Marks and Spencer Do They Test Fabrics?

Blether

I have bought clothes from Marks and Spencer for a long time. Probably half of my clothes and most of my shoes are from there. Recently I have bought several items that have been made of incredibly poor quality material. One of my favourite work skirts is plain black long length from them and has been worn for the last 5 years. I bought a new skirt and have worn it for about 3 weeks and it is bobbling quite badly. I recently threw out a jumper that had only been worn a couple of times and was so badly bobbled that it was embarrassing to wear. I bought a lambswool angora mix one and it is now so big and bobbled is only fit for the garden. The more I think about it I realise that the majority of recent purchases have not lasted very long. The sad thing is that my dd buys from all the cheap shops and her stuff lasts longer than mine.

I know that company representatives monitor web-sites and would really appreciate if other forum users would comment on the quality of the fabrics used to make clothes in the last couple of years. Who knows maybe they will do something about it..

jenniewb

I think your going to get more of a response in terms of improving fabrics if you complain to them directly and send in your clothes to them- complete with proof of purchase (or photocopy). If enough people were to complain, even just by emailing alone they may take notice but even more then that, vote with your feet. If they don't find their sales are getting any better, if they also get complaints they may eventualy put two and two together and work it out. Probably will take time this way but I can't see them doing anything unless they feel they have to and the main thing retail cares about is its bank balance.

KateLiana27

I've had exactly the same problem. I have old clothes from them that have lasted years, but my most recent purchases (including a pretty expensive wool mix cardigan) have shrunk, bobbled, and had their buttons unravel within just a few washes. The fabrics seem to be poorer quality - it's hard to find pure natural fibres, for example. They no longer seem to stand behind their product either - I've found customer service to be awful.

It's a shame because I liked having a reliable place I could go to for quality. Definitely not any more.

Haffiana

I completely agree. Here is just one example amongst many: I bought a 5 pack of cotton knickers recently - same sort as I have been buying for years. They cost about the same as they always have, which should have raised alarm bells... This pack, the cotton was actually patchy it was so thin, and felt as if it would tear easily. The cotton was the poorest quality, and such a short fibre length that it actually felt rough and unpleasant on my skin. The knickers were unwearable. I chucked them.

This isn't just bad quality, it is the worst quality. I know that raw materials cost more, labour costs more and therefore things are getting more expensive. Why not keep the quality that has been the M&S mainstay for years and just charge more and let me, the customer, decide if I want to afford it or not? I wouldn't personally ever choose to pay less and get something so rubbish that it can't actually be worn, or only lasts a couple of washes. In my book that is no economy at all, it is simply a waste of my money.

M&S may fear to lose customers by having to raise their prices, but if they keep their prices low and sell this sort of tat then they will lose their core customers who want and expect something of a reasonable quality. And in response to what jenniewb says above - afterwards I looked at M&S online and read the comments of other buyers of the same knickers. They all were complaining and saying the same as me, and they have been saying it openly for months and months. This is a deliberate decision by M&S to downgrade their quality and therefore keep their price point tempting to the customer.

Me? I will move on to John Lewis and similar shops if I want something of a decent quality. If I want cheap I will go to Primark etc (where there is a better chance of being pleasantly surprised by the quality!).

So what position in the market do M&S think that they will hold? Bargain basement quality and middle of the road prices? How on earth do they imagine that a business model like that will work? We are all having to be more savvy with our money, and M&S will cease to be a savvy choice.

namecheck

Reading Haffiana's post reminded me that a few months ago I bought some underwear for my husband in a sale and then noticed that similar non-sale were almost the same price.

I mentioned this to a sales assistant who was nearby - and she said the number of items in the pack had been reduced!

Blether

jenniewb wrote: »

I think your going to get more of a response in terms of improving fabrics if you complain to them directly and send in your clothes to them- complete with proof of purchase (or photocopy). If enough people were to complain, even just by emailing alone they may take notice but even more then that, vote with your feet. If they don't find their sales are getting any better, if they also get complaints they may eventualy put two and two together and work it out. Probably will take time this way but I can't see them doing anything unless they feel they have to and the main thing retail cares about is its bank balance.

I know that I should return items but they always blame you for not washing the item correctly and I also find their staff quite superior. Don't want to put my self through the upset.

cherylsurrey

I bought my husband some socks there a couple of months back, they didnt stay up and worked his way off his feet when he walked, they are unwearable. I have bought cheap socks from places like ASDA which have been better quality. I feel their quality has really gone down hill in the last few years. Dont they realise some of us will pay a bit more for quality.

eskimo26

Didn't they switch all their clothes manufacturing to China roughly a year ago? It was around the time prices got much cheaper, and some of their established products changed.

I noticed straight away the change in quality which is ironic because China has a reputation for consistency and fair quality compared to other countries. It's their factory conditions and the way they treat their staff that often comes under fire.

Haffiana

It isn't the country of manufacture that makes a difference. M&S will specify down to the last fibre what raw materials and which grade/quality go into their cloth, how it is manufactured and to what standard, how it is made/woven, how much it weighs, how it is finished etc etc. Who puts the final garment together and which continent that happens on is irrelevant. M&S set the standard that they expect each part of the process to meet, and that will be the standard followed in whichever of many countries that make their garments.

What is happening is that they are choosing cheap materials and cheap manufacturing standards. Because they are - cheaper. This isn't something that needs pointing out to their head office, or something that they don't know about, it is something that they have done quite deliberately in order to produce an item at a certain price point and keep a very good profit margin.

M&S is a HUGE brand. They are even going to move into banking now because they have a certain reputation amongst British shoppers. They are going to open actual bank branches. They have a position in the public mind - words like 'reliable', 'solid' and 'quality' are associated with the perception of M&S. People trust their products, and will trust their future products -such as the new M&S bank branches.

All of this hinges on their core values staying the same. All of this is going to collapse if people like me start to seriously question whether I want to even risk buying from M&S a pack of knickers, or a sweater, or a blouse or whatever. It starts to become a lottery. I don't mind taking a cheap risk in Primark or Asda, but if I shop in M&S it is because I have a certain expectation of a certain quality. I am prepared to pay a fair price for that quality. I don't want to even have to consider whether the item will last or wash well. It should be part of the shopping experience at M&S that I don't have to worry about the quality of the garment. It was this way in the past. It is still like this in John Lewis, for example.

The economic climate is simply not one where a company like M&S will survive by taking this short-sighted, muddled policy. I like M&S. I want it to survive.

Katpin

they switched there manufacturing longer than a year ago - more like 5/8 years ago so that isn't the out and out reason.

jdybnsn

Haffiana wrote: »

It isn't the country of manufacture that makes a difference. M&S will specify down to the last fibre what raw materials and which grade/quality go into their cloth, how it is manufactured and to what standard, how it is made/woven, how much it weighs, how it is finished etc etc. Who puts the final garment together and which continent that happens on is irrelevant. M&S set the standard that they expect each part of the process to meet, and that will be the standard followed in whichever of many countries that make their garments.

.

I used to working in quality control for another large retailer and confrim that is exactly the case for all main high street firms.

All the large high street retailer will have either their own in house garment testing facilities or at the least be using a third party one. They will have received samples ahead of production and may even sample test occasional production runs. . If they have not, or do not, test actual production runs it is possible for manufacturers to try to subsitute inferior fabrics/ poor make up standards, since their margins with the big stores will likely be nailed down to the bare bones.
More likely though, that in order for M&S to remain competative with supermarkets and the likes of Primark etc . they have lowered quality standards to compete.... and as fashion is increasing seen as a 'wear a season and throw away' market these days, they perhaps have questioned the sense in still making prodcts that 'last for years'.