They should change them they are not fit for purpose, they in turn can retrieve their money from the supplier. In reality the supplier will replace them for minimal cost, they are just being bloody minded. You have to get past the trolls in the shop and kick up a fuss with management. This happenned to me once over a pair of trainers and I just stood at the counter refusing to move until they changed them only took 20 minutes of me telling all the other customers not to buy anything as their goods where faulty and showing the evidence.
The basic problem here is that at front of house as it where you have the most extraordinarily dim people who either cannot or have been told not to think for themselves. To get results you have to start costing them money then management are interested.
To change the boots costs them nothing.You have to get brutal I'm afarid.