Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/16/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My son bought a pair of **** basketball shoes from ******** In April. We were assured they were authentic and new and were told by the sales person if we had any concerns with the shoes to let them know. Within a few days, the seams showed minor separation. We reached out the store and they said that just happens sometimes, to use "shoe goo," but they don't do returns. We were also told that he was playing basketball, not just walking around in them, and that's harder on shoes. We replied that these shoes are literally designed for basketball play and he had only worn them for a matter of hours, playing indoors. Despite him only using them for indoor basketball randomly, they are now literally falling apart. We reached out to **** but they said Fan Cave is not an authorized dealer so they can't help us. We reached out to ******** again and I questioned the shoes being authentic, they state they are, but they will not take any returns for any reason. Meanwhile, my teenaged son has spent a fortune of his lawn mowing money on shoes he literally cannot wear anymore. We paid a mix of cash and credit and for some reason the receipt only shows the credit charge, but does say "difference on cash deal for ******* on the top.I cannot tell if our images uploaded, but we have a number of them.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/17/2025

  As a small family owned business, we take these types of things seriously. I want to address each of your issues so that you can fully understand our stance on this issue. First, we are not the shoe manufacturer. We are simply a resale shop that resells shoes that are difficult to find on the shelves at other shoe outlets / stores. We do not sell used shoes of any kind. The manufacturer of your shoes is Nike, and therefore is responsible for the overall performance of your shoe, not the store selling the shoes. This is standard operating procedures in this business. You cannot wear a pair of shoes you buy at Foot Locker for basketball and then take them back and get a refund. It simply doesn't work that way. In regards to authorized business concerns, of course we don't buy these directly from Nike. We buy them off the store shelves when they drop and resell them at a higher fee due to demand. Again, we do not buy shoes directly from Nike but as the manufacturer of the item - they should take full responsibility for the item they sold if the item is in fact a quality control issue - irregardless of where you purchased them from.
  
  In regards to these being fake - what started with a conversation about damaged shoes somehow escalated into a claim of them being counterfeit. That is something we take very seriously as it's not something we have ever been accused of and it's something we strive for daily to ensure does not happen in our business. The reason why this is difficult for us to comprehend is, again, we buy these items directly from store shelves and resell them. So if the assumption is they are not real, which did come up recently after not being brought up at all previously, then it would be the store we bought them from and to the best of my knowledge, these big box stores we purchase shoes from would not be selling counterfeit merchandise. We take this a step further by doing internal quality control / verification of every shoe that passes through our building. We've turned a lot of shoes away from sellers trying to sell us shoes that were not real and we take great measures to ensure that we only sell authentic merchandise.
  
  As a parent I completely understand your frustration. I bought my daughter a pair of Jordan 4 UNCs at a store like ours in NYC. A couple days after we left - the buckle on the left side broke and the shoes were no longer usable. Unfortunately, I was told the same thing you were told by Nike - that the store I purchased them from in NYC was not an "authorized retailer" and thus they are not responsible. That doesn't mean the shoes I purchased were fake - it just means that the manufacturer is going to use that excuse as a way to get around having to help you with your issue. That is the most difficult part of this entire situation. Nike could make it right and simply send you a new pair of shoes - no reason they can't. Unfortunately they don't seem to care and instead - take no accountability for selling a faulty product.
  
  Additionally we have a no refund policy because of what has transpired previously in our business. A customer buys a shoe from us - takes it home, switches it out with a pair of fake sneakers - attempts to bring them back for a full refund. It has happened numerous times at the beginning of our small business journey. Therefore, due to that we cannot accept returns once the item leaves our store. Lastly, we don't resell used shoes - everything in our store is brand new and, as you found with Nike, I have no recourse to get your shoes replaced since we are not an authorized retailer.
  
  I am very sorry this happened. I'm sad for your son and I'm sad that this issue isn't something we could quickly resolve for you. I send my deepest apologies on behalf of my store and my employees. I hope you can understand our position as a small, locally owned business in the mall - one of only a handful in the West County Center.