French Sole

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY!!! THEY ARE SCAMS! I bought 3 pairs of shoes, loved 1 pair and returned 2. No refund was returned for the 2 sent back. I called the company and they said they did not receive the box but re tracked what they said when I mentioned that I have a tracking number showing you have received my return. I called my credit card co. to check on the refund and no refund was sent when I spoke to them ⁹⁄₃₀. But I checked again and they finally refunded me for 1 pair 20 days later! I also changed my dispute amount with my c.c. company for 1 pair of shoes instead of 2. hopefully they will find that this company are thieves. I called French Sole. again for the second pair refund and they said it was only 1 pair returned which was not true. The employee said his colleague only opened the box with one return.(I sent back 2 pairs of shoes.) This person who works the online services is despicable. I looked into the Better Business Bureau which explains it. They are not accredited. I tried to copy and paste a portion of it below. Lesson learned. READ THE REVIEWS BEFORE YOU BUY!
BBB Business Review
Overview
Complaints
Customer Reviews
Directions
THIS BUSINESS IS NOT BBB ACCREDITED.
French Sole
Phone: (646) 410‑0290
985 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10 021

The shoes are comfortable and cute for the first ten minutes then they break apart, hurt and the designs fade out. Horrible customer service as well. It’s unfortunate because it’s one of the cheaper shoe stores on the area although still way overpriced. Go to pretty ballerina down the block for the same styles, prices and way better service.

PLEASE BUY FROM A THIRD PARTY RETAILER OR BEWARE: THREATS, CREDIT FRAUDULENCE, AND DISHONESTY.
I can deal with unpleasant customer service reps. What is unacceptable is a company that threatens you with falsehoods and fraud.…
I returned $ 320 worth of merchandise after paying for shipping both ways, and was only refunded $ 300. (I thoroughly read through shipping and return policies when shopping online– I also sell on eBay myself and know they vary from store to store.) Emailed them about it– no response. 3 days later, I called. The call was handed off from a polite but untrained young woman who didn’t know how to handle an inquiry about my order, to a short, brash and inconvenienced older woman who took down my name and phone # (didn’t ask for an order #, dollar amount or any other identifying details) and hung up on me after 15 seconds (not exaggerating.)
When I still hadn’t heard from them a few days later, I filed a dispute for the $ 20.00 with my credit card company, who hold the funds in limbo til FS/​NY can respond to the claim and refund me themselves. Today, more than TWO WEEKS after I emailed them, I received a one sentence response to my inquiry that raised so many red flags it was tough to digest that it was being sent from an actual company (let alone a customer service department.)
It read:
«You were charged a re-​stocking fee due to the DAMAGES and will be charged more since we have photographic evidence of a before and after.
Website Customer Service
646−410−0290
www​.french​soleshoes​.com». .. .. .
A list of red flags, in order of appearance…
a) RE STOCKING FEE:
The only mention of a re-​stocking fee on their website pertains to a 15% re-​stocking fee if you use their Fed-​Ex return shipping label. I purchased postage myself through USPS to avoid this ridiculous charge that would have been almost $ 50 for this order (have they never heard of flat rate shipping?) The $ 20.00 they held is a completely baseless and arbitrary charge. It doesn’t calculate to a clean % of any one part or whole amount of my original order. Also if I had sent back a damaged item, you can be sure they would have sent it back to me at my expense. But I get ahead of myself! Most importantly, and to reiterate, they fabricated this policy during the two weeks it took them to respond to me. Fabricate = «falsify», «concoct», «make up»
b) DAMAGES: (this is when my jaw really started heading for the floor)
So, not a single shoe of the 3 pairs I tried on left the 10′ x 10′ confines of my bedroom that was outfitted in brand new carpeting upon our move-​in last year. I buy about 5 – 6 pairs of shoes each year (both in-​store and online) and know very well that walking on anything other than carpet when you’re trying on shoes is the equivalent of ripping off the price tags and spilling coffee down the front of a new article of clothing. But I found the use of caps in an attempt to highlight their surprise accusation amusing. (The words «falsify», «concoct», «make up» seem appropriate again here.) Although a little dramatic, it solidified the fact that I was most likely reading an email sent by the angry woman who had hung up on me when I called.
c) YOU WILL BE CHARGED MORE:
this was the part where they threatened me with credit fraud. so sassy!
d) PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF BEFORE AND AFTER:
That is commitment! So you’re saying you photograph, document and make a file for every pair of each style shoe that passes through your warehouse and brick and mortar? That’s thousands of shoes! Thousands of photographs! How DO you manage? Sarcasm aside.. . If this was a vintage or thrift reseller of previously worn garments and shoes, maybe. But yeah, just… no.
My credit card company finally permanently reversed the charges back to my card after I read them the email I got from FS/​NY. They placed the business on a watch list for future misconduct. Problem solved; but weeks later, and with a financial third party intervention.
TL;DR: two weeks after trying to contact someone from customer service about a refund, they responded with an accusation that i sent back damaged merchandise to avoid issuing a full refund, made up a false restocking fee policy, and threatened me with additional charges, which got them flagged by my card company for misconduct (additional charges would constitute fraud.)

Dealing with the sales guys here are dealing with those fast talking greasy guys in Times Square electronic stores where they sell everything without the original box. Either these guys rush you to pay or they neglect and or make fun of you with each other. Once they get your money, you’re invisible to them. They don’t know how to be polite or say thank you. I think the owners are mother and sons — all pushy and miserable.
All salsa shoes are … Without boxes hahaha and ties together with a rubber band and thrown into bins separated by sizes. The only pairs in boxes are not much of a bargain. This place is like that Rainbow hardware shop on first avenue. It’s messy, crowded and bleak so you think you’re getting a bargain, but if you’re a smart shopper you realize it’s just an illusion.

On a recent trip to New York went out of my way to find this place after visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Walking up Lexington stumbled across the outlet first. Glad I did! Great score. Good selection of flats for $ 99, and pretty much everything under $ 150. Bought a cute pair of black woven flats for $ 99. So comfy and good quality. And no crappy shoes made in China. Everything made in Brazil, Italy, Spain or France. Went on a Wednesday at 3pm. Very quiet relaxing. Wouldn’t go on a weekend. small store and very little room to move.

Shady saleman.. .Bought a pair of shoes on sale for $ 99. Watched the $ 99 show up on the computer/​cash register screen. Signed the credit card receipt and left. Got home and double checked the credit card receipt to realize I had been charged the full price of $ 163. So I got to make another trip from the west side to the east side to get the charge corrected. Considering the salesperson who helped me also rang up the charge AND given the fact that everything in the store is on sale (it’s the outlet location), I find it hard to believe he didn’t realize he had charged me the full price vs the sale price. Even though the shoes are comfortable I don’t think I’ll be back.

Great selection and awesome sales, but it’s just a bit too crazy in here for my taste. If you’re in the mood for flats and have some patience, this is definitely the place for you. Even their non-​sale items are priced pretty decently, and their shoes are high quality. I’d just pick a non-​Saturday next time, I think.

What is there not to love about a pair of comfortable and stylish flats? What is there not to love about that same pair of flats but when it happens to be on sale? The French Sole outlet store, which is right across the street from the regular French Sole shop, is a true Upper East Side gem. While the store itself resembles a shoe box, it is full of character, friendliness of staff and great bargains. The stacks of shoe boxes are neatly arranged around the store and along the walls and all shoes are organized by styles. There are no clear prices on the boxes, so you just have to ask. I was pleasantly surprised that the Sloop flats were on sale for $ 49 per pair. Also, they had espadrilles, which were going for $ 29 per pair, but they only have big sizes left over. The owner of the store was very sweet and helpful. French sole flats are labeled by their European sizes, so she helped me figure out my size. For example, the Sloop flat runs ½ too small, so she advised me to get a half size up. It turned out that I fit into my regular size, so it’s important to try these flats on at the store and not risk buying the wrong size online. Overall, I walked out of the shop with 3 pairs of flats and an immense sense of satisfaction, which can only be felt after finding a great bargain.