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)

This is the obvious problem that comes with a shoe with red soles that mark so easily 😂

Which they have done with pictures. It’s the OPs move and without any further evidence, they won’t get very far.

Ah, the vultures are gathering. Ignore, OP.

Keep up the charm offensive: broken record technique — I only tried the shoes on briefly on carpet, I only tried the shoes on briefly on carpet. Go to the store if you can and photograph the soles of several pairs of Louboutins on display for comparison. If appropriate say you're rather shocked to have been sold a pair that seem to have been on public display and tried on by other people. Ask whether they can prove that the shoes they sent back to you are the pair you returned to them, because you have your doubts. Eventually, if they keep this up, mention the Sale of Goods Act and the Small Claims Court. Link to this thread. You'll get your money back.

You can also try the consumer champion of your favourite newspaper:
Sally Hamilton at the Mail and Telegraph (I think)
https://twitter.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fsallymhamilton
Guardian [email protected]
Most newspaper and magazines have them.

Hmm, no. They would need before and after pictures showing the serial number for that one pair of shoes. They only have an after picture. Proves zero.

I’m shocked they are even fighting this, it’s not like the OP didn’t buy another pair from them so they can see she is a customer who has spent (lots) of money on shoes. Why would they want to loose a customer like that ? They are barely damaged if they were walked on there would be a lot more damage

Did you buy them on a credit card? Ask your bank to do a charge back.

My DD had a long running argument over several days with John Lewis over a similar priced item. They wouldn't budge.

She posted a review on Trust Pilot, within 30 minutes she was offered a full refund and £150 on top as a goodwill gesture.

They were 'hopeful she would consider editing her review'.

They should supply them with a film covering the sole like they do with gloss furniture! Like a pp has suggested I would go into a store and check the condition of the soles of the display shoes.

I think Louboutins are pretty much the worst example of capitalism

The soles are designed to immediately lose their red sole as you're only supposed to wear them from limousine to carpeted restaurant

Anyone with the sole with the red worn immediately looks like they can't afford them

I think they're supposed to show your rich enough to only wear shoes once

Selfridge's would no doubt contest it and even if initially granted it may be overturned and the amount recharged to the card.

@Shoedisastor

Nope, I’d go full ballistic on this one!!

Online search for email of CEO of Selfridges, or escalate, escalate, escalate.

Chances are they have been identified, correctly or incorrectly, as having been worn and then a refusal to refund was submitted by a customer service agent. They probably did a hundred things that day and they probably didn't pay too much attention to the whole thing.

When you write back to say this isn't acceptable and you would like them to look into whether the shoe was a display or a return and you want the money back, they'll will throw it up the chain to a supervisor and they will spend more time investigating it or will refund it.

I love the idea that the managers at Selfridges have got around a table to screw a customer out of a refund and carefully considering the impact on their brand, but it's just a bunch of people rattling through a process.

The marks in the left hand photo look like they go under the sticker. In which case they were sent out like that.

It's a groove in the leather but the red doesn't look scraped away?

Definitely fight it.

@Shoedisastor

From a quick online search maybe this??

[email protected]

I haven't read all the messages. But raise a claim with PayPal or your card company. You have proof that the item was returned and received by them. It is then for the retailer to dispute the claim and I would think it unlikely that they will.

I bought a pair from Selfridges last summer
they had the clear protective thing on the sole so you could try them on without damaging them

OP, please don't waste your time taking photos of other pairs.

All you need to say in your next email with them is

1. Consumer Rights Act 2015
2. Small claims court

And where in No 1 it says you have to prove you didn't damage the shoes. It's impossible to prove something that's not there.

You're going to have to get shitty. One terse email and it's over.

I am a solicitor. I've had these fights a thousand times. Ignore the posters saying XYZ is a problem. It's not.

I suspect they're a previous return. Someone has worn them once returned and got away with it.

Exactly. I would die. on. this. hill.

Did you tell them this is how they arrived OP?

i would quote the Consumer Rights Act 2015 - have a quick google and find your statutory rights under sale of goods. Send this to Selfridges and state by law they owe you a refund.

if they still refuse, forward this all to PayPal when you open a dispute. Failing that, I would sell them on eBay.

I would try not to get into any sort of discussion with them, but just repeat you absolutely followed their instructions about trying on at home on clean carpet. So there is no way any damage occurred with you and you expect a refund. Just repeat and escalate to a more senior person.

They said since my shoes were an online purchase they need to go back online.

That contradicts their online statement re returns :
Store and online purchases can be returned to any of our four stores within 14 days.

Anyone on Twittex? Just tweeting Selfridges with a link to this thread should do the trick. Bad publicity on MN is something no one wants.

Are your wedding shoes still unworn and the same shoe? Take a pic of them and say it is the shoe before it left you. Close up pic that could be any shoe same as they have sent.

I'm over-invested but I am so sick of luxury companies giving piss poor service.

I'd tweet them, and also tell them if this is not resolved this week you'll be cc'ing your lawyer to take over from you and when it gets to small claims you will include costs (this lawyer will be £1000 an hour) + default interest rate from the day they refused your refund. From memory, default interest is like 4% or something so do the maths for them - the price of shoes + number of days this has been going on + interest rate etc etc

I'm prepared to front as your lawyer and give them my SRA ID, because sadly, only will strong arming them immediately get them to do the right thing all along: refund you.