Clarkes shoes badly fitted - anyone else had this, did they refund after wearing them?

[biddlybop]

Went to Clarkes at the weekend for some winter shoes for DD (2.5 years). Chose some little boots. Got them fitted by a member of staff. She had worn them out a couple of times but spent a lot of time in the car so not a huge amount of walking.

Today we went for a walk and I realised it sounds like they're slopping about on the back. She then fell over so I picked her up and we walked home to change shoes. Her feet started coming out the back of them whilst being carried and when we got home she just slipped her feet out of them.

Called the shop and they've said go with receipt and they'll rectify it but she has scuffed the side of them when she fell over and I'm slightly concerned that I'll be travelling 45 mins to Clarkes to be told they won't refund a £48 pair of badly fitting shoes (that they fitted) due to this. Anyone else had this issue? Did they refund you?

Getting a bit sick of Clarkes tbh, prefer Asda shoes and they cost me a fraction of the price.

I have had this, my DD wore them for about a week so clearly didn't look new when I returned them. It was no problem. They refitted them. Chose a different style. All no extra cost.

If you are taking them back after a week or so thats fine....any longer and they will say ( politely) that you are taking the piss.....but I think you already know this

kitcat15 I'd go tomorrow but I'm working and the shop is quite a drive away so too late to be dragging a toddler to a shoe shop...it will be 6 days by the time we can go.

When DD was 2, I bought some from Clarkes that DD grew out of within 2 weeks. I had gone to a store other than my usual one, so I took the shoes back to my usual store, who measured her feet and said I should never have been sold those shoes.

They exchanged them for a pair that fit properly.

Happened to me about 19 years ago , feet measured and wore shoes but they kept slipping off , I did get a refund although they were worn but not sure if they’ll do that now , but I would insist if I was you.

Happened to my dd, we were out and she was crying. The skin on her ankle had rubbed and was bleeding.
Clarke’s refunded the money and told me to go to the Start Rite shop.
She has narrow feet and Clarke’s were just not suitable.

Thanks, from the posts here it sounds like I'll hopefully get either a return or a credit note. Thankfully no damage done to DDs feet from them but they are way too big.

Clarks’ shoes are wide, it’s important to get properly fitted shoes if you can afford them but I avoid Clarks like the plague… other brands are much better

Clarks are dreadful. I don't get the fascination. Why would a teenager / iPad fit shoes better than you?

I do not rate clarks at all. I have always bought startrite for my DC.
When I get shoes for my DC I do the checking. I will check the length and make them walk. I will feel for toes and see for any room. I figure as a mum of 6 i am more knowledgeable than most of the so called fitters. Next time if I was you I would check yourself and if your not happy say so. Mums know best as they say 💐

Similar thing happened and after a lot of pushing they exchanged for another pair although conveniently the other pair was much more expensive (but allegedly the only pair in store in the right size…).

They did do what they could to avoid having to exchange and I will never go back to them now.

This happened to us we took the shoes on holiday so was over a week. Think we exchanged them.

Wasn’t the only bad experience we had so now go to a local independent shop and they have a range of brands including startrite.

There are cheaper options but my eldest has school shoes and one pair of trainers and my youngest the one pair so it’s not too bad.

Happened to me at the beginning of term. Ds wore the shoes a few days but it was clear they didn’t fit. I did ring up to check they would exchange them and I they did.
There are no independent shoe shops within an hours drive so it’s really difficult

I once took DC to our local store to be measured & around 2 weeks later they were too small.

I returned them where I bought them & was told ‘well you have to expect their feet grow’ I said ‘not by more than a size in 2 weeks!’. I got the exchange & I never went to that branch again & chose to drive further to a store where he was always measured correctly in.

Clarks are very poor quality shoes, never mind the inconsistent quality of the fitting service. They seem to be trading on a very out of date reputation.

Try local independent shoe shops and look out for shops that stock brands like Bobux, Froddo, Geox, Ricosta, Start Rite.

You could see if there's a shop near you listed here www.fitkidsshoes.org/shoe-shops/

I had to phone customer services once from inside the shop when they refused to refund me a pair of shoes that had actually cut the inside of my then 1 yo’s feet. The shop assistant refused because they were from one of their outlets, I had bought them whilst on the way home from holiday and the shop was 2 hours away so I wasn’t going back. Customer services took my side and she was forced to refund me, she didn’t look happy about it . I would have understood if I had just changed my mind but they made my baby’s foot actually bleed!

We go to Deichmann now, much better service!

I've never had a problem with fittings at Clarks but we do only tend to get the first pair from there. I've always been told that if the fitting doesn't feel right in the first 4 weeks then to bring them back.

Thanks everyone, helpful replies.
Unfortunately we only have one independent shop near me that I know of, and to be honest they mostly cater for older women. We don't have a startrites either. There isn't much choice. This is a different Clarkes to the one I normally go to so I won't be going again. Fingers crossed we get our refund/exchange, sounds like we should do from what you have all said. Such a PITA to have to make the journey again.

Actually now that I think about it there is one shoe shop...Pavers? That is 25 mins from here. Never been in before.

If there's a Charles Clinkard near you, they're pretty good. They sell Clarks, Geox, Start-Rite and other brands.

We bought DD's school shoes from a Clarks outlet on holiday, she's worn them for 2.5mths and we've had to have the cobbler stick the soles back on twice and now they've gone again. I should have had more sense, last time we bought Clarks, they fitted them wrongly, wouldn't refund only replace, but didn't have the same style, the replacements weren't what we wanted and then they took all the skin off DD's heels. Gave up at that point and bought M&S, which were great. Have just been to M&S again to replace the current crap Clarks. Not sure what I can do about getting a refund from Clarks. But never again will I buy from them.

Why didn't you check yourself?I never had my kids shoes fitted by a store i simply check myself. And if the shoes fall off your kid when you pick them up they must have been like 2 sizes to big. So I know it was bad fitting from the store. But dont go complaining that you now need to drive 45 min back as you have to take some responsibility yourself as well as you didn't check if the shoes actually fitted well . Also what is this fascination with Clarks on MN?

We mostly use a local independent but they are awful at measuring (my nearest Clarks is way better but they’re 40 min drive away).

Anyway yes I have taken worn shoes back to the independent who took them back even though they’d been worn outside. I think the point is that they advertise themselves as being able to correctly fit shoes and if they mess up and put your child in badly fitted shoes (potentially damaging foot growth) then they basically have to write off the cost of replacing the shoe and its their fault for getting it so wrong…

Clarks fitted my son for some summer sandals once when he was a toddler, I questioned at the time if they had enough room but they said too much room at the front of a sandal would make him trip. Anyway, cut a long story short, he wore them for the first time and said they were hurting, when I looked they had actually made his feet bleed.

I took him back to another store to get remeasured, they couldn’t believe they had been fitted, they were a good full size too small. They exchanged them and said they would pass on a complaint to head office, I got an email a few days later with an apology and a £40 gift card. So in my experience they will be happy to correct the sizing!

My sons dad took him to clarks for boots when he was about 2.
ds wore them a couple of times but was uncomfortable/ complaining about his feet, when I checked they were 1 size smaller than his previous pair, also fitted by clarks
Ex took baby and too small shoes back to clarks for a refund, they would only exchange but he didn't trust them to fit new boots which wouldnt cause injury or discomfort to our baby after making such a cock up last time.
credit note was given but of course the price of a baby's boot doesnt go far towards the cost of pair of mens shoes which weren't wanted or needed.
Niether of us have ever spent a penny in Clark's since.
Ex would have had more chance of fitted shoes by picking 3 pairs at random in asda and had change into the bargain.