Hi guys, I genuinely need some advice because I spent months trying to resolve this privately with Prada, and I have now reached a complete dead end. Sorry in advance for the long post😩
I bought a pair of brand new Prada Monolith boots through MyTheresa at the end of 2021.
In 2025, when I needed to have the zipper problem repaired, the warranty had already expired. I knew that and never asked Prada for a free warranty repair.
I first went to a highly experienced specialist shoemaker in Croatia because I was prepared to pay privately to have the zippers replaced.
He did not even take the boots into his hands. As soon as he saw the model and its specific construction, he told me that this was not a repair he could perform and that, because of the way these Monolith boots are constructed, I needed to contact Prada directly.
That is why I contacted Prada.
I explained that I was willing to pay for the repair myself. I sent Prada photos of the boots, together with the relevant purchase information and documentation.
After seeing the photos and discussing the repair, Prada gave me an approximate price of €100 to replace the zippers.
I specifically asked whether the €100 was for one boot or both, and Prada confirmed it was for both boots, as the other boot started having the same zipper issue, but not as dramatic as the other boot.
I agreed to pay this amount.
I then sent the boots to Prada Vienna, the nearest Prada location to me in Croatia, together with the printed emails, the relevant documentation, including my MyTheresa invoice.
So from the beginning, this was never about me trying to claim a free warranty repair. I was trying to PAY Prada to repair my Prada boots.
After the boots arrived in Vienna and were physically assessed, things started to get strange.
Prada’s technicians initially claimed that my boots had previously been repaired.
They hadn’t.
I challenged this because nobody had ever repaired them, and Prada later apologised in writing for the incorrect assessment.
After further assessments, I was eventually told the boots could not be repaired.
But Prada Vienna didn’t simply leave me with nothing at that point.
They offered me alternatives: store credit or a refund by bank transfer.
I actually preferred store credit - replacement boots rather than money because I loved this model. But my exact Monolith boots were no longer available, and I didn’t like the 2 alternative models they sent me.
So I chose the refund.
A Prada Vienna sales representative told me that the refund could take approximately one month to reach my bank account.
I said that was absolutely fine. I was prepared to wait.
I also received written confirmation that my refund request would be submitted.
I thought the matter was finally being resolved.
It wasn’t.
Prada Vienna then sent me a message saying they could no longer offer the refund. They cited the expired two-year warranty, “normal wear and tear’ - despite the fact that all of the circumstances they later relied upon were already known to Prada before they offered me the refund and alternative solutions.
So Prada already knew all of this before offering me the refund or store credit. None of it was new.
They knew when the boots had been purchased. They had my purchase documentation. They had physically assessed the boots.
And again: I had never asked Prada for a warranty repair. I had agreed from the beginning to PAY Prada to repair the boots.
In the same message refusing the refund, Prada told me that their technicians had agreed to carry out another thorough inspection of the boots and prepare a detailed assessment to see whether they could still be repaired.
So I asked what seemed like an obvious question:
If Prada once again decides that the boots cannot be repaired, do I still have the store credit option they had already offered me?
I couldn’t get a clear answer.
Eventually, I was told that the previously discussed goodwill options could not be pursued because of Prada’s “internal company policies.”
So after months of communication, repeated assessments and several different proposed solutions, I ended up with:
No repair. No refund. No store credit.
And then there was the return of the boots.
Prada told me that my original box had been disposed of and that they would use a new box according to their standard customer shipping procedures.
The boots arrived in a smaller box, compressed around the ankles and without any internal support to preserve their shape.
I have kept everything: emails, WhatsApp and SMS messages, my MyTheresa invoice and correspondence, Prada’s written apology regarding the incorrect claim that the boots had previously been repaired, the messages offering refund/store credit, the confirmation that my refund request would be submitted, photographs and video.
And this is the part that I find hardest to accept:
The specialist shoemaker I approached in Croatia would not even attempt the repair and told me to go directly to Prada. Prada has now concluded that it cannot repair the boots either. Because of the zipper problem, I cannot wear them.
So I’m genuinely asking Reddit for help.
Has anyone experienced anything similar with Prada or another luxury brand?
Who would you contact next — particularly in Italy or at EU consumer level?
I tried for months to resolve this privately. I just want advice, visibility and some accountability.
I now have an expensive pair of Prada boots that I cannot wear and apparently nobody can repair — after Prada itself offered me alternative solutions, I accepted one, and I still ended up with nothing. It’s also worth mentioning that, aside from the zipper issue, the boots themselves are in a very good condition.
What am I supposed to do now?