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Hickey Freeman suit problem - please help

wangs78

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Hi there - I just recently bought a Hickey Freeman Vanguard suit from the Hickey Freeman store in NY. When I was trying it on in the store, the saleslady said it looked great, and although the pants were too tight she said it could be let out and would be fine. She then recommended that I use an outside tailor because the tailor at Hickey was backlogged and would take more than two weeks.

I went to this outside tailor and in the end the pants are still too tight. I have a slim upper body but my legs are disproportionately thicker and so the jacket, which was 40R was fine but the pants were 33" (7" drop for the Vanguard line) while I am a 34". Basically even after the waist and seat were let out, the leg circumference is still tight when I move and I just don't think the pants drape correctly. Both the salesperson and the manager keep telling me it looks fine but I'm just not happy with it. While talking with the two of them the manager even said to the salesperson that he himself would not have sold the suit to me because I found it to be tight to begin with and normally (correct me if I'm wrong) it's best to buy a suit that needs to be taken in, not OUT.

I want to return this suit and I know generally they won't accept returns when alterations have been made but I think in this case I am justified because it was the salesperson who told me that the pants could be let out and be perfect. I went back once and they're now trying to modify the pants to my liking but at this point I just don't feel like the Vanguard cut is right for me but they're really pushing hard for me to keep the suit.

What should I do?
 

TonyThe Tailor

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Hold your ground. Talk with the manager. They sold you the wrong model. A GOOD mens shop will lose a sale rather than place a customer in the incorrect model. I'm sure they will replace it with a model that fits you better.
 

landshark

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If you're still interested in a suit from them, tell them that and return your suit. A trouser that is uncomfortably tight in the thigh is very inconvenient and you will likely not wear the suit as a result. I doubt there is much they can do to resolve that. If you want to look elsewhere, demand that your suit be returned. Their tailor can "repair" the alterations so it shouldn't be an issue. I agree with your reasoning, the salesman gave you bad information, and you ought to be able to return the suit for that reason alone.
 

agoldf

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If you bought it full price you will likely have better luck...
 

Viral

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Originally Posted by agoldf
If you bought it full price you will likely have better luck...

+1..........go back see what they say. It's a conversation worth having.

BTW, was this at the midtown or downtown location?
 

wangs78

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Thanks for the replies everyone. It was at the midtown location. So far they've been pretty nice about everything and offered to try to modify the bejesus out of the pants to get me to like it but that just illustrates that the Vanguard isn't for me. I think I just want to return it.

I did buy it on sale (40% off) and bought a second suit which they had to ship to me from Chicago. It turns out that they made a mistake (deliberate or accidental, I don't know) when shipping because it was supposed to have been a second Vanguard but instead they shipped me a Madison. Personally I think the saleswoman has been trying to unload suits on me hence sold me a Vanguard in the store then had a Madison shipped to me hoping I wouldn't notice. But it turns out the Madison's trousers fit me perfectly (their pants are a little wider), so that's when I went back and said I didn't want the Vanguard that I bought in store anymore (or wanted an exchange) and now they are trying to modify the pants so that I find them wearable.

Still $900 after the discount, and I really don't want to walk out of their with a suit I am unhappy about. I'm keeping the Madison model that was shipped from Chicago, because that suit fits very well.
 

Nicola

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Originally Posted by wangs78

I went to this outside tailor and in the end the pants are still too tight.

Both the salesperson and the manager keep telling me it looks fine


So what did the outside tailor say? You've got a third party that doesn't seem to have any conflicts. The shop staff may be telling the truth or they may not. But what they say may be tainted by wanting to make the sale.
 

xudisco07

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That is why you should never take a salesperson's word for it. They should swap the pants, but you should not completely trust their view.

Like Nicola said, what did the tailor say?
 

Mark Seitelman

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Bring back the suit, and see the manager. Remind him that he agreed that the pants were too tight and stated that he would not have sold it to you.

A company-owned store will usually "eat" the mistake to try to get you back for another purchase.
 

wangs78

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Originally Posted by Nicola
So what did the outside tailor say? You've got a third party that doesn't seem to have any conflicts. The shop staff may be telling the truth or they may not. But what they say may be tainted by wanting to make the sale.

The tailor said the suit looks fine - that it is a slim cut and I look fine in it. My gripe is not how it looks but how it feels. Everything is fine when I'm standing still, but if I walk, sit down, bend down to tie my shoelaces, I worry something's going to rip because it's sorta tight. I can feel the stress on the fabric. Granted I'm used to wearing looser fitting suits (i.e., classic American style) so maybe this how a slim fit suit should feel, but if the salesperson had shown me a Madison when I was shopping last weekend I would have chose a Madison hands down. Fact is, they don't have many Madison's left in the store (due to the recent winter sale) so I think the salesperson, like I said, tried to unload some Vanguards on me. Again they look generally ok, but comfort is important too and the Vanguard just isn't comfortable for me.
 

Tony11214

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I bought a HF suit from their web-sight a couple of months ago. When I brought it to the HF store on Madison Ave to be fitted they told me they only do tailoring on suits bought from that particular store. The fact that it was a HF suit from the HF web-sight didn't seem to matter to them. They just wouldn't do tailoring on it.

Considering that they also gave you a story to avoid doing tailoring, it would seem that NY HF stores don't like to do tailoring. I don't like doing business with people like that.

Tony
 

GBR

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Burn it.

You listened to an employee anxious to earn commission and there is no record of her claims.

You have had in altered - in their eyes doubtless badly.

Nasty experience you should avoid in future.
 

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