Terrible experience at Events Fashion - avoid this company!

Sadly, I will never shop at Events again after my recent experience. It was the worst retail experience I have ever had. When I thought about it, I realised that it's the only negative retail experience I have ever had at a physical store! That is saying something...

I paid $99 for a dress and when I got home, I realised the beading was coming undone in several places. I am not willing to pay $99 for a dress that requires repairs, and had I noticed the extent of damage at the store I wouldn't have bought it (I don't care that it was reduced - Events' prices are overinflated and then heavily reduced as a matter of course). I trekked back to the store (it's not close to my house) but was refused a refund by the staff member. I would have been happy with an exchange for the same dress but they didn't have any in my size, and I was informed that sale exchanges have to occur within 7 days (and it was day 8...) so wouldn't have been allowed to anyway.

Straight after this I emailed head office, but didn't receive a reply. Subsequently, the same dress came back in stock online and I purchased it at a cheaper price. It arrived, and was undamaged and in perfect condition (unlike the dress I had received in store!)

I contacted head office again (they didn't respond to my email but responded to my facebook message) and explained the situation over the phone. I offered to give back the damaged dress for the cheaper price I had paid online, but was assured I didn't need to do this. They told me to go back to the store when the manager would be there. I told them it would be difficult for me to get there and they assured me it didn't matter if I couldn't get there for another week or two.

I did (again making the inconvenient trip) and the manager was incredibly rude and condescending. After giving numerous excuses ("when items are on sale they are sold as is", "it's your responsibility to check it before leaving the store", "you left it too late", "all the dresses are like that" etc) and changing her story when I stood my ground, she refused to refund or even issue a credit note because she claimed the dress wasn't damaged. This was a ridiculous assertion because I had compared it to the perfect dress I received online and it clearly was! It's not my fault that they store delicate beaded dressed pressed against each other so that the beading catches and tears - that's their own incompetence.

She eventually allowed me to do a swap as long as I did it there and then - forcing me to choose a dress I didn't like just to end the saga. Then, the dress I chose was slightly cheaper than the one I had originally purchased so she wouldn't let me do a swap and forfeit the rest of the value, she forced me to pick another item and pay extra!

I had not taken a photograph of what I considered to be damage (I wish I had!) because I honestly did not expect this response. At the time, I was also intimidated and shocked by the manager's rudeness despite my best efforts not to be.

I believe my basic consumer rights were not upheld, but it became a matter of how much further I was willing to take the issue, as I had already wasted a substantial amount of time, effort and petrol contacting head office, visiting the store at a time the manager was there etc. I just wanted the whole experience to end. I ended up donating the $100 dress I was forced to exchange for to charity because I don't want to look at it and remember this experience or Events!

The manager at the Perth store was the rudest person I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with. I was at all times polite and patient, despite having reason not to be - so it wasn't my attitude or behaviour which prompted her rudeness (although that wouldn't be an excuse anyway IMO, having worked in retail myself previously).

I will never again shop with or support this company again. This explains my downvote for Events deals. I have encouraged my friends not to support this company either - they only have one store left in WA and hopefully that will close down too, because they don't deserve to be in business.