Clarks shoe fiasco

[ApolloRain]

I just went into Clarks as the sole had begun to come away from the front of my daughter’s school shoes. I purchased them late Aug and obvs she didn’t start wearing them until term began. Well I just be naive because I expected them to be really helpful, I have only ever bought them Clarks for school and never had another other than great service and shoes. Well the lady was vile! She said I hadn’t looked after them and it’s normal wear and tear, she was referring to the bottom being dirty and inside where the sole had come away having some dust inside. It is her first year of secondary so not running around on a playground and school is a short walk away. I said as much and that they had been properly polished weekly and have never had issues before. She was really rude and in front of my 11year old, I am truly baffled. I said they have been worn for 35 days total, surely for £50 they shouldn’t fall apart after that? However she totally disagreed. I went in fully thinking it would be a helpful/polite process as it was when I made the purchase and have walked out utterly shocked?

You came into contact with a nasty twat unfortunately OP.

I don’t think it has anything to do with Clark’s as a brand - the one near me are pretty good.

I would definitely make a formal complaint. Maybe name and Shane which branch on here too and on their social media.

We don't have school shoes, but my kids and most of their friends live in non-branded croc equivalents - I usually pay around £10 per pair ish. They are light, incredibly hard wearing, comfy, waterproof, and practical (albeit nobody could argue they are smart!) and the kids all choose them over most other footwear unless wellies are required.

They wear them every day, walk miles, run around, climb, play sports etc in them and they probably need a new pair every 9-12 months. I wonder why schools don't sanction a broader range of footwear - surely restrictive rules are playing into the hands of crappy shoe-charlatans like Clarkes!

I believe the 3 month guarantee is for fit. So if they were still in good condition after say four months but your child outgrew them at that point, they wouldn’t replace under their guarantee.

That doesn’t change the fact they should last longer than they have for OP though.

I bought these exact shoes for my DD last year and the same thing happened! They gave me a refund without complaint.

I've always found Deichmans or Shoezone better for school shoes. Don't need breaking in like Clarks either.

My Granddaughter had these shoes and the same problem, Clarks changed them without fuss.

Did you not spray them with some weather protector spray? They just look to me like they've got wet and been dried out a few times. I used to get my DD shoes like these from Clarks and never had this problem.

Although not Clarks purchase a certain brand name of shoes I, have had a few pairs of the same type in the past, and as the latest are wearing a bit thin I purchased another pair, online as before as I don't get into London to there nearest store...
What utter rubbish arrived, looked identical but the shoes were so light in weight and both upper and sole materials used were nothing like my original pair, you could look at them an see the'd started using inferior materials.
Size wise they'd also seemed to have done what food manufacturers do and shrunk the sizing, not something that should apply to footwear.

I've found the quality of Clarks seem to have fallen dramatically in the last few years and after the last pair which lasted less than half a term I just gave up. DS is not the sort to play football etc. his shoes should have lasted way longer than they did.

DD now 19 is nearly 7 years older than DS and never really had problems with Clarks when she was in primary so I think they have suddenly got worse and a lot more expensive

This time we went to M&S where they had a range of school shoes in most sizes in styles he was happy to wear at a lower price and they seem a lot more robust.

No more Clarks for us and I won't miss them either.

As soon as DS's feet have stopped growing I'll get him DM shoes which is what DD had for the last couple of years of senior school and is still using - expensive but they last.

Clarks shoes are utter garbage. We always found it difficult to get decent quality girls' school shoes anywahere, but stopped trying Clarks very quickly when we realised what poor quality products they are. One of those cases where higher prices = lower quality.

I never but Clarks anymore, the quality is really poor. I've bought M&S the last couple of years and the quality is much better.

They’ve definitely gone downhill since my son was at school.

I had a similar experience with Clarks in September after years of good service with them.
My daughter got some school shoes just before the term started. They look identical to the ones your daughter has, OP. When she tried them on she insisted they were too tight. The woman kept saying "They fit perfectly! It's just because you're used to wearing crocs. They'll stretch after a few days.". I trusted her as the expert. After three weeks of my daughter hobbling to and from school, her toes being squashed up and her feet bleeding, we decided to go back to Clarks (a different branch and a different woman).
The woman treated us so rudely! Her whole manner was just aggressive and confrontational while I was being extremely polite. Again they started saying "They fit perfectly. It's because you're used to cross." My daughter wasn't even wearing crocs. Is this what they to all kids now?? I could see they were too tight and not stretching. I could see my daughter's toes were squashed and bleeding but they just kept saying they were a perfect fit.
They sent us away but I decided to go back an hour later. This time they let us exchange the shoes at no extra cost but again, they were rude about it.
What is happening with them?? They've always been so polite and friendly before. I feel like maybe they've been told not to accept so maby returns now. Maybe they're losing lots of money. However, I don't understand why they've suddenly become so rude and aggressive.

We got new wellies for DS from clarks less than 2 months ago and he has already worn holes in the soles. He is an active toddler but it's an indication of increasingly poor quality there sadly.

Definitely contact head office and tell them that their store manager threw a box of shoes at you!

Mine are boys and younger so not necessarily useful to the OP, but we have always found M&S school shoes to be better quality than clarks and slightly cheaper.

Clarks are a strange company, some products last for years. I bought 2 pairs one black one brown over 20 years ago and the black faded quite quickly and needed polishing every time I wore them. The brown I'm still wearing after being 're soled and healed.

A couple of years ago I wanted some dessert boots. The ones I wanted were unavailable anywhere and my friend, who was a manager at their head office couldn't even get hold of a pair. Despite them being the latest ones out!

So she threw things at you, abused, belittled and insulted you? Are you exaggerating a little, and how did you speak to her?

We had a similar issue with Hoka trainers and were told that they were only for a certain amount of miles. They hadn’t even been worn for running / exercise!

If you are still upset with their attitude in the morning then send an email to their head office

I fund it very odd and misleading that you didn’t say in your original post that she had actually given you a new pair, even though it doesn't excuse her rudeness.

Clarks used to be good but are poor quality now and not a great fit. I always buy Startrite. The last pair I bought lasted more than a year and was only retired as DC’s feet had grown. They have an Outlet. Toezone are a reasonable budget alternative.

I stopped buying Clark's even they refused to sell DD a pair of "boys" shoes.

I accept than men and women have different shaped feet, but my best-friend/podiatrist assures me that this is not the case age 3.

That's awful, very shoddily made and the creaes at the top suggest they don't fit and are too big even with growing room.

I had the exact same issue with a pair of Clarks shoes last year. They lasted around 26 weeks before the sole came off. They replaced them for us, rightly so. Email them instead.

Yes, I agree. They're totally living off their name and reputation.