Lucky converses

Here's my personal shout out to the brand Converse for being awesome!!


So I'm a fan of converse sneakers and have a few pairs myself but haven't worn them in a while. I realized the last time I cleaned out my closet that I had a variety of sizes in the pairs I had.. ranging from a 7 to an 8.5... how does that happen?! Retrying them on, the 7s were too small, just a tad, and the 8.5 too big. The big pair I had ordered as a custom pair online years ago and forgot about the fact they run pretty big and didn't think about it because I wasn't trying them on. Woops.... and plus, I struggle with the handicap of having 2 different sized feet. By a whole size. Which is why most shoes never fit me right, because in order to satisfy one foot I trip over my shoe in the smaller foot because of the enormous size difference. So when ordering a custom pair of converses the second time around (and even more importantly.. as my "bridal" shoes for my wedding!),  I figured I would do it right.

I "chatted" with a converse representative about my foot size issue, and requested if I could make a custom pair with 2 different sizes. She apologized that they couldn't help me.. and told me I would have to buy TWO pairs of matching custom shoes in the two sizes I need... but said she could do me the enormous favor of giving me free shipping and 15% off. Wow, what a saint! I was pissed, and naturally I went straight to corporate. An amazing woman promised to do whatever it would take to get me the perfect pair of converse sneakers to fit the needs of my feet... because after all, the shoes are made custom from scratch.. so I wouldn't be affecting their inventory by needing two different sizes. It shouldn't have been a big deal to begin with.

When she finally got back to me she was proud to say they would make the shoes in two different sizes for me! I designed and ordered my shoes and she halted the order to put a special note in it. They arrived in the mail in a timely matter (try like 2 weeks instead of 2 months) and I was excited and shocked at the fact I finally had a perfectly fitting pair of shoes! Everything was glorious and dandy except.... when I looked them over, the converse logo on the back was smeared on both shoes, and it couldn't be cleaned because of the way it was manufactured. Great! I felt like an ass contacting her again to complain, but on the other hand, these are going to be worn in my WEDDING for pete's sake.. and I shouldn't settle for anything other than perfect, especially for the price that they cost me. When I sent her a picture she immediately promised to get a new pair ordered and made ASAP. I was in awe.. she didn't even ask for the old ones back! I was hoping for maybe a discount or some of my money back... but a whole new pair was incredible and TWO custom sized pairs for my handicapped feet wound up being a gift I hadn't expected.

Today my new shoes arrived... identical to the first pair but the back logo is improved. I am a very happy and satisfied customer, because the beauty of canvas sneakers is I can paint the extra pair to my heart's content, and know the shoes will fit me perfectly. Sometimes the little things like this that just work out a certain way make me feel like the luckiest person ever.

The lesson of this story is... don't complain unnecessarily... but when you have a problem with something you paid for, speak up. If you're kind and polite, customer service is always willing to help you out since they strive to satisfy their customers and keep them coming back. You may even get more than you were expecting or hoping for! I guess I took a little bit of advantage of my online orders going wrong lately... but hey, if they make a mistake or if I'm truly dissatisfied with what I paid for, I want to get my money back or something better (It's totally been working..)! And I encourage you to do the same! (But remember.. do it with class and with respect.. not with an attitude!)

I'll make sure to post pictures of the proof of my successful battle in getting the perfect custom shoes for my wedding.. (and a double) when I eventually paint the spare set, and strut the main ones down the aisle on the big day!