What we cover for three years, and what we do not

Anything where the construction has failed, or where the pair does not match what we told you it was. Concretely:

• A strap snaps or tears at a point where it is not being cut by a buckle you over-tightened.
• A buckle pin bends or a buckle frame breaks in normal fastening.
• Stitching on a strap or toe-post opens up.
• The footbed lifts away from the midsole, or the outsole separates from the footbed.
• A toe-post pulls out of the footbed.
• The adjustment holes tear through under normal fastening force.
• Dye transfers heavily onto skin or clothing beyond the settling described on the product page.
• The pair does not match the numbers we published — for example the strap does not reach the stated adjustment range.

If any of these happens within three years, write to us. We repair, replace, reduce the price or refund, and you choose between repair and replacement unless one is disproportionately costly.

Rubbing during break-in is the big one. Every product page names the points where that style is most likely to rub and gives an expected number of wears before the leather softens. Where we have set that out in advance, friction inside that period is the product behaving as described, not a fault.

• Rubbing during the break-in period we described on the product page — for most styles, the first three to five wears.
• The footbed darkening where the ball of the foot and heel sit after barefoot wear. That is patina and we say so before you buy.
• Leather stretching slightly with wear, which is why adjustable styles have travel in the first place.
• Sole wear from ordinary walking, including the tread flattening at the heel edge.
• Scuffs, scratches and colour change from sun, sea water, chlorine or sun cream.
• A style pressing on an instep taller than the maximum we published for it. The number was on the product page and in the fit finder.
• Damage from machine washing, tumble drying, or drying on a radiator or in direct sun.

This distinction is not a way of turning claims down. It is the reason we publish rub points, break-in periods and instep ceilings at all — the same two lists appear in the fit and rubbing guide so you can read them before ordering rather than after.

Three real examples of how we decide:

When it is genuinely unclear, we decide in your favour. We would rather absorb an occasional borderline claim than argue about millimetres with someone who trusted our numbers.

Email support@artshoespt.mom with your order reference and photographs of the problem — one of the whole sandal and one close-up. That is usually all we need.

We reply within two working days with a decision or a request for one more photograph. Where a claim is accepted, return postage is on us and we arrange the collection. There is no restocking charge and no administration fee at any point.

No. We do not offer a paid or promotional warranty, and we do not make open-ended promises about how long a pair will last. The legal guarantee is the guarantee, and it is already one of the longest in the European Union.

You can escalate without our cooperation: the Portuguese electronic complaints book at livroreclamacoes.pt, or alternative dispute resolution through CICAP – Centro de Informação de Consumo e Arbitragem do Porto. Neither costs you anything to start.