Lack of customer service and support

I, I purchased a pants on the 07 June 2020 at Northridge Mall Woolworths in Bloemfontein.

I fitted the pants on at home and saw no faults in the pants and then proceeded to cut off the tags as I have a sensitive skin and my skin becomes irritated and inflamed from tags.

I wore the pants for the first time on Thursday, 11 June 2020 only to notice a few hours later that it has a hole in it below the zip at the crotch section. I immediately took it off and took it back to this store where they then said to me that they are unable to Exchange the pants due to the tag being removed.

Nowhere on your receipts does it state that you are not allowed to take the tags off and also after reading the following on your website:

ARE THERE ANY ITEMS THAT CANNOT BE RETURNED? -We cannot accept items that have been altered or changed, unless there is a quality complaint unrelated to the alteration or change.

Why then has this store then denied my request for Exchange?