Selfridges poor customer service

[jeanmace]

I bought my 14-year-old son a pair of £75 Kurt Geiger shoes at Selfridges the weekend before term started last autumn. Within a month, they had deteriorated so much that they looked as if they had been made of paper, not leather. I took them back to the store and they said it was my son's fault and it was down to excessive wear and tear. They wouldn't replace them. I sent them to Head Office who said the same. They agree with me that the shoes are in poor condition. Where we disagree is that my son is to blame. (He doesn't play football and the left shoe is by far the shoddiest even though he's right-footed) I bought him a new pair of Jeffrey West shoes in October to replace these and he's been wearing them to school every day since. After 5 months they are still in pristine condition, which proves that the Selfridges ones were simply not fit for purpose. They are made from the worst leather I've ever come across and really do look as if they are made of cardboard. I've got forms for the small claims court because I'm so upset by Selfridges poor attitude i.e we're to blame, not their staff for fitting unsuitable shoes to a 14 yr-old and not Kurt Geiger for manufacturing such poor quality shoes, yet charging a premium. Have any members gone through the small claims process, because reading the forms, it looks quite complex to me?

Any suggestions how one gets justice out of an uncaring giant like Selfridges who refuse to admit that they might be wrong?

[Mrs E Blackadder]

I'm afraid that you may be onto a loser with this one, and by reading what you are saying then Selfridges have acted correctly. You can go to the small claims court, but is it really worth it for £75, even on principle? You might be better off writing to Kurt Geiger and see what they have to say about the quality of their own product and see if they will give you some kind of compensation.

 

I suspect though, that you may get the reply that their shoes are sold as a fashion item and not school shoes - regardless of what they cost. Personally, I wonder why you are spending £75 on designer shoes for school, but it's your money I suppose. Kurt Geiger may think the same way.

 

The choice is yours, but you must be aware that these sorts of questions will be asked if you decide to make a claim and it is defended.

[ForestChav]

I agree with the decision to leave it. Just examine the quality of the shoes better when you buy them, and avoid Selfridges/the brand in future, rather than going to court for £75.

 

Also there's no proof that it wasn't wear and tear on the shoes, teenagers are sometimes a bit rough with things, and it isn't necessarily your son who could have contributed to any damage. Just get them cheaper shoes so it isn't a massive outlay every time they wear out, or they grow out of them (at that age I was going through shoes, clothes etc really quickly so it wasn't worth having expensive stuff if it didn't fit in a couple of months), or they damage them playing football or whatever other tomfoolery teen boys get up to at school... if it's only cheap shoes it's less of an outlay than replacing $75 designer shoes. And when he's old enough not to grow out of them or for them to get ruined at school then he will last longer with the expensive pairs.

 

Their attitude sucks but to be fair, if a letter to head office gets the same attitude, you can either just write to the papers or something and hope they'll just be like "oh well, we'll avoid the bad press and just refund the £75 anyway" or just don't go to Selfridges again...

[jeanmace]

thanks Mrs Blackadder

 

I wonder though why they sold the shoes to a 14 yr old if they knew they would fall apart within a month? It's the 'fit for purpose' thing that gets me

 

thanks again for your reply

[Kraken1]

Again I'd echo the above, chalk it up to experience. I doubt you'd get anywhere as it will be difficult to overcome the fashion argument, they are fashion shoes and the price is reflective of this, and I think you'd need to show that they represented that they would be suitable as school shoes, which is arguably the harshest environment going for shoes.

 

Greater cost may generally equal greater quality, but greater quality does not always mean greater durability. Just look at TVRs vs a ford focus.

[ForestChav]

thanks Mrs Blackadder

 

I wonder though why they sold the shoes to a 14 yr old if they knew they would fall apart within a month? It's the 'fit for purpose' thing that gets me

 

thanks again for your reply

In their defence, they dont know what each purchaser is going to be like with a pair of shoes.

[jeanmace]

you should see the shoes! they're a total disgrace. you wouldn't think they were leather. actually i'm not even sure they are. they genuinely look as if they're made from blue cardboard underneath some black coating. when selfridges head office send them back, i'll check the material out. it rained a bit last september and they got wet and started dissolving.

his other shoes which are also 'fashion shoes' are in great shape and he wears them every day to school. to me there's a philosophical point here. a shoe isn't a shoe if you can't wear it without it falling apart

[postggj]

Ime Playing Devils Advocate On This

 

Sale Of Goods Act

 

You Dont Expect To Pay 75 Quid For A Product For It To Last A Month Unless The Item Was Abused

 

If The Item Is Aimed At Teenagers, Abuse Of Some Sort Is Expected

 

Just Like A Six Year Old Shoes And Scuffs

 

Most Childrens Shoes Are Now Scuff Resistant

 

Get The Idea

[jeanmace]

Do you think that Selfridges should train their staff better not to fit 14 year-olds the weekend before term starts with shoes made of something akin to cardboard? They're very quick to say now that (a) my son abused them (which he didn't as one can see from the real pair of shoes he's now wearing) and (b) that they weren't designed for school use. Well why didn't they say that at the time as categorically as they're now saying it?

That's the worst bit of all this. They take the instant high ground now and blame everyone else when they should have known better at the start

[postggj]

Was This Selfridges In Oxford Street

[jeanmace]

No. The Trafford Centre in Manchester. But their Manchester city-centre store staff were just as cold. I took the shoes back there first because I work in the city centre

[postggj]

The Registered Main Office Is In London/oxford Street

 

Send Them A Letter On The Customer Service You Have Received

 

You Will Prob Get Vouchers With A Bit Extra Sent To You

[Kraken1]

I doubt that these shoes were aimed at a child and this meansalot of the SoGA stuff will fall away or will be a nightmare to argue.

 

To the OP - What size shoe is he?

 

as for what the shop said, they are under no obligation to disclose any information to you, they just can't lie in response to a question. caveat emptor applies.

[postggj]

Buyer Beware

[jeanmace]

i already did. i sent them the shoes too, but they weren't interested. they sent me back a letter on friday saying 'the shoes are in poor condition ... but it's down to 'excessive wear and tear.'

they finished the letter by saying they looked forward to 'welcoming me back into selfridges in the near future.'

i'm not surprised! i've spent tens of thousands of pounds in both manchester stores since they opened. i'm a very high-spending customer of theirs and that's the reason i'm so annoyed. they won't give me the benefit of the doubt. it's not particularly that i need the £75 (though who doesn't?), it's that they won't put themselves in my position and think how it feels to buy a pair of shoes and watch them deteriorate under normal wear. i know this to be the truth, but my tens of thousands of pounds spent in their stores has bought me no respect from them, be it at the trafford centre, manchester city centre or oxford street

[jeanmace]

he's size 8

[postggj]

Selridges Has An Image To Consider

 

Its Worth A Try

 

They Can Only Say No

[ForestChav]

he's size 8

So really an adult size then. I was about 5'3 at 14 but about that size, though.

 

That said, that's often the case with older kids, in that kids clothing doesnt fit them so they have to wear adults instead.

[Pride of mancs]

I can't speak for the Selfridges staff as I am aware that some of the so called managers have swinging bricks where thier hearts should be, but as far as the Kurt Geiger staff are concerned I cannot speak highly enough of them. I recently had an issue with a pair of shoes that I bought, on returning them the staff at the city centre store could not have been more helpful in order to resolve the issue.:-):-)

[jeanmace]

Where was the Kurt Geiger store? Was it a concession in Selfridges?

[Pride of mancs]

Yes, the mens section on the first floor I think.