Friend borrowed shoes and ruined them

Jagraf

purpleshoes wrote: »

Ive never thought that its automatic that giving someone a pair of shoes to wear for one night would mean them ending up being scuffed.

I dont scuff my own shoes on a night out. Of course shoes will change shape and wear over time, but one wear?

Yes sometimes I sneakily borrow my teenage daughters shoes and she can't wear them again as she I'm a wider fitting. So not so sneaky after all. Oh well, I've bought them in the first place so I guess they are officially mine anyway :rotfl:

Hedgehog99

Never lend shoes or fountain pens - both become too personalised to the user.

Having been stung in the past, I am very cautious about lending items and money. I would lend a paperback I'd read, but wasn't sentimental about, but never a signed one or anything like that. I have a limited number of friends I'd lend £20, but I wouldn't want to lend £100 to anyone other than my parents. Nor would I ask to borrow more than £20 from a friend.

Some have said that you shouldn't lend money - you should hand it over not expecting to get it back (and should therefore only hand over what you are prepared to give away), then, if you do, it's a nice surprise.

At least with money, if they drop your £10 in a puddle, you get a clean one back (assuming they pay you back), but shoes are a one-off. Even if they are a few years old, they;'re yours and would be hard to replace like for like even if your friend had been decent enough to offer.

If the other shoe-saving tips fail, would you be prepared to try shoe dye to cover the stains?

heuchera

I can only think a bit of drink had been flowing and/or she's worn them outside. If it was rainy suede shoes will get very dirty just from walking down the streets.

Pop over to the Old Style board if you haven't already and see if anyone there can suggest a way of getting them clean again.

If it were me I think in future I'd not lend nice shoes out to people again.

lostinrates

purpleshoes wrote: »

Ive never thought that its automatic that giving someone a pair of shoes to wear for one night would mean them ending up being scuffed.

I dont scuff my own shoes on a night out. Of course shoes will change shape and wear over time, but one wear?

Suede....in wet autumn..... Not knowing if they are going to be driven in. Not every one even walks that well.....if you watch people's walks and shoe wear its easy to be quite intrigued by it. (My interest isn't really human biodynamics beyond my own when I used to be fit and 'do sports' , but still its just mildly interesting to me when shopping etc as part of people watching, especially as my gait and shoe / clothes wear has changed / changes so much.

I have a friend with quite broad toes, for example. All her high heels in standard width fittings get scuffed along the bottom of the sides eventually, because they are stretched down onto the floor. Its worse on the outer edge, as it guess that side either stretches more or her foot rolls out that way....

pickledonionspaceraider

They were three years old, so not really that much of a loss, really? £40 for three years of going out is a not bad going at all

I'd see the bright side and use it as an excuse to treat myself to a new pair

and not lend again

I'd never lend footwear - ewwwwwww

apesxx

Personally I don't think it's worth losing a friendship over. I lend out my dresses/shoes to friends all the time. I only lend stuff that I've worn and wouldn't be really upset if it got wrecked, which does tend to happen sometimes on nights out where alcohol is involved. I wouldn't get upset with a friend if they spilt say a glass of red wine down the dress coz I know these things happen x

jackyann

Go to somewhere like Timpsons, and old-fashioned shoe shop or department store. You can get stuff to "paint" over scuffed heels, and some suede cleaner (though I'm guessing at least £10 to try to rescue them!)
However, I agree that whilst I lend clothes happily, I never lend shoes or indeed, my fountain pen!

BunnieJ

Thanks for all the replies

I've decided to let it go and just buy a nice pair of new shoes (I get a Christmas bonus yay!). I thought it wasn't worth ruining our friendship over. I guess 3 years was good going for a pair of shoes. The main thing I think I was annoyed with is that I'd never return somebody's shoes in that condition. Nevermind *sigh* I've learnt my lesson!

justme111

Well done. We all have our downsides and not being careful about borrowed items of clothing is not the worst of them.

aileth

Nice one, OP

I like to think if I lend anything of mine to a friend that they'd treat it with more care than something of their own. Unfortunately a lot of people don't seem to share this philosophy! I learned the hard way not to lend anything out. I'm still missing about three pairs of shoes and enumerable DVDs!