Antonio Meccariello Shoes

[clee1982]

I can see this conversation going forward for several pages so I think we should shift topics to Antonio Meccariello.

I had a negative experience with them. I've been wanting to post it here but I haven't had enough time to get all of my facts together to post here. Ultimately, it was a very deceptive practice that I encountered with them and I'm not very happy. However, now that I've started this topic I will have no choice but to follow up with the details soon

Do share, I didn’t really have to deal with him as I went through retailer or GMTO where @ThunderMarch has been ultra helpful. Would like to know in case I went with more personal route going forward

 

[DWFII]

Of courses,


Yea but you buy what you think is “nice” at the time and be done with it, your mind set change later so be it. No one can buy the ultimate wardrobe even just staples, taste, preference all changes.

You're right...and that very fact makes my point.

Have you ever wondered why...if we're talking about ephemera...some styles last forever? Are so classic that they never really go out of style? Why John Lobb has been in business making the same styles of shoes with the same means of production and the same quality for what is it? 150+ years? Why they didn't take the easy way out and go to GY? Why John Lobb said "we have turn our backs against the machine"? Why they still enjoy the Royal Warrant?

Why I can buy a bespoke suit cut not so different from the suits being worn in 1918 and be accepted and even admired in 2018?

And some things last the life of a gnat?

Value added" is just a clever excuse to charge $1000.00 for a bottle of water or $25,000.00 for a pair of boots.

 

[deez shoes]

Antonio Meccariello horror story

Last summer, I purchased some handwelted loafers from their site. I used their measuring guide as reference and thought that the size I ordered would fit. Unfortunately they didn't. I followed up with Angela and praised the quality of the shoes but told her that the shoes didn't fit. She was nice enough to offer to modify the strap for me if I sent her the loafers and my feet measurements (I believe it was for a fee but can't remember). My new measurements were different from the previous. She actually asked that it may be better to make the shoes a little bigger overall which I thought would be amazing. At this point I thought she was going above and beyond and was forever grateful to her for the assistance. I sent her the shoes. It was July. Initially I asked her if this work could be done by Sept because I was going on a trip but then told her that they can take their time because of problems with customs and AM needs two weeks for the job. A while later Angela emails me saying that they didn't enlarge my but instead made me new ones from a small series that was in production in the shop with my modified instep. She actually told me not to mention this anywhere since it was a "gift" and not standard procedure for them. I couldn't believe it at the time. I felt like I owed them so much for their generosity and should support them 100 percent. But then, the loafers arrived. They were... different. They weren't even handwelted! They had none of the details or quality from the pair that I bought and sent back for "repair." I didn't even know how I was going to mention this to Angela without sounding like I was implying foul play. However, I needed to call her out somehow. The following week I sent her the nicest email I could think of, suggesting that possibly by chance the pair I received is not the same in quality nor construction from the ones I bought and sent her for repair. This was her reply:
Yes you are right,

We did a new pair but considering we took a couple from a stock production for a shop

Yes the level around is little different,more standard.

I'm sorry I did not make you completely happy but I believe that
if the shoes are ok then it's a good compromise.

Congratulations ,you have a fine taste.

Contact me if you need other assistance

Kind regards


Angela

 

[CLTesquire]

Were the original loafers you purchased a stock item on the website or something custom?

 

[peppercorn78]

You paid for handwelted shoes.... and received something else instead? GYW? Blake? It sounds unbelievable, if true.

To be clear. Was this Antonio’s Argentum Handwelted MTM service where you pay over wire transfer?

He has so many products and lines that it’s hard to keep them straight.

 

[ThunderMarch]

@deez shoes
I am sorry to hear that. This exchange seems most uncharacteristic of Antonio.
I have no personal experience with Angela.
Let me send Antonio a message later today to see if we can get to the bottom of this.
I will keep you updated.

By the way, how did you determine the new loafers you received were not handwelted?

 

[deez shoes]

Were the original loafers you purchased a stock item on the website or something custom?

From the outlet section but still cost me more than 700 usd I believe.

 

[deez shoes]

You paid for handwelted shoes.... and received something else instead? GYW? Blake? It sounds unbelievable, if true.

To be clear. Was this Antonio’s Argentum Handwelted MTM service where you pay over wire transfer?

He has so many products and lines that it’s hard to keep them straight.

I not sure which but I know they were handwelted, burnished, polished, with a slimmer waist. The ones I got back had none of that. Even the stitching was meh

 

[deez shoes]

@deez shoes
I am sorry to hear that. This exchange seems most uncharacteristic of Antonio.
I have no personal experience with Angela.
Let me send Antonio a message later today to see if we can get to the bottom of this.
I will keep you updated.

By the way, how did you determine the new loafers you received were not handwelted?

From the very clear outline on the insole....

 

[deez shoes]

@deez shoes
I am sorry to hear that. This exchange seems most uncharacteristic of Antonio.
I have no personal experience with Angela.
Let me send Antonio a message later today to see if we can get to the bottom of this.
I will keep you updated.

By the way, how did you determine the new loafers you received were not handwelted?

I appreciate the effort but by the way she communicated with me I understood that I had to take a loss because I'd never be made whole over this.

 

[ThunderMarch]

@deez shoes
A few points that I feel I should state.... I am not trying to defend anyone, but I think it's important to look at the situation objectively.

No offence meant.

1) Outlet items are generally odd stock single pairs, or slight seconds.
As such, they are generally sold on a "no exchange / no refund" basis to begin with.

2) Sizing is a perpetual problem with online buying of shoes. The sizing guide is a rough gauge and might not give you a perfectly good idea of what the fit will be like.

3) While I think it was a nice gesture they offered to do a modification of the existing loafer initially, it was probably not something they were obliged to do. Or even their second option of exchanging it with a new / different pair. I think you recognise that as well.

4) While they did offer a new pair of loafers as exchange which was from a new stock item they were doing, I think they should be very upfront if there are any changes in the specs as compared to what you bought originally. As such, I feel this is the main point of contention.

5) While it is likely that the construction of the new loafers may be different (I can't imagine Antonio being willing to exchange an outlet pair of loafers with a new pair of stock handwelted loafers given his no exchange policy for outlet items), it is difficult if not impossible to ascertain from examining the shoes outwardly, whether they are HW or not. A clear outline of the insole (inside view), or even absence of the characteristic "dimpling" or "puckering" along the outside border of the insole is not 100% indication that a pair of shoes is not handwelted. I am not saying that the replacement pair you got is definitely HW or not, just saying that it's hard to tell construction without taking apart the shoes, for ANY maker.

Anyway, let me try to help out by asking Antonio exactly what happened.

 

[deez shoes]

@deez shoes
A few points that I feel I should state.... I am not trying to defend anyone, but I think it's important to look at the situation objectively.

No offence meant.

1) Outlet items are generally odd stock single pairs, or slight seconds.
As such, they are generally sold on a "no exchange / no refund" basis to begin with.

2) Sizing is a perpetual problem with online buying of shoes. The sizing guide is a rough gauge and might not give you a perfectly good idea of what the fit will be like.

3) While I think it was a nice gesture they offered to do a modification of the existing loafer initially, it was probably not something they were obliged to do. Or even their second option of exchanging it with a new / different pair. I think you recognise that as well.

4) While they did offer a new pair of loafers as exchange which was from a new stock item they were doing, I think they should be very upfront if there are any changes in the specs as compared to what you bought originally. As such, I feel this is the main point of contention.

5) While it is likely that the construction of the new loafers may be different (I can't imagine Antonio being willing to exchange an outlet pair of loafers with a new pair of stock handwelted loafers given his no exchange policy for outlet items), it is difficult if not impossible to ascertain from examining the shoes outwardly, whether they are HW or not. A clear outline of the insole (inside view), or even absence of the characteristic "dimpling" or "puckering" along the outside border of the insole is not 100% indication that a pair of shoes is not handwelted. I am not saying that the replacement pair you got is definitely HW or not, just saying that it's hard to tell construction without taking apart the shoes, for ANY maker.

Anyway, let me try to help out by asking Antonio exactly what happened.

Absolutely. I never asked for any of this. My initial email was to mention that the model may not work for me due to poor fit. (I sent that email as a reference to a loafer mto I had inquired about in the past). She took the initiative to help me out but it was clear on both sides that this was not the norm of their business. I got the outlet item because it was probably half of what it would cost for the mto loafer I had in mind and could serve as a high quality test shoe for my future order.

The insole of the shoes are a lot harder than any handwelted shoe that I've come across and also Angela confirmed my suspicion in her email.

Also, if you took the handwelted version and placed them next to these you will see a clear difference in the inprint from the welting technique that AM uses. Side by side it's undisputable.

I'm also not brand bashing. I'm just exposing what happened to me. I still think the quality from the first loafers were amazing. But one thing I can't stand is bad customer service and the deceptive practice that I encountered still blows my mind. If there's anything a person can do to fight against these things is to share their experiences. That's all I got. I paid a good amount of money for a well made HW loafer and received something that's half its price and no where near the quality in return without the difference in price. The worse part is that she didn't disclose this to me until I mentioned it.

I wish it were different because I really did love that first loafer. IMO I found the construction a little nicer than my Paolo scafora by a few small details.

 

[thatshoeotaku]

You're right...and that very fact makes my point.

Have you ever wondered why...if we're talking about ephemera...some styles last forever? Are so classic that they never really go out of style? Why John Lobb has been in business making the same styles of shoes with the same means of production and the same quality for what is it? 150+ years? Why they didn't take the easy way out and go to GY? Why John Lobb said "we have turn our backs against the machine"? Why they still enjoy the Royal Warrant?

Why I can buy a bespoke suit cut not so different from the suits being worn in 1918 and be accepted and even admired in 2018?

And some things last the life of a gnat?

Value added" is just a clever excuse to charge $1000.00 for a bottle of water or $25,000.00 for a pair of boots.


View attachment 913071

John Lobb must have alot of that "clever excuse" cause they charge much more than Japanese bespoke shoemakers for what is very objectively similar quality in shoes.

 

[TtownMD]

Was planning on ordering AM Arguntum line split toe shoes. But after seeing some pictures on instagram I want to ask you gents. If he is using same method as EG & GG split toe shoes or not. Right side is British maker & left side is AM. Thank you for you input in advance.

 

[deez shoes]

John Lobb must have alot of that "clever excuse" cause they charge much more than Japanese bespoke shoemakers for what is very objectively similar quality in shoes.

Consumers control the market. Apple makes phones with crappy materials but still charge way more than better constructed ones... But people buy them anyway. For a good period (not sure if they still do) Toyota (and a lot of other manufacturers) started placing crappy engines in some of their cars because they believed that's what people wanted since they were losing out to Kia and lower competitors (look up oil consumption problem). The average consumer is not one that is educated. Happens more often than not. But we all have the freedom of choice so it's whatever.