shoerepairer Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 Unbelievable! I'll make some inquiries with my reps & see what heels blocks I can get to suit, they should have been completely replaced. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr Repair Reuse Recycle. Cobbler it.
benno Posted July 4, 2011 Author Posted July 4, 2011 Thanks Lee, I am going to send Timpson a follow up email today. I have been really busy over the last week and the 'repair' issues were far from the front of my mind. I actually would rather the boots had cone heels of the same height. See the attached photo for the shape. Maybe covered in a bright colour, hot pink or a bright blue. Is this a possibility? Cheers, Ben
shoerepairer Posted July 15, 2011 Posted July 15, 2011 Its a great shame, but despite my best efforts (spending over £110 on stock!) I couldn't help on this occassion the tallest heel I could get was 7mm too short & based on this & price I lost the job! You can't say I didn't try! good luck with the cobbler you've found who repairs Prince Charles shoes & still uses that traditional method of banging a load of nails in to hold on soles (10 seconds in on that video you watched!) I hope for your sake they aren't so hand fisted with YOUR shoes! (can you tell I'm bitter & twisted on this one!) Keep us posted on the results, Sorry I couldn't help! Repair Reuse Recycle. Cobbler it.
Puffer Posted July 15, 2011 Posted July 15, 2011 Are we missing a piece of this story? Lee seems to be in the know more than the rest of us. (As for 'cobblers to Prince Charles', that's a sentiment I have held for some time!) Is Lee saying that replacement heels as high as those on Benno's boots (5"?) are not available, even to those in the trade? If so, does that mean it is impossible to repair/replace a broken high stiletto? Benno - what further response did you get from Timpson?
benno Posted July 18, 2011 Author Posted July 18, 2011 Hi Puffer, I sent Timpson an email explaining that I was unhappy with both their repairs and that I had no faith in them being able to complete the job. They graciously have agreed to pay for another company to do the work. Lee, I am surprised that you have chosen to air your views on a public forum before contacting me. I only asked you for a quote. I didn't ask you to buy a sack of heels. As you said, you didn't have a heel of the correct height. Also the heel you emailed to me was thicker than those originally on the boots. I also asked about having a leather covered cone heel instead. I received no proper reply about this. When I told you that I have found a company that can do the work to my specifications, your reply was a brusque 'You pays your money and takes your choice'. The company I have found is called First Class Repairs. Here's a link http://www.fcrepairs.co.uk/index.html The video Lee referred to is here: http://youtu.be/OQ1GQOICJZE I phoned First Class Repairs and they gave me a quote on the phone of £45 plus around £5 or £6 for the postage back to me. They also offer a freepost service to send footwear to them. I asked about having a cone heel fitted. They were really helpful and told me that many of their customers buy a cheap pair of fashion shoes to act as 'heel donors'. If I buy a pair of shoes from a shop such as New Look or Primark then I can have the heels covered in a covering of my choice for £45. For an enamel coated heel the charge is £35. This is perfect as I get to choose the exact type of heel I would like. I will let everyone know how this goes. Thanks, Ben
Puffer Posted July 18, 2011 Posted July 18, 2011 Most interesting, Benno - and it looks as though you have a result, if Timpson will meet all your further costs with FCR. The FCR website is informative and I enjoyed the video - especially seeing the much-missed Geoff and Beverley from BBC South East again; (they were summarily dispensed with because they were considered 'too old')! The idea of transferring heels from another (cheap) pair is innovative. But does this indicate that even FCR cannot get hold of a supply of heel mouldings in the market? I am surprised as my understanding is that heels (and other mouldings) are made by several factories (not all in China) and ought to be quite readily available. Maybe the quantity to be bought of any particular type is the stumbling block. Good luck anyway; we look forward to hearing that your boots are as good as new again. As to Lee's involvement, I don't think any further comment is appropriate from me.
benno Posted July 18, 2011 Author Posted July 18, 2011 FCR said they might be able to source some heels, but it would take time. As I requested cone heels they told me to buy a donor pair. My girlfriend and I looked through the shoes we have in our flat and found some great cone heels on a pair of Kurt Geiger shoes that we bough off Ebay for £7. I'm not sure why people find 5 inch heels hard to get hold of. It's pretty common for heels to be as high as 6.5 inches on many high street heels. I'd guess that the original heels on my boots were moulded in Italy. My dad used to deal with plastic moulding and extruding factories in the 80s and Italy had a reputation as the best in the business.
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