A consumer purchased a pair of shoes for her son for the price of €95. She complained that her son only wore the shoes once or twice and after she washed it part of the leather covering the shoes peeled off.

She lodged a complaint with the Consumer Claims Tribunal. During the sitting she explained how she washed the shoes... she used a scrubbing brush to clean the shoes’ soles and used a knife to remove stones stuck in the soles.

On the other hand, the company’s representative said that when the consumer came to the shop and explained how she cleaned the shoes she said that she put the shoes in a wash-hand basin and scrubbed it with a brush. He said a leather shoes was not supposed to be cleaned in such a way.

After taking into consideration the consumer’s and representative’s statements and the evidence produced, the arbiter turned down the consumer’s claim, saying it was clear the shoes got damaged by the consumer’s method of cleaning the shoes.

The arbiter also ruled that the expenses of the tribunal should be paid by the consumer.