I officially hate Robinsons.

Which Robinsons is it though, because there's a co.uk and a .com and I'm never sure which one people are referring to on here, or if one is a rip off of the other?

(PS You are using the small claims court aren't you? Cheap, no solicitors required, everyone just turns up and says their piece in ordinary non-legalistic language. Can also scare the bejaysus out of the person you're suing when the summons turns up if they haven't believed you are going to do it, so they offer to settle out of court before you get there.)
 
AmericanPiebald said:
Which Robinsons is it though, because there's a co.uk and a .com and I'm never sure which one people are referring to on here, or if one is a rip off of the other?
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Gosh. I never knew that! The .com one is as far as I am aware the original which used to be Robinsons Country Leisure and has big shops I always wanted to go to as a kid (but didn't).

Looked on the .co.uk one just now which seems to be based in Yorkshire.
 
I always presume its the .com one (with the catalogue). I've used them for years (although not often) with no hassle until my last order which took forever to be delivered after paying for next day delivery :( invisible calling cards were apparently left too!
 
So glad I saw this, was just about to order some lighter weight turnouts, 3 of them at over £100 each!

No Robinsons, if that's how you treat your customers you're not having my money!
 
HBM1 said:
this is their online description

"The lovely Dublin River tall boot offers fashion and style to the equestrian rider. Made from Redskin leather with inner leather linings. These trendy lace-up boots feature RCS technology plus two new benefits: RCS tough-tech durable rubber sole, which offers lightweight flexibility and also traction control grip. A chic boot for the fashion conscious rider! Please note the footpart is water resistant only"

did it say this when you bought them, if not, did you get a screenshot from the original ad?
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Just a word of warning, if you are going to take them to court you need to be careful because you will have to pay a court fee and they may make a counter claim against you. Unless you have a clear cut case it may cost you more than the boots cost originally if you have to pay their fees. It looks as if they never claimed that the boots were waterproof so you might be better claiming compensation for the cost of replacing the boots as they lost them. You may want to take some advice before you proceed, perhaps from Citizens Advice.

I am not supporting them as I think they have treated you badly; just don't want you to be even worse off!
 
Manhattan18 said:
Just a word of warning, if you are going to take them to court you need to be careful because you will have to pay a court fee and they may make a counter claim against you. Unless you have a clear cut case it may cost you more than the boots cost originally if you have to pay their fees. It looks as if they never claimed that the boots were waterproof so you might be better claiming compensation for the cost of replacing the boots as they lost them. You may want to take some advice before you proceed, perhaps from Citizens Advice.

I am not supporting them as I think they have treated you badly; just don't want you to be even worse off!
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I think the description "water resistant" implies that they resist water. I also think the name "River" also implies they're at least water resistant. OP, yours were not.

That aside, you TOLD them you wanted the boots returned whatever, but they threw them away.

I'd be astonished if a judgement didn't go in your favour
 
Luckily my friend is a solicitor:D

The court fee (small claims court!) is £25 to make a monies claim online. Friend said she will write up a interest calculation if necessary but at current interest rates the paper will be of more value:rolleyes:

It is the .com Robinsons, the one with the Megastores and I'm closest to the Basingstoke one. Ironically, after just checking their website, they have changed the product description for these boots. It's a lot more detailed compared to when I was shopping around. Sadly, I don't have a copy of the original ad but I didn't really look online, I went in store to actually have human interaction, get an opinion and try the sizing. Shock horror in this era of buying things at a click of a mouse;) The woman in store said 'suitable for yard and riding and waterproof'. At NO POINT did she say 'you need to waterproof them yourself'.

That still doesn't change the fact they threw them away when I specifically said I would have them back even if they were not deemed faulty and do my own waterproofing. An extra £10 for waterproofing is considerably less than disposing of £109 entirely!
 
onemorehorse said:
Quote the Sales of Goods Act and demand a refund. You are entitled. Boots were not fit for purpose. Raise a claim in the small claims court if needs be or at least threaten them with that. Hate these companies who think they can get away with ripping people off! "It's not my problem":mad:
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yep sales of goods act!!! They legally cannot throw away your property!!!
 
I agree, I would definitely go more from the point that they threw them away, than the waterproof bit. They had no right to do that. Did they give you a timescale that they would look into it?
 
I would just keep complaining, probably directly to Dublin as well. That's a lot of money to get thrown away. Keep writing and call to speak with managers etc. you may find they get sick of you and give you some kind of compensation. This happened when hubby had a problem with our Sky TV contract, he called everyday until they were tired of hearing from him and gave him a sizeable discount for an entire year!

On a side note, that's a shame you had a problem with the boots. Maybe it was a bad batch because I have them and they have been fantastic. This is their third winter and they still keep my feet warm and dry even in ankle deep mud daily! :)
 
Might be worth having a search through some other threads - I swear I remember reading on here someone saying that Dublin had changed the description of the boots from waterproof to water-resistant, following some of the complaints. So if you bought the boots before then you have something else to back you up.

Good luck with it, disgusting customer service.
 
I am really suprisee robinsons haven't given you your money back or returned a call or email. Very poor business sense. £109 is nothing to them, they made a mistake and should pay up. Those boots, however and the £109 are a big deal for you- and the word of mouth bad press let alone the Internet (how many views on here?!) they should have given you your money, and a voucher as a good will gesture and you would be starting a thread saying how good they are!
 
Disgusting.
Demand a refund or new boots. Keep demanding. Become a pain in the arse so in the end they'll get sick of you and do what you say! Good luck!!
 
well equestrian clearance still have them with the following description

Fully waterproof inner lining and treated waterproof leather


I also remember them definitely being advertised as waterproof as they were then the subject of much moaning on here!
 
That is just crazy!! I can't believe they just threw your boots away...don't take it.
Are they really about to go under? sign of bad times for the industry? :(
 
How long had Robinsons had your boots before throwing them away? If it was just the 28 days then it's harsh of them, but if it had been a couple of months that you hadn't been in contact for then that may affect your complaint.
 
This "customer service" always amazes me!! I have an equestrian sales company, and my customers have a contract with me not with the manufacturers! If there is a fault I go back to the manufacturers but will always refund the client straight away. This is how it should be done! I get very frustrated with anyone who says they'll pass it back to the manufacturer & will not buy anything else from them ever!
 
Elsbells said:
And......(slightly off topic) , my OH who suffers with MS was refused the use of the toilet at the Robinsons store in Cannock and told to walk up the road to B&Q instead as they had a customer one that he could use?!!!

We'll never shop there.......EVER!
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That is shocking, what a shower of $***e

I stopped using them after late orders, or if i called, what i wanted was never in stock
 
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Does anyone have a copy of the catalogue that would have been out at the time OP bought the boots? That might help, if the wording has only recently been changed on the website. I agree that you should be going after them for failing to return your boots as the main issue though. I'm no legal Eagle but surely you can't prove an absence of calls or a letter, so the onus is perhaps on them to prove that they did call and write...?
 
Their Blurb used to state along these lines Robinsons webb site "will keep your feet dry however many times you walk the course" Dublin no longer claim their DRB or Pinnacle as WATERPROOF any More used to state waterproof Redskin leather with fully waterproof inner lining that was little more than a trainer sock in height.
 
UPDATE

I am pleased to announce I will be having my money returned!

As I posted before, I sent a 'Letter before Action' to the managing director giving them 14 days to return.my monet
 
goddam phone!

return my money before issuing a monies claim through the small claims court and didnt hear anything back. I gave them slightly over 14 days and tried one last attempt to the customer service assistant who was the only one who acknowledged my assistance in 3 months. Just checked emails and Mr Paul Bentham has finally answered my frustrations and decided returning the money is the easiest solution. THANK YOU MR BENTHAM!
 
River boots are membraned in the foot. They should have been okay in puddle, long wet grass even. But a bit of water proofer wouldnt have gone a miss, they are leather after all, the sales assistant should have told you that. Defo demand a refund.
 
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