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New Shoes1

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Honestly, even if their customer service is good, that sort of thing is unacceptable. Price aside, you expect the product to be what you ordered, without flaws. Yes it happens, but to allow a product to ship with all those issues is simply unacceptable and will surely paint a negative picture about the company (in time). They can fix the issues all they want, but at the end of the day first impressions count. Not trying to sound negative because I have a pair of DM's being made as well, but if they came to me like that I would never order from them again.

Even if Meermin fixes the issue by sending a replacement pair, you would never order from them again? With a standard like that, sounds like you won't be ordering any shoes from AE, Alden, Meermin or C&J anytime soon.
 

dufferin1

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Even if Meermin fixes the issue by sending a replacement pair, you would never order from them again? With a standard like that, sounds like you won't be ordering any shoes from AE, Alden, Meermin or C&J anytime soon.
Do you really want to wait two months for a pair of regular shoes? Of course small blemishes/irregularities will occur but common where is the quality control or standard?
 

GonC

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Even if Meermin fixes the issue by sending a replacement pair, you would never order from them again? With a standard like that, sounds like you won't be ordering any shoes from AE, Alden, Meermin or C&J anytime soon.

Sole splitting, discoloration of the uppers, and scratched leather is something I expect to find on the clearance rack at Walmart w/o a box, both shoes paired by
zip tie. Sorry, but this is the worst first quality shoes I have ever seen in person or the internet. I have seen sketcher shoes made better than this.
 
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New Shoes1

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Do you really want to wait two months for a pair of regular shoes? Of course small blemishes/irregularities will occur but common where is the quality control or standard?

I've had the heel fall off a pair of AE Chukha's within a few months of purchase. I had the heel split on another pair. AE took care of both issues. I'll still buy from AE.

I had a pair of C&J with all kinds of problems with the finish that had to be returned to Brooks Brothers and had to wait a few months for a replacement in my size before I told BB to forget it. I'll still buy shoes from BB because of how accommodating they were in trying to fix the issue.

My Meermin Linea Maestro shell longwings had finishing issues that I had to address and remedy myself. They're still one of my favorite pairs of shoes, and I will buy from Meermin's Linea Maestro line again.

Most of the Meermin QC control issues have involved the $200 classic line and the cordovan. If you want to avoid QC issues, order a pair from the linea maestro line.

Honestly, I'm tired of reading all the whining in this thread from first time Meermin purchasers about Meermin's quality control issues and production delays. The issues are well-documented. If you decide to purchase from Meermin despite all the warnings on these issues, don't whine in this thread about them.
 

New Shoes1

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Sole splitting, discoloration of the uppers, and scratched leather is something I expect to find on the clearance rack at Walmart w/o a box, both shoes paired by
zip tie. Sorry, but this is the worst first quality shoes I have ever seen in person or the internet. I have seen sketcher shoes made better than this.

Good - the rest of us won't have to worry about your classic collection order slowing down the production time on our linea maestro orders.
 

kcox68

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Sole splitting, discoloration of the uppers, and scratched leather is something I expect to find on the clearance rack at Walmart w/o a box, both shoes paired by
zip tie. Sorry, but this is the worst first quality shoes I have ever seen in person or the internet. I have seen sketcher shoes made better than this.
GonC, I'd be a bit upset as well if I got a pair of shoes I'd been waiting on for a month in that condition. In fact, I've ordered two pair from the classic line (one being the dark brown double monks) and I very much hope that I have better luck than you did.

That said, if your shoes came in the condition shown and zip tied, they probably weren't firsts, but instead meant to be sold as seconds someplace as I think someone would have posted that the shoes come zip tied if that was the norm for Meermin. Unless you have some other reason(s) for not doing so, I'd suggest emailing them to see what they can do to get your business back. As someone who has owned a business and made mistakes along these lines (it happens to everyone), I hope you can see your way toward giving a small company the chance to rectify things.
 

GonC

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Good - the rest of us won't have to worry about your classic collection order slowing down the production time on our linea maestro orders.

First and foremost, my initial post on this thread was not to whine but rather inform (and add to Meermin's statistic for poor QC) others my experience with the shoes I received from Meermin. Secondly, I guess from your response, a buyer's expectations should be when ordering Meermin shoes from the classic collection line is order shoes, wait two months to be made, expect crap/receive crap, go through the hassle to process an exchange and hope for better quality shoes the 2nd time?

On that note, do you enjoy going to a steak house and ordering your steak twice before it comes out great? I am not saying I had/have super high standards for the quality of shoes Meermin makes, it's just that I received a pair of dark brown shoes that appear to have been "swiped with a black paint brush," clasps scratched, and sole (not heel) splitting.
 
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Bmeliamb

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Sole splitting, discoloration of the uppers, and scratched leather is something I expect to find on the clearance rack at Walmart w/o a box, both shoes paired by
zip tie. Sorry, but this is the worst first quality shoes I have ever seen in person or the internet. I have seen sketcher shoes made better than this.

I must agree. Those are some of the worst first quality shoes I've ever seen. I'm not sure how you defend them them. Considering the hassle it is to order and the wait times, you would think they would be more careful.
 

dufferin1

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I must agree. Those are some of the worst first quality shoes I've ever seen. I'm not sure how you defend them them. Considering the hassle it is to order and the wait times, you would think they would be more careful.

You have to think they just said 'whatever' and shipped them out thinking whoever was receiving them wouldn't care or has no idea about shoes (clearly untrue).
 

p.henrik

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meh, i'm confident when the time comes, bnelson or equivalent will be able to resole. While the last will not be exact, they have a variety of lasts in the correct size that will mimic the shape of the shoe.

While they are all subtly different, a chisel toe from G&G, carmina, meermin, c&j, etc aren't all that different


Even if they are different, my understanding is that it doesn't matter. The cobbler puts on a sole that is too large for the upper and then cuts off all excess leather along the welt. Sending shoes back and forth across the Atlantic for a resoling makes little sense. Don't know US cobblers, but I have seen vast differences in quality in Europe so do some research if you don't have know a good cobbler already.
 

New Shoes1

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First and foremost, my initial post on this thread was not to whine but rather inform (and add to Meermin's statistic for poor QC) others my experience with the shoes I received from Meermin. Secondly, I guess from your response, a buyer's expectations should be when ordering Meermin shoes from the classic collection line is order shoes, wait two months to be made, expect crap/receive crap, go through the hassle to process an exchange and hope for better quality shoes the 2nd time? 

On that note, do you enjoy going to a steak house and ordering your steak twice before it comes out great? I am not saying I had/have super high standards for the quality of shoes Meermin makes, it's just that I received a pair of dark brown shoes that appear to have been "swiped with a black paint brush," clasps scratched, and sole (not heel) splitting.


I had no issues with your first post. My issue was with Dufferin who said he would never do business with Meermin again - regardless of how Meermin resolved the issue.

And the more appropriate analogy would be a cafeteria style steak house that was crowded, had long lines and service issues, but served steaks that rivaled the best in town at a fraction of the cost. Is the steak worth the hassle? That's up to you to decide. Just don't go there and spend the entire time complaining about the wait and service issues.

As I said, I have no issues with your first post. Just further documentation of what to expect. I also will have no problem with a subsequent post on the topic if Meermin does not make this right by you.
 

chogall

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I ordered the dark brown double monks, Style: 101341-S, from their classic collection and received them today in the mail. Upon inspection I noticed MANY imperfections: Right Shoe
  1. Crack in heal/outsole
  2. Splitting of the outsole
  3. Discoloration on the quarter
  4. Scratched clasps
Left Shoe
  1. Scratched clasps
  2. Scratch/scuff on the leather piece that covers the tongue
  3. Glue residue on the tongue
  4. Discoloration on the vamp. It looks like the uppers were black and painted dark brown
In the end, the shoes have too many imperfections to pass as first quality. Additionally, the leather seems very cheap and stiff, a shoe I would expect to see on the shelves at Macy*s with a stamp on the inner tongue - Made in China. Also, the left shoe looks like it started as a black shoe a nd then painted brown with a paint brush. To conclude, I am returning the shoes for a full refund. I guess you pay for what you get. Here are a few pictures I took quickly.
lol. Good luck finding perfection at Meermin prices.
 

NAMOR

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received an update from Pepe; meermin burgundy shell double monk boot.

2000
 
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