Tear in £200 leather jacket

kayl0rz

Hi Guys,

After owning a SuperDry leather jacket for just over a year one of the rear seams have burst and there is now a lovely tear up the back of the jacket.

This was a gift from my boyfriend for xmas 2011, and it retails for around £300 (subject value is wrong!!) I've not used it as an every day jacket and probably wore it max 2 times a week. i dont think a year for a £300 jacket is it lasting a reasonable leagth of time.

I've emailed superdry customer 'care' but all i've had are two blunt responces saying there is nothing they could do about it. apparently their clothing has a 1 year warrenty?! i knew nothing of this when i contacted them.

I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas of where i can go with this now? needless to say im not happy that they are refusing to help me in any way, shape, or form!

I didnt expect a replacement brand new jacket, but i at least expected an offer to repair or perhaps a monetary gesture of good will for me to get it repaired else where.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks guys

Thomas_Hardy

How has it burst? Has the thread come undone, has the material been stretched?

lucy03

The problem is that clothing can be abused, which is why some retailers may try and limit any refunds. However, if you feel the coat has been looked after I would write a letter before action stating what remedy you would like.

If you wanted, say, 40 pounds for a repair, that would seem - in my view - reasonable and if you sent photos showing it was in good condition, they might respond positively. I'd suggest, but seek legal advice, that if they don't respond you could get some sort of independent opinion that the coat was defective when made, and pursue the company under the Sale of Goods Act. I'd personally suggest, from experience only, a court would view a reasonable claim with some sympathy, and it's unlikely that the retailer would want to spend staff time and money responding to a small claims court action.

kayl0rz

Thanks for the replies so far!

I think i treated this jacket better than my boyfriend to be honest lol. i've by no means worn it to excess or anything, its definately been a special occasion jacket only lol

i've attached a pic so you can see what i mean, its like the leather has ripped. if you look at it closely it also looks like the leather is quite thin and not at all what i expected from a £300 leather jacket!

InsideInsurance

If your boyfriend bought it then the "rights" exist purely between him and the company he bought it from as governed by the Sales of Goods Act.

Between you as the non-purchaser and SuperDry as the manufacturer (and possibly retailer) there is no statutory rights and anything else is governed by their T&Cs which seem to suggest that its a 12 month warranty.

From the picture it just looks like a split seem (ie just unstitched) or is the leather actually ripped at the seem?

If its split rather than ripped then its not going to be expensive to get the seem restitched, itll be as good as new and probably get them to check the other stitching whilst they have the lining out.

As the item is over 6 months old it is up to your boyfriend to prove the problem is caused by a fault rather than by miss use or neglect.

If it were me and the leather was ripped, personally I'd go with him into the shop that he bought it from and talk fairly loudly about the terrible quality and subsequent service (assuming it was superdry he bought it from) and you'll find that customer service does often improve considerably when other potential customers can overhear your complaints.

Thomas_Hardy

lucy03 wrote: »

The problem is that clothing can be abused, which is why some retailers may try and limit any refunds. However, if you feel the coat has been looked after I would write a letter before action stating what remedy you would like.

If you wanted, say, 40 pounds for a repair, that would seem - in my view - reasonable and if you sent photos showing it was in good condition, they might respond positively. I'd suggest, but seek legal advice, that if they don't respond you could get some sort of independent opinion that the coat was defective when made, and pursue the company under the Sale of Goods Act. I'd personally suggest, from experience only, a court would view a reasonable claim with some sympathy, and it's unlikely that the retailer would want to spend staff time and money responding to a small claims court action.

Before sending a letter before action the OP would need to demonstrate that the item is inherently faulty - the cost of which may be disproportionate to the purpose. I agree it would be more cost effective for the retailer* simply to pay up, but it is not unheard of for them to dig their heals in and call the customer's bluff.

* Was the coat purchased from SuperDry, or another store?

neilmcl

kayl0rz wrote: »

Thanks for the replies so far!

I think i treated this jacket better than my boyfriend to be honest lol. i've by no means worn it to excess or anything, its definately been a special occasion jacket only lol

i've attached a pic so you can see what i mean, its like the leather has ripped. if you look at it closely it also looks like the leather is quite thin and not at all what i expected from a £300 leather jacket!

That looks, to me anyway, that you've managed to catch the belt/buckle thing on something and caused the rip. I can't see how that could have just happened without any outside influence. Just my opinion of course.

kayl0rz

It's a seam that has split and not a tear. I've be we knowingly been in a position where the buckle has caught anything, if I had, I wouldn't be as bothered as I am because it would have been my own fault. I've cared for that jacket better than anything I own due to the sheer price of the thing, which is why I'm annoyed its just ripped at the seems

And just before anyone suggests it.. My weight hasn't changed in the past year! So I haven't tried to squeeze into it and split the seams after gaining 2 stone.

I believe it was purchased from super dry online.

neilmcl

Spilt/tear it still looks like it's been caught to me, and I think this is likely what the retailer is going to say, unless you can prove otherwise.

mattyprice4004

After 6 months it's down to you to prove the fault was there at the time of purchase - this will be extremely difficult.