My rights with school shoes?

Sammykins

Hi all,

I bought my daughter a pair of school shoes online back in September. They are a well known brand but I bought them from a third-party retailer.
The shoes were unusable by November as the Velcro did not close anymore. The shoes themselves were still in pristine condition aside from the Velcro issue.
I contacted the manufacturer directly who told me the shoes sounded faulty and to stop using them. I sent the shoes to the manufacturer who sent them back to me and said I needed to get in touch with the retailer.
I did contact the retailer and they said that before refunding me they'd need to send the shoes to the manufacturer to have them assessed. I sent the shoes to the retailer who sent them to the manufacturer. I was told I'd get an answer within 10 days. I had to chase them after a month as I hadn't heard back.
Finally when they got back in touch they said the manufacturer judged the issue was down to normal wear & tear. The retailer then concluded that on this basis they wouldn't be able to refund me. They asked what I wanted to do with the shoes and if I wanted them back or if they could get rid of them. I asked for the shoes back (they cost £41, were only used for 12 weeks and aside from the Velcro were in excellent condition).

I called last week to ask where the shoes were and I was told they are probably lost, they didn't send them back tracked or anything as they had "spent a lot of time and effort trying to help me already".

So my issues are:

- would shoes be expected to last longer than 3 months? They were very well cared for. I do not believe that a £41 pair of shoes should only last 12 weeks. Am I right to expect quality shows to last longer?

- the retailer are adamant they do not owe me anything but I am now £41 down, plus several posting costs to send the shoes to them, AND I do not even have the shoes in my possession any more as they have somehow lost them by not sending them back to me tracked.

What are my options to recover either the shoes or the value of the shoes from them, if any?

Thank you!

s_b

never buy shoes for children without having a basic fitting done in store by someone competent
you have saved your child future feet problems for only £41 well done
of course velcro fitted shoes are far from ideal for growing feet anyway as if they start to slob your child might develop crow toes

meer53

Velcro usually stops sticking when it gets bunged up with fluff, if kids sit cross legged then the Velcro picks up fluff and stuff preventing the little hooks from gripping.

I don't think you're due get anything back from the retailer unfortunately. What would you do with the shoes if you got them back ? You say they were unwearable ?

ThumbRemote

s_b wrote: »

never buy shoes for children without having a basic fitting done in store by someone competent
you have saved your child future feet problems for only £41 well done
of course velcro fitted shoes are far from ideal for growing feet anyway as if they start to slob your child might develop crow toes

What utter rubbish. You are recommended to get a fitting done periodically, not every time you buy a pair of shoes. And Velcro fastenings are extremely common in childrens shoes, due to the difficulty of fastening laces.

ThumbRemote

Sammykins wrote: »

Hi all,

I bought my daughter a pair of school shoes online back in September. They are a well known brand but I bought them from a third-party retailer.
The shoes were unusable by November as the Velcro did not close anymore. The shoes themselves were still in pristine condition aside from the Velcro issue.
I contacted the manufacturer directly who told me the shoes sounded faulty and to stop using them. I sent the shoes to the manufacturer who sent them back to me and said I needed to get in touch with the retailer.
I did contact the retailer and they said that before refunding me they'd need to send the shoes to the manufacturer to have them assessed. I sent the shoes to the retailer who sent them to the manufacturer. I was told I'd get an answer within 10 days. I had to chase them after a month as I hadn't heard back.
Finally when they got back in touch they said the manufacturer judged the issue was down to normal wear & tear. The retailer then concluded that on this basis they wouldn't be able to refund me. They asked what I wanted to do with the shoes and if I wanted them back or if they could get rid of them. I asked for the shoes back (they cost £41, were only used for 12 weeks and aside from the Velcro were in excellent condition).

I called last week to ask where the shoes were and I was told they are probably lost, they didn't send them back tracked or anything as they had "spent a lot of time and effort trying to help me already".

So my issues are:

- would shoes be expected to last longer than 3 months? They were very well cared for. I do not believe that a £41 pair of shoes should only last 12 weeks. Am I right to expect quality shows to last longer?

- the retailer are adamant they do not owe me anything but I am now £41 down, plus several posting costs to send the shoes to them, AND I do not even have the shoes in my possession any more as they have somehow lost them by not sending them back to me tracked.

What are my options to recover either the shoes or the value of the shoes from them, if any?

Thank you!

If it were me I'd be chasing the retailer for a new pair on the basis that:

1. Three months is an exceptionally short period of time to last. If Velcro can wear out so quickly, it is clearly not 'of satisfactory quality' under the Consumer Rights Act.

2. The shoes could have been repaired. However, they have now lost your belongings and this is no longer possible. As such they have breached their duty of care to your goods.

What do you have in writing, and what was told to you verbally?

meer53

s_b wrote: »

never buy shoes for children without having a basic fitting done in store by someone competent
you have saved your child future feet problems for only £41 well done
of course velcro fitted shoes are far from ideal for growing feet anyway as if they start to slob your child might develop crow toes

Both my kids have had Velcro shoes fitted by Clarks and Startright. Bit of an assumption that the OP has bought shoes without a basic fitting.

peachyprice

meer53 wrote: »

Velcro usually stops sticking when it gets bunged up with fluff, if kids sit cross legged then the Velcro picks up fluff and stuff preventing the little hooks from gripping.

I don't think you're due get anything back from the retailer unfortunately. What would you do with the shoes if you got them back ? You say they were unwearable ?

OP could probably have gotten the velcro replaced at a decent cobbler.

wealdroam

meer53 wrote: »

Bit of an assumption that the OP has bought shoes without a basic fitting.

Not really too much of an assumption.

In the first sentence of the original post the OP told us they bought the shoes online:

Sammykins wrote: »

I bought my daughter a pair of school shoes online back in September.

Tigsteroonie

I'm just wondering how the Velcro is worn out? I don't think I've ever worn out velcro ...

Our son's shoes are velcro-close and, as someone else said, they do get clogged with fluff from carpets and clothing. I just sit down with a needle or unbent paperclip and a lot of patience, and fish the fluff out.

Sammykins

Just to respond to a couple of points:

- I get my children's feet measured every time they outgrow shoes. In this particular instance, I got her feet measured at clarks and ordered her school shoes online as I couldn't find anything without "bling" on in clarks.

- school shoes come mostly with Velcro.

- the issue was not the Velcro being clogged up with fluff and other bits (I do clean those bits out regularly). It was literally not sticking any more.

- the shoes were in excellent condition aside from the Velcro. I would have taken them to a cobbler and asked for new Velcro to be fitted.

- there is hardly anything in writing from the retailer. I have sent countless emails without response from them, which always ended up with me having to phone them up to get things moving.

foxtrotoscar_2

'Velcro' should be able to be easily and cheaply replaced.