Cheap tat at expensive prices! (River Island)

Member Name: jo1976

Product:	River Island
Date:	06/10/08 (222 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None - unless you like paying over the odds for clothes that won't last

Disadvantages: Overpriced, clothes are very poor quality, poor customer service etc etc

It's certainly true that you're more likely to tell people about a negative experience than a positive one, as this review proves. Of all the shops that I've been to in recent months, I'm reviewing the one where I had the worst experience!

To be honest, River Island isn't a clothes shop that I usually frequent. I'm already too old for most of their clothes, at the grand old age of (nearly) 32. As a major High Street clothes store, River Island seems to cater mainly for 'trendy' teens and women (and men) in their twenties and doesn't sell much that appeals to me. When I was younger, I didn't tend to shop in River Island either as I found Next to offer a better range of clothing within a similar price bracket. Pricewise, the likes of Top Shop and Miss Selfridge also sell this sort of funky 'young people' clothing (..when did I get so old...) at a lower price, so River Island has never been one of my favourite shops.

Nonetheless, I did venture into one of their branches a couple of months ago on the look-out for long-sleeved tops. Most of the main high street clothes shops weren't stocking these back in August, which was a bit silly given the poor Summer we'd had. Anyway, I was so pleased to actually find a selection of long-sleeved tops in River Island that I actually bought four in one go, with little regard for the price. (Incidentally two of the tops cost £12.99 each and the other two cost £9.99 each.) They were only basic cotton tops so nothing too trendy for the 'more mature' me!

I wore one of the tops once and when I took it out of the washing machine I noticed a small hole on the back of the top. This may have been where the security tag had been but it was a visible hole and I wasn't too chuffed about walking about in a brand new top with a hole in it. I took it back to the shop a few days later with the receipt. Obviously, it no longer had tags attached as it had been worn and washed. When I took it back to the till and showed the hole to the cashier, she insisted on taking it to her supervisor 'for a second opinion'! I felt like I was the one in the wrong and wasn't very happy with the customer service. When I return a faulty item to a shop, I expect an apology not being left waiting at the till feeling as though I'm trying to rip the shop off! I did get a full refund eventually though (but still no apology.)

To add insult to injury, a couple of weeks later, I noticed that a second top (also a £12.99 one) had a hole under the armpit. Again, it had been worn and washed but certainly no more than three times. Again, I don't spend £12.99 on a top and expect it to develop holes after a couple of wears! The quality of these clothes are clearly very poor and I was very disappointed. If I had paid £1 for these from Primark, I wouldn't have been surprised when they started to fall apart but I'd always believed that River Island was a quality clothing brand and was very annoyed.

I had to send my other half back to the shop with the second faulty top. I was not impressed when he returned with a credit note for the value of the top, rather than a full refund. This was apparantly because it had passed the 28 day period for returns. I'm sure that as a consumer, my rights extend past the 28 day period. If I buy a top it should be fit for purpose and if it isn't then I'm entitled to a refund rather than a credit note! Even as I type this I'm getting annoyed as I am now lumbered with a credit note for a shop which I rarely use and which I would certainly not use again by choice - given the poor quality of the items I purchased and the poor customer service.

I did go into the store today, in the vain hope of being able to spend the credit note. I certainly wouldn't be prepared to buy any more tops from there. (Even the two tops that haven't developed holes, yet, haven't washed very well and no longer fit well as they are too loose across the shoulders.) The jeans for sale are totally over-priced when compared to other shops and I would rather shoot myself than be seen out in public in any of the shoes and coats that I saw for sale today! So I am now £12.99 out of pocket and not at all impressed with River Island!If I wanted to buy cheap tat that was going to fall apart after a couple of washes, I would have gone to Primark and spent a good deal less!

Edit May 09: I never did manage to spend that credit note!

Summary: One to avoid! River Island - I want my money back!