Is this AE Quality?

[zeta]

I just received my first pair of AE shoes, brown Wilberts. I got them new from a local menswear store, who special-ordered them from AE.

However, upon bringing them home and admiring them, I noticed that they didn't quite match. They are labeled as being the same size, and they fit like they were made on the same last. However, the positioning of the leather & seams is visibly different between the two. For example, the seam in center front is about 3/16" longer on one than the other, out of a total length of about 1" (25% different), and the sides by the ankle are about 5/16" higher on one than the other (15% different).

I'm inclined to bring them back and ask for them to order a new pair... I've never seen such a discrepancy before, even though I've bought a number of much cheaper shoes. Or am I making a mountain out of a molehill?

Secondly, am I likely to get better QC on higher-end AEs, like the Park Avenue? (If they screwed up their bread and butter, that would be pretty sad....)

 

[Classically]

Now that I looked at my pair, I guess that the seam on one does look longer on the other. I've been wearing them for a week now and no one has said anything, so I don't think it's really noticeable to others unless you're looking at them closely.

 

[Tarmac]

Sounds like normal AE to me.

If you are paying MSRP, get a model which is in stock so you can inspect it before buying it. 2 extra minutes looking it over will give you a lifetime of satisfaction.

I dunno why you would order an in-production AE model for full MSRP from a brick and mortar. what are they giving you for that premium?

 

[zeta]

Now with pictures...

I bought the shoes from this store since they were the only place within a two hour drive that had any AE to look at.

 

[rebel222]

Wow. Talk about poor quality control. Are the two shoes on an equal surface? The right shoe is a good 1/4 taller in the heel than the left. I don't know that I would return them unless one is uncomfortable. I don't think these would leave the factory w/ some of the other prominent brands.

 

[Philip1978]

I would return them.

 

[Cary Grant]

I'm saddened by the number of threads lately supporting a slip in quality/QC at AE. A local salesman said he was carping to an AE rep recently whose reply was "you're not the first to notice".

Tough times all around I guess.

 

[zeta]

I ordered and received a pair of Park Avenues. For what a sample size of one is worth, they had no real flaws, at least compared to the Wilberts. So perhaps the lower-end shoes don't have the same QC.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

return them and buy Aldens

 

[btinl]

+1. Return.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

Originally Posted by Cary Grant

I'm saddened by the number of threads lately supporting a slip in quality/QC at AE. A local salesman said he was carping to an AE rep recently whose reply was "you're not the first to notice".

Tough times all around I guess.

Foking work-release programs!