One-Dollar Wonders

18 Comments

• biscuitsmom replied 11 years ago

  Oh no!!! :( What lousy customer service :( Can you consign or ebay them?

• replied 11 years ago

  I have had the same lousy experience with shoe manufacturers. Once I identify a shoe that hurts my feet (Dansko) and then I discover the the company does not stand behind their shitty product (Dansko) I swear them off for all time. I recommend you swear off Naturalizer. For all time.

  By the way, I listen to my friends and if they have problems, I rarely ever purchase that product again as a sign of solidarity.

• Mochi replied 11 years ago

  Kind of weird, because my image of Naturalizer was sort of mildly frumpy but very comfortable shoes for working women. That sucks about their lousy return policy. They didn't just lose your patronage, but all potential sales from your friends here. Why? Not well-considered policy at all.

• cheryle (Dianthus) replied 11 years ago

  I have had bad luck with Naturalizer too in terms of comfort. I never tried to return them though so have no opinion on their customer service. It really stinks though that you got such as pat answer with no personalization or even attempt to make you feel appreciated as a customer.

  I do what Mary suggested and write off manufacturers whose products don't meet my expectations. Hopefully after a while they will figure it out and improve.

• Suz replied 11 years ago

  That's too bad, Rae - so sorry! It's very frustrating.

  Naturalizers don't work for my foot, either. In my opinion it's all about finding the last that works for you and sticking to those companies, pretty much. Of course this can (and does) take trial and error. Unfortunately that means money lost.....

• rae replied 11 years ago

  Solidarity, sisters! I am ahocked that Dansko has this issue, too. Both brands that you don't think of first for style, so you really expect to deliver when it comes to comfort. I agree that the most power a consumer has is to swear them off...

• D'Ellen replied 11 years ago

  Curiosity question...is it SOP to return shoes after wearing because they hurt one's feet? I've had several pairs that were guilty of torturing my toes, even after a try-out at home on carpet. They usually sit in my closet for a season or two, and then end up being donated. I've never attempted to return a pair of "worn in public" shoes.

• replied 11 years ago

  I wouldn't try to return a pair I had worn out unless they were damaged in some way or obviously flawed. But the kind of returns you see at Nordstrom are rare to nonexistent here.

• Mander replied 11 years ago

  I had a similar experience with a work bag I bought for my husband. Unfortunately for me I bought it at Ross while we were visiting the States. He carried it to work twice, with nothing in it but his lunch and a small notebook, and the handle ripped out of the side, even though it is designed to hold a large laptop! I wrote to the manufacturer explaining the situation and the fact that I am now 2,000 miles away from the store where it was purchased, and their answer was "sorry, you have to take it back to the store".

• rae replied 11 years ago

  I had never tried to return used shoes either, but a couple people suggested I check with the manufacturer. Didn't work out this time but it was worth a shot.

• Jjsloane replied 11 years ago

  I'm sorry they let you down. My experience was different, but several years ago. Times are tough so you'd think they'd up the customer service. Sorry Rae.

• christieanne replied 11 years ago

  I can tell you that almost no store will take back used or worn shoes without the "defective" issue attached. For what it's worth, wear on a carpet indoors. Nordstrom is most likely the exception to this common policy.
  With fit issues, the whole buy for occasion/single use and return issue, and just generally people having fussy feet, it's too much to the bottom line these days.
  I make exceptions one on one of course (we all do I am sure) but in general, hard to return a worn shoe.

  Sorry yours are not working for you :(

• Elly replied 11 years ago

  Naturalizer and I don't get along- for comfort shoes I don't find them that comfy. I wore a pair to my college grad back in '10 and ended up with bloody blistered feet, even thought I'd worn them dancing just months before with no problems.

• replied 11 years ago

  Ohmigod, honestly, I never have luck with those comfort brands. Boo Naturalizer!

• rae replied 11 years ago

  I understand why *retailers* do not take shoes back - it really isn't their fault that the product is inferior. Yes, they do choose their stock and should strive to offer the best items, but they also have great service, merchandising, etc. to think about. The manufacturer, however, has one responsibility: producing a great product that lives up to its claims. I do *understand* why it is costly for them to take returns, but to me this shows a focus on short-term profit rather than commitment to excellence - no pride at all. I guess I just personally find it distasteful.

• replied 11 years ago

  Not to excuse Naturalizer, but I wonder how many people wear a pair of shoes only once and then try to return them and get their money back? I once knew a woman who wore a new dress to church every Sunday. She'd tuck in the tags so no one would notice, and then she'd return the items to the store and get refunds. This went on for a while... until the store caught on to what she was doing. I remember my mother being appalled that someone in our church would do such a thing. It really is dishonest.

• replied 11 years ago

  I think though the manufacturer's point of view is that the pain you experienced had to do with the specific biomechanics of your foot interacting with the shoe, not a flaw in the shoe itself. Unless they had some guarantee like "This shoe is like wearing angel's wing feathers wrapped in unicorn manes, and you can wear them for 24 hours while skydiving and dancing and running a marathon!"

  I do think it would have been a nice gesture for them to do something, but they probably as Ruth says get burned all the time with dodgy returns, so unless the shoe is flawed in some way, they won't do anything about it.

• rae replied 11 years ago

  Ruth, I agree 100% that that is dishonest -- and again, I totally support retailers that do not accept worn merch (even though they could just ask for ID with returns, like Best Buy). I don't know, maybe I'm unfair, but I feel like manufacturers should be held to a higher standard.