Read this before you buy cloths from M & S

Tartarus_2

Letter to Marks and Spencers:

I bought some chino trousers from your stores on November 2008 and January 2009 (see receipts).

I am enclosing the broken zip from one pair of trousers. This is the second pair of trousers in which the zip which has broken. The stitching in a seam has come undone on one pair and the tags on the rear pocket zips have all broken. As trousers were not cheap (£39), I would have expected higher quality materials to be used.

By contrast, two pairs of trousers which I bought from Primark in 2007 for a fraction of the cost, and which have been worn much more, are still in perfect order.

I have been buying clothes from M and S since the 1960’s, and this is the first time I have had to write a letter of complaint.

I received this reply:

I am sorry to hear that you have been disappointed by two pairs of Cashmere’s you bought from us recently.

I'm concerned by what you have told us as the quality of all our products is a top priority for us. We do work very closely with our suppIiers to be sure that all our goods are produced to the very highest standards. We would therefore like an opportunity to see the trousers so we can find out exactly what's gone wrong and fully resolve your compIaint for you. The quickest way to do this for you is in store.

It would be really helpful if you could take your trousers and the receipt if you still have it, to your local store. Our colleagues there will be able to examine it and take the appropriate action and discuss refund options where appropriate, with you.

As you have removed the zip from one pair of the trousers we would not be able to guarantee whether store will be able to assist you. I have enclosed the zip with this letter.

Thanks again for getting in touch.

My reaction
Since I had enclosed one of the faulty zips and the receipts, I had provided all the evidence that was needed. As it was a general problem, they should have sorted out the problem at head office and not referred me to their local branch.

Subsequent to this, all zips of trousers I have bought from M & S have broken. The trousers I bought from Primark are still going strong.

I have vowed never to buy M & S clothing ever again and would suggest anyone would reads this does likewise.

augustsmummy

Tartarus, welcome to MSE .

I think M & S are being fair on this one I am afraid. Without seeing the trousers it will be difficult for them to assess whether the trousers are genuinely poorly made or if they have been tampered with.

Also does the zip actually say M & S (or Per Una) on it? If not you may have a hard time proving it actually came from the trousers.

I think after 2 and a half years it will be difficult to get any refund, but good luck to you if you manage it.

CoolHotCold

There is no consumer right breach here, This is a Vent and belongs in a different sub-forum.

angelaloveschocolate

No expert here, but the letter seems fair and reasonable (apart from the typo cashmere instead of chino). Why have you decided to complain straight to to thier head office by letter? M&S have an excellent refund policy and I would have thought that your first point of call should have been your local store. I envy your meticulous reciept keeping, I would'nt be able to keep an reciept over 2 years.

Oliver14

CoolHotCold wrote: »

There is no consumer right breach here, This is a Vent and belongs in a different sub-forum.

Don't read it then.

brettcta

i suspect, oliver14, that unless coolhotcold is a timelord, by the time they had read the post and decided it wasn't a consumer right issue, not reading it was no longer an option.

i admire your no-nonsense approach though, even if it was a little silly.

if my old grandad ever taught me anything, it was to never read something i didn't agree with, like or think was on the right forum on a message board. advice passed down through the family for over 1 generation.

squeaky

Hi all,

Yes, I reckon this one is better placed on the vents board, so I'll move it across.

Forum_Team wrote:

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere (please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL='forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com']forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL]

maninthestreet

Tartarus - did you take the jeans back to the M+S store from which you bought them to ask for a refund BEFORE writing to the M+S head office?

geordieracer

Bloody hell - they have gone from Chinos to Cashmeres to Jeans in the space of 8 posts.

brettcta

you may have saved yourself some time if you'd have taken your arseless leather chaps back to the store for inspection rather than writing in first

PudseyDB

Personally I think a pair of trousers that lasted 2 1/2 yrs is pretty good and wouldnt have dreamed of returning them with a complaint after that long!!

But then again, I wear all of mine every week unless its hot, so dont have any sitting doing nothing in a drawer. Have the Primark ones been worn as much as the M&S ones?