returning shoes (refund, credit cards, sell, deal)

[swerl]

I have a question about shoe return for anyone who might have dealt with this before and have some information. I purchased some Earth brand shoes from Shoes.com with something called a "negative heel" said to be very good for back problems. After wearing the shoes for a couple of weeks I developed a severe cramp in the arch of my right foot. I took some time off from the shoes, thinking maybe my feet needed more time to adjust to the different shoe, but once I began wearing them again the same problem occurred. So it's pretty evident to me I can't wear these shoes, unless I want to be in continual pain as a I walk! I contacted Shoes.com, but they told me they do not accept returns of worn shoes, and told me to contact the manufacturer. Earth shoes told me they cannot accept returns either, because they only deal with retailers, not customers, and I would need to contact the retailer. Earth did offer to replace with another shoe (but all their shoes have the negative heel which I have found out my feet are not compatible with). Wondering if anyone has any ideas for what I could do in this situation. The shoes were $90--seems like a lot of money to throw into the wind.

[redjan1225]

My advice would be to attempt to sell the shoes via eBay or Craig's List to try to recoup some of your money. I wouldn't expect the manufacturer to refund your money on them once you've had them for more than 30 days.

[AksarbeN]

With issues like this the company representatives normally will give you the type of answer that you received. However over the years I’ve found two things that help me when things like this happen.

First you can write a detailed letter to the corporate office. Let them know the issues and problems you have with their product that “they” sold to you. Most companies want to keep you as a customer and will make attempts to help adjustments that might be needed. Be polite and give full details, also tell them what you expect or want from them to resolve the problem. Often they will be more helpful then the original customer service rep. Retail corporate doesn't want people to be unhappy with their business and talk to others about it. Bad news spreads quickly.

You also have a right to dispute a purchase with the credit card company who will (at times) act in your behalf with the company. I have made credit card disputes before and had positive outcomes. Thus I always use credit cards for purchases instead of bank debit cards. Retail companies don’t want to fight with the credit card company in a dispute.

Hope it works out for you!