Got to look at my new boots and I am extremely satisfied I compared them to my Ryder III's which are nice but these are on a whole other level to the point that I'm gonna order a pair of the Brown Suede Moltons!
My only gripe and it's minor is how the package was shipped because my box was a little dented along the lid (I know 1st would problem) Considering the weight of the shoes and shoe trees a cardboard box would have been more appropriate!
Again many thanks to Simon!
Mike, every shoe box I've ever gotten from England has had some sort of damage, even if it's been shipped inside another box. I just expect it now.
For everyone who got the boots, congratulations. They look great. Much nicer than in the pics of DC wearing them.
When i got home i grabbed the package and realized it wasn't a box but this paper bag like material with strapping tape to reinforce some of the edges. Considering the weight and the cost of these boots one would expect better packaging along the lines of getting something from Tom Ford or MrPorter (Maybe Mark should give them some lessons on how to package an item). Other than the little gripe about packaging the boots are fabulous and i'm gonna enjoy the hell out of them!
Hmmmmmm...perhaps they ship differently outside of the UK? Mine arrived yesterday in a shoebox with each shoe in its own green, soft bag - as per my Highbury’s.
The boots are amazing - so happy that I was able to join in on this incredible opportunity.
Hmmmmmm...perhaps they ship differently outside of the UK? Mine arrived yesterday in a shoebox with each shoe in its own green, soft bag - as per my Highbury’s.
The boots are amazing - so happy that I was able to join in on this incredible opportunity.
Mr Simon...take a bow Sir!
I was talking about the outer packaging around the shoe box and yes these boots are amazing!
My boots were delivered this afternoon and I couldn't be happier, they look great! According to their tracking they took a wild Bond like trip around the world trip before getting to me though...London - Germany - France - Philadelphia - Louisville - Honolulu - Sydney - Brisbane, then one more flight and next day it's at my door! And they were still delivered around the same time everyone else is getting theirs; great stuff -{
Got to look at my new boots and I am extremely satisfied I compared them to my Ryder III's which are nice but these are on a whole other level to the point that I'm gonna order a pair of the Brown Suede Moltons!
My only gripe and it's minor is how the package was shipped because my box was a little dented along the lid (I know 1st would problem) Considering the weight of the shoes and shoe trees a cardboard box would have been more appropriate!
Again many thanks to Simon!
Mike, every shoe box I've ever gotten from England has had some sort of damage, even if it's been shipped inside another box. I just expect it now.
For everyone who got the boots, congratulations. They look great. Much nicer than in the pics of DC wearing them.
When i got home i grabbed the package and realized it wasn't a box but this paper bag like material with strapping tape to reinforce some of the edges. Considering the weight and the cost of these boots one would expect better packaging along the lines of getting something from Tom Ford or MrPorter (Maybe Mark should give them some lessons on how to package an item). Other than the little gripe about packaging the boots are fabulous and i'm gonna enjoy the hell out of them!
Packing is a dark art that only some have access too )
My box was smashed to hell, I have actually asked for a replacement as I keep all my C&J in the boxes
I'm not surprised that happened seeing as i had a little issue myself as the lid was little banged up on one side. Like i said in an earlier post considering Crockett & Jones and the cost of these boots i expecting a way better shipping experience. I had a draft email for Lauren and i ultimately removed that portion as i didn't wanna come off as being frustrated so i removed it but i think i should have said something. Hopefully they make this right for you!
Anyone else thing mine look a bit funny on the back piece of leather being offered to one side
I would not accept that from a $50 shoe, much less a $500 one. Looks like a quality control issue and I'd raise a complaint.
Yip that my thoughts, I have been told it’s because they are handmade shoes you should expect differences between pairs
I can understand a "slight" variation but that's a huge difference in color to the point that the boots should have gone back to the finishing room to be re-stained and I think the QC person has some serious explaining to do!
I would not accept that from a $50 shoe, much less a $500 one. Looks like a quality control issue and I'd raise a complaint.
Yip that my thoughts, I have been told it’s because they are handmade shoes you should expect differences between pairs
That goes way beyond being 'a difference'. That looks like a flaw. I would not accept those boots in your position.
For what it's worth, you just made me check my pair of boots. They're perfect with the positioning of the back piece of leather. If they could do mine perfectly, they could have done yours perfectly. To me, it looks like whoever assembled that bottom shoe cut the leather wrong and tried covering the error with that back flap. For a $500 pair of shoes, that's not acceptable.
Now I have to look at my boots again! I do see the difference in the cut of the back piece and all I can say is WOW!
I would not accept that from a $50 shoe, much less a $500 one. Looks like a quality control issue and I'd raise a complaint.
Yip that my thoughts, I have been told it’s because they are handmade shoes you should expect differences between pairs
That goes way beyond being 'a difference'. That looks like a flaw. I would not accept those boots in your position.
For what it's worth, you just made me check my pair of boots. They're perfect with the positioning of the back piece of leather. If they could do mine perfectly, they could have done yours perfectly. To me, it looks like whoever assembled that bottom shoe cut the leather wrong and tried covering the error with that back flap. For a $500 pair of shoes, that's not acceptable.
Ok so I decided to pull the boots out again and look at them more closely and here are some pictures.....
Images 1 to 3 have the shoe trees in and 4 and 5 do not. Now that I look closely I can see a definite difference in the positioning of the back strip on the left boot. Also the left boot is slightly taller and has a sort of taper to it. This could be from the shoe trees and packaging but I can't be a 100% sure
I was thinking of getting a few people together for a custom run of the brown suede Moltons but I'm gonna hold off which is a real shame!
The first pair of Tetbury’s I bought were really uncomfortable under the arch of the right foot. They told me it was down to “variations” in the hand made process. I tried another pair on in the same size and they were perfect so I just seaped them out and they were happy for me to do so. Appreciate this is harder with the Maltons but if you feel they are not right, send them back.
I get 'slight variations' - especially with something like roughed out suede which has texture/colour variations etc but the leather strip looks totally off centre and I really wouldn't accept that.
My name has changed! I’m no longer dufus......now I’m DB6
I get 'slight variations' - especially with something like roughed out suede which has texture/colour variations etc but the leather strip looks totally off centre and I really wouldn't accept that.
Assuming that the bottom picture taken by jared_nomak is the left boot then there is obviously an issue with the pattern used. If that's true then there is a high probability that all the boots in this run have alignment issues.
The first pair of Tetbury’s I bought were really uncomfortable under the arch of the right foot. They told me it was down to “variations” in the hand made process. I tried another pair on in the same size and they were perfect so I just seaped them out and they were happy for me to do so. Appreciate this is harder with the Maltons but if you feel they are not right, send them back.
If returning them is an option then I would but I like the boots so I would want a new pair made, sent to me for inspection and if all is well
I'd send back the original pair. I think that sounds completely reasonable for everyone affected.
Just curious if those of you who have contacted C&J regarding defective boots have made any sort of progress.
As an update on my boots: while the cut is correct, one shoe is a tad higher than the other in terms of the leather. My pants would hide anything from looking abnormal (and it's a fairly minor thing that nobody looking at my boots would probably notice) so I'm not going to make a fuss, but honestly...I question the quality control done by C&J on our boots. I think that they may have had the B team do our production run, and that's not acceptable when you're paying that kind of money. Details matter.
I reached out to Lauren yesterday evening but she's out of the office till tomorrow so once i have an update i'll let everyone know. I did
measure the height of both boots and the left boot is 3.175 mm higher than the right boot and the rear strips on both boots are not aligned properly. I explained to her that I realize these are hand made but the issues are too great to be ignored. Like you i realize that the boots would be covered by my jeans so no one would see it but i'll know and i know it will annoy me. I enclosed some pictures for her to review so she can the difference in the height and positioning of the strip. I agree that Crockett & Jones quality control is suspect and i would suggest you at least let her know that your boots are not the same height!
I didn't measure the difference in height but yeah, my left boot is definitely higher than my right boot as well. I think it's much more than what you're describing. I'll measure them tonight and take/post photos as well because it's a really obvious difference.
I was wondering if you got a chance to measure your boots?
Also here is part of the response from Lauren that I received Wednesday morning explaining part of the construction process.....
Thank you for sending the pictures of these, I am going to show this to the Head of Retail on Monday when we are both in the office next together so he is able to give his opinion on the height of these.
In regards to the back strip, as previously mentioned on Forums all of our models are artisanal and no pair will look identical to each other.
All of our models are made by hand to eye, which is one of our most popular niche’s from customers. This does mean that there are going to be slight differences on all of the models and no two shoes are ever going to look 100% exactly the same, as there will always be slight nuances and variations which is all part of a handmade product therefore the back strips on the models will never be identical or centred perfectly.
I know Gymkata has mentioned his left boot is noticeably taller than the right and jared_nomak had an issue with his box being "smashed to hell" plus the strips in the back being off center but did anyone else notice these sort of differences in their boots?
Using a tape measure, the left boot is exactly 6 inches tall and the right boot is 5 and 7/8 inches tall. It's an 8th of an inch difference, and I'm fine with it as it really isn't noticeable. I'll be wearing these with long pants anyways, so I'm not going to get into a snit over this error.
But the back leather straps are perfectly lined up, and I haven't noticed any other real issues with the boots in terms of construction. I think I may have gotten lucky compared to some of you.
And, to be clear: I would not accept these boots if the back leather straps had been wonky. I don't care if they were were hand made and subject to minor variations...at that price, I'd expect some attention to detail and some quality control/oversight on the final product. The term 'handmade' implies quality and an attention to detail, not something slapdash.
I'm not surprised your height difference was similar to mine and like you i will be wearing them with pants so the height difference shouldn't be a problem BUT it is because i will know they're off a bit. The picture you posted makes the left boot look significantly taller than the right boot
Now i can imagine some people would say i am being a bit too picky about such a small variation but considering.....
1. The price,
2. They are hand made (limited run)
3. How Crockett & Jones portrays itself (Watch the Crockett & Jones Factory Tour on YouTube)
When a limited run like this is arranged there should be an extra level of care taken to make sure that everything is done correctly! Since I've had a few days to think about this situation its made me wonder if i am being too hard on the company or if my level of frustration is warranted? Like you said "handmade" should imply quality of workmanship and attention to detail so how in the heck did these boots make it out of the factory?!
I truly don't think you're being too hard on the company.
I look at it this way: If you contract with someone to do a service for you (paint your walls, install a kitchen, plant your garden), you do a walkthrough of the finished product with the person who did the work (or the contractor) and 'accept' the work. That is your opportunity to point out issues to the person and figure out remedies, if necessary. It's also your opportunity to flat out reject the work, especially if the person refuses to fix any legitimate issues that you've brought up.
I'd consider this to be the same thing. You're not going into a Nordstrom and buying these from the sales floor (where you can try them on and accept/reject them if they don't fit AND examine the merchandise before purchase). You're contracting with someone to make you a product, and we should be able to accept the final product or request changes if we don't feel that the quality is up to snuff. This isn't an issue of the shoes being the wrong size...we all knew going in that we were purchasing a certain size and that it was our responsibility to order the correct size. Indeed, on the sizing portion of the transaction, I really thought that C&J (and the team in NY) did an excellent job in listening to what our sizes were and making a good recommendation. No, this is an issue with craftsmanship. I will accept 'minor' variations, but what is a minor variation to one person is a MAJOR STOP THE PRESSES variation to someone else. Variations that make the shoes look shoddily made would not be acceptable.
Let me put it this way: if I were wearing these shoes and the changes were noticeable to others, I'd call that a flaw. Those back leather strips? Those not being aligned is a flaw.
You know i had the same thought in that if i had contracted someone to do work on my home, car or driveway that i would never accept such "variations" in construction so why should i accept it in my shoes? I've been in the mortgage industry for 8 years and prior to that i spent 10 years in retail sales/management and this kind of stuff would be unacceptable. I do agree that dealing with Lauren and Kevin at the Crockett & Jones NY store was excellent and he definitely gave me excellent advice on choosing the correct size. For me these are about as close to "stop the presses" as you can get and i think everyone involved in this run would have never purchased these boots if they knew these issues would come up. The company really needs to improve their q/c process and not (in my opinion) hide behind the "artisinal" label.
I'll also state that presentation in shipping is important.
If I'm buying a few $10 t shirts and the store ships them to me wadded up into a small box, I'm not going to care all that much. When I'm buying $500+ shoes, I'd expect them to come in a nice box and packaged nicely. I want to be WOWED, and I want that opening of the box to be amazing. Seeing taped up brown paper wrapped around the shoe box itself is not a WOW experience. As the box doesn't matter to me all that much, I was able to let that go, especially since opening up the shoe box itself and revealing the shoes did the trick for me.
But I've had bad experiences elsewhere. I ordered a brand new Belstaff jacket from Nordstrom one time (they had the wrong size in the store and shipped me my size from another store) that came in a completely unacceptable fashion. I was expecting it to be on a hanger, in a garment bag, nicely folded into an appropriately sized box. Instead, whoever shipped it to me had rolled it up as tightly as they could and jammed it into a box meant for shoes. I was livid. I contacted the store, I contacted customer service, and I even emailed one of the Nordstrom brothers. Holy cow did I get a response. I'll spare the details but they took care of me and I got a replacement jacket right quick along with a personal apology from the store manager who sent out the jacket.
I took pictures of the jacket and the box that it was sent in if you want to see them. It was quite astounding. Indeed, in retrospect, I have to admire the effort it must have taken to get that jacket into that tiny box.
I agree with you that the if its something inexpensive the shipping doesn't have to be outlandish but adequate. When i am spending that kind of money on a pair of boots i expect high quality shipping and an even higher quality shoe box. The shipping package was on the box so tight i had to cut through it in multiple places and even the box barely slid out!
My worse experience was when i bought my 1st Omega Seamaster Chronograph from Reeds Jewelers. Originally i had bought the same watch off of eBay because the savings were significant but i ended up sending it back as the supposed warranty didn't exist. My Mother suggested that i try local Reeds near my office as she was close friends with the Manager of that location. The company did not stock Omega watches at that location and had to have it sent from the Buffalo location which is where our fun story begins.....
I had the manager who happens to be a family friend confirm that the watch was unworn and came as if it was from the factory. I remember that i was super excited to get this watch as it was my very 1st Swiss automatic timepiece but my excitement turned to frustration/anger because the manager at the other store lied to me as the watch was not new Needless to say i was livid and had my Mom call to see what her friend could do and she said they would give me money off but i said NO! I explained to them that i paid for a new watch not one that had been handled by multiple people and i told them to get one directly from Omega.
I explained to her that once the watch is in store it is not to be handled by anyone and not to remove any stickers until i got there to inspect the piece myself. Our friend called the other store and complained and the manager didn't seem to care that he mislead my her. The company ended up putting them as an Omega AD in late 2013 and instituted a new policy that all watches are wrapped in plastic to protect the metal and from scratches. It was such a poor experience that i didn't shop with them for almost 2 years!
When you have a moment you should post that picture so i can have a bit of a laugh )
I have a retail background as well, working in retail management for close to 8 years prior to doing my career change (I'm now in in the tech industry as a QA/BA). While I was never a shoes salesman, I dealt with enough product issues to realize that I'm far from the only person who values an attention to detail and quality.
From what I understand, this is the third special order of shoes that have been done with C&J. I'm curious as to how the other orders went in terms of quality control.
Funny you mention shoe sales as my 1st job was in the footwear department at Dick's Sporting Goods
I think your question about quality control on the other 2 runs is a good one but I don't remember seeing any issues being mentioned.
Here you go:
Here's the jacket (waxed cotton) all wrinkled up next to the box it was shipped in:
and here's a picture showing the bag as well. The jacket was folded over, rolled up, stuffed into the plastic bag, and then stuffed into the box. I do not exaggerate at all when I tell you that it must have been a herculean effort to fit that jacket into that box because there was no room for anything else but the receipt that shipped with it.
I sent these pictures, along with a few others, to one of the Nordstrom brothers. As I mentioned above, it got resolved once he got involved in it.
I definitely see what you mean on that box! I bet it took him a few tries to get the jacket to fit and probably a whole lot of choice words )
Contemplating selling my pair. I wore them out for an hour or so the other day (Saturday) and I'm not sure if they're a pair of shoes that I'm going to get a lot of use out of. Fact is, I've got a pair of brown Aquatalias that fit the bill for this type of Chukka boot perfectly and those fit me better. There's nothing wrong with these (that I'm aware of), I just think I'll be reaching for the Aquatalias more.
Size 9.5E boots. I'm a US size 10.5 or a European size 43/44.
Boots have been worn once out and about, and the top-of-shoe creases (from bending your foot to walk) are minimal and aren't set yet.
I can include pictures. My set of shoes is consistent in terms of dye pattern and cut and the back strap is lined up correctly on both shoes. The only difference between the two is that the left boot is an 8th of an inch taller than the right boot. This isn't noticeable, even if you're not wearing long pants. The box is in good condition and I have all of the packing materials.
Putting this here as this is the primary thread for the shoes and a few people chimed in after the order was set to inquire about getting a pair.
Unfortunately for me i am not able to accept these QC issues and the options given by Crockett & Jones to remedy the situation aren't really satisfactory so my boots are being shipped back this weekend
I spoke to my mother who is a seamstress and at first she thought i was overreacting ( i have a tendency to do that) but i showed her a pictures of both of our boots and she was shocked and appalled at the lack of QC performed and that these boots would never have made it to a retail store. I asked her does a company have a different level of QC for shoes sent to their boutiques or stockists and she said that it's quite common for "custom" orders to vary slightly from what hits the store shelves.
Mike, are they fixing them or just accepting a return?
Lauren spoke to the head of retail and was able to give me 2 options.....
1. Keep the boots and then Crockett & Jones would give me 10% off my next purchase or a free pair of shoe trees for this order. That one irked me because i bought shoe trees with these boots!
or
2. Do a return and get a full refund for my purchase of the boots plus trees and be reimbursed for the cost of shipping them back (This is the option i am taking)
The kicker is the boots cannot be remade because they are part of a special order which i think is such a crappy response! As far as i know they cannot be fixed and the Head of Retail explained to me that the height issues probably occurred during the clicking stage of the leather along with the leather being pulled over the last so the boots will never be 100% identical. I cannot see how the clicking stage is the issue because they use a pattern to cut the leather so this is an issue of how the shoe was fitted to the last. Like i mentioned in my previous comment my mother is a seamstress who has hand cut and sewn thousands of her own dolls and she confirmed to me that this is an issue with how the boot was stitched together and the that the person doing the sewing should have confirmed the height before starting!
I would love to speak to the head of retail and ask him if he was a new customer to Crockett & Jones and had received his 1st special order with errors would he be willing to risk spending another $800 on another model with a 10% discount? I am willing to bet money that he would say no!
I bet your shoes spark a bit of a firestorm once they get them back, Mike. Photos are one thing but the actual product in hand is another. I would not be surprised if the main QC supervisor sends you an apology letter and states that those boots should never have left the factory. I also would not be surprised if the person who made those shoes AND the person who did QA work on them get reprimanded. Things like this can really hurt a brand.
I sure hope this sparks some sort of internal discussion seeing as almost 25% of the boots had issues and that kind of failure rate is not sustainable for any company. The height difference shown in your photo is more pronounced than mine which is probably because of the angle and the lighting. I agree that i am owed an apology but i think all parties who received boots with errors deserve one as well seeing as we waited for 4 months only to receive boots with errors. I don't want anyone to be get in trouble or lose there job but this is definitely a teaching moment and a wake up call to improve their quality control process and customer service.
Comments
When i got home i grabbed the package and realized it wasn't a box but this paper bag like material with strapping tape to reinforce some of the edges. Considering the weight and the cost of these boots one would expect better packaging along the lines of getting something from Tom Ford or MrPorter (Maybe Mark should give them some lessons on how to package an item). Other than the little gripe about packaging the boots are fabulous and i'm gonna enjoy the hell out of them!
The boots are amazing - so happy that I was able to join in on this incredible opportunity.
Mr Simon...take a bow Sir!
I was talking about the outer packaging around the shoe box and yes these boots are amazing!
Packing is a dark art that only some have access too
1. CR. 2. TSWLM. 3. LTK. 4. GF. 5. SF.
I'm not surprised that happened seeing as i had a little issue myself as the lid was little banged up on one side. Like i said in an earlier post considering Crockett & Jones and the cost of these boots i expecting a way better shipping experience. I had a draft email for Lauren and i ultimately removed that portion as i didn't wanna come off as being frustrated so i removed it but i think i should have said something. Hopefully they make this right for you!
Mine are fine but the suede strip on the top picture is noticable lighter!
Yip that my thoughts, I have been told it’s because they are handmade shoes you should expect differences between pairs
I can understand a "slight" variation but that's a huge difference in color to the point that the boots should have gone back to the finishing room to be re-stained and I think the QC person has some serious explaining to do!
Now I have to look at my boots again! I do see the difference in the cut of the back piece and all I can say is WOW!
Ok so I decided to pull the boots out again and look at them more closely and here are some pictures.....
Images 1 to 3 have the shoe trees in and 4 and 5 do not. Now that I look closely I can see a definite difference in the positioning of the back strip on the left boot. Also the left boot is slightly taller and has a sort of taper to it. This could be from the shoe trees and packaging but I can't be a 100% sure
I was thinking of getting a few people together for a custom run of the brown suede Moltons but I'm gonna hold off which is a real shame!
Assuming that the bottom picture taken by jared_nomak is the left boot then there is obviously an issue with the pattern used. If that's true then there is a high probability that all the boots in this run have alignment issues.
If returning them is an option then I would but I like the boots so I would want a new pair made, sent to me for inspection and if all is well
I'd send back the original pair. I think that sounds completely reasonable for everyone affected.
I reached out to Lauren yesterday evening but she's out of the office till tomorrow so once i have an update i'll let everyone know. I did
measure the height of both boots and the left boot is 3.175 mm higher than the right boot and the rear strips on both boots are not aligned properly. I explained to her that I realize these are hand made but the issues are too great to be ignored. Like you i realize that the boots would be covered by my jeans so no one would see it but i'll know and i know it will annoy me. I enclosed some pictures for her to review so she can the difference in the height and positioning of the strip. I agree that Crockett & Jones quality control is suspect and i would suggest you at least let her know that your boots are not the same height!
I was wondering if you got a chance to measure your boots?
Also here is part of the response from Lauren that I received Wednesday morning explaining part of the construction process.....
Thank you for sending the pictures of these, I am going to show this to the Head of Retail on Monday when we are both in the office next together so he is able to give his opinion on the height of these.
In regards to the back strip, as previously mentioned on Forums all of our models are artisanal and no pair will look identical to each other.
All of our models are made by hand to eye, which is one of our most popular niche’s from customers. This does mean that there are going to be slight differences on all of the models and no two shoes are ever going to look 100% exactly the same, as there will always be slight nuances and variations which is all part of a handmade product therefore the back strips on the models will never be identical or centred perfectly.
I know Gymkata has mentioned his left boot is noticeably taller than the right and jared_nomak had an issue with his box being "smashed to hell" plus the strips in the back being off center but did anyone else notice these sort of differences in their boots?
I'm not surprised your height difference was similar to mine and like you i will be wearing them with pants so the height difference shouldn't be a problem BUT it is because i will know they're off a bit. The picture you posted makes the left boot look significantly taller than the right boot
Now i can imagine some people would say i am being a bit too picky about such a small variation but considering.....
1. The price,
2. They are hand made (limited run)
3. How Crockett & Jones portrays itself (Watch the Crockett & Jones Factory Tour on YouTube)
When a limited run like this is arranged there should be an extra level of care taken to make sure that everything is done correctly! Since I've had a few days to think about this situation its made me wonder if i am being too hard on the company or if my level of frustration is warranted? Like you said "handmade" should imply quality of workmanship and attention to detail so how in the heck did these boots make it out of the factory?!
You know i had the same thought in that if i had contracted someone to do work on my home, car or driveway that i would never accept such "variations" in construction so why should i accept it in my shoes? I've been in the mortgage industry for 8 years and prior to that i spent 10 years in retail sales/management and this kind of stuff would be unacceptable. I do agree that dealing with Lauren and Kevin at the Crockett & Jones NY store was excellent and he definitely gave me excellent advice on choosing the correct size. For me these are about as close to "stop the presses" as you can get and i think everyone involved in this run would have never purchased these boots if they knew these issues would come up. The company really needs to improve their q/c process and not (in my opinion) hide behind the "artisinal" label.
I agree with you that the if its something inexpensive the shipping doesn't have to be outlandish but adequate. When i am spending that kind of money on a pair of boots i expect high quality shipping and an even higher quality shoe box. The shipping package was on the box so tight i had to cut through it in multiple places and even the box barely slid out!
My worse experience was when i bought my 1st Omega Seamaster Chronograph from Reeds Jewelers. Originally i had bought the same watch off of eBay because the savings were significant but i ended up sending it back as the supposed warranty didn't exist. My Mother suggested that i try local Reeds near my office as she was close friends with the Manager of that location. The company did not stock Omega watches at that location and had to have it sent from the Buffalo location which is where our fun story begins.....
I had the manager who happens to be a family friend confirm that the watch was unworn and came as if it was from the factory. I remember that i was super excited to get this watch as it was my very 1st Swiss automatic timepiece but my excitement turned to frustration/anger because the manager at the other store lied to me as the watch was not new
I explained to her that once the watch is in store it is not to be handled by anyone and not to remove any stickers until i got there to inspect the piece myself. Our friend called the other store and complained and the manager didn't seem to care that he mislead my her. The company ended up putting them as an Omega AD in late 2013 and instituted a new policy that all watches are wrapped in plastic to protect the metal and from scratches. It was such a poor experience that i didn't shop with them for almost 2 years!
When you have a moment you should post that picture so i can have a bit of a laugh
Funny you mention shoe sales as my 1st job was in the footwear department at Dick's Sporting Goods
I think your question about quality control on the other 2 runs is a good one but I don't remember seeing any issues being mentioned.
I definitely see what you mean on that box! I bet it took him a few tries to get the jacket to fit and probably a whole lot of choice words
Unfortunately for me i am not able to accept these QC issues and the options given by Crockett & Jones to remedy the situation aren't really satisfactory so my boots are being shipped back this weekend
I spoke to my mother who is a seamstress and at first she thought i was overreacting ( i have a tendency to do that) but i showed her a pictures of both of our boots and she was shocked and appalled at the lack of QC performed and that these boots would never have made it to a retail store. I asked her does a company have a different level of QC for shoes sent to their boutiques or stockists and she said that it's quite common for "custom" orders to vary slightly from what hits the store shelves.
Lauren spoke to the head of retail and was able to give me 2 options.....
1. Keep the boots and then Crockett & Jones would give me 10% off my next purchase or a free pair of shoe trees for this order. That one irked me because i bought shoe trees with these boots!
or
2. Do a return and get a full refund for my purchase of the boots plus trees and be reimbursed for the cost of shipping them back (This is the option i am taking)
The kicker is the boots cannot be remade because they are part of a special order which i think is such a crappy response! As far as i know they cannot be fixed and the Head of Retail explained to me that the height issues probably occurred during the clicking stage of the leather along with the leather being pulled over the last so the boots will never be 100% identical. I cannot see how the clicking stage is the issue because they use a pattern to cut the leather so this is an issue of how the shoe was fitted to the last. Like i mentioned in my previous comment my mother is a seamstress who has hand cut and sewn thousands of her own dolls and she confirmed to me that this is an issue with how the boot was stitched together and the that the person doing the sewing should have confirmed the height before starting!
I would love to speak to the head of retail and ask him if he was a new customer to Crockett & Jones and had received his 1st special order with errors would he be willing to risk spending another $800 on another model with a 10% discount? I am willing to bet money that he would say no!
I couldn't agree more!
I sure hope this sparks some sort of internal discussion seeing as almost 25% of the boots had issues and that kind of failure rate is not sustainable for any company. The height difference shown in your photo is more pronounced than mine which is probably because of the angle and the lighting. I agree that i am owed an apology but i think all parties who received boots with errors deserve one as well seeing as we waited for 4 months only to receive boots with errors. I don't want anyone to be get in trouble or lose there job but this is definitely a teaching moment and a wake up call to improve their quality control process and customer service.