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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think smiggle is rubbish??

146 replies

MaryPoppinsPenguins · 05/09/2017 20:28

My DD needs a pencil case this year, going into year 2. All summer she has been asking to get the stuff from Smiggle. She's a terrible sleeper and we did a reward chart, with the reward being that she could get one and fill it from there.

She earned it, so yesterday we went and she got a pencil case, water bottle, keyring, pencils that smell like strawberries, toppers, ruler, scissors, rubbers like lollipops, colours, a pen with a Pom Pom on it and a few other things. (£90!!!! Almost had a heart attack)

We left the shop and she wanted to look at her stuff... picked up the pen and the Pom Pom fell off.

Then she tried the soap band ruler, and it had a big scratch in the design all on the inside Confused

So as I was two minutes out, I went back to the shop and showed them that the items were faulty. They refused to give me a refund and said they only do gift vouchers. I'm pretty sure that's not right, said so, and was refused, so got the gift voucher and left.

Today we were getting her stuff ready for school, putting her stuff in the pencil case, and the zip broke. Totally broke off. Ffs.

Also the metal part of the sharpener is not in right so it doesn't sharpen properly.

Now she has to go to school tomorrow without her little pencil case she's been so excited about. Which I know isn't a big deal... but it is to her.

I'm so annoyed. If you're going to charge £5 a pen and ££££ a pencil case, surely you have to make them with a bit of care so they last more than three seconds.

I'm so pissed off.

OP posts:
C0untDucku1a · 05/09/2017 20:43

Wrote / email / tweet head office with photos.

mommybunny · 05/09/2017 20:43

I thank God my DD10 seems FINALLY to have outgrown Smiggle. She'd have spent every last penny of her pocket money there if I'd let her out of my sight last year. I think they've gotten greedy - their stuff was reasonably priced when their shop first opened near us but the prices are just silly now and as you say the quality is garbage.

I'm just worried that Smiggle is the marijuana gateway drug to the Accessorize crack cocaine.

Circumlocutor · 05/09/2017 20:44

Yeah but a momma who's happy to spend £90 on stationery can easily be persuaded to go where cherub wants to go! Grin

Original poster
MaryPoppinsPenguins · 05/09/2017 20:44

I tried to find an email to complain online, but it's just a little contact box, which wasn't large enough for my ranty complaint so I had to condense it and it lost some of its power Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
MaryPoppinsPenguins · 05/09/2017 20:46

I'm not happy to spend £90 on stationary.. I didn't even dream it would be that much. I thought it would be like 30-40 quid max. And it was a huge treat for her.

OP posts:
Circumlocutor · 05/09/2017 20:47

Tbh I bought s few bits and pieces in Smiggle for my niece and I couldn't stop sniffing them. We used to collect scented erasers in primary school and the smell brought me right back.

mommybunny · 05/09/2017 20:49

MaryPoppins your question wasn't "AIBU to spend £90 on stationery?" so I'd advise you don't get distracted by those who have turned your question into something it wasn't. You have no need to justify yourself.

Cubtrouble · 05/09/2017 20:49

Yadnbu it's total and utter crap, way way over priced. You obviously didn't expect to spend £90 and I can imagine your face. I bought my son some thing from there and felt it was a total rip off.

Take the rest of the broken stuff back and demand a refund.

In fact I would ring them and speak to customer services. I would also mention your very disappointed dd

BackieJerkhart · 05/09/2017 20:49

£90!! £90 nine zero? NINETY?

Shock
Aeroflotgirl · 05/09/2017 20:50

Momma won't come back again, if the prices high and quality crap!

Circumlocutor · 05/09/2017 20:50

Go Momma! Purse power.

ragdoll700 · 05/09/2017 20:52

Oh god id never spend that much on stationary my daughter was given a smiggle pencil case by her godmother starting school last year she is using it again this year, I had no idea they cost loads, she also got her a bunch of pencils (that went to school and never came back :) ) and a lunch bag.

FlyingGoose · 05/09/2017 20:52

Not impressed with snuggle.I have only bought two drinks bottles, one had no seal when I got it home and the other broke on the first day of using (when ds dropped it, the plastic shattered). I won't buy anything else from there.

Leavingonajet · 05/09/2017 20:53

I too believe them to be selling over priced, head ache inducing tat, it took a faulty pen before my pair decided that although attractive to them it was not good value for money. I have never managed to spend less than 50 quid in there even when checking so I can easily believe you could spend 90. Happily just moved to US and they don't seem to exist here, DC were discussing this very morning how crayolla is much cheaper and just as good if not better.

RockyBird · 05/09/2017 20:53

My DD had birthday gifts from smiggle and a party bag from one of her friend's birthday parties. She didn't look at it so I returned the lot (£23 of stuff from the party bag alone...wtf) and let DD choose her bits. I had £2 to pay ... DD didn't notice I'd exchanged things 👍🏻

I'd break my heart at £90. In fact I'd have to cancel the sale at the till.

Pimmsypimms · 05/09/2017 20:55

Yep, crap quality at ridiculous prices! dd had a pencil case from there a couple of years ago, like a milk carton with poppers on the top, one of the poppers ripped through the plastic within 3 days of using it, I returned it to the shop for a full refund, no issues at all. I wonder if their refund policy has changed now then....

BlueIsYou · 05/09/2017 20:56

OP, ignore all of these interfering and quite frankly totally missing the point posters. £90 or £900, it's your cash.

You have consumer rights. I would indeed complain to their customer services and demand a refund. I would even stretch it to contacting their head office if you get no joy.

You are legally entitled to a refund.

PassiveAgressiveQueen · 05/09/2017 20:56

You can say WTF and return stuff whilst at the till when you get a shock like that.

My son wanted some, i showed him how much stuff he could get for the same money (his birthday money) in WHSmiths and he went for it.

Bow he says he is glad as it is all rubbish, and all his friends stuff is broken.

SoftSheen · 05/09/2017 20:57

£90 on stationary!!! Shock

You make me feel better OP. I was horrified to have to spend £17.50 on a Smiggle lunch box for DD, after months of begging. In my day we made do with an empty ice-cream tub, and were grateful, as I told her

Circumlocutor · 05/09/2017 20:58

I bet she was stationary when she saw it cost £90

Boom boom!

Dentistlakes · 05/09/2017 20:58

YANBU. Smiggle his a PITA and thankfully the teachers have banned it this term. No novelty stationary allowed. Brilliant!

Lovemusic33 · 05/09/2017 20:58

Smiggle is up there with build a bear in the 'ripping parents off' shops. You go in expecting to spend £10 and end up spending £100 with little to show for it. My dd's have smiggle pencil cases but they fill them with Poundland stationary as I refuse to buy a scented pencil for £3 and a ruler for £5. Tesco are selling a big pack of scented pens for under £5 ( instead on one for that price in smiggle ).

cowgirlsareforever · 05/09/2017 20:58

Ds2 got a pencil case from Smiggle last year and it broke after about an hour after we bought it. Never been in the place since!

plantsitter · 05/09/2017 20:59

To be fair, I would've loved it when I was 9 too. I reckon they make most of their money on tapping into our sympathy nostalgia.

BarbaraofSevillle · 05/09/2017 21:00

Don't you look at prices as you go round? Confused The only place I don't do that is Aldi or Lidl and I still do if it's something I haven't seen there before.