White's Boots
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24 hours later and absolutely no response from James Taylor and Sons, so much for being a reputable cobbler
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I know, thankfully I have a full trail of email correspondence including the descriptions and pictures which I sent them, as evidence. I have emailed them again to bluntly say that I am very disappointed that they have chosen not to respond considering the amount of money that they have charged me, and the mistake that they have made.
If I hear nothing back tomorrow, of get an unsatisfactory response, I will simply forward my complaint to Trading Standards.
Assholes
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Rocket, I couldn't agree more. The guy I have been corresponding with is the owner, but I will give him a call after the weekend if I have still not had a response.
Hajduk, they charged £130 plus £10 delivery. Which is an obscene amount considering that they missed a tiny detail like using the wrong sole entirely.
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To be perfectly honest, I had faith in a quality reputable english shoe maker, I was intrigued to see what they could do with a traditional American work boot, and I did not want to pay import duty on my own boots (which in itself could run upto £100).
I am at the point where I might just put them on ebay, and buy a new pair. This pair appears to be cursed.
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I got a couple of differing opinion on that SB, I guess what I should have done is asked Whites, but you live you learn, you fuck boots up by trusting assholes
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mega, in the future reach out to IH brethren in the states. i know no one likes to be a burden (well except seul) but reach out & someone stateside might (really means will) be able to work out a cheaper alternative to get goods & services taken care of.
this sh!t will work out eventually, but the effort & funds dumped into it is for the birds. i would have been pissed , well pissed is putting it nicely
oh & i don't think the boot looks bad, but the main point is that isn't what you asked for. i wonder if the folks you are dealing with know you have an audience watching how they are treating you as a customer, i always throw out that i'm monday from the iron heart forum & i usually get top notch treatment after that (true story
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Cheers MM, I certainly will in future as I know first hand what good people my stateside brethren are.
One of my next moves (if I get a poor or no response) was to actually tell the guy that I am extremely active in many online menswear communities, and have absolutely no issue with giving vivid details of their service, and after service to the wider community. I don't think that retailers and craftsmen should ever underestimate the power of the internet to positively or negatively effect their trade.
We are the angry mob
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I am at the point where I might just put them on ebay, and buy a new pair. This pair appears to be cursed.
I think that is a great idea. You can always put them up for the price you want. If they don't sell, oh well.
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They have replied, direct from the managing director of the company. The my original message, and the reply are as follows…
_This was my message, sent yesterday.
Hi Peter,
I received my Whites boots back today, and while I am happy with the quality of the work carried out, it is definitely not what I asked for. As you will see in the email below I specified either a Vibram Composition Half Sole, or a Vibram Mini Lug sole, what you have actually fitted is a full Vibram Lug sole, not a mini lug sole.
I'm sorry, but bearing in mind that yours is a well respected shoe repair company I would expect you to either know the difference, or at least ask if you were unsure (typing either into Google shows a miriad of pictures). The sole fitted is a completely different profile to what I wanted, and nothing like any of the pictures which I sent to you both by email, and hard copy. In fact, the sole currently on my boots is exactly the sale style of sole as I sent them to you with.
Please advise me as soon as possible how we can rectify this situation, I firmly believe that by providing the exact names of the soles which I was willing to use, and proving pictures of the exact boots fitted with the soles I asked for, that I would indeed receive what I had asked for. The charge of £140 (including delivery) to not receive what I had hoped for is extremely disappointing to say the least.
I await your response on how we should proceed to resolve this, may I suggest either a complete rework free of charge, or a full refund to allow me to get the work carried out elsewhere.
Thanks
G Smith_
And the reply….
_Dear Mr Smith
Thank you for your helpful reply. I am sorry for the disappointment with the boots. Please can you return them so that we can fit the correct soles.
Yours sincerely
Peter Schweiger
Managing consultant_Do I trust them?
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I have agreed for them to do the rework, and sent the following details…
_Hi Peter,
Just a last couple of details.
Obviously, I expect that I will be refunded the costs of returned shipment, as it is no fault of mine that the boots have had to be returned. You can refund directly to the credit card details of mine which you have please, the cost of postage will be marked on the returned package for your attention. I also do not expect to be charged to have them returned to me.
Also, if you use the Vibram composition half sole to resole the boots, please stitch the half sole into position using the outer row of stitching on the welt, rather than just glue it. I was unable to ascertain whether or not the heel had been replaced by nail or again simply glue. Once again, please ensure that it is not just glued into position, this has been an expensive and time consuming repair already, and these boots see daily wear, I would hate to have to get in contact again in a few weeks time if the resole shows signs of coming apart. Without wishing to be too harsh, my local cobbler could glue a sole into position for me for less than £30, I came to your company as I wanted, and expected a quality job making of my expensive, hand made boots. I have been charged for quality, and I expect quality.
I apologise if my tone seems curt, but I need to be clear what I expect from my returned boots. I trust that they will be given urgent attention, rather than the standard lead time for repairs?
Yours Sincerely
G Smith_
