Hey there. I like that you made this video. Although I haven’t had a bad experience with Gillio shipping, I agree with your thoughts about Gillio. I definitely consider myself fortunate with the planners I have been able to purchase directly from them. But now I prefer to buy a used planner from someone else than from their site to avoid all the potential negative possibilities. I have seen and heard from very unhappy people about situations their Gillio has landed them in and it’s so disheartening. So tend to stick will the BST groups as they can make me happy. Thank you for voicing your opinion.
@carrots & Olives hey!! Thanks for watching and thank you for your comment. I agree, I stick to BST for Gillio now and that makes me a little sad, KWIM?
I totally agree with everything you have said. I waited 2 years to be in a financial situation to have the amount of spare money needed to buy my first Gillio. I waited seven months for the planner to restock which seems a very long waiting time and no other company i know of has these amount of waiting times. I then paid to have the first quality. When it arrived i was disappointed, it had a small spot stain on the zip material, a small scratch next to the rings and a darker scuff on the strap. In all honestly it felt like a returned planner from the good deals section. I have decided to keep it and hope as it ages it all blends together but i will never buy new again from Gillio at this price point the planner should be perfect.
I have owned high end planners (Gillio and VDS) and lower end. With Gillio I can honestly say I have never encountered a problem but several people I know have. The fights to try and correct the problems are ridiculous! Especially when you have companies like Foxy Fix that are so quick to rectify a problem. I have quit buying and sold all my Gillio’s for a few reason., their customer service and the fact nothing is every in stock. I would rather order a VDS to my specifications for the price. Petra is always so kind and a dream to work with. But Gillio does has some colors that are gorgeous!
Thank you for sharing your feedback and experience. Good to hear you haven’t had issues and I’m sad to hear your friends have had difficult times getting their issues address. Would they be willing to share their experiences here first hand? I was pretty amazed with how accommodating Petra is to work with, I’m getting impatient for my order to arrive 😍
I have ordered from Gillio a lot over the years.. I have many planners that I love from them (one I received today that I adore and one I received last week that is being returned). I expect based on a previous horrible personal experience to get the raw end of the deal.. I have received a few orders over the years that I considered planners that shouldn't have passed first quality control that I kept because the hassle of returning. I had such a bad experience with a return once that I was so upset I cried off an on for days and was so frustrated and taken advantage of I swore I wouldn't order again (spoiler alert.. I did). I hate trying to snag planners at 6am before they sell out... I've missed some and been lucky some and feel terrible when it doesn't work out (not only for me but for all the others).. hyping up product so much when they know they will not have enough inventory sucks..I understand "growing pains" and sometimes missing things that get out that shouldn't... what I don't like is the lack of quality customer service and the bad policies they hide behind. You said it right.. gillio first policies for sure!
100% agreed. I left the group after a member had had her planner with the post in Belgium for a month and Mella was frankly quite rude in her replies to that customer. Unacceptable. The photos and packaging issues are also well-known, and I am aware comments in the group get deleted and shut down. So not a group I wanted to be part of after a while. Overpriced or not, they are marketed as a luxury brand but the customer service is lacking and not up to par. The website is also not one that I would expect to see for a luxury brand, it looks like something out of the early 00's. I got my first Gillio this June, second-hand, and I will only ever buy second-hand, as I only have about 5 on my wish list and I am very patient :)
@Stationery Love Really? I posted a question during this Monday's live and they did not even acknowledge it, after all the talk about how open they were and how they answered to everyone... They would have got so many points for addressing the issue publicly for everyone. It was a test, and they failed.
Stationery Love right?! I think the pressure is mounting and they would benefit from hiring professionals who know the ins and outs of legal and ethical business practices. I think, once you get to a certain scale, saying you’re a small, family owned business just doesn’t cut it anymore, and they have surpassed their capabilities imo.
I have never purchased a Gillio because they seemed overpriced. Granted I have never actually touched one and that may contribute to my feelings of value. However, even if I did want to purchase from them, these types of policies and customer service completely turns me off. Ethics and customer service mean a lot for me as a consumer.
After several purchases from Gillio and one less than great I will choose my next product from VDS. In my opinion VDS has the best customer service. Great video!
Thanks for posting this. I just have one gillio and the anguish and anxiety I went through to get it (waiting for restock announcements, low inventory... blah blah blah) was just not the kind of experience I want when spending so much money. Thanks to this I’ll focus on BSTs if I ever get another gillio again.
It really is a shame their ordering process is so difficult, they make beautiful planners. Thankfully BST and the planner community are reliable options. 💜
I actually am turned off in my planning in a cover that is that much money. I love inexpensive covers. Thanks for this. I enjoyed seeing this and props to you for informing the community.
I bought my first Gillio in May and it was the honey matte croco as yellow is my favorite color. I was so excited when I received the box and I was filming a unboxing video. At first I was really happy-unbox the package and got the planner out of the dust bag. And then I found that 1)there were MANY TINY BLACK DOTS ALL OVER THE PLANNER. from outside to inside. 2)I asked for gold ring and they gave me silver 3)I also ordered additional rings and it was not in the package. Instead they gave me ruler that I did not order. I was so angry and immediately stopped recording and sent them emails asking about the black dots. But Steve kept saying that it was normal. I accepted the answer at first because I didn’t wanna go out under the COVID to return the planner and I really loved the color. And then last month, I saw a honey matte croco in Good Deal and it’s flaw is “BLACK DOTS ALL OVER THE BINDER”. I felt like being cheated and so angry. So now I decided to go for preloved. Unless they restock something that I really want. P.S. I don’t like how they restock either
Thank you for sharing your experience. I can imagine how disappointing that was to unbox. And on your first Gillio!! Did they at least send you the correct rings?
Thank you for making this video! I had to send back a planner with visible not natural variations, lack of consistency of the type of leather with previous batches in the same style (cr0c black mat very dry and rubbery, different than my other cr0c black mat planners) and visible waves occurred in the manufacturing process that bothered me. I was not refunded the shipping and I saw they re-listed it as PGD. I love natural, organic variations (occurred during the life of the animal), although they are a sign of low pricing leather. (I saw another informative video about leather quality). As long as the variations occur during the manufacturing process, those should not be considered “natural”.
Agreed. Natural variation to me is from the life of the animal. Which could cause color variation based on leather thickness, but not patchy dye or spots, etc. thank you for watching 💜
I’ve have had two bad experiences with them. One was on a brown croco Compagna. The zipper broke after a couple of days of actual wear and I was told to send it back. I was not given the chance to choose to have it repaired, but rather was given a credit. At the time, the brown croco was out of stock, so I waited. By the time it was back in stock (several months later) the prices had increased and I could no longer buy it for the same price. My second bad experience was with an Epoca Olive Compagna. There were some discolorations on the leather and patches of blue were starting to show up on this unused planner. At first, I was told they were natural variations of the leather. When I did not accept that as an answer, they told me they consulted the tanner and he believed the variations were due to the way the planner was stored. I store all my Gillio in their original bags and boxes, in a dry place. None of my other Gillios which were stored in the same place in the same fashion had any color variations. In the end, I sold it in Ebay at a heavily discounted price with full disclosure (I even included in my description of the item what Gillio had said)
100% agree with your video. I have owned a lot of Gillios, a LOT, and I much prefer BST to buying direct from Gillio. I have ordered 7 gillios directly from Gillio and 4 of them have had issues. I love their planner leathers and when you get a “good” one, they’re amazing. But their policies are terrible for all the reasons you stated as I’ve lost out on shipping to return two (I chose to sell the others at a loss because the loss was less than the $50 it takes to ship back).
Thank you watching and taking the time to share your experience. I’m so sorry you went through that!! It is gut wrenching because they are AMAZING planners...when you get a good one.
I do wish I had seen this before I got my Gillio and now I am praying they will do right by me. I opened mine and within 3 uses of the gold 30mm rings the top 3 all gapped- and horribly so! I know how to handle rings, open them correctly, etc. I’m devastated- because, for me in Canada that $300 USD price was over $450! For a piece of leather with metal rings. Granted, the leather is Devine (but had some small bits- premium gold deal) but these are the rings! So I requested they replace them with silver rings that would not gap. I have since learned that the gold rings gap. No other company has this price point (in my world). I have Chic Sparrow and other string and folio’s but this was my first brand new “investment “ ring planner. Thank you for making this video!
I have had many many Gillios over the years, but have only purchased directly from them a couple of times. The last time I did, my planner came with a defective popper (FQ). Obviously you cannot tell the quality of a popper from a picture. I spent my $60 to ship it back and crossed my fingers that my issue would be deemed acceptable enough to get a shipping refund. And it was....but I got shop credit. For a planner that had been out of stock 2 years, and sold out during the release. FOR A POPPER. Sigh. And as a textile artist myself, I know enough about leather to know that a lot of the "natural variation" claims they've responded to consumers with were either dye issues, or scuff/wear damage to the leather during production. I heard that their planners are now made off site, and that they are instructed to efficiently use hide when they lay out and cut...as opposed to using the best parts and either discard flaws, are use those specifically for PGD or GD. And I am also someone who loves natural variation and "real life" in their leather, but poor construction/tanning mistakes and mishandling are not either of those things. I will only by second hand now. And TBH, I would rather spend my money with Van Der Speck and get exactly what I want, with exactly the leather and pocket configuration I want, and knowing they handle each planner in house with TLC (when they get a Janet Undyed order, the minute they start processing, they keep the pieces wrapped up in brown paper to prevent stains, scratches, or tanning from the lights, how thoughtful is that?!).
Thank you for watching and sharing your experience. That is really amazing that you got store credit and not a refund. Were you give the option to chose a refund?! So basically you had a bad experience and their solution of was to offer you the change to order again in the future?
You know now that you mention it, I don’t actually know. I feel like some people have mentioned refund on the forum, but don’t specify if it was cash back or store credit. I have seen mention how the exchange rate can add to the mix for good or bad.
Well first let me say thank you for this video. I was impressed you used it as a situation for change. I agree, I buy Gillios because generally speaking their planners are stunning. Unfortunately I have purchased 10 covers and out of those 10, I have had what I consider to be quality issues on 3 and the 4th issue was with shipping (which I have stated is not Gillios direct fault but their stingy shipping options ie:forcing customers to use bpost with pictures, does give them some fault). I have found customer service to be ALL over the place. One customer gets a new cover,one customer gets a discount and one customer is told to shove off it’s normal (all for the exact same issues). I want to trust them! I truly want to, I want to know when I spend $900 on an ostrich cover it won’t come to me with purple dye splotched on it. Fact is my trust is leaving and that’s because of my personal issues as well as hearing from countless others whom need a chance to vent about what happened. That leads me to the group....it’s broken. I am being very nice here. Fans shouldn’t be censored, nowhere else in industry is it allowed. You cannot say we want to hear from you, and we are done hearing from you in the same post. EVERYONE has a right to how they feel, you cannot tell them they are wrong or their feelings are wrong because you have poured yourself into a company for 7 years. That is not a valid argument for censorship. I don’t know today where I stand to be honest. I am dealing with issues on 2 brand new first quality items that should not be first quality. If I am the latter and told to shove off, then I am done for good. But if Gillio indeed works with me on my two issues I will consider it a step in earning my trust back. I want things to turn around for them because I love their products. I wouldn’t give them free advertising on my channel and my IG all the time if I didn’t. I just don’t love their strict Gillio first policies and their inconsistent customer service issues. As far as stocking issues go, it will happen. I really don’t know the answer on how to fix that except to say if you want an udyed....buy a Van Der Spek it is softer anyway😂 Popularity of colors will wax and wane and companies can’t guess this far in advance how popular something will be, it’s the downfall of supply vs demand, you can’t always win there. Thanks again for the video it is a good conversation to have and helpful for those thinking about taking the plunge and spending a butt ton of their hard earned money. Consider it wisely and with caution. At least until some changes occur.
Thank you for sharing your story. I agree with a lot of what you wrote. A 40% issue rate is really high. I feel for you and I think you have given the company a fair chance to prove themselves to you. I really want to trust this company as well. I have also had a lot of people reach out to me with sad and discouraging experiences, far more than I expected actually. Those people need a voice and I want Gillio to hear them. 💜
I would also like to publicly state here after this previous response of mine. Gillio IS making good on my 2 covers issues AND has made changes to the pictures/shipping issues stated before. I am very thankful for this and it helps build that confidence in their brand back up for me. I look forward to seeing the positive changes in this brand😊
GREAT video!! Gillio once sent me a different planner than the one I ordered... I ordered a Slim Appunto and they sent a B6 , they said send it back, but they wouldn't pay the customs of $100.00 that I had to pay the mail man to get it ! I argued with them and spoke to Tom and he fixed everything...but it was almost a fight with that lady in customer service. They did rectify it and send me a good deal because they ran out of first choice. I got a slight reduction for "good deal" but I have to say the planner was perfect. Thanks for putting this informative video out !! REMEBER to speak OUT to GILLIO demand what you want and KEEP DOING IT until you get it RESOLVED !!!! Don't give up !!!! REMEMBER there is ALWAYS VANDERSPEK who would love your business and Petra is so lovely. xx
I really appreciate your candid discussion about this. I'm new to this and have seen how beautiful the Gillio products are, but I have to say as someone who spends a lot of time in Italy - the prices are ridiculous. There are leather shops everywhere in the towns I've been in Tuscany and I can't think of one - even Maledetti Toscana - that is so expensive. I could probably have a lovely planner cover custom made there for much less. That said, I do realize that not many are going to actually go to Italy to buy their planners. It feels as though this is a status symbol I'll give a pass on - especially after hearing your comments.
Thanks for watching. Price is a big factor and they are beautiful. I agree you are in a unique position living in Italy. I hope you do get a custom planner and tell us all about it!!
Thanks for the video. I have been watching the Gillio lives for months waiting for something I want to come back in stock. During that time I have sensed the tone you describe and it leaves me unsure if I do want to buy. While Mella and Ben seem delightful, the company tone is very much “suck it up.” I also sense that they would not address issues or make any changes if not for a few loud and angry customers. This puts customers in a terrible position… Either stay quiet or get the wrath of a very militant fan base. As you implied, there are certain expectations when one sells a product as luxury. What I would accept in a $20 planner is not what I would accept in a $300, $500 or $600 planner. Telling me spots, unwrapped corners, and dye variations are natural is unacceptable. I’m also growing weary of online purchases of leather goods in general… I have seen popular leather makers (small businesses) tell you they can’t honor wishes so in essence you just get what you get and no returns. If these items where in a store, I could pick out the smooth or pebbly texture without having to rely on poor pictures, limited website information and the kindness of employees boxing my items. Unfortunately most of the “good”stuff is online and we have decide if we want it the stuff enough to lose money in reselling or in the case of Gillio, shipping fees. If you can’t tell, this is a sore spot. I just purchased a leather cover from another maker and I hate it and I don’t think I’ll be able to find a person to buy it without taking a huge hit. Deeply frustrated.
Hi J. Dove, thank you for watching and your commenting. I get it, it’s a sore spot for me too. I wrestled with making this video for several days. And how I wanted to put my thoughts together. I would echo your statements about the Gillio Lives. And I do think there is a lot of pressure to stay quiet and suck it up. I’m super sorry about the recent non Gillio planner you bought that you hate. Care to share who the maker is?
I have never bought from Gillio but I've heard this before and that is the main reason why I have never purchased. this is disappointing... For the amount of money and the niche/small market (as you mentioned, and compared to other less expensive planner options that have wayyy larger customer bases) , I would expect them to show up close pics and in different positions and different lighting -and just be totally transparent. I think customers deserve that for this price point. And this info makes me feel better that I haven't purchased yet. I am in sales and customer service, and this saying is so true (loosely stated😂 I can't remember the actual quote): "you can give 10 good experiences and receive no praise or feedback, but give one bad experience and 10 people will be told about it, and you may lose the customer."...it's just not good business to deal with customer issues in a way that makes the customer feel unheard and not valued. I don't buy from places where things like this happen to me, even if I was a loyal customer prior, because I would never conduct business this way. Side note: Have you ever bought from VanDerSpek? I've thought about ordering there as well but am not familiar with their processes and so if you have experience with them, I'd be so interested to hear what it was like! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for weighing in!! I really appreciate your prospective 💜 I have one custom order in the works as we speak with VDS and Petra has been the exact opposite of Gillio so far. We spent ead was for her an agonizing 2 weeks of me hemming and hawing on my order. She never once made me feel bad about it or regret my purchase. I will do a review once my VDS arrives.
I think it was Planner Mumsy that just did a Gillio unboxing this week and had issues with the color compared to pics. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of this lately. I haven’t bought a Gillio. I’m not a fan of the texture of their leather from what I’ve seen.
I just placed my first order and now I'm a bit concerned tbh. I don't approve of this exploitation of customers just because right now they are a popular brand. I have a question tho, I've seen several people had quality problems after they received the planners (maybe scratched, maybe damaged in transit but with an intact box) - in these scenarios, can't PayPal do anything? I get that Gillio's insurance policy only covers refused packages, but the moment you prove to PayPal the box was intact or the quality is low, aren't you supposed to win the complaint? Did anyone that had issues actually used PayPal? Is it useful?
Thanks for watching! Have faith, I do believe most orders are without problem. I am actually not sure if PayPal can help with resolving these kinds of issues. It might be a good question for my Facebook group (Gillio, VDS, and Moterm Planner Community) or any other community forum you are in.
@@quasithoughts1040 thanks for the reply, I'm definitely joining! I really hope everything goes smoothly or I'll have ptsd for life! At least I requested pictures!
I have 7 gillios, 3 of which I bought second-hand. I personally, have had only good experiences. But then again my favorite Gillios are the giramondos and appuntos. In fact the most expensive Gillio I own is the B6 appunto I recently purchased as a premium good deal. So, there is a world of difference between my expectation of a giramondo and say a Mia Cara. I have no interest in ringed planners so I probably won’t ever buy anything beyond what I already own. However, I really appreciate you making this video. I feel like if you are placing an order for a luxury product you should pretty much get a near perfect product. Just because I haven’t had negative experience doesn’t invalidate what you’ve experienced. I have a certain TN company in which I was so turned off by the first experience that I’ll never purchase another, even second-hand. Anyway, great video as always. I’m definitely interested to hear others’ experiences.
Thanks for the feedback!! Most of my Gillios were also giramondos, that just wasn’t reflected in the thumbnail 💜 I’m really happy to hear you have had good experiences! I am honestly rooting for Gillio to fix this. I also think perfect gets taken out of context. Perfect doesn’t mean without actual natural variation. I LOVE scare and stretch marks and character on leather. But it does mean free from cuts, holes, scratches, tears, and poor dye jobs.
Thanks for this video!! You’ve got me thinking. I have a product based business where the average price for one item is around $1100 and hearing this and comparing some of my policies to the ones you dislike Gillio having are very similar. I’ve never offered pre-shipment photos- whenever I’ve ordered from Louis Vuitton, Gucci or Channel without going in to the store it’s never been an option so I always thought of offering the pre-shipment photos as too much. I’ve seen that Gillio offers them but have never requested them- I kind of like the surprise.. lol. Listening to you now it may be something I consider adding- but I do know it will slow the shipping process down a lot- something I’ll have to weigh out. When it comes to Good Deals and Premium Good deals, i have a funny story....I love TN’s and was a big Chic Sparrow fan. When I got into rings and switched over to Gillio I thought it would be similar to CS where the ones with marking and irregularities would cost MORE- lol. I got excited that they were discounted and normally buy from there in the hopes of getting something noticeable. I do agree with you about the irregularities in dye and how that doesn’t seem like a natural marking. Maybe similar to you, I tried to justify it and think of applying foundation to my face- if I have a scratch, or bump or bite the foundation won’t take there the same as it does the rest of my face... again- maybe just trying to justify. You’ve also got me thinking about my shipping policies- I insure all packages I send out for the price of the item and a little more in hopes that if something is wrong with the packaging the customer will refuse it. After it’s accepted we’re both left uncovered and while I do want to keep my customers happy I’ve got to make sure I’m able to pay my employees and the cost of those raw materials and man hours put into the first item are already gone- if I refund it I’m out of double the cost and if I replace it I’ve got to hope I still have those materials and then still out of the cost twice because I can’t do anything with the damaged item. Now you’ve got me thinking about what I could that would be a happy middle ground for both. If you don’t mind- suggestions? In an ideal world- how would you have Gillio (plus me because I’ll be stealing these suggestions for myself) handle these issues?? ☺️
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I would be interested in knowing what the return rate is on the product. In my opinion returns - either for defect or change of mind - are a cost of doing business. It is, then, in the company’s best interest to reduce that return percentage through quality control and process improvements - including shipping vendor agreements. There is also a cost to retain the customer that must be considered. What is the cost to convert the sale? What is the cost to retain a customer vs acquire a new one? How many orders does the average customer make? Meaning if we don’t make this right for the customer what is the lost sales opportunity losing this costumer represents? All of these metrics would help me determine how I would financially handle this cost. It is difficult to speculate how this would apply to your business as I have no detail on the products or what are “normal” policies in your industry. In the planner market, it is normal for shops to offer to fix customer issues and make the customer whole. In my experience, the smaller the buyer pool, ie the more niche and specialized the market, the MORE the company caters to the customer. That is the biggest difference between a handmade leather ring binder and buying from LV or Gucci. The policies I’ve experienced from Gillio do not follow the norm for their market, in my opinion, and will erode their customer base over time. Judging by the comments and DMs I’ve received from people sharing their stories in response to this video so far, it already has.
@@quasithoughts1040 The thing is that people are used to order on Amazon,return for free with a print-out-label and get their money back.But this is never working for small businesses,especially from overseas.Amazon (for example)is huge and producing loads of garbage,because of all the returns they will never sell on....for example.Not to mention this customer behaviour of buying and returning is causing a lot of damage to our environment.Louis Vuitton,for example,is not shipping from EU to overseas.No way.Ok,you cannot really compare those 2,but this is not how it would work.Imagine how many people want to return,just because they add up a bit too much in their shopping basket.And they might try to get cs to accept the return.......just saying.Even I am admin,I am still a customer myself.Here is a lot going on,on social media that is really ridicolous.....
Hey, sorry for the delay, I just was notified of your comment. I do think there is an inappropriate expectation on shipping from Amazon culture. And LV gets thrown out a lot as a luxury goods provider. But I don’t think it is a fair comparison due to the scale of LV vs Gillio. The real comparison, in my opinion, is other planner makers - Etsy, VDS, Foxy Fix, HSLT, Chic Sparrow, just a few that come to mind. None are identical, but collectively they set a buying and shipping experience for the market and are the yard stick consumer will compare their purchase experience too scaled by the luxury of the price point.
And speaking of DHL delivery... Sometimes I'm not at home, and my family members sign the papers for me, but they will never open my parcel to examine it. And even if they did, they just don't know what to examine specifically. How am I supposed to deal with that???? Really, their service makes me feel so bad 😔 because you want to treat yourself with something expensive, you may even save up for this, and then you get something different. The stuff is too pricy to risk. I'm personally planning to chose another company or buy preloved.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! BST is a really wonderful feature of the planner community. 💜 that is hard for sure. I’ve hear similar concerns about doormen or apartment mail room works signing for packages for people. Sometime Gillio has taken that into account and sometimes not per the anecdotal evidence I’ve read in the FB group. I’m hoping more people will see this and share their experiences.
Thanks for the information. I don’t own one but would like to. This gives me lots to think about. It might be prudent for the company to get better shipping containers. Seems like there are lots damaged in shipping and sometimes this can happen when poor quality boxes are used.
That is a good line of thinking about it. Most of my boxes have been dented in some fashion, the planners inside have all been okay though. What I think would be more helpful would be always wrapping their planners in plastic inside the box. To be fair, I don’t actually think a lot of damage happens during shipping. Most of the experiences that have been shared with me so far are along of lines of scratches or dye inconsistencies that Gillio considers natural variation of the leather.
Okay I just finished watching. That is really positive and like Mella, I’m excited to see this come out. Especially the part about more transparency and photos.
This is a very informative video and I thank you for it. I have looked on their site and although the planners look nice I could not find what grade of leather they use. I am very big on full grain leather (vs the ubiquitous genuine leather) and durable nylon thread instead of cotton thread. This video definitely convinces me to stick to my full grain leather chic sparrow folios that are a fraction of the price.
Thanks for watching. I actually think they do use full grain leather and the quality can be quite nice most of the time. I highly recommend Eberhart studios’ brutally honest review of Gillio if you want additional information on their quality.
This is so not related to your video, but I need to ask- what are you looking at off to your left? I kept thinking maybe you had notes? LOL! Not an important detail at all, but I'm so curious!
Sorry!! I totally noticed that too!! I had my phone sideways to film and I was distracted by my face!! I kept trying to remind myself to look at the camera spot. I need a tripod 🤦🏼♀️. My cheapo previous one I had broke while filming my tomoe river paper video.
You might think about that once you paid the planner:It is not their(Gillios) planner anymore.The responsibility/insurance for the travel is in the hands of the shipping company.It is the insurance of the shipping company,not Gillios insurance.This is what many people are getting wrong. Just my 2 cents to destroyed parcels ;-) To the photo-option:Ask Mulberry to receive pictures beforehand.....who offers that?It is a lot of extra work on Gillios end.....
Thanks for watching and your 2 cents. Total side note: I love your planner chats and videos 💜. I hear you and I do get that it is an insurance matter. I wonder if there is a better or different way to handled the insurance issue. Long term perhaps a change in shipping contracts. Changing the risk of loss to the company rather than the buyer, because ultimately the consumer relations fallout of these cases can color the consumers opinion of Gillio. I would hope (and assume) that the percentage of packages lost or damaged in transit is very low, such that the cost to repair/replace the item is far less than the cost to acquire/retain a customer. That it isn’t viewed this way, is part of why I feel replaceable as a Gillio customer. Does that make sense?
@@quasithoughts1040 It doesn't really matter which shipping company you use,they all have those terms and conditions,when it comes to damaged parcels.It can happen to any company (here we say:They all cook with water).And if you sign for a damaged parcel - it is you responsebility. Once you paid and it has been shipped: It is up to the shipping company.Shipping prices increased horrendously,here in Europe.From Germany to the US the shipping costs easily more than 50 Euro! I know that the other way around it has been always a higher price,but now also from EU to overseas.
I love their planners, but I hate their customer service 😫 I bought a pocket Mia Cara from them a few months ago, that was my 3rd planner from them. And it had scratches and spots, where I could tell for sure: those scratches weren't natural variations. I looked at those scratches and it felt like the planner had been damaged while being made, the people who have seen the planner agree with me, and I'm even not sure I'll be able to sell the planner easily because of those. But gillio insists those scratches are natural and everything is ok. Unfortunately, I can't buy from the buy-sell trade groups, and buying directly from Gillio is easier for me. But I'm afraid I won't do that again, because I'm not sure I'll get the planner I want. Or have in mind. So I have that bad taste as well... 😕 I hoped they would treat their clients better, but I see no changes....
Oh man I’m sorry to hear that was your experience. Mia Cara’s are not cheap. I am inclined to agree with you, scratches are different from scars. One is natural the other is damage. Maybe they will fade with use?
@@quasithoughts1040 oh, I hope, they will... But it's croco leather, so, I don't really know. The only thing that makes me a little happy - they are not too obvious. And they are inside, not outside.
I hope viewers take the time to do their own research into Gillio and not solely rely on your video. I disagree that this video was uploaded before giving the company time to implement the changes they addressed this week. Now we have a video that is incredibly biased and only gives a snapshot in time. I think you mention watching Mella's video posted to the FB group (?) but failed to discuss what Gillio's explanation was - COVID causing non-CS employees to be doing CS work causing for major inconsistencies and issues. Mella called it what it was - a human fuckup - and they were working to rectify it and provide more uniformity. They fell on the sword and found the issue. If you want to discuss issues, it's only prudent to also explain that the Company has acknowledged the same and is in the process of fixing it *or* wait to see if the issues are fixed before posting. Also, Gillio didn't censor anything. If comments were shut off or posts taken down, it was by the original author of the post. Unlike the feeling of this video, Gillio has been quick to react to the concerns of its customer's, e.g., within weeks and even days we've seen them address it. Now is the time to see if change occurs. Just today, they announced a picture + DHL option. It's amazing we're even allowed the option for photos - you don't get that option when ordering even more expensive items from luxury brands. Lastly, another perspective: their lifetime warranty has proved to be very helpful to me in the past when I purchased BST and encountered an issue. They offered me a brand new planner cover. This was two years ago when I was NEW to Gillio and had only made one direct purchase. These policies are customer centric and meant to be positive. I understand you're irritated and downtrodden about Gillio, I hope I offered another perspective. I've owned countless Gillio planners and I personally haven't had CS issues or issues with what is PGD and GD. I literally can't count the number of Gillios I've owned. Although I'm not one of those with a bad taste in my mouth, I am careful where I spend my money and I am giving Gillio time to fix the variability in CS and quality control. If problems persist, then would be the appropriate time for a video. I personally feel they (it's literally 5 employees and family owned) deserve that time before I rush to any conclusions. They only just addressed it this past week. I hope others will do the same. If you have an issue with your Giramondo, reach out to them. If I listened correctly, you didn't give them an opportunity to fix it. Yet are quick to judge. I'm glad you had primarily positive experiences though. I appreciate the discourse and hope my comment is taken as it was intended - a friendly perspective from another gillionaire. :) Happy Planning! xo - Sierra
Thank you for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences with Gillio here. I am having a small fan girl moment as I have watched most all of your videos and gained a lot from them - including my love for Gillio. Thank you!! I am sorry to hear that your felt my video was biased against Gillio, I tried to weigh my words appropriately and keep the video on the constructive criticism side of things. I will take your feedback and aim to do better in the future. I do want to order from Gillio again and I want people to know there is a low probability of these types of issues happening, but there is a possibility that they could. And I also want this to be an open conversation on what others have experienced, both the good and the bad. I am really glad you have added your positive experiences to the conversation here because I do believe, as I mentioned in my video, that the majority of purchases are without issue. It is my hope in this video that people would provide comments and feedback from both sides of the issue. It is refreshing to hear from you that your interactions with customer service has been positive. I also agree with several of your points, I invite views to do their research and weigh my concerns raised in this video with other videos on Gillio and customer experiences mentioned in the FB group or elsewhere on the web . Always good advice to hear many and varied sides of any issue as the truth is often in the middle. I did mention Mella's video about staffing issues and addressing QC concerns. What I didn't make clear in my video, is that my last purchase from them was November 2019, well before this particular QC issue. I will see if I can add a link to her FB video to the description box of this video to make it easier for those looking for additional clarification, I am unsure of the privacy level on that video and I do not know if you must be a member of the face book group to view it. You are absolutely correct, I did not give customer service the opportunity to assess my concerns on my Gira. I own that and I hope I made it clear that this is only one instance and one example of the photo concern I mentioned. It is not an indication that all photos go that way. Like I said, I have had 11 orders, 11 sets photos, and 1 surprise. I don't think I implied Gillio was censoring, but I have seen Mella close the comments of threads - most recently Mary's post. I am very curious to see how that issue is resolved. Finally I heartily echo you sentiment that "Now is the time to see if change occurs." Thank you again for participating in this conversation, it added a great prospective that is valued.
Just following up that I am not smart enough to figure out how to link Mella's video from Wednesday July 22nd at 5:57 am. Hopefully that helps those interested to find it.
If a package is damaged that is carrier responsibility and for a product that expensive you shouldn’t accept it. I wouldn’t blame Gillio for that. They are making the best quality planners I have ever seen. If you buy good deals they are clearly not perfect and you accept that. Look at Filofax, Foxy Fix, not to mention others, none of them make what Gillio makes. They are by far the best planner manufacturers.
Totally true, but there have been scenarios I've seen in the past where the box appeared undamaged, but the planner was. The buyer contacted the shipping company, and was told Gillio had to start the process to file a claim. But Gillio refused because THEIR policy is that once you sign off, it's a done deal. They could have gone to bat for their customer, but did not. That is the issue many people are discussing. No one blames Gillio for shipping damage, just their policy in not supporting their customer.
C L I don’t know where you are but at least in Europe this cannot happen. There is law above their internal policies. Even if they say they don’t care, here if I get any less than what’s on paper they can be in trouble. That’s mostly if you use PayPal to pay. I’ve had disputes open for delivered products, with PayPal, and always won. I’m sure there is a reason behind that policy as well
C L I saw the video of soaked Gillio, I just don’t understand why she accepted it. That package was soaked when she signed for it. Why not leave it with carrier and claim insurance? That clearly is not on Gillio but on the carrier. I received a bumped planner yesterday. The box was bumped inside and the stiffener inside the cover and fly leaf got bent in some places. That’s something that goes away as leather softens but I would have opened a claim instantly if there was something bad. And it came from China (Moterm). If you guys feel there’s not enough protection, use PayPal. They side with the customer in 99% of cases and they can decide to refund you even if the supplier doesn’t agree. Paypal will just transfer the money from them to you.
Poll, Like this comment if: I have had an unsatisfactory buying experience from Gillio.
Hey there. I like that you made this video. Although I haven’t had a bad experience with Gillio shipping, I agree with your thoughts about Gillio. I definitely consider myself fortunate with the planners I have been able to purchase directly from them. But now I prefer to buy a used planner from someone else than from their site to avoid all the potential negative possibilities. I have seen and heard from very unhappy people about situations their Gillio has landed them in and it’s so disheartening. So tend to stick will the BST groups as they can make me happy. Thank you for voicing your opinion.
@carrots & Olives hey!! Thanks for watching and thank you for your comment. I agree, I stick to BST for Gillio now and that makes me a little sad, KWIM?
@@quasithoughts1040 KWIM?
Know what I mean 😁
Quasi Thoughts haha. Oh boy. I should have figured that one out. 🤣
I totally agree with everything you have said. I waited 2 years to be in a financial situation to have the amount of spare money needed to buy my first Gillio. I waited seven months for the planner to restock which seems a very long waiting time and no other company i know of has these amount of waiting times. I then paid to have the first quality. When it arrived i was disappointed, it had a small spot stain on the zip material, a small scratch next to the rings and a darker scuff on the strap. In all honestly it felt like a returned planner from the good deals section. I have decided to keep it and hope as it ages it all blends together but i will never buy new again from Gillio at this price point the planner should be perfect.
Thank you for watching and sharing your story. I appreciate it. I get that disappointment.
Yes!! To me this treatment speaks to how they truly view customers when you strip the marketing and PR out of the mix.
I have owned high end planners (Gillio and VDS) and lower end. With Gillio I can honestly say I have never encountered a problem but several people I know have. The fights to try and correct the problems are ridiculous! Especially when you have companies like Foxy Fix that are so quick to rectify a problem. I have quit buying and sold all my Gillio’s for a few reason., their customer service and the fact nothing is every in stock. I would rather order a VDS to my specifications for the price. Petra is always so kind and a dream to work with. But Gillio does has some colors that are gorgeous!
Thank you for sharing your feedback and experience. Good to hear you haven’t had issues and I’m sad to hear your friends have had difficult times getting their issues address. Would they be willing to share their experiences here first hand? I was pretty amazed with how accommodating Petra is to work with, I’m getting impatient for my order to arrive 😍
I have ordered from Gillio a lot over the years.. I have many planners that I love from them (one I received today that I adore and one I received last week that is being returned). I expect based on a previous horrible personal experience to get the raw end of the deal.. I have received a few orders over the years that I considered planners that shouldn't have passed first quality control that I kept because the hassle of returning. I had such a bad experience with a return once that I was so upset I cried off an on for days and was so frustrated and taken advantage of I swore I wouldn't order again (spoiler alert.. I did). I hate trying to snag planners at 6am before they sell out... I've missed some and been lucky some and feel terrible when it doesn't work out (not only for me but for all the others).. hyping up product so much when they know they will not have enough inventory sucks..I understand "growing pains" and sometimes missing things that get out that shouldn't... what I don't like is the lack of quality customer service and the bad policies they hide behind. You said it right.. gillio first policies for sure!
Thank you for sharing your story and watching. The struggle with Gillio is real. And I’m so sorry for the emotional anguish these planners can bring.
If I could like your video a million times, I certainly would! Thank you so much for bringing this up 💜
Thank you 💜
100% agreed. I left the group after a member had had her planner with the post in Belgium for a month and Mella was frankly quite rude in her replies to that customer. Unacceptable. The photos and packaging issues are also well-known, and I am aware comments in the group get deleted and shut down. So not a group I wanted to be part of after a while. Overpriced or not, they are marketed as a luxury brand but the customer service is lacking and not up to par. The website is also not one that I would expect to see for a luxury brand, it looks like something out of the early 00's. I got my first Gillio this June, second-hand, and I will only ever buy second-hand, as I only have about 5 on my wish list and I am very patient :)
Thank you for watching and sharing your insight. I appreciate it.
@Stationery Love Really? I posted a question during this Monday's live and they did not even acknowledge it, after all the talk about how open they were and how they answered to everyone... They would have got so many points for addressing the issue publicly for everyone. It was a test, and they failed.
@the planner project I saw that on the replay I watched. I was so hoping they would answer your question and rather disappointed when they didn’t.
Stationery Love right?! I think the pressure is mounting and they would benefit from hiring professionals who know the ins and outs of legal and ethical business practices. I think, once you get to a certain scale, saying you’re a small, family owned business just doesn’t cut it anymore, and they have surpassed their capabilities imo.
@@quasithoughts1040 Oh my, has my cover been blown? 😂
I have never purchased a Gillio because they seemed overpriced. Granted I have never actually touched one and that may contribute to my feelings of value. However, even if I did want to purchase from them, these types of policies and customer service completely turns me off. Ethics and customer service mean a lot for me as a consumer.
Thanks for sharing your point of view. They are off putting and I hope Gillio is willing to reassess their business decision on these policies.
After several purchases from Gillio and one less than great I will choose my next product from VDS. In my opinion VDS has the best customer service. Great video!
Agreed. Petra is amazing. Thank you for watching 💜
LOL "the hunger games of ordering again" love that, that's totally what it's like
Lol! When the shoe fits 😜 thanks for watching 💜
Thanks for posting this. I just have one gillio and the anguish and anxiety I went through to get it (waiting for restock announcements, low inventory... blah blah blah) was just not the kind of experience I want when spending so much money. Thanks to this I’ll focus on BSTs if I ever get another gillio again.
It really is a shame their ordering process is so difficult, they make beautiful planners. Thankfully BST and the planner community are reliable options. 💜
I actually am turned off in my planning in a cover that is that much money. I love inexpensive covers. Thanks for this. I enjoyed seeing this and props to you for informing the community.
Thank you Monique!! The conversation needs to be had 💜
I bought my first Gillio in May and it was the honey matte croco as yellow is my favorite color. I was so excited when I received the box and I was filming a unboxing video. At first I was really happy-unbox the package and got the planner out of the dust bag. And then I found that 1)there were MANY TINY BLACK DOTS ALL OVER THE PLANNER. from outside to inside. 2)I asked for gold ring and they gave me silver 3)I also ordered additional rings and it was not in the package. Instead they gave me ruler that I did not order. I was so angry and immediately stopped recording and sent them emails asking about the black dots. But Steve kept saying that it was normal. I accepted the answer at first because I didn’t wanna go out under the COVID to return the planner and I really loved the color. And then last month, I saw a honey matte croco in Good Deal and it’s flaw is “BLACK DOTS ALL OVER THE BINDER”. I felt like being cheated and so angry. So now I decided to go for preloved. Unless they restock something that I really want. P.S. I don’t like how they restock either
Thank you for sharing your experience. I can imagine how disappointing that was to unbox. And on your first Gillio!! Did they at least send you the correct rings?
@@quasithoughts1040 Yes they did! without charging me extra shipping cost lol.
Oh that is wonderful to hear!! I’m super glad they fixed that for you, even if they didn’t resolve the black spots.
@@quasithoughts1040 Yea..but I still hope that one day they could solve the black dots issue :(
I do too!! Have you gone back to them with your issue and pointed out the one on the good deals corner with the same issue?
Thank you for making this video! I had to send back a planner with visible not natural variations, lack of consistency of the type of leather with previous batches in the same style (cr0c black mat very dry and rubbery, different than my other cr0c black mat planners) and visible waves occurred in the manufacturing process that bothered me. I was not refunded the shipping and I saw they re-listed it as PGD. I love natural, organic variations (occurred during the life of the animal), although they are a sign of low pricing leather. (I saw another informative video about leather quality). As long as the variations occur during the manufacturing process, those should not be considered “natural”.
Agreed. Natural variation to me is from the life of the animal. Which could cause color variation based on leather thickness, but not patchy dye or spots, etc. thank you for watching 💜
I’ve have had two bad experiences with them. One was on a brown croco Compagna. The zipper broke after a couple of days of actual wear and I was told to send it back. I was not given the chance to choose to have it repaired, but rather was given a credit. At the time, the brown croco was out of stock, so I waited. By the time it was back in stock (several months later) the prices had increased and I could no longer buy it for the same price.
My second bad experience was with an Epoca Olive Compagna. There were some discolorations on the leather and patches of blue were starting to show up on this unused planner. At first, I was told they were natural variations of the leather. When I did not accept that as an answer, they told me they consulted the tanner and he believed the variations were due to the way the planner was stored. I store all my Gillio in their original bags and boxes, in a dry place. None of my other Gillios which were stored in the same place in the same fashion had any color variations. In the end, I sold it in Ebay at a heavily discounted price with full disclosure (I even included in my description of the item what Gillio had said)
Oh man that is so frustrating. I’m really sorry to hear you had these issues with them. Thank you for watching and sharing your story.
@@quasithoughts1040 thank you for creating this forum where we can make people aware of the potential issues they could encounter
Poll, Like this comment if: I have only had great and satisfactory buying experiences from Gillio
100% agree with your video. I have owned a lot of Gillios, a LOT, and I much prefer BST to buying direct from Gillio. I have ordered 7 gillios directly from Gillio and 4 of them have had issues. I love their planner leathers and when you get a “good” one, they’re amazing. But their policies are terrible for all the reasons you stated as I’ve lost out on shipping to return two (I chose to sell the others at a loss because the loss was less than the $50 it takes to ship back).
Thank you watching and taking the time to share your experience. I’m so sorry you went through that!! It is gut wrenching because they are AMAZING planners...when you get a good one.
I do wish I had seen this before I got my Gillio and now I am praying they will do right by me. I opened mine and within 3 uses of the gold 30mm rings the top 3 all gapped- and horribly so! I know how to handle rings, open them correctly, etc. I’m devastated- because, for me in Canada that $300 USD price was over $450! For a piece of leather with metal rings. Granted, the leather is Devine (but had some small bits- premium gold deal) but these are the rings! So I requested they replace them with silver rings that would not gap. I have since learned that the gold rings gap. No other company has this price point (in my world). I have Chic Sparrow and other string and folio’s but this was my first brand new “investment “ ring planner.
Thank you for making this video!
I have had many many Gillios over the years, but have only purchased directly from them a couple of times. The last time I did, my planner came with a defective popper (FQ). Obviously you cannot tell the quality of a popper from a picture. I spent my $60 to ship it back and crossed my fingers that my issue would be deemed acceptable enough to get a shipping refund. And it was....but I got shop credit. For a planner that had been out of stock 2 years, and sold out during the release. FOR A POPPER. Sigh. And as a textile artist myself, I know enough about leather to know that a lot of the "natural variation" claims they've responded to consumers with were either dye issues, or scuff/wear damage to the leather during production. I heard that their planners are now made off site, and that they are instructed to efficiently use hide when they lay out and cut...as opposed to using the best parts and either discard flaws, are use those specifically for PGD or GD. And I am also someone who loves natural variation and "real life" in their leather, but poor construction/tanning mistakes and mishandling are not either of those things. I will only by second hand now. And TBH, I would rather spend my money with Van Der Speck and get exactly what I want, with exactly the leather and pocket configuration I want, and knowing they handle each planner in house with TLC (when they get a Janet Undyed order, the minute they start processing, they keep the pieces wrapped up in brown paper to prevent stains, scratches, or tanning from the lights, how thoughtful is that?!).
Thank you for watching and sharing your experience. That is really amazing that you got store credit and not a refund. Were you give the option to chose a refund?! So basically you had a bad experience and their solution of was to offer you the change to order again in the future?
Quasi Thoughts has anyone ever gotten a refund?! I thought all they would do was store credit?
You know now that you mention it, I don’t actually know. I feel like some people have mentioned refund on the forum, but don’t specify if it was cash back or store credit. I have seen mention how the exchange rate can add to the mix for good or bad.
Quasi Thoughts I’m pretty sure the shipping cost was refunded via PayPal. But I for sure got store credit on the planner.
Well first let me say thank you for this video. I was impressed you used it as a situation for change. I agree, I buy Gillios because generally speaking their planners are stunning. Unfortunately I have purchased 10 covers and out of those 10, I have had what I consider to be quality issues on 3 and the 4th issue was with shipping (which I have stated is not Gillios direct fault but their stingy shipping options ie:forcing customers to use bpost with pictures, does give them some fault). I have found customer service to be ALL over the place. One customer gets a new cover,one customer gets a discount and one customer is told to shove off it’s normal (all for the exact same issues). I want to trust them! I truly want to, I want to know when I spend $900 on an ostrich cover it won’t come to me with purple dye splotched on it. Fact is my trust is leaving and that’s because of my personal issues as well as hearing from countless others whom need a chance to vent about what happened. That leads me to the group....it’s broken. I am being very nice here. Fans shouldn’t be censored, nowhere else in industry is it allowed. You cannot say we want to hear from you, and we are done hearing from you in the same post. EVERYONE has a right to how they feel, you cannot tell them they are wrong or their feelings are wrong because you have poured yourself into a company for 7 years. That is not a valid argument for censorship. I don’t know today where I stand to be honest. I am dealing with issues on 2 brand new first quality items that should not be first quality. If I am the latter and told to shove off, then I am done for good. But if Gillio indeed works with me on my two issues I will consider it a step in earning my trust back. I want things to turn around for them because I love their products. I wouldn’t give them free advertising on my channel and my IG all the time if I didn’t. I just don’t love their strict Gillio first policies and their inconsistent customer service issues. As far as stocking issues go, it will happen. I really don’t know the answer on how to fix that except to say if you want an udyed....buy a Van Der Spek it is softer anyway😂 Popularity of colors will wax and wane and companies can’t guess this far in advance how popular something will be, it’s the downfall of supply vs demand, you can’t always win there. Thanks again for the video it is a good conversation to have and helpful for those thinking about taking the plunge and spending a butt ton of their hard earned money. Consider it wisely and with caution. At least until some changes occur.
Thank you for sharing your story. I agree with a lot of what you wrote. A 40% issue
rate is really high. I feel for you and I think you have given the company a fair chance to prove themselves to you. I really want to trust this company as well. I have also had a lot of people reach out to me with sad and discouraging experiences, far more than I expected actually. Those people need a voice and I want Gillio to hear them. 💜
I would also like to publicly state here after this previous response of mine. Gillio IS making good on my 2 covers issues AND has made changes to the pictures/shipping issues stated before. I am very thankful for this and it helps build that confidence in their brand back up for me. I look forward to seeing the positive changes in this brand😊
Oh that is wonderful to hear Planner Mumsy!! Thank you for updating with the resolution 💜
GREAT video!! Gillio once sent me a different planner than the one I ordered... I ordered a Slim Appunto and they sent a B6 , they said send it back, but they wouldn't pay the customs of $100.00 that I had to pay the mail man to get it ! I argued with them and spoke to Tom and he fixed everything...but it was almost a fight with that lady in customer service. They did rectify it and send me a good deal because they ran out of first choice. I got a slight reduction for "good deal" but I have to say the planner was perfect. Thanks for putting this informative video out !!
REMEBER to speak OUT to GILLIO demand what you want and KEEP DOING IT until you get it RESOLVED !!!!
Don't give up !!!!
REMEMBER there is ALWAYS VANDERSPEK who would love your business and Petra is so lovely.
xx
Thank you for watching and for sharing your story 💜 I agree, you can get a beautiful planner but you must be your own advocate.
Too rich for my blood and not worth the price tag for any planner! Thanks for making this even easier for me 😊
I can see that and I’m coming around that that point of view. Some of my favorite covers are significantly less expensive.
@@quasithoughts1040 I found a knock off on etsy that's similar to a gillio but way less. I think it's vegan.
Oh interesting!! I know of Moterm on Aliexpress but I don’t know of one on Etsy
Quasi Thoughts Moterm is leather not faux leather. They are nice for the price but you can tell it’s a $50 planner vs a $250 planner.
Agreed. I have 2. I was thinking of them in terms of a lower price point Gillio. But there is a difference.
I really appreciate your candid discussion about this. I'm new to this and have seen how beautiful the Gillio products are, but I have to say as someone who spends a lot of time in Italy - the prices are ridiculous. There are leather shops everywhere in the towns I've been in Tuscany and I can't think of one - even Maledetti Toscana - that is so expensive. I could probably have a lovely planner cover custom made there for much less. That said, I do realize that not many are going to actually go to Italy to buy their planners. It feels as though this is a status symbol I'll give a pass on - especially after hearing your comments.
Thanks for watching. Price is a big factor and they are beautiful. I agree you are in a unique position living in Italy. I hope you do get a custom planner and tell us all about it!!
Thanks for the video. I have been watching the Gillio lives for months waiting for something I want to come back in stock. During that time I have sensed the tone you describe and it leaves me unsure if I do want to buy. While Mella and Ben seem delightful, the company tone is very much “suck it up.” I also sense that they would not address issues or make any changes if not for a few loud and angry customers. This puts customers in a terrible position… Either stay quiet or get the wrath of a very militant fan base. As you implied, there are certain expectations when one sells a product as luxury. What I would accept in a $20 planner is not what I would accept in a $300, $500 or $600 planner. Telling me spots, unwrapped corners, and dye variations are natural is unacceptable. I’m also growing weary of online purchases of leather goods in general… I have seen popular leather makers (small businesses) tell you they can’t honor wishes so in essence you just get what you get and no returns. If these items where in a store, I could pick out the smooth or pebbly texture without having to rely on poor pictures, limited website information and the kindness of employees boxing my items. Unfortunately most of the “good”stuff is online and we have decide if we want it the stuff enough to lose money in reselling or in the case of Gillio, shipping fees. If you can’t tell, this is a sore spot. I just purchased a leather cover from another maker and I hate it and I don’t think I’ll be able to find a person to buy it without taking a huge hit. Deeply frustrated.
Hi J. Dove, thank you for watching and your commenting. I get it, it’s a sore spot for me too. I wrestled with making this video for several days. And how I wanted to put my thoughts together. I would echo your statements about the Gillio Lives. And I do think there is a lot of pressure to stay quiet and suck it up. I’m super sorry about the recent non Gillio planner you bought that you hate. Care to share who the maker is?
I have never bought from Gillio but I've heard this before and that is the main reason why I have never purchased. this is disappointing... For the amount of money and the niche/small market (as you mentioned, and compared to other less expensive planner options that have wayyy larger customer bases) , I would expect them to show up close pics and in different positions and different lighting -and just be totally transparent. I think customers deserve that for this price point. And this info makes me feel better that I haven't purchased yet. I am in sales and customer service, and this saying is so true (loosely stated😂 I can't remember the actual quote): "you can give 10 good experiences and receive no praise or feedback, but give one bad experience and 10 people will be told about it, and you may lose the customer."...it's just not good business to deal with customer issues in a way that makes the customer feel unheard and not valued. I don't buy from places where things like this happen to me, even if I was a loyal customer prior, because I would never conduct business this way. Side note: Have you ever bought from VanDerSpek? I've thought about ordering there as well but am not familiar with their processes and so if you have experience with them, I'd be so interested to hear what it was like! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for weighing in!! I really appreciate your prospective 💜 I have one custom order in the works as we speak with VDS and Petra has been the exact opposite of Gillio so far. We spent ead was for her an agonizing 2 weeks of me hemming and hawing on my order. She never once made me feel bad about it or regret my purchase. I will do a review once my VDS arrives.
@@quasithoughts1040 awesome that aligns with others I've asked. I will watch for your review but I'm leaning towards a VDS as my next purchase!!! 🙂
I think it was Planner Mumsy that just did a Gillio unboxing this week and had issues with the color compared to pics. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of this lately. I haven’t bought a Gillio. I’m not a fan of the texture of their leather from what I’ve seen.
Yes!! I recall that video.
I just placed my first order and now I'm a bit concerned tbh. I don't approve of this exploitation of customers just because right now they are a popular brand.
I have a question tho, I've seen several people had quality problems after they received the planners (maybe scratched, maybe damaged in transit but with an intact box) - in these scenarios, can't PayPal do anything? I get that Gillio's insurance policy only covers refused packages, but the moment you prove to PayPal the box was intact or the quality is low, aren't you supposed to win the complaint? Did anyone that had issues actually used PayPal? Is it useful?
Thanks for watching! Have faith, I do believe most orders are without problem. I am actually not sure if PayPal can help with resolving these kinds of issues. It might be a good question for my Facebook group (Gillio, VDS, and Moterm Planner Community) or any other community forum you are in.
@@quasithoughts1040 thanks for the reply, I'm definitely joining! I really hope everything goes smoothly or I'll have ptsd for life! At least I requested pictures!
I have 7 gillios, 3 of which I bought second-hand. I personally, have had only good experiences. But then again my favorite Gillios are the giramondos and appuntos. In fact the most expensive Gillio I own is the B6 appunto I recently purchased as a premium good deal. So, there is a world of difference between my expectation of a giramondo and say a Mia Cara. I have no interest in ringed planners so I probably won’t ever buy anything beyond what I already own. However, I really appreciate you making this video. I feel like if you are placing an order for a luxury product you should pretty much get a near perfect product. Just because I haven’t had negative experience doesn’t invalidate what you’ve experienced. I have a certain TN company in which I was so turned off by the first experience that I’ll never purchase another, even second-hand. Anyway, great video as always. I’m definitely interested to hear others’ experiences.
Thanks for the feedback!! Most of my Gillios were also giramondos, that just wasn’t reflected in the thumbnail 💜 I’m really happy to hear you have had good experiences! I am honestly rooting for Gillio to fix this. I also think perfect gets taken out of context. Perfect doesn’t mean without actual natural variation. I LOVE scare and stretch marks and character on leather. But it does mean free from cuts, holes, scratches, tears, and poor dye jobs.
Thanks for this video!! You’ve got me thinking.
I have a product based business where the average price for one item is around $1100 and hearing this and comparing some of my policies to the ones you dislike Gillio having are very similar. I’ve never offered pre-shipment photos- whenever I’ve ordered from Louis Vuitton, Gucci or Channel without going in to the store it’s never been an option so I always thought of offering the pre-shipment photos as too much. I’ve seen that Gillio offers them but have never requested them- I kind of like the surprise.. lol. Listening to you now it may be something I consider adding- but I do know it will slow the shipping process down a lot- something I’ll have to weigh out.
When it comes to Good Deals and Premium Good deals, i have a funny story....I love TN’s and was a big Chic Sparrow fan. When I got into rings and switched over to Gillio I thought it would be similar to CS where the ones with marking and irregularities would cost MORE- lol. I got excited that they were discounted and normally buy from there in the hopes of getting something noticeable. I do agree with you about the irregularities in dye and how that doesn’t seem like a natural marking. Maybe similar to you, I tried to justify it and think of applying foundation to my face- if I have a scratch, or bump or bite the foundation won’t take there the same as it does the rest of my face... again- maybe just trying to justify.
You’ve also got me thinking about my shipping policies- I insure all packages I send out for the price of the item and a little more in hopes that if something is wrong with the packaging the customer will refuse it. After it’s accepted we’re both left uncovered and while I do want to keep my customers happy I’ve got to make sure I’m able to pay my employees and the cost of those raw materials and man hours put into the first item are already gone- if I refund it I’m out of double the cost and if I replace it I’ve got to hope I still have those materials and then still out of the cost twice because I can’t do anything with the damaged item. Now you’ve got me thinking about what I could that would be a happy middle ground for both.
If you don’t mind- suggestions? In an ideal world- how would you have Gillio (plus me because I’ll be stealing these suggestions for myself) handle these issues?? ☺️
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I would be interested in knowing what the return rate is on the product. In my opinion returns - either for defect or change of mind - are a cost of doing business. It is, then, in the company’s best interest to reduce that return percentage through quality control and process improvements - including shipping vendor agreements. There is also a cost to retain the customer that must be considered. What is the cost to convert the sale? What is the cost to retain a customer vs acquire a new one? How many orders does the average customer make? Meaning if we don’t make this right for the customer what is the lost sales opportunity losing this costumer represents? All of these metrics would help me determine how I would financially handle this cost. It is difficult to speculate how this would apply to your business as I have no detail on the products or what are “normal” policies in your industry. In the planner market, it is normal for shops to offer to fix customer issues and make the customer whole. In my experience, the smaller the buyer pool, ie the more niche and specialized the market, the MORE the company caters to the customer. That is the biggest difference between a handmade leather ring binder and buying from LV or Gucci. The policies I’ve experienced from Gillio do not follow the norm for their market, in my opinion, and will erode their customer base over time. Judging by the comments and DMs I’ve received from people sharing their stories in response to this video so far, it already has.
@@quasithoughts1040 The thing is that people are used to order on Amazon,return for free with a print-out-label and get their money back.But this is never working for small businesses,especially from overseas.Amazon (for example)is huge and producing loads of garbage,because of all the returns they will never sell on....for example.Not to mention this customer behaviour of buying and returning is causing a lot of damage to our environment.Louis Vuitton,for example,is not shipping from EU to overseas.No way.Ok,you cannot really compare those 2,but this is not how it would work.Imagine how many people want to return,just because they add up a bit too much in their shopping basket.And they might try to get cs to accept the return.......just saying.Even I am admin,I am still a customer myself.Here is a lot going on,on social media that is really ridicolous.....
Hey, sorry for the delay, I just was notified of your comment. I do think there is an inappropriate expectation on shipping from Amazon culture. And LV gets thrown out a lot as a luxury goods provider. But I don’t think it is a fair comparison due to the scale of LV vs Gillio. The real comparison, in my opinion, is other planner makers - Etsy, VDS, Foxy Fix, HSLT, Chic Sparrow, just a few that come to mind. None are identical, but collectively they set a buying and shipping experience for the market and are the yard stick consumer will compare their purchase experience too scaled by the luxury of the price point.
And speaking of DHL delivery... Sometimes I'm not at home, and my family members sign the papers for me, but they will never open my parcel to examine it. And even if they did, they just don't know what to examine specifically. How am I supposed to deal with that???? Really, their service makes me feel so bad 😔 because you want to treat yourself with something expensive, you may even save up for this, and then you get something different. The stuff is too pricy to risk. I'm personally planning to chose another company or buy preloved.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! BST is a really wonderful feature of the planner community. 💜 that is hard for sure. I’ve hear similar concerns about doormen or apartment mail room works signing for packages for people. Sometime Gillio has taken that into account and sometimes not per the anecdotal evidence I’ve read in the FB group. I’m hoping more people will see this and share their experiences.
Thanks for the information. I don’t own one but would like to. This gives me lots to think about. It might be prudent for the company to get better shipping containers. Seems like there are lots damaged in shipping and sometimes this can happen when poor quality boxes are used.
That is a good line of thinking about it. Most of my boxes have been dented in some fashion, the planners inside have all been okay though. What I think would be more helpful would be always wrapping their planners in plastic inside the box. To be fair, I don’t actually think a lot of damage happens during shipping. Most of the experiences that have been shared with me so far are along of lines of scratches or dye inconsistencies that Gillio considers natural variation of the leather.
Did you happen to see the live broadcast from Gillio today? They mentioned improving quality control. Very interesting.
I have not had a chance to watch yet. Work gets in the way of my planner hobby.
Okay I just finished watching. That is really positive and like Mella, I’m excited to see this come out. Especially the part about more transparency and photos.
That is my fear, that in 6-8 months we will be back here again
This is a very informative video and I thank you for it. I have looked on their site and although the planners look nice I could not find what grade of leather they use. I am very big on full grain leather (vs the ubiquitous genuine leather) and durable nylon thread instead of cotton thread. This video definitely convinces me to stick to my full grain leather chic sparrow folios that are a fraction of the price.
Thanks for watching. I actually think they do use full grain leather and the quality can be quite nice most of the time. I highly recommend Eberhart studios’ brutally honest review of Gillio if you want additional information on their quality.
This is so not related to your video, but I need to ask- what are you looking at off to your left? I kept thinking maybe you had notes? LOL! Not an important detail at all, but I'm so curious!
Sorry!! I totally noticed that too!! I had my phone sideways to film and I was distracted by my face!! I kept trying to remind myself to look at the camera spot. I need a tripod 🤦🏼♀️. My cheapo previous one I had broke while filming my tomoe river paper video.
You might think about that once you paid the planner:It is not their(Gillios) planner anymore.The responsibility/insurance for the travel is in the hands of the shipping company.It is the insurance of the shipping company,not Gillios insurance.This is what many people are getting wrong.
Just my 2 cents to destroyed parcels ;-)
To the photo-option:Ask Mulberry to receive pictures beforehand.....who offers that?It is a lot of extra work on Gillios end.....
Thanks for watching and your 2 cents. Total side note: I love your planner chats and videos 💜. I hear you and I do get that it is an insurance matter. I wonder if there is a better or different way to handled the insurance issue. Long term perhaps a change in shipping contracts. Changing the risk of loss to the company rather than the buyer, because ultimately the consumer relations fallout of these cases can color the consumers opinion of Gillio. I would hope (and assume) that the percentage of packages lost or damaged in transit is very low, such that the cost to repair/replace the item is far less than the cost to acquire/retain a customer. That it isn’t viewed this way, is part of why I feel replaceable as a Gillio customer. Does that make sense?
@@quasithoughts1040 It doesn't really matter which shipping company you use,they all have those terms and conditions,when it comes to damaged parcels.It can happen to any company (here we say:They all cook with water).And if you sign for a damaged parcel - it is you responsebility.
Once you paid and it has been shipped: It is up to the shipping company.Shipping prices increased horrendously,here in Europe.From Germany to the US the shipping costs easily more than 50 Euro!
I know that the other way around it has been always a higher price,but now also from EU to overseas.
That is frustrating to be sure. These policies are definitely off putting. Thank you for the information.
I love their planners, but I hate their customer service 😫 I bought a pocket Mia Cara from them a few months ago, that was my 3rd planner from them. And it had scratches and spots, where I could tell for sure: those scratches weren't natural variations. I looked at those scratches and it felt like the planner had been damaged while being made, the people who have seen the planner agree with me, and I'm even not sure I'll be able to sell the planner easily because of those. But gillio insists those scratches are natural and everything is ok. Unfortunately, I can't buy from the buy-sell trade groups, and buying directly from Gillio is easier for me. But I'm afraid I won't do that again, because I'm not sure I'll get the planner I want. Or have in mind. So I have that bad taste as well... 😕 I hoped they would treat their clients better, but I see no changes....
Oh man I’m sorry to hear that was your experience. Mia Cara’s are not cheap. I am inclined to agree with you, scratches are different from scars. One is natural the other is damage. Maybe they will fade with use?
@@quasithoughts1040 oh, I hope, they will... But it's croco leather, so, I don't really know. The only thing that makes me a little happy - they are not too obvious. And they are inside, not outside.
I hope viewers take the time to do their own research into Gillio and not solely rely on your video. I disagree that this video was uploaded before giving the company time to implement the changes they addressed this week. Now we have a video that is incredibly biased and only gives a snapshot in time. I think you mention watching Mella's video posted to the FB group (?) but failed to discuss what Gillio's explanation was - COVID causing non-CS employees to be doing CS work causing for major inconsistencies and issues. Mella called it what it was - a human fuckup - and they were working to rectify it and provide more uniformity. They fell on the sword and found the issue. If you want to discuss issues, it's only prudent to also explain that the Company has acknowledged the same and is in the process of fixing it *or* wait to see if the issues are fixed before posting. Also, Gillio didn't censor anything. If comments were shut off or posts taken down, it was by the original author of the post.
Unlike the feeling of this video, Gillio has been quick to react to the concerns of its customer's, e.g., within weeks and even days we've seen them address it. Now is the time to see if change occurs. Just today, they announced a picture + DHL option. It's amazing we're even allowed the option for photos - you don't get that option when ordering even more expensive items from luxury brands. Lastly, another perspective: their lifetime warranty has proved to be very helpful to me in the past when I purchased BST and encountered an issue. They offered me a brand new planner cover. This was two years ago when I was NEW to Gillio and had only made one direct purchase. These policies are customer centric and meant to be positive. I understand you're irritated and downtrodden about Gillio, I hope I offered another perspective. I've owned countless Gillio planners and I personally haven't had CS issues or issues with what is PGD and GD. I literally can't count the number of Gillios I've owned. Although I'm not one of those with a bad taste in my mouth, I am careful where I spend my money and I am giving Gillio time to fix the variability in CS and quality control. If problems persist, then would be the appropriate time for a video. I personally feel they (it's literally 5 employees and family owned) deserve that time before I rush to any conclusions. They only just addressed it this past week. I hope others will do the same.
If you have an issue with your Giramondo, reach out to them. If I listened correctly, you didn't give them an opportunity to fix it. Yet are quick to judge. I'm glad you had primarily positive experiences though. I appreciate the discourse and hope my comment is taken as it was intended - a friendly perspective from another gillionaire. :) Happy Planning! xo - Sierra
Thank you for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences with Gillio here. I am having a small fan girl moment as I have watched most all of your videos and gained a lot from them - including my love for Gillio. Thank you!!
I am sorry to hear that your felt my video was biased against Gillio, I tried to weigh my words appropriately and keep the video on the constructive criticism side of things. I will take your feedback and aim to do better in the future. I do want to order from Gillio again and I want people to know there is a low probability of these types of issues happening, but there is a possibility that they could. And I also want this to be an open conversation on what others have experienced, both the good and the bad.
I am really glad you have added your positive experiences to the conversation here because I do believe, as I mentioned in my video, that the majority of purchases are without issue. It is my hope in this video that people would provide comments and feedback from both sides of the issue. It is refreshing to hear from you that your interactions with customer service has been positive. I also agree with several of your points, I invite views to do their research and weigh my concerns raised in this video with other videos on Gillio and customer experiences mentioned in the FB group or elsewhere on the web
. Always good advice to hear many and varied sides of any issue as the truth is often in the middle.
I did mention Mella's video about staffing issues and addressing QC concerns. What I didn't make clear in my video, is that my last purchase from them was November 2019, well before this particular QC issue. I will see if I can add a link to her FB video to the description box of this video to make it easier for those looking for additional clarification, I am unsure of the privacy level on that video and I do not know if you must be a member of the face book group to view it.
You are absolutely correct, I did not give customer service the opportunity to assess my concerns on my Gira. I own that and I hope I made it clear that this is only one instance and one example of the photo concern I mentioned. It is not an indication that all photos go that way. Like I said, I have had 11 orders, 11 sets photos, and 1 surprise.
I don't think I implied Gillio was censoring, but I have seen Mella close the comments of threads - most recently Mary's post. I am very curious to see how that issue is resolved.
Finally I heartily echo you sentiment that "Now is the time to see if change occurs." Thank you again for participating in this conversation, it added a great prospective that is valued.
Just following up that I am not smart enough to figure out how to link Mella's video from Wednesday July 22nd at 5:57 am. Hopefully that helps those interested to find it.
Wow! This company sounds horrible!🤢🤮
Thanks for watching!
If a package is damaged that is carrier responsibility and for a product that expensive you shouldn’t accept it. I wouldn’t blame Gillio for that. They are making the best quality planners I have ever seen. If you buy good deals they are clearly not perfect and you accept that. Look at Filofax, Foxy Fix, not to mention others, none of them make what Gillio makes. They are by far the best planner manufacturers.
Thank you for your point of view and watching. I appreciate it.
Totally true, but there have been scenarios I've seen in the past where the box appeared undamaged, but the planner was. The buyer contacted the shipping company, and was told Gillio had to start the process to file a claim. But Gillio refused because THEIR policy is that once you sign off, it's a done deal. They could have gone to bat for their customer, but did not. That is the issue many people are discussing. No one blames Gillio for shipping damage, just their policy in not supporting their customer.
C L I don’t know where you are but at least in Europe this cannot happen. There is law above their internal policies. Even if they say they don’t care, here if I get any less than what’s on paper they can be in trouble. That’s mostly if you use PayPal to pay. I’ve had disputes open for delivered products, with PayPal, and always won. I’m sure there is a reason behind that policy as well
Ana Adebowale I’m in the US, and the person who got a soaked Appunto was also in the US.
C L I saw the video of soaked Gillio, I just don’t understand why she accepted it. That package was soaked when she signed for it. Why not leave it with carrier and claim insurance? That clearly is not on Gillio but on the carrier.
I received a bumped planner yesterday. The box was bumped inside and the stiffener inside the cover and fly leaf got bent in some places. That’s something that goes away as leather softens but I would have opened a claim instantly if there was something bad. And it came from China (Moterm).
If you guys feel there’s not enough protection, use PayPal. They side with the customer in 99% of cases and they can decide to refund you even if the supplier doesn’t agree. Paypal will just transfer the money from them to you.