Fair warning- this is kind of a long read.
I wanted to start this thread to mention my recent experience with Allen Edmonds. As you all know, I started upgrading my shoes back in May, when I started a new job that required a suit 5 days a week. AE was the obvious choice for entry level at a decent price point, and I quickly had 6 pairs in my closet (with a few more targets in the foreseeable future)- long story short, they're affordable and fit me well (and the 108 last has no break in period for me, for some reason).
As part of this spate of acquisitions, two places have helped me get most of my shoes at less than retail- Jos A Bank and Shoebank. With JAB, a friend of mine is a store manager, so he's been able to discount shoes further for me than their pre-existing discount. Shoebank, however, has been less than seamless- the issues I've had with the shoes I've received from them have been fairly well documented here. The first pair I ordered was the Mora 2.0 double monk, which took three tries to get right- the first two pairs had significant separations between the lining and outer leather, in addition to wrinkling and "tiger striping." I finally talked to a SA who told me those were issues inherent with the shoe and finish, and was able to finally get ahold of some that were in good shape.
After a while, I decided I needed to get some loafers, as I had finally gotten rid of both pairs of Cole Haan bit loafers and had long worn out a pair of Bass Weejuns (the Larson). I wanted to focus on getting a penny loafer first, and was drawn towards the Patriot (in large part from the comparisons to the Alden LHS, but I'm a sucker for advertising, and the ad copy about "the next American Classic" and "at home on the country club" contributed as well). Long story short, the first pair had excessive wrinkling on the toe box, and the second pair was too small. Positive customer service experience #1:
I wore the second pair of Patriots a couple times to try and break them in- each time I wore them to my office, the pain caused me to switch shoes within an hour. I should've worn them around my apartment for a while, but thought the tightness was just symptomatic of the new shoe. Not so- the shoe was tight enough across the strap that I started to get concerned about causing damage to my foot. This only lasted for 3 wearing shorts before I realized I needed to get rid of them. I called AE CS to explain that I had tried wearing the shoes and I understood that was outside the return policy, but wondered if they would make an exception for an exchange. They had me mail the shoes back, and after examining them, told me that they would make an exception this time since I was a "good customer". After having done some research, I told them I wanted to exchange for a pair of brown Cavanaughs- I had tried some on in the store by my office, and the fit was great. The SA asked if I wanted to do an even swap, or pay $40 extra for a first quality pair (this was during the Rediscover America sale), and I told her to just do the even swap.
I received my first pair of cavanaughs in the mail, and they looked like they had been fed through a wood chipper- streaked finish, gaping holes in the upper by the heel counter, wrinkled/bubbling leather, and a crack in the upper of the right shoe. Without even trying them on, I asked for an exchange and sent them back. The second pair came in yesterday, and while everything was flawless, I tried them on and was immediately reminded of the Patriots- the heel was so tight I though I was going to pull the skin off my Achilles' tendon. This brings me to positive customer service experience #2:
I stopped by the AE store by my office last night to pick up some new laces for my Stafford boots. While I was there, on a whim, I asked the SA if I could try on some Cavanaughs. While I was trying them on (and remembering why I had found these so comfortable originally), he and I started talking about my recent experience with loafers (he agreed with my comments on the 606 last) and my experience with Shoebank (he apparently used to live by an outlet and saw firsthand how picked-over the selection could get). I also told him that I wished I had taken up the SA's offer over the phone to get Cavanaugh firsts instead of gambling with the seconds. I've only purchased some polish and laces at this location in the past, but he offered to order me a pair at the Rediscovering America sale price and let me return the seconds to him instead of having to mail them myself. So I'll have a new pair of Cavanaughs by the end of next week.
I know this has been rambling and the SA's gesture may not seem like much, but customer service stuff like this is a big thing for me- for the lack of success that I've had with Shoebank, AE employees (at both the HQ/returns level and the retail level) have continued to try and make it right. I can't necessarily say I'll take the gamble with Shoebank again, but Daniel at the AE location by my office will certainly be getting more of my business.
TL;DR- AE has a very happy customer in Orange Fury.
Recent AE experience
