shoe repair - a licence to print money?

emr_2

recently, due to job change, have had first pair of stiletto heels in ages. took them to get heeled (teeny weeny stiletto heels) and was told £7.95!! there was no price list at the heel bar/keycutting place. did they see me coming? i went to woolies and bought stick on ones you can cut to size. including the glue it cost £2.09 and even allowing for a few tryouts before i get it right, there should be enough to do the job another couple of times. how do heel bars get away with it? going to look for a traditional shoe repair man now. or maybe train for a new career?

Bogof_Babe

I had my favourite black ankle boots repaired a couple of years ago for £24, when the upper of one split from the sole. They only cost £25 about 10 years earlier, and I'd had countless heels and soles @ around £4 a time in between. They are still going now .

If you love your shoes, pay for a proper job!

elisebutt65

Don't go to a chain like Timpsons - they charge a fortune. I go to a little independent and take in all my shoes before I go on holiday to get them resoled and heeled etc, so they don't break. He only ever charges £3.5 for a resole and £2.50 for a re-heel, or a fiver for both.

He is excellent and even suggests cheaper alternatives - instead of a whole new zip for my boots, he managed to fix it for me and re-stitched it in properly.

calleyw

A good quality cobbler is worth there weight in gold.

There are very few around. One that I have used in the past even does leather soles. Which is pricey but if the shoes are worth it then go for it.

I have a pair of boots they don't have little heels on them I paid £8 for them about ten years ago and still going strong after been re-heeled and soled a couple of times. Comes to more than I paid for them but so comfy.

I would rather pay someone to to do a quality job rather then having to keep re-doing the job every few weeks because my repair was naff.

Yours

Calley

emr_2

thanks everyone. i will be happy to pay the going rate to a proper craftsman like you describe. don't think the local heel/key bar would be really worth the money, though. the shoes are smart and i can wear them for quite a few hours at a time (reacquainting myself with highheels again) so are definitely worth repairing.

calleyw

emr wrote:

thanks everyone. i will be happy to pay the going rate to a proper craftsman like you describe. don't think the local heel/key bar would be really worth the money, though. the shoes are smart and i can wear them for quite a few hours at a time (reacquainting myself with highheels again) so are definitely worth repairing.

Emr,

Just don't cripple yourself or twist your ankle.

I am rubbish in heels LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Yours


Calley

juno

At my local Timpsons it's cheaper to have 2 heels reheeled separatly than to have both done together! It's £7.50 for 2 or £3 for one, and if they're only doing one they do it straight away rather than making you wait about half an hour.

BWZN93

My cobbler guy is great, he gives my boots a spray with some wonder polish and buffs them for me too, all part of the service of reheeling - and it covers the scratches brilliantly, they look almost brand new after he has had them for 10 minutes, all for £4.95.

Lovely bloke too.

Jo xx

Melissa22_Mum

my mum had a heel repaired 14.99!! the boots cost 35.00 typical

Poppy9

I was quoted £12 for a resole by an independent cobler of a pair of shoes. I binned them bought a new pair in Debenhams in the sale for £9. They broke a month later took them back but couldn't find my receipt so I had to accept credit voucher of latest lowest price £23. Suffice to say I accepted

BFG_2

We all seem to want high income (hourly pay rate) yet baulk at paying out for someone's labour.

It is cheaper to buy new shoes than get ones repaired because the Chinese worker works for $2 per day and the UK cobbler needs to charge approx £30 per hour. This £30 is to cover their salary and the costs of running the shop - property/lease, elec, rates. (EG a small unit may have a rates of £3000 per annum which is approx £10 per working day = £1.25 per hour of opening).

In summary - things/people cost more in an expensive country than a cheap country.