Loake Shoes Defect Problem - What do you think?

[markeronee]

Hi guys just want to share more about my recent experience.

I recently purchase a pair of loake aldwych from pediwear and notice that the sole are welted a bit unevenly. If you refer to my pictures below, you can see the pair of the right is welted a bit more protruding than the other side. I know to some it may be a minor issue but when I put both pairs on and I look down on it, it looks obvious to me.

Do any one out there have similar issues?

I have drop pediwear an email but Stephen from the pediwear shoe centre replied that this is a minor issue and it is within manufacturing threshold and also mention that for the price I pay, I should have more realistic expectations.

Not too sure if you guys feels the same but I feel that though I pay a price which is fraction of big brands like Vass or Carmina, while Im not looking for super high quality shoes with fantastic leather but I am sure I can expect a pair whereby both sides are symmetrical right? I mean this pair clearly has a "defect" and it is more obvious in reality. Am I supposed to "expect" such a pair given that I m not paying the price the Carmina's shoes?

Let me know what you think and if anything can be done to correct this.

 

[marcodalondra]

I do not think there is much you can do as the sewing is close to the hedge of the welt.

Just rerun them and ask for a refund if they do not want to exchange it. Piedi wear is also a member here, so you may want to PM him/her as well

 

[atia2]

I mean this pair clearly has a "defect" and it is more obvious in reality. Am I supposed to "expect" such a pair given that I m not paying the price the Carmina's shoes?

Let me know what you think and if anything can be done to correct this.

Firstly, there's absolutely nothing economically sensible that could be done to "correct" this.

Secondly, it's far from clear to me that there is anything in your photo that a reasonable person would consider a "defect". The viewing angle of the two toe caps is not quite the same, so it's hard for me to tell what asymmetry, if any, exists. I think they look rather handsome: the leather appears to be of high quality and without blemishes; the stitching is fine and precise; and I'm sure they will take shine very well and develop a nice patina. My advice would be to wear them in good health.

 

[markeronee]



Firstly, there's absolutely nothing economically sensible that could be done to "correct" this.

Secondly, it's far from clear to me that there is anything in your photo that a reasonable person would consider a "defect". The viewing angle of the two toe caps is not quite the same, so it's hard for me to tell what asymmetry, if any, exists. I think they look rather handsome: the leather appears to be of high quality and without blemishes; the stitching is fine and precise; and I'm sure they will take shine very well and develop a nice patina. My advice would be to wear them in good health.

Hmmm so meaning to say if the soles are welted differently at both shoes this is quite a common case?

 

[markeronee]

Here are more pictures at different angles

What do u guys think about it? Is this acceptable QC from loake?

 

[atia2]



Hmmm so meaning to say if the soles are welted differently at both shoes this is quite a common case?

I made no such comment.

No shoe in a pair is the perfect mirror image of its counterpart. No two things in nature are identical (at least, not of the size of a shoe). The question is whether the differences are easily perceptible and, if so, whether they make the pair either functionally or aesthetically unacceptable. In the two additional photos you have posted, I can barely notice any difference between the welting. Yes, a tiny difference may exist (remember no two things in nature are identical) but I certainly wouldn't have spotted it if you hadn't pointed it out. I certainly do not agree with your assessment that this constitutes a rejectable aesthetic flaw and I do agree with your vendor's assessment that this is within manufacturing tolerances. For what it's worth, I think they look great for Loakes!

 

[tbrock]

I agree with OP. Price point expectations don't matter. To me, they look like two completely different Oxfords. Excluding the obviously different welt, the toe cap begins slightly further back on one of the shoes! I think somewhere along the line, in manufacture, two pairs have been mixed up.

 

[atia2]

I agree with OP. Price point expectations don't matter. To me, they look like two completely different Oxfords. Excluding the obviously different welt, the toe cap begins slightly further back on one of the shoes! I think somewhere along the line, in manufacture, two pairs have been mixed up.

I happen to be wearing some Loakes today:



Notice the more prominent medial welt on the left shoe, and the sinuous cap stitch on the right shoe?

No, neither did I until I deliberately looked for them.

 

[markeronee]

thanks guys for the advice! it really look obvious when u see the actual thing.

I actually bought the loake strand before n it wasn't like that:/

anyway pediwear n I are in the midst of solving this hopefully we can come to a win win situation

 

[PParker ESQ]

That is total nonsense, of course price points make a difference otherwise there would be no sense in paying more for a product. You would simply pay for the cheapest handmade product on the market because (according to your logic) the quality would be the same....

In traditional shoe manufacturing the more you pay the stricter quality control you get, that extra money goes into longer production and reworking the shoes if they are not right, each component that gets replaced costs money and that factors into final price. This is the whole reason why manufacturers have tolerance levels, to lessen the risk of losing money making a product that is unlikely to be perfect and sold at a loss.

The problem with many people is that they see a price over £100 and expect the world, failing to grasp that it is the handmade processes that make the product expensive in the first place.

Peoples expectations vary, and where myself and atia see a perfectly acceptable pair of handmade shoes others will not be able to move past their blinkered view.