Clarks Shoes fallen apart

full-time-mum

OK, bit of an exaggeration, the buckle has come unstitched.

I've found the receipt - beginning of September The shoes have been worn every school day but aren't particularly battered.

Just wondering what my rights are.

I don't expect them to replace them for a new pair after 4 months but I do expect school shoes to last a lot longer than this -especially given that they have been fairly well looked after.

I'm sure that the quality of Clarks shoes has deteriorated in the 15 or so years I've been buying them for my children. They used to survive until they had been completely grown out of in spite of being given a tough ride. Guess that's progress.

lateandlive

Unfortunately, what's a 'reasonable time' for something to last can be quite subjective. You don't say if your child is a boy or a girl - if it's the former than has he been playing football in them on the playground? That's the first thing we used to ask parents who brought damaged shoes back to us and, in reality, that isn't what school shoes are designed for. It may not be the case in this situation, but might be something to consider.

Do the shoes fit 100%? If you picked them up based on the size of their other shoes rather than getting their feet measured and the shoes are too big then are they putting undue stress on the buckle when doing them up? Again, might not be relevant but...!

Generally you'll probably find they're okay with it if you take them back, and if (as you say) they're not particularly battered then that should be taken into account. They might want to send them for their own inspection back at their Head Office, however it's certainly worth a try!

regency_man

You will probably find the retailer will offer you an exchange with no argument. Having working in a clothing store in my youth, who also sold shoes, we got many of these. To be honest, I used my judgement, if the person sounded genuine and their story matched the evidence (i.e. they had the receipt from 4 months ago and the shoes were not battered beyond recognition I'd give them the refund. If I didn't believe the story or didn't trust them, I'd refer them to the shift manager - whose default position would be to offer them an exchange anyway. In 2 years working there I only saw 2 refusals of an exchange on faulty goods, and those were to people who were known shoplifters.

A.J.12

Shops only have to give you a 90 day faulty returns policy and this covers them for everything from wear and tear to shrinkage. It might be worth popping down and asking them though as they may have had problems with that particular shoe? Good luck!

*gem*

I had to take a pair of shoes back to Clarkes due to them becoming distorted and was told that if my son was still the same size as the shoes, they would replace them free of charge but if my son's feet had grown and he needed the next size up then they would offer me a discount on another pair. It actually turned out that the original pair given to my son were too wide for his feet, which is why they became distorted and he was given a replacement free.

Try ringing customer services, they should be able to answer you questions.

foxymum1977_2

i would definatley take them back as they should last longer than a few months! Clarkes normally last my older son all school year, not sure about our DS 5 who started school this year hes growing quite fast!

wealdroam

amyjade90 wrote: »

Shops only have to give you a 90 day faulty returns policy and this covers them for everything from wear and tear to shrinkage. It might be worth popping down and asking them though as they may have had problems with that particular shoe? Good luck!

Hi AmyJade.

Where do you get this '90 day faulty returns policy' from?

Sale of Goods Act offers much more than this.

Have you read MSE's Consumer Rights article?
I don't thing that 90 day policy is mentioned there.

Techhead_2

amyjade90 wrote: »

Shops only have to give you a 90 day faulty returns policy and this covers them for everything from wear and tear to shrinkage. It might be worth popping down and asking them though as they may have had problems with that particular shoe? Good luck!

In addition to wealdroam's point above, wear and tear is not the same as a fault. Similarly, damage is not a fault.

McKneff

Wouldnt it be easier just to stitch the buckle back on....................
A cobbler will sell you a small length of something to do this with.