Help! House of Fraser insist I have to prove a manufacturing fault in a pair of shoes.

Oscars_cat_dad

Hi all,

I purchased a pair of Dune trainers from House of Fraser in September 2023 and over time (with pretty minimal wear) the sole has become detached from the upper (appears it is essentially glued together in the manufacturing process).

I have contacted them to ask for a replacement (as apparently I am entitled under the Consumer Rights Act) and their latest reponse said:

"After reviewing your query, I do need to advise that the onus is on you, the customer, to prove the issue is a manufacturing fault present at the point of purchase, as the order is over 6 months old. 

"I recommend contacting a third party to obtain a report stating there is a manufacturing fault. This will need to be on letterheaded paper, from a reputable company. Any charges for obtaining the report will only be refunded if they confirm a fault is indeed present." 

This seems absolutely bonkers to me - I can't imagine a third party even exists which would do this. Does anyone know where else I could take this? There doesn't appear to be an ombudsman which House of Fraser falls under.

Thank you,

Chris

marcia_

 What they are saying is correct. You need to prove its an inherent fault 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Hello OP

They are correct, apart from the bit about needing to be a reputable company, it needs to be an expert opinion, someone who repairs or makes shoes may be able to give an opinion.

Goods need to be of satisfactory quality by the standards of a reasonable person with consideration for price so if you buy a £9.99 pair of everyday shoes there's little worth in chasing such, if you buy a £200 pair of hiking boots then you'd expect them to last a decent amount of time, particularly if they show little signs of wear (indicating you haven't been mountain climbing 3 times a week for the last year). 

From a very quick look, prices on Dunes trainers seem to be in the £50-£75 range, you might find some super glue or talking them somewhere for repair more pragmatic than getting a report and dealing with HoF.  

Aylesbury_Duck

See if your local Timpsons or similar shoe repair place would be happy to do a report.

Far from being bonkers, it's actually good to hear of a company that knows its consumer law and is applying it correctly.  Even if there were an appropriate ombudsman, they'd back HoF.

Oscars_cat_dad

Thanks everyone, that's helpful - I hadn't considered Timpsons for some reason. I have tried some superglue but to no avail!

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Oscars_cat_dad said:

Thanks everyone, that's helpful - I hadn't considered Timpsons for some reason. I have tried some superglue but to no avail!

There is glue sold specifically for shoe repair which might work better than standard superglue or something like Gorilla superglue might work as well. 

DullGreyGuy

Oscars_cat_dad said:

Thanks everyone, that's helpful - I hadn't considered Timpsons for some reason. I have tried some superglue but to no avail!

Superglue is an acrylic resin and doesn't deal well with bending etc, if you've ever had a wound closed with it you'll know it becomes a hard line until your body breaks it down, its fine there though because your body is stretchy and so can compensate. 

Shoe glue is normally also an acrylic resin but the formula is changed so that it retains some flexibility and isn't broken down as fast in a moist environment. 

You may be better off finding an independent cobbler but if Timpsons are easier to get to no harm in asking.

Andy_L

Oscars_cat_dad said:

This seems absolutely bonkers to me - I can't imagine a third party even exists which would do this. Does anyone know where else I could take this? There doesn't appear to be an ombudsman which House of Fraser falls under.

Thank you,

Chris

Cobblers! ;-)

Bradden

Klebfest do some great glue for shoe repairs.

visidigi

evidence of self-repair isn't likely to go in your favour either. If its obvious you have superglued then you would be better off getting a cobbler or shoe store to repair them for you, yes it will cost, but you could end up paying for a report that says the fault wasn't inherent either.

Sometimes the 'law/regulations' just isn't worth the hassle.