Ok - kind of a long story, but please bear with me. Or, TLDR at bottom.
As a millennial, i've unfortunately gotten a bit screwed on the job market (just like everyone else). However, after a few years of hard work, I finally landed a fantastic job with a global consulting firm in downtown Minneapolis.
Because I badly wanted to impress everyone, and i've always lived by the maxim of "dress for the job you want", I spent big money on clothing for my first day. This included a new pair of dress shoes. After looking around, I purchased a $280 pair of Cole Haan Oxfords. They looked fantastic, and my boss complimented me on them as I walked in for the first time. As you probably know from starting your own jobs, this meant a lot.
Unfortunately, a year later (now), the shoes developed a loud squeak whenever I step (like a plastic-on-plastic squeak - really unappealing). After a few comments about my "squeaky" shoes, I decided to visit a store to see if there was anything that could be done (i.e. reconditioning, replace the soles, etc.)
When I approached the desk, I told the employee my story and asked if they knew what caused this. They rudely looked at my shoes in disgust, mentioned that they were too shitty to be Cole Haan's (despite the large logo on the sole which is 100% intact) and mentioned that this isn't a shoe that they currently sell in-store. I mentioned that I purchased them at Nordstrom - but I thought they would know what caused the issue because it was a shoe made by their company (and that they would know how I could get these shoes fixed - I had no interest in returning them). They went in back to get the other Manager. She gave me a look of disgust, told me that the shoe was dead, and mentioned that I should go unless I plan on buying another pair of shoes. Kind of shocking treatment, especially given that I went on a Wednesday night, and I was the only person in the store.
I left the store really sad - I completely wasted $280 on their piece of crap shoes that didn't even last a year. Further, i've worked so hard to take care of them - they've never seen snow or rain - they still look new, and I would continue wearing them regularly except for the noise.
The Ending - I was walking through the mall to get back to my car, and passed Allen Edmonds. I figured I may as well drop in and see if they have any Black Friday deals, as I guess I now need a new pair of shoes. I was telling one of their employees my story, and he thought he could fix them. I was so surprised that I just handed them to him. He came back 5 minutes later - the squeak is gone. FURTHER, HE DID THIS FOR FREE, and mentioned that I didn't need new shoes anymore. I'm still so shocked by this that I don't know what to say.
TLDR: Cole Haan is a crap store. Go to Allen Edmonds instead. read more