Barratts shoes dragging their heels!!!

tquarter

Newbie here - be gentle.

Last month from Barratts I bought a pair a wedge shoes (£20) to take on holiday. Loving the shoes I threw away the receipt (yeah lesson number one learnt), and headed off to Egypt. During the first hour of wearing the shoes the pair just completely disintegrated - the heel became so distorted that I had to return to my hotel immeadiately from the siteseeing.

Anyway on my return I took the shoes back to the shop to be told I could exchange them for the current selling price - £12. Knowing that I could prove how much I paid for them on a statement I asked if that would be surfice. Shop assistant said yes - I told her we bought two items at the same time (hubbie bargain £5 flip-flops) - she said it wouldn't be a problem. So trip number two to the store (on both occassions it was the only reason the visit) produced statement and shoes to be told that because she could see a final cost of £25 she would only be able to refund me the current selling price £12!!!

I'm not impressed - hubbie tries to take over and calm things down, but nope I have to have my say.

I explain that this is now my second trip to the store and I have provided them with what they asked for - the date was cleary on the statement to check what the selling price was at the time of purchase. Still she stood firm. I explained that the goods were faulty, as was plainly obvious to see, and the problem was not in the fact I just didn't want them anymore.

Result was I had to leave the shop and phone head office to get an agreement to return the shoes and then make a third trip to the store!!! I would have accepted an exchange for the £20 I paid (not for the same shoes) rather than a refund. Still haven't phoned yet (need to chill out a bit first - don't have the patient at the moment).

I'm still sulking, hubbie takes it in his stride - what do you guys think??

Thankyou

Astaroth

Without a receipt you cannot prove either when you bought them or how much you paid for them. Whilst it is impractical to keep every receipt for every item it is understandable from a stores perspective not to want to pay out more than they currently sell for when you cannot prove these two points. Many people do lose/ throw away receipts etc and then decide to commit fraud by either buying another of the same item and using that receipt to get a refund on the faulty version or buying something else for the same price and using the bank statement showing that transaction to get the refund.

hollydays

Firstly, i think even if they were to have given you your exchange then-from what they were saying you still would only have got an exchange for goods worth £12.
Although the member of staff presumably gave you incorrect information,its probably against their store policy to refund without proof of what you paid,and also the law is on their side- and you cant 100% prove how much you paid .You have been messed around and hopefully when you ring them they will take the common sense approach and refund you the £20.
shoe shops get a lot of angry people returning damaged shoes unjustifyably-remain calm and it might work in your favour.

hollydays

Asteroth-I have to say that is a very convoluted scenario.Whilst it could happen obviously ocasionally ,it is definitely not commonplace, in 20 years I have never heard of it.

Astaroth

Used to happen all the time when I worked for a mail order company with people buying a second 32" TV then sending it back as "arrived faulty" - coincidently they had phoned up a few days before ordering the second one to say the original had gone faulty but told it was outside warrenty so we couldnt help.

guess your customers must be more honest

hollydays

ok- but this is not mail order.

Astaroth

No, but mail order companies keep records of everything that is bought by an individual customer and so I would assume that less people try to defraud a mail order company than they would a shop as it is much easier to get caught by mail order

hollydays

No, thats not the case.

skintchick

Basically, these shoes are not fit for their puprose under the Sale of Goods Act. you can prove when you bough them and what you paid, so ring Trading Standards for advice on exactly what to say and simply don;t leave the till until you have your full refund. dont; let them make you wait elsewhere - hold the entire shop up, remain clam but firm and keep telling them you won;t go till you get the refudn as teh item is faulty.

Good luck

kuohu

skintchick wrote:

Basically, these shoes are not fit for their puprose under the Sale of Goods Act. you can prove when you bough them and what you paid

This is the whole point. The OP CANNOT prove what she paid for them. She did not keep the receipt and the purchase was combined with another item hence the price of the shoes isn't itemised individually on her bank/credit card statement.

Astaroth

hollydays wrote:

No, thats not the case.

Given you dont keep customer records of who has bought what when they dont use any loyalty card scheme etc I am interested what data you have to catagorically state that this doesnt happen