Shoe Clinic first to five years with Consumer Trusted accreditation

The footwear retailer, which is New Zealand-owned, has 18 stores nationwide and sells online. This business was a consistently high achiever, Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin said.

“Shoe Clinic has maintained a very high assessment rating since first becoming Consumer Trusted in 2015. Our accreditation is tough to achieve, so it’s clear this business is providing a high-quality experience for its customers. High standards of customer care are central to our programme,” she said.

In 2015, Consumer NZ developed its Trusted programme to recognise businesses that met the consumer watchdog’s strict code of conduct. This code ensures accredited businesses provide exceptional customer service, and exceed the requirements of the Fair Trading Act, Consumer Guarantees Act and other consumer-related laws.

Consumer NZ carries out detailed mystery shopping as part of its assessment. This includes how staff treat shoppers, how they manage returns and what information customers are given about their rights if something goes wrong. In every area, Shoe Clinic had been exemplary, Ms Chetwin said.

Shoe Clinic director Hamish French said he originally applied to be a Consumer Trusted business based on Consumer NZ’s reputation as the trusted and unbiased reviewer of retail and consumer products.

“We knew if we were a Consumer Trusted business it would be a great checklist for us to ensure our 18 stores were upholding our extremely strong customer service focus. We also knew potential customers would see Shoe Clinic as a very reliable retailer by being approved and trusted by Consumer NZ. This has proved to be the case. We are very proud to be the first business to be Consumer Trusted for five years running!”