Clarks shoes, brand new, rotting in their thousands - check your wardrobes now!
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The materials can't be classed as defective, they're perishable, the shoes found in museums would have been made from natural materials so less likely to perish, comparing them to mass produced goods using man made materials is a silly comparison.
I think the offer is fair as Clarks have no idea where or how those shoes have been stored/cared for, for the past 6 years. They could have been sat in a damp cupboard or in direct sunlight, who knows ?
Sorry but that's utter nonsense. This is a known problem with a particular defective material that Clarks chose to use because it was cheap. It's nothing whatever to do with storage conditions and a quick Google will show you just how widespread the problem is.
Unused shoes kept in perfect storage conditions in a dry centrally heated house, away from light, and away from heat, should not just rot and fall apart of their own volition!0 -
Admittedly I have had then a few years - but 'best' sandals are not meant to be worn daily and we do not get much summer weather anyway.
I have complained to then but they are quoting the 6 year rule and without a receipt have offered me a £10 voucher. But it makes me wary of even buying more Clarks products if they are so liable to disintegration.
I think it's a fair offer too.I think the offer is fair as Clarks have no idea where or how those shoes have been stored/cared for, for the past 6 years. They could have been sat in a damp cupboard or in direct sunlight, who knows ?
I wonder how much the offer would have been if the poster did have the receipt.0 -
Quite agree. You don't expect them to last forever if you are wearing them but if kept stored in a box they should last more than 6 years.
"Should" suggests an empiric, external standard. I do sympathise, but without an agreed standard, "should" is probably not the right way to put it. Maybe "I would expect..." would be better?0 -
"Should" suggests an empiric, external standard. I do sympathise, but without an agreed standard, "should" is probably not the right way to put it. Maybe "I would expect..." would be better?
I think 'should' is perfectly fair. Can you think of any other item of clothing that you'd think reasonable to self destruct after 6 years?0 -
£10 for a pair of shoes that would probably cost getting on for £100 to replace and wouldn't have needed to be replaced at all but for the defective materials used in manufacture?
That's not remotely 'fair' - and lifetime guarantee or not, shoes left unused should not just rot all on their own. That never happened to shoes prior to this defective material being used (you'll find shoes in museums centuries old!) and to expect customers just to accept the situation is ridiculous.
Clark's sandals don't cost close to £100 - most are about half that price. £10 sounds pretty fair to me, given the original cost.0 -
Clark's sandals don't cost close to £100 - most are about half that price. £10 sounds pretty fair to me, given the original cost.
OK - how would you feel, then, about an offer of £25 for more than 10 pairs of disintegrating useless shoes, several of them still brand new in their boxes?
A fair and reasonable offer to compensate a (formerly) loyal Clarks customer for several hundred pounds worth of useless shoes?
Or a kick in the teeth.
I know how I feel, and I've never touched Clarks shoes since that point. There are probably hundreds of thousands of these defective shoes out there, and nobody knows about it until they put them on, walk a few metres, and then find a trail of sticky black goo and shoes that have fallen apart.
Just put Clarks hydrolysis into Google and you'll see just how massive this problem is - and how Clarks are just trying to bury it because of damage to the brand.0 -
OK - how would you feel, then, about an offer of £25 for more than 10 pairs of disintegrating useless shoes, several of them still brand new in their boxes?
A fair and reasonable offer to compensate a (formerly) loyal Clarks customer for several hundred pounds worth of useless shoes?
Or a kick in the teeth.
I know how I feel, and I've never touched Clarks shoes since that point. There are probably hundreds of thousands of these defective shoes out there, and nobody knows about it until they put them on, walk a few metres, and then find a trail of sticky black goo and shoes that have fallen apart.
Just put Clarks hydrolysis into Google and you'll see just how massive this problem is - and how Clarks are just trying to bury it because of damage to the brand.
I don't think they're burying it, i really don't think they've received thousands of complaints about it to be honest ? Shoes sold several years ago aren't going to ruin Clarks brand, it's probably a small issue as far as they're concerned, if people choose not to wear shoes for several years and they disintegrate i can't see how Clarks could foresee the issue.0 -
I have had it happen with Clark's, Hotter and Ecco shoes. The Hotter ones were walking shoes with a waterproof Goretex lining and cost over £100. To say I was furious was an understatement!! Never got anywhere with complaining to the manufacturers or the shop that sold them to me. Not had it happen with M & S shoes so I stick to those now.0
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I don't think they're burying it, i really don't think they've received thousands of complaints about it to be honest ? Shoes sold several years ago aren't going to ruin Clarks brand, it's probably a small issue as far as they're concerned, if people choose not to wear shoes for several years and they disintegrate i can't see how Clarks could foresee the issue.
I think you're underestimating just how much consumer anger there is about this, not just in the UK but in other countries such as the US too.
For example, apart from just generally searching Google, there's this:
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.clarks.co.uk
Possibly they didn't foresee the issue, though that's debatable, but it has more to do with their refusal to help now that the issue's become apparent.
Good companies earn customer goodwill by looking after their customers when things go wrong. Bad ones don't and end up losing customer goodwill - and often the business.0 -
I think you're underestimating just how much consumer anger there is about this, not just in the UK but in other countries such as the US too.
For example, apart from just generally searching Google, there's this:
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.clarks.co.uk
Possibly they didn't foresee the issue, though that's debatable, but it has more to do with their refusal to help now that the issue's become apparent.
Good companies earn customer goodwill by looking after their customers when things go wrong. Bad ones don't and end up losing customer goodwill - and often the business.
I know what you're saying but Clarks are offering goodwill payments to people who are contacting them about this particular issue. Do you really think they're going to offer full refunds for shoes that were purchased years ago ? I'm sure Clarks customer service is as good as ever with regard to faults on recent purchases. I've bought Clarks shoes in the past but find them old fashioned now and expensive for what they are. I think the days of them being regarded as a supplier of good quality footwear are long gone, they sell mass produced goods, same as a lot of shoe shops.
The only shoe company i buy regularly from is Fitflop, their shoes, sandals and customer service are second to none. Otherwise i buy from wherever i find shoes that i like. I don't own a pair of shoes that are more than 2 years old, i don't understand the buying them and not wearing them thing. If i had a 6 year old pair of shoes and the soles disintegrated i'd think "oh, shame, i should have worn them more often"0
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