Wedding suit hire problem

twink22

Can anyone help with what I can do next with regards to a problem with wedding suit hire?

Background:

I hired 8 matching suits for our wedding on 24th September 2011 at the cost of £852 from a local company, not a large chain.

The waistcoats hired were mismatched, some with covered buttons and some with black buttons, when we placed our hire order we specifically asked for the buttons that matched the suit jackets (not covered buttons). Unfortunately for us this was not noticed until the day of the wedding and so they could not be taken back to the shop for replacements. It can be seen in the photos that the buttons don’t match, having spent a lot on photography I’m not happy about this.
Also over half of the shirts hired did not fit the party, all of who were measured by members of staff. When we took the shirts back to be exchanged for smaller ones the manager was extremely rude to both myself, my mother and on a separate occasion that week, one of our ushers.

When the suits were picked up on the 20th September my husband signed a form that he believed to be confirmation that he had collected them, however I have since been told that this form states that the suits were checked and he was happy with them, this could never have been the case as members of our party had collected their suits prior to my husband arriving at the shop and so he could not have inspected them all. My husband was also told he was not allowed to try the shirts on in the shop at the time of collection and was not given sight of suits that were to be collected by the ushers themselves, so in no way would he have been able to check if the waistcoats matched. Having ordered matching outfits we did not expect to have to check that this would be the case.

We returned the suits on 26th September 2011 and politely complained about the waistcoats to the owner of the shop, who offered a partial refund, however when the manager, came into the shop his attitude once again was rude, accusatory, abusive and defensive and the refund offer was withdrawn and we were asked to ‘get out of the shop we‘re not giving you anything, you signed the form its your problem‘.

I have since written to the shop quoting the sale of goods act and outlining the issues above and asked for a partial refund for the suit hire and cover for extra costs for travelling to the shop to exchange the shirts, the cost of registered post, as well as spoilt photography that can never be replaced. I gave them 14 days to respond and they haven’t.

I really don’t want to let the matter lie as we were offered a refund but it was withdrawn when the manager came in, and he was so rude I still cant believe the way we were spoken to, I really want to know what I can do now if they wont answer, and how much its going to cost me as I’m already out of pocket.

Any advice is much appreciated!
Thanks

twink22

anyone know what the next step I can take is?

somethingcorporate

What did the form say that you signed?

Just because the logistics in picking up the suits didn't give you the opportunity to inspect didn't mean the opportunity did not exist (as far as the shop is concerned). If you signed a form saying you were happy then I don't think you have much recourse.

There is no excuse for rudeness but I think you will struggle to get anything out of them. Try not to get too fixated on the colour of buttons, you should remember your day for what it was and not get hung up on such a tiny detail.

InsideInsurance

Ultimately you have signed something that said everything is ok, it is your husbands fault for signing something without reading it (but he's got you tied into the contract now - hope you read what you were signing on the day! )

What do you actually want the outcome to be? Evidently they cannot rectify the situation for the day as that has been and gone. They evidently cannot correct the photos as thats been and gone.

If your simply looking for a refund then you're going to have limited success firstly because of the signed paperwork and secondly because it is unlikely they will ever get repeat business from you and so no large incentive to try and keep you sweet.

Idiophreak

twink22 wrote: »

I have since written to the shop quoting the sale of goods act and outlining the issues above and asked for a partial refund for the suit hire and cover for extra costs for travelling to the shop to exchange the shirts, the cost of registered post, as well as spoilt photography that can never be replaced. I gave them 14 days to respond and they haven’t.

To be honest, this seems a little unreasonable. The partial refund is to be given *because* they'll have "spoilt" your photos, or whatever - so you're effectively asking for the same money twice. And they're not magicians, measuring people doesn't guarantee a fit...I've never been to a wedding where we've not had to exchange at least one item from the suits, so I think demanding travel costs to exchange items is OTT. I think you might have had better luck if you were a bit more reasonable about things and said "mistakes happen, but we're a bit upset about this..can I have 30% back, please?" and left it at that.

In broader terms, I agree with somethingcorporate...They're *buttons*...if that's the worst thing that happened on your wedding day, be extremely thankful!!

twink22

I know they're 'only buttons' but it can be seen in the photographs that they dont match and I paid for matching outfits which is what I expected to receive.

I was willing to accept a refund on the waistcoats from the owner who was overruled by the manager- however that works.

Mainly I'm angry at the way we were spoken to by the manager and them not accepting fault at all, out of 8 shirts 5 didnt fit (and they were no where near fitting) and 3 of 8 waistcoats were different, we had to go back twice to sort out shirts and an usher went speratley to us. I'm guessing its my husbands fault for not inspecting every detail of every suit I havent seen the form that was signed, and we werent given a copy.

Where do I stand on leaving bad reviews for them on wedding forums so no one else has the same problems?

Idiophreak

twink22 wrote: »

Where do I stand on leaving bad reviews for them on wedding forums so no one else has the same problems?

You can post your experiences...it's what these places are for. Just make sure you keep it factual...

somethingcorporate

As long as it is the truth and factual then I think it's fine.

pimento

twink22 wrote: »

I know they're 'only buttons' but it can be seen in the photographs that they dont match and I paid for matching outfits which is what I expected to receive.

Photoshop. I'm sure any wedding photographer these days can do the needful to make the buttons look the same if you really think it's worth it.

I'm in the Judge Judy camp on this. If all you have to worry about in your life are a few buttons on your wedding photos, you're very lucky indeed. Go and have a happy life.

InsideInsurance

twink22 wrote: »

I know they're 'only buttons' but it can be seen in the photographs that they dont match and I paid for matching outfits which is what I expected to receive.

<snip>

Where do I stand on leaving bad reviews for them on wedding forums so no one else has the same problems?

On the first point, whilst they wouldn't be perfect a reasonable photographer or photo retoucher could certainly lesson the problem, they wouldn't be perfect unless you are willing to spend a lot of money but for a modest sum an improvement can certainly be made.

One chap I know teaches photography at a college and does retouching as a sideline so if you wanted a quote for X photos I could certainly ask him.

As to leaving negative feedback.... its up to you, if it is factual and evidenced you have little/ no long term risk of loss but that wouldn't stop them using scare tactics of getting solicitors letters sent for defamation or even issuing court proceedings to shut you up.... you'd most likely win, its a question of if you want the aggravation.