Returning children's trainers to Clark's?

amandada

I bought trainers for ds in Clarks's on 28th December.
When he was trying them on, the assistant who was proudly wearing her "trained fitter" t-shirt was very cursory in checking the fit of them, and wasn't best chuffed when I was asking questions, and getting ds to take a couple of extra walks to check the fit.
She was most insistent that the fit was fine, and against my better judgement :rolleyes: , I went ahead and bought them.
ds was going to wear them yesterday and complaining that they weren't comfy, so thinking that the tongue was lying squint or something similar, I was going to sort it out. On looking closely the discomfort was caused by a huge deep crease in the tongue of the shoe, which had occurred because of the way it was lying on ds's foot. Having spent some time on it, there's no way this problem is going to be resolved, as when it's fastened, the shape of the shoe is in no way compatible with the shape of ds's foot-he has quite a high instep.
He's worn the trainers twice, and I intend returning them to the shop today. Does anyone have any experience of returning supposedly "fitted" children's shoes to Clark's, and how they deal with it?
Thanks

mrsa

Hi, My best friend and I have had alot of trouble with poor fitting shoes from Clarke's for her daughter (3yrs old and size 7E) She had a pair of trainers fitted, size 7 1/2 F (They knew she was E but said F would be fine as trainers don't come in E) So she brought the shoes and the poor little girl kept tripping up all the time and the shoes fell off her feet twice. She returned to Clarke's twice for a re-fitting, each time she was told they were fine. Then after another week the problem was even worse, The trainers were having to be done up so tight the made a big 'crease' on the top. We returned and insisted that they were very ill fitted. We were advised by one of the managers that Yes, they did not fit well and were given a credit note for the full amount. The manager and senior sales assistant both explained to us that thier measurements are only a very rough guide and that every shoes is different and you may need a different size.
I think Clarke's is a total con, I think children need well fitted shoes but Clarke's shoes are very poorly paid ( I know someone who worked in the factory where they were made) and overpriced.
I will not be buying from them again.

mrsa

Oppps, 'very poorly made' I meant to say

amandada

I couldn't agree more mrsa! This is the 1st time (and last!) that I've ever bought Clark's in over 11 years of children's shoe buying, for all the above reasons-but the marketing of these shoes with the damn toy in the heel was too strong for ds!
Yesterday once I established what the problem was I asked ds "have you got these shoes out of your system now?" he said yes...bless him, he's only 6!

And funnily enough, ds is usually an E fitting and trainers only come in an F...

rowley

I had a very similar problem with my dd's shoes with toy, her heel was actually slipping into the hole meant for toy! Took them back with no problems though, for a full refund. The assistant said they'd had a few similar problems! Were they fitted with an innersole? My kids need them in F fittings, and are included in the price if they are fitted with them - which it sounds like they should have been, or advised that they just don't fit! I was sent away by a local clarks fitter with advice to find a start-rite supplier for narrow shoes, so they're not all bad

aliasojo

I've had to return assistant fitted shoes on 2 occasions. My daughter has a wide foot and both times the fitter insisted an F was fitting her fine but after wearing for less than an hour both her feet had red rubbing marks down the outside and along where her little toes are.

Each time an exchange has not been a problem.

I've also had to return trainers that were badly made. It was those things with the doll in the sole and the flap that you lift up had a ridge across the sole which daughter felt sore when she tried them on at home. The assistant tried to make out we had pulled the flap up too hard and caused the problem but considering the flap hadn't yet even been lifted..I was having none of that. :rolleyes:

I've been going to Clarks since my 25 year old started walking and I've noticed a huge drop in standards over the years. Also the staff in our local Clarks seem to change every few months and are always young people who I think just treat the job as a means to money and dont really care too much tbh.

OP you shouldn't have any problem taking them back.

babyx1uk3

clarks are very good when it comes to problems like this, i have taken back my girls shoes before and theyhave happily exchanged them so i would just take themn back explain the problem and that you are not happy and im sure it will be fine

amandada

Thanks for the advice folks, I'll let you know how I get on

bubblegumcola

My kids have a high in-step too and although I always buy Clarks shoes for them they aren't always that easy to get ones that fit, especially when they are toddlers and can't tell you how the shoes feel on. I can't get any of their plimsoles to fit my son for nursery and have to get him the doodles which are more expensive( I am lucky as I do have a factory shop nearby). The doodles fit easier because they have a proper adjustable strap, the velcro on their plimsoles is too high up so my son cant get his fairly wide feet and high instep in them no matter what the size!! I've only had to take a pair back for my eldest when she was wee, the shoes were not fitting properly at all and hurting her feet - it was a different fitter when I returned and she could see that the style wasn't right for her feet. I think maybe it depends on how experienced your shoe fitter is, and sometimes the fit of the shoe varies with different styles. On the whole I would say that Clarks are worth paying for, if you are not sure that the fitter knows what they are doing then ask for a second opinion by another fitter in the store.

If you find it difficult to get the size in the style you want their website lets you order the style of shoe for kids you want and have it delivered to the store you want so they can be checked that they fit correctly. So you could order a few pairs in different styles to see what fits best. They don't always seem to have high stock levels in their sizes so you can be stuck with the same style over and over, especially true for wide fittings where there appears to be less choice.

amandada

Thanks bubblegum.
I'm going to be taking me refund and running I'm afraid! This is the first time in 11 years of children's shoe buying I've bought Clark's as I've never liked their styling, and have heard horror stories about the fitting-and it's looking like they've been borne out.
I've always bought either Start rite or the continental brands for their shoes, and sports brands for their trainers (fitted by yours truly) and it looks like I'll be going back to that!

Cruiksl

Take them back !!!!

DD was measured for boots in October in Edinburgh. They sold me a pair that was too big and fitted an insole in them. Dd wore them for about 500 yards when she complained that her ankle was sore. Took the boots off and she had a blister that had burst. I didn't have any faith in the fitter so took her to another Clarks.

This time the fitter was an older woman who immediately on seeing them told me they were wrong for my daughter and offered a refund or another pair of boots. She was shocked about the insole and when they took it out - it turned out that even that was the wrong size - it should have been trimmed down if she had needed it. The fitter was wonderful and had dd try on about 8 different pairs of boots before she got a pair that fitted. Needless to say - we've had no problems since and I go back to that store.

Have to say though - if you have a child whose foot is not the norm - i.e. high instep, wide or narrow - you can't been startrite.