Returning Faulty Jeans Problem

Oaksy

Hi,
My husband purchased a pair of Firetrap Jeans in House of Frazer on 21/01/2012 for £80.

Yesterday we noticed 2 holes on the backside as if the material had worn away (on some parts of these jeans they have holes in them but backed by a patch)

I still had the receipt so I went to the shop today, 28/02/2012 to explain the fault.

I explained to a supervisor that the material around that area seems quite thin but was promtly told that it was due to excessive wear and tear! I told her he's only had them for 5 weeks and only wears them for socialising not working in.. She said they also have been worn down around the heel area which added to her conclusion, I said that usually happens with trousers/jeans etc and that wasn't the area that I was complaining about.

I left the jeans with the store so that a manager could look at them also and pass them on to the manufacturer for further tests.

They rang me about an hour later saying that the manager had looked at them and wasn't sending them away as they all agreed that it was due to extensive wear and tear and that all retail is means tested before it comes to the store so I should come and collect the jeans, end of.

Needless to say I'm not impressed, at £80 they weren't cheap (well to me anyway) I'm insulted to think that this shop thinks my husband has wore these practically 24/7 but is a pair of jeans not supposed to last more than a few weeks?

Do I have any rights on this as I feel they just assumed this is whats wrong with them as they have never seen a pair of Firetrap jeans do this before even though I tried to explain that maybe it's a fault with the material.

Thanks

bris

The duty is now on you to prove it's not wear and tear, you would need your own independent examiner to testify the jeans are faulty. If you can find someone who is qualified and willing to do this then a letter from them may tip the balance. If they still refuse then the small claims court is all you can do. You can get the examiners fee back if you win.

Buying designer jeans is not about quality, it about fashion and brand name, this is what the high price tag is for. 5 weeks isn't long enough but if they are the light weigh distressed denim then you don't get much wear out of them. To get the jeans to the distressed stage takes loads of washes, so by the time you get them they are already half done.

Casati

All retail is means tested? Eh? What the bloomin heck does that mean

The manager is presumably not a garment technician or a qualified fabric technologist. It sounds to me like a production fault, jeans are given a distressed look by a number of methods including blasting them with a pressure hose full of sand, putting them in a huge washing machine with gravel and abrading them in strategic places with a sander. Someone at the factory got carried away.

A small fashion label I once worked with seriously mucked up the production by using beautiful lightweight floral cotton for the facings & pocket bags. By the time they came back from the stonewash plant they looked like floral cobwebs.

Casati

Actually, as far as I can remember House of Fraser is entirely filled by brand concessions, I suggest you call Firetrap customer service, it sounds like the concession manager is fobbing you off...If Firetrap have a problem with Quality Control in one of their factories they will probably want to know about it, and their Concession Manager should at least have sent them off so that a professional opinion could be given.

Oaksy

I emailed Firetrap customer services and got a reply asking for information about the jeans i.e. clour, style code etc so that they could look into it further. They are going to contact H of F directly as they still have the jeans as I've not been able to get to the store to collect them yet.

They are also disapointed that their customers are being treated in a way that does not represent the values they hold at Firetrap. One supervisor said to me that "it was more than her job was worth to return the jeans!" Do you really say that to customers???

I still feel very angry that H of F just assumes what's wrong with them and it's your fault whether you like it or not!

So who knows what will happen....I'll let you know the outcome.

Casati

That's very good to hear. You've done the right thing... there were really two problems here, number one being the jeans and number two being the customer service. It sounds like Firetrap are at least taking it seriously

Let me know how it pans out.

Oaksy

I recieved a phonecall today from a Superisor (a different one) at House of Fraser.

He said that it was in connection with the letter I had sent to Firetrap AND House of Fraser. I had only emailed Firetrap so they must've forwarded it to H of F.

I thought they were just phoning to agree to sending them away for tests but instead offered me a full refund and apologies that I'd had to go this far to get it!

He agreed that he buys Firetrap and Levi jeans himself as he gets a good years wear out of them.

He also said he will be speaking with the staff in question about their attitudes.

It just shows you what you can do when you push things a little further, so thanks for all your advice guys, much appreciated!:T