Problem with washing

Purple_monkey

A pair of purple jeans I bought a few months ago continues to lose a massive amount of colour in the wash. The first few times I washed them separately but this weekend I put them in with some other red purple and pink items. All were dyed a vivid purple! I was pretty annoyed so sent an email to the retailer (one that usually prides itself on customer service) and all I got was a lecture on washing them properly.

I had washed them in a cooler and gentler cycle than recommended, I had washed them inside out as instructed by the label but still got the problem. Do I have any rights? I can't prove that I washed them properly but are these jeans as described. Surely they should say always was separately in the label rather than wash with like colours?

Any thoughts?

Fire_Fox

You could try a dye fixative? Technically red and pink are not like colours, I generally put a dark purple or navy in with black. Write a letter to the complaints department.

I don't mean to give you a lecture just help - is your washing machine cold fill only? If it is mention that in your letter, if not you may be pouring hot water onto the clothing inadvertently, especially if the thermostat on the immersion/ hot water tank is high. I say this because I wrecked a delicate item myself this way.

Purple_monkey

Thanks for your thoughts.

It is a cold fill, fairly recent model of washing machine so I don't think I can lay the blame there.

I realise that 'like' colours is a vague thing but in many, many years I have never spoiled any item of clothing in the wash, let alone ruined a whole load and have always sorted items the same way. These jeans have been washed a few times previously so I never imagined they could STILL be losing this amount of colour. Frankly, even if I had put them in with blue or navy it would have wrecked things. It might have been less dramatic but even dark things have little light logos or contrast stitching that would have been affected. My husband has navy socks with lighter spots for example or I have a navy sweatshirt with a union jack on the front - that would have been a very different flag!

I just feel the level of dye being lost is so significant that they don't meet the usual standards you should expect. Perhaps the dye wasn't fixed properly in manufacture... The jeans belong to my daughter and replace an almost identical pair that she has grown out of. Each time, I wash them in the same way - separately for a few times then bung them in with the many other pink red and purple items we have in a girly household! The previous jeans were from a different retailer - and cheaper too. In future we'll go back to buying the cheaper version.

When I complained to the retailer, I mostly thought they would like to hear of this problem. It may have happened to others too. I would also like to return the jeans for a less troublesome pair. THe response was so curt and patronising though that it annoyed me more than the washing disaster!

I have emailed them again and copied it to the head office customer services. I'll see what happens now.

Fire_Fox

Again, write a letter of complaint.

thegirlintheattic

Complain, but perhaps don't mention you knew the dye ran but choose to wash it with other items anyway.

bris

Strange that you would wash them with other items even although you knew they would run, only got yourself to blame tbh.

Itsgottabedone

Personally I'd wash them with black items and add a Colour Catcher sheet to the wash. The sheets are pretty good, and you'll be able to tell from how purple the sheet is after a wash how much dye is still coming out of the jeans.