Garantia
Three years, and a clear line between wear and a fault
Last updated 15 August 2026 · Governed by Portuguese law
How long does it last, and what do I have to prove?
Three years from delivery. For the first two years the law presumes that any lack of conformity you report was there at delivery, so you do not have to prove anything beyond showing us the problem. In the third year the presumption no longer applies and the burden shifts to you.
You must report a lack of conformity within a reasonable time of noticing it. Keep your order reference; we do not require the original packaging.
Which side of the line is this?
Covered — a defect
- The sole has come away from the upper, in whole or in part.
- A split-sole pad has torn away at its stitched or glued edge.
- A seam on the upper has opened under ordinary use.
- A buckle, eyelet or zip has broken or pulled out of the material.
- The elastic gore has separated from the upper.
- The two shoes of a pair are visibly different in size or shape.
- The material label is missing, illegible, or does not match the shoe.
- A heel has loosened or detached from the heel seat.
Not covered — ordinary wear
- The suede nap has gone flat, shiny or glazed under the ball of the foot.
- The sole has thinned in the places where you put your weight.
- Canvas has softened, stretched or gone slightly out of shape with use.
- Satin has scuffed at the toe or along the sides of a heel.
- The elastic has slackened after a season of wear.
- Colour has faded, or the lining has darkened where the foot sits.
- The sole has picked up marks, dust or fibres from the floor.
- A rubber outsole has smoothed off along its tread.
The pattern behind both lists: a defect is something that should not have happened at all, and wear is the shoe doing what a soft shoe does. A suede sole is a consumable. It is designed to give way before the floor or your foot does, and the rate at which it does that depends on the surface you dance on rather than on the quality of the shoe.
My sole wore through in six weeks. Surely that is a fault?
Usually not, and the reason is worth explaining rather than dismissing. A suede sole used four times a week on unsealed floorboards can wear through in a couple of months. The same sole on sealed sprung wood might last a year. Nothing about the shoe changed — the abrasive surface did.
That said, if a sole wears through in a small patch that does not correspond to where the foot loads, or the suede separates in a sheet rather than thinning gradually, that is not ordinary wear and we want to see photographs.
The soles and floors page sets out which surfaces we make each bottom for, and Floor Match will tell you when we have nothing suitable at all.
What can I ask for?
In order: repair or replacement, free of charge and within a reasonable time, whichever you prefer, unless the one you choose is impossible or disproportionate for us.
If neither is done in a reasonable time, or is done in a way that causes you significant inconvenience, you may then ask for a price reduction or terminate the contract and be refunded. Termination is not available where the lack of conformity is minor.
A replacement restarts the guarantee period for the replaced item. A repaired item keeps the original period, extended by the time it spent with us.
How do I make a claim?
Email support@danceworldshoes.shop with your order reference, a description of the problem, and photographs — one of the whole shoe and one close-up of the area concerned. If it is a sole, photograph the underside of both shoes.
We reply within two working days with either a resolution or a return reference. Where a claim is upheld we pay the return postage. Where we think what you are describing is wear rather than a defect, we will tell you why in writing rather than simply refusing, and you can take it further if you disagree.
Is there a commercial warranty on top?
No. We offer no additional commercial guarantee, extended warranty or paid protection plan. The three-year legal guarantee is what you get, and nothing on this site may be read as limiting it.
What if you say wear and I say defect?
You are not stuck with our opinion. File through the Livro de Reclamações Eletrónico, which obliges us to answer within 15 working days and sends the complaint to the competent authority. You may also use the alternative dispute resolution body for our registered seat or the EU ODR platform — both are listed on Informação Legal.
DANCEWORLD INDUSTRIA DE CALÇADO LDA is the party responsible for the guarantee. There is no third party to be passed along to.
Contactos: support@danceworldshoes.shop · +351 227534395