A reader described to us in detail the problems she encountered while filing a complaint about purchased shoes.
“I wanted to draw attention to the problem of how customers are treated in one of the shoe stores in Bolesławiec. This matters to me because unaware consumers, »sent away empty-handed«, often give up and do not enforce their rights, even though increasingly they are sold poor-quality goods at high prices (...). The people of Bolesławiec should be made aware that they may fall victim to dishonest sellers, which is why I wanted to share my story publicly. On Saturday, I bought (...) brand shoes at one of the stores in Bolesławiec. After impregnating the shoes, I wore them that same day to my daughter’s first birthday celebration. Despite the fact that the shoes were practically unused—I spent most of the time sitting at the table—they began to discolor at the toe and on the sides. So, on Monday, I returned them as a complaint. The saleswoman (...) was not pleased and was rather reluctant to accept the shoes at all. Two days later, on Wednesday, I received a phone call saying that the complaint had been rejected because these were abrasions caused by mechanical damage. I could not believe it—shoes costing PLN 700, worn once. What am I supposed to do—throw them in the trash? So I called the consumer helpline at 801440220, where a lawyer informed me that in a case like mine, the store is obliged to provide me with an assessment by an appraiser or another expert showing that the damage was caused by my fault. I therefore went to the store, where a very kind (...) employee offered to sell me black shoe polish so that I could »polish over« the abrasions myself. I was speechless. Shoes worn once, costing a lot of money, and I am supposed to »polish them over«.” Another employee “tried to convince me that the abrasions were mechanical and were not covered by the complaint. I therefore referred to my conversation with the lawyer on the consumer helpline and asked them to provide an expert assessment. However, the woman insisted that she was right and said that I might have rubbed them with a pumice stone myself. I was speechless for the second time.”
After the reader contacted us, we got in touch with the store. At first, the staff assured us that no such case had occurred and that they did not have any shoes at such a price at all. However, the reader showed us photographs, documentation, the complaint form and proof of purchase. In subsequent conversations with the store, the owner himself admitted that such a situation had occurred.
– We handle every complaint here as follows: a customer comes in and files a complaint about the shoes, the shoes are accepted, and the customer receives a form. If the manufacturer rejects the complaint, there is a stamp stating that the complaint has been rejected. The customer then has the right to go to the consumer rights office. They can also send the shoes to an appraiser, obtain an opinion and take us to court. The manufacturer can also make a mistake. But then the court decides everything. We handle every complaint this way – that is what the owner said, and he did not reply to our subsequent request to authorize his statement.
Ultimately, the reader recovered her money before our editorial office contacted the store. As she points out:
“I know that this store also refused many of my friends’ complaints, but they accepted these decisions with resignation and left empty-handed. That is precisely why I decided to ask istotne.pl to publicize the matter. The residents of our city must know their rights, especially since our city has a Consumer Rights Ombudsman, who is always ready to help.”