Don't take broken boots back to the shop. (Football boots - General)

Member Name: The Horse

Product:	Football boots - General
Date:	14/07/00 (385 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No quibble; often receive better boots in return.

Disadvantages: Not as convenient as popping them down to the local shop.

I normally get through one pair of boots a season and that's if I look after them. Fortunately, touch wood, my current Nike Tiempo boots are still in decent condition and I'll probably keep them for the coming season of Saturday league football.

But what if your boots, whatever make, turn out to be faulty goods. Stitching coming away from the toe, tears in the leather, loose studs, snapped laces, etc, can often lead to them being returned to the sports shop from whence they came. This is often met with a unsympathetic response of "there's nothing we can do" which doesn't help anyone who has just spent £40-£100 on a pair of boots that they expect to last longer than the pre-season friendlies!

I know 3 people who have sent dodgy boots back to the manufacturer rather than the retailer. On two occasions it was adidas and the other was Nike. On all occasions the firm either replaced the boots without any quibble or even replaced them with a better, more expensive pair.

The thing is manufacturers like adidas, Puma, Nike, Diadora and Reebok know how important brand loyalty is. They sell thousands, if not millions, of football boots to amateur players every year. Reputation often goes by word of mouth in the changing room. Therefore, it is in their interests not only to provide quality footwear but for the after-sales customer service to be of equal value.

So, next time you buy boots that turn out to be flip-flops, think about going straight to the top.

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