Customers return 15.700Euro ($20,000) Birkin bags

Customers return 15.700Euro ($20,000) Birkin bags, claiming they “smell like marijuana”

When you pay 15.700Euro ($20,000) for one of the most coveted bags in the world you’re expecting the smell of success, not the smell of marijuana. But Birkin connoisseurs across America have been returning their precious handbags complaining about an unpleasant odor- some have likened it to marijuana- to be told by Hermes staff that the problem might be a panel of badly tanned leather. They claimed that the tanning process made the leather smell like marijuana when it was in a heated environment like in direct sunlight or within a hot car.

The problem has been isolated to a batch of bags and purses purchased between 2013 and 2014 which includes Birkins, Kellys and Elan clutches in various colors, ranging in price from 3.900Euro ($5,000) to more than 15.700Euro ($20,000). It was reported that the returned bags are being sent back to Paris where the defective panels will be removed and the bags will be rebuilt.

While Hermes reps have kept mum on the subject, the internet is buzzing with disgruntled customers. Truth be told, we can’t blame them. Spending more than a year on a waiting list before spending an obscene amount of money on a coveted product only to find that it’s defective, that’s going to ruin anybody’s mood. Hopefully, Hermes will break their silence soon and offer replacements, otherwise, we foresee some bad PR nightmares.