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rivkaIn March, I bought a pair of ninety dollar orthopedic sandals. They've been fantastic to walk in - they're configurable to adjust for my leg length discrepancy, and that makes all the difference. And they're comfortable. And they don't look orthopedic. I was so happy.
A few weeks ago, one of the buckles came off. I was a little surprised - these were expensive sandals - but I didn't think much of it. I took them to a cobbler and had the buckle sewn back on. But today, I discovered that the upper straps are coming unsewn from the sole. Enough so that they're unwearable - an inch and a half unsewn already, on the right one.
I called the company. The customer service woman was horrified - she's sending me a postage-paid mailing label with which to return them, and she's put in an order for another pair. "You may not be able to say anything about this," I asked her, "but is this particular brand of shoes usually of good quality?" She hesitated. "They used to be made in the US," she said, "and then they moved production to Mexico. And then they weren't happy with the quality there, so they moved to China. They tell us nothing's changed, but from what we hear... obviously something has."
My next pair had better not fall apart after less than three months' use. If not, damn it, I'm getting my money back whether or not it's their policy not to allow the return of worn shoes. But even if the next pair is good, I wanted to be able to wear my sandals to Callahanicon. Now I'm going to be stuck choosing between close-toed shoes I can wear with my orthotics, or orthotic-less sandals and a leg length discrepancy. Damn it!
A few weeks ago, one of the buckles came off. I was a little surprised - these were expensive sandals - but I didn't think much of it. I took them to a cobbler and had the buckle sewn back on. But today, I discovered that the upper straps are coming unsewn from the sole. Enough so that they're unwearable - an inch and a half unsewn already, on the right one.
I called the company. The customer service woman was horrified - she's sending me a postage-paid mailing label with which to return them, and she's put in an order for another pair. "You may not be able to say anything about this," I asked her, "but is this particular brand of shoes usually of good quality?" She hesitated. "They used to be made in the US," she said, "and then they moved production to Mexico. And then they weren't happy with the quality there, so they moved to China. They tell us nothing's changed, but from what we hear... obviously something has."
My next pair had better not fall apart after less than three months' use. If not, damn it, I'm getting my money back whether or not it's their policy not to allow the return of worn shoes. But even if the next pair is good, I wanted to be able to wear my sandals to Callahanicon. Now I'm going to be stuck choosing between close-toed shoes I can wear with my orthotics, or orthotic-less sandals and a leg length discrepancy. Damn it!
