Anyway, here’s the scoop:  A former flight attendant has designed a line of bags.  This is often a good thing.  Flight attendants must learn to pack light and think practical.  They know what to take, what to leave behind and how to pack efficiently.  They were the first to sport those darling little “bags on wheels” before everyone else.  If a flight attendant designed it, it must be great, right?  Well, in this case, maybe we missed the mark a bit.

The bags are made from vintage airline seat upholstery, with additions like seat-belt straps and buckle hardware.  The problem is, I’ve never been on any airline whose upholstery spoke to my inner diva.  Except, perhaps, the navy blue leather in Alaska Airlines’ first-class seats.  I suppose it will be durable, if a bit like, well, wearing your grandmother’s sofa cushion.  And belting it with her 1973 Pontiac.

Next gripe, the tote has a basic magnetic snap closure–bad idea for a travel bag.  It needs to zip fully closed or half your contents will wind up spewing out on takeoff.  But what about for a diaper bag?  Not enough functionality.  Needs more pockets for that, inside and out.

Shown here is the Galley Tote in Blue Lagoon.

From the website:

Our classic tote is hot off the runway with its clean simple lines and bright patterns. Deep and roomy enough yet stylish for all your favorite books and magazines. It’s a smart option for the working woman, traveling or the new mom.

• Inside zip pocket
• Cellphone/multi-function pocket
• 2 front flap pockets with magnetic snaps
• 2 side pouch pockets
• 4 metal feet on bottom
• 100% Nylon Flight Lining
• 15” straps with buckle connector
• Signature airplane hang tag
• Jumpseat charm detail

Limited Edition Vintage Pattern

Color: Blue Lagoon
(also available in Tropical Sunset)
Size: 15(L) x 15(H) x 6.5(W)
Price: $275.00

I admit it could be a fetching idea, for that…special someone.  But, for these prices, I think I’d rather have the airline ticket and leave the seat behind.  Check out jumpseatbags.com for more info.  And darling, I love you, but please remain in the cockpit.  I’ll deal with the bags.

We used Ryan Air for our travel since, frankly, it was really inexpensive and we didn’t know any better. So, here I am, flying to Rome, leafing through the ubiquitous in-flight magazine. Here it is, Ryan Air Magazine, Feb/Mar 08. Page 27. It’s some dude’s* idea of what to do when you’re in Rome to get the most out of €100.

Take a good look at suggestion #3.

Can’t read the small print? Here, let me enlarge it for you:

Still too hard to read? Just check out the article directly on their website.

3 FAKE DESIGNER BAG
Trastevere has a host of stalls selling all manner of bags, from late afternoon. And be prepared to haggle. €10

OK Ryan Air, I just want to make sure I understand this correctly;

I arrived at the airport the required 3 days early.

I answered asinine questions about whether or not someone else had handled my baggage. Do you trip up many terrorists with that puzzler?

I waited in a security line with 250 other weary travellers.

I dutifully placed my Lilliputian bottles of shampoo, deodorant, ChapStick and mascara in a quart-sized ziploc bag. I was forbidden to bring my own bottle of water, and all liquids, pastes, creams, mousses, gels, whips and frappes over 100ml had to be packed in my checked bags, which you would not allow me to lock.

I removed my shoes, belt, jacket, keys, spare change, jewelry, phone, laptop battery, iPod, underwire bra and dignity and placed them on the x-ray conveyor while my husband received the mother of all pat-downs.

Someone surly and/or on a power trip and/or who had recently given up smoking confiscated my tweezers, nail clippers, knitting needles, “excess” baby formula and combo mini-flashlight/screwdriver key chain.

I was allowed exactly 3 matchbooks and zero lighters. Not a smoker, myself, I learned that three dozen matches is not nearly enough to do any damage at all, while a disposable lighter is darn near apocalyptic.

And yet, after all these precautions, I find that the airline itself is promoting the sale of Fake Designer Bags. Forget about the fact that the money from the sale of counterfeits goes to fund forced child labor, organized crime and, yes, in some cases, terrorist groups. Forget that.

Fakes are illegal, even in Italy. And Italy is starting to crack down–on not just the sellers, but the buyers as well. Great. So, you’re actually going to recommend I break the law while I’m on holiday in a foreign country? Does my round-trip ticket come with international bailment services and/or legal counsel?

Seriously?

BTW, Ryan Air customer service only accepts complaints via mail or fax to Ireland:

Ryanair Customer Standards
Corporate Head Office
Dublin Airport
Co Dublin
Ireland

Fax +353 1 8121213

greenc@ryanair.com = Head of Customer Service (Caroline Greene)

You can also contact RyanAirMagazine directly via this form.

Why don’t we let them know exactly how we feel about Ryan Air supporting counterfeits?

*”DJ and Rome resident Dan Cox”

It wasn’t enough that Coach decided to move manufacturing abroad…they have to answer to their stockholders, after all, and things are made more cheaply in China. Well, we’re all about low prices, aren’t we? And it also wasn’t enough that they expanded their core leather line into a mostly-canvas product base and have strewn their brand-tastic logo across the globe with self-serving, self-advertising bags, wallets, scarves, key chains, hats and even fragrance.

Now they’ve decided to play hardball with their customers. Specifically, the outlet shoppers. Seems Coach has decided that they don’t like their products being purchased at the outlet and resold on eBay. Shame on anyone who thinks they can purchase an item at a low price and sell it for a profit.

It started with Coach limiting the number of bags any one shopper or group of shoppers could purchase. Fair enough, lots of stores do that. But, Coach has taken this a step after ugly step further.

I’ve heard lots of stories recently about loyal outlet shoppers being unceremoniously, rudely and publicly handed what has come to be known as “The Letter.” I can’t even imagine the humiliation these customers went through for the horrendous crime of…buying Coach products. “The Letter” states, unequivocally, that the recipient is no longer welcome to shop in any Coach store anywhere. Ever again. The customer is banned for life. I have heard horror stories of women who learned that their picture had been taped to the staff room wall like some kind of bargain-hunter’s mug shot. Of others whose family members were banned for the crime of sharing a name or address. And still others who were handed a letter simply because they refused to give a name at the counter when paying cash for their purchases. Or mentioned the word…eBay. Ed. Note: If anyone wants to email me a scanned copy of their letter, (with personal info blacked out), I would love to post one here.

But Coach didn’t stop there. Now comes the worst insult of all. A well-respected eBay reseller with positive feedback numbers in the 5-digit range tells me she has had some of her auctions pulled by VERO — the counterfeit fighting arm of eBay, in what must be the most egregious story of big-corporation-strong-arming-little-guy I’ve ever heard.

A VERO takedown is no laughing matter. A seller can only have a certain number of these before they have all selling privileges suspended, under ALL ID’s. VERO exists to protect all of us from buying counterfeit merchandise (or, more acurately, to protect the rights-holders). For the most part, VERO is a good thing. But if one is on the wrong side of VERO, and doesn’t deserve to be, one is in a bit of a pickle. Once an item has been removed, the seller must prove authenticity and have the takedown lifted by VERO prior to re-listing. Should the seller try to re-list without this approval, they get suspended from selling on eBay. Permanently.

Here’s the story as it was told to me: The authentic seller in question got on the bad side of a counterfeit reseller. (Bad seller was selling Hello Kitty Coach items…which Coach NEVER made, BTW…and mistakenly thought good seller was the one who reported her). Angry counterfeit seller reports good seller’s items to VERO, and good seller’s auctions get pulled. Ordinarily, this mistake would be a minor pain in the neck and resolved quickly. Unfortunately for good seller, it seems Coach is trying to make an example of her. Good seller tells of faxing receipts, pictures, etc. to Coach in her efforts to prove authenticity. She knows they are authentic…she purchased them herself from Coach. She tells me that Coach has been trying very hard to get her contact details with each request for new information–and stonewalling her–because she has been very clever in not releasing it (we all suspect they want her identity because they want to send her “The Letter”). For example, they want her mailing address “so they can mail her a copy of their decision,” even though everything so far has been conducted electronically. Yesterday, she says she received a message where Coach claims that the photos of the pulled items, items that she purchased from their outlet, items for which she has receipts, are counterfeit. So, are they saying they sold her counterfeit items? Or are they just flat-out lying? She’s currently considering her options, including filing in federal court for loss of earnings and illegal takedown. Of course, Coach would have her details then–and she will get The Letter and won’t be able to buy any more from Coach–though I doubt highly that she would ever give them another dime anyway. If I had any say in the matter, bad-counterfeit-seller might be on the lookout for that subpoena as co-defendant.

But beyond this seller’s story, there’s a bigger picture. My question is this: why does Coach care what a person does with their merchandise once they own it? If Coach’s outlet prices are so good that a savvy shopper can make a profit, shouldn’t Coach be looking at their pricing structure? Or their marketing model? Or their return policy? If Coach hadn’t opened up so many “outlet” stores, they wouldn’t have cheapened their own brand in the first place. You can’t tell me that straight-to-outlet lines don’t bring down a brand name. If Coach sold past season and scratch-and-dent items online, as do many other retailers, all those eBay resellers would be out of business quickly and nobody would have to bear the shame of “The (scarlet) Letter.” Think of the overhead Coach would save if they closed most of the outlet stores and implemented an outlet website. I don’t believe it’s too much effort to sell outlet items online. The resellers are managing just fine doing it themselves – for now.

I used to respect Coach for delivering American-made, quality leather goods. But I have recently lost all respect for them as a handbag manufacturer, as have MANY other handbag fanatics out there who have been following both the “Letter” story and what we perceive as a decline in overall quality standards.

What can you do? Act with your feet. And your (non-Coach) wallets.

Join the Anti-Coach Coalition.

Just Say No To Coach.