All I wanted was a fabulous pair of Dream Boots. My experience has been nothing short of a nightmare.
Over the past 20+ years I have attended Dressage at Devon annually as a spectator, box-holder and exhibitor. Every one of those years, as we enter the main gates of DaD, the vendor Der Dau Boots has been front and center, adjacent to the Dixon Oval. A position of prestige and stature.
This year, I finally decided to take the plunge and make that big expensive purchase – a pair of Custom Der Dau Boots. Joe Der and I discussed what I wanted based on the displays in his booth. He took notes, measured me and the order was placed and paid for.
Firstly, October 28 I received a shipment of Boots. Upon opening the box, they were not what I ordered. Absolutely wrong boots with another customer’s name inside. Mistakes happen. I contacted Der Dau twice before receiving the return Federal Express Shipping Label so that I could return the boots to them. At that point in time, I was told they had no idea where “my” boots were.
I never received any other contact from Der Dau until the date the Second pair of boots arrived, on November 8. Upon opening the box, while the boots were approximately what I ordered – the right color, there were flagrant deficiencies in the Black Exotic Leather Upgrades to the top cuffs and spine – the design and leather were Wrong. Upon trying them on, the boots absolutely did not fit. The zippers stopped half-way up the shafts and there were 2” and 3” gaps at the tops. If I was trying off the shelf boots at a retail store, the salesperson would immediately see that they did not fit.
I immediately contacted Der Dau and spoke with Kathleen. Her response was disinterested and apathetic. She told me all new leather boots are stiff and take time to stretch out. I explained that the zipper didn’t make it more than halfway up the shaft with a 3” gap at the top. I explained that the leather upgrades were incorrect. She was non-responsive. I asked for their email address and sent photos. They Still did NOT respond. I called again the following day, again, I received another lackluster response from Kathleen. I was told to put scotch tape where the zippers stopped, send the boots back and they would let the leather out. But Joe TOOK CUSTOM MEASUREMENTS!!! Now they were going to rely on scotch tape to make corrections, and “letting out the leather” was not going to correct the fit. I asked about the incorrect design and leathers used and she did not respond. The boots needed New shafts. Again when I mentioned that, there was no response.
In addition, at the point of sale Joe had offered a Show Special, a $300 Boot Tree/Boot Bag/Boot Care Kit for $150. What I received was a pair of plastic boot trees that retail on Amazon for $29.94. I asked about that, she made a vague response that they would send it out, which they never did. But what about the boots?
I agreed to put the tape on the boots as she instructed and asked her to send a return shipping label. The label was not sent. I contacted her twice more for the Shipping Label and still it was never sent. At that point I told them I wanted a total refund, I was told they have a No Refund Policy.
On Monday November 13 I attempted to contact them via Social Media and was blocked. At that point I knew that they had No Intention of making Any effort to correctly fill the order. The Whole Situation reeks of a fraudulent transaction.
I Finally Shipped the boots, and all accompanying items back to Der Dau on Tuesday November 14, and I have Fed Ex proof of delivery from Weds. November 15. I have not heard anything from Der Dau. .
When a customer makes a purchase, especially a CUSTOM ORDER there is an assumption of a WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY. That the item purchased will actually be Useable/Wearable. This item was not, the accompanying photos prove it and the Merchant has NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED THE ISSUE. There was a lackluster offer to make a partial correction and to date they have never followed through. They have Never reached out to me, I was chasing them for a resolution to this issue.
I have been disputing the charges via my credit card company. Their response to the cc company was that they produced the boots, shipped them to me and they arrived, and Oh, by the way No Refunds.
YESTERDAY, Dec 21, 2023, Joseph Der called me. From a blocked phone number. My cell read “Unknown - No Caller ID” I almost didn’t answer it as I thought it was a scam call. Basically it was. What legitimate business makes a call from a blocked number? After 6 weeks from my receipt of the incomplete/incorrect product, and 5 weeks after the product was returned to them, he only reached out yesterday because of the Credit Card Company’s Second charge reversal. He called to bully and intimidate me with threats of legal action. Again, not the actions of a legitimate business. He stated he not have received or seen any of the emails I sent. However, during the conversation, he referenced photos that were only sent via those emails. He made vague claims that the boots have been under repair all this time but could not give me a status or timeframe.
It’s Too Little, Too Late. When a Customer makes a purchase, in this case a very expensive Custom Order there is an assumption of a WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY. That the item purchased will be useable/wearable. This item was not and Der Dau Never acknowledged the issue, Never reached out, Never acted in Good Faith. Six weeks without communication from Der Dau. This transaction and interaction with the company lacks integrity. After six weeks I have moved on and am no longer interested in this transaction. My only intent is to get my money back. When I shared this with him, he only repeated his threats of legal action. I will Not be bullied or harassed into completing a fraudulent transaction. STAY FAR FAR AWAY FROM DER DAU.
