Broken zipper after 6mths: John Lewis stating unreasonable

fluffypaws174

I bought a £375 Sweaty Betty coat from John Lewis at end of Nov 2024. Wore it until March 2025. Started to rewear again in October 25. However the zipper stopper came off and the bottoms zip slider came off. The zip now does not work. I’ve had the coat 11mths. John Lewis are stating that it’s reasonable wear and tear within 11mths and are refusing to budge despite me quoting the Consumer Rights Act. It’s a premium brand coat, it cost £375 and I should be expected to wear it for more than one season. Sweaty Betty would repair/ replace if bought direct within 12 mths. They don’t offer replacement zips and I can’t get a seamstress to touch it as it’s a waterproof zip at 46inches long. I am now left with a coat I’ve worn for 4-5 mths that I can no longer wear and JL are not being helf 

born_again

After 6 months you need to get a independent report, to prove inherent fault.

fluffypaws174

born_again said:

After 6 months you need to get an independent report, to prove inherent fault.

Thank you. Where would I find such a service? And why do I need to prove inherent fault? Surely the issue is the zip is broken and it hoil
be reasonable to expect it to last more than one winter as it’s a premium brand ?  alst

Clive_Woody

How did you pay for this?

eskbanker

fluffypaws174 said:

born_again said:

After 6 months you need to get an independent report, to prove inherent fault.

Thank you. Where would I find such a service? And why do I need to prove inherent fault? Surely the issue is the zip is broken and it hoil
be reasonable to expect it to last more than one winter as it’s a premium brand ?  alst

Under consumer rights legislation, the burden of proof is with the consumer after six months, so in your scenario where the retailer is disputing that there's an inherent fault, you need someone independent to support your assertion that it was a manufacturing flaw or similar, as opposed to the zip being damaged since purchase, for example.

MyRealNameToo

fluffypaws174 said:

born_again said:

After 6 months you need to get an independent report, to prove inherent fault.

Thank you. Where would I find such a service? And why do I need to prove inherent fault? Surely the issue is the zip is broken and it hoil
be reasonable to expect it to last more than one winter as it’s a premium brand ?  alst

You need to show why the zip broke... was it because it had a weak point when it was made and just gave way after enough uses (the inherent fault mentioned above)? was it made from playdoh so its a design flaw/ not appropriately durable? 

Or has it broke because you stood on it and snapped it or were ham fisted and bust it with miss use? 

Once 6 months have passed its up to you to prove it wasnt your fault and its an unreasonable timescale, under 6 months its assumed to be faulty and up to the retailer to prove you broke it. 

Have you actually had having it repaired priced? Wife's coat zip broke after 3 years of use and the local repair place did a good job of replacing it for £35 which included a premium for a higher quality zip to match the former one. 

fluffypaws174

It’s hard to get it repaired as it’s a very long non standard waterproof zip!  It was paid via credit card so I could do a charge bacj

who do I go to to prove zip was faulty? What is an independent? 

eskbanker

fluffypaws174 said:

It was paid via credit card so I could do a charge bacj

I don't believe that chargeback would apply here, but even for a section 75 claim, you'd have to demonstrate breach of contract, which would effectively put you back into the same position of having to get someone independent to report on it for you (your rights against the card company are the same as against the retailer, but the former is even less likely to have any expertise).

Sorry, I can't answer your question of where to find someone independent who'd help here.

Spikeygran

When a popper came off from my Regatta coat 18 months after purchase,  they sent me a voucher to use at Timpsons, who took about 5 mins to fit a new one while I waited.   I spoke directly to regatta and I assume it was a goodwill gesture, to promote the brand by word of mouth. 

So have you actually spoken to someon sensible at Sweaty Betty to see what they suggest?

If all else fails I assume Timpsons would be able to fit a new zip, certainly worth it for the money you paid for the coat.  I assume there are other companies who could do it but I'm only going on my own experience.

PennysIntoPounds

This is not helpful to you at the moment but Sweaty Betty are not good quality products, I had to return a sports bra because the metal clasps buckled then the replacement one did the same. Have never had that issue on any other clasp of any other brand.
I would suggest getting in touch with their customer service to see what they can do, but don't buy from them in future. Sorry you've had this problem, I agree a £375 coat should last longer than a few months!

eskbanker

PennysIntoPounds said:

This is not helpful to you at the moment but Sweaty Betty are not good quality products, I had to return a sports bra because the metal clasps buckled then the replacement one did the same. Have never had that issue on any other clasp of any other brand.
I would suggest getting in touch with their customer service to see what they can do, but don't buy from them in future. Sorry you've had this problem, I agree a £375 coat should last longer than a few months!

When you suggest contacting 'their' customer service, are you referring to John Lewis or Sweaty Betty, both of whom have seemingly already said they're unwilling to help?