Originally Posted by mal

I don't think I would let him touch them again. Maybe you can send them to a recommended cobbler and let them do their best to fix the nicks and ask if the soles can be redone at all.

This.

And as for what will happen if the rubber is removed, here's what my shoes looked like and this was after I sanded the hell out of them in attempt to smooth them out (and painted over with red paint).



Frankly, I would rather have the higher rubber than have them look like that.

I am so sorry you've had this experience. Yucky.

I am sorry OP. You are not overreacting at all. At the very least you should getyour money back and never go there again. Take it as a lesson learned. If you ever decide to get vibrams again you now know what to do prior to selecting a place/dropping off your shoe. I personally would sell the shoe and buy another pair so you won't be reminded of the bad experience.

i had a cobbler that did that too AFTER they did a pair correctly. the first time they did it, it was perfect (i had even showed them pics of what i wanted!). the second time it was similar to yours in how high up they were done. needless to say, i haven't gotten another pair done there. i now use red painter's tape (forget the name) to protect the new soles. it's cheaper and i can make sure it's perfect (not to mention it's removeable).

Thank you for the additional photos. They really do a much better job of showing the details of the work done. I agree, that is a crappy (hope I'm allowed to use that word) job and not what you paid to have done. You will get some good advice from the ladies here, but I don't believe any pair of shoes, until you personally have worn them to death, should be considered your "beater" shoes. I'm so sorry that your cobbler did such an unprofessional job on your lovely shoes.

Originally Posted by PyAri

I am sorry OP. You are not overreacting at all. At the very least you should getyour money back and never go there again. Take it as a lesson learned. If you ever decide to get vibrams again you now know what to do prior to selecting a place/dropping off your shoe. I personally would sell the shoe and buy another pair so you won't be reminded of the bad experience.

Definitely a lesson learned! Would someone actually buy them like this? I would consider this because I agree that they are always going to make me upset when I see them.

Thanks for posting your pictures indypup. I agree that the higher rubber is probably the lesser of two evils.

I want to send them to another cobbler, but I live on the west coast of Canada and I don't know of any recommended cobblers anywhere near me that have been mentioned on this board.

It's nice to hear that I'm not the only one this has happened to, but I'm sad that so many you have also had your beautiful shoes ruined. I can't believe you can't even trust a cobbler when they have done it perfect before as in gymangel812's case. I hope that people will read this thread and avoid the same mistake I made. You need to be specific about what you want each and every time! I like the idea of showing exactly where you want with tape. You should take a picture of it with the tape on, so you can prove what was discussed. That will help with the rubber placement, but I don't know about when the cobbler does other poor work like the nicks.

Originally Posted by gymangel812

i had a cobbler that did that too AFTER they did a pair correctly. the first time they did it, it was perfect (i had even showed them pics of what i wanted!). the second time it was similar to yours in how high up they were done. needless to say, i haven't gotten another pair done there. i now use red painter's tape (forget the name) to protect the new soles. it's cheaper and i can make sure it's perfect (not to mention it's removeable).

How is the red painter's tape working? Anything to keep my from taking a risk with a cobbler...

Cat

Originally Posted by gymangel812

i had a cobbler that did that too AFTER they did a pair correctly. the first time they did it, it was perfect (i had even showed them pics of what i wanted!). the second time it was similar to yours in how high up they were done. needless to say, i haven't gotten another pair done there. i now use red painter's tape (forget the name) to protect the new soles. it's cheaper and i can make sure it's perfect (not to mention it's removeable).

gaffers tape. It's what I use as well. Its cheap, I get immediate results and I control the way it looks. Plus like you said it's not permanent.

Originally Posted by coconut32

Definitely a lesson learned! Would someone actually buy them like this? I would consider this because I agree that they are always going to make me upset when I see them.

Tpf isn't where you would List it if you chose to (selling not allowed). Mods if this isnt allowed please edit--But places like eBay, bonanza, you'd be surprised what people buy. With your shoes they are like new, its just the vibrams are messed up. The shoe itself is in great condition. I assume you still have the box, dustbag, etc. You won't get back what you paid for them, but since CLs hold their value well hopefully you wouldn't lose much either and could just put in the difference and get you a new pair. Best of luck.

Originally Posted by xoxoCat

How is the red painter's tape working? Anything to keep my from taking a risk with a cobbler... Cat

it works well. i do 2 layers. there's a thread on here about it that's very helpful, search gaffer's tape. it's cheaper than vibram and no chance reallly for seriously messing them up.

Originally Posted by PyAri

gaffers tape. It's what I use as well. Its cheap, I get immediate results and I control the way it looks. Plus like you said it's not permanent. Tpf isn't where you would List it if you chose to (selling not allowed). Mods if this isnt allowed please edit--But places like eBay, bonanza, you'd be surprised what people buy. With your shoes they are like new, its just the vibrams are messed up. The shoe itself is in great condition. I assume you still have the box, dustbag, etc. You won't get back what you paid for them, but since CLs hold their value well hopefully you wouldn't lose much either and could just put in the difference and get you a new pair. Best of luck.

Thanks! I will think about it. I know selling is not allowed here, so definitely wouldn't do that! I didn't know CLs hold their value so well.

I will have to look into the gaffers tape!

Anyone know of good ways to get CLs in Canada? There are some limited stores with limited selection. Do the US boutiques ship here? Do you pay an arm and a leg in duty and taxes, etc? Any US department stores that ship or ship from their websites?

perhaps you could try mailing them out to a reputable cobbler? some places allow you to do that, i would check the cobber resource thread.

I would ask Louboutin sellers like Holt Renfrew who they use for high-end shoe repairs. They should be able to recommend someone for future pairs.

What is the name of the cobbler? I heard quickcobbler is awesome(please tell me they werent the ones that did this) an located in Canada some where. They do mail-in orders and on the web site they have a video of the application process. They use Topy brand as well. http://www.quickcobbler.com, maybe they can fix your babies. I live in Louisville Kentucky, US. No store in the state sells CL's so I totally understand what you are going through, Its not called over reacting when you pay $500 and up for a pair of shoes. Hope it all works out.

Originally Posted by moshi_moshi

perhaps you could try mailing them out to a reputable cobbler? some places allow you to do that, i would check the cobber resource thread.

I am a fan of Santana Creative in North Carolina. I am in NYC but I always send my shoes out to them in NC. His attention to detail is amazing. And he doesn't color the edge of the exposed red rubber sole with a sharpie (I HATE THAT) and the shoes look great. I can post pictures of his work if you want.