Thoughts on this refund request pls!

[HappyGirlNow]

I recently bought an off-white faux leather from a retailer. It was £70. I hung the jacket up in my wardrobe and when I took it out the jacket was covered in dye from the darker jacket next to it.

The texture of the faux leather jacket is slightly rubbery and I think this is why there has been such an extensive colour transfer. Basically the jacket is wrecked now. It still has the tags on it and it's still within its return period. I'm pretty sure that no special care instructions are on it saying to keep it away from other clothes

Do you think the shop will accept it back and refund on this basis?

Thanks for any thoughts!

I would probably go to the manufacturer with regards to the darker jacket rather than the white one. I would get them to do a manufacturing product liability and state the reasons why.

If you came into a store asking refund for damage caused by another item I would refuse you and could do so.

None of this is covered by the consumer rights you have, however, you can call consumer rights groups and get their angle on this too.

Speaking as an ex retail manager i would not give you a refund for this - most dark clothing has a label that says keep away from light colours due to transfer. i have never heard of a material that make the dye come out of other clothes.

That's cool.. I did wonder and that's why I posted rather than just go back. I've only had it 2 weeks, never worn..

And while I do appreciate what you're all saying I do think the unusual material of the jacket has caused the damage to be so extensive and I do think it would warrant a warning on the label..

The warning should be on the dark leather jacket saying that it is not colourfasts.

Why would a white garment need to have a label basically saying, 'warning, this could could get deity or marked easily'?

Bizarrely, when I was a teenager I had a white fluffy carpet in my bedroom because I had seen a picture in a magazine and my parents, god knows why allowed me to have it when my room was redecorated.

However, my dad read me the riot act about make up and said I had to look after the carpet. Yes, you've guessed, I spilt red nail varnish on it and remember sobbing as I scrubbed away at the stain, only making it bigger and then I gave the carpet a haircut and that emphasised the stain even more as I rubbed away at it with polish remover!

I digress, the carpet wasn't to blame for getting a stain on it. I was.

Same here.

Yes Sunday I get your point as this has been pointed out many times by many posters.. But as I've said the darker item has been worn and has been agains other lighter items and not marked them.

If an item had a specific vulnerability then it should be mentioned on the label. Eg on stilettos it says that the heels will wear out more quickly. This particular material is so easy to mark that as another poster said, even if you brushed against somebody lightly on the tube I think the damage to it would be considerable.

I have a tan jacket that did exactly this,
It was virtually brand new, I had only worn it once for a couple of hours, put it in my wardrobe and when I took it out again it had 'rubbed' blue dye from a navy denim jacket.
I didn't understand it, the denim jacket was over a year old and had been washed several times.
The tan jacket was ruined, it looked tie dyed.
I took it to a dry cleaner who though I had spilled ink on it, that's how extensive the staining was. The dry cleaner suggested I take it back to the shop and ask for their advice.

So I did, I was told that soft fabrics are more susceptible to colour transfer and that lighter colours need to be protected.
Apparently this was common knowledge.

I took the jacket back to the dry cleaner and he managed to clean it, but it cost me nearly 1/2 of what I paid for the jacket in the first place, however he did coat it in a protective product and I have since had no other issues with the jacket.

Ultimately it's not fair that the jacket wasn't labeled with how delicate the fabric is, but it's not a issue with the jacket that has caused the staining so you will not be entitled to a refund.

The lighter items that the dark leather jacket had been next to were presumably not leather?

It's the leather to leather transfer that is the problem as they are both porous.

Sorry, I'm not trying to knock you in my posts, I just feel that it is your responsibility to protect items such as leather which can stain and mark easily if they are pale colours or white.

Jacket does sound nice though.

The darker item was not leather.

While I agree re responsibility Sunday when I see the damage done to the jacket is obvious that there would be no real way of protecting it - the slightest brush against anything would cause unsightly damage. And I don't think retailers should be selling clothes made of material so vulnerable.

I have obviously experienced lighter items being stained from darker items before but this is a whole other ball game.

'If an item had a specific vulnerability then it should be mentioned on the label. Eg on stilettos it says that the heels will wear out more quickly.'

I guess common sense isn't so common anymore.

That was just an example expat - clearly I would already know that thin heels will wear more quickly

I work in a well known retailer where there is a very generous returns policy and would categorically NOT give you a refund for this item.

I work in retail and I have refunded for situations like this. I'd take it back and try your luck tbh. Be polite but firm, smile and state how disappointed you are and I reckon you might appeal to their good nature. Do you have the receipt OP?

Take it back, its within the refund period, tell them u noticed the dye when you got home. Refund please.

Its 70quid and sounds badly made tbh.

Yes it may be immoral but I'd try it.

Thanks. I do have the receipt. It was an online order. I wouldn't feel comfortable saying it was already on it. I do feel that they should not be selling jackets made of a material that marks so badly so easily or at the very least put a warning on it. As I said, not like a normal bit of dye transfer

I kind of think both sides of this have a point. Yes, you should protect lighter coloured garments from darker ones. But, it is reasonable to expect that, unless stated otherwise, a fabric will behave as a 'normal' fabric.

If it was me, I'd take it back and discuss it. You may find that there have been other complaints. I had a chenile jumper from Monsoon that started going bald after a couple of months. A friend told me to take it back. I thought I'd be laughed out of the shop, but the assistant just said, oh yeah one of those jumpers that goes bald, and refunded me.

I think your main problem is that its zara and their customer service is not great at the best of times.

Worth a try I guess.

You'll get nowhere if you say the real reason. Just take it back to the store and say you don't want it, you're within 28 days so they should refund you. Do it on a Saturday when they're busy and it should be fairly straightforward. If pressed I'd be very tempted to say it arrived in that condition. £70 is a lot to throw away.

Gosh yes - lie. Always a good idea.

You could try to return it as " not fit for purpose", as the colour transfer from your other jacket means that it will catch colour from your handbag too.