I am beginning to become an expert shopper. Not because I buy a lot of things but because I have learned such a tremendous amount about fashion, retail, and the consumer experience through the last few months working on Coutorture. Not only that but I have a group of experts for all of my beauty, shopping (heck even budget shopping), design, etc.. that have effectively weeded out any of the many types of bad decisions I am liable to make as a consumer. Thus I have gotten much better made up and styled, taking much of the anxiety out of my daily life. This is not to say I am stylish, trendy, or even particularly well dressed but rather my wardrobe fits my life to a tee.
However most people are not as lucky as I and as much as we all wish to be educated consumers sometimes we need a little help in the process. You shouldn’t have to spend hours on the Superfuture forums obsessing over say the newest in denim retail in order to find appropriate garments for your budget and lifestyle. In fact, I have always felt that this responsibility devolved onto the sale staff of a given boutique or retailer when a consumer wanders into their doors. I would even go so far as to say that I believe like Macy’s philosophy aired in a Miracle on 34th Street that if you can’t help the customer with a product then you send then somewhere where they can be helped.
So let me recount a little story to you about my own negative retail experience at United Nude to illustrate some of my frustrations. Many of you will remember my agonizing over finding a perfect pair of neutral summer shoes that could withstand the pain of New York City. I finally settled on a pair of straw Mobius high sandals from United Nude after much trepidation.
I was thrilled………..at first. In my thrill I blogged about them with much excitement, others picked up on my obsession (even wondering about their comfort) as this is a blog whose information is quickly diffused by the larger fashion blogging community which I am happy to report has an audience that is larger than half a million people a day
However I soon discovered after wearing the shoes a mere 5 blocks that they were hell on heels pinching me terribly around the straps. Because I am a busy girl it took me a few days to make it back to the store to on Elizabeth street to report the problem. The girl who sold them to me Nathalia suggested that I take them to be stretched and even promised me that United Nude would pay for that to be done at the cobblers. In the meantime I had been to Brooklyn Fashion Weekend which used the shoes in many of the shoes thanks to a lovely sponsorship. Incidentally, I spoke to a designer there Cotrice, who while she was pleased to have found a shoe sponsor was decidedly uncomfortable wearing the shoes and told me as much. But I was undeterred, and wore them out again and found that not only did the strap area pinch but the arch did not fit my own and that was that after another few stumbling blocks
But as I had much goodwill stored up for United Nude when I went back to the store I was ready to simply exchange them for the Mobius Mids and be done with it. The salesgirl, Nathalia, was extremely pleasant, and said that unfortunately they didn’t have my color in stock but I could come back in a bit when they had them in and exchange them. I got her card and left it at that.
It took me six weeks to get back to the store i.e just this afternoon hoping to kill two birds with one stone by photographing and review the store for the Coutorture City Guides. I have managed to get through part of the summer without my perfect sandals, substituting flips flops (from Marc Jacobs) and flats and a cheap pair of Michael Kors gold sandals that I decimated after four weeks. I of course have not worn the offending Mobius Highs since then. I went into the shop, receipt, barely worn shoes, and Nathalia’s card in hand in the hopes that finally in July I would have my summer sandals.
But it was not to be. The salesgirl said in the most condescending tone as I pulled out the shoes “there have been worn” when I asked to exchange them. “Yes” I said as I patiently explained the situation with the trouble, the two attempts to make them work for me, and Nathalia’s helpful service and promise. “Well” she sighed, let me see if I can clean them and then maybe we can take them back. She rubbed the offending shoes and asked her partner in crime if it would be at all possible to take them back. “No” she disdained, “they have certainly been worn.” I was starting to get a little flustered, thrown by the attitude of the two sales girls. “But Nathalia said it wouldn’t be a problem” I stuttered. “Yes, well” the first sales girl huffed, “Nathalia hasn’t worked here for at least two months so I don’t know what you are talking about. And since you bought them in May there is nothing I can do about it.”
Phil had accompanied me to the store as we were on a City Guide review mission as well. I sent him pleading looks to help but even he got no further. I finally asked if they had a press rep or sales manager that I could contact. They weren’t forthcoming with that information either. I was so frustrated I asked if I could just leave the damn shoes at the shop especially as they were now on sale. “You can’t give them to a friend” the first sale girls asked and not in the nice way. No! If the shoes hurt me why on earth would I want to subject a friend to that? I can’t even in good conscience take them to a reseller. I actually left the store in tears, crying like a baby over the fact that it seemed nigh near impossible to find a decent pair of shoes that would fit me, last the summer, and be basic enough to go with all of my clothing. Even when I thought I had found them it was a production.
Now if I were an average customer this would be the end of the story. United Nude would have lost me as a customer forever even when I understood that yes I had taken my sweet time getting back to the store, that really bringing them back in July after I bought them in May was a trifle unfair. But that with extenuating circumstances surely something could have been done even if it was treating me with a little bit more respect as someone who clearly had a lot invested in the product not only financially but emotionally.
And isn’t that what all brands strive for? Customers who are so loyal and interested in the product that they will do whatever it takes to make them work? I could have just said the hell with it right off the bat and got rid of them or just wrote the purchase off never to return. The trouble is now of course that customers mow increasingly have very public ways in which to air their grievances and you can never tell how these small problems will have repercussions. Yes, in essence this is a post about me venting my anger, frustration, and not in small small part sorrow over the loss of these shoes. But in a larger sense the problem of dedicated scorned customers taking it upon themselves to discuss their experiences that more and more companies will have to deal with customers who do not see a divide between themselves and the work they purchase. We don’t want the separation. Huffy sales people, lack of service, and lack of accommodation all contribute to furthering the divide between customer and brand and in this day and age no one can afford that sort of divide. And I don’t just mean because some of us have blogs and media channels. What happened to the customer always being right? What happened to making shopping ann activity that was not only helpful but pleasant?
I plan to email this article to the reps for United Nude, because while the sales girls would not give me the information, the website has contact information and I know the organizers of several fashion shows sponsored by United Nude. Thus I can take action because I refuse to give up on this brand.
This is the email I sent to Melissa who is their press rep
Dear Melissa and Bill,
I just wanted to let you know about my experiences with United Nude in the last few months. I have been exceptionally excited and supportive of your work and was thrilled with the idea of purchasing your Mobius Highs, purchasing a pair almost two months ago now.
I recently went to the UN store on Elizabeth Street to review the store for Coutorture (description below) and had an experience that I was forced to discuss at length both on my personal blog (the review can be read here: http://almostgirl.coffeespoons.org/?p=800) which will then be featured on Coutorture.
I urge you to read it as I sincerely appreciate the work of United Nude but I felt I had no choice but to air my grievances and experience. I would love to have your feedback on the matter and please feel free to leave comments.
Sincerely, Julie Fredrickson
Coutorture Media LLC
This is your chance, United Nude! Here’s where we seperate the PR hacks from the PR queens.
And next season, build comfort as well as cool into the designs and your customers will want one in every colour.
It strikes me that with very little variation in the design almost that entire season can be written off as unwearable. That entire store we went to (I was along for the first return trip) was full of incredibly similar, uncomfortable looking slides.
No wonder the sales help is snippy if they’re forced to peddle an entire line of uncomfortable shoes.
Hi, Julie! I’m supposed 2B working on my book, BUT… congratz on this post – I remember well – as many of us – zee X-tremely enthusiastic original mention of these moebus strip-like shoes! This reminds me of an X-change with my favorite designer (not including Romeo Gigli) Jean Paul Gaultier’s pr person… Way back, when I was really really skinny I tried on one of his dresses in a famous Parisian department store that made me look “tarty,” according to one of my “best friends”… “Oh!” said the press person, “You should tell him that his sizes are wrong, yours is a real-life X-perience… Coming from you it will carry more weight than if the rest of us (his actual crew!) tell him” XXG
walked past there today and thought of you – though the design is great, i was unenthusiastic about switching my cons for anything in their window, especially until you get this worked out!
ps, how’s my sewing machine doing?
In these days of fast media and citizen journalism, everyone is held a little more accountable just through the speed at which news travels. Your experience is definitely unpleasant, especially given that you had invested your support in this company and your admiration of the shoe was truly genuine and not simply seen as just another item in the boundless closet. That said, consumers these days feel entitlement more than ever before and particularly in retail capitals such as New York, salespeople are probably tired of the attitude that comes along with retail and shopping divas – doesn’t excuse impoliteness, however. I think the days of “the customer is always right,” are over, and feel they should be. No one is ever right, thus diplomacy and respect are the best policy. Doesn’t sound like that was the service you received, however.
My personal thoughts on the shoe: they work conceptually and from a design perspective are visually interesting, but Rem should stick to what he does best. Making good shoes means understand the delicate mechanics of the body. Down with bad footwear! I own several shoes by this one company that really understands cobblery and the foot, and even when others have given me blisters, I turn to these for comfort time and time again. The thrill of the search is half the fun in my mind. Keep looking for that (those) perfect everyday shoe(s) – they’re out there…
Retail Sales are infamous for unexpected bad service, a product of the high stress/low pay that tends to go with it. Working for ‘Naturalizer’ (I’m about to get sued, I mentioned them!) shoe store, I can see why these girls were terrible. Chances are they had several big sticks being waved over them (one of which is a sales quota) and knew that for the most part they’d be fired for poor sales technique before ‘product sucks’ trickled it’s way to upper management.
Julie,
It’s unfortunate that many of us have come to accept the fashion retailer’s attitude that if something has been worn, it’s not returnable. Thanks for sharing this story – I’ve blogged about it at my other website, CustomersAreAlways.com:
http://www.customersarealways.com/2006/07/customer_service_in_the_fashio.html
i haven’t figured out what i thinkexactly of the misleading retail veues. sometimes i think the owners are really just greedy, while the store girls really just have no clue/don’t care/just need a part-time job…so when the customer discovers something wrong or unfair about a product, no one is there to tell you any of the real story.
they just tell you to go away and leave them alone….
really though, people need to care more about honesty and integrity. if you’re selling someone a fake piece of shit, then tell them. or a really uncomfortable shoe meant to be worn for one hour only, TELL THEM. then, THEY decide if it’s worth it to go cheap or wait for the best. eitherway, honesty leads to more opportunity. it just HAS to….
yeah-those look very uncomfortable. i hate making the fashion mistakes with shoes but i also hate walking for hours in pain. i guess that’s why i’m the bag lady with two pairs of shoes and at least two bags.
take care of your feet!!!! i won’t tell you what i did to mine last night….
Thanks for all of the insight guys. I really sincerely hope I hear from them. I feel so emotionally invested in these shoes in a way that I just can’t explain.
I hope that I will get a chance to talk to their people and have my goodwill restored because I really want to have this all work out for me and for them.
As someone who has had shoe issues all my life – I have a super narrow foot – I can really appreciate your situation. I can’t tell you how many unwearable shoes I’ve bought. I know they may not be fashionable, but I love my Berks. They actually fit my foot and I wear them forever.
As far as rude sales people, I’ve been one of those myself and the thing is that you are preaching to the choir in many respects. Those girls literally “just work there.” They are given sales quotas – as in sell $$x amount or you are fired – they are loaded with rules, company policies, and managers who are also in fear of losing their jobs. So, they have zero control over what happens.
Granted I agree a great deal with your position, but normally it’s the little people (you know what rolls down hill) that will get the heat for this, not the corporate idiots who made up the policies in the first place.
good afternoon from rainy london, rem (the architect and designer behind united nude) and galahad (the english shoe maker and business partner) – are reading your comments with interest.
lets deal with the shop first – we just opened this shop a couple of months ago and we can only apologize for the service. we will take immediate steps to correct this and make sure you get your pair of mobius mid straw – or can we recommend the eamz sandals for summer (more obviously comfortable)…
we are young owners of UN and trust me are not instilling meaningless sales quotas at all costs or sitting back getting fabulously wealthy. we are working hard at creating new iconic styles and sweating our guts out to improve UN in everyway.
we take your comments very seriously and appreciate the effort you have made on UN’s behalf. the shoes are specific and minimalist – they are made by real shoe makers with a lot of care and attention… but the design of the mobius in particular compromises the spectrum of fit possible. we opened more moulds (at great expense) to try to accomodate as many different feet as possible and take great pride in the shoe making.
sooo, don’t give up on UN – we’re in this for the long haul and making improvements to every shoe all the time. we got lots of new and exciting styles coming – including accessories and clothing… we’ll make sure our shops are friendly places and the shoes are as comfortable as we can possibly make them… do come and visit us when you are in london: 64 neal street, covent garden. one love, galahad and rem (founders of UN)
[...] Early this month, Julie Frederickson blogged about her shopping experience with United Nude. Julie exclaimed, “Thank God I Am Not “Justâ€? A Frustrated Consumer Anymore,” referring to how many times she had to go back to the store to exchange her straw Mobius high sandals for a more comfy pair. Maria Palma of CustomersAreAlways picked up the story and blogged about it. Of course posts like these, attract a lot of people and their sentiments. Apparently, United Nude heard about it and made a public apology by comment ing on Julie’s blog. Thus, there’s a happy ending to Julie’s story. [...]