I really liked my Tretorn Skerry winter rain boots. Until both of them cracked along the sole, without having put them through any strange or unusual use. Tretorn offered me $30 off my next pair, which I thought was better than nothing. So I ordered a pair of $60 boots on sale, then got my $30 off. BUT…

Then I paid $24.00 for international shipping to Canada…. Then I was notified that DHL (Tretorn’s shipping company) was holding my parcel until I paid $31.69 in duties. Now I’m left wondering how on earth a $30 pair of boots (to replace broken ones) is going to actually end up costing more than the original pair.

Each merchant/shipping company (Postal/DHL/Tretorn) refers me to the others to remedy this situation. None have been able to explain how a $30 pair of boots will now cost me three times the price of the boots themselves to actually obtain. A company that is experienced in international orders SHOULD be able to forewarn customers that they will be charged, essentially, triple the cost to ship and pay customs/duty on them.

The cost of getting these boots has sky-rocketed to an amount that exceeds the value of the item in the box.

Next time I get an inferior product, like these boots, I will forget them altogether, rather than deal with a company that doesn’t stand behind their product in the first place, or help their customers (with even a heads-up about the shipping issues) to get a replacement at less cost than (or even equal to) the original boot itself.

To avoid this kind of ludicrous over-charging, why not try offering a credit that can be redeemed at a retailer that sells your product, in an international location, rather than making an already disappointed customer incur these ridiculous costs to replace a product that didn’t stand up in the first place.