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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Should dd's shoes have lasted longer?

27 replies

sapphirestar · 15/02/2014 20:35

I bought dd a pair of £45 startrite shoes when she started school in September. Last week she came home with a hole in the leather on the top of one of the her shoes, the bit that gets scuffed IYSWIM? The rest of the shoes are hardly showing any wear at all.

I thought oh well, looks like we need to go shoe shopping but several people have commented that they should have lasted longer and that replacing them should be due to dd outgrowing them (they still fit fine, her feet don't grow much now).

What would you do? Should I try to take them back to the shop (I still have the receipt) or admit they've had a good life and replace?

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cakebar · 15/02/2014 20:39

Don't know but I have had to replace shoes this month too and I wasn't impressed. I think they should last until they don't fit anymore.

MissWimpyDimple · 15/02/2014 20:41

You could try it, but I suspect that they will say that it has been too long.

What they may do is measure your child's feet and if they are still the same size I think you could possibly argue that you shouldn't have to buy another pair in the same size. If it's a bigger size then I can't see you would get away with it.

WeAllHaveWings · 15/02/2014 20:44

Ds's startrites lasted from August to December before he wore the sole out on one shoe. He always gives one foot lots of abuse playing footie at break and lunchtimes.

The tops of the shoes looked brand new still, but I replaced with same style as the clarks ones we used to buy only lasted 8 weeks last time.

Also Interested to hear if anyone would and have had success in complaining.

Original poster

sapphirestar · 15/02/2014 20:50

Thanks for the replies, may well see what the shop say then, the worst they can say is no! The soles are totally intact, showing no signs of coming apart, as clarks shoes seem to do for us.

As an aside, how the hell has she managed to put a hole in the leather on top of the shoe??!!

OP posts:

Grittzio · 15/02/2014 20:53

I bought my DD Clarkes shoes last Sept which fell apart, I took them back a month ago and as her feet hadn't grown they were replaced free of charge, no quibble.

KidsDontThinkImCool · 15/02/2014 20:54

I think a pair of school shoes lasting September to Feb is pretty reasonable and would definitely not be asking to return them. I once returned a pair DS managed to make holes in in only 3 weeks but that was an exception.

CouthyMow · 15/02/2014 21:07

I expect shoes to last September to February if not grown out of - that's half the school year. My DC's have always been hard on shoes due to walking funny (through having hypermobility syndrome) though. Anything I get past February is a bonus in my eyes.

DS1's ARE looking rather ropey so might have to be replaced over half term. Ditto DD's, but hers definitely need replacing as she's gone up half a size too recently.

DS2 has Hospital boots, only got new ones in November as he'd grown, so still ok.

DS3 needs new shoes.

CouthyMow · 15/02/2014 21:09

In 12 years of having DC's at school, I've only returned 2 pairs of shoes. One for DD in Y7, where they cost me £52 (!) and fell apart in 3 days (!!), another where DS1's soles started flapping after only a month.

First pair I got refunded and went elsewhere, second pair the shop replaced.

Original poster

sapphirestar · 15/02/2014 21:10

Kids that's exactly what I thought too but others got me doubting myself so that's why I thought I'd see what the general consensus is.
Seeing as I gave up on Clarks a couple of years ago and I need to go back to the same shop to get more startrites, I'll just have a chat with the staff and see what they say. I definitely won't be going in all guns blazing and demanding a refund!!

OP posts:

CouthyMow · 15/02/2014 21:10

I can explain the hole in the top of the shoe phenomenon.

Child sits on seat, feet dangling. Swings legs backwards and forwards. Top of shoe constantly scuffs floor, more friction. Ergo, hole in top of shoe.

DD kept doing this, until I found out how she was doing it when I helped out in class one day!

ReindeerBollocks · 15/02/2014 21:11

We had Lelli Kelli's for DD bought in sept and the Velcro has gone on them this week. I thought six months was too long to complain about them but have learnt my lesson and have bought replacement shoes at a fraction of the cost!

Hope you get somewhere with your complaint OP.

LIZS · 15/02/2014 21:12

A term and half is ok.

MirandaWest · 15/02/2014 21:14

DS had shoes that came apart after 3 weeks once. Shoe shop told me he must have been too hard on them. I felt too embarrassed to make a fuss . Would be less accepting now I think.

Privilegeismine · 15/02/2014 21:18

DS had new kickers in september. By Christmas he had a hole in one of them and the other was very close. I blame the swinging on chair scuffing on the floor thing.........

Original poster

sapphirestar · 15/02/2014 21:27

The swinging on the chair thing makes sense, only dd doesn't have desks and chairs in her classrooms!!

I also think 2 pairs a year isn't bad going, so will take them with me as am going to buy new ones and just mention it so see if they offer any goodwill gestures. Not going to complain or kick up a fuss, am fully expecting to have to pay full price for a new pair. I hate the 'wanting something for nothing' attitude.

The reason I got the most expensive pair last time is that dd was a toe walker and we were advised to get the stiffest pair (ie most expensive) pair we could find to try and deter her. She's had treatment for her toe walking since then so we won't need to be as extreme this time.

Miranda I did make a fuss over the clarks shoes that only managed 5 weeks of occasional wear!

OP posts:

UniS · 15/02/2014 21:36

Nearly six months including some dreadful wet weather isn't ridiculous for a pair of kids shoes to be worn out. kids are hard on shoes and they wear them out side, running around, crawling, kneeling etc which is much harder wear than an adult gives shoes.

The chap who makes DS's shoes ( odd shape feet) re-soles for free if they need it in the first term but after that I pay for repairs, DS has up to now needed at least one re-sole a school year.

nonicknameseemsavailable · 15/02/2014 21:51

DD1 wears through the inside of her shoes. no idea how. last year she got from Sept to May which was very good really but annoying so close to the end of the year. anyway that pair she wore a hole in the insole under the ball of her foot/big toe. as her feet had actually JUST made it into the next size we got the next size up rather than try fitting an insole inside.

that pair she has now worn through the inside of the upper at the heel. again no idea how. so will have to examine them properly this week as she was complaining about them the other day and I expect I will have to replace. with any luck her feet might have grown to make it worth my while. I suppose it is 4 half terms they have lasted and the first pair did 5 half terms so it could be worse. DD2's shoes had to be replaced in December (bought for starting school in sept) because her feet had grown.

kids are expensive aren't they.

Original poster

sapphirestar · 15/02/2014 22:01

They are but I want to give her the best I can afford, she does have to spend all day in them! Bad timing really because we are moving house and I need to buy a washing machine and fridge/freezer in the next couple of weeks!

OP posts:

SpaceKoala · 15/02/2014 22:07

Tweet them..
I did about start rite shoes that were faulty within a month.
They replied very swiftly, and were lovely.
They asked me to send the shoes to them to get checked by quality department, as the fault should not have happened.
They send me a voucher for a new pair.
Excellent customer service
Didn't go to shop as lost receipt..

crashbangboom · 17/02/2014 07:01

I buy vivo barefoot as they have a one year guarantee. Only a little bit more expensive than Clark's/startrite

Original poster

sapphirestar · 17/02/2014 20:03

Well the woman was very nice and said as dd was still measuring the exact same size she'd see if she could do anything. Came back and said it was just normal wear and tear and just unfortunate.
Fair enough really and as I knew what size to get I've ordered a pair off Startrite's ebay outlet for £26 instead of the normal £40ish. They even had her current shoes for £26 even though they are still retailing at £45 in the shops!

OP posts:

DalmationDots · 17/02/2014 20:36

DD used to find (And still does sometimes aged 21) that because of the angle of her big toenail, even when cut short, it would make holes in that area of the toe.
You'd think it wouldn't happen on £45 leather shoes but sadly DDs found this happens to most of her shoes however much she spends on them.
Other than keeping her toe nail very short or wearing thicker socks there isn't much she can do.
I don't know if it is the same issue for your DD (this didn't happen for my DD until she was older) and it is worth looking into ways to prevent it or if it was just usual wear and tear.

frogs · 18/02/2014 08:35

Get Toughees school shoes instead. They are the dog's wotsits of school shoes - they're a South African brand which are now available in the UK. They have some kind of covering to the leather which means they actually do not scuff, it's weird but amazing. And they don't need polishing, just a wipe with a damp cloth.

Dd has the ones called 'Christine' on that link, that look a bit like Dr Martens. She has worn them since September, has played football in them multiple times, and I swear they look virtually new. I don't know how they do it but they're blardy fantastic - I will never go back to Startrite or Clarks. And they're cheaper than the main brands too.

Jinsei · 19/02/2014 08:26

I bought a pair of shoes from Clarkes for dd in late August, and took them back last month as they had fallen apart. They replaced them free of charge, but they did say we'd have had to pay something if dd's size had changed. Luckily it hadn't! :)

Journeytolight · 19/02/2014 10:11

It happens I guess with all the running around they do and jumping in puddles. DDs try and take care of their shoes, not exactly working till now.

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