Whatever happend to Quality?

natalie_ca

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It seems that these days everything is made cheap so that it doesn't last and is disposable!

I bought a bathing suit at the beginning of February for $99.99 plus 13% taxes.

I used it on average 4 times per week for the following periods:

February
1/2 of March
1/2 of April
May
Since July 7

I noticed the fabric getting thin, and the skirt part of the top had stretched so that when it was wet it was down to my ankles!!

On Monday I notice a few small holes in the front of the skirt and today I noticed what looked like a 2" verticle "slice" in the front of the skirt near the bottom. By the end of the aquafit class today that slice extended from about 2" above the hem of the skirt all the way to below the chest. The only thing that stopped it from continuing was a band that had a fake tie.

When I spend $100 on a swimsuit I expect it to last longer than this one has and I sure can't afford to go and spend $100.00 every few months on a new one.

I decided to call the store and talk to the manager. She was very nice and told me that while they don't take back swimsuits, my situation is different because it's not that I don't like it, it's because it's defective. So I'm going there tomorrow and she is apparently going to give me a new one to replace it.

I hope the next one lasts longer than this one, but if it doesn't, I'll be taking that one back too.
 

mistressotdark

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yikes! $100??? I think I got mine for..um...$30 last year...
and so far it still fits etc..no problems..but I don't use mine as much only when I go to the beach...
hopefully you do get a replacement..that sucks!
 
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natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by mistressotdark

yikes! $100???
I bought it at Penningtons on Pembina Hwy. The manager of that store is out of town, so I'm taking it back to Northgate. I talked to the manager there who seemed sympathetic to my problem.

The problem is that I need a larger size suit, so I'm limited as to where I can shop for one.
 

weldrwomn

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Maybe the pool uses too much chlorine....that can be harsh on fabric...? I can't swim anymore so my suits last fine
 

zooy

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

I bought it at Penningtons on Pembina Hwy. The manager of that store is out of town, so I'm taking it back to Northgate. I talked to the manager there who seemed sympathetic to my problem.

The problem is that I need a larger size suit, so I'm limited as to where I can shop for one.
What brand? I buy alot from penningtons and I don't want to buy a swimsuit thats defective. Even if you just pm me that would be great
 

roxsam

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Good bathing suits can get damaged if not properly taken care of after use. What were you doing with it after you used it? I was a springboard and platform diver in HS and was in the water 5 days/week. I rinsed my bathing suit out with soap and water immediately after getting out of the pool. This helps lessen the degree of damage from the chlorine!!

Sorry your expensive bathing suit is getting to bad! I hate when I get a new bathing suit, and the first time I wear it I sit on the edge of the pool and pool deck ruins the butt of it!! I have done that so many times, you think I would have learned,lol.
 

pee-cleaner

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My daughter is a competitive swimmer and we were told to NEVER wash a suit in the washing machine or even use detergent on it. We simply soak in plain water when we get home from swim practice then gently squeeze out and hang on a hanger to dry. She's had a couple of her suits for over a year now and they still look almost new.

A GREAT site for buying suits on the cheap is www.swimoutlet.com . I have been very very pleased with their service and buy almost all of my dd's swim gear from them.
 

twstychik

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Originally Posted by roxsam

Good bathing suits can get damaged if not properly taken care of after use. What were you doing with it after you used it? I was a springboard and platform diver in HS and was in the water 5 days/week. I rinsed my bathing suit out with soap and water immediately after getting out of the pool. This helps lessen the degree of damage from the chlorine!!

Sorry your expensive bathing suit is getting to bad! I hate when I get a new bathing suit, and the first time I wear it I sit on the edge of the pool and pool deck ruins the butt of it!! I have done that so many times, you think I would have learned,lol.
Originally Posted by pee-cleaner

My daughter is a competitive swimmer and we were told to NEVER wash a suit in the washing machine or even use detergent on it. We simply soak in plain water when we get home from swim practice then gently squeeze out and hang on a hanger to dry. She's had a couple of her suits for over a year now and they still look almost new.

A GREAT site for buying suits on the cheap is www.swimoutlet.com . I have been very very pleased with their service and buy almost all of my dd's swim gear from them.
What are you doing to "launder" your swimsuit? I think it's great that the manager is working with you... I don't think you'd ever get that kind of service around here.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

The problem is that I need a larger size suit, so I'm limited as to where I can shop for one.
i had the same problem. still limited due to breast size & style preferences, as well.
Linda - this website caters to larger, ACTIVE women. they have chlorine resistant suits, too... i actually have had 2 suits from there [ordered a new one this year because the old one is too big, now]. i can find tankinis w/skirted bottoms & shelf bras there [this is what i like] & nowhere else.
Junonia
 

pee-cleaner

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They don't need to be laundered--in fact you will hasten their demise if you do so. You use them in chlorinated water and then simply rinse them out--well. If allowed to completely dry between uses, they are FINE.
 
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natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by roxsam

Good bathing suits can get damaged if not properly taken care of after use. What were you doing with it after you used it?
I rinsed it well in the shower after taking it off. I wrapped it in a towel and squeezed the water out of it. When I got home I hand washed it using ivory soap for delicates and then hung it up to dry on a plastic hanger in the shower.



Originally Posted by pee-cleaner

My daughter is a competitive swimmer and we were told to NEVER wash a suit in the washing machine or even use detergent on it. We simply soak in plain water when we get home from swim practice then gently squeeze out and hang on a hanger to dry. She's had a couple of her suits for over a year now and they still look almost new.

A GREAT site for buying suits on the cheap is www.swimoutlet.com . I have been very very pleased with their service and buy almost all of my dd's swim gear from them.
I never used the washing machine. I did however start using the swimsuit spinner at the gym when I started using their towel service a month or so ago instead of dragging a heavy wet towel home with me each time because it was hurting my back to do so.

Originally Posted by twstychik

What are you doing to "launder" your swimsuit? I think it's great that the manager is working with you... I don't think you'd ever get that kind of service around here.
I'm grateful that they are being accommodating, however if they weren't I wouldn't have been so nice on the phone. I would have steamrolled my way through the company until I got a replacement suit. I don't like throwing my money away, especially when I had take food off of my table in order to buy the suit to begin with.

Originally Posted by laureen227

i had the same problem. still limited due to breast size & style preferences, as well.
Linda - this website caters to larger, ACTIVE women. they have chlorine resistant suits, too... i actually have had 2 suits from there [ordered a new one this year because the old one is too big, now]. i can find tankinis w/skirted bottoms & shelf bras there [this is what i like] & nowhere else.
Junonia
Thanks for the link. I can't do it now because I am so broke until the end of September, but I will bookmark it and check it out further then. I glanced at a few suits. I also see that they ship to Canada and take PayPal, so that's good.
 
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natalie_ca

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Well, I went. However the manager was off today
The girl that was there was really nice and since I knew the manager's name, she took me at my word that I spoke to her.

The girl was horrified when she saw the state of the suit top!

I was expecting just a straight exchange of that suit for another, but what they did was give me a full credit of the price I paid, and charged me for the new suit which was 40% off, so they refunded me $53.00. I told her that I was fine with just a straight exchange because that's what I thought I was going to get. She insisted that I be given a full refund for the defective suit. Who was I to say no!?

So now I have a new suit, let's hope this one lasts longer than the last. I tried looking for one that was completely polyester. From those links for swimsuits that I looked at it seems that polyester is chlorine resistent. The suit that I had was 80% polyester and 20% spandex. I saw some 100% polyester ones at Penningtons, but because the sale had been ongoing for a while they didn't have my size. I ended up with a one piece 2-tone blue that is again 80% polyester and 20% spandex, but at least I'll still be able to continue with my aquafit classes.

This one I won't wash with any type of soap and will just rinse well with cold water. And I won't use the swimsuit spinner. I'll just squeeze the water out by wrapping it in the towel to remove the excess water.
 

psjauntie

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Wow that is amazing
It is so nice to hear about true customer service!!! The fact that they exchanged the suit was great enough, but to refund the new sale price, I wish we had that store down here.
 

mbjerkness

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Well, I went. However the manager was off today
The girl that was there was really nice and since I knew the manager's name, she took me at my word that I spoke to her.

The girl was horrified when she saw the state of the suit top!

I was expecting just a straight exchange of that suit for another, but what they did was give me a full credit of the price I paid, and charged me for the new suit which was 40% off, so they refunded me $53.00. I told her that I was fine with just a straight exchange because that's what I thought I was going to get. She insisted that I be given a full refund for the defective suit. Who was I to say no!?

So now I have a new suit, let's hope this one lasts longer than the last. I tried looking for one that was completely polyester. From those links for swimsuits that I looked at it seems that polyester is chlorine resistent. The suit that I had was 80% polyester and 20% spandex. I saw some 100% polyester ones at Penningtons, but because the sale had been ongoing for a while they didn't have my size. I ended up with a one piece 2-tone blue that is again 80% polyester and 20% spandex, but at least I'll still be able to continue with my aquafit classes.

This one I won't wash with any type of soap and will just rinse well with cold water. And I won't use the swimsuit spinner. I'll just squeeze the water out by wrapping it in the towel to remove the excess water.
That is wonderful. Wow that's Good Customer service.
 
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natalie_ca

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I do like shopping at Pennington's. I've been buying my clothing there for years and I've never had a single bad experience there.

They have some nice perks about being a customer there too. They give you a discount during the month of your birthday, and they have an excellent return policy that doesn't have a time limit on it. It doesn't apply to swimsuits and underwear though due to health regulations.
 
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