... to not wash faulty clothes before I return them?

[Tinkjon]

I had a pair of
pyjamas which were faulty and which I took back to the shop for a refund.
I'd worn them and the assistant asked if I'd washed them before returning,
which I hadn't. She then said that they couldn't take them back because it
wouldn't be hygienic to handle them unwashed! I said I absolutely refused
to go all the way home, wash them and then come all the way back to the
shop, thereby being inconvenienced even more and they were really snarky
with me. The assistant pulled a 'disgusted' face and said "I would dream
of returning clothing I'd worn without washing it first!" which really
annoyed me because the implication was that I was being disgusting and
unhygienic. But I've never heard of anybody who washes clothes before
returning, have you?! Or maybe you all do it and I really am revolting
:-) In the end they accepted them and I asked if they were happy to take
the risk of touching them :-) FFS though, there are going to be more germs
on a returned can of food which you touch with your hands than there are on
a pair of pyjamas!

would have been ok for any other item of clothing but not for nightwear or underwear. I'm with the sales assistant on this one.
Put yourself in their shoes and then ask the question.

as an ex shop assistant i think if you have worn something and are returning it then you should wash it, you could have been wearing pjs without underwear. honestly i used to get people bringing back stuff that stank and you would not want to touch it (not saying you are like that)

In what way were the pyjamas faulty?

She must be talking out of her arse.. of course you can't return them after washing them they'll just say your washing machine damaged them, surely?
Faulty goods is faulty goods!

I have to say that I always wash thing before returning them. I personally wouldn't like to deal with someone elses's unwashed nightclothes so why shold a shop assietant?

its so nice to know how little people think of shop assistants, of course we all want to handle your dirty clothes. i never told anybody damage was done by washing machine.

I mean a kettle can be faulty and a toaster... but pyjamas.... faulty?

I'd think would the shop say the problem was caused by washing them? Wouldn't have a problem with being a shop assistant dealing with unwashed return clothing.

I've always been told you can't return things once they have been washed, so she was talking out of her arse. Unless they were smeared with poo or something she should have accepted them with good grace.

Wold deffo not have washed them.

I wouldn't wash them because a) I would assume that would invalidate my right to return them and b) I would not have worn them enough to necessitate washing them. In what way were they faulty? Did you have to wear them for the whole night to find that out? I can only imagine getting them home, trying them on, not liking them/finding them faulty in some way, and taking them straight off. In which case, no, I would not feel the need to wash them, anymore than I feel the need to wash clothes tried on in the shop.

It never even occurred to me to wear PJs without underwear!

They were faulty because there was a whacking great hole in them!

nancy75, LOL at "thinking so little of shop assistants!" A tad over-dramatic, I feel If I were a shop assistant I honestly wouldn't think twice about it. They are pyjamas, it's not like they were a pair of knickers FFS! I don't see pyjamas as being any different to a trouser suit. And I still maintain that there are more germs on something you touch than on something you wear.

I used to be a manager of a clothes shop and would never dream of asking someone to wash faulty clothes before returning them. Underwear you could understand, but pjs. If an item is faulty, it is well within your statutory rights to return them - that includes unwashed items. Personally I would wash them if they were a bit grubby but otherwise no.

The assistant sounds like a strumped up little madam.

If there was a 'whacking great hole in them' did you not spot it before putting them on and sleeping in them? Although if it appeared after one night's wear, as a result of poor maufacturing, then you're well withing your rights to return them anyway. The assistant was a bit over personal I suspect, but don't let it get to you. Not worth it.

Getting a bit diverted here by pyjama etiquette - Tinkjon do you mean that you always wear underwear under your PJs? All night? Maybe this is normal and I'm a knickerless aberration...

How did the assistant know whether you had washed them or not? Did she sniff them?

tbh unless you broached the subject that you had not washed them, it was irrelevant. e.g. "hello I would like to return these pyjamas as they are faulty. As you can see they have a large hole in them"

If she asked had they been washed/worn, one could truthfully say no, or that they had only been tried on.

Sparkle, no I didn't spot it - I am exhausted to my very core with Nightmare Baby Of Doom, so I collapse into a heap in the evenings and frankly wouldn't notice if there was a large racoon in my pyjamas, let alone a hole

Wispabars (nice name!) I always wear pants under PJs (but not a bra). I wouldn't be comfy otherwise!

'Nightmare Baby of Doom' description made me smile - I have one of those too.

Always interesting to hear about other people's ways of doing these things. I feel more properly relaxed and ready to sleep in just PJs without pants. But if I'm hanging around for a while in the morning before getting dressed (quite a regular occurrence), I usually feel the need to put pants on under PJs. Fascinating...

I must admit I also always wear pants under PJ's. Otherwise you're washing the bottoms every night, it's easier to pop a pair of pants in the wash, than pj bottoms.

@SnazzyShazzy54 this thread is from 2008! How did you even find it!?

Oh good grief, I had missed that!