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GTFO!!
It's quite simple: While one bad experience might turn you off from a brand for good, none (or at least most) of us have had to deal with anything even remotely as bad. So to us, Carmina is still something that provides great products at an arguably unbeatable price point.
I love the marsupials that +1'd. Like moths to a flame.
Great explanation, completely believable, and makes perfect sense.I am of the opinion that Carmina are very good value for money.
But let’s be very clear, Carmina are not up to standards with Edward Green or Gaziano & Girling, and have never claimed to be so. On the contrary, they emphasize themselves that you should not compare them to these makers. As mentioned above, you pay half the price, if not less, for a pair of Carmina compared to EG or G&G. You can’t buy an Audi and expect it to perform like a Porsche. If you want to compare them do it with Crockett & Jones Benchgrade, Alden or other brands in the $500 segment.
Mr. Moo had a bad customer experience. That is unfortunate. There is a perfectly good explanation for this, although I’m not saying it makes it right; Carmina are not used to dealing with end consumers. There is also the language barrier. This is why some people will find the experience dealing directly with them discouraging. Carmina is still a very good maker, they have to improve on their end customer handling if they want to be successful with their direct sales, but there’s a bunch of earnest independent retailers offering Carmina, so you’ll be fine either way. Carmina shoes are great and maybe the best bang for the buck in the shoemaking industry (yes, I am biased, but it is my honest opinion) so if you don’t like dealing directly with Carmina, go to your local Carmina retailer or Skoaktiebolaget, The Armoury, Epaulet or some other store with a good selection and a mail order service.
Look, *I* have never claimed that Carmina is comparable to high end brands. I don't know why this keep being brought up as if it's something I said, or is something that is germane to this discussion. The only time I mentioned other brands in my conversation with Betty is when she said (and I'm repeating this AGAIN, for the third time) that the reason for the problems with my shoes is because they are "artisan" and made by hand. That is a total load of **** that I'm sure has worked on other customers who are perhaps more akin to purchasing Cole Haan and other such non-"artisan" brands, and don't know any better. Frankly it was insulting and I should have told her to **** off and filed a PayPal complaint then and there, but I remained civilized and ended up losing over $100 because of it.
If Carmina is not used to dealing with the end customer, they need to stop selling directly to the end customer until they can sort out their issues. I think that is a piss poor excuse, actually. What, they can't take 20 seconds to look at every pair of shoes that leaves their store and make sure that shoes with completely open and obvious faults are not sent to the customer? IF that is the excuse for their lack of attention to detail of the finished product, they need new quality control procedures. Slashes in leather? Divots in cap-toes? Divots in other areas of the shoe? Plastic still clinging to the welt? Rub marks all over the side/sole as if they were worn? Alden sells their seconds - at significant discounts - and they are usually in better shape than some of the Carminas I've seen sold as firsts here and in person (and not just my pair, either). Even Allen Edmonds doesn't sell their first quality shoes in such condition! (and if they do, their customer service doesn't screw around with the customer with excuses, and then nickle and dime the returns process)