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Should I return this sweater

peanutbutter

I got the halogen merino wool striped bf sweater at nordies about 2 mos ago and wore it as an outer layer about 3 or 4 times before I decided to wash it. Label said hand wash cold - i have a hand wash option on my washing machine for very delicate and washed in cold water and when I set it up to dry there were holes in it. A couple of significant holes. I think the wool was so thin already but I didn't notice the holes before washing. I wash hand wash items in the washer all the time never had a problem.
I think the quality was just not there. I want to return it since I paid full price.
Do you think I should return it?

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22 replies

Latest reply was from

Mellllls

Veteran

I don't know...hand washing is not the same as a hand wash function on a washer. If it was me, I would consider that my fault. BUT Nordies will take anything back so I guess you could return it. I just wouldn't.

Kate

Veteran

I would return it, but I also don't mind taking advantage of companies' policies when I'm not happy with my purchase. Corporations do so much evil that I don't feel guilty returning a less than satisfactory item. At the end of the day you're back where you started (you didn't gain anything), and they're still a company with $8.57 billion in revenue and $401 million in net income (for FY 2009). Your return is insignificant to them, significant to you, and you have NOTHING to lose by returning it.

Mellllls

Veteran

I see your point but my worry then is that too many people will do that and stores will change their return policy. For example, the GAP has a much stricter return policy now than it did years ago.

shana

Veteran

As per my thoughts in the other post on returns, I don't think an item that you have been wearing around and washed without following the directions 100% really qualifies though since we're talking about Nordstroms, you know of course they'll take it back.

I am really starting to wonder if there is some kind of generational difference in the attitude towards returns. It definitely seems that way from reading the responses to the other thread...I'm not making a judgement, just an observation.

Bookarella

Veteran

Not sure. I think that if I were in that situation I would feel like it was my fault since the label says to hand wash.

Mellllls

Veteran

interesting observation shana. it could also be related to income level which relates to generational also.

Kate

Veteran

Mels, I would assume that the Gap stopped allowing free returns by mail because it saves them money to have the customers pay for shipping, and the switch from 90 to 45 days for returns is because 90 days later is a new season and the item being returned is now the only one of it's kind left.

Regardless, employees and individual stores tend to have little input in changing company policy. Those decisions are made from the top down by looking at numbers. The numbers don't say if the item may have been worn before, or details of the return. It's all about profit, not whether the return is right or wrong. The more restrictive the return policy is, the less people buy, and the less the company profits.

Mellllls

Veteran

Gap use to have a policy that explicitly said within the first 14 days you could return for whatever reason, even if the item had been worn. They are much more strict now about returning worn items. That was the change I was referring to. I wasn't even aware that they changed the policy about shipping returns.

Megan

I wouldn't return it if I hadn't followed the washing instructions.

I don't know if it's a generational thing or a money thing- I'm young and a grad student (so a pretty tight budget).

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

The reason wool items need to be hand washed is because they shrink, stretch and loose their shape very easily. This is not because fabric is so fragile - wool is pretty strong. If your cardigan lost its shape or shrunk I would say it was your fault for not washing properly. Holes - not so much. Unless you have a crappy old washing machine which tears things on the regular basis or holes appeared because of other items washed with it (like zippers) I would say you have all rights to return because fabric quality is not there.

peanutbutter

if a washing machine is built for hand wash to the extent of having a "casual hand wash" and "extra fine delicates hand wash" option and I use cold water extra fine delicates hand wash and the instruction says cold water hand wash, isn't that following the care instructions?
I just think that there must have been a defect in material that this would even happen. Honestly, I have never washed anything that ended up with holes in it first time around. I was truly shocked to see the holes and still can't figure out how that happened. Maybe I'll just take it back and talk to the salesperson or customer service and if they feel that I must have been negligent I will not return it.

Megan

I've had the same issue with merino wool items before- my favourite black tunic was a casulty It developed a hole in it from machine washing- it was a very delicate fine gauge knit. I've only handwashed it's replacement and it's had no issues with holes. Handwashing is still far more gentle than a washing machine.

That said, if you think that the sweater was thinning in spots before you washed it, then I would return it. I have returned cardigans that developed holes quickly despite following the washing instructions.

Kate

Veteran

Oh wow Mels, I didn't know about that policy. That certainly was quite generous.

Megan, I'm also a young grad student, so I'm not sure what we say about generation, income, or even education. I think for me it's more of a knowledge of how large corporations work and how they impact society. I'm totally ok with looking out for my own interests so long as I'm not breaking any laws and am still within company policy.

shana

Veteran

Kate, like I said, I really was making an observation. It just seemed from the other thread that in general (not all) people over say 30 were against the return while most who were younger were not. I don't believe that it has anything to do with income level at all though of course the impact on those with lower incomes would be much greater of not making a return. I did recently take a marketing class where we discussed a lot of these types of generational attitudes and I do say generational because I don't think it will necessarily change once you hit a certain age (or income level to Melllis's point).

Kate

Veteran

Oh, Shana, I didn't mean to imply that it's not generational, or that a couple of outliers disprove a general trend. I just think it's interesting that Megan and I are the same demographic (at least in many regards) and have very different opinions.

Mellllls

Veteran

peanut butter to answer your question, i don't think that using a machine's "hand wash" setting, no matter how delicate, is following the care instructions. That hand wash setting is great for many things but I do think you assume some sort of risk by using it. That all being said, Nordstrom will take it back. So if you want to return it, return it. This is really more of a theoretical question than anything.

Anonymous

I would say return since it was bought from Nordies. There is nothing wrong with benefiting from their return policy, while it is there.

As a side note - I found the generational argument quite interesting. I am feeling old as of lately. I was talking with a couple "youngsters" at work - They are in their late 20's , I'm 36 - about grad school and the cost of books. They were telling me that "their generation" gets a kick out of trying to get the textbook for the least amount possible. They even scan the textbooks, convert to .Pdf and return the book after that. My argument was that I'd rather buy the book and be done with it and that it seemed that trying to hack the book required a curriculum of its own.

The kiss of death came when they said to me : Well, maybe when you went to school, you did not have all of this technology!

I graduated 8 years ago helloooooo, it's not like it was the stone age back then..... Ah, these youngsters:)

I gotta be nice though, I'm applying to the same grad school they are currently in

Queen Mum

Veteran

I, the "goodie two-shoes return stickler," would return the sweater. Even though you didn't follow the washing guidelines exactly, if holes developed after just one pass through the gentle cycle,then I am going to assume it's not going to hold up to even every day wear. I have always been under the assumptions that the washing instructions were intended to prevent shrinking and mis-shaping of the clothing... not necessarily keep an item from disintegrating.
I'm curious... is your washing machine front load or top load? I have a front load and I think nothing of using it for my hand washables. It doesn't have the same agitator action as the top loaders so I assume is much gentler on my clothes.

Queen Mum

Veteran

zap-- just read your comment. Who on earth has time to scan whole textbooks into a computer?

Kristine

Veteran

I don't think I'd return it. If you had followed the instructions and found holes it would be different. I sometimes machine wash hand wash items but I know I'm taking a risk and wouldn't hold the store responsible.

Lisa

Veteran

I'm afraid I would not return since I had already washed the item. But this is Nordie's and I believe their return policy is generous. If you are comfortable returning then give it a shot. You still have to have your own piece of mind with your purchases.

Anonymous

QM - Who the heck knows. I just know I might want to be friends with them