Marks & Spencers!!!!!

[Sparkitt]

I bought my two DC school shoes from M&S three months ago. On both pairs of shoes the leather coating has worn off in lots of places, the rubber sole is starting to perish, the tread is almost smooth, shoes is coming away from the sole and there are loose threads everywhere - on both shoes.

I took them back yesterday and the assistant matter of factly told me it was just wear and tear. She then went to find a manager which took 20 mins. He came back and told me he 'wasn't going to budge on this'. I said I couldn't believe they thought this was normal wear & tear, and that I expected better from M&S and that I expected shoes to last longer than 3 months. I mentioned that Clarks often last up to a year (these were only about £5 cheaper than Clarks) so he said Clarks are double the price (untrue) perhaps I should get them there in future. I said I was shocked at the quality of the shoes & customer services, everyone in the queue was watching, it was really embarrassing.

AIBU?!

[Moln]

Go to their Facebook page maybe?

I complained on it once (well the Irish one) it didn't get me anywhere, though mine was a more general complaint. However this is store specific.

[Objection]

Complain in a very public place. ie. Twitter and Facebook.
I'm not a Twitter person but my colleague says she has always got a result when tweeting a complaint

[Sparkitt]

A friend told me she thought they were getting stricter about returns lately. Her £100 cashmere jumper shrunk massively and they refused a refund

[Nanny0gg]

I'd say speak to Customer Services, but I doubt you'll get too far with that.

So I second the FB page idea. Hopefully they'll contact you fairly sharpish.

And no, YANBU at all.

[Vickiyumyum]

sounds like they aren't leather? I just looked on the website and they are all coated leather and not 100% leather. Having brought coated leather shoes for dd from shoezone and them not even lasting a week, I would say 12 weeks from the m&s ones is ok.

They are about 2/3 of the price of clarks, I brought dd mid price range ones from clarks this week to replace the rubbish shoezone ones and they were £36. the m&s seem to be around £20?

It is annoying and I to think school shoes should last longer but some children are particularly hard wearing on their shoes (dd included). is frustrating that leather shoes are cheaper now my ds2 is 12 and an adult size 8 (£18 real leather from sports direct) than 8yr old dd's.

[CambridgeBlue]

I had a problem with some M&S girls boots which didn't last 5 minutes - I took them back and got much the same response as you. I got the impression that it was a new policy (perhaps because they have been known for being so fair and generous about returns in the past) and what you and others say backs that up.

I emailed head office with pics and they were very helpful. Offered to take them back but suggested it might be quicker and easier to return to a different store which I did with no problems - don't know why that store wasn't following the 'new policy' but they couldn't have been more helpful.

[Guitargirl]

I have been in an ongoing dispute with M&S this week over something which I ordered on their website which they claimed they didn't have any details of, even though I had paid online and the payment was showing on my statement. I finally managed to get some sense out of someone on the phone today and they are now going to refund me but that was after 4 emails, 2 phone calls and today I told them that if they didn't refund me by Monday then a letter would be going to their Chief Executive, Trading Standards and I would be all over Twitter and Facebook. That was what finally prompted the refund. I will never order from them again.

[BerylStreep]

Write to Head Office with pictures.

Advise them how disappointed you are with the quality, and that you will be taking the matter up with trading standards and pursuing it through the small claims court if you don't get a satisfactory resolution.

[Sparkitt]

It's a shame as I get all DC's school uniform from there as well as lots of other things. Yesterday's experience has really put me off, I'm still pretty cross, I've rarely experienced such rude customer service.

[Sparkitt]

I've returned the shoes to head office, they were helpful when I called them from outside the store yesterday.

[Impatientismymiddlename]

Most of M&S school shoes are leather coated rather than full leather. As they are peeling they must be only coated leather.
If I bought a pair of coated leather shoes for my kids to wear to school I would only expect them to last six weeks at the most.
I think the manager was right to refuse a refund, but he was wrong to be so blasé and suggest that you go to clarks.
Learn from this and go to clarks, start rite or an independent show stockist where you can get proper leather shoes in variety of width fittings which will almost certainly last more than 3 months.
Clarks probably would have exchanged them if they were in that condition after 3 months, but that's because they shouldn't be like that if they are proper leather.

[formerbabe]

Yes, their returns policy seems to have got much stricter. Some clothing I got from there literally fell apart and they refused a refund...at first!!

[Turquoisetamborine]

You must have bought the same shoes I did for my son. They were sort of boots with Velcro straps. I liked them because I thought he'd be warmer in boots in the winter. Bought them in the Christmas holidays and had to buy new Clark's ones by Feb half term as the leather was peeling off. They were £35! I got a similar response when i took them back.

[Sparkitt]

What happened in the end Turquoise?