Vaunte: A Mixed Review

When I got my tax return, last week, I decided it was time to buy myself a pair of designer shoes. I'm over shoes that hurt and smell like plastic and I want to start replacing what I own with quality goods. I decided I'd purchase a pair of Sergio Rossi heels, which were at a fraction of the retail price. I could see that there were a few tiny markings on the shoes but nothing major. All other photos in the listing made the shoes look like they were in great condition.

I received my shoes today and was shocked and angered to discover that the two angles not shown in the listing were hidden for a reason. The inner side of the right toe and the entire left side of the shoe bare large and unsightly grey marks. I've added a filter due to my office's yellow lighting:

This should be a simple enough problem to solve, except that my invoices states that Vaunte currently does not accept returns from outside of the US. It's one thing to not be set up for sellers from other countries but if you sell to me, I should be able to return a product, especially when the original listing was very misleading.

This morning I wrote to the seller and to Vaunte and I await a response. If I'm going to spend this much on a pair of shoes from a site that claims to double-check quality, then I'm looking forward to some excellent post-sale customer service.

I'm cautiously hopeful because, worst case scenario, I hand them to Vaunte in person when I'm in New York, next week. I'll add an addendum as this unfolds.

Addendum:

One day later:
Today I sent the seller and Vaunte a third email each. This time I included a link to this post. Within four minutes, Vaunte wrote me back and I was told they are willing to make an exception in this case. They asked for photos of the markings, which I sent. Hopefully, this will go smoothly!

A little over a week later:

The shoes have been stuck at customs since the day they were shipped out because Vaunte never sent me a commercial invoice to go along with the waybill. Now I need their VAT number and a phone number or the shoes can't move. Waiting for news.

Posted in: bad review,customer service,damaged goods,designer consignment,designer shoes,online shopping,sergio rossi,vaunte,vaunte.com