Poor customer service

I purchased a pair of shoes on Friday and wore them the following day. They were uncomfortable, and something was sticking my toe in them. When I went to the store, I was told they couldn't help since they had never encountered this kind of issue. I called their customer service number, and it went directly to voicemail. I sent an email and received a response that I will hear from the general manager in 48 hours. I followed up, but I haven't heard back as of 72 hours later. If your customer care centre cant help when needed, why do you have one?