I bought expensive walking boots, but got kicked into touch

theguardian.com:

My partner and I bought two pairs of Chore walking boots from the Original Muck Boot Company, but soon after we started wearing them we noticed they were breaking up.

The inside heel is wearing away on both pairs, and the seal around the foot has come away so water bubbles in when we’re walking through wet fields. They were expensive so we were very disappointed.

I contacted Muck Bootand supplied photographic evidence. It agreed to refund both pairs, but it did not want the boots returned. Instead, it asked us to cut a large slit through them to render them unwearable.

Although hesitant due to the apparent disregard for waste, I cut both pairs, and sent photos, to enable the refund. Since then, I have sent emails chasing, but I haven’t heard anything back.

I am concerned the company is shirking its responsibility after agreeing to a refund, and now I am sat with two pairs of destroyed boots, and over £200 worse off.

RF, by email

Muck Boot’s products are expensive but they generally get good reviews online and have loyal fans among the dog-walking fraternity. I asked the company to investigate, and it swiftly moved to put things right.

It has processed the refund, and to apologise sent you both a new pair in a bid to restore your faith in the brand.

“Unfortunately, this case was left unresolved in error and is not Muck Boot’s normal level of customer service. The company regrets this error,” it says. Asked why it requests that customers in your shoes (boots) cut up faulty pairs, it says this normally enables it to refund customers quickly. This seems wasteful, given they could probably be recycled.

We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at [email protected] or write to Consumer Champions,