I’ve been trying to get a £22.40 refund from Clarks since September 2016. In August, while we were on holiday and in a hurry, I bought my six-year old daughter some trainers from its Salford outlet. She adored them, but within two days the sole was coming away.
I emailed Clarks to ask if I could return them to its Devon high street shop which is near me, but it insisted I post them back. I did so, along with a printout of the email chain with the customer reference number on it, as well as a copy of the receipt.
Clarks then wrote to me claiming there was no letter with the shoes, and asking me to explain why I had returned them? This letter – and quite how they knew where to write to if my letter was missing! – had a different reference number. I phoned, discussed the issue, and resent copies of the paperwork.
I then received a voucher for half of what I had paid “because I had not sent the receipt”. When I then complained via the Clarks Twitter account, I was asked to send in my bank details with the promise of a full refund. When I did this, I got yet another customer reference number. Each time I contact them, I have to start again.
All I want is my money back. EH, Exeter
There was no question about your automatic right to a refund under the terms of the 2015 Consumer Rights Act, as the goods were clearly not “fit for purpose”, so it’s a shame that Clarks’ poor systems and customer service let you down.
We contacted Clarks which claimed that it was aware of your complaint and was, apparently, already looking into it. It said: “Clarks takes pride in the quality of its products. Clarks’ shoes and the materials used are subjected to a large number of physical tests designed to ensure comfort, safety and durability. We apologise that the refund of the customer was delayed due to an issue with our payment process and we have, in this instance, offered the customer the value of a new pair of shoes for the inconvenience caused.”
In fact, on top of the refund of £22.40 and £3 postage and packing, it has agreed a further payment of £24.60 to round this up to £50 and so you can purchase another pair of shoes. We suspect you won’t be going back to Clarks, however.
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