Salomon Rejects My Return of Sneakers With Visibly Missing Tongue Fabric

I purchased a pair of blue Salomon Aero Glide 3 sneakers through Salomon's own website on 06/07. The first time I wore the shoes, I noticed that the tongue kept sliding out to the side while walking. The second time I wore them, when the same thing happened again, I inspected the product closely this time and saw that a large portion of the fabric on the tongue was missing, with the foam padding fully exposed. Following this, on 06/13/2026, I exercised my legal right within the statutory period and returned the product.
Even though about 8 days passed with no update on my return process, I called customer service; I was told I'd receive a follow-up, but no one got back to me. When I called again today, I learned that my return request had been rejected on the grounds of user error. Calling it user error for a shoe worn only once, with missing fabric on the tongue, is neither reasonable nor fair to me as a consumer. I hadn't noticed this detail when the product first arrived; because of this, frankly, I believe I was sent a defective product that had previously been returned by another customer.
Regarding my order, reference number Selam6318488239, I am requesting that the return of this product — which I clearly see as defective — be accepted, and that the amount I paid be refunded to me in full.