Selfridges refusing to refund £875 shoes- help!

[Shoedisastor]

I ordered a pair of Louboutins on selfridges online to wear for my wedding day. This is the second pair I’ve ordered online. The first were from flannels. Ordered them tried them on, on carpet, way too big in size so I sent them back and they refunded me a couple of days later. They didn’t have the size down in stock but Selfridges did so I ordered from there. They came I tried them on, again on carpet and didn’t love them on me so took them back to the Selfridges store. The staff were really helpful and suggested I try them on in a different colour and I loved them and asked to exchange mine. They said since my shoes were an online purchase they need to go back online. Since it was only 2 weeks till my wedding I bought the new pair in store (as the tailors need me to be wearing my shoes for the final fit of my suit) and I repackaged my shoes and sent them back to Selfridges. A few days later they’ve contacted me to say they’ve rejected my return as the shoes are damaged (red sole). Ive emailed back (and called) and explained that I only tried my shoes on carpet and sent them straight back! I packaged them up in their original packaging, dust bags and packing intact exactly as they arrived to me. As I did with the first pair I returned. They were pristine when they left me. Am I going to have no choice but to accept these shoes back? (That I won’t wear and don’t suit me)

@StormingNorman - she doesn't need to prove anything because she's not the one alleging anything. The store are alleging she damaged them...where is there evidence?

The question posed to Selfridges is basically rhetorical

How would the returns department handle it if a customer said they'd received something damaged and not even tried it on? Why would they believe you hadn't caused the damage?

OP - did the shoebox contain something to separate each shoe when they were nestling in the box? Like a big piece of foam or something spongy to bear any impact and stop the heels indenting the sole of the other? If not, it should have done and the packaging was inadequate.

Rooting for you for a full refund.

I hope you get them sorted! Naughty of selfridges!

This is why I would never buy the red soles because I just could be bothered with the red paint scratching etc.

I would name and shame them on twitter and isnta. Tag laboutin make it known they're your wedding shoes

I’d be bloody furious with that and would demand a refund.

The only high end jewellery I’ve had is from Tiffany, Boodles and Van Cleef & Arpels and Bvlgari. Latter 3 all gifts and first too though I did buy some of my own Tiffany.

I never needed to return anything nor was anything damaged but I’d have created pure hell if it wasn’t put right whether it’s a £10 Top Shop/Oliver Bonas piece or a £300 Tiffany one.

In my other post, I forgot it wasn’t typed properly, the boutique sent my shoes to Patrick Cox which they repaired (I could’ve stuck them back on myself!). I wasn’t savvy enough at the time to insist I contact Patrick Cox myself but then again I’d bought the shoes from the boutique (similar to Matches) so presumably my contract of sale was with them and not with Patrick Cox.

It was quite interesting, at the same time my office had moved from Soho to Brick Lane and we had loads of sample sales and shoe/clothes y/warehouses on our doorstep or nearby.

We got chatting down the pub one night to a quality control person for one of these places and he told us which ones he thought were “good” (designer) and where he wouldn’t bother with as he thought they were badly made. There were a few places including a great shoe shop at the top of Liverpool Street station where you could get amazing shoes which were designer lookalikes.

Almost once a month we’d go to sample sales and one colleague would buy and sell on on eBay for a profit some of these. Good for her! Got some good bargains especially at Orla Kiely and when we went to the Burberry place in Hackney too.

Sounds like someone in the returns dept is on the take to me...internal investigation required. Go up with the complaint.

It's insanity to make shoes with a red sole, if the red paint comes off so easily.
WHY don't they devise a better red sole that is red through and through, and doesn't wear so that to just looks shabby underneath?

2024. Nothing works mate

Can the OP prove what they looked like when she sent them back?

Unfortunately that’s the crux of it.

It’s not. It’s down to the company to prove that is not how she received them.

But the shoes obviously haven’t been worn outside. So the shop needs to prove what their issue is.

I would be wanting to know why they don't have protective plastic or something. Oh God OP, I don't have much faith this is going to turn out well.

Pay for it on credit card? Can you claim it's not of satisfactory quality or something? Can't you use things and return them if bought online?

It's not about them being worn outside. It's about them being damaged

Same thing happened to me at Selfridges, but with a Prada top. It arrived, I tried it on for about 3 seconds, it didn’t suit me and I quickly packaged it back up and sent it back. Received an email a few days later saying it had been rejected because of a “pen mark” and - this was the salt in the wound - it had a body odour smell. I was furious and convinced they had mixed up my return with someone else. I had tried it on for less than a minute, there was no way it could have smelt of body odour. I pushed and pushed for it to go higher up, until eventually I received a tracking link and they had just sent it back to me. I felt trapped. I received the piece back, it looked (and smelled!) pristine. I even had other people check it, just to make sure I didn’t have a BO issue that I wasn’t aware about. Mortifying.

I can’t work out how they justified it, it felt like a blatant lie on their part perhaps to hit a target of rejected returns.

I’m sorry that this has happened to you too. I felt my consumer rights had been violated and I sense you do too.

I wish I had thought of trying a charge back. I ended up selling the top on vinted - at a loss.

That’s disgusting. I don’t often order high value clothes, shoes or bags online (did like MyTheresa though!) but whatever I’ve bought online eg Karl Lagerfeld trainers recently if there was a mark or something I’d definitely complain and to be fair most online retailers that me and friends/family use, they never have any issues. If there are we’d expect it to be resolved. This also goes for sites like Brand Alley.

I’d feel similar re consumer rights being violated though if I was basically accused like OP and yourself of “lying” about the state a top/shoes are in. It’s very bad customer service and PR by these shops. It was bad enough buying a pair of shoes and the diamanté coming off easily when I knew all I’d done in them was gone to a club done a bit of dancing but certainly not ran around all night in them (weren’t that comfy either!) and the bloody diamanté trim started coming off the straps! Something was obviously off with the making of the shoes but that’s not my issue. It’s a quality control one. Should never have been allowed to leave the factory and be sent to a shop.

From this thread it’s put me off ordering from Selfridges so there you go Selfridges you’ve lost an online customer.

She’s alleging she didn’t damage them.

@StormingNorman - yeah, that's not the actual fact pattern though, is it? Selfridges threw the first allegation.

I am actually a solicitor.

This seems to be a common thing for Selfridges - reading this thread? Maybe this needs looking at as it’s avoiding consumer rights obligations. I wouldn’t order anything from there now!

Selfridges have form for this, I bought a very expensive Victoria Beckham bodysuit from them and tried it on super quick (with underwear on!) and they rejected my return saying it had been worn and was dirty.

I could not remember the exact condition of it when I tried it on but knew I had not worn it. I was actually quite offended that they were accusing me of this! I pushed back and had multiple emails back and forth with their customer service, I was adamant about it not being worn and saying if it was in worn condition they should not have posted it out like that. I asked for photos and they sent me a blurry picture which didn’t help with either case!

It went on for about two weeks and then they suddenly said they’d made a mistake and would refund me the full amount which was a huge relief.

In future if I buy something expensive from them I will make sure I video / take photos when unwrapping and when sending back as I never want to be in that situation again.

Isn’t it sort of madness that the most distinctive thing about the shoes is the very thing which marks and scratches at even the sight of a non-carpeted floor?! As someone else has said, perhaps they are only meant to be worn by people who move down a red carpet strip from their limousine!

But they’e not damaged, so the shop needs to prove what is wrong with them that a non discerning party can’t see.

I had similar with a lost mobile of mine somewhere very public - they were trying to tell me it wasn't there when I could see it was on locate my device. Someone in their lost property dept then tried to get me to send the PAC code, presumably so they could sell it on! I complained to their HO as someone was clearly doing this with purpose. I got it back 2 days later.

I guess it must be tempting if expensive things are sent to you daily to try your luck? Horrible to have to prove and fight for it though.

Tbh after this thread I really think they will be selling less of these!

I can’t actually see the issue in the photos? They definitely don’t look worn?

I found selfridges to be really tricky and crap customer services too - I ordered an expensive package of clothing which was shown as delivered but nowhere to be seen.

I called and queried it and they told me it was for me to raise a dispute with the courier rather than them (not legally true). I did and the courier rang me to say it had been delivered and couldn’t say more. I rang selfridges again and again they said until I’d raised a formal dispute with the courier company they would do nothing.

eventually I found the package (left in a bin!) which I did not consent to so didn’t need to pursue.

But selfridges total lack of regard for the law (the responsibility remains with them until delivered unless you opt for delivery to a ‘safe place’ which I hadn’t) and refusal to help me really put me off ever ordering from them again.

So glad I don't shop with them and hope this thread goes viral

It’s eye opening about Selfridges - speaks volumes about their business values.

I’ve bought from Netaporter and Matches online and never had this problem.