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Zaks school uniforms ....poor sizings

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521

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 09 January 2011 - 11:57

I am fed up having to sew new fasteners onto my ds' trousers. The jumpers always come apart at the join of the V and the trousers at the back of the waist band. At our school one of the teachers told some of the students at the start of term they were not to wear their jumpers as the students looked scruffy in them. :\:

200

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 09 January 2011 - 09:36

it is a racket! my DD had to have the blazer in UK, i honestly only saw her wear it on school photo ! it cost over hundred pounds, same with stupid straw hat, she used to wear it on way in, in morning and it would be in her bag when i picked her up at end of day! squashed! I don't know, they should maybe make them all wear little overalls like in prison! :) ( as long as they are not from zaks!!)

3901

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 09 January 2011 - 09:31

it's the same in the uk though - if you buy the specified uniform it's loads more expensive but i guess it's the quality that's the issue here... When our eldest started his senior school we spent a fortune on a blazer, shirts and tie only to have the uniform change that September to polo shirts and fleeces !!! No-one at the school bothered to mention it to all the new parents buying the uniform that year even though the decision had been made by the end of the previous term !!

200

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 09 January 2011 - 09:24

don't think they are bothered whether you are happy or not as they have a monopoly on it and as you have to, either have scruffy kid, or shell out money for new set each term, they are raking it in!

3901

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 09 January 2011 - 09:21

well, either they vary by school or what we get at our respective "homes" does... tis definitley a shame that so many customers aren't happy...

200

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 09 January 2011 - 09:15

sue, maybe depends which schools uniform it is, as i said the Greenfields school shirts are ****!!! they make tesco stuff look designer quality, trust me! its a shame because the new upper school that has opened at GCS has a waffle type cotton shirt which looks really nice , i wish they would introduce it to the primary school.

3901

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 09 January 2011 - 08:54

only problem i've had so far is the stitching on the logo coming undone slightly on one shirt but other than that the clothes fit and wash fine - and imo the white polo shirt is better quality than tesco/sainsburys cr@p that you can shoot peas through... guess i must be using a different Zaks lol

209

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 22:06

Ok ladies so lets all go and see our head teachers tomorrow and lets start doing something about this situation , it's the only way to get the ball rolling . We want correctly fitting, good quality affordable school uniforms !

521

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 21:00

At least when I bought uniforms at home I was getting great quality wool blazers and kilts etc., not the cheap polyester, fit nobody, rubbish we have to buy here.

9

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 20:42

There is definitely a connection! JESS uniform and others made by Stitches are a much better quality and considerably cheaper!

521

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 20:16

(...) .We've complained to the school and they shrug and say they know the uniforms are rubbish but can't do anything about it (...) Isn't Zacs owned by Varkey (GEMS schools)... If that's the case, I doubt the schools will do anything about the poor quality of the uniforms...:( REALLY??? LOL, I had no idea. All fits now then (except the uniforms, lol).

39

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 19:57

(...) .We've complained to the school and they shrug and say they know the uniforms are rubbish but can't do anything about it (...) Isn't Zacs owned by Varkey (GEMS schools)... If that's the case, I doubt the schools will do anything about the poor quality of the uniforms...:(

521

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 19:40

My ds hates the uniform so much that he refuses to go for new items. Bigfoot's comment about the school saying they couldn't do anything about it was interesting. Who does make the decisions on school uniform then?

211

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 19:32

I find I can't get the sweaty smell out. I have to soak the shirts in Bio liquid. I really want them to have cotton shirts and to have them in sizes that fit - no pencil necks.

2958

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 18:53

In the UK they have stalls inside some shopping malls who can stitch anything in terms of a picture or writing. Basically we took our school logo on a usb and then just get all the stuff from Tesco/Asda/M&S etc and get the guy to machine it on. Let me tell you nobody has ever known the difference ;-) The first time its expensive but afterwards cheap as chips. If I was organised or had more than one child I would be getting together with a friend and sharing the cost. you can get that done here in Satwa!

634

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 18:36

In the UK they have stalls inside some shopping malls who can stitch anything in terms of a picture or writing. Basically we took our school logo on a usb and then just get all the stuff from Tesco/Asda/M&S etc and get the guy to machine it on. Let me tell you nobody has ever known the difference ;-) The first time its expensive but afterwards cheap as chips. If I was organised or had more than one child I would be getting together with a friend and sharing the cost.

155

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 18:21

Quality is AWFUL at Zaks... so we buy only the 'specific' uniform pieces. ie. Navy School Jumper - bought at M&S... sure it doesn't have the logo, but it is much better quality, looks better and isn't already falling apart like the Zaks sourced ones! Navy Trousers/shorts - M&S, ASDA, etc... I think the local M&S have some school uniform pieces, but got ours in the UK during the summer. Our school specifically states that they cannot wear similar pieces made by anyone else but Zak's. However, I've been buying shirts for one of mine from a US supplier for years and getting away with it, because she can't stand the roughness of Zak's shirts. It's SO annoying, as there are many decent stores in the U.S. that carry uniforms, with only very minor differences in style. Much better quality and prices. Outrageous to be made to buy cheap, lousy stuff here. Yep... It is our school policy too... but if their stuff fades, falls apart and is generally unservicable within a term... what to do! I haven't had any complaints yet... I do buy the ZAKS school shirts as they are tartan and specific and have found the PE Lacoste tops seem OK - but I still have a 3 pack of plain white ones from Target for each of my kids just incase.. Navy Bermuda shorts, Jumpers etc are fairly generic looking and totally non offensive, other than the lack of logo, so maybe the better idea is for the schools to provide 'logo patches' to be sewn on to the generic, better quality goods! When will Tesco & ASDA (UK) or Target (Aust or US) get here and save us all some money!?

200

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 17:26

my sons GCS uniform is from Zaks the polo shirt is especially poor, i basically buy him a new set ( of 10) each term!! then i have to bin them they can only be washed on a low heat as they have a green trim and are cream in colour so by the end of term they look so dirty im embaressed to be seen with my DS, bless him and the material snags if it so much as comes into contact with his book bag, i wish it was like in UK where you can buy 3 packs of polo shirts from Tesco and Asda starting £4 a pack! and the quality is better! i hate giving Zaks money!

90

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 17:17

I completely lose my rag whenever I'm in zaks - I've had trousers made especially and couldn't make myself buy them as they were the worst quality ever. . We've complained to the school and they shrug and say they know the uniforms are rubbish but can't do anything about it. I buy what I can from m&s and let my kids break a few rules! I accept 2nd hand uniform nowadays so it doesn't make me feel so bad!

90

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 17:17

I completely lose my rag whenever I'm in zaks - I've had trousers made especially and couldn't make myself buy them as they were the worst quality ever. . We've complained to the school and they shrug and say they know the uniforms are rubbish but can't do anything about it. I buy what I can from m&s and let my kids break a few rules! I accept 2nd hand uniform nowadays so it doesn't make me feel so bad!

200

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 17:05

Quality is AWFUL at Zaks... so we buy only the 'specific' uniform pieces. ie. Navy School Jumper - bought at M&S... sure it doesn't have the logo, but it is much better quality, looks better and isn't already falling apart like the Zaks sourced ones! Navy Trousers/shorts - M&S, ASDA, etc... I think the local M&S have some school uniform pieces, but got ours in the UK during the summer. Our school specifically states that they cannot wear similar pieces made by anyone else but Zak's. However, I've been buying shirts for one of mine from a US supplier for years and getting away with it, because she can't stand the roughness of Zak's shirts. It's SO annoying, as there are many decent stores in the U.S. that carry uniforms, with only very minor differences in style. Much better quality and prices. Outrageous to be made to buy cheap, lousy stuff here.

1430

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 15:41

DESC uniform you have to buy at Magrudys ... again quality is poor and they charge top price. Last year the boys trousers were terrible, all shiny after a few washes and I tried to put them on a gentle wash and a cooler iron. This year I bought trousers in M&S in the UK over the summer, they were half the price, you can wash and tumble and they look so smart, hardly have to touch with the iron. Also the supplier was changed for this year but I've found the quality of the shirts worse than last year! This thread has now prompted me to have a word with school ..... the more that complain perhaps we can get something done?

521

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 15:31

I totally agree, the quality is horrendous, moreover, that quality of clothing would be a fraction of the price at home compared to what we are charged here.

2958

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 15:22

They will also make them completely to order, just takes a couple weeks. But that said, I hate the quality of their clothes. Would love to know the influence behind Zak's that manages to get all the schools to require students buy exclusively from them...needs to be stopped... Our school doesn't have the uniform stocked by Zacs - we have a topsy turvy school uniform shop and other stock is available from Magrudys but I think most uniforms here are pretty awful quality.

2958

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 15:13

They are useless ! My older one thinks she is fat now cause she is wearing age 14 uniform but she doesnt understand that it is just a label that means nothing and that she is only wearing age 7 in other parts of the uniform ! It is time to either make the schools listen or Zaks , either change the supplier or the supplier needs to get better. Maybe we should put our foot down and refuse to buy new uniforms for our kids until something is done about it ! snip the label out!

209

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 15:06

They are useless ! My older one thinks she is fat now cause she is wearing age 14 uniform but she doesnt understand that it is just a label that means nothing and that she is only wearing age 7 in other parts of the uniform ! It is time to either make the schools listen or Zaks , either change the supplier or the supplier needs to get better. Maybe we should put our foot down and refuse to buy new uniforms for our kids until something is done about it !

2322

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 January 2011 - 10:09

sizes and quality at Zaks are an absolute joke. Things fall to bits when you so much as look at them, child is in everything from size 3 to size 9 (she's 5) just depending on what actually fits and theres no rhyme or reason to any of it. One pair of skorts size 3 may fit, and the next pair of skorts needs to be a 6. Useless.

155

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 07 January 2011 - 07:47

Quality is AWFUL at Zaks... so we buy only the 'specific' uniform pieces. ie. Navy School Jumper - bought at M&S... sure it doesn't have the logo, but it is much better quality, looks better and isn't already falling apart like the Zaks sourced ones! Navy Trousers/shorts - M&S, ASDA, etc... I think the local M&S have some school uniform pieces, but got ours in the UK during the summer.

200

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 07 January 2011 - 04:43

They will also make them completely to order, just takes a couple weeks. But that said, I hate the quality of their clothes. Would love to know the influence behind Zak's that manages to get all the schools to require students buy exclusively from them...needs to be stopped...

5400

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 06 January 2011 - 23:24

Get the waist size that fits and ask Zaks to alter the length, they do it for free.

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