• A “woollen” jacket contained wool only on the label - instead, it was made of polyester and viscose. The shirt was 35 percent cotton instead of 80 percent.
• Based on the results of the inspection of the Trade Inspection Authority and laboratory tests, Tomasz Chróstny, President of UOKiK, initiated regular proceedings against the entities that marketed jackets, suits and shirts.
• Dastan Logistics, Kubenz and Recman companies were charged by the President of UOKiK with misleading consumers, which can result in a penalty of up to 10% of their turnover.

The label or tag of a garment should tell us its true raw material composition. However, as shown by the audits conducted by the Trade Inspection Authority and detailed laboratory tests, such information is not always reliable and the labels do not always reflect the truth about the fibres used. The President of UOKiK made use of these findings and initiated proceedings against entities marketing men’s formalwear, where the most irregularities were found. These are: Dastan Logistics Paulina Staniaszek from Tuszyn, Kubenz from Ełk and Recman from Suwałki. The charges involve misleading consumers.

- Every consumer has the right to be reliably informed about the quality of the product and in this respect they rely on vendor’s or manufacturer’s statements. Unfortunately, they are not able to personally verify whether the presented information about the quality composition of the raw material is correct. This is why we step in to help consumers and test the composition of various products in UOKiK’s accredited laboratories. The results of the inspection of formalwear led to charges against the traders regarding misleading consumers. This year, we are continuing our efforts and checking the quality of garments to ensure that consumers have access to correct information about the composition of the raw material from which a product is made. Consumers have the right to be reliably informed, which is of fundamental importance for their decisions and satisfaction with the purchased products – Tomasz Chróstny, the President of UOKiK, says.

Laboratory tests

In 2019 and early 2020, the controllers of the Trade Inspection Authority inspected stores selling men’s formalwear. They sent suits, jackets, and shirts to the UOKiK’s laboratory in Łódź for testing.

The tests revealed that the major discrepancies between the label information and the actual composition concerned three companies: Dastan Logistics Paulina Staniaszek, Kubenz and Recman.

Examples:

• Dastan Logistics shirt - according to the label, it should contain 80 percent cotton and 20 percent polyester. What did the tests show? Polyester 65.1 percent, cotton 34.9 percent.
• Kubenz’s MONACO men’s suit should be made entirely of wool and lined with viscose. What did the tests show? Polyester (69.1 percent) and viscose (30.9 percent) were used, and the lining was made of polyester only.
• BERTIN suit jacket by Recman - according to the label, it should contain 80 percent cotton and 20 percent polyester. What did the tests show? Polyester 78.6 percent and viscose 21.4 percent. No wool.

Charges by the President of UOKiK

Following the results of the laboratory tests, President of UOKiK Tomasz Chróstny brought charges of infringement of collective consumer interests. They pertain to the following companies: Dastan Logistics Paulina Staniaszek, Kubenz and Recman. The maximum sanction is 10 percent of the entrepreneur’s last year’s turnover.

– Consumers are becoming increasingly more demanding about product quality - correct information is crucial not only for determining whether the price offered is adequate to the product’s useful value, but also for proper use or care of the product. If the consumer had known that there was not an ounce of wool in the “woollen” jacket, they could have rescinded the purchase or handled the product otherwise. We will increasingly use the findings of the Trade Inspection Authority and the results of laboratory tests to prosecute dishonest traders – the President of UOKiK adds.

What to pay attention to when buying a suit?

• Outer fabric - choose it accordingly to your expectations. Consider whether the suit should endure long travel, frequent folding and transport in a suitcase, and what seasons you will wear it in.
• Fabric weight - usually ranges from 220 to 400 g, this corresponds to the weight of a square metre of the fabric. The colder it gets outside, the bigger the weight should be.
• Strand twist - standard markings are Super 100’s, 120’s or 130’s. They refer to the thickness of the thread hair from which the strand is made. The higher the number, the finer and softer the fabric, but also more prone to creasing and wrinkling.
• Wool and addition of other fibres. Merino wool is comfortable and soft to the touch, you do not need to wash and clean it often, and it is easy to iron. However, it is prone to creasing. Slight admixture of polyester or polyamide (5-10 percent) increases the friction resistance of woollen fabric without significantly degrading the characteristics of the wool.

Do you have any concerns or doubts? Report them to the Provincial Trade Inspection Authority Office.

Consumer support:

Tel. 801 440 220 or 22 290 89 16 – consumer helpline
E-mail:[SCODE]cG9yYWR5QGRsYWtvbnN1bWVudG93LnBs[ECODE]
Consumer advocates – in your town or district

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: [SCODE]Yml1cm9wcmFzb3dlQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL