Clarks Review

Overall Rating

They offer classic style

Quality, finish, materials, service.

I feel they are not what they once were.

Why do I have such a negative opinion of Clarks? Well, it was not always so. Once, not even all that long ago, when they actually made their shoes in the UK, I thought they were a wonderful company. I grew up with Clarks shoes, wore them throughout school and university. In fact, I wore the pair that I bought before finishing uni (1999), from their factory outlet in Street, for a friend's wedding last month (Oct 2008). For £30 shoes they have done very well!

Sadly, this was the last good pair of Clarks I was ever able to get. After university I bought a pair of 'water proof' shoes from them, marked down to £65, they lasted about a year before the soles on both broke clean through at the ball of the foot. I was able to get a partial refund, about £30, which I put towards a pair of shoes much like those I bought from Street. These lasted less than a year before they too broke in half. When I returned them, to a different store, I might add, I was told that because I had had them more than 6 months it wasn't their responsibility and that no shoe company will guarantee their shoes for more than the first 6 months. I was also told that the problem with the sole breaking was 'normal' on rubber soled shoes and that if I wanted to avoid it, I needed to buy one of their urethane soled models. The old Street models were urethane soled, but they no longer made that style in that sole.

Funny, but none of my school shoes ever suffered this problem, but I guess that is to be expected, after all, we all know that sitting at a desk in front of a computer in an office all day long is MUCH harder on a pair of shoes than the school day of a 14 year old.

So, in a last hopeful bid to stick with a brand that I had previously been very happy with, I bought a set of moccasin toed, urethane soled shoes for £75. At the fitting I had commented that they felt odd and not altogether comfortable, but was told that they would soften up and wear in. I did as was told and wore them around the house for a couple of weeks, and in the office. However, the first time that I wore them out, on a five minute walk to the corner shop near work, I was nearly crippled by them. By the time I reached the shop I had 8mm diameter blisters on both heels. On returning to the office I found that this was a result of a) A poor fit which meant my foot moved up and down, and b) An unfinished seam right on the heel of both shoes. I also found that another seam was coming loose from somewhere inside the shoe, between the outer and the lining, apparently due to faulty machine stitching.

Justifiably, I think, annoyed that once more Clark's shoes had let me down, I went back to the shop to return their goods only to be told that I had had the shoes for more than 30 days, that they sold lots of this style, and suggested my blistered heels must be my fault for the shape of my feet, and that the faulty stitching was normal wear and tear. No refund, no apology, nothing. I wrote to their head office explaining that they had lost a long time customer and haven't even received an acknowledgement.