Birkenstocks starting to come apart after less than two weeks

I think they will refund and replace, don’t worry, I suspect the heat from your feet has melted the glue over this heatwave period.

I just think they look awful I’d be embarrassed to have visibly sweat stained shoes, or clothes, or anything else, so I couldn’t countenance that as a desirable look.

As I said previously you just wanna argue with anyone that disagrees with you , so crack on and email them .
Telling them that Mumsnet agree with you I’m sure won’t make any difference .

I agree with you, it’s a very poor design if they look minging after a few wears,

It’s put me right off Birkenstocks. I get the stain, but they look disgusting, sweat stained shoes are really not attractive, sweat stained anything to be honest is not a good look. As said, I get that’s the design but I think letting them dry out and giving them a clean with your next pair is likely the way to go. They just look like old dirty shoes.

Just from Google - you’re supposed to let them dry out 24-48 hours between wears when they’re soaked in sweat , and it has been extreme heat last few weeks .
You appear to be arguing with anyone here that’s offered an opinion, so I’m not sure why you posted really 🤷‍♀️
Ask for the refund , worst they can say is no

This is exactly how the soles of mine have looked after one wear. And the same with the White Stuff ones I have now which are the same kind of sole.

They aren't abused in the least, they've just been worn a couple of times.

I’ve had my first pair twenty years and second pair are now 6 years old - get them replaced

I would say that you have ‘ abused ‘ these for want of a better word , the excessive sweat / heat in them could cause the glue to melt ,having said that I’m by no means an expert but you’ve got nothing to lose by trying to return assuming that they’ll send them back to you if they refuse said refund .
I’ve got several pairs and they’ve never looked like this .

They were bought out a couple of years ago and the quality has deteriorated massively unfortunately.

This. They have undergone various corporate changes and are aiming at the fashion market now instead of the quality we’re used to.
they introduced a narrow fit but then made their regular fit significantly narrower too.
not sure I’ll be buying any more, last two pairs didn’t fit and went back and I’ve been buying 37R for 20 years

Personally I prefer Strive sandals. My late DSis ( a podiatrist) recommended them when I was struggling with plantar fasciitis. They are probably the most comfortable slide ons I have owned. Definitely more comfortable than the Birkenstocks I’ve owned in the past.

That’s a coincidence as tonight as I was showing my partner a fake pair that a friend had bought me from China. They are coming apart everywhere after less than a year, but my genuine Birkenstocks that I’ve probably had for 5 years are still in great condition (apart from where my sweaty feet have changed the colour of the footbed!)

Birkenstocks have become the latest trend with the teenagers and twenty somethings. DS and his mates did a bit of research and opted for the M&S version and love them.

They have had a lot of use out of them, they bought them for a trip to Spain, where they were camper-vanning across the Pyrenees with plenty of walking round the little medieval towns along with lakes and beach time. DS is pretty heavy on his shoes, the M&S dupes show very little wear and look much better than his trainers.

He’s a rugby playing student so, along with crocs, they are standard wear all year round. I was surprised when he expressed interest in them but he lives in them currently.

I don't know why people are being so weird about that. Those kinds of souls get darker patches where your feet actually sit from the first day of wearing them. Doesn't in the least mean they are older than the two weeks you've said.

I genuinely don’t believe they’re 2 weeks old. They’re way too dirty and worn. I work in retail and I would not refund these at all. It’s like you’ve ordered a new pair and these are an old pair you’ve replaced. I’ve 3 pairs and some 3 years old! The ones that are older look like this on the foot bed!

No they don't. You have consumers rights act on your side. I had this with a pair of linen trousers I bought end of May. Didn't wear them until end of June. Wore them literally two times and washed rhem as advised and they ended up tearing. Took them back 2 weeks after that and just explained what happened to them in store. They took them and gave me back my money 🤷‍♀️

"Under the UK Consumer Rights Act 2015, if a product develops a fault within the first 6 months, the law assumes the issue was present at the time of purchase. The retailer gets one opportunity to repair or replace it; if that fails, you are generally entitled to a full refund."

However, I am not calling you a liar, they do look very worn in as if you had them for years. Your receipt will obviously show otherwise. You may just be heavy footed ! (Nothing to do with weight. My daughter needs 4 pair of trainers a year for school cause she just ends up ruining them so quickly). So this brand may very well just not suit you 🤷‍♀️

Personally I don’t buy anything branded & expensive online anymore, as lately there’s been soooo many stories of dodgy warehouse workers claiming returns contained fakes and then taking the real returned item themselves. It’s rife. Especially with Next since they began stocking so many branded goods and also with expensive footwear retailers.