| Quality of service | 3.1/10   |
|---|---|
| Layout of shop | 7.1/10 |
| Value for Money | 3.9/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 3.1/10 |
| Overall Rating | 3.2/10 |
Full review by
en5chc
on 17th Nov 2008
User Rating : 1
Respect :
0
Good Points: They offer classic style
Bad Points: Quality, finish, materials, service. I feel they are not what they once were.
General comments: 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.
en5chc's review and ratings | 613 words
Review by
Guest.
on 13th Oct 2008
User Rating : 3
Respect :
0
I took the shoes back to the store to be told that shoes weren't made to last. I have had them 7 months and out of that time worn them for 3, maybe 2/3 times a week on average. The heels are still great and the centre of the sole is rubber and so that's fine. It is the outer of the sole as they are so thin and without being soled it just wears into the leather toe-they have already started to go. I was asked could I not wear them like that. Well no actually I can't. I was offered £19.99 t ...
Guest.'s full review | 283 words
Review by
Guest.
on 5th Sep 2008
User Rating : 0
Respect :
0
I feel I have just been treated very badly in Clarks shoe shop in the Metro centre. The assistant seemed rude to me and made me feel embarrassed in front of a line of customers because I had picked up the wrong size shoes. She then charged me a higher price than was written on the tag on the pair in the rack and when I queried this she appeared to just stare at me. So I just paid and left. I found her attitude hostile and intimidating and came out of the store very shocked. After being a custo ...
Guest.'s full review | 123 words
Review by
Guest.
on 10th Aug 2008
User Rating : 0
Respect :
0
I have written to Clarks many times about the fact that the majority of their shoes start at size 4. There are many adults who take a size 3. Children's shoes look very much like children's shoes and so are not what we want to buy. I love Clarks shoes but have been able to get fewer and fewer in a size 3. I think very soon their entire range will start at size 4 and those of us with small feet we be sidelined.
Guest.'s full review | 91 words
Review by
dolan mate
on 9th Jul 2008
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
At our Clarks store all the staff are very friendly and we try our best to help everyone with their shoe needs. We always do mention that you use protective spray and various other products to use, not because we want to make money but to actually protect your shoes! Some customers try to return items for silly reasons sometimes caused by the design. I feel its a very good store and although not always in trend we do sell GOOD quality shoes.
dolan mate's full review | 83 words
Review by
alex4819
on 6th Mar 2008
User Rating : 3
Respect :
0
As far as I am aware they rarely have school shoes in stock in holiday times and expect us to buy shoes 6 weeks before new school year starts, otherwise they seem to say 'what do you expect?' when nothing's left 2 weeks prior. Fitting has been a problem for me I feel I can do better than the fitters. I have to question each time and get a different width, length, or both. I've had this at 4 Clarks shops where the fitters will sell you shoes too wide (just stick an insole in, and we're left with ...
alex4819's full review | 192 words | 2 comments added.
Review by
sue hirons
on 24th Nov 2007
User Rating : 0
Respect :
0
I took some shoes back to the Hammersmith Kings Mall branch of Clarks, where I got them from for my daughter. The stitching had come apart in 2 places after only 3 weeks. Clarks wouldn't change them without my daughter being with me. This I would understand if we had purchased children's shoes, as I know they like to check the fitting, but we purchased shoes from the adult range, so no fitting as such is required.
I am appalled at the lack of customer care shown - 35 pounds for shoes to only ...
sue hirons's full review | 143 words
Review by
SARAB63
on 16th May 2006
User Rating : 1
Respect :
-2
I recently purchased 4 pairs of shoes from the Merry Hill Centre Clarkes shop. After 3 DAYS my two year olds trainers were scuffed at the front where the leather had started to peel off. I returned them to the shop where I was told that my child was obviously hard on her shoes, and that 3 days wear and tear was reasonable!! When I complained to Customer Services I was brushed off with the comment "You didn't use the polish before she wore them."
Having used Clarkes regularly for three year ...
SARAB63's full review | 126 words
Review by
Sumayya
on 15th Aug 2005
User Rating : 0
Respect :
0
Clarkes Shoe Shop.
After a week, my daughter's shoes were ruined. I had bought protective spray and scuff polish, and all in all I spent over £25. I returned them to Clarkes, and the manager told me he wasn't going to give me my money back, as their children's shoes are designed for fashion rather than wear. I'm absolutely disgusted!
Sumayya's full review | 115 words
Review by
birthday
on 5th May 2005
User Rating : 6
Respect :
0
Clarkes shoes support your feet from a young age and help your feet grow. Clarkes teenage girls shoes eg bootleg are way out of fashion teens at the moment want dolly/ballet style shoes not the clumpy things that bootleg offers. if you changed and updated your shoes you would get a lot more customers.
birthday's full review | 66 words
Review by
natcm86
on 28th Sep 2004
User Rating : 10
Respect :
+1
Clarkes - The service is excellent and the shoes are really good quality. It is not too expensive and there are lots of trendy shoes to pick from!
natcm86's full review | 27 words
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