To expect shoes to last more than half a term

[MellowMarshmallow]

Bought ds1 (8) pair of Kickers for school and after 7 weeks the 'leather' has split all over them. Bought from sportsdirect. Last year he had a pair of Clarks that only lasted one term before the insole went hard and curled up at the end. After that we made do with cheap pairs which we considered disposable.

So wary of spending good money on more expensive shoes in case they only make it to Christmas. So frustrating. And no it's not him. He doesn't pick at them, just normal running round the playground wear and tear.

Rant over.

[EmeraldJeanie]

We have just had a bad experience with Duck and Dive bought from BHS.
Lost receipt. Only survived September! Scuffed on day one and sole half off starting at the front. Very fed up and will go back to supermarket shoes which are much more resilient.

[fedupdownhere]

this happened to my sons kickers went back to sports direct today and was told its not a manufacturing fault so nothing they will do, said it was scuffing definitely wasn't as it bubbled up and peeled off in the same place on both sides:(

[MellowMarshmallow]

fedupdownhere - mine were the Robby shoes from Sportsdirect and that's exactly what happened- the top layer of leather bubbled up from its backing then split open. Not scuffed. And its not one the toes where you would expect scuffs - its all around the sides.

When I can finally track down the email I will send and email to Sports Direct and copy in Trading Standards. Might not get me anywhere but worth a try.

[BetsyBell]

I did a similar thread the other day! Sportsdirect shoes seem to last about 5 minutes with my DS's. They wear them through at the soles. I'm going to splash out and try Geox or Startrite as others insisted they'd last longer - going shopping tomorrow and I'll check about returns of worn out shoes while I'm there - if they only last the average of 6 weeks we normally get then I'd expect a refund.

Clarks were no better than shoes half their prices so I deffo won't be going back there.

[Bumblequeen]

My dd's shoes from Clarks are still in good condition. They are leather with a patent front.

[uselessinformation]

son's Clarks shows still going strong after 14 months and mine after 3 years word day in day out.

[uselessinformation]

Shoes not shows and worn not word!

[MrsCakesPremonition]

I've been battling with DD wearing out her shoes too fast. Last pair got worn out 4 weeks before the end of the summer term. I didn't want to pay a lot of money for 4 weeks wear so I bought her a pair of £6 ASDA shoes. They are still going strong, although she has a new pair of Kickers now the wet weather has arrived. I suspect I'll be buying the odd pair of ASDA shoes again to tide us over awkward gaps.

[cinnamongreyhound]

My ds's wear Clark's and they still wear out, my Clark's on the other hand are very long lasting :)

[2ofstedsin24weeksistakingthep]

<a class="break-all" href="//|www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/a1847425-Fucking-Fuming" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">Similar thread
This was a similar thread a while ago about kickers from Wynsors who wouldn't take responsibility for them being below standard. The OP was taking this up with Kickers but never updated. Maybe you could try this too?

[crazykat]

I've given up on expensive shoes. I've tried most brands and they last one term if I'm lucky and my eldest is only in year one. Now I just buy a cheap pair and expect them to only last half a term. I just make sure they fit properly.

[harticus]

We always stick to cheap shoes now because they are fraction of the cost and have a longer lifespan.

[Awomansworth]

YANBU - I've already taken ds's clarks shoes back, splitting around the seams after 6 weeks of wear, not what you expect for a £40 pair of shoes.

Saying that his clarks ones from last year lasted him a full year and still looked better than the ones I took back.

I'm glad I kept the receipt, no issues in store.

[crazykat]

Best school shoes I've had for DS were from asda and lasted him all I last year, he was only half a day so same as a term and a half but I've already had to replace his sketchers ones that he's only worn for four weeks at school full time.

Best shoes DD1 has had we're some boots from matalan, they replaced her clarks shoes that lasted until the October half term last year.

[CaterpillarCara]

Go to a decent independent shop and keep the receipts. I had three pairs of shoes replaced last year - the first pair was £40 and the rest were all free.

[MellowMarshmallow]

Thanks for the recommendations.

It's so frustrating because he had one pair Clarks for 2 school years on the bounce that lasted for the whole year. Then one pair that made it about half way through the year, then the last lot that fell apart.

Similarly have had super cheap shoes that last 5 mins, and the odd pair that go on forever.

[CaterpillarCara]

My shoe shop told me that a lot of the manufacturers are cutting corners due to a recession. They will fight your corner with the manufacturer though, so it works out better than paying slightly less than somewhere like Sports Direct who just don't care.

[BetsyBell]

Right, I've spent a lot of money on 2 pairs of Geox (1 pair each for each DS that is) and John Lewis said their returns policy covered 90 days but wear and tear returns was at their discretion. They really better had last more than the usual 6 weeks... We'll see.

[way2serious]

My DS has always had Clarks which have always lasted well. However he is now 13 and has size 9 feet and we can only get men's shoes. His school are strict that they have to wear proper black shoes. The problem with men's shoes is that they just aren't built for playing football in at lunchtime or after school. I paid £60 for a pair of Hush Puppies at the start of term and are desperate for them to last til Christmas. Would welcome any suggestions of shoes for next time.

[DIddled]

Way2- Clark's bootleg def go up to 9.I always get the full school year out of mine.

[BetsyBell]

My kids wear through the soles of Clarks in a few weeks. I don't care about scuffing or them looking new but I do care about feet staying dry.

way2 Would DMs be acceptable at school? I can see we'll have similar problems when DS1 is at secondary - currently size 5 at age 9.

[Chippednailvarnish]

I took the advice on the thread and returned Ds's Geox shoes to the store.
They replaced them straight away, checked they were still the correct size and said if there were any problems in the next 12 months to return them. I'm going to be buying Geox shoes From now and I've even started a new thread to spread the word!

[oscarwilde]

Haven't tried these but saw them highly recommended on school shoe threads back in September. Having seen SA roads first hand, they might be worth a try.
www.tougheesshoes.co.uk/

[oscarwilde]

Out of interest, does anyone have their kids in Dr Marten's shoes? Do they wear well?
uk.drmartens.com/uk/Kids/Kids-Juniors/Dr-Martens-Everley-Kids-Shoe/p/15378001

[marriedinwhiteisback]

dd had a pair of DM Mary Janes with a little strap and buckle when she was about 8 I think. They were fabulous and worked well for her wide, square feet and high instep too. Her feet never grew very quickly and I think we got at least a year out of them but as I have said up thread her shoes seem to last a long long time anyway.