Question:
This is very disappointing! I must have a bottle made in like in january 2002 (1347 is the code)! I just bought it a month ago! URGH! If i contact chanel, could they give me some type of receipt saying I can return it? I bought it at macy's. not sure if i still have their reciept.

Answer:
Originally Posted by dimples Bois des Iles Parfum - purchased from Chanel Boutique Jan 2007, no embossed code on the bottom of box, but there is a printed code 120.011 I have a similar code on the bottom of my Egoiste box just below the date/location code.
Originally Posted by G Man This is very disappointing! I must have a bottle made in like in january 2002 (1347 is the code)! I just bought it a month ago! URGH! If i contact chanel, could they give me some type of receipt saying I can return it? I bought it at macy's. not sure if i still have their reciept. You should definitely try to contact Chanel and let us know what you find out because the second two numbers do not seem to fit our coding-scheme theory. Neither does snakesandladders' code. Maybe there was a different pre-2000 scheme. I have 2124 printed on the bottom of my Antaeus mini box.
If Chanel says it's really old, you could try taking that information back to Macy's to get your money back. I don't know what their return policy is (w/wo receipt).

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omg..PRE-2000?!?!
I hope it's more like.. 2007 scheme. hehe. I did just email them. It wasn't working last night, but the page loaded today.
By the way, not sure if i said this already, but the "1" looks like the letter "I" Does any body elses "1" in their code on the bottle look like the letter "I"?
and I am sure it reads exactly like this..used 3 people's eyes and a magnifying glass. "I347" looks just like that on the bottle in the back in hard to see engraving.
I have a deodorant stick that says "8106" on the bottom. so i suppose that's much newer than my bottle of PE.. I got them at the same time in early 2007.

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I don't see what the problem is. I know a guy with a 14 year old bottle of PM by Chanel. It still smells great. 2002 is not that old, believe me, they're gonna last a long time if you take care of them. Chanel isn't going to replace them if you bought it from Macy's, Macy's will have to replace it.
- Rich

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it may smell great but is the power of longevity/sillage the same?

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This whole dating thing, IMO, has gotten way out of hand and has become quite absurd, and for that we can, mainly, thank the poor quality control and careless distribution of Creed.
How about asking if the fragrance smells okay rather than looking at the date and immediately getting the urge to contact Chanel, who in my opinion couldn't care less about any bottle that wasn't purchase from an authorized dealer?
I've posted extensively on what makes fragrances go off, and I'll repeat the upshot of all my experience based on 30 years of buying fragrances and having purchased, at last estimate, over 2500 bottles during that time:
Fragrances don't go bad because they're old. They usually deteriorate because of improper storage and especially because of exposure to light and air. There are multiple threads on this and related topics for one's edification, all of which can be accessed with a little effort.
Of all the bottles I've bought over the years, I've had only a handful, and I mean that literally (at the most five) that were off. All of those were unboxed bottles. I have at least twenty bottles that are over 30 years old, about 80 that are over twenty years old, and hundreds that are anywhere from twenty to zero years old and all of them are okay. Many of those bottles are Chanels.
I wonder what the value of starting a thread or posting to the main board is every time someone has anxiety over a purchase. Personally, I don't think there is any value to it at all. If you're not sure about a purchase, message a buddy and swap samples and compare. Don't clutter the board with another OMG, my Creed/Chanel is two years thread or post.
I'll be happy to be one of those people to swap samples for comparison purposes if you think your bottle is off, which in ALL likelihood, it's not.
I am not singling out any one person in particular. I am talking in general about the profusion of what I consider pointless threads and posts. I at least have suggested a way to solve this anxiety over dates and date codes etc. I'll put my money where my mouth is: again, if you're unsure, send me a sample. If I have what you're unsure about, I'll be happy to send you a comparison sample.
scentemental


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I could not agree with Scentemental more.
--Chris

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Personally, my interest lies in that we have cooperated in possibly deciphering Chanel's bottle/juice identification scheme, not that they have been secretive about it. A true BN forum collaboration that has resulted in something useful. IF ONLY we could do this with Creed.
I agree that in most cases, if the perfume is properly stored by the retailer, we shouldn't need to be too concerned about how old it is - within reason. However, a lot of times it comes down to principle for me. If there is a manufacturer-specified 'shelf life' for a perfume, then a responsible retailer should follow the manufacturer's guidelines for removal/return. If I see a bottle of Egoiste made in 2007 next to a bottle of Egoiste made in 2005, I'm going to buy the bottle made in 2007. If you went to buy a Caddy and there were two identical models on the lot, both brand-new, both the same price, but one was a 2006 and the other a 2007, which would you buy?

Answer:
Scentemental, as usual, is very correct.
As the starter of this thread (and the L'artisan code one), it was more my point just to give us more info about our bottles for the sake of knowledge than to worry about the juice. I, too, go by smell and not by date, because I have lots of older bottles that are fine. Having once received an old bottle of Caron PuH smelling like something that crawled up my chimney last winter and died (but had bathed in lavender just before doing it), I can tell when a bottle turns regardless of what the date on the bottom says.
But, just for curiosity sake, I think it is interesting to know when a bottle was made because it makes one more knowledgable about a product for which they're paying lots of money. Same with knowing Vuitton's coding system when buying a bag, it just makes one a more informed citizen and lets you know if a deal might be too good to be true (for example, if a salesperson says about an item being charged at full-retail, "oh yes, you should buy this, it just came off the truck!" but is really seven years old).
Of course, I didn't really intend it to become a "OMG, can I return it? It's 5 years old!" hysteria. But, as far as I can see, it's only one member who is worried.

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(I know you were referring to me as ONLY ONE MEMBER)Maybe I worry because I pay 65 dollars for it and money doesn't come out of nowhere and I worry I spent my money on something that is old and not quality. How am I supposed to know if Macy's kept it in good conditions? I come here to get information and found a topic that I want to go into further detail.
I'm sorry if posting concerns is wrong. Maybe I should go google "when does chanel cologne go bad according to the date code"
I wont find it anywhere else and if I did, it won't be in open discussion like a forum.
I don't see how i'm harming anybody or creating problems. I am getting discreetly bashed here for asking questions and being concerned.