Suit Hire Rant!

Grrrr! Debenhams!

So, in FEBRUARY we (welll, Deebenhams) measured up our seven gents and ordered their suits. Five for delivery to Preston, one to Blackburn and one to Edinbough. On Wednesday last week OH rang Debenhams to check we were ok to pick up that Saturday. 'No, sorry' said Debenhams, 'they've not arrived yet, could you come Wednesday?'. We weren't too bothered as hey, everyone (even computers in chrage of dispatch/delivery) have bad days. OH rang on Tuesday and no, still no suits. We were promised today and OH took an afternoon off (I'm a teacher and have broken up for the hols already) and off we toddled to our nearest Debenhams, at Preston (actually not that near at all, well over an hours drive). We arrive and ask for our five suits. 'Hmmmmm, we only have four suits' says Debenhams man. Grooms suit not delivered. Grrrrrrr. But still, I am patient, suits are late and one is missing but hey, still, mistakes happen.

I glance at the details on the front of our suit cases and they have not only spelt our surname wrong (PERSEL?! I ASK YOU!!! - it's Pursell) they have even spelt simple names like Chris (Chirs), Alan (Allen), Rob (Bob) and Ron (Ton) wrong. FACEPALM.

I then continue my glancing to see that none of the sizes seem to match to what shape I know our 'boys' to be. As in, My bricklayer and bodybuilder brother having been sent a 34 jacket and 32 trousers... I make my worries clear and am told 'well, take them home, try then and then come back *if* there is a problem!'. OH is meanwhile trying on his dad's suit (they are an identical size). It doesn't fit, trousers are inches too short and too tight and the jacket is a size 38! (OH wears a 14 1/2 inch collar!). Man in Debenhams shop removes jacket from another bag (Ushers i believe) which fits and trousers from another bag (my dad's... I think). Ok, so, yes, this suit fits him. Doesn't solve the problem that we are a suit short and now the sizes are even more messed up.

I'm a good sport and terribly British however and agree to take the suits home for my brother and usher to try. We were assured that grooms suit 'will turn up' - they have agreed to send it to us (although, obviously, despite the measuring in Feb and the trying on of correct sizes today I am in no doubt that it will not fit!) and that the Ushers in Blackburn and Edinbourgh are ready and waiting for them - even shown on a computer screen that they are ready and waiting! - complete with more mispelled names (Criag Donald (O'Donnell) and Richard Cow (Cowpe).

Get home, suits don't fit, hilarious to see but not helpful with two weeks to go, will be returning to Debenhams with Usher, Brother and FOG tomorrow to do battle. Am feeling worried but convinced all will be well (ever the optimist). Very worried about dad's suit though as he's on holiday until five days before the wedding...

AND THEN...

While driving from dad's house loose signal, come back into signal and pickup voice mail from BOTH ushers. Suits not there, both are also told that 'Debenhams would not measure in one place and then dispatch to another store in other part of the country. Against the rules blah blah blah. Tomorrow I am going to kill someone, or possibly smash a computer.

arrrrrghhhhh.

Rant over, sweetness and light once more.

 

Debenhams are sometimes great and sometimes completely crap.This is definitely not good enough. I'd lose my rag now and kick up a massive stink. they owe you some sort of massive freebie.

whereabouts do you live? I went to uni in Preston x

 

My friend had similar from debenhams and the annoying arrogant bit is that their staff are told not to admit mistakes or liability. Makes me fuming as it ended up with them basically saying my friend was wrong but then also saying 'of course we're not suggesting you are lying, just that our staff would not do that'. Cue fire breathing friend to really melt down. Only one way to go. Contact debenhams head office. Say your wedding is in their hands and you want a satisfactory reply within 24 hours. You want the right suits delivered to the right home addresses of the people concerned and nothing less. You want compensation for your long wasted drive today and you want an apology. Email it with a link to this page and say this advice was given by a friend who has experienced their incompetence before on several occasions and this is their chance to put things right. Sounds harsh but I have never, ever heard of anyone having things go smoothly with them, it is rubbish service and they risk people's big day seemingly without consequence to themselves. I would like to think they will do the decent thing and step in at high level to shake up and sort out their service. They underestimate the distress their mistakes cause. I know they can deliver the suits for you as they have done it by courier before. You and your ushers should not need to deal with their errors. Xxx

 

Failing that then i'll happily do it for you. They are one of my pet hates after the dreadful way they treated my friend. Incidently, they do tell people they can measure in one store but deliver to another as that was part of the issue. They had their suits measured together in london but to be collected from others round the country. Wrong suits in wrong stores then wrong sizes then told they couldn't be delivered to a store they were not measured in anyway. Er, but they were or they'd not have them would they? The stupidity astounds me and they screw up over and over again. When my son was an usher they said he'd not handed the suit back. Completely missing the point that they'd not had it delivered in the right size in time to be collected. They then tried to charge for it. Head office is the only way to get it dealt with I found.

 

I hate to make things worse but I was told (and i don't know how true it is) that all the big suit hire places (debenhams, mos bross, the one that used to be greenwoods etc) all have it written in the small print that the size suit they provide may vary by up to 3 sizes to the measurements they took, which is ridiculous - as I said I don't know how true it is but may be worth looking into.

 

Thanks for your advice and sympathy ladies.

I'm feeling refreshed for battle this afternoon, if I do not get a satisfactory result I will indeed be contacting head office.

*when two ribes go to war...*



P.S. I live in Morecambe

 

Oh my! That really is poor service (understatement somewhat!). I hope you can get it all sorted out asap.

 

oh wow i would be getting ready to kill if this happened to me. Good luck and i hope they sort it out and give you lots of nice freebies

 

How did you get on? xxxxx

 

Eek that's terrible! I hope you have them hell...?

 

I gave merry hell loved it!

Evetually got an upgrade (nice!), profuse appologies and lots of pandering too, It felt ace! ha!

 

You deserved pampering. They acted appallingly. Really glad it worked out but a huge shame you had to have all that stress. Xxxx