advice on getting refund on catalogue purchase

sunshine76_2

on Sept 6th i bought a pair of leather boots from Littlewoods catalogue that cost 135 pounds....as they were leather and cost quite a bit i thought they would last the winter....haven't worn them every day since i got them and in the really bad rain last week i discovered they aren't waterproof(despite having no holes etc)...

do you think i'll be able to get a refund as Littlewoods are arguing that iv'e had them 7 weeks but i'm arguing that a 135 pound pair of boots should last more than 7 weeks!

fluffnutter

There's a difference between not lasting and not being waterproof. Leather isn't necessarily waterproof (although you can achieve a lot with some polish and a bit of elbow grease) - it needs to be treated. Are they sold as waterproof? Were you advised to use a waterproofing/protective spray? For my leather boots, I always treat them straight away with a protective spray, then periodically polish/respray and always after they've got wet. This keeps them pretty waterproof (although they'd probably not survive a complete deluge). But you can't expect leather boots to be waterproof unless they've been commercially treated and sold as such or you've taken steps to protect them yourself.

sunshine76_2

sorry totally forgot to say that the heel/sole has completely worn down too and a cobbler couldn't reheel them

fluffnutter

Well that's different. What have you said to Littlewoods? Have you told them that you want to return them under the Sale of Goods Act as not being of satisfactory quality or did you try to invoke their own returns policy?

sunshine76_2

i sent them back with a letter saying they weren't fit for purpose and i bought them expecting them to last more than 6/7 weeks....its been a week and i've not heard anything though

unholyangel

sunshine76 wrote: »

i sent them back with a letter saying they weren't fit for purpose and i bought them expecting them to last more than 6/7 weeks....its been a week and i've not heard anything though

Did you tell them what resolution you were looking for? Did you give them a time limit in which to reply?

bubblegumcola

Does this catalogue have an online version so you could post a link to the type of boots they are and the brand? I have DM boots which cost me over £100 but it makes it quite clear they are not waterproof a on wet days I wear wellies. If something is waterproof it should say so in the product description/care instructions of the item. I would never presume that boots are waterproof unless it says on the box or with a product care leaflet with them. Where I work if I sell boots I will point out to a customer if the boots the customer is interested in buying are a 'fashion boot' which I would say are for occasional use not to be worn in heavy rain/snow. Some boots you have to treat them with a spray or use dubbin to keep them watertight. My DM's don't keep the rain out because of the stitching round the sole but I knew that when I bought them.

System

i was told years ago that the only waterproof foot wear are wellies.

maninthestreet

Leather boots are not going to be 100% waterproof - where they described as such in the Littlewoods catalogue?

sunshine76_2

my feet were COMPLETELY soaking wet after ten minutes in heavy rain....I've had similar priced leather boots from their catalogue before and they have all lasted a while, the last pair lasted 2 years and they were waterproof although they werent advertised as such....okay maybe i was really stupid buying a pair of leather boots that stated on the blurb that they were ideal for winter days (and i have got wellies for snowy/extreme weather)....but i really didn't expect the boots to be more or less useless after 6 or 7 weeks and to still have to pay for them when they are fit for the bin

Fosterdog

I wouldn't class very heavy downpours as just a wintery day. To me a wintery day would be cold, windy and the odd drizzle. Any heavy rain would need proper footwear.

Have you used anything in them to waterproof them? Even things sold as waterproof should be retreated regularly to keep them waterproof so you can't expect something non waterproof to cope with heavy rain.

You said the soles have worn down, is that caused by the sole material being damaged by the heavy rain or a separate issue?