Is there a time limit to exchange faulty goods

rickstones3

Hi,
I purchased a new pair of boots before lockdown, they have remained in the box until a couple of weeks ago. When I put them on I realised that there are lumps on the inside of the left boot resulting in me not being able to walk in them.  These boots are in mint condition and can clearly been seen that they have not be worn, so the fault is not down to wear and tear but instead a manufacturing fault. I have contacted the shop (Shoe Embassy) and their customer services, in both instances, I was told that I dont have any rights because of the length of time its taken for me to report the fault, even though these boots are not fit for purpose.  In my defense, I have not had the opportunity to wear these boots until recently, this is when I became aware of the fault.  This may appear to be trivial but I paid good money for something I can not use, could you please advise me on my rights. I do have photos. Many thanks in advance. 

ssparks2003

When you say before lockdown  which one? When did you actually buy them. 

Jenni_D

As above:

When did you order them?
When did you receive them?
When did you notify the seller of the issue?
Is the seller a UK business?

clearancer

Boots arrive. Try them on. Discover lumps. Vendor replaces. Or … Boots arrive. Chuck them in cupboard. Remember boots months later. Discover lumps. Silly you. Chuck them in bin

TELLIT01

Sorry but lockdown is no excuse for not checking goods and ensuring they are OK.  My wife is one of the biggest culprits for this so I understand. 

Sandtree

Your right to reject them ends after 30 days, beyond that it becomes the retailers decision on repair, replace, refund. 

Between 1 month and 6 months its up to the retailer to disprove its a fault, after 6 months its up to you to prove its a fault and refunds can be less than full to represent the use you've had from the item

rickstones3

Thank you for your replies. I got them over a year ago in the shop.  At the time there didnt seem to be anything wrong with them. Im not using lockdown as an excuse, I genuinely didnt have the opportunity to wear them. I paid good money for these boots and wouldnt want to throw them in the bin.  By the sounds of it, I dont have any rights, so I could try to either find thick insoles hoping the lumps dont come through, or find a cobbler that could sort them for me.   Needless to say, I wont be going back to that shop again... I will stick to Russell and Bromely as I have never experienced substandard quality in their shoes. Once again, thank you x

Ergates

You still have rights.   But because you bought them over 6 months ago, it's up to you to prove to the retailer that they were faulty at time of purchase.  If they're clearly unworn then this might help - but no guarantee.

rickstones3

These are beautiful boots, such a shame I can’t wear them 

rickstones3

Ergates said:

You still have rights.   But because you bought them over 6 months ago, it's up to you to prove to the retailer that they were faulty at time of purchase.  If they're clearly unworn then this might help - but no guarantee.

Thank you, no the fault isn’t down to wear and tear as they have not been worn, it’s a manufacturer fault. I don’t think the shop is interested in helping me, as far as they are concerned it’s not their problem. I suppose I could try citizens advice for help. 

mattyprice4004

Citizens Advice will just echo the comments here - they're only there to advise your rights as others have done in this thread. 
Over 6 months after purchase and you'd need an independent report to enforce your rights, honestly it's not worth the hassle. 

I had similar with a piece of IT equipment I left in a box for 2 years (it was for redundancy purposes, and when needed it was completely dead) - now I test everything when it arrives.