Clarks review: Soles fall apart! 169

I purchased a pair of sandals a year and a half ago. I seldom wore them due to color issues. When I went to wear them this past week, I noticed the heel seemed to be shredding. When I went to look closer, and bent the sole a bit, every where I bent them, they just broke right across the sole. Is this a problem you have often? I have 2 other pairs, 1 pair I wear frequently (3 yrs) and 1 infrequently, but they are fine.
Please advise before I purchase any more.

I have two pair one hardly worn just picked them up in the closet top completely separated from the sole threw the other pair out as they had also come apart. Belk sells them as their best seller ?!

I have a pair of Clarks Shoes.
That I probably didn't wear 4 times
and the heels just crumble apart.

Obviously, they haven't fixed the problem. These complaints are the same for the past 6-7 years. One change might be that now they are offering 25% off. I will have to join the ranks of FORMER Clarks customers. I currently have 9 pairs. Ouch.

My Clark sandles stick to the floor like a suction cup. Very hazardous.

I can't believe my three pairs of Clark's mules have come apart. Took them to get repaired and it was not possible. I had to throw them away. I had bought them because of their comfort and style. Now, I'm scared to buy more because of this problem. I surely don't want this to happen to me again. (It happened on the way to a party). I really hate to give them up, but will probably have to if they don't correct this problem.

Just like everyone else my Clarks have fallen apart. The first thing they ask for when you call is the model number and date printed on the inside of the shoe so they can blame it on age and dry rot of the material. They say they have some, SOME?, shoes that are made of material that will dry rot after ten years. I'm not buying it.. One, because I have read complaints from people whose shoes were not that old and two, I have shoes that were stored in the same conditions, shoe boxes climate controlled closet, and are older than my Clarks that have no problem. Yes it may be dry rot but the real issue is they are using cheap material now compared to many years ago. They offered to send me a coupon. I declined. They have lost my trust and my respect so I will spend my money elsewhere. I now have two pieces of brand new looking useless leather. Why would I want to buy more.

I purchased a new pair of school shoes for my daughter on 11-07-15 from the Clarks shop, 21-22 long row Nottingham. On her return to school on 3rd September we found that they were too tight and the dye stained her socks. She wore her old pair until I could get back to the shop to exchange them as they cost £40. On arrival at the store on 5th September I explained the problem to the sales assistant who agreed to exchange them but they would need to take them now. I left the shop and purchased a cheap pair to wear home but on my return to the Clarks shop the Manager stated that she would not exchange them nor honour the agreement previously agreed with the sales assistant as she had no right to agree the exchange. The Manager then informed me that she would instruct her staff not to agree exchanges! This left me with bad taste and very upset as I now had a pair of unusable Clarks shoes and a cheap pair that I would not have purchased in the first place. Under the sale of goods act 1979 I know the Manager is wrong but I was treated so badly that I just don't want to step inside the shop ever again. Disgusting service!

Sorry...meant to give Clarks a big thumbs down in my previous comment!

I had the same problem as many others I've just read on this site. My sandals were several years old...but in very good condition. They'd been stored in my (air-conditioned) closet for the past year or so. Pulled one pair out and they literally DISINTEGRATED in a matter of minutes. The soles started to feel squishy and were leaving little pieces of rubber everywhere I walked. Then one of the uppers totally separated from the sole! I pulled out the second pair and the same thing happened with them too. Called customer service and they were not surprised. They blamed it on "dry rot" and said it can be expected in these types of materials. I can understand the rubber cracking over time...but I don't expect them to literally fall off my feet in less than 10 minutes! If customers are having these issues, then you'd think Clarks would discontinue using these materials or develop a production process that will last longer. Customer service offered a 30% off coupon which I politely accepted. But there is no way I will be buying their shoes again.

Don't purchase Clark shoes!

i finally got the side strap fixed on my springer sandals yesterday.
which were my favourite pair ever!
only to my horror...as i was downtown walking about...to suddenly have lower heels!
i looked at the sole...to see that it had disintegrated!
and i had left a trail of crumbly rubber bits
how embarrassing! on my way to an appointment with wobbly shoes!
i hope i can get them replaced... this is unbelievable

and now i find...i am not ALONE
THIS IS A REGULAR OCCURENCE WITH THEM! WOW

Heels disentgrated very dangerous especially senior citizen. Please refund my money

I have several pairs of Clarks and love them until after a few months they have developed a terrible odor. I have tried everything to remove this Oder but have not been successful. I have t o throw them away. If anyone knows a solution to this problem please let me know. My local shoe maker says it cannot be corrected as it the quality of the shoes and the way they were made in China. When Clarks were made in England this was never a problem so I guess this is the end of my Clarks shoe buying days unless someone can help.
Sandy at sandrararsenault@hotmail.com

I too had a problem with the sole disintegrating...I wrote them several days ago but have not heard back. Loved the
shoes but will never buy another if they don't stand behind their product. I will give them a call tomorrow and see if
I get anywhere.

I too have had the some problems with Clarks. I only wear the slide sandals. I have had 3 out of 5 pair that the top leather has pulled loose from the rubber sole it is stitched too. My first pair of Clarks I wore for 4 seasons. The other two I got 1 season and two seasons. I am so very disappointed, especially for what they cost. I won't be buying any more. Sad, because I love them and they are so comfortable. As for sending them back, mine have already hit the garbage. FYI, I took them to a shoe repair shop just to see what they would tell me, even though I knew they couldn't be repaired. The clerk told me they saw a lot of that with Clark shoes. No more Clark shoes for me. Shame on Clarks for continuing to make shoes that tear up so easily.

I have all ready sent a message about 4 pair of my Clark shoes falling apart and agree with all the comments. Thank You.

Soles have come loose on soles of 3 pairs of my of Clarks shoes. I have replaced 3 pair and now have a black pair that has done the same thing, I really like the styles I have had. Maybe if you could replace them with different material I would still buy them at an increased price!

my gents air walk Clarks shoes have both split across the ball of the shoe, they have been worn twice. When ringing customer service, which is a joke, customer excuse more like, I was offered £10 which is not on. I have always bought Clarks shoes but this is my last, when visiting two Clarks retail outlets in Nottingham yesterday, they just looked at them and said it was the sole drying out and rotting because they have not been worn, what a joke. Like others on here I have quite a few pair of Clarks shoes, but like other guys I wear one pair of shoes until they wear out before wearing another. It's not long ago that
E-mailed Clarks to congratulate them on a pair of Clarks shoes that I have had for fifteen years that refuse to wear out. So get your act together Clarks and sort it out.

I purchased blue slide at clarks last winter. I got to wear them a month last year. The first time i wore them this year the sole came off on the right shoe. The left seems good and secure, so i can't figure what happened. I took it to a shoemaker and he said it was cheap pvc, and he could not repair it, and he has seen this happen alot. They cost about $50 at an outlet mall. Do i have any course of action?

I have many pairs of Clark's shoes. I was preparing my closet for winter and took out the shoes that I wanted to wear this fall. Four pairs of shoes were in pieces in the bottom of my closet. The stitching and the rubber were torn off. How do I contact Clark's?

Just finished reading all the complaints from 2009 to Nov. 2014 from customers regarding Clarks shoe soles disintegrating after gentle or no use. I did this because I too have a pair of Clarks, style 74688, worn probably two times, the soles of which literally dissolved to powder and chunks after putting them on and simply walking across a carpet. I was wondering what had gone wrong - now I know others have had the same problem. Just reading comments from over the past 5 years makes one ask, why is this problem still with us? Why hasn't Clarks found another company to produce the extrusion product the soles are molded from? I agree with some people who have said Clarks has had a superior reputation for years, and to produce a product which causes its customers to loose trust in the company seems counter-productive. As this situation is new for me I had taken the shoes to two different cobblers who both told me there's no way to fix the problem and that they have had many people bring them Clarks shoes with the same problem, and have had to be turned away. Needless to say, I 'm disappointed. I loved the shoes - the leather uppers don't even have walking creases in them - good leather shoes, made useless. I do plan to call the 800 number and talk with Customer Service, in any case. Don't hold out any hope a replacement pair will perform any better though.

Thank you all for taking the time to comment. I too have a pair of clarks shoes that completely and thoroughly blew apart while I was at work. A trail of rubber followed me through the class I was working in.
I did not wear my clarks a lot. I saved them for days I knew my feet needed the comfort and support. I imagine there is some kind of dry rot going on with the rubber of the shoes. The upper part is in beautiful condition because I had only worn them a handful of times.
Can not wait to try out the 800 number and see if clark will stand by their product. I would have just tossed them since I am sure they do not carry this model anymore.
Thank you all again for taking the time!

Assistant Manager Keiry from Potomac Mills in Woodbridge VA is extremely rude and nasty to customers and her employees. It is disgusting how she can get away with that. Especially being like that in front of customers.

This is why NO ONE should EVER buy socks from Clarks...they cause my legs to itch and I get nasty rashes that look like I been bit by million of bugs.

I bought a pair of Clarks Artisan boots Sz 6. They are beautiful, but the left one is so tight around the ankle I can barely push my foot in . I thought it wouls be better with nylons. but no difference. I have mNY PAIR OF cLARKS SHOES & BOOTS. i PAID ALMOST 200.00 FOR THEM, nOW THE PLACE i BOUGHT THEM FROM HAS CLOSED, BECAUSE OF HER HEALTH. i USUALLY WEAR A 5 AND HALF, BUT HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING THAT SIZE (36) wHAT CAN i DO ? tHEY ARE USELESS TO ME. Thanks Janice Lehn janlehn42@yahoo.com Lebanon, Oregon [protected] thanks

Tried to buy a pair of extra wide shoes for husband in Sunderland store Sunday 5.10.14, We found a pair he liked and asked fpr them in his size, so far so good.When he tried them on they were very tight and when i looked inside it did not have on "extra wide", I pointed it out to assistant and she said the ex wide did not have it printed on the insole, well, the ones on display did, I then asked if she could ring round other local branches to check if they had any, she told me NO. I have shopped with Clarks for over 35 years, buying for my children, as i was fitted out in them when i was a child.I don, t, think i shall be shopping with the company again.The staff need to realise the customer comes first, as i found both assistants to be unconcerned that we were leaving the shop empty handed, willing to take Our custom elsewhere, which we did. I would appreciate a reply from head office asap, Regards.

I have a pair of Clark shoes that the soles have fallen apart. I am very unhappy with the shoes. I will never buy another pair!

soles on my shoes fell apart on my Clark's shoes...bad quality !

2 pair of expensive clark shoes have come apart where the sole attaches tothe upper leather

The sole detatched from the shoe This has happen with 3 pairs.

I am currently wearing my first and only pair of Clark's shoes. They are super comfortable, however I do see where it would be very easy for the leather to pull away from the foot bed on the ball of the shoe.
These shoes are currently less than a year old and I wear them only about 1-2 times a month. If the leather does pull away, I will most like call the company at the number provided. But I have to ask, what would fall under is defective vs. normal wear and tear? I mean seriously shoes (just live everything else) do eventually wear out...especially if they are worn often.
One commenter felt they should be able wear a pair of shoes for six years and then expect the Clark's to warranty and just give them a new pair. Really?! So you spend X amount and have a shoe for life? Clark's has to draw the line somewhere which is hard; because for every person with a legit issue/complaint, you will have probably 10 scammers asking to have 6 pairs replaced.

I did some substitute teaching yesterday and as I walked out of my room to take care of some attendance business, the top 'strappy' part of my Clarke's sandals just came apart from the sole on my left foot. Literally, the only things keeping them on my feet were two threads. Luckily my husband was home and brought me another pair of shoes. The broken ones were several years old but hardly worn. I took them to our local shoe shop and he said he sees it at least once a week. Cannot be repaired. Very disappointed since I took good care of them and they were not worn out at all.

I bought a lovely Clarks all terrain looking, wool lined, leather boot with "waterproof" on sole. They fell apart less than 3months of ownership. Guessing 15-20 wears (they are ugg combo, so only comfortable in the cold weather). When I say the fell apart, the heel on one sole completely came away to the mid foot. I really loved them, so I took them to a repair shoe man - he wouldn't glue them, saying I would be back in a week. Showed me other parts of the shoe ready to fall away. Told me that there's was "no way" this shoe could claim to be "waterproof" the stitching was not taken to the leather shoe, only made to "look" like it did on the sole of the shoe. Damn! Feeling foolish, I spend carefully & hate been taken for a sucker. I wrote to Clarks a week ago, no response yet. I thought I would give them the opportunity to take the shoes back and learn what had happened in production - Now I have seen all these posts, the same experiences, seems unlikely Clarks are taking their quality control seriously!

I have worn Clarks shoes since I was a child (50 years) . I have NEVER had a problem with until now. The leather uppers are wonderful. The soles are not fit for purpose. The soles split across the ball of the foot with thinning throughout. Why design and create a wonderful shoe and then use a less than satisfactory material for the sole? I sent mine back to Clarks after just one year (including half a winter, one spring and one autumn use). Clarks tell me it is normal wear and tear. I do not think so. What is going on with this company? Why don't they care about their customers?

I have tried to call and I have tried to E-mail, but my luck is not getting me anywhere. I have worn Clark's shoes for a long time. This is the first pair, so far, that have given me a problem. The pair that I am writing about is # 38391 Black 8M. The (L) inner stitching has broke loose from the sole. I took it to the shoe repair shop and was told the shoe could not be repaired and to contact your company. Now where do I go from here? Please assist me for I like these shoes.I have NO photo.

Thank you,

Vivian McFarland
8749 E. Ridgetrail RD
Soddy-Daisy, TN 37379
vickie0825@att.net

I have worn Clark shoes for as long as I can remember--probably since they became popular. I was shocked about 6 or 8 months ago when I was at the Salon and looked down and the sole of the pair of Clark's I had on was literally disintegrated.
About a month later I was at the Grocery store shopping and had on another pair of my many Clark's and suddenly felt something strange going on and looked down and again the sole of my Clark shoes had fallen apart.
I appreciated the fact that they did replace my first pair but I returned the second pair on 12/23/13 and they were delivered to Clark on 12.27/13. I have not heard from Clark yet and it is now March 8. This is very bad for their business and now I am leary of buying any more Clark's. I love their shoes and wore them for years before this happened. I would very much like to hear from them.

I have written to clarks before about this issue. I 've had 5 pairs of shoes that have come completely detached from the sole with very little wear. I'm done. You would think a large company would stand behind their products.