to expect JOnes the bootmakers to exchange my DD's shoes after one term

[mariasophia]

they have had it , no heels left at all, took them back yesterday, the asst manager was nice but said it was down to the way they had been worn !! They are apparently a light use shoe and not really suitable for school. When i bought them i specifically asked the asst if they were suitable for school, she said yes they would be fine, i queried about the heel as it was moulded and i wanted to know if they could be reheeled, she asked her manager and he said they couldnt be reheeled but were very hard wearing heels and would be fine. So i was happy to pay £80 for them in Sept. The manager wasnt there yesterday, would be back next week and he would tell her about the shoes - which i left at the store, with the box and copy of receipt. My point is the advice they gave me was duff and i wouldnt have paid that amount of money for one terms use. I would be quite happy to bin them if they were £30 but £80 !! The asst also said yesterday that they could have been reheeled which is the opp of what they told me when i bought them !! What should i say to the manager when she calls me next week to fob me off ?

explain what they told you at the time if she wont help as for head offices details and complain. after that you can take it to the office of fair trading.

Our twin boys shoes went after a term - Clarks. To be fair I just called them and said it wasnt acceptable and they agreed and exchanged them. No drama and good service.

Now way would I be happy with this. They are shoes what is your child meant to do levitate like our Lord? Re state your case and ring the area manager. It could be the batch was faulty. 80 for shoes though HOly Mary mother god that a lot of money.

Paying £80 for a pair of kids shoes then they should agree that they haven't lasted given the amount spent on them, try calling trading standards and they will give you the relevant info to spout off at Jones. x

Firstly, what on earth are you doing spending £80 on school shoes? Are you mad? And what is a "light use shoe"?

MIL spent £89 on a t-shirt for my two year old ds!

YANBU, they are in breach of contract because they induced you to enter into it on false grounds (the contract here is the purchase - you handing over money in return for goods). When you bought the shoes, you made it very clear that you were buying on the understanding they were suitable for school use. In contract terms, it was "of the essence" to the contract that the shoes were suitable for school - you wouldn't have bought them otherwise.

If you ring Trading Standards, they will advise you on the wording of a letter to Jones' head office.

Tell the manager that you relied on the professional knowledge and expertise of the staff when choosing this pair of shoes. Therefore the shoes are not as described and not fit for purpose (the purpose having been verbally and expressly communicated to the assistant).
The shoes should also be satisfactory quality taking into account all reasonable circumstances. Having paid £80 I would say you have a strong argument that the quality ought to be beyond that of a cheaper school shoe.
I wouldn't bother going in to the shop, I'd send a recorded delivery letter, headed 'Sale of Goods Act 1979 (as amended)' and give them 14 days to respond.

Jones replaced ds's school shoes, they were brilliant.

An edited version (from my original five-paragraph shocker) is; they were bought in September and had come away from the sole by December. They were a very hardwearing brand and cost £50 - last year's lasted until July. The manager said although they had been well worn (they had), that damage shouldn't have occurred in that particular brand and so he replaced them.

I'd say, that the purchase you made was in the knowledge that the heel was hardwearing and would be suitable for school. This was the advice you were given and you would like a replacement. I think the same pair is better than nothing for you.

Don't automatically assume they will try to fob you off, I'd say, just explain, you like the shoes, and were disappointed that as they were so expensive you'd have hoped for them to survive general wear for longer than four months.

They will also have manufacturers to answer to, if they receive complaints for shoes that been worn to death, so will have to be sure. Also, they won't want to be selling sub-standard shoes.

YANBU btw, I hope it's ok for you and it works out.

I'm starting to feel rather stupid now? I have 3 dc that are in primary school and I always have to replace their shoes at the start of every term, they only ever wear clarks, start right or kickers, so should I be complaining that the shoes are not lasting a whole year?! I didn't know this was possible..!

I'm starting to feel rather stupid now? I have 3 dc that are in primary school and I always have to replace their shoes at the start of every term, they only ever wear clarks, start right or kickers, so should I be complaining that the shoes are not lasting a whole year?! I didn't know this was possible..!

Tbh Deeery, I'm not a complainer, I only took them back because the assistant had advised me to when I was browsing for a new pair in the sale.

Although, a good pair of shoes only lasting one term is a bit much. It is quite possible your standards may be higher than mine, I don't mind if they look battered as long as they're in one piece.

I don't know what it is about children's shoes, I have shoes for work and walk miles in them, cages run over them, I kick things etc. and they never wear out in the same way as ds's. They are a lot cheaper too.

I always used to buy from Jones the Bootmaker until this year. I bought two pairs of Chelsea boots in a sale and they were crap. Lasted three months of casual use.

They used to be made in England and were very good quality. I looked at the label and it says 'Made in Romania'.

Daughteroflilith - she is 15 so she is not going to grow out of them like younger children and because i have had Lots of shoes/boots from Jones that have lasted years - still got a pair of desert boots - 14 years old and they look like new. I was relying on my positive experience with them previously to warrant spending my money.
redrubyshoes - yes these were made in Romania - which sort of rung alarm bells when i saw it. Yes it may be cheaper to manufacture there but is it really ? I will not be spending any more money in there so it may be cheaper in the short term but the amount of trade they will lose because you cant trust them anymore will damage them in the long term - but hey who am i to tell them how to run their company ?
Thanks for all the advice - i shall go back on monday suitably armed with the inofo and see how far i get. Thanks everyone

Just to add about the light use - which i presume to refer to ballet pumps etc , my DD spent two weeks in work experience so didnt wear them at all, half term - same , weekends same - does not wear school shoes for anything other than school so i would say that is blardy light use - she is hardly climbing Ben Nevis everyday in them - Feel quite aggrieved now by Jones ' comments now