Problem? Or just needs more break in time?

[WestAussie]

Hi everyone, newbie here so this might be a bit of a silly question...

I recently purchased a set of new Salomon 4D 2 GTX hiking boots from a legitimate online retailer, and they just arrived today. I had previously tried a pair on in store to get correct sizing and fit (only reason for not buying in store was the huge price difference!) and everything about the pair that has just arrived looks legit.

One thing bothering me a little however is almost seems like one of the shoes is warped out of shape. Placed on a flat surface and rocked back and forth, there is an obvious difference in how much the left shoe moves compared to the somewhat flatter soled right shoe. Also when wearing the shoe, the flex point in the shoe seems to noticeably press down onto the top of my foot a lot more than on my right foot (probably because of the warp in the shoe). Doesn't look like any of the sole is missing either. It's a little hard to describe, so I uploaded a quick video here - https://youtu.be/6WqDl9w7FRU

Now, I'm thinking this could just purely be something that can be fixed by a good amount of break in time to get the shoe to fit to a proper shape - but in the back of my mind, I'm thinking this could be a manufacturing problem with the left shoe?

Wondering if anyone else has experienced something like this with a new set of hiking boots, or am I just being stupid and worrying for nothing?

[weeds]

Not sure I'm a fan of wasting a shops time in fitting you up in hoes than buying elsewhere

I guess if you brought from a local shop you could pop in no discuss and an exchange would be straight forward.

[WestAussie]

Not sure I'm a fan of wasting a shops time in fitting you up in hoes than buying elsewhere

I guess if you brought from a local shop you could pop in no discuss and an exchange would be straight forward.

Yeah I realise it wasn't the nicest thing I could have done, and I was more than willing to buy in store if the sales guy was willing to move a little on the cost - unfortunately he was pretty stubborn with that, and I just couldn't justify spending an extra $150 just for their time to fit me up.

[oldpiscator]

Online stuff is often seconds and that's why they appear to be cheap.

[benoloughlin]

if its a reputable online seller then they should have a returns policy.
I would be checking that out and returning the items for a replacement.
kind regards,
Ben

[Gadgetgeek]

Its possible that the one shoe took on an odd shape in storeage, maybe due to heat or something. If the store won't do a return, then my only guess would be to get a shoe last (wooden foot) and gently heat the shoe with a hairdryer, or in the sun to see if it will take a better shape. my guess is that it would be a slow process, but you might salvage it.

[wayno]

Not sure I'm a fan of wasting a shops time in fitting you up in hoes than buying elsewhere

I guess if you brought from a local shop you could pop in no discuss and an exchange would be straight forward.

Yeah I realise it wasn't the nicest thing I could have done, and I was more than willing to buy in store if the sales guy was willing to move a little on the cost - unfortunately he was pretty stubborn with that, and I just couldn't justify spending an extra $150 just for their time to fit me up.

you bought cheap shoes online, you got what you paid for.
you saw a good pair in the store for yourself and tried them out and didnt buy them..
part of the reasons their costs are so high and they cant afford to drop them is because they now spend a lot of time with customers who take up their time in store and buy elsewhere having gained from the store staffs time...
I've heard of stores that charge just to try on footwear... where i live i see less and less stores around . less variety on whats on offer and less chance to try on a variety of shoes....
there are some tradeoffs with buying online, you dont get to inspect the product before you buy, a product that is unlikely to have even been unpackaged from the factory until you get it... or as someone suggests it could be a factory second. advantage of buying from a shop, you get a chance to see any flaws in the exact item you're buying and can ask for another item if you dont like it and the store have to listen to you. they cant palm off an item on you when you tell them you want a different item. so you saved $150 and thats what you got for your money. worse service, a riskier trade that had a higher probability of going wrong... and now you cant juste walk down to aship and get the chance of an instant swap out. you have to ship it back hopefully not have to pay the shipping and wait for another product and hope that that isnt defective as well. its the nature of online shopping to a certain extent...

[Son of a Beach]

I just couldn't justify spending an extra $150 just for their time to fit me up.

It's not just for the time to fit you up. It's for after-sales service. Which is clearly what you need right now. It's also to cover the costs of replacing shoes if they are genuinely defective, including shipping back to the factory, with some brands.

However, that's in the past, so may as well move on.

If they are defective, send them back. They are obliged to replace them with new ones, or otherwise to refund you. If they are in Australia, then it is law. If they are not in Australia, then you will just have to hope for the best.

[slparker]

I almost always buy online and have never had a problem returning gear to reputable companies.

I do not like trying on shoes in a shop and then purchasing online but until commerce in Australia finally arrives in the new millenium i suppose it will continue to happen.

The only shop (that I know of) in Australia that has both a physical presence and a cheap online arm is the cycling store 'wiggle' here you can try on anything from bike shoes to $10000 bicycles and have them delivered to your door from the UK for (sometimes) up to half the price of australian shops - they do have a camping arm as well and the boot mentioned in this forum can be had for $235 instead of the $399.95 full price in australian shops (paddy pallin). i have returned bike gear to wiggle in the past and it is seamless - I have had more hassle trying to return kit to australian shops who sometimes do not seem to have a vested interest in customer service (or complying with consumer law).

Now that I know my size in salomon, merrel and asolo and zamberlan I cannot imagine footwear in australia ever again. The money that I have spent in the occasional return of wrong size is far less than I would have outlaid in full aussie RRP.

i have no interest in giving my money to shareholders of australian companies as they are not charities.

Some shops in the US even allow returns of used items... how's that for service?