Alden Heels

Harrison_Davies · Post by **Harrison_Davies** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:18 pm

Guys,

Do you know if Alden can sell me replacement heels? I've recently had them replaced and the guy couldn't find any a sthick as Aldens, so It feel slike I'm leaning back slightly.

Thanks in advance for any help.

McFly · Post by **McFly** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:20 pm

I know you can send in your shoes and get them repaired and basically revamped if you want. It's like a full do-over service or something...

Check out their site. I think it's a little pricey though.

I'm not looking forward to my heels wearing down.

In Christ,
Shane

Harrison_Davies · Post by **Harrison_Davies** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:24 pm

Get some Segs - They work wonders for stopping your heels going down, yeah it's a bit noiser at first but the noise lessens with time.

http://www.timpson.co.uk/online-store/t ... type_id=45

Captain Ron Solo · Post by **Captain Ron Solo** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:07 pm

I would think that Alden could sell the heels by themselves. I'm sure that they don't hand cut each one - they must be stamped out. I need new heels myself. If anyone finds out about this, please let us know. I'll try to check on it too.

JKL
Ron

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:27 pm

They do. Either contact customer service at Alden, or the San Francisco store.

They are oversized, and your cobbler will have to fit them to your boot.

Regards! Michaelson

Harrison_Davies · Post by **Harrison_Davies** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:41 pm

Absolutely fantastic news.

Thanks Michaelson.

I know I will be adding Segs to the heel. Cos Alden heels wear down super quick.

Harrison_Davies · Post by **Harrison_Davies** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:47 pm

Second question then,

The metal rods that held my original heels to the boot have been removed by the cobbler (IDIOT!) and he just stapled the new heels on.

I presume that I can also obtain those?

Thanks in advance.

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:48 pm

Probably not. That is something that would have to be repaired at the factory. I'm assuming you're talking about the nails.

Most cobblers renail a heel to a shoe. Wonder why he used staples? Never seen that done before. If you find another (and better) cobbler, they may be able to do the job correctly....using nails.

Regards! Michaelson

Captain Ron Solo · Post by **Captain Ron Solo** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:02 pm

Thank for the info, Michaelson!

Ron

Harrison_Davies · Post by **Harrison_Davies** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:07 pm

Well it has annoyed me somewhat since the staples are coming away.

I shall take your advice and seek a proper cobbler.

Cobblers to Timpson (The cobbler) (A derogatory term).

Captain Ron Solo · Post by **Captain Ron Solo** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 11:31 am

I'm going to need to get new heels pretty soon. I bought some rubber heel protectors from WalMart. I've been wearing my Aldens with these protectors for not quite a week now, and it looks as though I've only got about a week's worth of life left in them.

The good thing is, I know of a couple of cobblers in the area.

JKL
Ron

Harrison_Davies · Post by **Harrison_Davies** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:03 am

Ooh I never considered rubber protectors hmmmm.

Mind you Rhino heel pads might be good too....apparently a lifetime guarantee and would offer some kind of slip protection...only seen them at a Timpson store though.

Dutch_jones · Post by **Dutch_jones** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:27 am

Michaelson wrote:They do. Either contact customer service at Alden, or the San Francisco store.

They are oversized, and your cobbler will have to fit them to your boot.

Regards! Michaelson

How much do they charge for it? And do they take paypal ? I know I know, But I live outside of the USA and Don't have a credit card.

Captain Ron Solo · Post by **Captain Ron Solo** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 12:12 pm

Is there any particular material out there that is more resistant to wear than the rubber that Alden uses? It seems rediculous to have to replace the heels more than once a year, and I'd much rather not have to wear metal clickers.

After about three weeks use, the rubber heel protectors that I was using are completely gone.

Ron

ij1936 · Post by **ij1936** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:08 pm

Every time I've had heels replaced on my Aldens, my cobbler used Thomas heels. They are the same shape as the original heels but more durable (I think) and are a good 3/4" thick when new. Alden is pretty picky (and pricey: $125.00 at last check in 2005), about their repairs. I sent my boots to them in their postage paid bag. They sent them back to me after telling me that they are not able to repair because of the deteriorated condition of the boot. My cobbler was able to put heels and soles on. Why your bozo used staples and not nails is beyond me.

Captain Ron Solo · Post by **Captain Ron Solo** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:05 pm

I actually just dropped my Aldens off at the Houston Shoe Hospital. They said it would be $15.95 to replace the heel, and that the replacement rubber would be the same thickness as what was on them originally. They'll be ready on Thursday. I'll let y'all know how they turn out.
iJ1936,
Who were you asking about the staples instead of nails?

Ron

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:18 pm

Harrison_Davies wrote:Second question then,

The metal rods that held my original heels to the boot have been removed by the cobbler (IDIOT!) and he just stapled the new heels on.

I presume that I can also obtain those?

Thanks in advance.

Here's that answer for ya.

Regards! Michaelson

Captain Ron Solo · Post by **Captain Ron Solo** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:59 pm

Gotcha! Thanks, Mark. I missed it.

Ron

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:30 pm

Regards! Michaelson

ij1936 · Post by **ij1936** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:00 pm

Michaelson wrote:
Harrison_Davies wrote:Second question then,

The metal rods that held my original heels to the boot have been removed by the cobbler (IDIOT!) and he just stapled the new heels on.

I presume that I can also obtain those?

Thanks in advance.
Here's that answer for ya.

Regards! Michaelson

I guess I don't need to answer! Thank you Mr. Michaelson!

Ark Hunter · Post by **Ark Hunter** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 1:36 pm

It seems last I heard, the $125 was for new heel and reconditioning or something and if they couldn't do it they would send you a new pair, but that was over a year ago.

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 1:58 pm

I don't recall Aldens ever offering to replace them with a new pair if a repair was not in the cards.

What they did was send the pair back with a 'sorry' card inserted in the box, along with a reimbursement check for the $125, and you were left to find another pair, another route for repair, or to just forget it.

Regards! Michaelson

Ark Hunter · Post by **Ark Hunter** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:11 pm

Hmm, I remember seeing some one's before and after pictures and it looked like a new pair, as what he sent was pretty bad (ie good for Indy) looking. Maybe that's what's throwing me.

Mola Ram · Post by **Mola Ram** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:28 pm

Pyroxene did that.
He sent his shoes in and they said
they were so badly damaged restoration could not be done.
They sold him a new pair at a discounted price If I remember
correctly.

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 11:01 pm

I've got a local cobbler replacing the heels on my Aldens for me right now. He said due to the size he'd have to use a heal designed for a 17 and then fit it to the shoe. The really cool thing is that its only cost me $15.

Ark Hunter · Post by **Ark Hunter** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 8:16 am

Mola Ram wrote:Proxyene did that.
He sent his shoes in and they said
they were so badly damaged restoration could not be done.
They sold him a new pair at a discounted price If I remember
correctly.

Ah, I see. Is he not a member anymore? I couldn't find any posts by him or his user name.

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 8:44 am

Pyroxene.

Regards! Michaelson

Ark Hunter · Post by **Ark Hunter** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:27 pm

Ah, thanks Michaelson! Here's the link to that thread.
viewtopic.php?t=13996&highlight=aldens

They did indeed replace his as they "fell appart" when they went to restore them. They sold him new ones at cost though. ($150 at the time!)

Captain Ron Solo · Post by **Captain Ron Solo** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:36 am

I just picked my Aldens up from the cobbler yesterday. Overall, I'm pleased with the result. I don't know if you can tell from the photos, but they applied brown shoe polish or something to the sides and back of the heels and part of the way up the sides of the soles.

They replaced the entire heel, whereas I was expecting them to replace only the rubber. I guess they didn't like the thought of bands of different color on the heels, though. Whatever. You can still see the bands - they're just not as pronounced as when new.

Not bad for $15.95, methinks. I didn't think to ask how much they'd charge to replace the entire soles.

***BTW, the inside pic is the more accurate representation of the color of the boots. The outside pics are somewhat overexposed.

***

Ron

Post by **Michaelson** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:48 am

Man, they did a GREAT job!!!

HIGH regards! Michaelson

Captain Ron Solo · Post by **Captain Ron Solo** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:39 am

Yeah, I'm really impressed with how transition from the sole to all of the layers of the heel is so smooth - even more so than when I got them new. I just wish that they had either left the color alone completely, or taken the polish all the way around the sole. Can you tell in the pics where they stopped? I just don't get it.

I suppose I can either finish them off, or try to remove the polish from the soles.

Ron

Post by **Michaelson** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:42 am

Personally I'd take them back and ask them to complete the circle. That way you know it will all match.

Anytime you try to 'undo' something done by someone else, it usually gets worse.

Regards! Michaelson

Ark Hunter · Post by **Ark Hunter** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 12:19 pm

Personally, I really like the bands of color and would be kind of mad if they did that on mine.

Captain Ron Solo · Post by **Captain Ron Solo** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 12:23 pm

I'll think about taking them back. I hate turning them over to someone else. Surely the polish would go away on its own with time, right? Especially as much as I wear mine - walking the dogs in grass, etc.

Ron

Harrison_Davies · Post by **Harrison_Davies** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 1:53 pm

Cobblers apply polish to hide any blemishes causes by polishing/grinding the rubber down to match the existing profile. Often when the color wears away you will see nicks and blemishes caused by the sanding belt.