As you know from the very long previous post, the new boots haven't worked out. They had a lower point and then a bump, in the inside side of the sole of the boot, at the heel, that gave me intense pain in the soles of my feet. Both the technician and the boot shop owner saw it and felt it. The boots were clearly defective. The shop was extremely slow to accept that. Even after accepting it, they were hesitant about the return.
I offered to called the factory, the shop seemed happy about that. I was asked lots of details, including about sizing. They also asked what it was the agreement I've reached with the shop. I said, it was no agreement, the shop suggested a replacement, but I would like skates now, and I know you don't have them in stock, plus I've lost my trust in their capabilities so I would want to go to another boot fitter. And they said they'll call back, by the next morning. They didn't. I called the shop in the afternoon twice, first they said they had a voice message from the factory but didn't have time to get back to them, then they said the boss is on the phone right then and will call back. Four hours later, their closing time, nothing...
Next day I waited 2 hours from the shop opening time, no call. I called, and... we had a kind of a fight. I said, look, I need new boots now, I haven't skated for real in 2 weeks, my old skates feel awful now, I cannot skate in them, you took the longest time to figure out the boots are defective, now you give me no support to expedite the return. Please tell me when I can have my money back so I'll arrange for new boots.
He brought up again that I ordered a different size that he recommended. So, I had to remind him as he genuinely seemed he has forgotten. He measured me 5 1/2 medium that he had in stock and I tried on and felt big, so he recommended 5 1/4 medium, that would have been custom order that would have taken 2 months. I asked to try on again the 5 1/2... nope too big. I pointed in front of the boot and I said, yeah, I know I have a low volume foot. He said let's try something else and brought a 6 narrow that he had in stock, and that felt thigh, both width and even length. He pulled out my insoles from my old boots, and compared with the insoles of the 6, it was a big difference, of course. So HE decided that I would be happy with 5.5 narrow that was in stock at the factory so he ordered them. AND I don't quite understand what that got to do with the pain in the sole of my foot. Now, the boots foam compressed quite a lot, so I was wearing the insole that came with the boot, under the superfeet insole to fill in the space there, as I felt that I couldn't get enough tightness from tying the laces. I felt perfectly happy with this solution but he commented it is not normal to have 2 insoles. Well, 5 1/2 narrow is slightly lower volume (narrower) then the 5 1/4 medium, so if the boot I had 5 1/2 narrow, is not normal, neither would have been the 5 1/4 medium.
I'm wondering if he thought that my reason for returning is the lack of tightness not foot pain, and he wanted to refuse it. Did he not believe I was in pain? Maybe not, as he did change the thickness of the insole to see if I report correctly what I feel in the boot. But he said he agreed the inside of the boot was uneven... that is a manufacturing defect, not his fault... On the other hand a bad sizing would be his fault, and maybe he tried to shift the blame to me if it would have come to that. As I read the sizing chart of the manufacturer, those two boot size are very similar, and anyway, I felt fine in the boots. All in all extremely weird and trust eroding.
What I'm resentful for is how long it took him to even look inside the boot. Then, I've realized that if he would have put the surefeet insole in the new boots in the store, I would have hurt right then. I mentioned that and he exploded. He said it is my responsibility to say I wear something custom. I don't know, I thought you go to a boot fitter, for him to guide you. AND the surefeet insoles were out from my old boot, he compared the new boots stock insoles with the old surefeet ones, then the old boots were put in the box of the new skates, surefeet insoles too... and the box was taken at the counter to charge and pay for the new skates. So he just ignored the insoles when he warmed the boot. Then he ignored them again, when he open the box to take out the blades from my old skates. They are yellow, they jump at you. It seems this boot fitter just doesn't think the insole matter in the fit of the boot, or alignment of the blade. My skating friends reported that the other boot fitter in town asks if you wear insoles, bunga pads, skate barefooted... But I've asked in a facebook group, and the majority of the skaters said not only they weren't asked about insole, but they think is the skater responsibility to bring it up. One of them said, how would they know that you wear insoles if you don't tell them? I would say, by asking me... The insole wouldn't have mattered if the boot inside would have been straight in the first place. But in this case, it would have shown the manufacturing defect sooner.
He said he'll give me back my money that day. But he said that there is usually a process and that is to send the boots to the manufacturer, wait for them to inspect them and them issuing the store a refund, then the store would issue a refund to me, or replacing the boot. I mean that would have been two more weeks, over the two I've already lost. I'm wondering why the manufactured doesn't trust their authorized dealer to determine a defect? Why would they expect the customer to sponsor all this process?
I've found on internet 5 1/2 narrow of a similar hybrid boot, a little stiffer, they were returnable if not altered. Until I've got the money refunded that sold out, so another disappointment. I was able to set an appointment for another boot fitting (with a different boot fitter) next Monday.
Meanwhile, I tried my old boots in the house and decided to not go skating, they feel so different. Maybe I'll find new boots next Monday and I won't have to keep re adjusting. The rink were I was usually skating lately has many days sold out, I would have had to go to the new rink I found... Just too much "adjustings"...
And so, the time that I haven't skated (as breaking in new boots doesn't count as skating), is... a whole month!
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