Single mum 'appalled' by school uniform delay costs

A single mother says delays to branded school uniform supplies has left her £100 out of pocket.

Bethany Hall, 24, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, spent more than £250 on clothing for her two daughters at Rascals Uniform in early August - but she has still only received "around £50 worth" of the order.

The delays have forced Ms Hall to buy unbranded uniforms to ensure her children were properly dressed for the new school term.

"It's hard as a single mum and I left myself short [by ordering the extra clothes] because they needed them. I'm appalled by it," Ms Hall said.

She said she had gone to the store to seek a refund as her children have now grown out of the sizes of the original order.

However, when Ms Hall went into the store to claim it, she was told the card machine wasn't working and they would bank transfer the balance to her at a later date.

Other parents in the area have told the BBC they have had similar issues with Rascals Uniform.

James Wright, 37, from Daventry, is still missing a fleece for his six-year old daughter that he ordered in July - and also asked the store for his money back.

"We asked for a refund two or three weeks ago [in person] and haven't received it," he said.

"Technically that's theft.

"£16 is a small amount, but it's the principle. It's very frustrating."

Gwen Whithall from Braunston said she tried to contact Rascals Uniform about her missing order four times, but had still not had a response.

"I’ve had to order [the uniforms] from a different shop and luckily my bank got my money back," she said.

"But I haven't had any acknowledgement of what’s happened to my order [from Rascal Uniform] and I still haven't heard anything from them."

The issue has even prompted a local school to change supplier.

One teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, said they had received "multiple complaints from parents".

In a statement, Rascals Uniform said: "We always offer a refund to customers if they are not pleased with service and do fulfil our refunds.

"We understand our customer service has been extremely poor and are trying our best to improve where we can."

Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.