To think this major high street retailer is wrong and the store manager was out of order

[Notalone]

I have been looking for a dress for ages and finally found one on Friday that makes me feel amazing. It is pretty much a bog standard dress really but with clever folds and a belt that sets it off perfectly. Except when I wore it at the weekend I realised the belt is stupidly small and squashed me that much I had to take it off. It didn't look the same without the belt though.

I went down to the shop to ask them to exchange the belt for a bigger one and the cashier said that a lot of people had said the same thing but she would have to check with her manager. The manager comes out and refuses saying that if she gives me a different belt then it would make another dress faulty so no she won't exchange the belt. She can't order another belt from the manufacturer either but would give 20% off the dress. I explained that no, I just wanted a belt that actually fit me because the dress is just not the same without it and I want to keep the dress. She looked me up and down and sneeringly said that SHE had tried the belt on, was the same size as the dress and it wasn't big on her at all. I retorted that my friend who is a size 8-10 struggled to fasten the belt too so therefore it wasn't me buying a too small dress. She then said it was only me with the problem and no-one else had complained. I said that is not what her cashier had said so she glared at the cashier and said she should have fed that back to her.

The end result I that she refused to swap the belt and I now have a dress that just isn't the same. I am sorely tempted to go to another tore, try a bigger dress on and just switch the bloody thing over myelf even though I know this isn't right really.

I know there are bigger issues than this but I feel really peeved because the dress cost more than I would usually spend and I really love it with that frigging belt

[LongGoneBeforeDaylight]

Swapping the belt fits the legal definition of theft. I certainly wouldn't post about having done so on a forum.

[sureitis]

I can't believe you went in and swapped belts. Now some poor unsuspecting customer will buy the dress with your old belt that definitely won't fit. They could be buying it for that night and not try it on in the store and won't know til they get home. I would be gutted if that happened to me.

Your issue is with RI and you're letting that cloud your judgement (at least I hope so!).

It IS theft.

And I also can't believe you've came back on here to tell everyone!

[StuntGirl]

River Island may size small, and the manager may not have given you the exact desired outcome you wanted, but neither have acted illegally. Well done, you're a thief.

[LittleBearPad]

You're a thief. You were offered two acceptable options, return or 20% off and you chose instead to steal.

Why do you offer up the fact that you're a lone parent on a small budget as mitigation? It isn't. It makes no difference and its very odd that you think it does.

[CheeryCherry]

Oh dear...I can see this thread now spiraling out of control...

[Panzee]

Flaming from me as well. Rotten behaviour.

[jessieagain]

I can't believe you stole a different size belt. So many of those links of belts were lovely and could have easily worked

[VoiceOfRaisin]

Pleading being a lone parent as an excuse for stealing is an insult to all other lone parents. Nobody MADE you keep the dress - you should have not worn it and got a full refund. My first ever

[Feminine]

You should be ashamed of yourself.

you are a thief.

How the hell can you come back here and write rationally about it

Hang your head in shame woman!

[littlemisswise]

So instead of taking the refund of £7 and buying a different belt you decided to steal a belt?

Well done, OP!

[TheDinnerWitch]

Well, contrary to other posters' opinion, I think you did the right thing OP. Maybe not the 'right' thing in a uptight moral judgmental sense, but then I don't think RI was being 'right' in that sense either.
You paid for a dress that is advertised as coming with a belt, you bought the dress in a size 12 (that fits you), so you are entitled to a belt that is the same waist size as the dress you paid for!
If RI don't match their waist belt sizes to the waist of their dresses then that is their own problem to deal with, not yours!

[Feminine]

thedinner and now op has given that same problem to another unsuspecting woman.

Its not cool.

It is harsh to tell her, I agree. That does not stop her needing to know IMO.

[Notalone]

Thank you Dinner and Leverette. I am going to ask for this thread to be deleted now before it does all kick off. As said earlier, I did try to do it the correct way but the solution they offered was not what I wanted. or what the other mnetter wanted further upon here. All we wanted was the dress as advertised. The belt on the larger dress was smaller than the one I already had so who knows what happened there but I suspect I am not the only one

[TheRealJules]

Exactly, you now have the dress as advertised.
You haven't stolen, you have a dress with a belt, not two belts, exactly what you paid for.
Ignore the do gooders on here.

[TheRealJules]

It's River Islands mistake by making belts far too small for the dress.

[Notalone]

Thank you TheRealJules. I expected a flaming but it still doesn't feel very nice. I am very very short on time and was only going past because of something DS had on. When I went back early this week it was on a rare lunch break from work. I really don't have the time to shop around for a new belt or buy one online because my letter box is tiny and even a trip to the sorting office is at least an hours round trip.

[TheRealJules]

Well if you listen to everyone else you should hand yourself in and do your time inside!!!

[UnicornsNotRiddenByGrownUps]

Does the belt go round you OP? Is it possible to get an extra hole put on the belt.

This happened to me with a Debenhams dress but thankfully it was leather. Left to go to a wedding reception and realised I was porkier sitting down than I was standing up. Stopped at a cobblers and they punched an extra hole for free?

Sorry the link you gave doesn't work on my phone so I can't see what your belt is made from!

[McNewPants2013]

Well done on stealing the belt, As a lone parent i would say it 100% your responsibility to teach your child right from wrong.

[poorbuthappy]

Yes so remember to sit your child down and tell them exactly what you did.
What a bizarre comment.

[candycoatedwaterdrops]

"I stole and now I'm upset people are criticising me for stealing, so I'll get the thread deleted."