Complaint Review: The Shoe Department

The Shoe Department at the Albany Mall employs deceptive marketing and sales tactics. As an anti-theft policy, only the right shoe is included in every box (understandable, of course). A pair of sandals recently purchased was on sale, which, according to the manager, meant that there were no refunds or exchanges. This was fine with us because we planned on keeping them anyway.

When my wife used them for the first time, the left sandal had a physical defect which caused her foot to nearly bleed. When we took them back, the manager again reminded us of the return policy for the "clearance" item. When I reminded her that sales law indicates an implied warranty of fitness for a specific purpose (a defective product, for example, is not fit for its purpose) that can only be disclaimed by including terms such as "sold with all defects" or "sold as is", she apparently didn't think that physical injury caused by the product was a defect.

Obviously, we're not about to go to court about a pair of sandals, but the company has still violated sales contract law and good customer service principles. In short, any potential customer of this company should stay away or risk being deceived by an undisclosed defect. Needless to say, we will be taking our business from this company and giving it to more worthy and/or ethical businesses. Everyone we know will be given this same warning about The Shoe Department.