Frustrated customer sparks debate online with photos of terribly-designed, brand new boots: 'So disappointing'

It's not exactly a secret that the quality of many products is going downhill. Companies often cut corners and use cheaper materials to maintain profit margins amid rising production costs. That may be fine for something relatively inexpensive, but when you're paying almost $300 for name-brand boots like one Redditor, you don't expect them to fall apart after just one use. 

What's happening?

A Reddit user posted photos in the r/HistoricalCostuming subreddit of a pair of brand-new dark purple American Duchess boots they had just bought. That would normally be an exciting occasion, except for the fact that the heel cap had fallen off after they had walked only half a mile. 

"Aside from the heel cap falling off I am shocked that the heel, heel cap, and buttons are plastic. These are supposed to be period correct to 1850-1880 and this type of plastic was not invented at that point. I could have let that go if they hadn't fallen apart," the poster wrote. 

"These were $280 and the last pair left in my size … Now I'm on the verge of tears because I feel stupid for wasting my money by treating myself to something that was supposed to be nice," they continued.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you," one commenter sympathized. "So disappointing when a company that was known for quality is sold and slowly over time, we see their quality decrease, while the prices do not." 

"Exact same thing happened to me!!! And the customer service was just like oops it happens," another shared. 

Why are poorly designed boots concerning?

When customers pay a lot for something, they probably don't anticipate having to replace it after just one use. While some commenters said a cobbler could likely fix it, the OP shouldn't have to enlist their services so soon after purchasing the boots. Thankfully, in a follow-up comment, they said customer service finally got back with them and agreed to pay for repairs. 

However, when companies sell poorly designed products, customers often get the short end of the stick if they have to replace items often. In addition, it's a hassle to have to ship products off for repairs, even though the companies are doing the right thing by fixing them. 

If items are thrown away instead of being repaired, they add to the mountains of waste piling up in landfills and releasing harmful pollution. According to Biodegradable Future, over 24 billion pairs of shoes are made worldwide each year, and 300 million are discarded annually in the U.S. alone. 

Many contain toxic synthetic materials like plastic that can take up to 1,000 years to break down, leaching harmful chemicals into the environment. 

Is American Duchess doing anything about this?

The Cool Down didn't find any information about how the company is addressing the defective product. However, many other Redditors had experienced problems with American Duchess shoes, suggesting it's a widespread issue. 

According to the company's website, it doesn't offer an official warranty but "will correct any manufacturing defects at no cost to the original owner." 

What's being done about shoe industry waste more broadly?

In addition to making higher-quality shoes, some companies have set out to make them more sustainable as well. From shoes made out of bacteria, bananas, or literal garbage, footwear is getting a huge planet-friendly upgrade and keeping plastic out of landfills. 

For our part, we can support eco-friendly brands and shop at thrift stores more often to curb pollution and save money.

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