Misfit and wondering how I should proceed

[Kimberley Windisch]

I am 57 years old and have skated on and off for decades. My last three pairs of skates were customs because Spiteri, Harlick, and Kligbeil all measured me as a AAAAA heel. My last pair of Klingbeils are 19 years old and have hurt since having had babies and they are breaking down.
I know there are new players and new materials and I have moved to Dallas, TX, so I went to be “professionally” fit. I brought my current skates and said that my greatest concern over purchasing stock boots was that my heels and ankles are very narrow. She fit me for an Edea Piano. I spent several weeks trying to get used to them but felt that I had zero support and felt like I was skating in a slipper. Come to find out, she had sold me a “C” width boot, because that is what she stocked. I have had them modified twice by Skates US and have had custom insoles placed. I cannot skate for more than 10 minutes without severe pain that lasts into the next day. My foot moves too much and the navicular bone slams into the hard chassis, even with a hockey stop. My foot moves upward and then pronates on landings and the upper slams into the fibular tendon. I can only jump for ten minutes and limp off of the ice.
I have requested the dealer to reimburse me for the boots since she sold me something different than what I had asked for. I didn’t know they were wide until I happened to look at the box two months later.

I am wondering if this is appropriate, or do I just have to eat $1100 for a poor fitting boot when I specifically stated that I had a narrow foot.

I am feeling so defeated. I am about to get divorced so purchases will be heavily scrutinized. I have no family or friends in this area and work full time and have three kids…my only outlet is the rare opportunity that I get to skate.

I just want to know if I am being unreasonable for requesting a refund and considering small claims court.

Please advise. Thanks to all of you.

 

[Diana Delafield]

I am 57 years old and have skated on and off for decades. My last three pairs of skates were customs because Spiteri, Harlick, and Kligbeil all measured me as a AAAAA heel. My last pair of Klingbeils are 19 years old and have hurt since having had babies and they are breaking down.
I know there are new players and new materials and I have moved to Dallas, TX, so I went to be “professionally” fit. I brought my current skates and said that my greatest concern over purchasing stock boots was that my heels and ankles are very narrow. She fit me for an Edea Piano. I spent several weeks trying to get used to them but felt that I had zero support and felt like I was skating in a slipper. Come to find out, she had sold me a “C” width boot, because that is what she stocked. I have had them modified twice by Skates US and have had custom insoles placed. I cannot skate for more than 10 minutes without severe pain that lasts into the next day. My foot moves too much and the navicular bone slams into the hard chassis, even with a hockey stop. My foot moves upward and then pronates on landings and the upper slams into the fibular tendon. I can only jump for ten minutes and limp off of the ice.
I have requested the dealer to reimburse me for the boots since she sold me something different than what I had asked for. I didn’t know they were wide until I happened to look at the box two months later.

I am wondering if this is appropriate, or do I just have to eat $1100 for a poor fitting boot when I specifically stated that I had a narrow foot.

I am feeling so defeated. I am about to get divorced so purchases will be heavily scrutinized. I have no family or friends in this area and work full time and have three kids…my only outlet is the rare opportunity that I get to skate.

I just want to know if I am being unreasonable for requesting a refund and considering small claims court.

Please advise. Thanks to all of you.

Wow. One thing the salesperson obviously didn't do was measure your feet. Either that, or she didn't check the box she sold you and didn't hand you the size she meant you to have.

Being in Canada, I know nothing about commercial laws in the US, so I can't advise about small claims court (which here are for debts, so it would have to be a case where she said in writing that she'd give you all or part of your money back and then didn't). What I'd do, and you might be able to do the same where you live, is get a referral from your doctor to a sports medicine specialist, and then get a report in writing to the effect that by selling you the wrong size of a piece of sports equipment she's put you in danger of serious and/or chronic injury. Then I'd report her shop to your Better Business Bureau and see what they advise. I don't know where you'd go from there legally -- perhaps just the threat of a lawsuit might spur her to reimburse you.

But if possible, please don't keep skating in them. The more used they are, the less of a refund you might get. My sympathies -- my street shoes are AAA/AAAAA width, so I know what you mean, and would never skate in C width boots. In an emergency, I might pile on three pairs of heavy socks to take up the slack, but I'd still be nervous.

If you have to take time off the ice and need to relieve the stress of your life situation, is there somewhere you can take a low-cost dance class of some kind? At least you're moving to music and learning a new skill that will pay off in your skating when you can take that up again. For a beginners class, you can make do mostly with your own casual clothes, cutting the cost considerably. I do both ballroom and ballet, and they're great stress relievers, occupying your mind concentrating on the steps while gracefully exercising your body.

Good luck!

 

[tstop4me]

I just want to know if I am being unreasonable for requesting a refund and considering small claims court.

I have requested the dealer to reimburse me for the boots since she sold me something different than what I had asked for.

I'm not qualified to provide legal advice, so I won't. You asked the dealer for reimbursement. What was her response?

But there are potential issues with your timeline:

I didn’t know they were wide until I happened to look at the box two months later.

I spent several weeks trying to get used to them but felt that I had zero support and felt like I was skating in a slipper. Come to find out, she had sold me a “C” width boot, because that is what she stocked. I have had them modified twice by Skates US and have had custom insoles placed.

Regardless of when you read the label on the box, if the width is way off, why didn't you notice the improper fit when you first tried them on? By your own admission, you're not a newbie who's never skated before and who doesn't know any better. And if you noticed fit issues once on the ice, why didn't you immediately return to the dealer to voice a complaint? Why did you go to a third party (Skates U.S.) for modifications? Those actions could weaken your argument for a full refund.

Find out whether the dealer is an Edea authorized retailer. If so, and she doesn't provide a satisfactory response, you should discuss the matter with Skates U.S.; they are the exclusive US distributor for Edea. Maybe they can intervene as a "goodwill gesture". Often that is more effective than threatening legal action.

BTW, according to the Edea and Skates U.S. websites, the narrowest stock width for Pianos is B. Granted that widths vary with manufacturers, but if you knew that you required an extremely narrow 5A, and had done some initial homework, you would have realized that a stock boot is not a likely option for you, and that should have raised a red flag when the dealer fitted you for a stock boot.

 

[Kimberley Windisch]

I'm not qualified to provide legal advice, so I won't. You asked the dealer for reimbursement. What was her response?

But there are potential issues with your timeline:







Regardless of when you read the label on the box, if the width is way off, why didn't you notice the improper fit when you first tried them on? By your own admission, you're not a newbie who's never skated before and who doesn't know any better. And if you noticed fit issues once on the ice, why didn't you immediately return to the dealer to voice a complaint? Why did you go to a third party (Skates U.S.) for modifications? Those actions could weaken your argument for a full refund.

Find out whether the dealer is an Edea authorized retailer. If so, and she doesn't provide a satisfactory response, you should discuss the matter with Skates U.S.; they are the exclusive US distributor for Edea. Maybe they can intervene as a "goodwill gesture". Often that is more effective than threatening legal action.

BTW, according to the Edea and Skates U.S. websites, the narrowest stock width for Pianos is B. Granted that widths vary with manufacturers, but if you knew that you required an extremely narrow 5A, and had done some initial homework, you would have realized that a stock boot is not a likely option for you, and that should have raised a red flag when the dealer fitted you for a stock boot.

 

[Kimberley Windisch]

I expected break in time and the blades were new too. The dealer told me to give it more time. When it still didn’t work and I had tried multiple permutations of insoles, different lacing, etc, she instructed me to send them to Skates US.

I kept her posted after each modification and what I was trying.

When two modifications did not help, I told her that I was willing to try her custom inserts and move the blades. When that didn’t work, I told her that I was out of options to try to make this wide boot work for my narrow foot and I asked what she was willing to do to help since I did not receive what I requested, which was a boot to accommodate my narrow foot.

She has not responded

 

[Kimberley Windisch]

I'm not qualified to provide legal advice, so I won't. You asked the dealer for reimbursement. What was her response?

But there are potential issues with your timeline:







Regardless of when you read the label on the box, if the width is way off, why didn't you notice the improper fit when you first tried them on? By your own admission, you're not a newbie who's never skated before and who doesn't know any better. And if you noticed fit issues once on the ice, why didn't you immediately return to the dealer to voice a complaint? Why did you go to a third party (Skates U.S.) for modifications? Those actions could weaken your argument for a full refund.

Find out whether the dealer is an Edea authorized retailer. If so, and she doesn't provide a satisfactory response, you should discuss the matter with Skates U.S.; they are the exclusive US distributor for Edea. Maybe they can intervene as a "goodwill gesture". Often that is more effective than threatening legal action.

BTW, according to the Edea and Skates U.S. websites, the narrowest stock width for Pianos is B. Granted that widths vary with manufacturers, but if you knew that you required an extremely narrow 5A, and had done some initial homework, you would have realized that a stock boot is not a likely option for you, and that should have raised a red flag when the dealer fitted you for a stock boot.

 

[Kimberley Windisch]

Wow. One thing the salesperson obviously didn't do was measure your feet. Either that, or she didn't check the box she sold you and didn't hand you the size she meant you to have.

Being in Canada, I know nothing about commercial laws in the US, so I can't advise about small claims court (which here are for debts, so it would have to be a case where she said in writing that she'd give you all or part of your money back and then didn't). What I'd do, and you might be able to do the same where you live, is get a referral from your doctor to a sports medicine specialist, and then get a report in writing to the effect that by selling you the wrong size of a piece of sports equipment she's put you in danger of serious and/or chronic injury. Then I'd report her shop to your Better Business Bureau and see what they advise. I don't know where you'd go from there legally -- perhaps just the threat of a lawsuit might spur her to reimburse you.

But if possible, please don't keep skating in them. The more used they are, the less of a refund you might get. My sympathies -- my street shoes are AAA/AAAAA width, so I know what you mean, and would never skate in C width boots. In an emergency, I might pile on three pairs of heavy socks to take up the slack, but I'd still be nervous.

If you have to take time off the ice and need to relieve the stress of your life situation, is there somewhere you can take a low-cost dance class of some kind? At least you're moving to music and learning a new skill that will pay off in your skating when you can take that up again. For a beginners class, you can make do mostly with your own casual clothes, cutting the cost considerably. I do both ballroom and ballet, and they're great stress relievers, occupying your mind concentrating on the steps while gracefully exercising your body.

Good luck!

I am a nurse practitioner so I know the risk and will not skate in them again. Seeing a sports medicine doc will cost another $200 and not be helpful. I was dealing with Skates US and they modified them twice and only charged me for the shipping and insurance. I told them that it was not safe for me to skate in these and they offered no solution.

I will give her a little more time to respond since it is the holidays, but will have to consider small claims, which then costs me a day off of work.

I have my email correspondence, and she never disputed my claims of saying that I have a very narrow foot.

Thanks for your response.

 

[Diana Delafield]

I am a nurse practitioner so I know the risk and will not skate in them again. Seeing a sports medicine doc will cost another $200 and not be helpful. I was dealing with Skates US and they modified them twice and only charged me for the shipping and insurance. I told them that it was not safe for me to skate in these and they offered no solution.

I will give her a little more time to respond since it is the holidays, but will have to consider small claims, which then costs me a day off of work.

I have my email correspondence, and she never disputed my claims of saying that I have a very narrow foot.

Thanks for your response.

Glad to hear you're on top of the situation, as much as anyone can be on their own, anyway. I forgot you'd have to pay to consult a medical specialist. If you decide to go the small claims court route (although it may be too late by now), I hope you can at least get free legal aid advice where you live. Good luck!

 

[tstop4me]

I expected break in time and the blades were new too. The dealer told me to give it more time. When it still didn’t work and I had tried multiple permutations of insoles, different lacing, etc, she instructed me to send them to Skates US.

I kept her posted after each modification and what I was trying.

When two modifications did not help, I told her that I was willing to try her custom inserts and move the blades. When that didn’t work, I told her that I was out of options to try to make this wide boot work for my narrow foot and I asked what she was willing to do to help since I did not receive what I requested, which was a boot to accommodate my narrow foot.

She has not responded

I am a nurse practitioner so I know the risk and will not skate in them again. Seeing a sports medicine doc will cost another $200 and not be helpful. I was dealing with Skates US and they modified them twice and only charged me for the shipping and insurance. I told them that it was not safe for me to skate in these and they offered no solution.

I will give her a little more time to respond since it is the holidays, but will have to consider small claims, which then costs me a day off of work.

I have my email correspondence, and she never disputed my claims of saying that I have a very narrow foot.

Thanks for your response.

Thanks for the background details. Looks like you acted according to the directions of your dealer. Glad you kept records of your correspondence.

Let's see whether the dealer will make it right. But if she doesn't, I'll repeat the advice I gave you above: before taking legal action, first discuss the issue with U.S. Skates, especially since they are already involved. As the exclusive U.S. distributor for Edea, (1) they are likely larger and have more resources than your dealer; i.e., they might be able to absorb a loss more easily than a small shop (assuming that's what your dealer runs); and (2) as the U.S. rep for Edea, they have a vested interest in protecting the Edea name-brand recognition (i.e., they'd rather have social media posts along the lines of, "My Edea dealer first messed up, but in the end they made it right." rather than "Edea screwed me over! I'm out $1100+. I'll never deal with them again. Others be forewarned!" Again, the distributor might be more responsive if the dealer is an authorized Edea dealer, so get that piece of info.

Good Luck!

 

[Kimberley Windisch]

Thanks for the background details. Looks like you acted according to the directions of your dealer. Glad you kept records of your correspondence.

Let's see whether the dealer will make it right. But if she doesn't, I'll repeat the advice I gave you above: before taking legal action, first discuss the issue with U.S. Skates, especially since they are already involved. As the exclusive U.S. distributor for Edea, (1) they are likely larger and have more resources than your dealer; i.e., they might be able to absorb a loss more easily than a small shop (assuming that's what your dealer runs); and (2) as the U.S. rep for Edea, they have a vested interest in protecting the Edea name-brand recognition (i.e., they'd rather have social media posts along the lines of, "My Edea dealer first messed up, but in the end they made it right." rather than "Edea screwed me over! I'm out $1100+. I'll never deal with them again. Others be forewarned!" Again, the distributor might be more responsive if the dealer is an authorized Edea dealer, so get that piece of info.

Good Luck!

Great advice! And yes, I would much rather post a good outcome from a bad situation.