The Barestep lie(s).

<div>One star is too many but this system does not have an option of no stars.

Briefly: I really needed a new pair of hiking shoes and ordered a pair from Barestep after being duped by the many ‘excellent’ reviews. The shoes arrived and were too big. They argued with me that I had ordered a size 7, not a 6. (LOL. I am in my 60s. I should know by now what size shoe I wear.) Their exchange process is cumbersome and difficult (you’ll see other people complaining about the same thing, online) and I inadvertently placed a second order instead of requesting an exchange.

Long story short: they

• On 20 November 2023, I ordered and paid R1,299 for a pair of shoes from Barestep. • The delivered shoes were too big, leading me to initiate an online exchange but inadvertently placing a second order. (I was shocked by the poor quality of materials and workmanship, but still swayed by the unbelievably positive reviews of the shoes, online.) • I immediately notified the company of my error and received the following response: o On 28 Nov 2023, at 10:29, Tayla (Barestep) <***> wrote: Hi Theresa, I can see that you have struggled to submit a return. Please hold off on anything on the website whilst we try to sort out this and the previous order. Best Regards This email is a service from Barestep. Delivered by Zendesk • Despite the emailed instruction and assurance, a further R1,299 was charged to my credit card on 28 Nov 2023 and the second order was dispatched. • I refused to accept delivery of the second pair of shoes: o On 30 November 2023, at 14:11, The Courier Guy wrote: Hi Theresa Muller The following note has been added to the shipment: Kindly note driver was informed by the receiver that delivery was cancelled and emailed in to advise parcel to be rts as she no longer want goods. Please authorize parcel to be rts. Kind regards, The Courier Guy • By this point I had become aware of the terrible product reviews online and I informed Barestep that I no longer wanted an exchange but wanted simply to return the first pair of shoes, which they collected on 5 December 2023. • The company has refunded this first pair of shoes, sans a delivery fee of R250: o On 20 Dec 2023, at 15:44, Laura (Barestep) <***> wrote: Hey there, I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I have refunded you :) Let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with. I am always here and happy to help. Best regards Laura • Barestep promised to refund the second pair of shoes that was erroneously ordered: o On 04 Jan 2024, at 15:42, Hannah (Barestep) <***> wrote: Dear Theresa, Thank you for bearing with us. I have taken your case to Management for sign off. The pair ordered erroneously will be refunded. The pair returned has been refunded. Please keep in mind that a refund takes 5 - 7 days to reflect. Let me know if there is anything I can assist with. I am always here and happy to help! Best regards Hannah. • Four months later: the undelivered pair has never been refunded and my repeated requests for the promised refund have gone unanswered, causing significant financial and emotional stress plus 25% interest charges on my credit card. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS COMPANY. THEIR DEALINGS ARE *********.

I found out too late that Barestep seemed to be *****ulently operating in South Africa. They had a Cape Town address when I placed my order for shoes. There was no number where one could contact them, just an email address: ***

Since the article “The marketing story that turned out to be a barefaced lie. Shoes purported to be proudly South African and the adjoining marketing campaign have turned out to be ****,” by Wendy Knowler appeared on www.businesslive.co.za Barestep now has a telephone number on their website and FB page. It is in Cyprus! And their Cape Town address has disappeared.

Look for reviews online – not the ones written by Barestep themselves, in other words: don’t fall for the ones on their own platforms. You’ll find plenty of complaints about shoddy manufacture, cheap materials, lies about where the shoes are manufactured, availability of the same shoes at a fraction of the cost via Alibaba, and about service complaints – deliveries that take weeks and refunds that are promised but never materialise. Dig deeper because Barestep seems to have invested millions in marketing and social media. They are all over the show … always excellent reviews … until you look deeper, where you’ll discover the rot.

Here is a YouTube video about Barestep’s *********/false advertising: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmHTn2KXVEo&ab_channel=St%C3%A9phanPieterse With loads of feedback from customers about the ****py quality and service.

Here is the link to Wendy Knowler’s article: https://www.businesslive.co.za/bt/opinion/2023-04-16-wendy-knowler-the-marketing-story-that-turned-out-to-be-a-barefaced-lie/</div>