• Shirts and sweaters were made of materials other than indicated on the labels, towels did not meet the declared dimensions and stain-resistant tablecloths turned out not to be oil-resistant.
• In 2017 and 2018, the Trade Inspection checked over 5,000 lots of clothes for children and adults, towels, bathing suits, sports clothes and tablecloths.
• Inspectors had reservations about more than 30% of products, the worst results were achieved by those tested at the laboratory.

Almost one in three inspected textile products was of poor quality or improperly labelled - in 2018 the Trade Inspection disputed 31.5% of such products, and in 2017 - 31.8%. In total, over the last two years, inspectors have checked more than 5,000 (2 495 in 2018 and 2 549 in 2017) lots of clothes for babies, young children and adults, bathing suits, towels, bed linen and tablecloths. Last year, inspections were carried out on 403 and in 2017 - on 375 entrepreneurs from all over Poland - mainly in shops, but also at producers’, importers’ and wholesalers’ facilities.

The most disturbing results are the results of tests conducted at the Laboratory of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection in Łódź, which tested 301 lots of products in 2018 and 337 in the previous year. The experts checked whether the composition of the materials was in accordance with the information featured on the label, whether the fabrics had the characteristics declared by the manufacturer and whether their dimensions matched the declaration. Last year, 37.2% of the tested products did not pass the inspections, and the most objections (44.3%) were raised about clothing for adults. This is still a significant improvement compared to 2017, when experts from the laboratory detected irregularities in 53.4% of the products tested.

Example irregularities:

• a women's sweater was supposed to be made of 100% linen, and it turned out that it contained 78.7% acrylic and 31.3% polyester (2017),
• a men's shirt was supposed to be made of 100% cotton, whereas it contained 61.4% polyester and only 38.6% cotton (2018),
• 6 batches of towels had different dimensions than those declared by the manufacturers (2018),
• several "stain-resistant" tablecloths could not be cleaned if stained with rapeseed oil (2017).

In total, in 2018 inspectors disputed on the grounds of poor quality 5.8% of the lots tested, and a year before - 9.7%. In case of clothes that were not tested at the laboratory, the objections were raised about protruding threads or crooked seams. The inspectors also found mislabelling in about 28% of the lots checked. The most common causes were incorrect textile names on the labels or a lack of information on composition. Most of the businesses voluntarily corrected their labels during the inspections. Products contested during laboratory tests were withheld from the market until being correctly labelled or returned to the manufacturers who were informed of the findings.

When buying clothes, remember:

• Read the information on the label. It will tell you the textile composition of the piece of clothing - this information is particularly important for allergy sufferers.
• Have a closer look at the product - check for holes, scratches or dirt, and whether it is finished in an aesthetically-pleasing way.
• Try on the item you want to buy. There is no single way to determine the size of clothes and it may turn out that, for example, the size "M" in one manufacturer’s case is a size "S" in another. Remember that in a physical store you can’t always return or exchange a defect-free product which doesn’t fit you - it depends on the seller’s good will. The situation is different when you buy online - then you have 14 days to withdraw from the contract.
• Pay attention to the price. If the one on the label is different from the one charged on the cash register, you have the right to buy the item at the cheaper price.
• Do you have any reservations or doubts? Contact the Trade Inspectorate.

Support for consumers:

Tel. 801 440 220 or 22 290 89 16 - Consumer Helpline
E-mail: porady@dlakonsumentow.pl
Consumer Ombudsmen - in your city or district
Regional Consumer Centres: 22 299 60 90 - Dlakonsumenta.pl

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa, Poland
Phone +48 695 902 088, +48 22 55 60 246
E-mail: biuroprasowe@uokik.gov.pl
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL