The Customer is always right…sadly not anymore!
13-09-2007
From the dark depths of my narnia-esq wardrobe you will find a delightful selection of decorative footwear. From the everyday comfort of millions of pumps to the spectacular wonderment of priceless heels.
I, like most females am a self confessed shoe lover! And again, like most share an unfounded devotion to my favourite shoe suppliers. Who individually feed my addiction in a way so subtle that I keep going back for more.
However, my loyalty has recently been questioned…
Before this years appalling excuse for summer, graced us with the wettest year since records began, I foolishly purchased a brand new pair of sandals. The chosen supplier – one of my regular shopping hits – Office. The constantly ram packed shops are a walking example of popularity, loved for its creative footwear & trendy vibe, each customer holding their personal allegiance.
My new sandals managed to walk with me for a maximum of three trips… it was in fact on my way to another retail therapy session that I stumbled on badly laid pavement & to my dismay felt the leather sole rip ever so slightly that with a few more steps I was struggling to keep my foot in place. With my loyal custom & constant dedication to buying shoes from my beloved Office I thought it would be simple to return & replace.
I took my shoes to a local store where I was surprisingly informed; “with forced pressure the shoes were liable to break”… I mean… What??? Aren’t shoes built to stand the everyday stresses of walking!? Surely a company of this magnitude was capable of creating sandals wearable for more than three occasions?? If Primark can do it for £5… what was my £30 worth!?
Confused yet curious to know who was at fault, I took my sandals to a local shoe repairers – who immediately confirmed the shoes to be faulty & shared the professional opinion that with forced pressure or not the leather should not have ripped in that way. With this knowledge in mind I considered it a battle won & confidently sent my broken sole direct to the customer services department. How silly I was. Within weeks I was sent back my broken shoes.
I felt betrayed – the cost of my loyalty was shunned without a second thought.
I am simply stunned & shocked at the fact that as a loyal customer I am given nothing in return. In fact I’m made to feel like a liar and fraudster. As if I would deliberately rip my own sandals!? My argument here is not only that Office has shunned me as a customer they’ve also opened my eyes to the mass production in the industry that provides nothing to the individual. It seems the world is overrun by greed. However, the worst point is that Office even admitted that it would’ve cost them nothing to replace my shoes!? Yet they still deem it necessary to accuse me of falsities.
I am now not on a witch hunt against Office (although I will take my custom elsewhere) I am simply interested to know how many shops use our loyalty as a walking ground & disregard just how important we are as customers. If it wasn’t for us they wouldn’t be where they are – yet now they’ve reached their profitable destination we are no longer required or worst still… valued.
To all my readers – I would like to open this subject up for debate. I am inquisitive to know if any one else has had a similar problem with Office or any other leading fashion stores. As a journalist I can become the voice of many & am happy to report your individual battles… maybe then the industry will provide us with the same respect & loyalty we share to their individual stores. If you have a story please write to me or leave a comment, I look forward to reading your views.
