Unfortunate Church’s shoes
A few years ago, I bought a pair of Church’s Burwood Brogue shoes from Australian online retailer the ICONIC. This is in fact a pair of expensive shoes and I have kept them in mint condition. I recently read an online article and learned Asymmetry in shoes is a Common Quality Defect. And I thought of my Church’s Burwood Brogue almost immediately. On the right shoe, the seam of the rear quarter is not centred, but off to the right. I contacted Church’s straight away. Amazingly, they quickly responded to my message. At that time, I honestly thought Church’s was going to look after their consumer.
After a few emails back and forth, it turned south before long. Church’s shoemaker advised me to contact ICONIC (the Australian retailer) as it is Church’s policy and procedure before the faulty shoe can be sent to Church’s repair centre. So, I emailed ICONIC. Yes, the rest of the story has followed the classic plot. Long story short: Whilst Church’s shoemaker claims the retailer ICONIC is liable for checking defects before selling, ICONIC believes their customers should cop it if they fail to check the quality of their purchase on delivery.
I have expressed to both Church’s and ICONIC that I don’t appreciate being led in running circles with no genuine intention to solve the problem. And there are simply so many other good options in the market especially at high price bracket, end of story.

Approximate cost: $480