When customer service goes wrong.

(Apologies if this get's a little ranty!)

Let me set the scene... I've purchased a new pair of shoes from the Zara sale and I'm terribly excited to get an excuse to wear them. They glisten and gleam at me perched atop their box begging to be strutted around. I finally put them on and walk into town for some lunch and something doesn't feel right. At this point they have been on my feet for all of 20 minutes when I look down and see that the bottom of the heel has broken. I feel like the heel.

Gutted isn't the word and I had to hobble to the nearest shoe store to buy a pair of flats as the broken pair have hurt my tootsies in the process.

So, I retrieved the receipt from my drawer in work and took them back to my local Zara store on Briggate in Leeds to be met with possibly some of the rudest staff I have ever encountered. If I spoke to my customers the way she spoke to me - I'd have been sacked. I explained that I wanted to return the shoes as the bottom of the heel had broken to which the girl replied that she wouldn't consider a refund as it was wear and tear. I showed her the other shoe which had minimal scuffing and little wear on the heels and told her that this was wear and tear and the other shoe was broken. After examining the shoe and umming and ahhing she concluded that I MUST have caught it on something as there was wear on the broken part. I pointed out the reason that there was wear on the broken part was because I had to hobble to another store to buy a new pair while these were strapped to my feet, falling apart. Again she said that I had definitely caught it on something - effectively branding me a liar. I can tell you all now it is a flat concrete pavement that I was walking on and unless I've been climbing around on the Giants Causeway in my sleep then this is the only place the shoes have been.

She then kept repeating that she would definitely not be refunding me for the shoes and I quoted the sale of goods act and they are not fit for purpose. To which she then said it wasn't a manufacturing defect it was definitely wear and tear. Sigh. 


I would have taken store credit as I know I would have shopped there again, but after the heaving store had witnessed this I don't ever want to go back to Zara. When you know that you are entitled to a refund you need to stick to your guns. I even asked her if she considered 20 minutes of use acceptable for them to end up like that - her reply? "Yes." If I wasn't so outraged I would have laughed!! She then said that as it was near the heel tip then they wouldn't replace them either as I should be able to get it fixed. "There is no way I am paying to have them fixed" was my response. 


So after a further few minutes of this she threw a leaflet with their head office details at me. Thanks, I now have your fingerprints ;) 


I will be taking this further and writing a full and comprehensive complaint to their head office this evening. However, if this had been someone else that had tried to take shoes, or any faulty item, back and was met with this how would they have handled it? Would you boycott the store? Or stayed there in a peaceful protest until they met your needs? I'm more annoyed that Zara was my favourite shop and they have just alienated me in less than 10 minutes and now I don't want to go back. Their complaints department will have to pull something special out of the bag to get me to go back there again. 


I know I'm only a small fish in a big pond and they probably wont miss my custom - but surely that's the bigger problem here?? Humph. Let me know your thought and if you have ever encountered horrid customer service from stores! Here's some photos of the offending items too....

Good Shoe - little wear.

Bad shoe - very BROKEN heel.

Michelle x