Shoddy Stuart Weitzman Shoes

For all the ladies out there, I thought I would share with you the following correspondence that I recently sent to Stuart Weitzman's customer service department. An unapologetic lady by the name of Alex from their call centre responded, chalking up the situation to a case of "bad luck".

"Hi there. I purchased a pair of size 6.5, black suede Stuart Weitzman pumps at your Toronto location a while back. The other day, the heel on one of the shoes suddenly collapsed as I was approaching a busy downtown intersection. I took them to the store in their original box, along with the receipt as proof of purchase, only to be told via a phone call four days later that it was a simple matter of wear and tear, that I am past the three-month warranty period, and that there is nothing they can do about it.

"I am writing to let you know that this is an embarrassment that tarnishes the Stuart Weitzman name. While they don't compare to my higher-end shoes (Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Miuccia Prada), I am sure that shoes purchased at some lower-end establishment would far outlast the pair I had brought back to the store, in an otherwise perfectly good condition. In fact, I will be happy to photograph that flimsy suede-covered, plastic heel and post it on social media outlets to advise others against spending a single cent on such shoddy shoes.

"The store manager, Antonio Roberto, might benefit from taking a course on customer service. In similar situations, I have known other companies whose personnel would have been very gracious about either replacing the pair or providing a store credit. I find it difficult to believe that months of infrequent (perhaps a dozen times or so) of "wear and tear" would render these shoes in such condition. If, however, this is truly the case, then it certainly reflects poorly on the quality of craftsmanship of Stuart Weitzman products."

I am a young professional who, in just the last two years alone, has purchased four other pairs of shoes and/or boots from Stuart Weitzman, easily totalling over $2,500. The following shoes in question retailed at $365, a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things, yet I assure you that I will no longer be taking my business there. Bad luck, indeed—on the part of Stuart Weitzman.

Is this normal?!