Should a shoe keep your feet dry when it rains?

[toot]

I bought a pair of clarks softies 3 weeks ago for £39.

Last night, while out walking (on the pavement) in Henleaze (north Bristol) it started to rain. By the time I got home, perhaps a ten min walk, my big toes on both feet where wet.

Thinking there must be a glue or sewing fault at the top of each shoe,I took the shoes back today.

The shop concerned is KG STABB ltd, 64 Westbury Hill, Westbury on trym . The owner told me that shoes are not waterproof unless they explicitly say that they are, so I had no reason to complain.

I pointed out that I hadnt been striding through wetland reed beds or paddling on the seashore but only walking in a town but Mr Stabb was having non of it. The shoes were wet he said, I should let them dry and put some cream on them (??!!).

He has my shoes at his shop this evening as my husband has persuaded him to think about the situation and get back to me tomorrow.

Is it me or do other Mumsnetters expect their shoes to keep their feet dry if it starts raining when they are out?

Any ideas as to what I should do next?

Tricky one.

You described the shoes as 'softies'. By the description I wouldn't have expected a waterproof shoe - and it is usually recommended that most styles of shoes should be pretreated with protective coatings or shore polish BEFORE wearing them (though I don't know many people who would go to the trouble).

But all the same ... this is Britain! Surely most shoes should be at least showerproof!

I would recommend you try contacting your local Trading Standards office for advice before going back to the shop.

Hope you are in the right and not the not-very-helpful Mr Stabb! Good Luck.

Call your local trading standards and ask what they think. I would have thought shoes ought to keep your feet dry in the rain (depends what they're like I suppose - if they were glitzy little dancing shoes then praps not!).

I wouldn't necessarily expect shoes to be impervious to rain unless they were sold as being water/shower proof, like Church's or Aquaskips (if you still get those??).

I wouldn't expect them to be waterproof especially if they are leather. Leather absorbs moisture and lets your foot breathe.

Dubbin etc can help to make a show more waterproof but even that isn't foolproof.

Thanks all for your thoughts. Will report back. Any mumsnetters in Bristol beware of the shop though!

Have you got an address or phone number for that?

toot, the Clarks website has a FAQ section under the Contact Us link - one of the questions is about whether their shoes are waterproof - does that help at all?

Thanks beetroot and pimpernel. I did think of the internet to complain but only managed to find millions of sites thst sell shoes, not the company itself.

DH has just rung and seems to think that Mr Stabb (who has had my shoes for 2 days now) has had second thoughts and will maybe exchange or give me a credit note - we`ll see.

DH returned home this pm with a new pair of shoes. I`ll still avoid the shop though - too much bad grace.