AE: A Class Act

[JRB]

Just want to say that Allen Edmonds is a class act as a company. I ordered a pair of their new Lubbocks a couple months back. After a couple of weeks the threading that attaches the sides of tongue to the vamp had come undone. A few days later one of the loops that hold down the straps came undone. I wrote a quick email to the AE Customer Service asking if they have a repair policy or if I needed to take to a cobbler.

A couple days went by before I got a reply. They said to send them for them to have a look. I did so and after about a 3-4 days I got a call from a woman holding the shoes. She said the loop was definitely repairable, but the stitching was not and that it looked like it wasn't made properly in the first place. A new pair of shoes would be sent to me but they were on a five week back order

. No more than a few days later an AE box shoes up at my doorstep with a new pair of Lubbocks. Very nice of them.

 

[Patek]

I'm glad that they stand by their product. However, a class act would not have let the defective merchandise out the door.

 

[kev777]

So the fact they fell to bits makes them a class act ??? I think id rather pay a little more and get shoes that dont fall apart. Have the replacements fell to bits yet ?? Its just a matter of time

 

[aj_del]

..

 

[Quadcammer]

Originally Posted by Patek

I'm glad that they stand by their product. However, a class act would not have let the defective merchandise out the door.

bullshit 1000%.

Every company that has sold more than a handful of units has had a faulty one leave the factory.

Look at the John Lobbs referenced in a recent thread. While not stitching coming loose, they had a material defect and cost 4 times what the AEs do.

Everybody makes a dud on occasion.

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by Quadcammer

bullshit 1000%.

+1

I could understand his comment if it was a visible defect, but they can't possibly know from looking whether stitching will come loose after several weeks of wear.

 

[mlongano]

The customer service of a company is best measured by their response to a problem...Allen Edmonds has an exemplary record in this regard.

 

[Patek]

Originally Posted by Quadcammer

bullshit 1000%.

Every company that has sold more than a handful of units has had a faulty one leave the factory.

Look at the John Lobbs referenced in a recent thread. While not stitching coming loose, they had a material defect and cost 4 times what the AEs do.

Everybody makes a dud on occasion.

While everyone makes a dud on occasion. True "world class manufacturing" is zero defects.

 

[Quadcammer]

Originally Posted by Patek

While everyone makes a dud on occasion. True "world class manufacturing" is zero defects.

No its not.

Tell me what you think is the best manufacturing Firm in the world, and I'll show you an example of a defect on their products.

hermes is a good example. Extremely high end firm...plenty of defects.

 

[Kenneth Cole Haan]

What defects? Please explain.

 

[Quadcammer]

Originally Posted by Kenneth Cole Haan

What defects? Please explain.

crooked or pulling stitching, loose hand bag handles (god the saleswoman looked like she wanted to die when the handle literally almost came off in my hand), snags in the silk of a tie, loose threads on a shirt, etc.

Same deal with patek phillipe. Saw a scratch and some dust on the inside of the bezel in one of their $1xx,xxx grand complication models.

It happens...period.

 

[Patek]

Originally Posted by Quadcammer

No its not. Tell me what you think is the best manufacturing Firm in the world, and I'll show you an example of a defect on their products. hermes is a good example. Extremely high end firm...plenty of defects.
Yes it is. I have worked in manufacturing directly and as a consultant. 100% quality is the goal of world class manufacturing. Anything less is unacceptable and denotes a flaw in the process. Read up on Lean Manufacturing/TPS and Six Sigma. Many people (myself included) have made a good living in this field.

 

[Quadcammer]

Originally Posted by Patek

Yes it is. I have worked in manufacturing directly and as a consultant. 100% quality is the goal of world class manufacturing. Anything less is unacceptable and denotes a flaw in the process. Read up on Lean Manufacturing/TPS and Six Sigma.

People like myself have made a good living in this field.

I know all about six sigma and 100% GOAL is a great thing to strive for. No one, and I repeat, no one, achieves 100% perfection.

six sigma is 99.9999426697% perfect.

BMW AG produced 1.481253 vehicles in 2010.

Even by achieving six sigma perfection in the manufacturing process, you would have 1 faulty vehicle.

 

[wgiceman]

Originally Posted by Quadcammer

I know all about six sigma and 100% GOAL is a great thing to strive for. No one, and I repeat, no one, achieves 100% perfection.

six sigma is 99.9999426697% perfect.

BMW AG produced 1.481253 vehicles in 2010.

Even by achieving six sigma perfection in the manufacturing process, you would have 1 faulty vehicle.


I concur with you. If there was such a thing as 100% manufacturing quality, there would be no need for a consultant in the first place. The fact that his job exists seems to prove that 100% perfection does not happen. It's a great goal, but it is not reality.

 

[Larson McCord]

Originally Posted by Patek

Yes it is. I have worked in manufacturing directly and as a consultant. 100% quality is the goal of world class manufacturing. Anything less is unacceptable and denotes a flaw in the process. Read up on Lean Manufacturing/TPS and Six Sigma.

Many people (myself included) have made a good living in this field.

Perhaps you can give examples of world class manufacturers that produce products with zero defects.