two guarantees, both free, both yours

The first, the guarantee of conformity, is about whether the goods are what they were supposed to be. The second, the guarantee against hidden defects, is about a flaw that was already present and that nobody could have seen.

You choose which to rely on. You are not obliged to try one before the other, and using one does not close off the other. Both are provided by the seller, which here is HANDSON.

Articles L. 217-3 and following of the French Consumer Code. The goods must conform to the contract: match their description, be fit for the purpose goods of that kind are ordinarily used for, and have the qualities the seller has publicly presented.

On this site that last point has teeth: the figures published on a product page are part of the description. A cloth sold as 340 g/m² that is materially lighter, or one presented with a doubled knee panel that turns out to be single-layer, is a conformity problem.

Period

Two years from delivery of the goods.

Proof

For 24 months from delivery, a defect appearing is presumed to have existed at delivery. You do not have to prove it did.

What you can ask for

Repair or replacement, at your choice. If neither is possible, or not done within a month of your request, or causes you significant inconvenience, you may ask for a price reduction or cancel the sale and be refunded.

Cost to you

None, including return postage, and no inconvenience charge.

Effect of repair

A repair under this guarantee extends it by six months. A replacement restarts it in full.

Articles 1641 and following of the French Civil Code. This covers a defect that was already in the goods when they were sold, that could not be seen on ordinary examination, and that is serious enough that you would not have bought them, or would have paid less, had you known.

For clothing this typically means a flaw in the cloth or in a seam that was there from the start and only shows itself later: a weakness in a yarn, a fault in a dye lot, a seam sewn without the intended reinforcement.

Period

Two years from discovery of the defect, within an overall limit of twenty years from delivery.

Proof

You establish that the defect was hidden, serious, and already present at the time of sale.

What you can ask for

Either return the goods and be refunded in full, or keep them and receive part of the price back. The choice is yours.

Cost to you

None. Where the defect is established, expenses caused by the sale are also recoverable.

• —The garment is not what the page said it was. Conformity. It is the simpler route and for two years you do not have to prove anything about timing.
• —A hidden flaw shows up after the two years are up. Hidden defects. The window is far longer, but the burden of proof sits with you.
• —You are unsure. Write and describe what happened. We will tell you which applies, including when the answer favours you.

• —Write to support@handsonclothing.store with your order reference, what has happened and when you noticed it.
• —Photographs help, particularly of a seam or a worn area next to an unaffected part of the same garment.
• —Do not send anything back before we reply. We answer within one working day with a return address and a prepaid label where the claim is founded.
• —You will get a reasoned answer in writing. If we decline a claim we will say why, in terms you can take to a mediator.

If we cannot agree, mediation is free and open to you: how to refer a dispute.

Cotton softens and thins where it is bent and rubbed. Indigo lifts along fold lines. Brushed surfaces flatten. A doubled knee abrades on its outer layer. All of that is the cloth doing what the product page said it would do, and none of it is a defect.

Nothing in this section limits either statutory guarantee. It sets out what those guarantees are not for, so that a real claim is not lost among ordinary ageing.

What we measure, what the figures mean, and what we do not claim

A garment that has simply been worn through can often be repaired: a patch, a new zip, a reinforced seam. Where we offer this it is a paid service, and the price and the turnaround are given to you in writing before any work starts.

We do not offer repairs without limit of time or cost, and we make no promise that any particular garment can be repaired. Ask, and you will get a straight answer with a figure.