Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/01/2023

  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.

  I hate to do this because the shoes are lovely and I let the company know. However, I received shoes that were two different sizes. The smaller shoe is causing me to have blisters on my heel, which is a bummer and prevents me from wearing them all together. If they were similar sizes, I'd honestly wear them all the time. After months of just sucking it up and trying to use bandaids, I finally felt fed up. I reached out and shared my experience and pictures with Marciante and Company. They wrote back, suggesting my feet were different sizes. I did check them to be fair. Honestly, I found my feet to be similar sizes. But don't take my word for it; I will try to include photos of these shoes. Please assess for yourself. The company has not responded to my message, which included pictures of the mis-matched shoes. It's left me no choice but to leave an honest review.Date of last contact by company: Sept 18 2023. I responded the same day.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/01/2023

  We did respond to ****** the first time she reached out. Honestly we were delayed in responding to her most recent email, but the first time she reached out we did get back to her as mentioned in her complaint. We explained it's very common, and frankly to be expected that people have one foot slightly larger than the other. It's not always a significant difference, but sometimes can make more slim/low profile shoes a little more challenging to decide what size to wear.

  The biggest issue is that our return/exchange policy is clearly outlined on our website as seen in this link: ********************************************************************

  Not only has it been over the 30 day period, AND the shoes have been worn thus voiding a return as explained in the policy - but it had actually been well over 6 months after the purchase of the shoes before she initiated this conversation about the fit and sizing. We do our best to help our customers within or at least close to a reasonable expectation of a situation, but feel this is well beyond that and the customer is attempting to utilize public forums to either damage the reputation of our brand or leverage the threat to receive compensation or product. A tactic learned with larger retailers like Amazon and weaponized against small businesses.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/02/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:   

  I have not received satisfactory efforts towards a resolution. I have been in email correspondence with the company, which is an improvement from no response to my concerns. I have accepted their return policy. And I want to acknowledge being unaware of the policy until I was informed of it on Nov. 1 2023. 
  
  The company seems to continue to not believe that the product I received is flawed/defective. But they noted it is my feet that are different, which suggests the problem and solution are on me. I have provided photographic evidence of my feet alongside a ruler, as well as the product alongside a ruler. 
  
  Attached are images of my feet alongside a ruler. They are just shy of 9.5 inches (see images titled Feet 1 and Feet 2).
  Also please see attachments for pictures of the product alongside a ruler: 
  
  1 HEIC shows that I lined up everything to the best of my ability. 
  2 HEIC is an overhead shot after lining the shoes up to the best of my ability. 
  3 HEIC demonstrates the difference between the Right shoe and the Left shoe by placing an envelope on the top of the Right shoe. 
  4 HEIC demonstrates the difference between the Right shoe and the Left shoe by placing an envelope on the top of the Left shoe. 
  5 HEIC again demonstrates the difference between the Right shoe and the Left shoe by placing an envelope on the top of the Left shoe. 
  6 HEIC is an overhead shot and shows the difference in size between the two shoes.
  
  Just like the company, I have never had a pair of shoes that are flawed/defective in the sense of being two different sizes! I guess I was the lucky one this time. And the one to alert them to this experience. I'm sorry for the escalation and that it's come to this point. I held off for many months not wanting to put effort into this and knowing that they are a small business. As I mentioned, the shoes are lovely! That's my honest opinion. But the experience I've had as a consumer since alerting this difference to them has been disappointing and invalidating. I am willing to go to mediation if need be. I am also willing to remove reviews that skew negatively towards the company. Ultimately, I would like to be able to find a resolution that feels good to everyone. 
  
  ******
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/02/2023

  Feet

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/02/2023

  Pics of shoes

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/02/2023

  These pictures demonstrate that the shoes are not the same size.
  
  ******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/02/2023

  This picture demonstrates that the shoes are not the same size.
  
  ******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/03/2023

  I want to articulate what I see as difference in this pair of shoes (as shown in the attachment labeled "mismatched_shoes"):
  
  The top and bottom parts of the shoe positioned on the Right side of the photo are flawed/defective.
  
  Because the top part was made lower than the top part of the other shoe, this left less room for my left toes. Also, because the bottom part is shorter than the bottom part of the other shoe, this left less room for my left heel. My experience then is that that shoe digs into my left heel, which left me resorting to wearing bandaids whenever I wore the shoe. 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/03/2023

  I took the advise of the company and went to ****************** (located at ******************************************************** // Phone **************). I used the ******** device at a shoe store. I advised the company they may call ****************** today (Nov. 3rd 2023) to confirm I was there and my findings.
  
  I was witnessed by two sales individuals. I was told by one of them (the one who took the photos) that my feet are similar, which is rare, and the shoes have a manufacturing defect. The shoes are 1/2 size mis-matched. I was advised to bring this up to management at the company. I told them I agree with their assessment, that I have done what they suggested, and that I was there to gather evidence to demonstrate the same conclusion I had reached: it is not my feet that are different, but the shoes from the company are flawed/defective due to a mis-match in size. 
  
  Please see attached photos:
  
  Feet 2 is an overhead shot that demonstrates my feet are similar in size. They are a women's 7.5. 
  Different Sized 1 is an overhead shot of the shoes to demonstrate that the shoes are planted.
  Left Shoe demonstrates that the Left shoe measures at 11.
  Right Shoe demonstrates that the Right shoe measures at 11.5.
  
  ******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/03/2023

  Left Shoe demonstrates that the Left shoe measures at 11.
  Right Shoe demonstrates that the Right shoe measures at 11.5.

  I can only upload so much at a time. Sorry for the high amount of add ons.
  ******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/10/2023

  Current status of complaint # ********
  
  Timeline of most recent events:
  
  Friday, Nov. 3, 2023
  1. The company wrote me an email (herein called email A) where they said they reviewed a second set of photos I sent them. With great clarity, they let me know they did not see defect in their product:
  
  After carefully reviewing the pictures and measurements you provided, we did not identify any defects or sizing issues with the shoes.
  
  Within email A, they also offered me store credit:
  
  We understand your desire for a resolution, and we have already provided a solution for your shoes based on our policy. However, we'd like to offer you a credit towards a future purchase should you decide to take another chance on us.
  
  2. I wrote back immediately (herein called email B), saying I sent them a message just as they sent theirs to me. As they *** not have seen it I was writing them again, wanting to draw their attention to new information: I went to ****************** (located at ******************************************************** // Phone **************) and used a ******** device, as was advised. I offered that they can speak to the sales individual who took the pictures and made in person an assessment. That *** provide them with a 3rd party perspective in this case. I attached pictures, as quantitative and impartial evidence there is a defect or sizing issue with the shoes (e.g., Left measures at 11; Right measures at ****). And that my feet are similar in size (e.g., Women's 7.5). 
  
  In this message to them, I asked for the company's acknowledgement that there is a defect in the product I received. I said that this would be done without compensating me, as I do not expect it per your return policy. I *********** for acknowledgement that there is a defect in the product I received. 
  
  
  3. They wrote back (herein called email C):
  
  Thank you for the feedback all is acknowledged.
  
  Continuing in email C, the company clarified what credit meant and they informed me that holiday season is coming up and there *** be delays in response:
  
  at least a minimum of 48 hours during regular business hours during the week.
  
  4. I wrote back (herein called email D), letting them know that I wasnt satisfied with all is acknowledged. I wrote that it sounds like a cop-out, as I am not sure what "all is acknowledged" refers to specifically. I then expressed that I would like the company's explicit acceptance that there looks to be a defect in the product I received. I said that this would be done without compensating me, as I do not expect it per your return policy. I *********** for explicit acceptance that there looks to be a defect in the product I received. That that is a big part of what can be done to move towards a resolution, if they want to do so. 
  
  Note: I added the words acceptance and looks to be intentionally. This was to be specific and clear, as well as fair to the company. I understand the pictures sent are being reviewed online vs. seeing the product in person! I want to add: I have offered the company a call, mediation via BBB, and also a return of the product should they be curious and want to assess it themselves in person. These offers remain open.
  
  I then proposed a resolution plan in email D:
  
         I plan to take you up on your offer! I will reach out to use $105 credit towards another purchase of The ***** shoes in Cognac (women's size 7.5). I pay the difference.
         I plan to mark things as resolved on the BBB platform once you make a reasonable response that I can be satisfied with too.
         Once my new order is received, I will reach out to tell you it was received and that the ******** review has been removed. I hope you can tell me that you removed/deleted the review for the website (I don't have access to do it). What I mean to say is: once I receive my order, you will have my word in removing two reviews that skew negatively towards your company.
  
  5. No response from the company since Nov. 3, 2023.
  
  
  =====
  Current status of complaint # ********
  
  Friday, Nov. 10, 2023
  Given the holiday season, and the information they shared about response time, I took the week to reflect. In doing so, I realized that I want to share why I am not satisfied with their response.
  
  In email B, I owned up to my part in this conflict and I accept the following as realities:
  
  
  I have acknowledged my part in this (e.g., lack of awareness of your return policy, belief in your return policy as being generally consistent, a delay in reaching out to you re: the matter, and that the shoes have been worn by me.
  
  I realize that Im not satisfied with the companys latest effort because Thank you for your feedback all is acknowledged is quite vague. It doesnt feel like there is an owning up of their part in the conflict or an acceptance of what I had been conveying about the shoes. The company had been clear when telling me they didnt see a defect (refer to quote from email A above), so they have demonstrated an ability to be clear. However, when I shared quantitative evidence of what looks to be a defect in the product, I am met with vagueness and hesitation. I hope you can see that with spelling out my part in this, then my receiving a vague response in return, when the company had previously demonstrated an ability to be clear, how I am left with an unsatisfactory experience of their effort. Further, the effort feels unsatisfactory because it strikes me as being unfair, un-mutual, and lacking in good faith.
  
  I understand that the company has issued me credit ($105 the cost of the shoes) to be use toward another purchase. This is nice and reasonable from a Business standpoint. To many it *** even be good enough.
  
  Since alerting them to my experience of the product defect, however, I have had a poor experience as a consumer. From a customer service standpoint, there is a problem when their responses to me make me feel like: Im not one to be believed, Im treated as though Im untrustworthy, Im to be avoided via not responding, and I am not validated in my experience of their product and by their customer service. This whole endeavor has been emotionally draining and time consuming. These are the reasons why I held off contacting them for many months, knowing that theyre a small business. And, yet, here we are.
  
  Im now writing to inform the company and the BBB of the current status: there is no resolution yet, as there is no response from the company, despite a laying out of a possible plan towards resolution. A plan that, in my opinion, hopes to be fair to both parties. I acknowledge there have been steps made towards a resolution. And I remain hopeful in finding final steps together.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/11/2023

  Hello ****** (and BBB)

  Thank you for briefly considering the holiday rush and how that impacts workflow and turnaround times. We have offered a more than reasonable solution given the circumstances. Removing any emotion, and customer suggested actions that our ********************** should take, here are the points of reality in this issue:
  

  1. Understanding that you have complaints about the fit of the shoe, and have taken lengthy measures to convince us that the shoes are faulty - the photos you continue sending are still very inconclusive. You're more than welcome to send them back to us to inspect in-person, but that won't change anything on how the situation is handled as we have NEVER seen an issue such as that we're being accused of, and it would be an extreme anomaly due to the way shoes are produced in our factory (in pairs, using computer measured precise templates).

  2. The complaint was brought to our attention months after not only the purchase, but also the 30 day window after which that we receive returns and exchanges. As you previously pointed out, if any changes made to the policy in the last 6 years, it's that we have made it MORE lenient as the window used to be 15 days. Not 9 months.

  3. All these things considered, we DO still care about our customers genuinely, and had offered a credit in the full amount that you paid for the shoes (now almost a year ago) breaking our own policy, but still hoping to salvage an already messy situation, and potentially get a pair of ************ that you're happy with for a very long time.

  Now...with these things in mind, I'd like to take this opportunity to point out to any BBB representative that *** be reviewing this thread, that the constant harassment and threats both publicly and via email and ******** messenger are now being considered an effort to abuse small business. We do not see eye to eye on the situation regarding the fit of the shoe, and that's ok...the point is we're well past the point of a return being acceptable and we're still making an effort to please the customer. The fact that this isn't good enough, and the harassment continues with additional ultimatums, further proves the erosion of online business and how customers have now been conditioned to use these "tools" like the BBB and review platforms to get their way, and strong arm small businesses into doing what they want under the threat of slandering their name and damaging the success of their business, their reputation, and the livelihood of those that own and run the business. We have no respect for these efforts, and the ***** requests of an "admission of guilt" of something that again is a loose accusation at best, and passive aggressive blackmail at worst.

  What we do apologize for is the poor first experience in trying out our brand. I wish we could have helped you choose the correct size in the beginning if you had reached out to ask our team for assistance. Our team works very hard both in ****** and in the US to provide a quality product, and an 'attempt' at a quality customer experience every time. And as displayed by our offered store credit after the expiration date, we do bend our own rules to benefit the customer when we get a chance to. But this has gone beyond that. ****** you have already been offered a credit to get an additional pair of shoes, but a free pair of shoes is not enough?

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/16/2023

  I am very close to accepting this response! The only reason why Im rejecting the effort right now is to clarify two logistical issues addressed in my response below. 
  
  ==
  Hello, 
  
  Thanks for the response. Im about 98% resolved! This is markedly improved effort.
  
  I appreciate the company understands that I have had complaints about the fit of the shoe, and have taken lengthy measures to convince [them] that the shoes are faulty. I feel they get why Ive been trying to communicate with them. And I appreciate that they can see the considerable effort Ive made in doing so. If I were trying to con the company, please rest assured that I wouldnt invest this much time and effort in doing so.
  
  Also, allow me to share a little more: I did take lengthy measures in taking 3 sets of pictures of my feet and the shoes. The 2nd set of pictures, used with a ruler, and the 3rd set of pictures, used with the boondock device, were done in response to the advice of the company. While they have right to make their own conclusions, I must admit some disappointment: in spite the companys advice, their conclusion is that all pictures sent remain inconclusive. I must then ask: when is it good enough for the company to believe there looks to be a defect in the product I received?
  
  And that segues me to this realization:
  
  While I had wanted the companys explicit acceptance that there looks to be a defect in the product I received, I now see the following upon reflection: a) Im capable of acknowledging and accepting my own experience of receiving a defect in the product; b) I have people in my life who have seen the shoes in person and they assessed that the shoes are defective by way of being different sizes; c) the sales individual at Becks Shoes assessed the shoes and mentioned that they were defective by way of being different sizes. I offered the company a means to speak to the individual, so I have done my due diligence. For me, the data points converge to validate the conclusion I have made.
  
  So, I no longer need acknowledgement or acceptance from the company. The fact that the company is willing to accept a return of the product to inspect in-person is huge! Even if the product gets tossed out right away, it is the openness to making their own assessment of the shoes that gives me great satisfaction. Its just disappointing that Ive had to go through all of this to be able to make a return. But here we are.
  
  Before I wrap up this response, I want to highlight my disagreement with a few words used by the company in their latest message:
  
  1.     I looked up the word, Slander. According to the Cambridge dictionary, it means: a false spoken statement about someone that damages their reputation, or the making of such a statement. Further, slander is done with malice or a desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another. As I said before, I held off reaching out for months because I did not want to put effort into this and I knew they are a small company. Further, I have not once issued a false statement. Not on this platform, not over email, not on FB messenger, nor in my reviews online. Everything Ive written is from my experience as a customer of your **********************. I, therefore, cannot not agree with the use of the word, slander, to describe my writing and actions.
  
  Consumers deserve protection too. And reviews and the BBB can offer a means to have checks and balances, accountability, and feedback between company and consumer. Escalation was taken to after I wrote the company, signaling my experience of a difference in size in the product I received. Before doing so, I even tried following up over FB messenger (herein called Follow Up Time 1). I didnt hear back. I then I followed up, via the BBB, on Nov. 10, when I didnt hear back (herein called Follow Up Time 2). From my experience as a customer, the inconsistent communication from the company required a persistent, assertive, and direct attitude.
  
  2.     This brings me to address the words, passive aggressive. According to **************** passive aggressive means: a pattern of indirectly expressing negative feelings instead of openly addressing them. There's a disconnect between what a person who exhibits passive-aggressive behavior says and what he or she does. In my opinion, my messages to alert the company of a problem, follow *** to address the issue, and offers to directly find solutions via a call or mediation are evidence of the following qualities: persistence, assertiveness, directness, and willingness to openly address issues. For this reason, I cannot agree with the companys use of the words, passive aggressive, to describe my writing and actions.
  
  3.     Finally, according to Cambridge dictionary, abuse means: to use something for the wrong purpose in a way that is harmful or morally wrong. As mentioned above, I see my actions as evidence of persistence, assertiveness, directness, and willingness to openly address issues . in the context of interacting with a company that had been experienced as inconsistent in their communication and not willing to own up to their end of the issue. Rather than abuse, my actions strive towards self and consumer advocacy and an effort towards righting a wrong. My actions also strived towards eagerness for accountability and resolution: I had been holding myself accountable and I had offered a plan towards resolution. Thus, I cannot not agree with your use of the word, abuse, to describe my writing and actions.
  
  With all that being said, Im still about 98% resolved! This is markedly improved effort. I appreciate it very much.
  
  The only reason why Im rejecting this effort right now is to clarify two logistical issues:
  
  1.     The final sentence company wrote in their response was: a free pair of shoes My understanding of the amount of credit the company offered me is in the amount of $105. On the website, the shoes cost $150. Am I wrong in assuming that I owe the company the difference? Can I get clarification?
  2.     How can I return the shoes to the company? 
  
  ******