Returning Wellies - have I made a fool of myself??

[MrsNorris]

I had the exact same thing with £80 wellies in our local shop a few years back, cracked across the sole after 2 weeks use. I argued and argued about it, and finally just left the wellies there (they were unusable anyway) and when the time came to pay my account, I took off the price of the wellies and paid the rest. Never shopped there again as I was so appalled by their attitude.

 

[Lizzie66]

Legally the contract is between you and the seller and therefore they can't try and pass the responsibility to the manufacturer regarding faulty / fit for purpose.

However I would have thought that they are entitled to ensure that the goods are faulty or unfit for purpose and it might well be that if the fault is not obvious that they do have to pass them back to the manufacturer to assess.

ps not implying this is the case for OP

 

[spottytom]

I think this is what the Manager was hiding behind. He kept saying that they had to be assessed by Aigle first. He did run them under a tap as I was leaving and declared that they did not leak. I presume this was his last safety net.

 

[DD265]

You're both right and wrong, but I certainly don't think you need to avoid going back into the shop out of embarrassment

Yes if the boots are faulty, you're entitled to a refund/replacement/repair (which one(s) you're legally entitled to is dependent on circs). However the retailer is also allowed an opportunity to prove that the item doesn't have a manufacturing fault. In some cases where the retailer doesn't have the facilities/skill to do this, they can return the item for an assessment by the manufacturer or an independent company with the facilities/skills.

I worked for a retailer where we used to do this, and if we were "happy" that the item was faulty, we'd credit the customer and then take it up with the supplier. If we weren't able to assess whether the item had a fault, we'd ask for a second opinion from the manufacturer. This could involve sending photos or sometimes sending the physical item unfortunately which obviously takes longer.

Realistically in this case, the wellies probably could've been assessed in a bucket of water. That would've only worked if they were dry when taken in which the OP hasn't said and it could've taken minutes to hours for the water to seep through depending on the extent of the leak. It does sound as though the store were being a bit unreasonable, but because the OP says they "lost it a little" it could've been a case of both parties winding each other up unintentionally.

 

[spottytom]

DD265 thanks, and yes I understand what you are saying. Very difficult as also how do you prove a rug leaks etc., in the store? I only "lost it a little" when the Manager insisted I was neither getting a replacement or refund until the boots had been sent back to Aigle. The boots were dry and in a bag, so I suppose I could have put them on and walked about in the grass outside and then presented the Manager with my wet tights!! (went straight from work in my office clothes).

However, why on earth would I return a pair of wellies after only three weeks to get a new pair, if there was nothing wrong with them? You just wouldn't waste your time would you - what would you be achieving?

Waiting for a reply for their customer services team.

 

[FlashyP]

This thread is really interesting. Sorry for the slight hijack. I recently bought two Derby House Detachable neck rugs for my horses. I put one on one of the horses turned her out, brought her in later and her neck was soaking, as soon as the horse puts her head down to graze it gapes open at the neck and there is no way to adjust it. To me this rug is not fit for purpose, as the neck cover should keep the neck dry, there isn't any other purpose to it! I sent Derby House a picture of the problem and asked for a refund for both rugs.
http://s920.photobucket.com/user/FlashyP/library/DH Rug
They agreed to refund the one that had not been used, but because the other on had been on in the field they said that it was not a direct fault with the rug so they could not refund it. However she did say that "Unfortunately this is the design of the rug, we are changing the design so that it is Velcro like the Elite rug which do not do this. " in one of the emails. It is a bit annoying as I needed rugs with neck covers, I have to pay to send the non-used one back and the horses don't have their neck rugs :/ How would you define fit for purpose in this instance and who do you contact to get consumer advice about this. Thanks

 

[peaceandquiet1]

I took Muck Boots back to a local retailer as they had cracked across the heel after five months and got the same story about the manufacturer deciding. In my case the fault was obvious and I had the receipt box etc. but they wouldn't budge. It was several years before i shopped there again.

 

[louf]

Following this with interest as I bought a pair of Aigles in September from Amazon. After about 8 weeks the right one leaked. Emailed Amazon who replied immediately and sent me a new pair asking for the other pair to be returned. Had the new pair 3 days now and the right one is leaking! Will be emailing Amazon later today and sending both pairs back. Won't get a new pair - hopefully will get a refund but will keep you posted. Well done for sticking to your guns.

 

[teapot]

Only thing I will say though is that I think people do need to remember what boots are actually designed for. The company I used to work is well known for its patterned wellies, but they were not in ANY way designed to be used around horses, covered in mud/pee/poo or ridden in. At the price they are they're high street/fashion wellies and as a result, the company (and its staff) were certainly less helpful at times because we were sick of people bringing back boots after six months of continued use around horses complete with muck attached. In the same way, leaks would occur at the bend/ripples just beneath the toes because people had continually ridden in them and weakened the seals.

If you want decent outboot boots that are designed to last and get wet/muddy et al, they you have to pay for the quality, and then STILL look after them. I know we all hate cleaning boots but it does actually make them last!

That's not a dig at OP btw as at the price of them I wouldn't expect Aigle to leak so quickly, but please consider that if you trash your boots within weeks without looking after them and take them back to the shop in a dire state, you might not get the response you want :wink3:

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

Oh the irony... after posting on this thread at the beginning, today my replacement pair of Mammut boots have left me with soaking wet feet! I feel an email to Go Outdoors coming on, it's a fair drive to the local store on a Sunday afternoon.

 

[JillA]

Oh the irony... after posting on this thread at the beginning, today my replacement pair of Mammut boots have left me with soaking wet feet! I feel an email to Go Outdoors coming on, it's a fair drive to the local store on a Sunday afternoon.

If it's a known fault you may not have to. My Caldene ones began leaking within a year of purchase and the company sold me a replacement pair at half price. They sent them out by post and didn't want the old ones back.

 

[thatsmygirl]

Countrywide told me the exact same when my Hunters split.
Wonder who's rule this is? Countrywide or wellie manufacturers?
Well done OP I was softer than you and had to go without my decent wellies for a time which as everyone will understand in mud with horses is just a pain!

That's countrywides policy, I work in a similar country shop and hunters come back all the time, we just refund as hunter know they have problems and just refund us no problems.
Some companies we deal with do have this " we must inspect policy" but its a case of using your common sence, a pair of boots leaking after 3 weeks personally I would just exchange or swap for a different type of boot or a refund if that's what the customer wanted. But it has been known on quite a few occasions that the boots aren't leaking and the customers feet were sweating so the shop looses out and just has to go the looser and chuck them away- but they have to regain that cost somewhere!!
Ariat again will take the boots back and inspect and again we have swapped boots as I would not accept a problem with expensive boots just to be told that the boot horn wasn't used and its the customers fault= shop loses out yet again.
Its very hard and the main point is to keep the customer happy but the shops can't keep loosing out either else you will all end up paying higher prices.
In your case op there shouldn't of been a issue after 3 weeks.

 

[ponydi]

I just stick to the cheap and cheerful wellies stocked by my local farm store - on their third winter now...

When I treated my daughter's horse to a smart new Anky pad a few years ago she used it once, washed it, and it split down the back seam - so we trotted back to the local saddler where I'd bought it. Yes, they said, they would send it back to the maker as faulty, but in the meantime would I prefer a replacement, a credit note or cash back? That's what I call customer service and that's why I kept shopping there

 

[thatsmygirl]

See...I did this with my Dyson. The rubber kept breaking. Argos dully replaced it. 3 times. Till I looked up on the Internet and found it was a safety procedure when the Dyson was jammed up with dirt??!

Not picking on you but that's 3 hovers that Argos wouldn't get their refund for because there's nothing wrong with them and that's just 1 customer, the amount shops get back when some isn't faulty etc is unreal and loose a lot of money each year.

Good for you - I do think as a nation we accept too much. I took some back to our Countrywide and had a similar response (less clear cut in that they rubbed my heel and were unwearable). Then I mentioned Trading Standards and as if by magic a refund appeared, it seems to be company policy to try and duck out of their statutory responsibilities.

See in this case if the boots/shoes whatever were worn inside to check all was ok as many people do, then brought back in to the shop that would be no problem but if they are worn outside then its more differcult. If there's a genuine lump or fault with the boot fine but if not and its just the boot doesn't suit you then that's the customers responsibility.
Trading standards actually back the shops up as well and I would happily give the name out and have done before.

 

[GinaGeo]

I had a very good experience with countywide. I bought some Mountain Horse yard boots online had them for about 8 months and the right boot split over the toe and the sole pretty much fell off, the left boot looked like new. I sent them a message, they sent me a returns label I sent them back. I was given a full refund. It was all sorted out very quickly.

 

[popsdosh]

The flip side of the coin is with wellies in particular what is the most common cause of them leaking after a few weeks. Could it be a thorn or something else damaged them. This is why manufacturers insist on checking them first. If you check the law very carefully you are only due a refund( it does need to be immediate) if there is a manufacturing defect with the boots so it is not the case you can claim an instant refund as the shop staff are not trained to tell the difference between a defect and damage done since purchase knowingly or accidental. To be blunt I suspect most of the manufacturers are more honest on this point than the customers.

 

[spottytom]

Quite update. Reply received today by email.

Good afternoon Mrs Smith;

I am very sorry for the experience you have had, I can confirm that you are right as per the new Consumer Rights Act. The consumer rights act changed in October 2015 to state;

◾30 days to get a refund For the first time a specific timeframe has been created in which you can reject a faulty item and get a full refund - now 30 days

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-rights-act

I am very sorry if this information has not been cascaded through to all of our stores and I have highlighted this to the store and the regional manager for review. I am very sorry that you had purchased a faulty item from ourselves and that you had difficulty when returning this item to the store. This is not the level of service that we would aim to achieve as we pride ourselves on putting our customers first. I am glad that you have received your refund.

Please let me know if we can help further and I can assure you that I am already looking into this with urgency.

I shall update you accordingly once I have heard back from the store.

My apologies again.

Kind regards

 

[DabDab]

Well done on getting that response. (though if course you were right in the first place)

 

[DabDab]

Not picking on you but that's 3 hovers that Argos wouldn't get their refund for because there's nothing wrong with them and that's just 1 customer, the amount shops get back when some isn't faulty etc is unreal and loose a lot of money each year.

Oh bless you, that's a very naiive view on how business and quality control works.

Argos will claim from Dyson, (who will pay them because their business is worth too much not to), and then if Dyson get enough returns for this reason, they will go and rethink that particular design feature.