help with returning shoes to shop

Unintentional

If I went to shoe shop. I wouldn't expect the person serving me to be an expert on shoes. But some common knowledge on how a shoe fits isn't a lot to expect. seeing as it's not rocket science to begin with.

Flyboy152

Unintentional wrote: »

If I went to shoe shop. I wouldn't expect the person serving me to be an expert on shoes. But some common knowledge on how a shoe fits isn't a lot to expect. seeing as it's not rocket science to begin with.

The term "expert" is a definition to differentiate between the consumer and the seller. We are not talking about masters degrees in shoe fitting, but it amply describes the role of the seller, compared with that of the consumer.

Unintentional

sharpy2010 wrote: »

I work in a restaurant, bringing out food to people. That doesn't make me an expert on food, I simply bring the stuff out.

No different to someone who works in a shoeshop in my view. They bring out the shoes and sell them.

They won't necessarily be an expert on shoes! Just someone trying to earn a living!

Where did I say I expected them to be an expert? I simply said trained to fit shoes. It's like if I went into your restaurant and asked something simple about food. If you don't know about food when working in a restaurant, you're in the wrong place. the same for a shoe shop.

Pollycat

Flyboy152 wrote: »

You're right, that would make sense at all, seeing as Primark are not a shoe shop. For example, I wouldn't expect a bar man in a pub to be able give me financial advice.

You've conveniently ignored my other 2 examples:
Primark sells mens underpants, Primark sells ladies tights.
By your reasoning, you'd expect the person selling those items to be an 'expert'.

Flyboy152 wrote: »

By it's very virtue as a shoe shop, it would be one that specialises in selling, measuring and fitting shoes.

All shoe shops don't specialise in measuring and fitting shoes, some just sell them.
That applies to children's shoes as well as adults.

If I were buying a pair of shoes for a child, I wouldn't go into Jonathon James or Shoes Zone and expect the assistant to measure my child's feet and tell me whether they fit or not - they are just not that type of shop.
You seem to have difficulty understanding the difference between a proper shoe shop that measures childrens feet and one that just sells childrens shoes.

Mrs_Arcanum

Pollycat wrote: »

You've conveniently ignored my other 2 examples:
Primark sells mens underpants, Primark sells ladies tights.
By your reasoning, you'd expect the person selling those items to be an 'expert'.




All shoe shops don't specialise in measuring and fitting shoes, some just sell them.
That applies to children's shoes as well as adults.

If I were buying a pair of shoes for a child, I wouldn't go into Jonathon James or Shoes Zone and expect the assistant to measure my child's feet and tell me whether they fit or not - they are just not that type of shop.
You seem to have difficulty understanding the difference between a proper shoe shop that measures childrens feet and one that just sells childrens shoes.

Or the ones sold in supermarkets for that matter. Definitely no experts there.

Flyboy152

Pollycat wrote: »

You've conveniently ignored my other 2 examples:
Primark sells mens underpants, Primark sells ladies tights.
By your reasoning, you'd expect the person selling those items to be an 'expert'.

I don't think there needs to be much expertise in the selling of underpants, it's a bit of a false analogy. If Primark specialised in selling underpants, if the were called "Primark Underpants Shop," for example, then I suppose one would expect them to experts in selling underpants. If I bought a car at my local branch of WH Smith, I certainly wouldn't expect the girl at the till to be able to tell how the stereo works, but if I bought it at car dealership, for example, I would most certainly expect the salesman to be able to tell me what oil I need to put in the engine. If it turned out be the wrong oil and the engine failed because of it, would you expect a consumer to say, "oh well, I can't expect him to be the expert, so I'll just have to chalk this one up to experience. Tsk, what am I like."

All shoe shops don't specialise in measuring and fitting shoes, some just sell them.
That applies to children's shoes as well as adults.

If I were buying a pair of shoes for a child, I wouldn't go into Jonathon James or Shoes Zone and expect the assistant to measure my child's feet and tell me whether they fit or not - they are just not that type of shop.
You seem to have difficulty understanding the difference between a proper shoe shop that measures childrens feet and one that just sells childrens shoes.

If the store does not "specialise" in selling children's shoes, then the assistant should not have offered any advice at all. But, by doing so, she claimed the responsibility for the failure of that advice.

The consumer is not expected to know that Shoe Zone et al do not specialise in children's shoes. After all, the name of the store seems to suggest that they specialise in shoes, whether they specialise in children's shoes would be unknown, seeing as don't see many shops with names like, "Pollycat's Children's Shoes Emporium."

I have no idea who Jonathon James is, so how would I know what they do or do not specialise in.

Pollycat

Flyboy152 wrote: »

If the store does not "specialise" in selling children's shoes, then the assistant should not have offered any advice at all. But, by doing so, she claimed the responsibility for the failure of that advice.

Please post a link to this legislation that says the sales assistant is responsible in law for failure of that advice.

Flyboy152 wrote: »

The consumer is not expected to know that Shoe Zone et al do not specialise in children's shoes. After all, the name of the store seems to suggest that they specialise in shoes, whether they specialise in children's shoes would be unknown, seeing as don't see many shops with names like, "Pollycat's Children's Shoes Emporium."

I have no idea who Jonathon James is, so how would I know what they do or do not specialise in.

You really are clueless about high street shoe shops, aren't you?

Of course a shoe shop called Shoe Zone specialises in shoes (i.e. only sells footwear).
That is not the same as having specialist shoes fitters - which you seem to think all shoe shops do.
They don't.

Flyboy152 wrote: »

I have no idea who Jonathon James is, so how would I know what they do or do not specialise in.

That's very obvious.
They are a cheap high street shoe shop.
They sell shoes.
They do not offer specialist fitting.
Not many shoe shops do nowadays.

Pollycat

Flyboy152 wrote: »

I don't think there needs to be much expertise in the selling of underpants, it's a bit of a false analogy. If Primark specialised in selling underpants, if the were called "Primark Underpants Shop," for example, then I suppose one would expect them to experts in selling underpants. If I bought a car at my local branch of WH Smith, I certainly wouldn't expect the girl at the till to be able to tell how the stereo works, but if I bought it at car dealership, for example, I would most certainly expect the salesman to be able to tell me what oil I need to put in the engine. If it turned out be the wrong oil and the engine failed because of it, would you expect a consumer to say, "oh well, I can't expect him to be the expert, so I'll just have to chalk this one up to experience. Tsk, what am I like."

Your example is silly.
Primark do sell underpants (and shoes), I doubt you'd be able to buy a car from WHSmith.

I'm not sure I would trust a car salesman to tell me what oil I need to put in the engine.
I'd do my own research.

Pollycat

Flyboy152 wrote: »

If the store does not "specialise" in selling children's shoes, then the assistant should not have offered any advice at all. But, by doing so, she claimed the responsibility for the failure of that advice.

The sales assistant didn't offer advice, she was asked if the shoes fit.

lauragti wrote: »

i told them that my daughter was in between and when i came back in and she had the shoes on i asked what size she had on and they said 9 i said i was surprised she fits into them and to check them ans she said she felt her toe and they fit

Why didn't the mother or her mother check the shoes?

Whatever happened to personal accountability?

Flyboy152

Pollycat wrote: »

Please post a link to this legislation that says the sales assistant is responsible in law for failure of that advice.

I think you are missing the point. There is no legislation that says:

The Shoe Fitting Experts Act 2001 section 14,

1.
a) any shop assistant that gives incorrect advice will go to prison for fifteen years.

It's about logic and common sense.

You really are clueless about high street shoe shops, aren't you?

Perhaps I am, I wasn't aware there was a requirement to know them all.

Of course a shoe shop called Shoe Zone specialises in shoes (i.e. only sells footwear).
That is not the same as having specialist shoes fitters - which you seem to think all shoe shops do.
They don't.

And how is the consumer expected to know this? By the very fact that it is shoe shop, surely gives one the impression that they would get some advice on the fitting of shoes. In fact the shop assitant did give advice on the fitting of shoes, but as it turned out, that advice was at fault.

That's very obvious.
They are a cheap high street shoe shop.
They sell shoes.
They do not offer specialist fitting.
Not many shoe shops do nowadays.

Again, not the fault of the consumer. How is the consumer supposed to know this? Was there an announcement at some point, of which we should have taken heed?

If someone sells shoes and they give advice on the fitting of those shoes, how is the consumer supposed to know the one giving the advice doesn't know what they are talking about? Are there signs on the walls or leaflets given out, is there someone who stands at the entrance warning shoppers that any advice given is personal opinion and has nothing to do with the company who own the store? Extreme, I know, but without any prior indication that the advice given is not to be trusted, how can anyone guess that it is or isn't erronious?