Salomon - defective shoe and no response

My partner purchased a pair of SALOMON shoes for which he paid R2 999. This is his third pair and he is very loyal to the brand. Unfortunately, this pair had a fault. He wore them twice and they hurt his instep. I returned them to the retail store where we purchased them - and they were very helpful. However, I was told that, due to the fact that we did not have these in a SALOMON box, they could not be returned to the SALOMON factory. We did have the receipt.

Quick reminder - these shoes come with a one year guarantee.

I have sent Salomon an email outlining the issue. I quickly received an automated message stating that they would get back to me - and I am still waiting two weeks later

I thought that this was a premium brand - but obviously I was wrong!