Update 2:
Bumping to 4 stars
Corporate was a runaround, said my shoes were not available anywhere after the rep called the store, but they gave me a credit after follow-up call. I called the store and discovered that the shoes were in fact available.... I'm chalking it up to possible miscommunication. The store handled it from there and replaced the shoes. The return policy for worn shoes is way too time consuming. The return policy is dictated by corporate, so I won't hold it against the outlet store. Michael made good on his word to take care of it if corporate didn't. Unfortunately for the store, corporate policy prevents me from giving a 5 star review.
Update:
Bumping to 2 stars for now.
Michael at the Birch Run MI store swapped out the worn "New" shoes that were shipped from the Jeffersonville OH with a new pair that they had in the back of the store. He also shipped the visual defect shoes back to the warehouse for examination vs. me paying for shipping. I am not certain yet what Clarks corporate will do at this point, however Michael stated that if corporate does not replace them, that he would at the Birch Run outlet store. I will update this post again after everything comes to a close.
Original:
One star, only because it won't let you rate ZERO or Negative! I purchased (2) pairs of ESPACE brown oily shoes in the Winter of 2018. I was happy with the look and feel of the first pair, but the soles were pretty worn after 4-6 months of lots of walking. A few weeks ago on a Monday I opened the second pair; later that day I noticed a horrible visual defect on the left shoe, the front of the shoe was twisted outward, making the bicycle toe look terrible. I was away from home for the week on business so I continued to wear the shoes until Friday afternoon. When I arrived home, I called the outlet store and explained the condition. They were unable to help, but they gave me the number to Clarks Customer Dis-service. I contacted Ryan C. at customer service and explained that I had the shoes in the box for months but had opened them just 5 days earlier and could not locate the receipt. I then followed up with photos depicting the defect. Days later, I received an email stating that the shoes must be returned, and the RMA was being "mailed" (Hmm guess they don't have the ability to email documents...). I went back to the store and purchased (2) new pairs, (1) of which was to be mailed to me. I also asked if the shoes were still going to be manufactured. I received the RMA Saturday and began to fill it out only to find I could not return the shoes without a receipt, and shipping is on me (Thanks for wasting my time Ryan) and that the shoes don't exist on the Clarks website. Out of desperation, I tried to return the shoes to the store. The Assistant Manager said they were heavily worn and could only receive 1/2 off a different pair. I left the store frustrated. Fast forward to today, my fourth pair of shoes arrived via mail from a the Clarks Jeffersonville Ohio store. The shoes show signs of wear on the back of the sole, and there are creases in the toe from someone wearing them. I contacted the store immediately and spoke with Michael. He said that he'd order a new pair directly to the store and that he was sorry and would call me back. An hour or so later he called me back after he had spoken with his assistant manager and the manager at the store in Ohio. The manager in Ohio apparently told him that she packed them herself and that they had shown no sign of wear. I blew up but apologized. Michael is only doing what he was told; however, the customer service is terrible. Never ever buy a pair of shoes from Clarks without closely inspecting them before your purchase, and Never let them ship shoes to your home. Their guarantee is that you own them once you walk away. I'm going in at the end of the week with all (4) pairs, so I can show them the "New" pair I received in the mail from the Ohio store. read more
