Sharad
06-06-2007, 10:29 PM
Full text and detailed pictures at:
http://blog.myspace.com/sraldiris
I'm done with Nike.
31 years old, and this is the end... (sounds dramatic, doesn't it? )
For as long as I can remember, I've loved Nike shoes! I can remember school shopping when I was a little kid. I never really gave a crap about clothes. My favorite part about school shopping was buying new shoes. We didn't have a whole lot of money back then, so I really needed to make my shoes last for a year... Every year at the end of summer, we'd go out shopping. Buying a fresh pair of Nikes was always a big deal. I remember in junior high when my friend Yong Bakos got a pair of Andre Agassi inspired Nikes. I lusted after those shoes! (it was legal... I hadn't become a Christian yet ) When the price came down on them, I got a pair. Loved em.
When I got older and started paying for my own shoes, my taste became more expensive. Airs, Shox, etc... Before long I was paying over $100 a pair. No big deal... I work hard. I can afford it.
Then it happened.
In January of this year, I bought a pair of Nike Air Max 180s. They were pretty sweet. Half of the sole was a huge cushion of air, so they were pretty comfortable. Sure they are running shoes and I haven't done much running since high school. But I work on concrete floors so comfortable shoes are important. I plunked down $110 for them at The Finish Line in the Fayette Mall. Yeah, they were expensive, but I figured I'd make them last by taking GOOD care of them. I only wore them at work. In fact, I only wore them to work when I wore jeans. (when I wore khakis, I'd sport my Doc Martens which I absolutely love!)
Unbelievably, after only a month of part time use, the right shoe got a flat! Somehow the sole got punctured or something and lost all of its air. Now, like I said, half of the soles of these shoes is air, so the two shoes were massively uneven. I checked into the warranty. Two year warranty. I called The Finish Line and they told me Nike handles the warranty claims directly. It took me TWO WEEKS to get through the automated return process over the phone. (they really don't want you to return these shoes!) Finally, I got through to a real person and they processed the claim. I sent them to Nike (in Oregon, I believe) and waited for the response. A few weeks later, I received my same shoes back. There was a pretty stern note that said a puncture caused the loss of air so it was not Nike's responsibility. Furthermore, it made CLEAR that this would be the END of the claims process.
$110 for one month of use. I was FURIOUS. But you know I don't play games with my money. I popped the sole on the other shoe so they would be even, and continued to wear them. Daddy didn't raise no fool! I was DETERMINED to get my money's worth.
Lo and behold, the unthinkable happened. Two weeks after getting them back from Nike, the sole on the LEFT shoe started coming apart! You've got to be kidding me!?! We're talking about a total usage of six weeks. $110 SHOES!!! I mean, the soles are already coming apart! These are RUNNING shoes! Those of you that have known me for a long time know that there was a time when I used to run 5-6 miles a day! Nowadays, I stand at a counter and sell car audio. Hardly a strenuous activity for these shoes...
Like I said, I was furious. I talked to the guys at work about it and they asked me, "From a customer service standpoint, what would WE do for a customer that had a similar issue?" Well, I thought about it, "if the equipment was non repairable, I'd sell the customer a replacement for half price. Even if I didn't make a dime on the sale, I'd earn a customer for life!" Makes sense to me! They suggested that I call Nike back and tell them that.
I did, and here's what happened. The first person said no. The second person said no, but she'd talk to a supervisor. The supervisor was not available, but she took down my number and promised she'd call me back. She called me back that night! (pretty good customer service, I thought) After she talked to her supervisor, the best they would do is free shipping on a new pair of shoes (at full price) I told her I was thinking more like ten dollars off and free shipping. (even though I actually wanted 50% off) She said she'd run it by her supervisor. She did, and they stuck with free shipping. I told her I'd think about it and get back to her.
Well, I've thought about it.
I'll never buy another pair of Nikes. I won't let my wife buy a pair. I will not buy them for my kids. I am done with Nike. If I ever talk to anyone about shoes, I'll tell them this story. I'm gonna send my friend at Nike the url to this blog. I'm going to send a copy of it to Adidas, Reebok, New Balance, Vans, Puma... anyone who will listen! I'll send a copy to The Finish Line where I bought them. I'm going to call the Better Business Bureau to find out who to send this to. If any of the local TV channels have consumer reports listings, I'll send this to them too. All because Nike was too tight fisted to give me TEN DOLLARS OFF on a new pair of shoes when my $110 shoes failed after four weeks! Unbelievable!
Here's the funny part- I still need a pair of shoes.
I couldn't find any Vans I liked. I've never really been into Puma. (even though Napoleon Dynamite rocks em) I've never been a Reebok guy either, even though they seem really nice. I took a look at some Adidas. (All Day I Dream About Sharad) I've had some of their soccer shoes and liked em. I found a nice pair of Adidas tennis shoes that I really liked. (it's hard for me to pick athletic shoes anymore, because they all seem too flashy to me) These are FORTY dollars cheaper than my Nikes were and ironically, Addidas is offering free shipping for father's day! LOL! (According to Nike, free shipping is big time customer service!)
http://blog.myspace.com/sraldiris
I'm done with Nike.
31 years old, and this is the end... (sounds dramatic, doesn't it? )
For as long as I can remember, I've loved Nike shoes! I can remember school shopping when I was a little kid. I never really gave a crap about clothes. My favorite part about school shopping was buying new shoes. We didn't have a whole lot of money back then, so I really needed to make my shoes last for a year... Every year at the end of summer, we'd go out shopping. Buying a fresh pair of Nikes was always a big deal. I remember in junior high when my friend Yong Bakos got a pair of Andre Agassi inspired Nikes. I lusted after those shoes! (it was legal... I hadn't become a Christian yet ) When the price came down on them, I got a pair. Loved em.
When I got older and started paying for my own shoes, my taste became more expensive. Airs, Shox, etc... Before long I was paying over $100 a pair. No big deal... I work hard. I can afford it.
Then it happened.
In January of this year, I bought a pair of Nike Air Max 180s. They were pretty sweet. Half of the sole was a huge cushion of air, so they were pretty comfortable. Sure they are running shoes and I haven't done much running since high school. But I work on concrete floors so comfortable shoes are important. I plunked down $110 for them at The Finish Line in the Fayette Mall. Yeah, they were expensive, but I figured I'd make them last by taking GOOD care of them. I only wore them at work. In fact, I only wore them to work when I wore jeans. (when I wore khakis, I'd sport my Doc Martens which I absolutely love!)
Unbelievably, after only a month of part time use, the right shoe got a flat! Somehow the sole got punctured or something and lost all of its air. Now, like I said, half of the soles of these shoes is air, so the two shoes were massively uneven. I checked into the warranty. Two year warranty. I called The Finish Line and they told me Nike handles the warranty claims directly. It took me TWO WEEKS to get through the automated return process over the phone. (they really don't want you to return these shoes!) Finally, I got through to a real person and they processed the claim. I sent them to Nike (in Oregon, I believe) and waited for the response. A few weeks later, I received my same shoes back. There was a pretty stern note that said a puncture caused the loss of air so it was not Nike's responsibility. Furthermore, it made CLEAR that this would be the END of the claims process.
$110 for one month of use. I was FURIOUS. But you know I don't play games with my money. I popped the sole on the other shoe so they would be even, and continued to wear them. Daddy didn't raise no fool! I was DETERMINED to get my money's worth.
Lo and behold, the unthinkable happened. Two weeks after getting them back from Nike, the sole on the LEFT shoe started coming apart! You've got to be kidding me!?! We're talking about a total usage of six weeks. $110 SHOES!!! I mean, the soles are already coming apart! These are RUNNING shoes! Those of you that have known me for a long time know that there was a time when I used to run 5-6 miles a day! Nowadays, I stand at a counter and sell car audio. Hardly a strenuous activity for these shoes...
Like I said, I was furious. I talked to the guys at work about it and they asked me, "From a customer service standpoint, what would WE do for a customer that had a similar issue?" Well, I thought about it, "if the equipment was non repairable, I'd sell the customer a replacement for half price. Even if I didn't make a dime on the sale, I'd earn a customer for life!" Makes sense to me! They suggested that I call Nike back and tell them that.
I did, and here's what happened. The first person said no. The second person said no, but she'd talk to a supervisor. The supervisor was not available, but she took down my number and promised she'd call me back. She called me back that night! (pretty good customer service, I thought) After she talked to her supervisor, the best they would do is free shipping on a new pair of shoes (at full price) I told her I was thinking more like ten dollars off and free shipping. (even though I actually wanted 50% off) She said she'd run it by her supervisor. She did, and they stuck with free shipping. I told her I'd think about it and get back to her.
Well, I've thought about it.
I'll never buy another pair of Nikes. I won't let my wife buy a pair. I will not buy them for my kids. I am done with Nike. If I ever talk to anyone about shoes, I'll tell them this story. I'm gonna send my friend at Nike the url to this blog. I'm going to send a copy of it to Adidas, Reebok, New Balance, Vans, Puma... anyone who will listen! I'll send a copy to The Finish Line where I bought them. I'm going to call the Better Business Bureau to find out who to send this to. If any of the local TV channels have consumer reports listings, I'll send this to them too. All because Nike was too tight fisted to give me TEN DOLLARS OFF on a new pair of shoes when my $110 shoes failed after four weeks! Unbelievable!
Here's the funny part- I still need a pair of shoes.
I couldn't find any Vans I liked. I've never really been into Puma. (even though Napoleon Dynamite rocks em) I've never been a Reebok guy either, even though they seem really nice. I took a look at some Adidas. (All Day I Dream About Sharad) I've had some of their soccer shoes and liked em. I found a nice pair of Adidas tennis shoes that I really liked. (it's hard for me to pick athletic shoes anymore, because they all seem too flashy to me) These are FORTY dollars cheaper than my Nikes were and ironically, Addidas is offering free shipping for father's day! LOL! (According to Nike, free shipping is big time customer service!)