shoes, warning to all

A pair of Clark's with the combination sole and heel material crumbled underfoot. Not worn out or anything and on the face of it they looked perfect.
I thought I'd suddenly developed a foot problem when one shoe felt lower than the other. It was like crumbly bread coming away from underneath the shoes.
Brilliant moccasin leather shoes that I had to bin.

I was out with my son a few weeks ago and when we started back to the car I suddenly found that I couldn't walk properly, my ankles were turning over and I was hobbling along. I was horrified thinking that months of inactivity had left me unable to manage more than a few yards. When I got into the car I found that the soles of my Hotter sandals were disintegrating.

I'd had them a few years, not sure how many. Most of my shoes are Hotter and they all seem to be fine.

DH and I both treated ourselves to Roots walking boots a few years ago. We were halfway up a mountain on a group walk when the sole of mine just fell off, I felt such a fool. Left the group and limped back down the mountain and had to get a taxi back to where we were staying, luckily had enough mobile reception to do so. DH’s went the same not long afterwards, with plenty of wear left in the soles and uppers. And they weren’t cheap boots

I have had at least six pairs of shoes disintegrate, a pair of sandals bought two years ago and brought out late last summer just fell apart when I put them on. They weren't horrendously expensive, £39, but should expect one wearing at least.
Several pairs of trainers have discoloured and the soles gone into a gooey mess.

I had a pair of MBT's and I went to a fancy dress party in them. Half way through the evening I noticed this black stuff all over the dance floor and beyond. I got a broom but it kept coming back. It was only when my shoe completely disintegrated, I realised it was me causing the problem. There was black all over the floor and red all over my face.

There was a thread about this a few years ago , I was surprised how many shoes were disintegrating , then it happened to me . We were told at the time it was a composite that was being used was the problem and was discontinued , but it has happened to a comparatively new pair of sandals this year
My expensive Ecco boots were £50 in the sale years ago and they are still wearable but shabby !

Imposs- yes full marks to Italian craftsmen/women.I got a pair of gorgeous leather ankle boots on honeymoon over 16 years ago- in Italy, costing €75(a lot then) fully leather, soles &everything, i wore them a Lot for first few years, so had to have resoled & heeled, but went to a small old- fashioned cobblers, he re-did all in leather and although i don't wear them as much now they're still going strong, whereas the marriage ended long ago?

I have never heard of problems like these with footwear.
I can only really wear well fitting sturdy lace up boots for my problematic feet. Mine are literally worn out in under a year having been re-heeled every three months!

My dad 80 a pair of dr martens which he bought 46 yrs and still going strong
And a pair leather sandals he bought in Malays even longer ago than that soles made of car tyres (recycling ) even then
So some places got it right first time
(Both ugly IMO). Take care

Might be worth either buying Italian leather, or just buying cheap but comfy like the ones in shops such as shoezone and just wear a season or two.(incidentally have had some really good ones from there (sandals) that have been ok about 4 seasons without this problem which appears to be only appearing in more expensive shoes like clarks etc??

I had a pair of 3-month-old Rieker shoes whose soles comprehensively disintegrated while I was walking round the walls of Lucca. The shop Shuropody refused to replace them and offered a different pair at half price. I accepted them but didn't really like them and they soon went to Oxfam.
Rubber soles are comfortable, but it's annoying that there is no way of repairing them.

What happened to K shoes? I bought a pair of them many years ago but they were very expensive. I wore them almost constantly for years and they were the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever had.

They eventually died after a family outing to the countryside and I couldn't get the smell of cow manure out of them!

Having had sketchers shape ups for a while the back heel of one started to disintegrate I put it down to the way I walk. Not wanting to get rid as a new pair are out of my price bracket these days, I dug out the crumbling foam replaced with a wedge of heavy duty upholstery foam and super glue and finished it off with strong outdoor duct tape works a treat. As to melting soles I had to bin some Gortex walking boots they had taken me hundreds of miles before the soles transformed into toffee!

I’ve never had this happen and I have some very old but lightly worn shoes in my wardrobe. Now I’m thinking I must get them all out and give them a careful inspection.
Hope my red patent flatform sandals are ok, I love them and wear them a lot in the summer.

This disintegration has happened to me several times with sandals. The first time it happened I blamed storing summer footwear in the loft over winter, but I no longer do that. Sometimes just bending the sole causes enormous cracks. Various makes but M&S were especial culprits.

I kept a pair of Flatform Superga’s for years as hardly wore them. Decided to wear them on a visit to Lulworth a couple of years ago and as the day progressed they got spongier and spongier. The rubber inside the sole had just dissolved through the day. Binned when got home.

I am amazed that you have had shoes that long and expect them to be as new! If I’d had a 15 year old pair of shoes that had deteriorated, I would just throw them away, I would not have thought to write to the company to complain!

Two years ago I went to a smart wedding in my very pretty shoes that I had had waiting for the right occasion, I stepped out of the car and the sole came completely away along with the heel! Fortunately a family member had a sturdy hair elastic which kept me going, hobbling clutching on to my OH like an old lady. Not quite the entrance I was going for. Fortunately I had a comfy pair of flats in the car that I had to keep feet hidden from view for the rest of the occasion.

Mumben

I am amazed that you have had shoes that long and expect them to be as new! If I’d had a 15 year old pair of shoes that had deteriorated, I would just throw them away, I would not have thought to write to the company to complain!

I have shoes much older than that that are absolutely as new. I used to have a bit of a shoe habit (I'm over it now that I can't do heels for more than an hour) and have loads of pairs of occasion shoes that have only been worn a handful of times, sometimes only the once. They really shouldn't disintegrate when stored, and it's only happened to me once.

£70 wasn't cheap for shoes 15 years ago. I don't think I'd have had the courage to complain, but why not, if they'd been barely worn?

Yes l have had shoes where the soles crumbled as well.

Didn’t Prince Philip still wear the shoes he was married in? Re- soled etc.

I wore a previously unworn pair of ECCO shoes for a walk in the woods (I had bought them several years previously). By the time I got back to the car both soles had disintegrated and I was walking, very uncomfortably & painfully, on my socks! I would never buy another pair of them now.

Yes another victim of crumbling soles, very expensive MBT's were the worst offender. Then I have had Ecco and Rieker soles split. I am guilty of lots of shoes but understandable given the variety of weather we get and that I keep sets of clothes/shoes in two countries. Once I was in plaster for a few months and car sat in drive unused. Later all the tyres had cracked walls tho the tread depth was sound. I was told fault was that car was left undriven for too long.

Mrswoo
I had same thing happen with sketcher trainers. Notice£ them a bit slippy on some surfaces. Tried to wear them on a snowy day and couldn’t even stand up.
The soles looked fine with a good grip but they weren’t!

We ordered a reasonably expensive British made wool carpet at the end of April as a price increase was due at the beginning of May, We paid 50% deposit and were told it would be about two weeks before our local dealer got it and they would arrange fitting within a few days of receiving it. Six weeks later we are still waiting. My husband phoned the shop last week and was told that the carpet had been delayed in POLAND. what on earth is it doing in Poland?
We are mystified.