Reviews of products and services - Easy Street Shoe Repair

Location

Easy Street Shoe Repair
18 Easy Street
Carefree, AZ. 85377
Local: 480-595-5493

What they do

Repair shoes.

Why I conducted business with them

To have my Oxtar Matrix motorcycling boots repaired.

My experience

I brought in my motorcycle boots and requested that two things be done:

1. Repair the zipper on one boot.
2. Glue the sole back on in several places where it was separating.

I hate it when people don't listen.

When I dropped off the boots, I asked how much it would cost for these repairs. The owner informed me he would have to look into it. I requested that I be phoned before any work was done so that I could confirm that I wanted to pay for the services. I mean really, these are used boots and I certainly don't want to put too much money into repairing them if for just a bit more I could have purchased new boots. The owner wrote down my phone number and promised to phone. At the time, he pulled out the insoles and said they were shot. I said I didn't want new insoles and he still tried to talk me into them. I told him these were motorcycle boots and that I don't walk around in them much and that I didn't want to break in a new pair of insoles. He told me he would just put the new insoles on top of my old insoles. I again repeated that I didn't want new insoles.

At this point, I should have known better and simply took my boots and walked out the front door.

A few days later I hadn't heard back from him so I phoned. A female answered and relayed my inquiry to the owner. She told me the boots would be ready later that same day. I told her to be sure to phone me with an estimate before any work was done.

No phone call with an estimate ever came.

I called late in the day to see what the situation was. I was told by the female who answered that my boots were ready to be picked up.

My reply that I hadn't been contacted with an estimate fell on deaf ears. I went to pick up my boots and see what they wanted to charge me.

The zipper was repaired and the sole was glued back on, just like I had requested. But the boots had also been re-dyed black and new insoles inserted. When I complained that I hadn't requested these services, the owner explained that he was providing me "a great deal" by giving me a discount on this work (that I didn't ask for or had outright refused). No apology, no nothing. There was also no itemized list of services so I could see what each had cost. Instead, he just verbally requested a dollar amount.

I don't know if the dollar amount he requested was too high, too low, or about right. Shoe repair is not my business. But I can guarantee you I thought he was trying to take advantage of me.

I inspected the boots and tried them on briefly. The boots seemed alright. I explained my frustration and paid the man his money.

When I got back home with the boots, I decided to try the new insoles for an extended period of time and see how they felt. The insoles were too thick and spongy. My feet were now cramped inside the boots and the feeling on the sole of my foot was not crisp nor well-defined…just precisely NOT the sensation you want with motorcycle shift and brake controls. The insoles were also quite flimsy and sticky…so that when you pull your boot off, the insole wants to come out with your sock.

The next day I went back to the store to see if he still had my original insoles (which were not in place under the new insoles). To my surprise he still had them. He stayed in the back for 10-15 minutes before bringing them out to me with a new layer of felt glued to the top of them. Oh joy, now I've got crappy felt glued on top of my original insoles. The glue is already coming up. I'm pretty certain he thought he was making things better by gluing the new felt on top, but I sure wish he would ask before doing stuff like that. His ideas of improvement are not shared by this customer.

I am happy with the zipper repair and re-gluing of the sole. For the price I paid, it certainly better stay fixed for a good long time. The new and now "improved" original insoles are not as good as before. The dye job I could care less about as I am fully capable of using shoe polish myself.

I'm left with mixed results on the services that were rendered and an overwhelming feeling that I was taken advantage of. Never again will I do business with Easy Street Shoe Repair.