Kids shoes...why so expensive?

Quackers

jenpoptab wrote:

With regards doodles, my step sister says that Stead and Simpson do them without the clarks/ doodles logo. They are identical shoes apart from that! Maybe you could give them a try as they are half the price of doodles.

They wouldn't have been made in Clarks factories though so wont be identical -Clarks own their own factories and only Clarks shoes are made there. they probably wont have width fittings either. Oh, but they will be cheaper

Quackers

Gingham_Ribbon wrote:

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If we were indoors, ie in the library, then my son would toddle around in bare feet. You'd be surprised at how many 'oh his feet must be so cold' comments I got. (Don't people love to interfere when you've got a little one though!)

:rotfl: :rotfl: Isnt it suprising that people dont realise that to be barefoot is the most natural thing in the world

To solve your problem - i dont know!! I suppose mine just stayed in the pram too until the sun was shining and the ground was dry!

Baby_A

Quackers wrote:

If you pay by a bonus bonds/capital bonds/high st vouchers etc at ANY retailer they only have their OWN gift vouchers to give back to you. They will not have a selection of all the vouchers on the high st!! I understand that they are located in a mothercare but they are a seperate company. They send off the ones you pay with to redeem the money. This is standard practise in retail - she wasn't pinning you into buying more clarks shoes - it was your choice to spend the voucher there.

At the end of the day as you stated they are based in mothercare, if they can accept it as she said they have a account with mothercare and reimburse their money well it should be the other way to. If it isnt possible she could have offered my money back as cash as it was a faulty product. I know that if she really wanted to there is a way around it.
I had no idea that I wouldnt get the vouchers I paid in return, this should be clearly stated if its the case.

Jay-Jay_4

Baby_A wrote:

Also she was wearing cream tights and when you removed the shoes they had been dyed pink!

Well I always stick up for Clarks but I've had the same problem with my daughters school shoes. They fit her well and are comfortable but nearly all the pink dye has come off onto her brand new, white schools socks.

I don't really want to return them as they're good shoes but I'm a bit miffed about all her socks.


Also...(sorry Quackers, I know that most of you are excellent at fitting shoes) I bough a pair of shoes for my toddler last week. The girl fitted them and told my daughter to 'have a little walk'.... then she sat gazing in the other direction. I said "hello"....."hello"...... HELLOOOOOO!!!" at which point she stopped daydreaming and looked at my daughter walking.

So the last three times I've been to Clarks (Trafford Centre) I've had problems....is it worth having a word with the manager?

Gingham_Ribbon

I think if a load of dye came off the shoes and they were badly scuffed through normal use after such a short time, I'd have been asking for my money back. In cash. Since the goods weren't fit for the purpose, this is your legal right and I'm sure the head office at Clarkes will want to know that there's a problem with both the shoes and the unhelpful staff at that store.

Quackers

Jay-Jay wrote:

So the last three times I've been to Clarks (Trafford Centre) I've had problems....is it worth having a word with the manager?

Definately. Take the socks too - just to 'prove the point'. Or ask to see the kids team leader. Trafford is a big store so they will have a bigger management team. The kids team leader in this size of store should be very experienced and help. If they dont then ring customer care and explain. They are sooooooo nice it scares me sometimes

Like I've said before - there are good and bad in every business. If you really like the shoes then try another pair the same. If customers want to keep the shoes then we offer them a free can of the protector spray in our store. It really does help to 'set' any loose dye. It doesn't always work but its worth a try.

Quackers

Baby_A wrote:

At the end of the day as you stated they are based in mothercare, if they can accept it as she said they have a account with mothercare and reimburse their money well it should be the other way to. If it isnt possible she could have offered my money back as cash as it was a faulty product. I know that if she really wanted to there is a way around it.
I had no idea that I wouldnt get the vouchers I paid in return, this should be clearly stated if its the case.

Any retail store will try and offer gift vouchers as a refund. Only if you really insist they will give you cash. As gingham ribbon said it is your legal right with faulty goods to have a cash refund. Most retailers will try and refund how you paid first. It is the way staff are trained in retail. I have to be really honest and say I would have no hesitation in putting up a bit of resistance at trying not to give a cash refund - its in my blood as they say! I've been working in retail for over 15yrs so its natural. Although I do hasten to add its the way you talk to customers that makes all the differene. Being rude is not acceptable. I've been hit and almost said thank you

Like I said previously if you pay by any type of voucher then you only get the stores OWN voucher by way of refund. Again, this is across the whole of retail. They do not have the ability on the tills to issue Mothercare vouchers. They only accept them as goodwill because they are located in their stores. They have only been accepting them for the last couple of years due to people complaining that they didn't accept them! I never tell people in my store that they will get a clarks voucher if they return an item when they pay by a capital bond - I would expect most people to know or to accept it. Pay by voucher = voucher refund.

Jay-Jay_4

Quackers wrote:

Definately. Take the socks too - just to 'prove the point'. Or ask to see the kids team leader. Trafford is a big store so they will have a bigger management team. The kids team leader in this size of store should be very experienced and help. If they dont then ring customer care and explain. They are sooooooo nice it scares me sometimes

Like I've said before - there are good and bad in every business. If you really like the shoes then try another pair the same. If customers want to keep the shoes then we offer them a free can of the protector spray in our store. It really does help to 'set' any loose dye. It doesn't always work but its worth a try.

Thanks Quackers, I DO love Clarks shoes and DO usually feel like I trust the fitters. I really like the school shoes and wouldn't want a different (style) pair.

The socks have already been washed with Persil Bio and don't look too bad now but if you look inside the shoes the lining is white where the pink dye has completely rubbed off, you can see my daughters footprint on the insole. I don't think that a protector spray would make any difference at this stage.

I might have a word the next time I go, I may mention about the girl who served me too as she was a bit 'away with the fairies' (she also had a body odour problem _pale_ )

Quackers

Jay-Jay wrote:

Thanks Quackers, I DO love Clarks shoes and DO usually feel like I trust the fitters. I really like the school shoes and wouldn't want a different (style) pair.

The socks have already been washed with Persil Bio and don't look too bad now but if you look inside the shoes the lining is white where the pink dye has completely rubbed off, you can see my daughters footprint on the insole. I don't think that a protector spray would make any difference at this stage.

I might have a word the next time I go, I may mention about the girl who served me too as she was a bit 'away with the fairies' (she also had a body odour problem _pale_ )

Pass me the bucket!! I've had to convinently leave body spray in our staff toilets for someone who has that problem. I'm hoping they get the hint. I'm not looking forward to telling them!!!

It sounds like the shoes with the shiny pink lining. We had some of those back before the kids broke up from school that had done exactly that. If you dont want to change them make sure you take them with you when you go for new ones and they may offer you a small reduction off your next pair (i would ). If they dont offer - ask! You dont get if you dont ask!!!

Gingham_Ribbon

Quackers wrote:

Being rude is not acceptable. I've been hit and almost said thank you

.

That's terrible!
:eek:

I really think it's amazing how people behave sometimes. I hope he/she was slung out of the shop with a boot up the rear end!