2 replies to this topic

[wagstwo]

Does anyone have an apparel warranty/replacement policy that they've been successful with?

We supply uniforms for one of the local schools. We warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, but we're starting to get items sent back for some of the following, and sometimes after many months of wear.

Shrinkage on 50/50 Tshirts
Seams coming apart
Elastic ankle bands coming out of sweatpants
Pilling (I talked to the manufacturer about the pilling and they are backing that up as it shouldn't happen at all).

As a parent, I would never think to return an item after 3 or 4 months because the seams started coming apart - I would sew them, or replace the garment.

I just want to develop a policy and time-frame that is reasonable and fair. I don't think it's reasonable to warranty apparel for everything for an entire school year.

Thanks for your input!!

[promomanagers]

That's a tough one and no I have no experience with it, but would be interested of hearing of a solution if you find one.

It's a tough economy so it doesn't surprise me people are reaching out to you for replacements.

[gfinelogo]

Your customers are expecting you to have the same return policy as a retail store.......If you are not going to give your customers the same return policy, it would be a good idea to create a policy that they can
pass on to the parents. Usually a garment will fail it is after the first through third wash cycle. A two week period to honor returns would not be out of the question. A garment that had has been worn for months
has no reason to be accepted. You have no control over the use or abuse of that garmemt. Especially since these are kids.......
T shirts shrink. That is a given. But you have no control over the temp. of the water the end user is subjecting the t shirt to. If they return it after one washing and it specs out to more than a 2% shrink I would think
that the parent was a bit over zealous in the water temperature. I personally do not use 50/50 t shirts but I have never had a t shirt returned for shrinkage...Never........
Parents tend to think of kid's clothing as supposedly indestructible.... All you need is a firm policy about returns.......