ShoesGB/www.justbootsandshoes.com

[LFC4ever]

I have had the most bizarre experience with this company, just wanted to give a heads up to people. They own other websites summarised on http://www.justbootsandshoes.com. Essentially, the experience I had is outlined in my email to their owner, Mark Bates, to which I haven't had a reply.........the guy obviously has an anger management issue!

Dear Mr Bates,

I just had a conversation with Alison - who has been very helpful whenever I've spoken to her - regarding my order. I've bought 4 pairs of shoes from your websites since August, the last pair were Trickers Keswick, which were not labelled as wide fitting on your website, and consequently didn't fit me. I made the natural assumption they would be a normal width fitting. In addition, when they arrived, the box was actually broken fully at one end - if you tip it up the shoes would fall out. I then placed another order for a correctly sized pair and returned the original Trickers, in a new Trickers box (can't remember whether this was a mistake on my part or an attempt to send them back safely as the original box was damaged on arrival.)

I also offered to send the damaged box back to you. Remember, I'm having to pay all this postage even though your website did not correctly mark the size of the original shoes I ordered.

I now understand that you are "annoyed" that I sent the shoes back in the wrong box, and consequently do not wish to fulfill my replacement order from Trickers, and presumably don't want me to place any orders from any of your websites in the future.

This doesn't bother me particularly, and I won't be ordering anything else from you, but being in sales myself I'm really curious as to what motivates a business (or your business to be precise) to single out a customer for this treatment?

Obviously business is thriving despite the recession.

Best Regards

nb I'm doing you a favour here - most disgruntled (or in my case astonished!) customers just walk away and you never know why.

[Paulo]

Sounds fairly bizzare. If the box was broken anyway and you offered to send it back i cant see the problem. Personally i think you should make im aware of the feedback hes now going to have here on a community who are fairly interested in some of the items he sells. Another online shop to avoid.

Edit: To be fair after browsing abit of his sites i would avoid it anyway just based on how poor the website works on safari.

[borkborkbork]

I have had the most bizarre experience with this company, just wanted to give a heads up to people.

Though people do grouse about the 1000-lb gorilla (Zappos), there's something to be said for what Zappos has done to raise the bar for customer service in online retailing - easy returns, prompt replies, flawless handling of problems, etc.

Some of these smaller shops seem to dig their own graves with customer service issues like the one you described...

[LFC4ever]

Yes I agree with both replies above - interesting how many websites he's set up to sell the same stock, (all sites have the same sizes in and out of stock), but even the girl who deals with the orders was pretty embarrassed by his behaviour cos she had to relay the message to me while I waited on the phone. Also it took them 3 weeks after I returned the shoes to tell me they were in an incorrect box. To be honest I'd be surprised if they survive in business that long.....but I guess the guy just sets up another online store then. Contrast this with the admitedly more expensive "Edwardsofmanchester.com" - been absolutely excellent to deal with.

[rnrswitch]

Sounds fairly bizzare. If the box was broken anyway and you offered to send it back i cant see the problem. Personally i think you should make im aware of the feedback hes now going to have here on a community who are fairly interested in some of the items he sells. Another online shop to avoid.

Edit: To be fair after browsing abit of his sites i would avoid it anyway just based on how poor the website works on safari.

Safari? Wack. (5)

[Maynard Friedman]

I have had the most bizarre experience with this company, just wanted to give a heads up to people. They own other websites summarised on http://www.justbootsandshoes.com. Essentially, the experience I had is outlined in my email to their owner, Mark Bates, to which I haven't had a reply.........the guy obviously has an anger management issue!

Dear Mr Bates,

Don't get on the wrong side of Mr Bates. I hear he's a bit of a psycho...