The saga of the dying boots-advice needed.

[Kit-Ginevra]

Not sure if this is the right aisle for this-if not please relocate.Thanks(be glad it's not the usual icecream in the lettuces).

For the last 2-3 years I've bought some lovely little pixie boots from the Zone of the Shoe.Perfect for LARPing,for just £20,these were brilliant.They went through mud,rock,dirt,fields,even fire.. and held up for over a year until the sole and the top literally parted company.Chuck in recycle bank,walk into store with money,say I want
another pair of model 12345 and walk out.Three pairs all made it through a year.

This last pair didn't.Bought them in January,by early April the skin had cracked on one of them and was pulling away,this started to rip the cover,and when one piece had started to go,the whole lot started ripping away.Other boot was fine.
Bear in mind that I hadn't been LARPing so these had just been used for everyday wear.

Took them back to the store.They refused a refund.The manager's reason?He'd just bought a £50 pair of shoes that had fallen apart after 5 months,so I couldn't expect a £20 pair of shoes to last any longer than a couple of months.

Complained to Head Office.They asked me to send them back-it took them three weeks to find a person to send a bag and put in the post to my address...

Customer Service have now replied that this is normal wear and tear(the top layer is ripped to shreds,the stitching has broken and cracked,the other boot is fine)
and that 'their shoes were not to be worn on grass,or in wet or damp conditions or on damp surfaces'. We do not have acid rain here.I do not walk across bubbling green toxic lawns.They should be able to cope with getting wet-if that is the case-without disintegrating.
I asked for this to be put in writing and they refused to do so.They told me I could have the boots sent back to me or they would destroy them-I've asked for them to be sent back so I still have them.

What to do next?-I paid cash for them and 3 months for a pair of boots to last isn't beyond reasonable expectations surely?This must be a duff pair,hell I danced on a bonfire in one of the old pairs and that stayed in good nick...

[EricKei]

I would expect a five-pound pair of footwear to die after three months...but this just screams "shitty product" >_< Look elsewhere for future purchases, I would say.

[MoonCat]

Damn, I expect my footwear to last at least TWO YEARS (barring major problems like walking 5 miles through the snow...as if). Lasting only from Jan. to April screams "crap product" to me, and my bet is that the manufacturer is now using inferior quality materials. Sorry to say, they should probably not get any more of your money.

[sms001]

I, too, wouldn't expect to get a year of every day use from £20 shoes. That said, however, based on your previous experience, I would expect these particular ones to last quite a bit longer, especially as you used them more lightly than previously. When you say "Head Office" are you referring to the shop, or the manufacturer? If the former, I'd suggest going to the latter. Explain you are a consistent customer and like their product, but this purchase must have slipped by QC. If they are the store's brand, start going over the manager's head. Comparing his own shoes to your's is apples to oranges; you had a reasonable expectation of quality based on years of experience and based your purchase on that. If the quality has been lowered, it's akin to "bait-and-switch" really.

[Gizmo]

As you are in the UK the SOGA which is for reasonable use times and refunds applies with the retailer.

Since its within 6 months *they* should be proving that the wear and tear isn't normal. But likelyhood of that is very small.

To get redress under SOGA you'd have to get an independent report saying that the issue seems to be a manufacturing or inherent fault and not wear and tear. For the price they cost you? not worth it.

You could try working out the manufacturer and contacting them but they'd probably say the same thing.

Best thing: find another supplier or get another pair and see how they do and if it was a fluke.

Sorry.

[sms001]

You could try working out the manufacturer and contacting them but they'd probably say the same thing.

I disagree. A lot of manufacturers want to weed out this kind of problem, and stand behind what they sell, whatever the channel. Worth a shot.

[wolfie]

When you contact the manufacturer, be sure to let them know that you chose this particular product BECAUSE earlier pairs of the same model would stand up to a year of heavy use, so you are disappointed that this one pair fell apart after a few months of light use.

[XCashier]

Customer Service have now replied that this is normal wear and tear(the top layer is ripped to shreds,the stitching has broken and cracked,the other boot is fine) and that 'their shoes were not to be worn on grass,or in wet or damp conditions or on damp surfaces'.

Um, they're shoes. They go on the feet, specifically to protect said feet from the ground, which frequently gets damp/wet or has grass! If you wanted cheapie footwear that wouldn't stand up to those conditions, you'd walk around in stocking feet!

Yeah, shoddy workmanship and slipping quality. I hope you can find a better shoe place.

[RayvenQ]

So, basically they're not meant to be worn in the UK then? since you know, it is bloody wet and damp here 90% of the time

[AccountingDrone]

I would consider what Sir Terry pointed out [in the person of Sam Grimes] that you could by 10 pair of 10 quid boots and have them each last a year, or sack up and pay the 100 quid for a decent pair of boots that will last 10 years. I would find it well worth eating ramen for a couple months to get boots that will last me 10 years [actually, at one point I did, I paid $125 for a pair of leather mary janes for work that lasted me 12 years until a puppy teethed on one. I ate a lot of ramen, rice and beans and drank plain water for about 4 months to make them work in my budget.]

[Seshat]

Vimes, not Grimes.