Massive boot problems-a cautionary tale

So very pleased to be "fitted" for my very 1st pair of ski boots in March 2006.I spent a few hours trying on different pairs of boots in a shop in the UK.
After 3 days skiing I experinced discomfort on the balls of my right foot.

I returned to the shop and they decided that the problem may be solved by ironing out part of the footbed on the painful foot.
Off I went again and after 6 more days skiing the boots still never felt right. By this stage I was experiencing heel lift. Back I went to the shop once again still unhappy with the "fitting" service I had paid for. They tried to the best of their ability to solve the problem by selling and fitting me heel inserts and neoprene liner socks to reduce volume.

Off I went skiing, confident that my glitches had been re-solved.
By the end of the 1st day skiing between Christmas & New Year 2007 (My 9th day in theses boots) my left foot had gone a bit numb.
By the end of the 2nd day,of the much anticipated holiday, the pain on the ball of my rightfoot had returned and become unbearable. This was new year's eve and I determined not to let this ruin my long planned and expensive holiday.
The only thing to do was to seek local help in the resort.

I was recommended a guy in Chamonix. I went to the shop and I explained my problems. He then did something which I hadn't experinced in my initial "fitting".
First of all he took my boots and removed the liner then he asked me to put my sock free foot into the shell and put my foot forward so as my big toe was just touching the front. Then he shone his torch down the heel of the boot to see the gap.
"Do you have any brothers and sisters?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied. " I have three sisters"
"Well you could fit them all down the back of there!"
So you see, my problems stemmed from have the wrong sized and too high a volume boot.
"What on earth could I do about it right now" bearing in mind that it's new years eve and the UK ski shop was(a) along way away and (b) closed for the night.
So I'm left with 2 options either rent a pair for the rest of the hol or buy a new pair as my boots were now unsk-iable.

I thought about this long enough to realize that I'm probably not going to find many places in the world where I would be as confident about having my feet FITTED for a pair of boots as this particular guy.
The reason being, that he just happened to have fiited boots for 43 world cup firsts, 5 world Championship golds, and 4 Olympic Gold medalists including Anton Denariaz and Anja Paerson. With that kind of record, I can understand the different levels of correct ski boot fitting.
I seized the opportunity and bought a brand new pair.

The next day, which was a demanding back country day which we'd booked in advance, involve much hiking and well as demanding skiing on heavily wind blown snow. The pain in my feet had gone, even after such demanding conditions for day 1 of new boots, it's just a shame that my skiing was not as good.
I have since learned that my skiing will take a little while to adjust how to ski correctly in boots that actually fit !

So here's the big question do I demand and should I expect a full refund from the shop I bought the original boots from, or should I be happy to accept a credit note for 50% of the value of their value (as has been offered)
I personally feel that because under the 1979 sale of goods act that I have been sold goods that are "Not fit for purpose" i.e not able to ski in them and cosequently want a full refund, but have been told that when I left the shop I was happy with them.


What should I do?

I VALUE ALL OPINIONS PLEASE

I would go after them for a full refund. You were a good customer, and patient with them. They made/had a faulty product. You went through all that, yeah totally get your money back

That's an interesting question and would be hard for people outside the UK to understand as I doubt any other country gives such protection to the consumer.

In my lay thoughts, your case hinges on two points. The first is that any knowledgeable sales person would know ski boots "pack in" and end up a half to a full size larger after some use. The empty shell test you describe above gives a good indication of how much packing in may take place. The second point is whether you were actually fitted with ski boots or just made a selection with little help, not asking for advice.

If you have been offered a half refund, then you are better off than most people who make this mistake with their first pair of boots (and most people do). A lot of boots end up on ebay after just one week of use.


Trencher

OK so the issue with my original purchaser reads as thus:-


1. They would not give me a full refund, but only half the value of the boots I purchased in the form of a credit note.



2. I considered taking them to the small claims court which can be a long winded process, but eventually took the credit and exchanged it for various accessories:-gloves hats etc.

3. I paid the price for NOT going to a shop with COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL BOOT FITTERS.

4. The moral of the story is that in my opinion, due to my own bad experience,

If you want to buy a pair of professionally fitted ski boots, then I recommend that you

DO NOT BUY SKI BOOTS

from FINCHES SNOW AND SPORTS IN FOREST HILL, SOUTH LONDON UK
because of exactly the reasons I have stated above.i.e. they cannot "FIT" boots.

5. I will gladly respond to anyone who has anything else to add to this, because as a member of J2SKI I feel a responsibility to the rest of this community to share as much info as possible; good or, unfortunately in this case, not so good when it comes to buying the most important piece of hardware we rely on.

Knowing how poorly the consumer is treated in the UK, I am quote surprised they even offered you 50%. However, you ought to be entitled to that in the form of a refund, not a credit note, as they are doing is making you spend more money with them, and the whole point is you do not want to and dont trust them any more.

If they have offered 50%, I would say take it, but try to get them to refund it to you, and then you might even be able to sell the boots on ebay.

Best of luck.

Hi Meercat

Out of interest what is the name of the man and his shop in Chamonix who splendidly set you up properly with some new boots? I will be after some new boots next season, I was thinking I could always coincide a visit to Chamonix and buy and have them fitted there if the chap does a good job.

Glad you got some good boots sorted eventually.

The fella to see is Jules Mills, and he runs an independent bootfitting service within Sanglard Sport in Chamonix.

I think the lesson to be learnt here is to buy your ski equipment abroad where you can try before you buy, I have always found the customer service Ist class.
I brought a new pair of boots in Le Grand bornand last month and got a great price and the care and attention to detail lasted all week.