Over the last few years I have purchased a number of clothing and footwear items from R.M. Williams. My purchases were based on the belief that you "get what you pay for" and the extra cost for RM Williams goods always returned good value in terms of initial fit and the ability of the items to wear substantially longer than other cheaper options. My faith in this brand has now completely disappeared because of what appears to be zero quality control on the company's products and services.
Over the last 12 months I have spent over A$1000.00 on R.M. Williams trousers, shirts and moleskin jeans.
The first problem I noted was just over 11 months ago when a newly purchased pair of wool trousers (labelled as being made in New Zealand) was found to have a change pocket which had not been properly sewn, and hence was of no use at all. As a reasonable person I was willing to give RM Williams the benefit of the doubt and believe that once in a while such a problem in manufacturing might go undetected.
Then in mid-July of this year, after laundering one pair of jeans, I discovered that the fly zip had broken, making the garment unwearable. I took the garment to an RM William retail outlet, where the staff member packed the garment and sent it off for repair or replacement. After a couple of weeks I received a phone call to inform me that the garment would be fitted with a replacement zip, and that I would have to pay $10 for the repairs. This was a bit of a shock as I believe RM Williams, in asking any customer to pay $10, when the jeans were purchased less than a year previously, was not acting as a company willing to stand by the quality of its merchandise. So I called the published telephone number for the company in Adelaide and spoke to the complaints department. After giving an explanation of what had transpired, a staff member assured me that the charge of $10 would be waived. I received a call from the RM Williams retail store on the 26th of July to inform me that the jeans had been repaired and were ready for collection. I went to the store that afternoon and much to my surprise was required to pay $10 before the repaired garment would be given back to me. This demonstrated quite clearly that the R M Williams complaints department promise to do certain things and then just forget about them.
I have now found that the stitching on the breast pocket of an RM Williams shirt, purchased in early July and worn 6 times only, has failed. I will of course return this garment to the place of purchase to have it replaced or my money returned.
HOWEVER THIS LATEST GARMENT FAULT HAS CONVINCED ME THAT QUALITY CONTROL IS A THING OF THE PAST AT R.M. WILLIAMS AND HENCE I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER ITEM OF CLOTHING OR PAIR OF BOOTS FROM THE COMPANY.
0 comments