Coming apart at the seams
TM LEWIN, the well-known tailoring name which was established in 1898, announced last week it was closing all its 66 stories in the UK, sacking the bulk of its 700 staff and becoming an online business only. I was sorry to hear of its troubles but I can’t say I am surprised. I was quite a good customer, but in 2015 when I pointed out that the stitching had come apart on one of its suits, the firm’s “customer service advisor” did not even bother to ask what had gone wrong but gave me the brush off: “I can confirm that we have our own factory in the Far East where we have a quality control team who visit our factory regularly to ensure that our products are made to the highest standard. “Your feedback of your suit has been forwarded on to the quality control department. I hope this clears up any uncertainty you have about our products.” I had the £8 repair done at my local drycleaners, where the woman who took my suit in asked me to pass on her (unsolicited) remarks: “This is a common fault with TM Lewin suits. They are not as well made as they used to be.” Most tailoring firms cut their suits with Caucasian body shapes in mind. For British Asians, shirts are fine to buy online, but with suits, you definitely need to try them on. The moral of the story is that customer service is often a euphemism for “customer disservice”.