ARDENT DISSAPOINTMENT
I don't remember much from my 'Commerce' class at school. But I do remember the phrase, caveat emptor. I don't know why I remember it - it just stuck.
It means, 'let the buyer beware'. This is important.
My boots cost me €217 and there was an additional €10 of shipping to pay. That's not an unusual amount of money for me to pay on boots. I like to buy good quality, less often.
The boots are nice. They are well made - €200 is a little rich given the machine stitching etc. But thats a small issue. They are smart. And look the money, just about.
FYI - They are very, very narrow. Typical, in my experience of Portuguese / Spanish footwear. I bought a full size larger than normal ( as advised ) and I'm still deciding whether they fit or not. So be aware of that if you have a wide foot.
The far bigger issue is how the company promotes itself as Portuguese. There might be just enough wiggle room for them to say, legally, 'we never make that claim'. But everything down to the beautiful packaging and the hand signed note, promote the fact that the shoes are made in Portugal.
Here is the rub.
The company is based in the UK. And everybody knows the UK is no longer in the EU. As such, every country in EU now taxes products from the UK ( I think its, 'every', if not, its most ) .
My boots, for example, came with an additional €90 import tax. Not fun. Nor, in my opinion are the boots worth €300. They are more Loake than Trickers or Churches. Nothing wrong with that, of course. Just a different price point.
Import tax isn't new. But Brexit is. And this company know that - they also know that they promote their shoes Portuguese heritage. Not their UK heritage. Which causes confusion. It also means the shoes have a bigger potential market. Which I am sure is co-incidental.
Bottom line - the shoes are just about worth the €200 price point. Although you might find better ( especially on sale sites ) who spend more on the shoes and less on the packaging. Nice packaging though it is. Truly.
The company's WhattsApp communication tool is awful. I finally ( after several days of nothing on Whattsapp ) got a response from Emma via Instagram.
No apology. No real explanation .... Emma told me that some parts of Ireland require tax and others don't .... I might have let that go if Emma had showed a little more concern that her customer had just picked up a bill for 33% more than the advertised price.
But she didn't
So I didn't
ARDENT need to be more honest about potential charges on their products
Emma needs a history class or 2 ;)
Caveat Emptor, people. Thank you, Mr O'Connor.
Eoin O'Shea