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I definitely cant comment on their quality overall, but I had a similar experience with a pair recently. Wanted to get the Rutledge in walnut and a local store had them in my size. Went to try them on and they fit perfectly; however, the colouring was so different between the two shoes it was quite striking. One shoe was so much darker than the other it was hard to believe. The salesman noticed it as well and said they would be sending them back to AE immediately for a replacement.I went to Nordstroms last night to purchase a pair of walnut Strands - called ahead and they had one pair left. When I put them on, the fit was fine, but I immediately noticed the toe box on one shoe was dramatically wider than the other. I pointed this out to the salesperson and she immediately agreed they looked like two different lasts. The finish on one shoe also had some color striations that almost looked like faint tiger stripes . The sales person found another pair at a different store which she is shiping to me on Monday. Hopefully they will pass muster.
I have bought a few seconds from the shoebank and can never find any obvious defects. These could not even qualify as thirds. I own 18 pair of Allen Edmonds - I am wondering if quality is slipping.
I went to Nordstroms last night to purchase a pair of walnut Strands - called ahead and they had one pair left. When I put them on, the fit was fine, but I immediately noticed the toe box on one shoe was dramatically wider than the other. I pointed this out to the salesperson and she immediately agreed they looked like two different lasts. The finish on one shoe also had some color striations that almost looked like faint tiger stripes . The sales person found another pair at a different store which she is shiping to me on Monday. Hopefully they will pass muster.
I have bought a few seconds from the shoebank and can never find any obvious defects. These could not even qualify as thirds. I own 18 pair of Allen Edmonds - I am wondering if quality is slipping.
I definitely cant comment on their quality overall, but I had a similar experience with a pair recently. Wanted to get the Rutledge in walnut and a local store had them in my size. Went to try them on and they fit perfectly; however, the colouring was so different between the two shoes it was quite striking. One shoe was so much darker than the other it was hard to believe. The salesman noticed it as well and said they would be sending them back to AE immediately for a replacement.
Just to clarify, I think the above experience is not the norm and will continue to buy their shoes. Was just very surprising to see two shoes that look so different manage to get past AE quality control.
<snip>This year I'm thinking about either the walnut Strands or the tan McTavishes.</snip>
I went to Nordstroms last night to purchase a pair of walnut Strands - called ahead and they had one pair left. When I put them on, the fit was fine, but I immediately noticed the toe box on one shoe was dramatically wider than the other. I pointed this out to the salesperson and she immediately agreed they looked like two different lasts. The finish on one shoe also had some color striations that almost looked like faint tiger stripes . The sales person found another pair at a different store which she is shiping to me on Monday. Hopefully they will pass muster.
I have bought a few seconds from the shoebank and can never find any obvious defects. These could not even qualify as thirds. I own 18 pair of Allen Edmonds - I am wondering if quality is slipping.
There haven't been a lot of quality comments lately, but there are lots earlier in this thread. It is definitely an issue they are having, and hopefully addressing and improving upon.
Their customer service is great. But they wouldn't have to go out of their way so often if they just got the product right in the first place, in a lot of cases.
I wonder if anyone else has had this impression: when I watch their "shoe making" videos, I get an impression of people rushing through their jobs. When you watch a video of one of the high end English companies, people appear to be working more slowly and carefully. I know it's just a video and may not represent reality, but to me it gives off the wrong message.
Having said all than, I own AE shoes and am active on this thread. So not a hater.. just wanting them to do better.
I'm thinking about picking up a pair of AEs at the Nordstrom sale. I got Park Avenues last year at the sale, so I have the black balmoral box checked. This year I'm thinking about either the walnut Strands or the tan McTavishes. My usual work outfits are dark denim, chinos, etc w/ OCBDs. I have a navy blue suit that I think would look great with the strands, although I don't have occasion to wear it often. I'm also thinking that I would like to expand my work wardrobe to include more wool pants as well. Any suggestions as to which (if either) of those shoes might be a more useful purchase for me would be appreciated. Do either work well with jeans? If both do, is one better than the other?
Please think about snapping some cell phone photos if or when you encounter this and post to the thread. Also, It would be good to have photos for something like a "Defects To Look For When Buying Shoes" thread.
I agree that the videos shoe workers moving very fast. That doesn't mean they are less accurate. Keep in mind that they are doing the same job, operating the same equipment every day. An expert can move very quickly while retaining a high rate quality of accuracy. It would be very interesting to look at the percentage of shoes that fail QC at Allen Edmonds vs. a slower English shoe maker. Allen Edmonds probably makes more manufacturing errors, but they also make more shoes. (Think 3-5 weeks for a MTO from AE vs. 12-18 months from Alden).
I think the problems are mostly with the uppers which are imported from the Dominican Republic.