Carmina Shoes - Definitive Thread (reviews, advice, sizing, etc...) - official thread.

[Patrick1053]

“decent level of QC” ..... a mistype?

A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away

 

[Noblekostas]

“decent level of QC” ..... a mistype?

What I meant was that their QC seemed to be better before, at least from the complains I see in this thread.

The only Carmina thing I own is a wallet and it's awesome.

@Patrick1053 the comments on Facebook are hilarious. It baffles me how ignorant people can be and naive.

I have reported dozens of shops that do the same with my photos or friend's photos straight out of Instagram, Shopify doesn't care.

 

[zag73]

What I meant was that their QC seemed to be better before, at least from the complains I see in this thread.

The only Carmina thing I own is a wallet and it's awesome.

@Patrick1053 the comments on Facebook are hilarious. It baffles me how ignorant people can be and naive.

I have reported dozens of shops that do the same with my photos or friend's photos straight out of Instagram, Shopify doesn't care.

Ah. Yes, it certainly was a year or so ago.

 

[gr8man]

How is Zeb shoes comparing to Carmina? They are in same price range and i viewed their site and it seems they are making great shoes/ boots..

 

[Noblekostas]

How is Zeb shoes comparing to Carmina? They are in same price range and i viewed their site and it seems they are making great shoes/ boots..

The ones I have handled and seen are nice, through from what I understood the construction is a bit different.

he is a good guy and responsive on IG I recommend asking him directly.

 

[gr8man]

The ones I have handled and seen are nice, through from what I understood the construction is a bit different.

he is a good guy and responsive on IG I recommend asking him directly.

Thanks, do you refer to "veldtschoen" as far as construction?

 

[Noblekostas]

Thanks, do you refer to "veldtschoen" as far as construction?

I don’t want to be off-topic on this thread but that seems to be a variation yes, he calls it sandwich.

 

[gr8man]

I don’t want to be off-topic on this thread but that seems to be a variation yes, he calls it sandwich.

Are guys affiliate with Zeb, because earlier when I search for Zeb online and come cross noble shoes.

 

[Noblekostas]

Are guys affiliate with Zeb, because earlier when I search for Zeb online and come cross noble shoes.

I am not (there’s no guys just one person). I just helped him advertise a bit but he is a friend of mine

 

[cop1211]

I’ve been going with Enzo Bonafe and Vas’s lately. I own 4 pairs of Carmina Cordovan boots, ,1 pair of Cordovan oxfords, and 1 pair of u cap boots in vegano brown, and they all have been excellent, my last purchase was about 7 months ago, so nothing recent.
I would like a pair of black shell balmoral boots. I should add mine have all been MTO, except a pair of balmoral Cordovan boots I picked up from the outlet, which were perfect. Maybe COVID hit them hard?
YMMV.

 

[siddeh]

Yeah, tbh, Ive had to let Carmina go. They seem like very nice people, whenever you do hear from them, and they do try to offer compromises to assuage your dissatisfaction (which I appreciate), but I just cant deal with the level of ineptitude at which they seem to be comfortable operating.

By my estimation, it shouldnt take 4+ months to get a pair of plain suede shoes made from a stock model out the door (not a special makeup, not a special leather, not shell, not an exotic leather...plain ol fashioned stock model suede.) - not when the website says it will ship in 45 - 60 days; and not when Im hearing that TLB Mallorca has a 1 - 2 month TAT at most, and at a cheaper price to boot.

What 9-5 working person has time to spend haggling with a company to track down when they will finally receive their order after months and months and months of waiting? And even then, cant get a straight answer.

I dont know if they simply dont have a very competitive company spirit or what, but by my measly american capitalist standards, these unexplained lapses in execution are just unthinkable for a well established company offering a premium product at this price point.

That said, Im a huge fan of their shoes, and I love the pairs Ive received from them.

I'd still recommend them to anyone who has the patience to deal with extremely long and uncertain shipping timeframes. But I would say they need to shift their focus from just providing good customer service when you contact them, to trying to provide complete and consistent customer satisfaction with the entire experience.

Not sure where theyre dropping the ball, but my short stint with Carmina has shown me that nice people + nice product does not always equal good business. Not saying theyre a bad business, but they do have some bad business practices compared to what Im accustomed to when I spend $500+ on an item. Oh well, you live and you learn.

Welp, Im done venting here, and Ill insert my own "we're all free to spend our money where we please/how we best see fit" stock response here, to spare anyone else from having to paste it in theirs. We'll see if TLB can do any better. Ill see myself to the door. ?‍♂️

Completely fair and valid criticism. I think as they've grown, their QC standards have failed to keep up. COVID might be a factor as well.

To be fair, I messaged Carmina CS recently regarding a botched MTO pair, and they were quick to respond and resolve the issue. Very impressed with their CS. **** like that keeps me coming back as a client, even though I knw there might be odd QC lapse here and there.

And tbh, unless you're paying G&G or above prices (e.g., Lobb, EG), I'm not expecting perfection. I actually enjoy some of the idiosyncrasies that arise due to these shoes being partially hand made.

 

[Patrick1053]

I know this is a little off-topic, but what doe the reaction score mean?

 

[jischwar]

I know this is a little off-topic, but what doe the reaction score mean?

I think it's how many likes you get

 

[Crafty Cumbrian]

I think it's how many likes you get

I’ve liked that to bump ye mate! ??

 

[miamidoc]

And tbh, unless you're paying G&G or above prices (e.g., Lobb, EG), I'm not expecting perfection. I actually enjoy some of the idiosyncrasies that arise due to these shoes being partially hand made.

This I agree with. I kind of like the small liberties they take and the imperfection here or there. Almost like I can see/feel when a certain pair was made by a certain artisan. Weird I know. But I like it.

Of course things like wrong size/obvious defects yes send them back.

My EG shoes are technically flawless. But I also don’t feel much “soul” in them so to speak.