muddy muddles refusing to answer my calls, sent wrong size snowboots - what are my options?

[abdnhiker]

I ordered snow boots for my two boys (age 4 and 2) on November 3rd with Muddy Puddles www.muddypuddles.co.uk. They have been delayed in arriving due to stock problems and now when one pair finally arrived today (we're still waiting for the ones for my 2 year old) they have sent the wrong size (31/32 instead of 27/28). The boots are now completely sold out so I'm guessing that they will not be able to exchange it for the correct size.

I have been phoning and leaving messages this week to try to find out when the boots might arrive but I can't get anyone from customer service to call me back. Tonight when I called to ask about what to do about the wrong sizing, two separate individuals hung up on me. I did not raise my voice and yell either time, although I did cry the second time.

I'm actually starting to believe that they've sent the wrong size on purpose because they oversold them - the 31/32s weren't out of stock earlier in the week and I know the ones I wanted were. I'd not believe that except that they seem to recognize my name when I call which seems odd - like I'm on a list of expected callers.

It looks like I'm stuck with boots that are too big and can't be exchanged but I don't want to have to pay to return them - how can I get them to pay the return postage which I believe I'm entitled to (along with my refund) since they didn't send what I ordered (and what's clearly posted on the order sheet). What's the name of the consumer rights organization? I think I need to get them involved just to get my money back at this point. I'd love to get an apology but since they wont even return my calls, that's a long shot.

Also, with waterproof winter boots pretty much sold out across the country, anyone have any ideas for getting two pair? I'd order from North America but delivery times are about 4 weeks and that's half the winter. Can anyone point me to an EU site that has some?

On the other hand, anyone have used waterproof warm boots that would suit a 2 year old or a 4 year old that I could buy off them?

Waterproof world or skiwearservice no good?

waterproof world doesn't seem to have any and skiwearservice only has silver ones that look rather girlish in their sizes - but I am getting less picky.

thanks sleazy - have called the skiwearservice and spoke to a lovely lovely woman who's restored my faith in humanity and is trying to get us some snow boots as quick as possible - have convinced DS1 that the silver ones are buzz lightyear boots and he's willing to wear them.

Dear abdnhiker,
My name is Sarah Draper and I am the E-Marketing Manager at Muddy Puddles. I am so sorry to hear that we haven?t yet returned your call but we have been overwhelmed with orders in the exceptionally cold weather.

All returns are free of charge and we will issue a refund upon receipt of the incorrect boots.

Please email me your contact and order details to [email protected] and I will ensure that someone calls you first thing on Monday morning.

Many thanks

Sarah

I ordered some from amazon a couple of days ago so maybe they will have some left? In the past I've also used warmwellies.co.uk for neoprene lined wellies which are great.

I've just ordered some from here. They haven't arrrived yet (I only ordered them yesterday) so I can't comment on the service, but they do have stock.

These are the ones I ordered.

My reply to Sarah Draper:

Sarah.
Thank you for e-mailing My order details are copied at the bottom of this message.

I am very upset about the customer service I've been on the receiving end of. In total I've phoned about 7 times trying to find out about my order. You did call on friday afternoon but that was to return the call from Wednesday (and left a message, unfortunately I wasn't home) so I couldn't address the problem that we were sent the wrong size of boots.

I work on Mondays and Tuesdays and am not willing to take a call during working hours from your company because this has reduced me to tears several times already, and once while on the phone with you. As you are not saying that you can replace my sons boots with the correct size, then there's nothing at this late point other than compensation that I would be willing to discuss with you anyways.

I will return the boots that are too large once we have received the toddler size ones for my younger son. I expect they will be returned too since I've managed to find another company who was willing to send me boots immediately and where I could actually talk to someone who knew what their stock levels were.

The worst part is that we had your boots last year and really liked them so we put off buying boots to wait for yours. Because of brand loyalty, my children haven't had boots for the past week and a half of snow (over two feet where we live) and your company, until your message, did not show me any courtesy in returning phone calls and letting me know the status of my order.

I understand that you are very busy due to the snow but as a customer who ordered over a month ago and just wanted information, I think I can feel that we've been treated poorly. As for sending the wrong size boots, I do question whether it was an accident or a case of oversold stock since you have not offered to send the correct size immediately which I would expect under the circumstances. We were assured by the sales team when I did phone that orders would be dealt with in order of when they were placed, but even though we waited over a month, we did not receive our order and couldn't speak with anyone from customer services. It's upsetting and I will not be a customer from you again, regardless of the quality of your products.

thank you to everyone else who suggested alternate sources of boots! We've some on order from skiwearservice so I've fingers crossed that they fit the kids!

"compensation"?

soupdragon I don't think a small gesture would be unreasonable given the inconvienence. And I'm going to be giving a really nice bottle of wine to the neighbours who've been lending me their son's second pair of boots for my boy - which means that she's having to worry about her son having dry feet instead of just putting last years boots on him if his get wet so it's cost me money too. Honestly, that's the only thing that would make me believe that they aren't completely taking the piss in how I've been treated. I don't expect anything after the service I've had though and I am a bit cynical about how all of a sudden I get a response from mumsnet (without an offered solution please notice - they aren't saying they can fulfil my order).

waswondering we're in the shire but I had my DH scour the shops in town last month and he didn't find anything small enough (they have small feet) that wasn't a fortune.

You've told them you will not, under any circumstances, shop from them again and have accused them of deliberately sending you the wrong boots.

soupdragon - thanks for coming on this thread and suggesting options for me like all the other wonderful helpful mumsnetters.

One last though as I go to bed, I think why my email was as strongly worded as it is is because all my personal calls didn't get a response but one mention on mumsnet has them jumping in. But they still aren't saying they can fill my order - they aren't making it right - they could look me up (I'm the one who's phoned seven times in three days) and call me in person or just email me in private. But instead they've posted publically with a contact detail (I've tried contacting them already remember) but no assurance they will actually be able to make any of this okay.

I don't think you should use the word 'amyways' in a letter about bad customer service. You'll just look stupid.

And compensation for what exactly? She has said she will refund you as soon as she receives the boots back. And you aren't giving her a chance. You can't go by what she put here as a long term solution.

Write to her, a nice email stating how you feel, not demanding compensation (which is going to be what? Store credit, probably & you said you will never shop there again) or do you want your toddlers shoes for free?

differentnameforthis I'm okay with looking stupid by that standard. I've already sent the message - I just copied it in here because I didn't want this thread to look like muddy puddles were dealing with it when they haven't actually been in direct email or phone contact with me about sending the wrong boots.

And if you want to know what I really want - it's a timely refund honestly since I've got two sets of boots sitting on my credit card at the moment - these and the replacement set from a different company. But since I can't get a hold of them on the phone I'm a bit concerned about when that will actually be processed. They seem more concerned with trying to get new orders than dealing with ones they already had.

As for the nice email - I've tried the nice phone calls - repeatedly. I do not get a response. I've been hung up on, not phoned back when they said they would, and have received misleading information about my order. I do not have faith that a nice email will accomplish anything at this stage.

I see your point about how you've been treated but why haven't you sent the other boots back yet? Did you not realise it was freepost service? (Neither did I actually when I recently dealt with MP, it was only when I went looking for returns address I saw this was free).

Get the boots back and then you'll get you money back, which seems fair. But really, with the crying and stuff you seem to have really taken this terribly personally. Is all this upset really just about snowboots?

Well Sarah has come here & said she will make sure it is dealt with and to me, that it worth giving her the benefit of the doubt.

They can't help you till you have sent the boots back, so do that. Put in a covering letter to cancel the order & reimburse your cc. They won't do that unless you do what you need to do, and waiting until you get the other boots could delay it even further & then they may not do anything for you.

I know you are pissed off, but in dealing with these companies, it pays to be nice. They have your money. You want it back. Pissing them off won't achieve that!

wingandprayer I'll probably wait until the other set of boots to arrive before I send them back - they were mailed Friday so should be here tomorrow. Our post office is only open mornings so I'd have had to be on the ball to get them out first thing Friday morning (we live rurally) and at that point I was waiting for them to call me back to see if I should put exchange or refund on the order. I didn't realize it was freepost when I first posted here, I'm relieved that it is and that I don't have to pay for postage.

I know I may seem disproportionally upset, and perhaps I am a bit, but my older son does forest schools though at the local primary and there's a real need for insulated waterproof boots at this time of year. I'm also upset because all of this happened due to brand loyalty.

I'm not the only person to be very frustrated too - the local shoe shop (where I bought these boots last year) has been tearing their hair out trying to find out the status of their order too - they used the words "steaming mad" about muddy puddles.

different do you know Sarah then or have some connection with the company to know that they will be decent? Because I'm just going on my experiences with the company over the last month which has not been good.

"then they may not do anything for you" - I'm not sure what you mean by this? They do legally have to refund my money once I send the boots back though - they can't keep it (and I'm sure they wouldn't try, I am not trying to say that at all). They did not send what I ordered so a refund is legally necessary. Waiting to get the other boots will not make a difference to them refunding me, except to perhaps get a partial refund for one set a few days earlier.

I'm sorry, I must have missed the bit which said "please only post if you are going to agree with everything I've said and know where there are snow boots available in the middle of a dreadful week of snowy weather"

FWIW, i,ve always found Muddy Puddles to be fabulous. They once sent me a huge bag of items to use as raffle prizes for an local NCT event I was running. Someone has managed to pick up on your post here and contct you to try and sort this out.
That is pretty damn good service if you ask me.

It is a bit late now as you have ordered but I got dd snow boots in Millets on Union Street the other day.
They had various sizes in the boys ones and the girls ones.

Um... send the boots back (free) for a refund. And stop making so much fuss.

Blimey.

No, I don't know Sarah, nor the company. I am in Australia & never heard of them before your post.

I guess I just see that you have had her personal assurance that she will sort this for you & therefore you should give her the benefit of the doubt. You haven't had that level of customer service from them before, so it may be worth just seeing how it pans out.

Saying they may not do anything for you, means that the longer you keep the item, the more inclined they will be to think that you want them! You say they are due Monday, but there is no guarantee that they will arrive then, is there? Especially as the post is probably delayed due to weather. They don't have to keep the offer of a refund open to you indefinitely.

I would send the ones I have back & deal with the others when they arrive, tbh.

soupdragon - could it hurt to post about Ford if they owe you a hire car? Somtimes you do need to complain to get decent service.

I'm glad that muddy puddles have been good to you in the past, I wish I'd had a similar experience. I have had several assurances of return phone calls though and this hasn't happened so I'm a bit sceptical at this point.

justjules when I posted initally I was desperate for boots and did not realize I had free return postage. I now have boots ordered with a different company thanks to everyone's suggestions here which I really appreciate. Googling boys snowboots hadn't turned up anything in stock. If I hadn't posted this initial post, I wouldn't have got all the recommendations which I really appreciate. I would not be continuing to post except that there is a discussion going on here and I feel I need to explain myself.

different since I just got the boots on Thursday night and the post office here is only open limited hours it's not like I'm holding on to them indefinitely. And I'm sure have more than a week to legally return them since they are not what I ordered (the small print on their website confirms that they will accept returns of unused goods too - so Wednesday at the latest will be fine). I will send them back separately if the other boots are delayed in arriving - but since I work on mondays and tuesdays and will have to cart the boots in to work walking or riding my bike (if the snow melts a bit - right now my commute is a nightmare, we have more than two feet of snow) and taking a longer lunch break that normal to return them, it's far more convienent to send back both pairs at once. Muddle Puddles should know I want to return them since I informed them of that Thursday that I wanted an exchange or a refund.