Robinson's Shoes Experience

A couple of months ago I went web surfing looking for a specific shoe to fill a gap in my shoe wardrobe, this was the longwing blucher in light brown but not as light as the english tan (cognac, whiskey, bourbon, you name it). It should be made of calf, double leather sole and made from a reputable cordwainer.

So I found a nice LWB that covered the specs from a Northern Ireland shoe store named Robinson´s Shoemakers. With further investigation I found in Style Forum that this store has had some issues that went public due to an unsatisfied customer that reported his story and went viral. Even BBC use this story as an example of the power of a blogger in an article named “Can a Lone Blogger bring Down a Business?” http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28448912 . It seems that problem was solved but the collateral damage is still traceable in internet. As BBC says: Both parties agree that the issue was eventually resolved, but the negative review, entitled Warning for Robinson's Shoes, remains second in Google's results for searches of the shop's name.

With that background and living in Peru which makes returning the shoes impossible (well, very expensive) I needed more information. I first contact the blog The Nordic Fit (http://thenordicfit.com/) who made a nice post about a pair of Alfred Sargent bought form Robinson’s (http://thenordicfit.com/alfred-sargent-hunt-x-robinsons-shoemakers). So he kindly answered my information request saying: I didn't have any problems with my communication with Robinsons. I reckon the service works the same way as with other similar smaller British shoe stores. Have you tried contacting their customer service?

So I got in contact with Robinson’s and after several e-mails in which we both tried to assure that the fit was correct I decided to make the purchase. They were very careful in helping me selecting the fit and had no issues informing that the shoes where made by Barker in England. For the record I use 10.5 UK F Fit, I feel very comfortable in the following lasts: Church’s 173, the Alfred Sargent´s 87 last, Cobbler Union’s Chelsea, Loake’s Capital, Cheaney 125. Since I am a long distance runner I am very careful with my feet.

The shoes arrived as instructed (Royal Mail), the green and brown box is a pleasure to see, and the shoes come with green shoe bags and a nice green shoehorn. The shoes are beautiful, thick leather sole, nice colour that will get a deep patina with use, the leather lining is green and the sole and heel have a nice green colour on them, the stitching is flawless and the leather does not show any scratches or blemishes. The shoelaces are a tad thin, so I switched them for the ones that came with a pair of Church’s Consul which I find too thick. You can see in the pictures the shoes with different laces.

Here are the shoes once where unboxed, I have applied some dubbin (Graisse Le Phoque by Grison) which is my standard method for new shoes since they get softer, moisturized and protected from stains. They get a tad darker, but I don’t care, that’s the way I start the “patina process”. I will leave them under the sun for 3 days and will come back with more pictures of their maiden voyage.

I am not related with Robinson’s Shoes in anyway, the reason I have made such a long post is because I am a shoe freak and because I think this might help to other web shoppers the same way some bloggers have helped me. Sorry if you find any grammatical mistakes, I wasn’t born as an English speaker.

Hi


I've recently had dealings with Robinson's Shoes in Northern Ireland also

I noticed a pair of Barkers shoes in their Creative range named Blair that I liked, so I checked out the prices on a number of sites with Robinson's being easily the cheapest.

I did read the previous dispute thread on here but Robin Stewart of Robinson's did seem helpful in trying to resolve so I thought I'd give them a try

I ordered online with free delivery on Tuesday May 26th at 15:30pm and they arrived on Thursday May 28th at 13:30

I'm very happy with my dealings with Robinson's and emailed them with my satisfaction

They certainly have some good prices, and I'm sure I'll be a repeat customer

Cheers


Carl.

Today is the first day of the Andrew Jackson shoes. The sole is heavy and the upper leather is thick, both very gentle. Very happy with my new shoes. That's my dog Leonor wondering why I spend so much time with shoes.

I'll have to do photos another time, but I bought a pair of Robinson's Irish Brogues (the Polk) in 2012. Yes, there was some delay in getting them (manufacturing issues, I believe), but I got them in the end, and they are SUPERB! So, when they went on sale a year or so later, I bought another pair (in a different colour).

Outstanding shoes.

I have just recieved a pair of Andrew Jackson brogues from Robinson's MTO in peat. They are the deffinitive gunboat. Made by Barker, is nice to find this shoe quality. As always the service was great. I will come back again.