Resolving Problems with Clothing and Shoes

If you have a problem with an item of clothing you have bought you may be able to return it and claim a refund or repair.

You have certain rights in law which say that if the retailer sells you an item of clothing that proves to be faulty in a way you couldn’t have known about or describes it incorrectly you are entitled to compensation.

For example, shoes described as waterproof should keep your feet dry.

Depending on how soon you complain and how serious the fault is may determine just what you get to settle your dispute.

If the shop doubt the validity of your complaint - this can sometimes happen when clothes have shrunk or dye has run after washing - they may want to send the item to their head office or the manufacturers for inspection. This is fair and could help in the long run but don’t accept any comment like "its not up to us its the manufacturers responsibility". Your rights are against the seller.

If your complaint cannot be resolved you may have to consider having the garment or shoes tested independently. For shoes there is the Footwear Testing Centre who will do a report for a small contribution from you and a larger one from the shop, however reports on clothing could be quite expensive although if they confirm the fault you can claim the money back from the retailer.

Remember you do not have to accept a credit note if your complaint is justified. If you do accept one you cannot later change your mind and ask for cash. However, if your complaint is not justified a credit note may be the best offer you will get.

There are cases where you may not be entitled to anything from the shop:

• If the fault was pointed out to you before you had bought the item e.g. marked as soiled or seconds (in this case it is up to you to check the clothing or shoes very carefully)
• If you ignore advice or wear something for activities for which they were not made i.e. hiking in training shoes. If you caused the fault by misuse or lack of care i.e. washing a garment that doesn’t specifically have a washing instruction with it
• If you decide that you don’t like the shoes or clothes
• If the clothes or shoes don’t fit - unless the trader told you that they definitely would
• This rule applies even if you didn’t try the item on before you bought it

This page was last updated on 3 October 2009