The toe leather on my pair of £225 Oxford F work brogues bobbled after being exposed to rain and then dried. No problem I thought; they present themselves as a quality brand so their customer service should be good...? Unfortunately not. Apparently their shop staff reject the idea that it rains in London and that the water damage to my regularly treated, polished and cared for shoes was somehow my fault. Escalating the problem to their head of customer service (Jason Bleasdale) didn't help as he held the party line that getting the shoes wet was my problem and that their shoes are not built to withstand any water. Finally I escalated my complaint to the head of retail (Brendan Regan) who was useless in exactly the same way, informing me that their product couldn't possibly be faulty because he said so. With no-one left to escalate my complaint to I will be complaining to the original manufacturers (Barkers) and an ombudsman, but why should it take these steps for someone to recognise that a shoe that becomes damaged from rain is not fit for purpose in London?
I will be avoiding R&B going forward and will not be recommending them to anyone, ever. The prices are premium, but their merchandise is not and their customer service is frustrating and defensive. read more