Can I return shoes I've worn?

Ruby_Roo

I bought some flat black shoes from M&S for my weekend bar job. I wore them last night for four hours and they have no grip whatsoever - I nearly fell down the stairs (which were dry), i slid a rew times behind the bar (floor was dry) and I slipped on my parents' steps in them because it had been raining. Also, the inside rim of the shoe was rubbing towards the end of the shift which was uncomfortable, despite them being a seemingly perfect fit on my feet.

So I have any chance of being able to take them back? I could live with the rubbing but the sliding is a problem.

ValHaller

I suggest you try returning them as 'not of merchantable quality' or 'not fit for purpose'

Southend1

In think the chance of the store taking them back is next to zero.

whitegoods_engineer

ValHaller wrote: »

I suggest you try returning them as ' 'not of merchantable quality'or 'not fit for purpose'

Not sure why people keep quoting the 'not of merchantable quality' phrase?

This has been superceded with the 'not fit for purpose' phrase in the legislation.

The 'not of merchantable quality' stipulation was a 19th century phrase which has fairly recently been changed.

VictorCharlie

I guess it depends on where you bought them and how good their policies are. You can take them back as 'not fit for purpose' and they will look at them and probably even send them away for a second opinion but it all depends on the style of the shoe and what is intended for the expected use of the shoe.
If you stand firm, you may get a goodwill refund.

meer53

I'd say neither the rubbing nor the lack of grip are reasons for taking them back. (Unless the rubbing is due to a fault)

M & S sell fashion shoes, not industrial footwear.

paddyrg

Did you make it clear to M&S that you required the footwear to have a chunky tread, and they forced a pair of slicks onto you? I'm not otherwise convinced they'd be 'unfit for purpose' - their purpose is covering your feet and they seem to to that acceptably well.

I sometimes work on building sites, so I need steel toecaps, sole plates etc. Should I be able to return some M&S fashion shoes as 'unfit for purpose' if I unwisely chose them for a specific purpose?

In your case though you may be able to make the soles grippier with stick-on-sole kits, have a chat with your local shoe repair/heel bar place, see what they suggest.

(BTW M&S may well entertain your claim, they've got exceptionally generous customer service terms, way way ahead of their legal obligations. Just realise that if they do, it is them being generous, certainly not a legal right.)

pinkshoes

It's really obvious when you try shoes on in a shop if they're the slippery type, so I'm not convinced they'd take them back for this reason as it's not a design flaw.

You can always ask though, as they might...

Ruby_Roo

paddyrg wrote: »

Did you make it clear to M&S that you required the footwear to have a chunky tread, and they forced a pair of slicks onto you? I'm not otherwise convinced they'd be 'unfit for purpose' - their purpose is covering your feet and they seem to to that acceptably well.

I sometimes work on building sites, so I need steel toecaps, sole plates etc. Should I be able to return some M&S fashion shoes as 'unfit for purpose' if I unwisely chose them for a specific purpose?

In your case though you may be able to make the soles grippier with stick-on-sole kits, have a chat with your local shoe repair/heel bar place, see what they suggest.

(BTW M&S may well entertain your claim, they've got exceptionally generous customer service terms, way way ahead of their legal obligations. Just realise that if they do, it is them being generous, certainly not a legal right.)

That's a bit patronising. I don't want industrial footwear, I work in an office and a bar, but I would like to be able to walk down the street (including down my parents' perfectly well constructed steps) in the rain in my new £30 shoes without sliding on my !!!!. I don't think that's unreasonable. I did try giving them a little slide on the carpet in the shop and they appeared fine.

I will get in touch with M&S and see what they say anyway, nothing ventured nothing gained.

graspandsave

true, nothing ventured nothing gained.
mention politely what/how you tried the shoes out in store and what happened elsewhere, you never know ....
M&S may entertain the idea

honeypop

You can usually stop the slidy-ness by lightly scuffing up the sole of the shoe. When I have shoes that are too slippy, I use either some sandpaper or a fine grater (have also seen it done with some crisscrossing strokes of a knife), and lightly scrub the sole.

It's quite common with fashion shoes, that some don't have a good grip - I find with higher heel especially (which is why I have to create my own grip!).

Could this work with your shoes?