I dropped off 2 pairs of boots, one to be stretched and the other to have the block heel made higher. My ticket indicated they would be ready that week, on Friday.
Two days later, I googled his business to find out his hours...which is when I came upon the horrible review by Emma W. and not so great reviews by a few others. I thought "oh oh!" and that I had made a mistake in taking them to him, especially since I drove a long way from where I live to take my footwear to him.
So, when I went to pick up my boots on Friday, they were not ready. That part didn't surprise me (after reading reviews about him) but he was not rude to me in any way and asked me to come back. I explained how far away I lived and he politely asked if I could give him 1/2 an hour to get them done.
So I came back in 1/2 an hour, knowing that it was not long enough but I wanted to get home before dark.
So I waited another 20 minutes and watched him working on my boots. He seemed to take a lot of care and did not rush. When he brought that pair out to me, I was amazed at the quality of his work.....my heels looked like they were made that way originally and just perfect!
However, the boots that needed to be stretched were only on the machine from the time I got there and not a few days, as they should be for best results. He asked if I could try them on but I told him that my feet were swollen from the heat and I would try them on at home. He said if they were not right, I could bring them back.
My initial response when they were not ready on time was to be angry but I could tell he has more work than one person can do and what he really needs is better time management only because his skills at shoemaking are excellent.
I can only give my opinion of my experience and he was very polite, and very good at what he does as far as shoemaking.
The only reason I did not give him 5 stars is that they were not ready on time.
I will go back to Mike Wallace because the shoemaker in my town really IS a jerk and I'd rather drive an extra 1/2 hour for quality workmanship.
P.S. Emma W. Did you ever stop to think that maybe he was having a bad time of things when you dealt with him? I believe he had a death in the family last year at that time and was probably upset. We are all human beings and even people in the service industry deserve to be treated with respect. read more