dress shrunk after handwash

sheramber

Washing instructions were machine wash on cool.

Hand washing it in cold water may have casued it to shrink.

So not be a faulty product but incorrect washing method. That may be why the seller wants to refer it to the manufacturer.

What is the dress made of?

Mojisola

sheramber wrote: »

Washing instructions were machine wash on cool.

Hand washing it in cold water may have casued it to shrink.

So not be a faulty product but incorrect washing method. That may be why the seller wants to refer it to the manufacturer.

I don't think a cold hand wash would cause shrinkage in material that was okay in a cool machine wash but how would the retailer know that it was washed like that? It could have been put in a hot wash.

pinkshoes

The retailer needs to prove it WASN'T faulty at the point of purchase, not take it up with the manufacturer first. They should refund or replace, then take it up with the manufacturer themselves after they have sorted the situation with the OP.

InsideInsurance

pinkshoes wrote: »

The retailer needs to prove it WASN'T faulty at the point of purchase, not take it up with the manufacturer first. They should refund or replace, then take it up with the manufacturer themselves after they have sorted the situation with the OP.

And how do you think they should do that? Perhaps engage an expert in the product? Like the manufacturer?

Mojisola

lucys_mum wrote: »

My sister spends loads at small niche boutique and last purchase for my daughters wedding was hand washed on return. Shrunk. Owner said she can't be expected to refund her in case the manufacturer doesn't refund shop! Sister gutted- had 2 more occasions to use dress. Washing instructions were 'washing machine cool wash' sister washed by hand in cold.

pinkshoes wrote: »

The retailer needs to prove it WASN'T faulty at the point of purchase, not take it up with the manufacturer first. They should refund or replace, then take it up with the manufacturer themselves after they have sorted the situation with the OP.

The OP's sister isn't claiming that it was faulty at the time of purchase - she wore it to a wedding so she must have been happy with it at that point. It was only after washing it not according to the instructions that the problem arose.

If the sister is a regular customer who spends a lot at the shop, it could be worth the retailer offering a credit note and taking the hit on the dress. Sometimes it's not worth losing a good customer over a one-off problem.

unholyangel

Mojisola wrote: »

The OP's sister isn't claiming that it was faulty at the time of purchase - she wore it to a wedding so she must have been happy with it at that point. It was only after washing it not according to the instructions that the problem arose.

You're getting slightly confused as to what the poster meant I think.

If a fault occurs in the first 6 months after purchase, the law assumes it was inherent. An inherent fault is one that was present at time of sale but not necessarily obvious. So in this case perhaps the material is treated to ensure it doesnt shrink but this batch of material wasnt, so the "fault" wouldnt become apparent until you washed it.

hollydays

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Given the length of time involved its up to the retailer to disprove their liability rather than the OP to prove it. Its assumed all faults in items under 6 months old are inherent.

The query of if the manufacturer will refund the merchant is irrelevant from a SOGA perspective but it is common for the manufacturer to be used as the judge of the cause of the problem. If that triggers a refund or not to the merchant will be dependent on their contract but for most small companies it will



You would have thought so but on the basis that people on a sartorial fashion forum talk about getting all of their shirts dry cleaned every week some people clearly dont understand that dry cleaning isnt a "better" way of cleaning and that shirts should simply be laundered normally.

I think it's more that it's easier to pay someone else to do the job.

sheramber

Mojisola wrote: »

I don't think a cold hand wash would cause shrinkage in material that was okay in a cool machine wash but how would the retailer know that it was washed like that? It could have been put in a hot wash.

We don't know what material the dress was made of.

It could be the product used to wash it in - soap can cause wool to shrink.

Or how the washing was done. Too much agitation can cause silk to shrink . A cool machine wash has little agitation.


The manufacturer should be able to tell if the fibre was mishandled.

Mojisola

Unless the dress was very expensive, won't it cost more to test the material than the dress is worth?

InsideInsurance

Mojisola wrote: »

The OP's sister isn't claiming that it was faulty at the time of purchase - she wore it to a wedding so she must have been happy with it at that point. It was only after washing it not according to the instructions that the problem arose.

Its a bit of legalese to be honest but basically she is. It is inherently faulty because its supposed to be able to withstand cool machine washing but didnt. Its just she didnt discover the fault until she actually tried to wash it.

If it isnt inherently faulty it implies the OP sister actually did something to it that actually caused the fault - eg she boil washed it. The hand washing in cool water just exposed the fault not caused it (or at least thats her argument).