Happy Dude Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 hi guys, got a pair of gucci shoes in the other day from a regular customer, my benchman tried to repair them but the tubes are blocked so they wouldn't punch down, they are a high kitten type heel and the plastic is so thin around the tube that it's started to break up, the customer came back tonight and well it's turned into a bit of a nightmare. she wouldn't even listen when i was trying to explain the situation, just stood giving me abuse for F*****G her £300 shoes. she stormed out saying "i'm taking this further", where?? the buck stops here i told her. an hour or so later i get a phone call and it was her, and apparently she has "seeked" advice from "companies" and if i don't give her £300 for a new pair of shoes she'll "go to the papers"...... i've managed to talk her down to not shouting and threatening me and i've told her to bring them in for me to try get something done for her, i had my camera in the shop today but she never arrived as i wanted to take a picture of them to show you guys and see if anyone can help me with replacements for them. this isn't our fault, if it was a £50 pair of "whatevers" the customer would just accept the the heel blocks had come the the end of their repairable life, but £300 shoes seems to bring out the madness.... i can deal with the customer no problem as i know most of the trading standards rules regarding this and i've been around a long long time..... is there a authorised gucci repairer in the UK or can anyone help?? my mates wife works for the "opposition" and i can get them done there but she's not 100% about colour or style... the main problem is that none of this is our fault, i really shouldn't have to replace anything FOC regards HD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 hi guys, got a pair of gucci shoes in the other day from a regular customer, my benchman tried to repair them but the tubes are blocked so they wouldn't punch down, Theres your problem happy, why was he trying to knock them down. If he had drilled them out in the forst place you wouldn't have this problem. I assume the heels wern't broken when the lady brought them in !!! If not then it is your fault. You took the job on and didn't carry out the work in the correct manner. I'm not supprised the customer is giving you grief. I know you probably didn't want to hear that but thats the way it looks from you post. At the end of the day the customer expected a professional job and she didn't get it.. So in my opinion the buck stops with you....sorry For the record though a good repairer should be able to repair the damaged heel, without replacing the whole thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobblers Posted December 11, 2008 Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 won't it drill because of the thin plastic surrounding it happy? can it not be drilled with constant cooling with freezing water or the tube removed? and replaced? rick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted December 11, 2008 Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 A good drill and drilling a bit at a time and cooling in water would be fine. but thrashing down the pin is a no no and could lead to a £300 refund Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Dude Posted December 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 A good drill and drilling a bit at a time and cooling in water would be fine. but thrashing down the pin is a no no and could lead to a £300 refund planet.... i think you are getting your knickers in a twist over what you assume happened and what really happened. i've came on here for a bit of advice and help which the members are usually very happy to provide, i didn't ask for a lesson from you on how to repair shoes or a critique on my customer service. and as a moderator should be setting an example the others by making sure you have all the facts before jumping all over someone the way you did there. i have spoken to my benchman today, went in on MY day off... the problem is that the heel is one of those kitten type heels that is round in cross section, the tube should be perfectly central but on this heel it is so close to the edge of the plastic that it is just a very very thin smear of plastic covering the tube. he never tried to "thrash" the pin down, i don't know where you got that idea from, he just tested it with a light tap of the centre punch and it wouldn't move, the problem is that she had worn the shoes after the metal top piece had came off and just the very act of leveling it generated enough hear on this very thin plastic at the top of the tube to shrivel up and show the metal underneath. in my professional opinion of over 30 years is if the heat from a light scouring is enough to do this what the hell will drilling do?? i would normally remove the tube and knock the old pins out and put the tube back in, but the plastic surrounding the tube on one side is as thin as my hair, and i have the same haircut as kojak.... so i'm back to my original post, can anyone out there tell me if there is a gucci approved repairer out there who could replace these heel blocks?? or maybe one of the membership could do this as a trade job, thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Dude Posted December 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 won't it drill because of the thin plastic surrounding it happy? can it not be drilled with constant cooling with freezing water or the tube removed? and replaced? rick. hi rick, as i explained once i had all the facts on the job the damage is done, the problem is a manufacturing one with the tube not being centred giving maybe 2mm of plastic surrounding the tube it is like 3.75mm thick on one side and as thick as a ball hair on the other and the heat from a gentle scour was enough to cause it to shrivel and show the metal through and the woman is so determined that it's our fault she wouldn't stop swearing at me for long enough to allow me explain the problem and attempt a solution. once on the phone when she realised how stupid she was for threatening me with "the papers" she hopefully has decided to work with me and not against me. in 32 years as a tradesman i've done my share of rescues but this one is in need of special attention, it's not just the money it's a principle thing in that i'm not 100% to blame, gucci have to take some of it as well with their quality control, i can only imagine that the heel blocks for these shoes are made in the same factory in china that makes the blocks for "new look" etc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithm Posted December 11, 2008 Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 Can Uk900 do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted December 11, 2008 Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 hi guys' date=' got a pair of gucci shoes in the other day from a regular customer, my benchman tried to repair them but the tubes are blocked so [b']they wouldn't punch down[/b], they are a high kitten type heel and the plastic is so thin around the tube that it's started to break up, the customer came back tonight and well it's turned into a bit of a nightmare. she wouldn't even listen when i was trying to explain the situation, just stood giving me abuse for F*****G her £300 shoes. she stormed out saying "i'm taking this further", where?? the buck stops here i told her. an hour or so later i get a phone call and it was her, and apparently she has "seeked" advice from "companies" and if i don't give her £300 for a new pair of shoes she'll "go to the papers"...... i've managed to talk her down to not shouting and threatening me and i've told her to bring them in for me to try get something done for her, i had my camera in the shop today but she never arrived as i wanted to take a picture of them to show you guys and see if anyone can help me with replacements for them. this isn't our fault, if it was a £50 pair of "whatevers" the customer would just accept the the heel blocks had come the the end of their repairable life, but £300 shoes seems to bring out the madness.... i can deal with the customer no problem as i know most of the trading standards rules regarding this and i've been around a long long time..... is there a authorised gucci repairer in the UK or can anyone help?? my mates wife works for the "opposition" and i can get them done there but she's not 100% about colour or style... the main problem is that none of this is our fault, i really shouldn't have to replace anything FOC regards HD Theres your problem happy, why was he trying to knock them down. If he had drilled them out in the forst place you wouldn't have this problem. I assume the heels wern't broken when the lady brought them in !!! If not then it is your fault. You took the job on and didn't carry out the work in the correct manner. I'm not supprised the customer is giving you grief. I know you probably didn't want to hear that but thats the way it looks from you post. At the end of the day the customer expected a professional job and she didn't get it.. So in my opinion the buck stops with you....sorry For the record though a good repairer should be able to repair the damaged heel, without replacing the whole thing planet.... i think you are getting your knickers in a twist over what you assume happened and what really happened. i've came on here for a bit of advice and help which the members are usually very happy to provide, i didn't ask for a lesson from you on how to repair shoes or a critique on my customer service. and as a moderator should be setting an example the others by making sure you have all the facts before jumping all over someone the way you did there. i have spoken to my benchman today, went in on MY day off... the problem is that the heel is one of those kitten type heels that is round in cross section, the tube should be perfectly central but on this heel it is so close to the edge of the plastic that it is just a very very thin smear of plastic covering the tube. he never tried to "thrash" the pin down, i don't know where you got that idea from, he just tested it with a light tap of the centre punch and it wouldn't move, the problem is that she had worn the shoes after the metal top piece had came off and just the very act of leveling it generated enough hear on this very thin plastic at the top of the tube to shrivel up and show the metal underneath. in my professional opinion of over 30 years is if the heat from a light scouring is enough to do this what the hell will drilling do?? i would normally remove the tube and knock the old pins out and put the tube back in, but the plastic surrounding the tube on one side is as thin as my hair, and i have the same haircut as kojak.... so i'm back to my original post, can anyone out there tell me if there is a gucci approved repairer out there who could replace these heel blocks?? or maybe one of the membership could do this as a trade job, thanks... Happy Dude, I am happy to take your critisum, I think I answered in an honest way with the facts that you supplied. If you only want to hear that its not your responsibility then maybe I shouldn't have replied. And maybe you should change your name to just "Dude" Can Uk900 do it? No problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobblers Posted December 11, 2008 Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 i've had heels in like that where the tube isn't centred, thank God it's very rare that i ever have one that didn't need drilling or the tube removing or whatever 300 quid shoes, what a laugh the chinese must be laffing all over the place rick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Dude Posted December 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 Happy Dude, I am happy to take your critisum, I think I answered in an honest way with the facts that you supplied. If you only want to hear that its not your responsibility then maybe I shouldn't have replied. And maybe you should change your name to just "Dude" Can Uk900 do it? No problem. hey planet, the dude is still very happy.... it takes a lot more than a mad cow and a bit of stick on a forum to break my mood..... according to almost every customer that comes in my shop i'm making a fortune out of the recession so if i really had to refund £300 for a pair of 2 year old shoes i could do it out my hip pocket and not bat an eyelid these things are sent to try us, you never stop learning \:D/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Dude Posted December 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 i've had heels in like that where the tube isn't centred, thank God it's very rare that i ever have one that didn't need drilling or the tube removing or whatever 300 quid shoes, what a laugh the chinese must be laffing all over the place rick. hi rick... i've seen a lot of these offset tubes in the likes of new look shoes and such cheaper end shoes. thing is on a £25.00 pair they aren't much bothered as long as they get another couple of wears out of them you would expect a bit better for the price of a pair of Gucci's but then, about £250 of that is for the name stamped on the insole... cynic?? moi?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobblers Posted December 11, 2008 Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 cynic?? moi?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auto Key Wizard Posted December 11, 2008 Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 Over the years I've come to this conclusion, It is the quality of the upper that you pay most for & not much else. Take Ecco or Clarkes for example, the uppers are pretty well made, but the injection sole units are substandard in what they're manufactured from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Dude Posted December 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 Over the years I've come to this conclusion, It is the quality of the upper that you pay most for & not much else.Take Ecco or Clarkes for example, the uppers are pretty well made, but the injection sole units are substandard in what they're manufactured from. you're right there tel... i had a lady in with a pair of clarks the other day and she was mortified when i pointed out they were stamped "made in vietnam" even more laughingly mortified when i said they were probably made by gary glitters girlfriend for $1.00 a day wages.... looking them over the uppers were very nice quality, well stitched and even the linings were good, but the bottoms, well i'm not sure how long they are going to last, they were brand new and in for stretching BTW, not new stiletto heels... some of the "made in brazil" boots are very nice uppers and total mince bottoms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x minit uk Posted December 11, 2008 Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 Hi happy dude, I think frank harvey do a trade service for branded shoes and such like. Tel will give you their phone number and web site addy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auto Key Wizard Posted December 11, 2008 Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 Tel will give you their phone number and web site addy. Will I? Just search "FHI" Dude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithm Posted December 12, 2008 Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 Remember this, in manufacturing, it is not unusual to find uppers made in one part of the world and the sole units in another Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Twiggy Posted December 12, 2008 Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 Don't have any advice or a shot of how I would of done it better,(probably would of done exactly the same) but you seem to already consider your benchman to blame by looking for gucci trader to replace heel block, this customer brought the shoes in for a repair they aren't worth the full price tag. If you feel the complaint stands up offer 30% of purchase price and tell her that her custom is no longer required. Or try to find a Gucci retailer explain situation and you may get them at a reduced rate but still insist her trade is no longer welcome. Some people make a lifetime career out of shouting the odds, you've done your best to resolve the situation but it will still not be enough for this lady she will come back time and time again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Dude Posted December 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Don't have any advice or a shot of how I would of done it better,(probably would of done exactly the same) but you seem to already consider your benchman to blame by looking for gucci trader to replace heel block, this customer brought the shoes in for a repair they aren't worth the full price tag. If you feel the complaint stands up offer 30% of purchase price and tell her that her custom is no longer required. Or try to find a Gucci retailer explain situation and you may get them at a reduced rate but still insist her trade is no longer welcome. Some people make a lifetime career out of shouting the odds, you've done your best to resolve the situation but it will still not be enough for this lady she will come back time and time again. hi twiggy.... i haven't blamed my benchman in any way for this, the problem is the eccentric tube, the very act of scouring the heel level was enough to shrivel the surrounding plastic. i was given 1st class shoe repairs link by PM, looks like this is my easiest option. she brought the shoes in yesterday after realising was a silly person she was talking to me on the phone in that way. if anyone has a cheaper suggestion, though £35 from 1st class isn't bad i think, PM me.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Personally I think it definatley is your benchmans fault theres been alot of heat generated to melt the plastic that far down, His experience should have told him that. I would have drilled them out before scouring them, with intervals of dipping them in water, then I would have scoured them level, less heat would have been generated without the pin in there. By the way I'm not knocking you, we all make mistakes....I made one once lol It shouldn't be too much of a job to put right, but your customer will now be very particular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Dude Posted December 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Personally I think it definatley is your benchmans fault theres been alot of heat generated to melt the plastic that far down, His experience should have told him that. I would have drilled them out before scouring them, with intervals of dipping them in water, then I would have scoured them level, less heat would have been generated without the pin in there.By the way I'm not knocking you, we all make mistakes....I made one once lol It shouldn't be too much of a job to put right, but your customer will now be very particular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 To be fair, Happy Dude, myself and my brother run a very busy town centre shop and to see a stiletto of that nature is the norm! I can't understand how your "benchman" has generated enough heat to melt the heel block to a degree of clear distortion more or less to halfway down the block! He's made a right mess of 'em - I can't blame the customer for being p***ed off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gav Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Hi Happy Dude , a word of advice tell yor " Benchman" to STAY ON HIS BENCH ! and stay far away from the finisher. Does he not watch what hes doing ? i can not belive he didnt see the block melting in front of his eyes nor see the smoke rising?. Hate to say it but the customer deserves a full refund for the cost of replacing the shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stutheshoe Posted December 14, 2008 Report Share Posted December 14, 2008 change your band more and tell your benchman to treat shoes like small ripe peaches dont handle them to hard or they will bruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted December 14, 2008 Report Share Posted December 14, 2008 Personally I think it definatley is your benchmans fault theres been alot of heat generated to melt the plastic that far down, His experience should have told him that. I would have drilled them out before scouring them, with intervals of dipping them in water, then I would have scoured them level, less heat would have been generated without the pin in there.By the way I'm not knocking you, we all make mistakes....I made one once lol It shouldn't be too much of a job to put right, but your customer will now be very particular. You might scoff, but you know I'm right Happy Dude. :D :D I aint a fan of "The Customers always right" But in this case I sympathise with her. Hand over the £300 and give your benchman a good talking to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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