Do I deserve a refund? Shirt @ SuitSupply

[azactro]

All right guys, bear with me.

I visited SuitSupply to look purchase a shirt the other day. While trying it, I noticed the sleeves were just barely longer than desired length and asked if they would be too short after washing and drying. The sales rep assured me I had about an inch to work with. In my experience sleeves shrink about 0.5" and he agreed. I purchased the shirt and had it altered.

Took the shirt home and washed it for 10 mins and dried for about 35. When I pulled it out, I found a mess of threads. The entire seam that holds the french front placket together came apart; on both sides. Additionally, the sleeves didn't show any cuff anymore with my Napoli I had purchased in addition to the shirt.

I visited SuSu today to show them what happened. They agreed to replace the shirt due to the faulty stitching construction as the in house tailor said it wasn't really worth trying to mess with. I let them know I was a bit weary of the construction now. They assured me this was just a fluke.

I asked about the short sleeve length and was told to try air drying it instead. If they still shortened after air drying, would just take it back as they stand behind their products. My problem is I am already trying to replace ill-fitting shirts in my wardrobe with correct ones and having one shirt that I have to air dry or it becomes ill-fitting seems like a pain for $99. Additionally, I specifically asked if drying the shirt would cause the sleeves to shrink too much before purchasing it.

I'm going to talk to them about returning it, but I want to know if anyone thinks I am just being difficult or if I actually do have ground to ask for a refund.

Thanks.

 

[Astaroth]

Why not wash it/ dry it twice before getting it altered so that its already preshrunk? When I had my first bespoke shirt made the shirtmakers recommendation was to do this before making the final minor adjustments.

A single failure doesnt mean its a poor product, though I understand the worry, as even the best quality control can miss the occasional thing. In the UK you'd be in your rights to reject the goods and demand a refund if you wanted but our consumer rights tend to be higher than in the USA which in part reflects our higher prices.

 

[sebastian mcfox]

You should always air dry your shirts, never put them in a dryer (and always wash on cold and delicate with no/gentle spin)

 

[Shirtmaven]

putting a shirt in a hot dryer for 35 minutes, is guaranteed to shrink your shirt more then what the maker has added for shrinkage.
this means the length of the body, width as well as the collar will not be what it should be...

FYI.. you can't spot shrink parts of a shirt.

Do you deserve a refund? only because the salesperson gave you misinformation.

 

[azactro]

Why not wash it/ dry it twice before getting it altered so that its already preshrunk? When I had my first bespoke shirt made the shirtmakers recommendation was to do this before making the final minor adjustments.

I should have specified. The only altering was darts. The sleeves were completely unaltered.

 

[azactro]

putting a shirt in a hot dryer for 35 minutes, is guaranteed to shrink your shirt more then what the maker has added for shrinkage.
this means the length of the body, width as well as the collar will not be what it should be...

Sorry to pick out a specific vendor here that you may not have experience with, but does that mean Proper Cloth is only adding fabric for shrinkage from air drying? They add about 0.5" to the sleeves for "shrinkage" to every shirt. (They add additional fabric in other places, but I am not aware of the specific measurements.)

 

[Shirtmaven]

I do not know what Proper cloth does.

I am going to base my response on industry standards.

cotton fabric is not pre shrunk.

the yarns do shrink in the finishing process, but it is assumed that the fabric will shrink an additional 1-3%.

the fabric should stop shrinking after the 3rd or 4th washing.

this is based on warm wash, tumble dry low until just dry.
not 35 minutes on hot with your socks and underwear.

commercial laundries, use robotic equipment that blows the shirt out.

I base my cuttings on this average.
I do not calculate shrinkage for each fabric.
If i am unsure of a fabric, I may prewash and dry.
this is only for prints that i do not trust(liberty prints will shrink up to 5%)

or voile or 100% linen.

Does proper cloth wash and dry each fabric to test shrinkage? no idea.

I buy from sources I trust.

 

[azactro]

this is based on warm wash, tumble dry low until just dry.
not 35 minutes on hot with your socks and underwear.

I used cold wash and tumble dry. I pulled it out while it was still damp as I always do with my shirts. (35 mins vs the normal 60-70 mins)

From there it is easier to iron than leaving it in for a full dry cycle.