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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect uniform I ordered in July to be ready for the start of the school term??

20 replies

Lougle · 02/09/2011 11:53

DD2 is starting infants' school on Thursday. The school have changed their suppliers to an online company www.simplyschoolwear.co.uk. The idea is fantastic.

You order your uniform by selecting the school name, and the company webpage shows you what uniform you can buy, specifically for your school. You can even choose to have the uniform name-labelled, and then it is delivered to your home address.

I ordered the uniform on 22/07/11.

03/08/11 - email from suppliers, assuring customers that the uniforms will be ready, but its been reallly busy.

08/08/11 - email from suppliers, more of the same, but urging us not to contact them, because it is all in hand Hmm

Radio-silence

I haven't heard from them, they aren't answering the freephone order line, and they aren't answering the non-freephone contact number on their site. They also aren't responding to email.

Their website says that once the order is marked 'dispatch' it will take 3-4 days to get to us.

Our order is marked 'processing'.

DD2 starts school in 6 days.

We aren't going to get it, are we? Sad

OP posts:
worraliberty · 02/09/2011 11:56

You really must let the school know about this. It's shit when companies take on so many orders and then find they can't handle them Sad

Is your DD starting school on the same day as the rest of the school?

If so, it's possible the company is concentrating on schools that go back on Monday...so you might well get yours later in the week.

LineRunner · 02/09/2011 12:06

Yes it's shit. You could ask the school what the contingency plan is - i.e. do you send your child to school in plain trousers/skirt and top until the uniform turns up, or what?

We had a school in my town where this happened - a secondary - and the stupid stupid Headteacher sent all the pupils home for not having correct uniform even though the parents could demonstrate that they had correctly ordered it and paid for it months previously. Some kids missed the whole first week of school until the Local Authority stepped in and read the riot act to the (now ex) Chair of Governors!

Uniform is nice but Uniform Fanatics are counter-productive.

Original poster
Lougle · 02/09/2011 12:08

No, she's starting on Thursday, the rest of the school starts on Tuesday Sad

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redexpat · 02/09/2011 12:11

Um don't know much about it, but surely you can't be alone in this? And I'm sure they're not going to hold it against the parents if their supplier messed up. Contact the school. Can you send DD2 in school colours at least? Or are you worried that it will ruin her first day?

going · 02/09/2011 12:11

It sounds as if there are going to be others in the same situation if everyone has to use the same supplier.

Pop into school on Tuesday and let them know that the uniform hasn't arrived.

worraliberty · 02/09/2011 12:12

Oh dear. Well if it's any consolation she won't be the only one without a uniform then Sad

I hate this new ordering online thing and I'm glad my son's school doesn't insist on it (yet!)

Firstly, when I buy my kid's uniforms I want them to try them on there and then.

Secondly, they're never as cheap as places like Asda and Tesco...so in effect they're forcing people to pay more than they need to.

Original poster
Lougle · 02/09/2011 12:17

I'm annoyed because they've had £79.85!!!! for 6 weeks, and I've got nothing to show for it. And, precious as it sounds, my DD has been looking forward to starting school, and looking forward to wearing her uniform.

It really isn't the same to take a 'first day at school' picture with only half the uniform, is it?

DD1 goes to special school, so DD2 isn't joining her.

OP posts:
dixiechick1975 · 02/09/2011 12:42

YANBU

DD's uniform has to be bought from one shop in the next town. It's like something out of the 1950's - lots of staff, handwritten order forms but absolutely useless.

DD will be starting back with no jumpers. They had none in stock at the beginning of August and no idea when they will arrive. They seemed suprised that there had been such demand for them er times the number of kids in the class by say 3 jumpers each and that's how many you need.

Will have to send a note or email to explain lack of jumper so good opportunity to point out their crapness to the school in the hope they change supplier.

Original poster
Lougle · 05/09/2011 22:53

Well I phoned the school this morning and asked them how long they had been using the company (since July). I told them that they may expect many calls like mine, but I thought they should know that they hadn't delivered the uniform yet.

DD2 starts school in 3 days.

They said they would contact the supplier (apparently they have additional phone numbers). When I phoned back this afternoon, the school said they were 'massively behind' Hmm

All good, then Angry

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CointreauVersial · 05/09/2011 22:56

Happened to us last year; we had a uniform change but half the school had to turn up in their old stuff because of the backlog. The company went into receivership 3 months later!

Original poster
Lougle · 12/09/2011 16:55

So...4 days after starting school, website still says 'processing', still no answer to phone calls or email Angry

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CurrySpice · 12/09/2011 17:03

Oh Lougle how awful :(

I assume your DD wasn't the only one?

What is the school saying?

empirestateofmind · 12/09/2011 17:04

What a shame for your DD. I think you are taking it very well. I would be furious in your position.

What have the school got to say? They should be negotiating a massive discount for you for this shoddy service (which they forced you to use).

Original poster
Lougle · 12/09/2011 17:07

The school have managed to contact the suppliers, who say that they have had 'unprecedented demand which they hadn't fully anticipated'.

Well, that would be the advertising campaign offering discounts depending on when you ordered, then Hmm

It seems they were so focussed on getting orders in, that they didn't actually think of their ability to fulfil orders.

So, DD is going to school in a (very pretty) £3 Sainsbury's cardigan.

OP posts:
CurrySpice · 12/09/2011 17:11

I'm sure she looks gorgeous lougle :o and I hope she's settling in well

But it is unbelievably annoying and I'm glad you've outed them on here and I hope your school has cancelled the contract

diddl · 12/09/2011 17:14

All else aside, can the school force you to use one online supplier only?

RumourOfAHurricane · 12/09/2011 17:18

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RumourOfAHurricane · 12/09/2011 17:18

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Hatwoman · 12/09/2011 17:28

we nearly had similar. our delightful new supplier told us they did "made to measure". having an 11 year old who wears 8 year old clothes I thought great. turned out to be boolocks. I turned up to an in -school measuring/ordering session in July. wasted 90 minutes while dd tried clothes on, none of which fitted her (there was no tape measure in sight). I queued in a three different queues until I got to the front of the last one and realised they'd brought a muppet with them who couldn't operate a till, read an order written by his colleague, add up or use a credit card machine.

several weeks later the skirt had still not arrived. man on phone wanted to send it to me, dd to try it on, us to decide how much we needed it shortening by, send it back to them, and it would be with us for the beginning of term. right. told him to stuff it and refund my money.

thankfully we can also order a particular M&S skirt. ad they do it in Age 8.

no useful contribution but I do feel glad to have got that off my chest.

just remembered the funny bit. I'd also ordered a tie and let the guy persuade me to keep the tie order, on the promise he'd personally post it that day. a week later still no tie. I rang and, for some strange reason, let another guy persuade me that it would definitely be posted that day. it was and it arrived 2 days later. 2 weeks later another one arrived! so that's dd2 sorted Grin

I don't give that company much time. It's new - it pretty much lost all custom from the current y7 by its awful "measuring" session. and they just don;t have the systems in place to send orders out.

Original poster
Lougle · 12/09/2011 17:29

Thanks Currryspice

diddl the school are very good, and say that you can use any jumper/cardigan that is in school colours. But if you want logos on the uniform, then that is the supplier.

shineon that doesn't sound encouraging. They've had £80 from me since 22/07/11.

It's the school's first year with them, and I don't know what they will do next year.

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