My Brogini Riding Boot drama - What would you do!??

[coreteam1]

I bought some Brogini riding boots about two years ago and they have hardly been used, due to me breaking the zip nearly a year ago.

I couldn't find anywhere to mend the zip professionally, until recently. My local tack shop said they can send the boot to Brogini (in the UK) and get the boot repaired. I jumped at this chance although it was going to cost £51

The boot came back last week (it had only been gone just under two weeks) and it was dreadful!
The stitching was the wrong colour (I know no one sees inside the boot but it was a really pale colour and didn't match the lining)
The boots were covered in glue, the actual zip now sticks out the top of the boots by at least 6mm (not in line with the top of the boots)
Part of the leather lining has been missed out of the stitching and some of the stitching is huge where the needle has mis punched the leather

They look a real mess compared with the other boot. So I emailed Brogini who have said they only sent the boot to a local cobbler!! She said the tack should have said if I wanted them to be repaired by the makers, in Italy and this service would be far more expensive and would take up to 8 weeks.
I explained this service hadn't been offered. I have been offered two choices,
1. Get the tack shop to send them back to Brogini who will then get the cobbler to repair it again !!!
2. Get the tack shop to send them back to Brogini who will then (free of charge) send the boot to Italy.

I have been thinking about how much it will cost them to post to Italy, repair them and return surely it would be cheaper to offer me a new pair of boots??? The tack shop recently sent some Salm Hippique boots back to the main manufacturer and it cost £200 to have them repaired!

 

[kerilli]

i think i'd try to hold the tack shop liable and get them to sort it all out, sounds as if they told you wrong, and the cobbler has made a right mess of them.

 

[camilla4]

The retailer is liable here - your contract is with them in the first place and, if they told you the boots were being repaired by Brogini then you have been misled. Stand firm and ask them either to have the boots repaired properly by Brogini, at their expense, or to replace the boots!

 

[Honey08]

For £200 you could take them to Italy yourself and have a weekend away! They are having a laugh charging that! It shouldn't cost much at all to send them to Italy, nevermind more than replacing the boots.

 

[coreteam1]

Mmm everyone I spoke to today said to ask for new boots. Will ring Brogini back tomorrow.

Not sure if the shop are liable though, Brogini said the shop didn't offer me an alternative (ie the boots to be repaired in Italy) and they also didn't tell me the boot would be repaired by a cobbler, I assumed if they were sending them to Brogini then they would be repaired by them?
The shop seem to think it's Broginis fault and Brogini seem to think it's the shops fault?

 

[Rouletterose]

Mmm everyone I spoke to today said to ask for new boots. Will ring Brogini back tomorrow.

Not sure if the shop are liable though, Brogini said the shop didn't offer me an alternative (ie the boots to be repaired in Italy) and they also didn't tell me the boot would be repaired by a cobbler, I assumed if they were sending them to Brogini then they would be repaired by them?
The shop seem to think it's Broginis fault and Brogini seem to think it's the shops fault?

It's the shops fault Janey, your contract was with them, and they should have offered you the two options and given you the choice, I would try and get the shop to pay for them to be repaired properly, they are at fault.

 

[coreteam1]

It's the shops fault Janey, your contract was with them, and they should have offered you the two options and given you the choice, I would try and get the shop to pay for them to be repaired properly, they are at fault.

Yes they should have given me the choice, however I got the feeling that the shop didn't know that Brogini here used a 'local cobbler'? Perhaps no one has noticed or had such a bad job done before?

 

[hollibobs]

I took one of my Brogini boots down to their place in Rochdale as the zip had broke, after many years wear I hasten to add. They asked me if I wanted them sent back to Italy or if I wanted to use the local Cobbler. I opted for the Cobbler and they did a fantastic job, you can't tell they have been repaired and they look fantastic so I was really pleased.

Very surprised to hear yours have come back and are not up to scratch! I can't remember what they said it would cost to send them b,ack to Italy, but it was no where near £200 :0.

 

[coreteam1]

I took one of my Brogini boots down to their place in Rochdale as the zip had broke, after many years wear I hasten to add. They asked me if I wanted them sent back to Italy or if I wanted to use the local Cobbler. I opted for the Cobbler and they did a fantastic job, you can't tell they have been repaired and they look fantastic so I was really pleased.

Very surprised to hear yours have come back and are not up to scratch! I can't remember what they said it would cost to send them b,ack to Italy, but it was no where near £200 :0.

Brogini said if they had gone to Italy I wouldn't have been able to tell. Trouble is now though they will always have the holes in the leather from the bad stictching.
It's a tough one this! Maybe the cobbler was new!

 

[smac]

It was a bad cobbler. Our saddler does repairs-in house and we charge £40-49 a boot depending on the lining. The only difference is sometimes the zips arnt a perfect match but the staff always show the new zip to the customer before it is put on.

The shop is liable. And the postage to Brogoni would probably be £50 each way. But the shop have a duty of care to you. Take it back, as a pair and ask them to fix it again- at their expense and repair all new damage from glue etc. Take pictures of it before it goes back to shop. and Obviously dont send the good one!!

I have to be honest if its in as much state as you say the staff either dont care or dont know what it should look like. We have never sent a pair of boots out in that state and we easily get 2-6boots a week for zips etc.

 

[Cyberchick]

Firstly I would like to say my Brogini boots are the best boots I have ever had.

I have had both zips changed and you honestly cannot tell. I guess this was a bad cobbler. Why couldn't you find someone to do them yourself? Only thinking along the lines of myself and others have just gone to the cobblers or someone that stitches leather?
You can try getting something else with Brogini but your contract does lie with the shop. If they are blaming Brogini then it is down to them to sort it out with them and in the mean time sorting yourself out. It still might be worth sending some pictures clearly showing the damage over to Brogini?