In expecting a good make of shoe to not fall apart.

[dwpanxt]

Its a beautiful day so I dress in my usual summer gear of no coat and sandals. The sandals arent that comfortable across the toes so dont get a much of an outing. Plus they have a nasty habit of leaving the inner lining stuck to a bare foot. But hey ho .Its spring! And I want that colour of sandals for a trip round the local market.
I am enjoying the walk in the sunshine and the sandals arent too tight across the toes so al is good. until I get a sinking feeling half way round. Since I dont wear them that often I assumed this was simply a bit of bedding in as the soles are spongy . So I walk on.

Then i became aware of a flappy draggy sound as I walked. Maybe a bit of paper stuck to the sole? I bent down to look and was horrified to see the heel flapping in the breeze.

Im about 3/4 of the way round now so decide to soldier on as there are a few flower stalls to look at at the end. As I walk on Im aware of the shoe feeling unstable under my foot. I darent investigate too closely as there is a crowd so i walk as if Im on hot coals and i go as quickly as I can to the car. I just make it as the heel falls off altogether.

Once home I take off the shoes to find that they have both disintegrated . The whole bottom of the shoe is moulded from a spongy material and its all disintegrated. The top looks fine.

Im thanking my lucky stars that I wasnt out for the day or at work . I dont have the money to go and buy shoes this week and I bought these originally ( although no idea when ) because they would last.

Usually my shoes just become too scruffy to wear .Ive never had a pair collapse on me before and Im now looking suspiciously at other spongy type shoes I have.

There was no clue that the footbed was in any way compromised when I put them on by the way.I was more concerned about the straps and to be honest Ive never considered checking this ever before and seemed to manage okay .

[NonsensicalNonsense]

Where are they from and how long have you had them? Maybe i missed it in your post but if they were from tesco in 1991 then can't help you. If they're less than a year old from Clarks then i know they'll exchange them for you.

[PNGirl]

Yes, as above. If you're the sort of person that thinks anything over £30 is a lot to pay for a pair of shoes and you've had them 5 years of summers, YABU. If they were £80 from Whistles, YANBU.

[NightWanderer]

Expensive shoes aren't necessarily designed to be long-wearing. They're often more designed to look pretty. If they were something like Birkenstocks I would be disappointed. If they were Teva or a hiking brand, I'd be disappointed. If they were from a clothes shop I wouldn't be surprised.

[harderandharder2breathe]

Sandals are usually billed as for "occasional" wear. You've had them so long you've forgotten how long. They aren't designed to last forever.

Without knowing the brand, the cost and how long youve had them my only answer is yabu

[dwpanxt]

Okay fair enough. They are Clarks cushion soft sandals and are about 4-5 years old. They are uncomfortable so havent been worn daily or for any length of time at a stretch.

But I have lots of shoes that I wear occasionally like this I tend to have several pairs of shoes on the go at one time according to the weather and store the rest . I discard shoes once they start looking scruffy and I rarely wear shoes out.Usually the worst that happens is the rubber heel falls off and I cant be bothered to replace it so the shoes get chucked.

Ive done this all of my adult life and its never been a problem before.
Ill just avoid this type of shoe in future I suppose.

Doesn't mean I'm not still feeling aggrieved though.

[NonsensicalNonsense]

I think 5 year old Clarks theres not a lot you can do. I expect they've worn over time including a lot of non use. For example if you've stored them in a hot or cold area of the house they may have been effected by that. Just get a job lot at Primani and throw them away at the end of every summer.

[Grilledaubergines]

Central heating ruins shoes, particularly rubberised, mounded types. Even if stored away in a wardrobe.

Nothing is made to last these days!😢

[TrollTheRespawnJeremy]

Clarks are crap anyway.

[BikeRunSki]

The rubber and glue will start to degrade after a couple of years, regardless of how much you have worn them.