AE Cracked Leather - HELP!

Hey guys,

I purchased a pair of AE Rutledge from the Independence Collection on eBay this past spring. The shoes were obviously seconds as the stitch on the back seam was not fully closed. I had it repaired for $20 and they looked perfect. After wearing it a few times I noticed that on the side of the toe box there was a small discoloration. I polished them up a bit and continued wearing them. Several wears later I realized that the leather in that same spot was discolored again but this time it appeared to be cracking a bit as well. I sent them back to AE to see what they could do about the cracking/discoloration. They re-dyed the leather and I received them back yesterday. Below are pics of the shoe - is there something that could be done to soften the leather. I'm afraid the cracking is going to get worse.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Eli

Get a leather conditioner like lexol, and switch to cream polish.

Based on reviews of this shoe and the fact that it is burnished leather I would take a closer look at the area to ascertain whether it is indeed the leather cracking or some of the finish flaking off. For a shoe that retails for $475 I wouldn't deal with any of those issues, even if they were purchased as seconds.

Thanks.

When I sent them back to AE I decided to recraft them as one of the soles was starting get a hole in it. The recrafting dept informed me that as they were seconds there was no warranty and if something were to go wrong in the process they would not honor me with a new pair of shoes. They also said the same thing as far as the aforementioned leather discoloration/cracking issue. They were positive that the leather was singed or got heated by something and thats why it was discolored/cracking. Quite interesting that others who bought from AE directly had an issue similar to mine. This only reinforces my belief that the reason they were sold as seconds had nothing to do with this and this is a standard problem with the line. Of course the woman from AE wouldn't hear anything of it.

Issues like this is why I've ditched AE and ponied up some real cash to get some real shoes

NORE said:

Issues like this is why I've ditched AE and ponied up some real cash to get some real shoes

Click to expand...

Well since the average man in the US spends $70-80 on shoes, I'd say that 5x as much for an AE are real shoes. I've been wearing these for 40 years and I've never had or heard of any of the complaints you hear on here. I didn't even know that AE had 2nds but let's remember that they're 2nds for a reason; and let's also remember that when you buy stuff on ebay or from some unknown secondary seller who operates out of his closet, the shoes may have lain around a damp cellar or near some heat and are dried out. But 1st's only and always buy from AE direct and you won't be having these problems with defects and the shoes not fitting because you bought a triple E just because they were on sale and you "saved" 20 bucks. If you can't afford a new top shoe then it's out of your class. Buy something cheaper.

eztantz said:

Thanks.

When I sent them back to AE I decided to recraft them as one of the soles was starting get a hole in it. The recrafting dept informed me that as they were seconds there was no warranty and if something were to go wrong in the process they would not honor me with a new pair of shoes. They also said the same thing as far as the aforementioned leather discoloration/cracking issue. They were positive that the leather was singed or got heated by something and thats why it was discolored/cracking. Quite interesting that others who bought from AE directly had an issue similar to mine. This only reinforces my belief that the reason they were sold as seconds had nothing to do with this and this is a standard problem with the line. Of course the woman from AE wouldn't hear anything of it.

Click to expand...

Are you sure someone didn't give you a hot foot

That's ugly. What did AE have to say about that? I'm curious to know; how much you paid for those seconds? At a $475 retail, it was probably still well into the $300s.

I hit the spam button for a reason. I'll expound upon this later.

I've bought about 35 pairs of A-E seconds. The one time I had an issue with the finish flaking, I sent them back to A-E and they re-dyed them and shipped them back to me, all entirely gratis, and I had paid only $159 for them. Admittedly, this was back when John Stollenwerk owned the company, although I can't imagine policies are all that different under the new regime, who strike me as a decent, conscientious lot.

Purchased on eBay for $135 plus shipping. Two weeks later I purchased the same shoe with the same back stitching defect for $160 - the latter pair doesn't seem to have the discoloration/cracking issue.