Poor Business Practices That Lose Customers – “Trespass”

I’ve used Trespass many times over the years, buying tops and jackets. The quality is generally good, but one of the quickest ways to lose customers is through poor business practices and a lack of empathy.

While you don’t expect hands-on service in most clothing stores these days, you do expect decent service at the till. On previous visits, the assistant I dealt with today had been pleasant and helpful, which made this experience all the more disappointing. This post is intended to highlight both positives and failings, but ultimately this was an experience that lacked empathy and customer care from someone clearly capable of offering both.

So what happened?

I purchased two tops from another Trespass store a week ago, the same design in different colours, both labelled as the same size. Anticipating they might come up small, I bought a larger size than usual. One fitted perfectly, as expected. The other was noticeably tighter. This points to a clear inconsistency in sizing labels.

All I wanted was to exchange the top for a size that fitted.

Unfortunately, trying on the tighter top resulted in some deodorant marks, which may or may not brush out. However, the root cause here is the inconsistent sizing. Despite taking reasonable steps to get the correct fit, the issue stems from the product itself and a 6” difference in top sizing.

I was not aware of these marks before the return.

When I returned to the store, staff refused an exchange due to the marks. While I understand that damaged items cannot typically be resold, there was a failure to acknowledge that the marks were a direct result of a sizing/label inconsistency. Had I realised the marks were there, I would have attempted to remove them before returning (brushing) and likely brought both tops back to demonstrate the issue more clearly.

The two tops were sold as identical tops in the same size, but they fit differently. That makes one of them faulty under the Consumer Rights Act.

It’s also important to recognise that these were sold as identical items in the same size, yet they fit differently. Under the Consumer Rights Act, that raises a legitimate question around whether one of the items is faulty.

The in-store experience was disappointing. The approach felt very black and white: “It’s marked, we cannot resell it.”

While that may be policy, there was little attempt to listen or show understanding. Some effort was made to compare the sizing with a different item, but this missed the point entirely, the issue was between the two tops that I had actually purchased from their chain.

This is where the experience fell down. I didn’t feel properly heard, and the situation was handled in a clinical, procedural way rather than a customer-focused one. Even the use of terms like “we need to audit the return” immediately sets the tone that the process is about finding reasons to refuse, rather than to resolve and understand the different nature of this return.

Had I been in that position as the sale assistant, I would still follow policy, but approach the situation differently. A simple suggestion to return with both tops for a direct comparison would have been a more constructive step and shown a willingness to engage and understand the issue that the customer faced. This would then also not rely on a grey area (to get out of legal responsibilities) but fully assess why the damage occurred through no fault of my own.

I will continue to pursue a resolution, as this is a fault that is not of my making. However, this experience has been disappointing. When you’ve been a loyal customer, you expect a better standard of service when something goes wrong.

If you do shop with Trespass, it may be worth double-checking sizing, as on this occasion it proved inconsistent. I certainly do not intend to ever shop at any of their stores again unless they rectify my issue. Very disappointing service and company policy.

Trespass

If you want to put this right, please get in touch. I have the receipt proving purchase and will then also confirm dates and times and which store I attempted an exchange.

“If two items labelled the same size fit completely differently, then the label alone clearly isn’t an accurate reflection of the product.”