Trench Coat - the 'Ultimate' Thread!

[norton]

I too ordered one. It has been tied up in US customs for almost a week. I'll add to this report when I receive it. I did not ask for any alterations so it should be a stock coat. I'm hoping that it won't have the problems yours had.

 

[DragonJade]

DragonJade

That's a real shame! It does look like a nice coat... but you're right that those gaping tears in the lining are unacceptable. Any company with a return policy ought to be smart enough to take that back... send you a new one in working order as well!

I don't know how common these types of things are where you live, however, I've had good luck finding quality men's coats at my local thrift shop. I found a no-name trench just like yours for $50 USD (25-30 GBP I believe). In any case, I hope you find what you're looking for!

Best of Luck

RP

I've wanted a trench for so long I can't even remember how long, and the first one I get turns out to be a dud.

They do have a returns policy, but I would have though the general use for it was if you didn't like it, not because you got sent a faulty coat.

We want you to be entirely satisfied with any product that you purchase from the Raincoats Direct website. Therefore, if for any reason you are dissatisfied with your purchase, you can return it to us in its original condition within 28 days of the date of dispatch.

The worst thing about it is that I'll be £50+ out of pocket because they sent me a faulty coat. A simple 30 second look at the coat by someone would have shown up the holes, and because of this I feel penalised and paying for their mistake - get a faulty coat, loose £50 for sending it back and have nothing to show for it.

Unfortunately there aren't that many thrift shops with clothing in in Japan; not that I can find anyway. Charity shops are everywhere in the UK and you stand a much better chance of seeing something there that you would in Japan. I would have to buy brand new here or get something over the internet, like ebay or Raincoats Direct.

 

[RP McMurphy]

Awww man... that's a shame

You'd think this sort of thing might be easier to find, what with international brand names and marketing these days... Is there any chance that you could find a decent trench on ebay, or on sale at one of the chain stores?

Occasionally such things do turn up on the web... don't dispair!

 

[DragonJade]

If I want (and had the money) I could buy a Burberry now, or an Aquascutum later in the year in Japan, but I'd have to pay Japan prices. Not pretty. If I remember correctly, they were asking about $1200 for an Aquascutum last year or the year before.

As an example of crazy Japanese prices, check this out. $2000+ for a bunch of grapes. Only in Japan.

http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=11375

If Raincoats Direct don't pull though for me then I'm off to ebay.

 

[DragonJade]

I was just looking at the FedEx docket in more detail and noticed that under the section that says "Payment Bill transportation charges to:" the Recipient box is ticked.

I certainly hope that I don't end up having to pay for the shipping charges as well!

 

[Max Flash]

It looks to me like they sent you the women's coat instead of the men's.

I would insist that they replace it and reimburse you the cost of returning it as (a) it is the wrong coat and (b) it has very definite quality issues that are unacceptable on a brand new item.

There are very clear laws on quality and provision of goods in the UK (which I won't go into in detail here) that mean that they are obliged to replace it. The cost of shipping the existing coat back is something of a moot point but they should honour it as part of their customer service (if only to get the coat back so they can sell it to someone else). Despite the fact that you are in Japan, they are still bound to observe UK laws in respect of your order.

 

[Creeping Past]

Max Flash is right. You've been sent an unfinished, or damaged, item and they should honour their agreement and replace it without further charge. You should ask for a refund on the return postage, too, since the return is due to no fault on your part.

I can see why you were attracted by the price, in comparison with Japan...

 

[H.Johnson]

I have seen coats from this company before and the quality has always been satisfactory (and, having worked in the industry, I'm considered to be 'picky'). As Mr. Flash says, this coat is just not 'of saleable quality' according to UK law and should be replaced under the 28 day guarantee the company offers. It should never have passed inspection IMO.

I see parallels between this ''quality issue' and one in another thread about a leather coat from a company in the UK whose quality control used to 'speak for itself'. There have always been problems like this with 'bottom end' (read that cheap) clothing, but recent examples are in high-end (400GBP+ and 200GBP+) garments. For that much money, we should be expecting more, I think.

I was recently convinced that the rise of global buying and selling is a factor in falling quality. People who tend to buy from places that they can visit, inspect and try on the items seem to be more satisfied with what they buy. For me, that's the way to go. If it's going to cost big $$££ to get a refund, that's a deterrent to returning items and if there are fewer returns, it seems to me that quality could fall. Just my opinion.

Of course, you could always follow the advice given by loyal 'fans' of the brand to the buyer of the faulty leather coat referred to above and regard the faults as a virtue. After all, your trench coat will probably develop a tear in the lining after some hard wear and the buttons will fall off eventually...

By the way, the going rate for vintage Burberry trench coats in VGC in UK charity shops (which you mention) is around 30GBP. Why not get one of the UK loungers to find you one and send it to you?

 

[Creeping Past]

HJ, your excellent suggestion has given me an idea.

Perhaps we could use the "Classifieds" section more for "Want" items in addition to the well-established practice of cross-posting links to Ebay auctions. Maybe we could label such items "International Thrift-Store Exchange", so people can spot them?

This would be a great way to redistribute the vintage wealth.

I've several items that I'd be happy to swap (or trade in the US) or barter and/or to accept reasonable offers on. Some things are not worth Ebaying, because of their low value, but I'm sure people would be happy to respond to "want" ads and clear storage space that way.

 

[H.Johnson]

Mr. Past,

What an excellent idea. I would support this.

 

[Creeping Past]

Thanks, HJ. I'll make my first foray into International Thrifting this weekend...

 

[H.Johnson]

There are problems, I should point out. I have bought and shipped (at no profit) requested items in charity and vintage shops for people on this and other forums for years. When the buyers are trustworthy and follow through on what they request, it usually works fine and everyone is satisfied.

When it is otherwise, you can end up having to selling the item for a large profit on eBay.

 

[Creeping Past]

All in good faith (and luck). I'm sure any over-the-top profit would find its way to charity. That's what bankers do, I'm told.

 

[DragonJade]

Well, I emailed them in the afternoon on Monday and again late afternoon Wednesday, UK time. I haven't heard anything yet. I've sent them the link to this thread, so if they follow it they can see everything that I'm not happy with.

I've heard mention of a thrift shop by Digbeth coach station in Birmingham which gets the occasional trench. Oh, if only I had read about it here before I went back to Birmingham last December. I could have saved myself the stress and a whole lot of money. :eusa_doh:

A good idea about a Wanted in the Classifieds. I'll throw something up later and browse ebay. I want to see if Raincoats Direct get back to me and what they say. Typhoon season is around the corner and I don't want to be caught out. I've had enough years of getting soaked.

 

[Tomasso]

Of course, you could always follow the advice given by loyal 'fans' of the brand to the buyer of the faulty leather coat referred to above and regard the faults as a virtue. After all, your trench coat will probably develop a tear in the lining after some hard wear and the buttons will fall off eventually...

Don't you be making fun of the Aero Mafia. [bad]

 

[H.Johnson]

If I wake up with a horses head in my bed, it will at least be a front quarter horses head.

I should point out that I am a long term Aero customer myself (I count one of the founders as a personal friend) and a very satisfied wearer of a range of their products. That doesn't mean they don't make mistakes.

 

[H.Johnson]

Vintage Clothing. They are a bid 'young and trendy' but I often visit them and have bought from them quite often. There is a good 1970s Burberry trench coat (in the old heavier and darker khaki cloth) in there at the moment for 30 GBP. It's about a 42" or I'd have it myself.

While in the area, Loungers may want to visit Paul's second-hand clothing stall in St. Martin's Rag Market. Genuine bargains to be had.

I've heard mention of a thrift shop by Digbeth coach station in Birmingham which gets the occasional trench. Oh, if only I had read about it here before I went back to Birmingham last December. I could have saved myself the stress and a whole lot of money. :eusa_doh:

A good idea about a Wanted in the Classifieds. I'll throw something up later and browse ebay.

 

[STW]

Vintage Clothing. They are a bid 'young and trendy' but I often visit them and have bought from them quite often. There is a good 1970s Burberry trench coat (in the old heavier and darker khaki cloth) in there at the moment for 30 GBP. It's about a 42" or I'd have it myself.

While in the area, Loungers may want to visit Paul's second-hand clothing stall in St. Martin's Rag Market. Genuine bargains to be had.

Mr. Johnson, I'd be very grateful to receive that size 42 Burberry and pay your cost and shipping. My account didn't allow a PM just now but I'd be happy to supply an email and telephone number.

In return service for Fedora Loungers who may be in need, I can sometimes find vintage western (cowboy) boots locally.

 

[norton]

I received my coat from raincoats direct this morning. DragonJade's review is excellent but I'd like to add my experience here. I'll not post pictures since, between the web site and DragonJade I don't think any are needed.

I ordered a standard men's coat in 44L. The sleeves on the coat I received were slightly long, but I had expected that based on the measurements listed on the web site. Better a little too long than too short.

I could find no flaw in the construction. All the seams matched and seemed well sewn. The buttons were neatly sewn on, although a little more thread could have been used. That's a complaint I have with just about all purchases though. The materials seemed good to me. I'm no expert, but I liked the weight and drape of the fabric. I'll take DragonJade's word that the buttons are plastic, I don't know how to tell and that wasn't a concern for me. The buttons were a lighter color like the ones on the woman's coat on the web site but they were appropriately large. I received two packs of extra buttons, one in the coat pocket and one in the box. I imagine the color difference is simply due to different batches.

Now the bad. The pockets are as pictured on the woman's coat on the web site. I would much prefer the pockets with flaps. Also, the web site states that the pockets are reach through, they are not. I suspect they changed from the model with pocket flaps because some people found the flaps inconvenient or sloppy looking when not buttoned. Unfortunately, the button through pockets just aren't very stylish.

Also, unlike DragonJade's experience, they did not remove the VAT for me. The coat was tied up in U.S. customs for almost a week while they figured out what rate to apply duty at and who to bill it to. I expect to pay around $40 duty. The company said they would pay the fedex shipping for overseas but I really don't like paying taxes on the same thing twice. I suspect that the company is only now beginning to receive international orders and doesn't yet have a system to remove VAT and include the cost of the duty in the price and prepay it with customs. They need to do this if they expect to sell in the U.S. I buy a lot of clothes from Asia and have never had this problem before.

I almost sent the coat back because of the pockets, but while I was wearing it I decided that if I was going to be out in a torrential rain that this was the coat I wanted to wear. It fits roomy but well. It is extremely functional.

The company is not in the business of selling vintage or vintage styled garments. I suspect that that's why they changed the pockets and didn't bother to update the pictures on their website. I also suspect that the poor quality that DragonJade received was due to his ordering the coat with two storm flaps. I bet that they took a coat out of stock, ripped open the seams, attached the storm flap and then sewed it all back together. That's another reason I'm not sending it back and asking to have the pocket flaps attached.

The whole experience would have been perfect if raincoats direct had provided a coat with the pockets as pictured on the website and had more experience in export sales. If they plan to continue to sell over the web they need to get this stuff up to speed. But all in all its a very nice coat at a not unreasonable price.

 

[DragonJade]

Hi, norton. Sorry to hear about the VAT and the pockets. On your FedEx docket, does it say Payment will be billed to the Sender or the Recipient?