Selfridges refusing to refund £875 shoes- help!

Part of the problem must be that the red sole is the most important thing about this shoes. Whoever buys them next is likely to notice they aren't pristine as soon as they start preening them. I picture many of the people who buy these shoes would sit stroking them within the silly little dust covers.

Yes - if they had been worn outside, the red would be scratched (and it isn’t). The soles are incredibly delicate. I would follow advice above, particularly Desecratedcoconut and FakeMiddleton and if need be, take them to the small claims court!

When I’ve had Louboutins and worn them outside they are scratched to high heaven with even the slightest graze of the pavement! Those look resaleable to me! I’m not sure what their issue is.

Go with the truth. You tried them on properly, you didn’t hit check the soles beforehand

You followed the instructions

Tell them that you have only worn them on the carpet to check for size, tell them that if they are in an unsaleable condition that they sold them to you in an unsaleable condition and ask them if these are display or previously returned shoes. Tell them that you would like them to escalate this to their customer service manager immediately and if they don't find a satisfactory solution that you are of a mind to pursue the matter in a small claims court. It doesn't matter that you won't do this but it will get the attention of the manager who has a higher level of discretion about waiving any standard protocols.

Chances are they have been previously sold and returned.

Keep at it as clearly they have not been worn other than trying on and they cannot prove you made the scratch.

So if I try on a pair of shoes at the Louboutin boutique (aka on carpet) and don't buy them, is the next customer wanting them actually about to buy "used and worn" shoes? Don't think so. This line of argument is also irrelevant - we're trying to get OP her money back!

I'd go and tweet them over this, OP. As I said, be a thorn, you'll get your money back.

Agreed, be a polite pain in the arse. I've just done this (different circs and sadly with some tiles, nothing like as gorgeous as your shoes!) and eventually got a full refund.

Emphasise that you've followed their advice to try on on carpet in good faith. That's their advice.

If any markings have been caused by wearing briefly on carpet then it has been caused by their advice as you wouldn't have taken the risk if advised otherwise.

I know nothing about Louboutins, but what makes you sure the shoes aren't new and unused from the pics? They look new and unused to me.

You should try selling them on Vestiaire Collective. You could probably recoup a good bit of the cost if they've never been worn.

I would go into Selfridges and inspect the soles of other shoes on sale to see whether any have marks like yours. Because they are marked and it doesn't look like it would be from carpet. So either:

• they were like that when they arrived and you didn't notice
• you have damaged them somehow trying them on
• they have been damaged in transit on return to selfridges
• they've been damaged on arrival there.

They're not new and unused though, are they?

OP doesn't know if they caused the damage or if that was from the shop and they arrived like that, but they're not new and unused. They're not badly damaged or scratched either, but that doesn't mean they tick the "new" box.

I'd agree that the best course of action here is going to be to stress that you followed all the instructions in the box, tried them on once on carpet, and then repackaged them to return.

PayPal won't be interested in a change of mind return. If you funded PayPal via a card, they might cover you, but you'll likely lose your PayPal account as a result, and it's not clear cut, as legally PayPal is a third party and the law doesn't cover payments that go through an intermediary.

@Treaclescourer - what they THINK versus what they KNOW are two entirely different things. OP is a consumer; they are a corporation. The law sides with the little guy.

If they are denying her her money, soz, the burden is on them to prove why.

OP, quote their own website at them:

"If the item is new and unused, with all the labels and tags intact, and in its original packaging, you'll get a full, no quibble refund"

Your returned shoes are all those things. The red has not scratched off )and it would quickly the second you wore them outside). Dump it on them re you followed the suggestion to try them on on carpet. Really emphasise they must prove you damaged them and you didn't check on receipt because, why would you? Not your problem. You're not a retailer and you didn't keep them.

All you have to do is be a thorn in their side and they will buckle.

I second a PP who said to hype the goodwill element - I did this with NAP once. "SUCH a shame you're behaving like this. Was going to order bridesmaids' stuff through you, set up my gift registry at your store" etc etc

They think she has damaged the item

The shoes do look ‘worn’ from those images

Unfortunately this is a risk to ordering online

How stressful op

@Treaclescourer - no, they don't only have to accept a return if it's faulty. Distance selling regulations, for a start. She can return for any reason she likes.

Also, I've shopped online and in person at Selfridges a million times. You can return for a refund (or replacement) as you like.

It is NOT in the OP to return them in "pristine" condition. If she received them marked, she returns them that way

Apologies, my first post was a crossover.

Don't change your story.

I would speak to someone at PayPal on the phone and see if they can help under some category.

Those don't look worn outside or on a rough surface to me (I used to work in a fashion shoe shop as a student and had people trying it on with returns all the time).

The sticky label is pretty much intact, there's a bit of pitting but no scratches, scuffing or loss of finish.

You're allowed.to try them on indoors and they're not walking boots so they have to allow for a very small amount of wear and tear to reflect this when there's such a glossy sole. Of course they can't be worn outside or on concrete, but similarly they can't expect them to be like they were straight out of the factory. Shops sell shoes that have been tried on 100 times.

I've never bought Loubs so I don't know how the sole wears but they look genuinely saleable to me.

Check the policy and keep pushing back. Both directly and speak to PayPal to see if there's anything they can do. Maybe under faulty goods? That's kind of what they're claiming now if they cant be resold (bollocks). Lean into how you've bought another pair (loyal customer, not timewaster), show receipt, and it's for your wedding (goodwill).

You'll have to sell them on, someone will buy them. At least you have your wedding shoes sorted. How annoying though. It'll certainly make me check goods bought online on arrival before trying on. You poor thing.

Ridic - the soles do mark like that, the red is meant to be worn off. It does, fast. Poor OP.

OP, have you called Louboutin in Paris? They’ll tell you how leather behaves. https://eu.christianlouboutin.com/uk_en/contact/

Have an excellent wedding. Bet you look lovely.

Not true.

OP, I would fight this. I wouldn’t say that you are returning them because of the damaged soles (changing your story never helps) but you can say you didn’t inspect the soles because you knew you were returning them. Raise it with PayPal, credit card and Selfridges legal dept.

I actually had this exact thing happen with net a porter, a pair of £900 shoes they insisted I damaged when I returned them (i also briefly tried them on indoors, very carefully I though!). It took a lot of emailing emailing back and forth but I eventually got them to agree to a credit note for the full amount, which I put towards some shoes I actually kept. I did say to them that if the soles are that fragile they need to cover them with something and not make this our problem.
Since you paid with PayPal, just open a dispute and they’ll almost certainly find in your favour.

Probably very little consolation but if they won’t accept the return and refund you then you could get a good price on Vestaire or HEWI.