble down the street, I waited by the front door for the box to arrive. The result feels like a hard gut punch.

And keep in mind, this is a 25-30 year old Aero made of FQHH at a level that just isn't available anymore, according to Holly at Aero.

Sure, no one bats 1.000. But this is an egregiously bad outcome. It's not just a little off.

It's up to you whether or not you choose to send repair work to JL. I can only speak for myself. This experience was so poor, I'll personally look elsewhere.

I'll be speaking with Alan at JL on Monday.

 

[JMax]

Yes, we read your first post. You will never use them again, and I understand why. Let’s see what Alan says and does. I am curious to know and truly hope he can make you feel better about what happened. I bet he will try. If not, please let us know as it would impact some plans and ideas marinating in my head. Your gripe and only your gripe is absolutely legit, that work would piss me off too.

 

[Seb Lucas]

That is my opinion according to Gamma's repaired jacket, and yes, I need to speak up about what I think, why you care? I don't care about what you say.

That's a funny line. But we do care what others say or we wouldn't bother with being member or posting on a forum, would we? This a discussion forum so if you don't want comments on your comments, you're in the wrong place.

I've seen worse repair jobs over the years so I guess this one doesn't shock me. But it's disappointing if you were expecting a perfect job.

Gamma is entitled to feel aggrieved and can take the matter up with JL. They may well be able to contextualise this for him. Sometimes even the best companies screw up. It's not like this is a pattern with JL, so I am not going to jump to any conclusions at this point.

 

[navetsea]

not beyond repair there is leather filler putty and dye to fill up the holes and chipped finish, just send them back the jacket and require them to fix it up.

 

[Hh121]

That's a funny line. But we do care what others say or we wouldn't bother with being member or posting on a forum, would we? This a discussion forum so if you don't want comments on your comments, you're in the wrong place.

I've seen worse repair jobs over the years so I guess this one doesn't shock me. But it's disappointing if you were expecting a perfect job.

Gamma is entitled to feel aggrieved and can take the matter up with JL. They may well be able to contextualise this for him. Sometimes even the best companies screw up. It's not like this is a pattern with JL, so I am not going to jump to any conclusions at this point.

No I am not in the wrong place,Of course anybody can comment my post.
I would love to see what if this kind of situation happend to your jacket, what's your reaction? I am sure you will be accept this since you have seen many worse one and didn't expecting a perfect job.

 

[Seb Lucas]

No I am not in the wrong place,Of course anybody can comment my post.
I would love to see what if this kind of situation happend to your jacket, what's your reaction? I am sure you will be accept this since you have seen many worse one and didn't expecting a perfect job.

As I already said he's entitled to feel aggrieved. And yes, I've had this happen to three of my leather jackets and worse. One jacket I asked for a repair to a small hole and had a patch of the wrong colour leather, 5 times larger than the hole stitched over it.

Edit - the crew ups I experienced were done by a local high quality bike jacket maker here is Australia. Just wanted to make sure no one thought it was JL.

 

[ton312]

I'm quite sure that if this repair is brought to JL's attention they will provide a fair and equitable solution. Snaps on lapels often have to be removed to maneuver the jacket through the sewing machine. It should have been replaced. The stitching around the zipper may have been a result of doubling the zipper size and therefore doubling the tape width. I don't really know, just a guess. Either way I'd have been disappointed in this result as well.
Hopefully gamma will keep us posted on how this shakes out. JL made an absolutely stellar jacket for me that was completely flawless. When I asked them to narrow the sleeves and re-line them with quilted nylon, the alterations were undetectable from when it was new. Let's give them a chance to right the situation before casting stones.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Well said, ton.

 

[Carlos840]

So, according to you, they don't deserve even the opportunity to explain themselves or even try to compensate for the damage caused?
Are they in your opinion a write-off of a company that no one should use anymore just because they have made a (very) bad repair job, even though they have a solid history of previous top quality service amongst other forum members?
I personally think that people deserve second chances or at least the opportunity to correct mistakes if they own up to them, but that's just my opinion.

Explaining themselves will not right the wrong.
They cannot erase the damage done whatever they do, it is there forever, no putty or dye will ever make it go away. What are they going to do? Make him a new Aero and then wear it for 10 years for him?
Even if they had no other choice than to create new holes because of the different zipper size, they should have contacted him before doing it as it wasn't what he had asked for, and wasn't what he was told they would do.

The bare minimum would be an apology and a refund of all of gamma's costs, he should not be paying a cent for this. If he wants to damage his jacket he can do it himself for free.
I would personally never use them again, the same way i will never use Lewis Leathers again after they botched a repair on my girlfriends jacket.

To me letting this out of the shop is enough to show you don't care and get you blacklisted.
Not refunding Gamma his full costs would put them on the same list as Bill Kelso...

 

[nick123]

Caught between a rock and a hard place. I think anyone who has dealt with JL knows this to be way atypical for them. Yet we feel Gamma’s frustration. I hope it is resolved. It won’t be resolved in the form of the jacket being salvaged but life can be strange and little wonders can spring up in unpredictable ways that make this disappointment less severe (life-speaking). Sometimes loss or disappointment frees space for gain and joy.

 

[willyto]

I'm sorry to say that I agree 100% with Carlos here. I wouldn't be using them anyway because I'm in Europe but letting a work like this leave the store doesn't say anything good about them, it's not professional, it's sloppy and careless. It doesn't really matter if they've done great jobs in the past even to the OP jackets if they allow a terrible work like this one done in this jacket leave the workshop.

Even the local alterations store in my neighbourhood called me once because my RMC chinos fabric was so tough that some of the original stitching holes would show on the cuffs when doing turn ups., they called me to ask me if that was okay and if they should proceed. On a cuff alteration work that cost less than 12$ they checked with me. Why can't a leather jacket especialist do the same with the OP?

I won't talk about them because it's not my experience but I can't believe you guys are trying to excuse this poor job. They are obviously entitled to give any excuse they see fit but that won't change the damage done to the jacket in any way. If they knew there was a risk while doing this work they should have stopped and contact the OP.

 

[dubpynchon]

I personally think the OP should have waited to hear back from Alan before posting. I can understand how it might look like his jacket has been destroyed but negative feedback on a forum like this can damage a business, and it seems very out of character for Johnson leather. Let's hope Alan resolves this and refunds the cost of the jacket.

 

[JMax]

No one is excusing the work done. I don’t see that anywhere. Everyone would be pissed far as I can tell. Let’s just see if JL steps up and is accountable.

This is a jacket Gamma just about returned bc he was not sure...now it’s his grail? What if JL were to offer a refund on this work (no brainer unless there are facts not presented here) and a sweet deal on a total one off that gamma could design from the ground? Who knows until the conversation happens but that ain’t too shabby. I agree with Carlos that a full refund is the minimum and I would argue for much more. Talk and negotiate. If Gamma is told to fly a kite, then flame on folks.

Hell, all these brands have had jackets returned or done less than spectacular work at some point. We would all be walking around naked if a 100 percent customer happiness/success rate were the standard. At that would only be cool 50 percent of the time. It’s how they handle the occasional eff ups.

 

[Alan@JohnsonLeather]

Hi everyone. Alan here...I hope a brief response here doesn't violate any forum rules. I have been in touch with Gamma68 about his jacket and I fully appreciate the comments/concerns/frustrations many of you have voiced here. I will keep this short and say that we accept full responsibility for the work that was done to his jacket, and agree that it is completely unacceptable. It should never have been shipped out to him in this condition. For those of you that know our work, or me personally, know that we work incredibly hard to get things done right. In this instance we failed to do so, and I have reached out to Gamma68 and proposed compensating him for the inconvenience. I won't go into details about this (Gamma68 can provide those details if he chooses), but I will say that we will do everything possible to rectify the situation.

I appreciate the open dialogue and would welcome any questions and do everything possible to address any concerns.

Thanks.