I picked up a new pair of 512’s in black as a small gift to myself for work. My original pair has finally given in and is tearing at the crotch seams so I decided to replace it. These are some of the most comfortable jeans I’ve worn over the last 12 years, so a replacement seemed like a no-brainer.

I was curious to see what has changed over the years so I took some pictures to compare the build and quality from then and now (spoiler alert: they got worse!).

Now maybe, these new “flex” jeans just need time to work themselves in, as with any good pair. But I found some details very off-putting, considering that these retail for almost $100.

The overall feel and quality of the jeans was the most obvious downgrade. Next, you’ll see that the stitching and riveting are questionable in some spots. My saddest discovery was the level of detail and quality that’s absent on the new zippers. Overall, it sucks to see where this brand has ended up in terms of where they once were.

Now, whenever I see “Innovation is in our DNA” I can’t help but scoff and laugh.

Please don’t let this take away from your Christmas Day celebration! :) Merry Christmas to you all, just stay away from these guys :P

Don’t waste your time with Grailed, their authenticity guarantee/screening is an absolute joke.

Recently purchased a pair of Travis Scott Reverse Mocha 1s off of Grailed. After receiving the shoes and running them through multiple third-party authenticators like Check Check and Legit App, the shoes were determined to be an easy fake.

Contacted Grailed, they asked for tagged photos of the shoes, which I provided, so that they can have it “screened by their authentication team” again. Once again, they failed and insisted the shoes were real and advised, basically encouraged, me to resell them on Grailed if I wanted my money back as they would not offer a refund or would look into the matter any further. Told them I wasn’t comfortable selling potentially fake shoes to someone else, again I was still encouraged to resell them via Grailed as they deemed them to be real. My account ended up being suspended permanently without being given any reason a few days later. When I submitted another to inquiry as to why my account has been permanently removed - no answer was provided, all they said was they wanted to protect the community and no further appeals will be acknowledged.

I ended up making another account with my gf’s email - funny enough, they warned me not to post the same pair of shoes again as it did not pass authentication, and were deemed to be replicas.

Don’t waste your time or money with Grailed. Shoes were purchased for $1200 (CAD) and had to pay $100 duties on top. Service team provided no solution despite all the evidence proving they were fake.

See attached photos for proof, posted in chronological order.

First off, I will say, I really love cuts clothing from there AO signature fit to the overtime tee. However, the overtime tee after one hand wash in the sink, I had an extreme amount of dye of both the charcoal, and the brown colors. I understand they are pigment dyed and are supposed to fade with wash and wear but this is not an absurd amount. Both were left with big blotches, almost mimicking, as if it were bleached accidentally. Those overtime T-shirts are expensive too, I got them $54 a piece.

Anyone else have trouble with this?

Hello there, this is a simple post to warn people about MATCHES.COM, I made 3 very big orders, two i returned and I have the proof of return but they don't want to refund the money (i contact them 3 times), as they went bankrupt and are just stealing the money from customers,

so Don't shop from Matches as you wont't get a refund on your purchases, no sure what to do now,

I hope this help someone,

​

Regards,

Erika

UPDATE: After the last email I wrote about, Gustin offered to break protocol and let me return it, despite my brief wear. I thought about it some; what they were offering, what you all said here, and what I wanted out of the shirt. I really like the fabric, and as many of you pointed out, I can sew the buttons (6 out of 12 ended up not being properly anchored). I'm not confident on shrinking the buttonholes to size, but it would be an easy job for a tailor. I suggested I do the buttons and a tailor do the buttonholes and do the reimbursement think, if that was amendable, and they were totally cool with it. I figured I'd update this post so people knew we came to a decent resolution. Sounds trite, but I think anyone wants in these scenarios is to not feel like they got hosed, and our last interaction made me feel like we were closer to being on the same page.

TL;DR - I'm handling buttons, a tailor will tighten up buttonholes, Gustin is talking to the manufacturer for future runs and will reimburse me a bit for the work done on the shirt.

I let the campaign copy and the promise of a fisher-stripe style USA made workshirt for $109 fool me into thinking I'd be the exception to what seems to be a rule. Promised for Sept or October. Arrived December. Seemed okay on first wear. Second and third, I start noticing the buttonholes are much too large, and the buttons keep slipping out, leaving portions of the shirt open. Fourth wear I pull one of the loose button threads taut to trim it and...this happens. I had my wife record the next one.

Gustin offered me $10 to take it to a tailor -or- if it hasn't been worn (like I'm wearing it in the video I sent them) they *might* be able to take it back. But if it's not up to snuff, they'll donate it or return it "on [my] dime". A lovely little hostage negotiation we have going now!

Don't be like me. Listen to fellow Redditors. I was promised "immaculate construction" from a small shop that supposedly makes $300+ reproduction heritage workwear shirts. I got "one of our sewers didn't finish the buttons correctly this time. Unfortunately this does happen from time to time." Lol. Oh well.

https://reddit.com/link/1057rmo/video/c98y44cj2iaa1/player

4/26 update: Grailed reached out through Twitter DM and let me know that I must have been caught in their auto-responder. They looked into the tickets and the PayPal case and have refunded me the full purchase amount.

This is the best resolution I could have asked for given the circumstances!

​

At this point I just want to know why Grailed has ignored me and whether this aligns with their official customer support policy before I consider leaving the platform all together. They charge far too much for doing so little. It would be great if the lying buyer would be banned for this headache too, but I’m not holding my breath.

Longer story begins here:

Two weeks ago (April 11th) I received an email from PayPal that a buyer filed a "item not as described" dispute for a jacket I sold him over a month ago (March 1st). I happen to know that he resold the jacket a few days after he received it (received March 6th, sold March 8th)--this will be relevant later. In his claim he describes damage to grommets in the jacket that did not exist, grossly overstates how damaged grommets might harm the "structural integrity" of the jacket, references photos of evidence that were not attached, and calls me by his own name. It became immediately obvious that the buyer had lost a PayPal dispute from when they resold the jacket and simply copy-pasted the claim sent to them, now filed at me. [Edit: this was confirmed by his buyer when they reached out to me after I re-listed the jacket today]. I responded to the PayPal claim immediately with proof that he was not being truthful:

• screenshot of his positive feedback on Grailed that the item he received was as described
• screenshot of his sold listing having resold the item I sent him only 2 days later
• re-upload of the original listing photos showing the areas he described as damaged were in great condition
• pointed out that in his claim he calls me by his own name

That same day (April 11th), I contacted Grailed Support to notify them of the buyer’s claim and included a thorough description of the situation and the full dispute and my reply through PayPal. I would receive no reply.

On April 14th I responded to the same ticket again and included my PayPal case ID. I would receive no reply.By this time, PayPal had decided with the buyer and would allow him to return the jacket to me for a full refund.

On April 19th, the returned jacket arrived. It smelled strongly of the buyers perfume and had lint all over the inside of the jacket, indicating it had been worn. I’m positive of this because I carefully removed all lint before packaging the jacket as a courtesy to the buyer.

Later that same day I filed a follow-up ticket with a full explanation once more, just in case there had been some issue with the previous ticket and emails potentially getting confused between my old email and my new address. I would receive no reply.

The next day, April 20th I DM’d u/grailedsupport on Twitter. I would receive no reply.

Also on April 20th, I submitted a third support ticket with another full run-down from a separate email. This time, I got a reply! From a person! They told me:

Please do not email us multiple times regarding the same issue, as duplicate messages delay responses to you and other customers. We’ll be sure to get back to your first email.

If you haven’t done so already, please reply to this email with the following:

• Your username

• A link to the listing

Also include a thorough description of your case:

• The issues you are experiencing

• The username of the person you are dealing with

• Any additional, relevant information

I responded to the email with the information they asked for. I would receive no reply.

It is now April 23rd [Edit: or was, when I submitted this to r/grailed]. [Friday] morning, PayPal processed a full refund for the jacket. I have still not received any reply from Grailed. I posted publicly on Twitter with a short complaint about receiving no reply to my support tickets. They haven’t responded to that, either.

I can’t say for sure that the case would have gone differently had Grailed responded to any of my support tickets, but their complete silence has left me extremely disappointed in the platform. Apparently buyers can submit false PayPal claims without any evidence to force sellers to accept returns on worn items, without any support from Grailed.

If anyone from Grailed is interested in responding to this now that I’ve posted about it publicly, I’m happy to provide any additional evidence or timestamps.

[Edit: I submitted the above to Grailed’s subreddit on Friday, April 23rd. and it was removed (likely automod). I immediately messaged the moderators to understand why it was removed. As you might guess, I have received no reply.]

I've used Suitsupply for nearly a decade and they've made quite a few mistakes on custom orders over the years which I've let slide. Mistakes happen. But bad customer service should not. Not when you're dropping hundreds of dollars. I am now certain they do not care about their customers and they don't even pretend to. This is the straw that broke the camels back for those interested:

I ordered a black S110 suit which matched the style I had been looking for but they mistakenly sent it in standard wool. The difference is easy to spot and the fabric code inside the jacket was different than the item's description on the website. I wrote their email support to confirm it was a one time fulfillment mistake and not an incorrect description on their website (I've seen a few category mistakes). I never received a response so I called them. After trying to explain the difference between the two fabrics, something I shouldn't have to do with a suit company, I was told by the rep that "at the end of the day it's still a wool suit". Then they refused to let me speak to a manager. I called back later to speak to a second agent hoping for better results. It took me almost 20 minutes of arguing just to get them to put down their script and realize they had sent me the wrong suit. Just getting them to acknowledge their mistake even when shown pictures of the inside suit tag was a chore. Both agents had an attitude like I was the problem and their company was above reproach.

I really wanted this suit and there aren't many stores in my area but this customer service is just too terrible to ignore. Just to contrast this story Bonobos once let me KEEP a suit because I complained about discomfort in the arm.

Title pretty much says it. I am in my early 30s, but could pass for younger, and have been shopping at BB and similar stores for a decade. The general rule I've come to observe is that, should I walk in wearing street clothes, there's at least a 50/50 chance I'll be outright ignored and have to flag someone down for help, and can expect very curt, sometimes monosyllabic replies. Even if I walk in dressed professionally, the service isn't always that much better. I'm singling out Brooks Brothers because that's where I've mainly shopped since I started working, and also where I've encountered this kind of crappy service the most. I remember once walking into their flagship NYC store wearing their stuff and barely registering a "hello" from an associate who then quickly walked off. But if some boomer walks in, even if he's looking like he just rolled out of bed, it seems to me that the staff are far more eager to engage.

I know YMMV greatly in this respect, and that retail staff are generally overworked and have many, many bad days. But this has happened consistently enough at BB and stores of its kind - namely, those catering primarily to older businessmen - that I can't avoid thinking that my age is a major factor in how I'm treated. I've found this to be true in several countries.

It's shitty and unprofessional, but bad business to boot. The last time it happened at BB it left a bad enough taste in my mouth that I just took my business to another store. Given how many younger guys are out there willing to invest in clothing that fits well and goes the distance, it amazes me that these attitudes still seem so prevalent. Have others here experienced this as well?

Allen Edmonds is not the same company it once was.

I bought a new pair of fifth aves in October or November of 2018 and introduced them as part of my weekly rotation with my other two AEs in April 2019. By January 2020, the sole was already coming apart. The thread stitching used in the construction of the sole is failing to such an extent that the string is hanging out of the sole -- enough to get caught on carpeted floors. Less than a year after I began wearing them, and after only a few months of total wear over that year, the sole has deteriorated.

To give a sense for their regular treatment/abuse: I use AE shoe trees 100% of the time I'm not wearing them, moisturize/shine on a weekly basis, and I wear them almost entirely in-doors as I work in an office setting with covered parking nearly everywhere I go.

I went into my local AE store and requested a subsidized re-craft as the shoe had only been worn for most probably <6 months, even if I heavily preferred that shoe over the other two since April.

The associate could not make a decision on his own, so he took the shoes from me and said a manager would reach out via phone shortly. As soon as the manager called 3 days later, it was clear there were going to be issues.

The response of the store manager was first to explain to me how leather soles wear and recrafts are expected; even though I previously paid for a recraft at his location for one of my other shoes, so it should be clear that I'm aware of the maintenance cost. Once he explained that, he rejected my request for a subsidized recraft and offered to submit them for recrafting for full charge or send them back to me via post.

The shoes are currently in transit back to my residence. If this post is still relevant once they arrive, I will happily provide a photo to any who are interested.

That being said, if you think <6 months use on a $300+ pair of shoes before a recraft is about right, let me know that my expectations are too high and should be recalibrated.

Alternatively, maybe this is a good time to start looking for AE competitors with a similar price point and aesthetic that might last longer. I don't need physical locations, so online shopping is fine. In terms of style, I own a fifth ave, park ave, and mccalister in brown, chili, and walnut respectively.

Additional thoughts for discussion:

- Do you think shoes of this tier should last longer than 6 months?

- Should more expensive shoes (500, 1000, etc.) last longer?

- What alternatives to Allen Edmonds have you tried that had superior value?

I just wasted $59 on 6 pair of No Show Extra Low socks from Nice Laundry. I read online that they stayed up, a problem I've encountered with some other (but not all) no show socks. The socks came with a Gamechanger Guarantee ("Love your first pair or its on us"), which is really no guarantee at all. The first pair I tried wearing seemed to stay up (sort of) for the first wearing but they had a stiff feeling to them which I thought was because they were new. I washed them and the other socks hoping they would improve after washing. They didn't. Now, if I walk just a few steps in the socks, the socks fall down in the back from my heel and end up stuck in the bottom of my shoe. The non slip silicone on the back of the socks, allegedly designed to keep them from falling off, is very thin and small. I contacted Nice Laundry about their Gamechanger Guarantee and was told I couldn't return/exchange any of the socks because I had washed them. I haven't even owned the socks for a week. Seriously? To make matters worse, the pair I tried to wear today already have a hole in them near the toe. Worst....socks....ever! Live and learn.

So I'm getting married in a little over six weeks. I purchased a custom tux from Suit Supply in a local-ish store back in February which included spending about two hours getting measured and selecting customization options. Well when first I received the tux, the jacket was fine but the pants needed a lot of work so I had additional measurements taken and more tailoring done.

When I received the pants they were even worse off than before (e.g. one pant leg was >1" longer than the other). I took the pants back in for a second round of tailoring and bought a shirt as well before leaving them both to get tailored. When they arrived weeks later the pants were still the wrong length and the shirt fit my chest like a parachute, but I figured I could take them to different, more competent tailor down the road when it got closer to the date.

Fast forward to mid August (~8 weeks until the wedding) and I take the pants and shirt to a new tailor who noted the shirt did not appear to have been worked on at all and whoever did the pants had done a sloppy job. They were perplexed by the way the fabric was rolling in "waves" along my thighs and said they would take a look when adjusting the length.

I pick the pants up once they're done (now ~6 weeks out) and the tailor had done a great job on the shirt and certain parts of the pants, however the “waves” persisted. The tailor informs me the waves were due to the Suit Supply tailor only adjusting the inside stitch instead of both the inside and outside, and the end result was that my pants were twisting from my hips through my calves. To make matters worse, Suit Supply removed any excess material to the point that there wasn't enough to work with.

So I take the pants back to Suit Supply in order to request a replacement. I was told by their sales people when I bought the custom tux that replacing certain elements any time leading up to the wedding was included. My fiancé also called ahead to make sure I could still swap them and was told it was fine. Well upon arrival I explain the situation and was immediately told they would not take them back since another tailor had worked on them (even though the tailor had not even been able to touch the part of the pants that were the issue). Instead I was told my only option would be to leave my pants with their wonderful tailors to see if they could fix them.

I explained that 1) I was six weeks out from the wedding, 2) the other tailor already said they were unfixable, and 3) that I had lost faith in their tailoring services from their multiple prior attempts. I again requested a replacement as had been sold to me during the buying process and reinforced over the phone with my fiancé. The store still refused to do anything other than try to have their tailors fix them. I tried explaining again that they had been looked at and there wasn't enough material to work with. The response? The person at the front desk proceeded to insult me by lecturing me about how I was not a tailor and therefor I don't know what I'm talking about (set aside the fact that they were also not a tailor).

So I'm now six weeks away from my wedding and I have no idea what to do. Suit Supply butchered my tux pants and refused to keep their word.

TLDR: Suit Supply tailoring screwed up my wedding pants and cut so much material they were beyond fixing. Upon asking for a replacement they refused. Now I'm six weeks out from the wedding with no tux.

The inner seams on my custom jacket from Independence Brothers are falling apart after only a year. They say this is "normal wear and tear" and won't cover it under their warranty. This seems absurd to me, especially for a $400 jacket. It seems like it should last more than a year under even "rough" use (which the overall condition of the jacket shows, this is not)! But, I'm no expert on such things so... am I crazy here or are they shirking their responsibilities?

More detail: I bought a custom leather jacket from Independence Brothers in fall 2020. Because of the USPS issues at the time, it didn't arrive until January 2021. I wore it for a few more weeks into spring, then put it in the closet until this past fall. A few weeks into the winter, I noticed the seam around the left arm had busted and was coming apart.

I emailed Independence Brothers about getting it repaired under the warranty and was initially told the warranty only lasts for one year from the date of purchase. I pointed out that their website makes clear the warranty is lifetime, and was then told broken seams are considered "normal wear and tear." I sent pictures showing that the seam had completely come apart (no tearing) and they confirmed that they will not repair the jacket. They claim that any manufacturing defect with the seams will show within "a wear or two" so something that lasted this long isn't their fault.

UPDATE: This blew up way more than I'd expected. I appreciate everyone taking the time to weigh in, but I do wish people had kept it more civil and less personal; there's really no need to go after people's looks when criticizing their company's practices, and of course any harrassment or name-calling is totally inappropriate.

Scott from Independence did reach back out over email and offer to cover the cost of the repair, so that's good, and I want to make sure that's noted in the official record. As I said to Scott, I wish my emails (which did include the same photos I posted) had been enough to get us here, but I'm glad we got to a good resolution in the end.

MFA PSA

It is with my deepest regret to inform anyone who cares that Clarks have changed their 1967 classic. The new sole is no longer 100% crepe rubber (see pictures in link), rather they have now introduced a foam heel wedge wrapped in crepe rubber.

Did anything else change?In addition to the sole, the toe box seems to be tighter, they no longer feature removable insoles, and the entire shoe is much more stiff (as if it contains a shank).

How did you find out? Why did you cut your shoes apart?Wallabees are my favorite shoes of all time—I have been consistently wearing them for over a decade. But because I like a completely flat shoe (i.e., no heel-to-toe differential, "zero drop"), I buy Wallabees used, cut out the heel wedge, and then stick the two resulting pieces together (when heated, crepe rubber sticks to itself).

After recently buying a pair, I began modifying them, only to discover that the sole construction was completely different from any I have previously purchased. What's more, is that crepe rubber is notoriously difficult to bond with any other material except itself, meaning modification is off the table for me...

Why does this even matter?Even if you do not modify the shoe, the current model is considerably more stiff, more structured, and less-cushioned than the previous versions. I am simply reporting my findings to anyone considering purchasing a pair.

​

R.I.P.

I recently ordered a suit from Hockerty for my friend's wedding and ordered with plenty of time to take it in for alterations if needed as well. I used their sizing system and even emailed them immediately after ordering to see if they can leave some extra material to let it out for any future weight gain and even sent current measurements, particularly the hip around the butt, and they said they'd be sure to leave extra.

I receive the suit and the slacks are maybe two sizes two small at least. I ordered a 36R which is what I usually wear and with my sending them information on my current measurements, they still managed to send the wrong size. I'm immediately emailed them explaining the issue and they said it would take 3 weeks to replace them as they would have to make some new ones. I explained that I needed this for a wedding by March 10th and they said there is no way they could get it to me in time. The person I have been communicating with through email about this has been slow to respond wasting precious extra days that they could potentially rush this out. The first return label link didn't work and they said I would have to send tracking in that day. They didn't get back to me until the next day. I even quoted the email or I gave them my current measurements which have not changed since I placed the order. I sent back the slacks today and come to find out the shipping label isn't even prepaid. I had to pay $25 to send it to them.

This has been the worst experience for a $400 suit, which I realize is not the most expensive and not the most I've ever spent on one, but it is important to me because this is for my friend's wedding. The customer service rep I've been communicating with doesn't even seems to have an appreciation for the situation or any empathy other than saying that they understand and are sorry. I requested they talk to their supervisor or manager about the situation and they just said the best they can do is maybe two weeks.

Since they don't do refunds because they say everything is custom made, I'm going to dispute the charge with my credit card and hopefully one way or another they don't get paid for the suit. I could have gone to the men's wearhouse and got a good suit for $500. So if you're looking for a suit don't bother with them.

Hey y'all,

I'd like to share my experience with Koio because I found it really disappointing. I bought a pair of Koio Capri shoes on sale through St.Bernard's website last April. I genuinely like them, but was saddened when I saw that the stitching on one of my shoes was broken. I reached out to Koio and they replied promtply; however, ultimately told me I was out of luck because I didn't buy it from them and it was normal wear and tear. I'll let you judge whether or not it's normal. You can find the email exchange in full below.

Dear Koio,

I have a pair of your shoes that I really like, but I noticed the stitching is coming apart on one of them. Unfortunately, I've had these shoes less than a year. I've included pictures. Is there anything you can do about this?

Regards,

redacted

Hi redacted,

Thank you for contacting Koio.

I do apologize. Can you advise the order number so we can take a look here?

Let me know if you have any questions!

Best, redacted Customer Care Manager

Thanks for the quick reply, redacted! I actually ordered this online through St.Bernard. I don't live near their store, so I contacted y'all. I'm happy to forward you my order confirmation. Shall I send it to this email address?

I see, we would only be able to see orders that were placed on our site! We are unable to see into systems for our wholesale partners. We would only be able to offer a replacement for orders placed within 6 months on our site deemed a manufacturing defect. If wear and tear we are unable to assist further.

I would only be able in this case to offer a discount code to purchase a new pair on our site. I hope you can understand.

I'm really disappointed by that response, and, honestly, I don't understand. These shoes are still in excellent shape and have not been worn that much. I bought them in April of 2023. This is clearly a manufacturing issue and not a wear and tear issue. The stitching on the outside is fine and uncompromised. It is the inside stitching that broke. As I stated previously, I like these shoes, but I don't like companies that don't stand behind their product. I'm not interested in a discount code or even a replacement. I want my shoes fixed.

I completely understand your frustration.

We would however only be able to assist with orders placed we us directly. We would not even be able to issue a partial refund to your card to bring this to get fixed to a cobbler as we do not have access to your card information and the original portal it was paid through.

We do stand by our shoes, however we are also only able to take back or replace items purchased from us directly.

You wouldn't be able to offer me anything beyond a discount code anyway because it's been more than six months. I'll take them to a cobbler and pay for it myself, but I definitely won't buy any more shoes from your company.

I bought top of the range shoe from Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi, UAE’s. After wearing the shoe few times, I discovered that the shoe was faulty. I went back requesting exchange or refund. The Egyptian manager tried to hide in the back room and instructed her staff to lie and to inform me that she was not in the shop. When I exposed the lie, the manager showed up. She was rude, unprofessional and refused to help. She said that their shoes are never faulty. I tried to escalate the matter to Cole Haan headquarters in Dubai but they were equally unprofessional and greed was their only motive. I am now escalating my complaint through a third party.

Terrible experiences with them. The ordering process can be maddening for exchanges/returns and they've been deceptive on wording for getting credit to your credit card vs simply issuing you a credit for merchandise. I don't think they are worth the price after trying on multiple shirts and the sport jackets were absolute shite to be honest. The first shirts fit terrible but I filled out an exchange for slimmer shirts. They changed the order number but only on the printed form so if you went to your online ordering you couldn't perform an exchange online but had to call them up. When I ordered a sport jacket, they sent a winter coat that they don't even carry and I had to once again call them up to their astonishment regarding the item and have it returned (at my inconvenience) and they finally shipped out their flagship sport coat. It was shiny and cheap feeling so back to returning it. Honestly ended up going with custom fitted shirts from local shop.

I bought this item in June 2021 hoping to build a capsule wardrobe of good quality basics. I was disappointed within the first week. I had not even washed it yet when the collar ripped as I took the garment off. Instead of returning it, I stitched it closed and continued wearing it. Over the many months it started to lose shape and shed green lint everywhere.

And still I continued to wear it. Over the almost two years, I've only washed this sweater in the delicate cycle in cold water with mild soap and flat dry on a clothes rack. Today I found a hole next to the pocket. Is this "American" quality?! If so, I'm disappointed. I work really hard to buy long lasting pieces instead of contributing to the throw away fashion culture.

Should I be surprised? What are your experiences with Gustin? I have a Gustin dress shirt that’s held up well, but does not get the type of wear as this sweater.

https://imgur.com/a/2hdhjGk

Bought these beige Old School 90's High Rise jeans a couple days as they were on sale. Was thinking wow finally some affordable high waisted, not slim casual jeans in a decent colour that actually fit. I should have known better. Put them on for about 2 hours as I went out to get a coffee and test them out, then afterwards through them in the wash. I did everything the label told me to do, followed the symbols to a T, and yet I was rewarded with disaster. The fabric around the back pocket corners just disintegrated in the wash, I've never seen anything like it. The cuffs also got a little beat up too for some reason. All the damage was around areas of multiple laters of fabric and heavy stitching. I'd be pissed if this happened after 1 year of wear let alone 1 laundry cycle. Is this just the state of BR now or is this an outlier? Luckily I still have the tag so imma try and return in the following days. I'm just so sad cuz I was really looking forward to these pants, oh well.

I should note that I did not get these from an outlet/factory store. This was the big, fancy, multi-floor building in downtown Vancouver, but I guess that isn't worth much.

I was surprised to find out that Matches Fashion force you to pay for returns, and actually deduct it from your refund. When you make an order with them they make it seem like returns are easy and covered by them. The real cost is hiding in their terms section. When you go to "How do I return an item?" there is absolutely no mention of the fact the returns would have to be covered by the customer. I was forced to shell out an extra 20 GBP to send the item back.

I think the minimum should be to make sure the customer is aware that returning costs money, and how much. I would never shop with them again.

I purchased a pair of Meermin BROWN SCOTCHGRAIN - E (ULTRAFLEX SYSTEM) a month ago. ~3 weeks after purchase I started feeling a bump in the right sole. It's small, but enough to feel under the foot, and starts to cause pain after a bit of walking. It wasn't there initialy, and it's not going away. I just went to Meermin's store in Soho to try to get this addressed. To summarize: they told me to go to hell. They lied in claiming that I bought shoes that are too big (not true, and I tried smaller, as they remembered -- it was too tight). There's nothing they intend to do, defect or not.

Any advice if there's anything I can do to get this fixed? Or get Meermin to address the issue?

Searching online I see Meermin has pretty dubious customer service. People talk about the quality of their craftsmanship, but clearly it's pretty shoddy as well.

[update, Nov 18] UPS-ed the pair to Meermin, using a shipping label they sent. They say they will check it in the factory (whatever this means). Let's see how it goes.

[update, early Dec] Meermin sent a new pair. They didn't charge for shipping.

For two hours I’ve been reading American Giant reviews for their heavy weight tee shirts. And it’s not just the companies, but it’s the reviews people leave.

If using a measuring tape is so difficult, fine. I’m just going to start taking advantage of their return policy then until they stop being so useless.

Every shirt I am considering, I’m gonna order it in M, L, and XL, measure them myself and try them on, and return the 2 sizes I don’t like. From now on I’m going to do this with every single item.

Hundreds and hundreds of reviews for the exact same shirt be like “I’m 6’1, and the medium fit perfect!” “Im 5,11 and the large was a bit short.” “Im 6’3 and the large was way too long!” JUST POST THE LENGTH FOR CHRISTSAKES. Seriously why is this such a hard thing to figure out?

Here, I’ll post the dimensions of American Giant’s sweatshirt myself for you guys to prove it’s not that difficult. If I can do it then an entire company should be able to.

The Classic full zip in size Medium (I purchased in 2016, and after extensive washing) is 23 inches wide from pit to pit, and 28 3/4 inches long.

The Classic pullover hoodie in size Large (purchased a few weeks ago, not yet washed) is 24 1/2 inches wide from pit to pit, and 29 3/8 inches long.

Why is this so hard? People will blabber for paragraphs and paragraphs about literally everything except for the actual size of the garment.

A copy of the email I sent to Meermin that explains my dissatisfaction with the company. I currently have a PayPal claim.

Meermin Customer Service:

I am writing to formally address my dissatisfaction regarding your handling of my recent return and subsequent attempts to resolve the matter.

After returning a pair of shoes that were too small, I requested store credit to reorder the correct size. Upon placing the new order, I was informed that the size I needed was unavailable. The following explanation was  provided by your team: "We are so sorry to inform you we reviewed with warehouse and we do not longer stock the style as last unite [sic] was damaged.”

Subsequently, I requested a refund to my original payment method, given that my inability to obtain the correct size was caused by your inventory issue. I was informed that this was not possible due to your "company's administrative operations.” This explanation is both insufficient and unreasonable under the circumstances.

To further compound the issue: when I attempted to use the store credit to purchase a similar style, the credit was not applied. As a result, I am left without the product I intended to purchase and unable to access the originally paid funds.These errors have created an unnecessarily burdensome and frustrating situation.

This matter is unacceptable and requires immediate resolution. Specifically: I demand a full refund to my original payment method, as the failure to fulfill my order solely lies with your inventory mismanagement.

Additionally, I am forced to make this experience publicly known to ensure other customers are aware of the inadequacies in your customer service, policies, and inventory practices.

I no longer trust that your company values its customers; however, you must still make expeditious steps to rectify this matter. 

I await your response,