JD Sports refused to exchange trainers

cloveroverdover

Hi everyone,
I bought a new pair of trainers yesterday and put them on to take my children over the park.
I hobbled home less than an hour later from where the poor design had taken the skin off my Achilles heel. The trainers were completely undamaged and only had dirt on the soles which would easily be removable.
The manager refused to replace them for another pair even though they caused me injury. I quoted the Sale of Goods act and he interrupted saying it was replaced by an EU law.
He insisted that they could not replace them on the basis that they cannot sell them on despite a complete lack of wear or damage. He also said it was my fault for using the trainers before they'd caused me the injuries. What can I do?

rachel019102

Not too sure where you stand on this, I always thought you could only return shoes if worn inside but not outside. They may have rubbed you as they were new shoes but may not rub someone else?!

I hope someone can help you better.

dmg24

Most (or in my case, all) new shoes cause blisters/ rubbing, but this will stop after they have been worn in. It does not mean that they are faulty, and therefore you are not entitled to a refund or exchange.

chococheese

If there is a fault with the shoe that has caused the rubbing then yes you can return them, but if they have rubbed due to the fit then you are not entitled to a refund. They do not offer a fitting service, just the products. Hope this helps.

HC_2

As other posters have said, there is almost certainly no fault with the trainers. New shoes do often rub. Wear them with a pair of socks around the house, or on short walks, and you'll soon break them in.

By the way, OP, this is merely an aside, but the Achilles heel is not a part of the body. It's an expression used for an area of (physical) weakness.

daveboy

There are so many people on here who just don't have a clue.

I'm sure HC isn't the only one to have had a good laugh at the 'achilles heel'.

That goes down as a classic :rolleyes:

Add to that the fact it's on the wrong board as well :doh:

cloveroverdover

dmg24 wrote: »

Most (or in my case, all) new shoes cause blisters/ rubbing, but this will stop after they have been worn in. It does not mean that they are faulty, and therefore you are not entitled to a refund or exchange.

If we were talking about shoes, I might have agreed but these are trainers. I've never had a pair of trainers cause this but it is definitely the design rather than a fault. I think I'm just going to remove any obvious signs of wear and try at another store.

But what's the guy on about 'the sale of goods act doesn't exist any more...'?

HC_2

cloveroverdover wrote: »

If we were talking about shoes, I might have agreed but these are trainers. I've never had a pair of trainers cause this but it is definitely the design rather than a fault. I think I'm just going to remove any obvious signs of wear and try at another store.

But what's the guy on about 'the sale of goods act doesn't exist any more...'?

I bought a lovely pair of M&S Footglove sandals earlier this year (OK, yes, I'm probably a little older than you :rolleyes:).

When I wore them on a short shopping trip they drew blood.

My OH examined them and pointed out the 'design fault' - it was clear to be seen. Poor finishing on the (Achilles!) heel.

But I wore them in and they are like heavenly gossamer slippers now.

Trainers are no different. They're just shoes.

As far as I know, the SOGA still stands in the UK. Other posters will have more expertise in that area.

But, honestly, I imagine it's just that your feet are the wrong shape for the trainers. Wear them enough, and they'll adapt. Feet are more pliable than leather.

C_Ronaldo

The trainers are new so they will need time to soften up, i wore a pair of trainers about a year ago and i hadnt worn them much and took them on holiday and first day i wore them i had a blister on my achilles heel,

snowqueen555

tbh i think bcause you got them dirty they are okay to not refund them, did you not give them a good test at home? were they expensive?

Enterprise_1701C

Did you actually try them on and walk up and down in them? You should always have this option in shops and I would never buy any without trying them on.

It is not uncommon for any new shoes to cause problems whilst being worn in because everyone's feet are different - one pair does not fit all.

Shops only have to give refunds or exchanges when goods are faulty. Poor fit does not mean faulty. On the other hand it could be worth contacting the shop's head office and finding out if there have been any other problems with these shoes - it never hurts to write (preferably snail mail).