Gait analysis

Hi  I have been suffering from what I think are shin splint pains and also an achy knee so I have been looking around for some new running shoes and went in to a few specialist running shops to have a look and to get some advice as I thought maybe I was wearing the wrong shoes.  Last year I bought a pair of stability New Balance shoes but talking and reading about different types I think I was previously given the wrong diagnosis and I think that I should have been told that I was neutral.  I went back today and I had a gait analysis done and I am really disappointed in how they dealt with me.  I won’t name the shop but the man that supposedly assisted me in purchasing a new pair was hopeless.  I have to say I think I knew more than him and I have only been running for the past year.  Before I started I asked whether they had my size in stock as the previous shop that I had gone in to said that they had no size 4/4.5’s in at all and they would have to order them in.  The man told me that they had plenty in for me to try and he bought me a pair of neutral ones out to try on the treadmill.  On completing it he showed me the video and he said that my left foot slightly over pronate’s (my right seemed to be neutral) so I should try a mild support shoe so he bought me 2 pairs of Asics out to try.  I did tell him that the Mizuno ones that I had on for the test were rather comfortable and I liked the cushioning in them.  The two pairs of Asics didn’t feel that comfortable and he then bought me a pair of NB’s to try but they were not cushioned enough and didn’t feel good.  He then brought out size 5’s as they didn’t have anymore 4.5’s in stock.  He said that because they were Brooks they were small sizes and that I should try them.  They were way too big for me.  I went back to the Asics from before and he asked me to go back on the treadmill and when I did it wouldn’t work, so I had to go over to their other one and he put it on for me to try.  He then says that I am not set up on this treadmill for the video replay for him to check but didn’t even bother to set me up on it so really I was just having a quick jog to see if I liked them.  Surely paying £15 for an assessment it should have been better service than this.  This amount is reimbursed if you buy shoes from them otherwise you have to pay.  I knew this before I came into the shop as it’s the same with all the shops that I had been in but you would expect the service to be really professional but he was really hopeless.  He couldn’t really answer any of my questions and didn’t give me any help whatsoever in picking the right shoes and in the end I picked the ones that I tried on at the beginning (neutral) for the gait test as I felt obliged to buy them even though he did say that I needed slightly mild supported shoes.  I left the shop fuming and with myself as I have been looking into buying new shoes for the past 2 weeks and have read up on loads of them but ended up with a pair that I didn’t really want but felt like I had no choice!  Any ideas what I can do about it?  I actually want to take them back and complain but I hate confrontations and I really begrudge having to pay for a gait analysis when it was just as bad as the one that I had in JJB last year!

Take them back, if they havent even been worn then you are within your rights to return them within a certain time frame (usually two weeks). Tell them you have tried them on at home and that they just don't feel right.

If they push on the gait analysis then you just have to stand your ground and tell them that you didn't actually recieve a full analysis and the system failed before you coulkd ascertain whether or not the shoes you bought corrected the "problem" that the sales assistant told you you had.

Find an independant running shop that has staff who are runners themselves, they will advise you much better and get an analysis done there (Maybe before you return the shoes so that you are armed and ready if challenged in the original shop.)

Thanks for the reply, I think this shop was an independent one which is a shame and there was another man working there as well but he was dealing with somebody else and he really sounded like he knew what he was talking about.

I have a Runnersneed shop local to me so I will try there again as the lady who was trying to help me last time in there was really helpful but unfortunately they never had any shoes in my size but she did offer to order a selection in for me.I just need the courage now to return the shoes and get my money back.  I know your right about standing my ground as the service wasn’t good enough.  Fingers crossed eh! 

Yes getting the right shoes is a bugger. That and the fact you feet change over the years as you run.

When I first started and I did the wet foot test I had very flat feet and rolled a lot when I ran.

Now 4 years on I have a developed a nicely arched foot print and roll a lot less than I did before.

My feet and ankles are a lot stronger and when I stand I can clearly see that my feet dont roll in, that are the classic signs  of an over pronator.

So I am seriously thinking of getting a new gait test as I have been running in Brooks Adreneline shoes for stability for years and may need a different shoe.

You we find a pair for you even if you have to do a little customisation. Remember the pros get their shoes made for them.

Yes I know, Mr Nike, Mr Brooks, and Mister Asics dont tell you that....

Well I took my shoes back and I have to say the service of this shop was disgusting.  I explained to the shop assistant what had happened the previous day as the other assistant who served me wasn’t working today, and to start off with she pointed out that the receipt that I had handed to her was not the correct one which I told her that it was and she had another look at it and my receipt was actually there abut another one from the previous sale of the shoes was with mine, so obviously these shoes had been returned to the shop once before, not a good start! 

I told her that I wasn’t happy at all with the gait analysis test that was done and that the running machine was broken so the other one was used but he said to me that he hadn’t set me up with it to record me in the other shoes.  She then rudely pointed out that the recording device never works on that machine anyway, she was basically making me out as a liar.  She even walked over the machine and said that it was working and turned it on.  I was absolutely fuming but kept my cool and said that I wanted a full refund and she then says that they do not do refunds and pointed to a sign on the till.  I explained to her that the man said that I could bring them back after I had worn them (indoors) if they didn’t feel right and never mentioned at all that I couldn’t return the goods for a full refund only an exchange, and he should have pointed out the sign when I was paying for them as the receipt has nothing on it at all about returns only how much I was paying .  She said that he has worked for the shop for a long time and that he wouldn’t serve anybody like that.  She just wouldn’t listen to me and said that I would have to come in to the shop again tomorrow to speak to the owner and also  to speak to the sales assistant who dealt with me.  I couldn’t believe how negative she was to me so at the moment I haven’t actually got anywhere!  I am so disheartened by the whole thing.

Chin up and don't let it go. You have been mis sold you purchase and are entitled to a refund.

May I suggest you call consumer direct in the morning? That way you can have all of your facts straight when you go in and can quote them if necessary.

08454 04 05 06

They are open 9am-5pm

Hi Sharon,

I m sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience with an independent shops, especially as a lot of independent running stores tend to be very good in the customer service and offerings, it is what makes them different from many chain stores. Independent store strive on customer feedback and recommendations, and any store which behaves as you described above should get slammed for behaving in such a negative fashion.

I run a sports specialist myself, and consumer law entitled you to a full refund within 2weeks of date of purchase if the product is unused and in its original packackaging, with original receipt. If shops have a sign up stating that they are only give credit notes or exchanges they are in actual fact breaking the law. The reason why they have the sign up is simply because they are hoping to keep as much money in the till, and they rather you do an exchange or get a credit note, as through that they do not lose any money. 

Often employees in stores will just follow what owner/manager/head office has told them, and they are often unable to do anything, however I would ask for a manager or the owner and explain your right as a consumer. If worse comes to worse you can call the police, although this is at the extreme end. 

Additionally, if you slightly over pronate on one foot, and are neutral on another, you can often get away with wearing a pair of neutral running shoes, and with the right core excercises you can in the long term improve your gait. I know that when you spend 15Pounds on a gait analysis, one is always tempted to purchase a shoe from the store there, but the last thing you want to do is just purchase a shoe, just because it is a slight support shoe in your size. You need to wear the shoe that for one is correct, and simply feels right. You are the one running in it, putting the miles in, so you want the best shoe for your foot.

I know that independent shoe stores often charge for gait analysis, but in my experience a good gait analyis can be done without a treadmill and camera and shouldn't take longer than 10minutes, and for this one should not charge. And yes I m sure customers get an analysis and then buy elsewhere, but in the long term the customers that do purchase from you, outweight those who then go an buy elsewhere. Afterall, good customer service counts for a lot these days, and as seen above many shops are still struggling to provide this.

Hi Alexander, I'm surprised that you have got the law so wrong.

Any item you buy from a trader must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described.

If it is not one of these or faulty when sold to you, you have the right of a full refund.

If there is nothing wrong with the item and has not been mis-sold, you have NO right of return - irrespective of whether it is within 2 weeks of date of purchase, is unused and in its original packaging & with the original receipt.

Proving a running shoe has been mis-sold would be a very tricky business, even is you picked up an injury soon after wearing them.

But most decent shops who these days probably survive on their reputation, should give refunds purely in the interests of good customer relations - even though legally they don't have too.

Any customer has the full right to a refund if the item is unused and in original packaging within two weeks of purchase. The retail industry seems to have the wrog refund policy engrained so much in peoples mind that everybody think this does not exist, but call up the consumer hotline and look into the legal side of it, and you will see that if this would go to court, the shop would have  to refund.

 However this is beside the point and I do not want to get into the needy gritty part of refund policies of various shops, independent or chain store. The lady got appalling service, and  any shop that behaves like that should be embarressed. Customer Service is one of the most important things in retail, and this is something the UK retail industry is lacking badly.