I was just CHARGED for trying on a pair of shoes. UPDATE ON POST #431

I think the bigger "shouldn't" of this thread is... I SHOULDN'T have paid.

But then we wouldn't have this entertaining 13 page thread

I went to the smiley request thread and asked for

My point is that people shouldn't jump to conclusions, especially on a highly emotional issue such as this.

..but then who would buy my product?



...that'll be $20 for the demo
(I'm telling you up front)

dang long thread....atleast the situation was resolved.

How was this resolved?

Did the OP get a receipt for paying $20?

First 20 pages....riveting

Next 5 with all of the off-topic bickering....blah

Nuala's Mom's stand for humanity and the betterment of global warming ? WTF?

I wish the the OP hadn't caved in and made a disclaimer..guys---stop or Nuala's Mom is going to ground you...

Fact of the matter is, last time I checked, this was a democratic and capitalistic society that we live in. Only the strong and adaptive survive...

I hope that the retail store changes their policy, or goes out of business.
Yes, I said it. If they have the gall to wear blinders in the retail world, they deserve to lose their business.

If the actions of an informed public (which may be concentrated on SD) has done anything to help strip the retailer of their blinders---then bravo. Everyone should pat themselves on the back.

When the paper runs a story. High fives all around.

Screaming like a child and hoping for protection is not going to work.
Not as a business owner
Not as a community member
Not as a human being.

Doing the right thing, is always the right thing to do.
Even if it seems yucky, or crass.

Bravo to all.

vapor

So "The Fixer" column for the Chicago Sun Times called me back this afternoon to tell me she fixed it. She spoke with the owner for awhile and she got him to do a chargeback. She actually told me that she spent way more time on this than she intended on (thanks to our 29 page thread here) Apparently the owner knows about this thread (no big surprise) and told her about it and she checked it out.

The thing is, the store's side of the story is that they told me upfront (uh huh right), and that's just retarded that they won't admit they made a mistake and forgot to tell me. I think it would come off alot better if they would have admitted they made a mistake, but mention that they USUALLY tell customers up front. So by them saying that I was told upfront, just makes me feel like this is their usual practice to surprise people with it afterwards. I KNOW I wasn't told upfront, and The Fixer agrees with me on a logic standpoint, if I wasn't 100% sure I was buying shoes that day WHY would I have sat down for that fitting?

Anyway, she also told me that his employees are scared to come to work, ect. Now I don't know of anything going on beyond what is typed here in this thread, but I read each and every post, and NOTHING more than some prank phone calls, or calls inquiring about the policy where mentioned. So if people REALLY are THREATENING ... why? That's not cool, and its NOT even mentioned ANYWHERE in this thread, so I'm not even aware of it. Supposedly according to the owner though its going on. IF it is, please stop. I NEVER would have condoned threatening. The Fixer has taken care of the situation.

Also, someone mentioned that I was aware people were calling on my "behalf". That is not true. When I read that people called, they did it for their own amusement, NOT my behalf. When I mentioned the store name, I even though this was a chain around the country, I didn't know there was only 2 stores and that people would know which one I was talking about right away.

Anyway, I NEVER called and harrassed this store, or asked anyone to do so. I stand by everything I said in this thread, because quite simply its freedom of speech, I did nothing wrong and I can NOT be held responsible for other people's actions.

Okay... so I'll let everyone know when "The Fixer" is running the column, because she said she was gonna RUN IT!!

Trying transaction | If the shoe doesn't fit, you'll still pay for it

Dear Fixer: I recently went to a running store called the Human Race in Orland Park. I was at the very beginning of my search for new shoes and just wanted to try on a few brands.
I was greeted by a young salesman who asked if I had ever been to the store before, and I replied that I had not. He asked if there was anything he could help me with. I told him I was looking for shorts and shoes and began to look around. I then told him I was ready to look at the shoes.

He asked me to walk a few steps so he could see my step. I had a list of shoes with me I wanted to try on. I was really just interested in trying on the shoes. But I walked in front of him, and it took him a minute or so to determine my gait.

He then came out with a pair of shoes. They were a size and a half larger than I said. He said everyone always underestimates their shoe size. They felt large to me (obviously). He came back with another pair. They still felt large. He said this was because of the "ankle width." Clearly, this wasn't going the way I had imagined.

I thanked him for his time and was about to be on my way. I was then hesitantly told that store policy either requires me to purchase the shoes I tried on or to pay a $20 fitting fee.

I was shocked! I was not told about this when I walked in, and there was ample time to tell me during the time I was there.

I was told by the salesman that they consider themselves a "high-end runner's store" and take pride in fitting their customers with the correct shoes. I thought it's every shoe salesman's job to fit their customers with the correct shoes!

The salesman then pointed out a piece of laminated, regular-sized paper that was over to the side, between me and another person, that I had not seen and clearly could not see during the course of my trying on shoes.

I proceeded to pay and was given a receipt that stated $20 for "merchandise."

I would not have sat down to try on a pair of shoes if I knew I would be charged $20 just for trying them on. Not always making a sale is the nature of a sales business.


Dear : This turned out to be even weirder than it seemed.

We talked with Bill Uffmann, the store owner, who agreed to refund the money to the credit card -- your mother's -- that the 20 bucks was charged to.

Still, Uffmann says the "fit analysis" fee was legitimate. He says it covers an elaborate process of looking for things like foot flexibility, width, bunions -- and that his employee, a Division 1 collegiate runner who knows his stuff, told him he notified you of the charge ahead of time.

Uffmann points out that, instead of complaining to store management, you vented about the charge on an Internet message board, which he says led to a lot of nasty calls to his store and a bunch of bullying e-mails.

Here's what The Fixer thinks: Charging a fee to be fitted for shoes is something most people wouldn't expect. So there ought to be a gigantic banner explaining this -- one that customers couldn't possibly miss.

But consumers who are asked to pay fees they don't agree with should complain -- right then and there -- to management, rather than running to a computer to stir things up on a message board.

Also, someone mentioned that I was aware people were calling on my "behalf". That is not true. When I read that people called, they did it for their own amusement, NOT my behalf. When I mentioned the store name, I even though this was a chain around the country, I didn't know there was only 2 stores and that people would know which one I was talking about right away.

Anyway, I NEVER called and harrassed this store, or asked anyone to do so. I stand by everything I said in this thread, because quite simply its freedom of speech, I did nothing wrong and I can NOT be held responsible for other people's actions.