Experiencing a custom boot nightmare!

[js_ford]

Summer of 2016 I ordered my first pair of custom Deniro dress boots (I ride hunters) and they didn’t fit once they arrived- so I was remeasured and they were sent back. Fast forward to about 1-2 weeks ago, and I feel they still don’t fit right! (one’s too tall, one ankle is spacier than the other, spacey towards the upper back of my calf)

Has anyone else experienced this with customs and how did you get through it?? I’ve contacted the store that measured me both times, but they have yet to tell me what my options are.

[SnicklefritzG]

How long has it been since you contacted the store? Around holiday time you may not get a prompt response.

If they are within a reasonable drive, say 1 hr or less, I’d show up at the store at a time when you know the manager will be there.

I had a minor issue with custom Koenigs and had to have several conversations with the store I ordered then from before they agreed to take the boots back and fix them. In my case, they have an in-house boot repair person so they did not need to go back to Germany. It took a LOT of persistence but eventually they fixed the boots. They aren’t perfect, more like 95% of what they should be, but that’s good enough. It wasn’t worth another couple months of conversations to deal with that 5%.

How off are the boots? Is it very noticeable by eye or is it subtle enough that you don’t really notice it unless you are wearing the boots?

Either way, I’d have a simple conversation with the store who measured you and tell them the boots need to fit. If you paid via CC you can always deal with it that way. If you don’t want to send the boots back to Italy, see if they will make it right by sending the boots to a local shop where the person doing the repair can actually see the boots on you.

[js_ford]

I was able to contact the store owners today and they said they would get back to me tomorrow, since it is a couple and only one of them was at the store when I called. They’re located about 2 hrs away from me, so it is a bit of a hassle to drive there and the boots do have to get sent back to the company for repairs I think (at least they did the first time).

They do look too tall on me, but you can only tell where it’s a little spacey when you feel the boots, which bothers me since I’m wearing them and can feel it. For how much money customs are, I would expect them to fit better than they do. These are ones they made from the second measurements, so to still have issues is a little concerning to me.

I’m not sure if changing it to a field boot or asking to put in elastic down the back-side would help at all with fit, or if the company would do that without extra charge. We did pay with CC though I thing, but how would we get money back by that?

[BigMama1]

I had the same issue with a pair of Petries. Boots didn’t even come close to fitting. Agreed to try an elastic gusset along the zipper but when they came back the repair shop instead had put a huge elastic insert in the inside of the boot with hard stitched flaps on either side. Ugly and uncomfortable. The store agreed to a re-measure and re-order with no issues at all but I put it down n hold as I had a fall and was out of the saddle for several months. Do not want to remeasure until I’m muscled up again

[js_ford]

I was able to contact the store owners today and they said they would get back to me tomorrow, since it is a couple and only one of them was at the store when I called. They’re located about 2 hrs away from me, so it is a bit of a hassle to drive there and the boots do have to get sent back to the company for repairs I think (at least they did the first time).

They do look too tall on me, but you can only tell where it’s a little spacey when you feel the boots, which bothers me since I’m wearing them and can feel it. For how much money customs are, I would expect them to fit better than they do. These are ones they made from the second measurements, so to still have issues is a little concerning to me.

I’m not sure if changing it to a field boot or asking to put in elastic down the back-side would help at all with fit, or if the company would do that without extra charge. We did pay with CC though I thing, but how would we get money back by that?

[173north]

The store and boot company should alter or remake them until you are happy, or give you a full refund. The boots might not ever fit EXACTLY as you dreamed, because your legs are changing all the time and making boots is more art than science, but they should fit 95% perfectly!

Customs are a process that involves one person measuring, one or more people making them by hand, and one person wearing them - and we all have different ideas about perfect fit. Lots of room for little errors and miscommunications in there, so a few “edits” aren’t unusual. But don’t think you’re stuck with a pair of expensive boots that don’t fit, they should stand behind their product!

[Madison]

I went through a 6 month nightmare with Der Dau before they got mine right (and stopped trying to stick me with the pair they damaged in the course of trying to fix the horrendous fit of what they initially sent me) – I literally had to send them back probably 4 times. You just have to be persistent, and hold your ground on the fact that you paid for custom boots, and you deserve what you paid for. Anything less than the right fit is NOT what you paid for, and if you settle for less you will always be bitter about it, and that’s not how you want to feel about your expensive boots. If you start getting the runaround from them, or they stop responding, initiate a credit card dispute ASAP - that tends to get their attention and you can always cancel the dispute if it is resolved. Be clear with them that the options are refund or alter/remake to fit perfectly, and never waiver!!

[Lucassb]

I would double check whether you got true custom boots or just customized, so to speak. I have 3 pairs of DeNiros (and like them quite a lot) but while I got to specify the leather, tops, special details etc, size wise they are simply a combination of stock calf and foot sizes & shaft height. For example, mine are 39 (foot size) MA (medium tall) and M (medium calf). They fit me well but not as well as my truly custom Tucci or Der Daus. That is OK with me, because I paid a LOT less for the DeNiros… like half or so.

If you have that customized (v. custom) fit and you, like most people, have slightly different leg sizes, that might explain the fit issues you are experiencing. Here is a typical size chart: http://www.bahrsaddlery.com/media/cmspages/SizeCharts/DeNiro.jpg

[js_ford]

[QUOTE=Lucassb;8994595]
I would double check whether you got true custom boots or just customized, so to speak. I have 3 pairs of DeNiros (and like them quite a lot) but while I got to specify the leather, tops, special details etc, size wise they are simply a combination of stock calf and foot sizes & shaft height. For example, mine are 39 (foot size) MA (medium tall) and M (medium calf). They fit me well but not as well as my truly custom Tucci or Der Daus. That is OK with me, because I paid a LOT less for the DeNiros… like half or so.

If you have that customized (v. custom) fit and you, like most people, have slightly different leg sizes, that might explain the fit issues you are experiencing. Here is a typical size chart: http://www.bahrsaddlery.com/media/cmspages/SizeCharts/DeNiro.jpg[/QUOTE]

I did order them custom from a tack store in my state- measured my foot, combinations of ankle/heel area, height, different areas on calf, etc. I’m on my second pair of the Quick Soft Deniros for schooling and they fit like a glove, so to be having issues with my custom Deniros is heartbreaking! This will be the third time sending them back, but I was told by the people who measured me that the boots are only going to fit so well to a certain point because of the shape of my calf. (skinny ankle into a skinny calf, not much definition)

Now if I continue having issues, I’ll for sure look into the CC dispute or maybe try the Der Dau trade in program I heard of…if I’m lucky. :sadsmile:

[Madison]

Um, going the Der Dau route is no guarantee of a better experience!! If you do decide to give them a try, ABSOLUTELY pay with credit card so that you can reverse the charges if needed. My first pair showed up so ill-fitting that it looked like they drew foot tracings for someone who had a giant club foot on one side – the boots were substantially different sizes even to the naked eye, and my feet definitely are not. The tops were so big that we joked I could hold cell phones in them while I ride. They insisted I ride in them anyway to “break them in” when they obviously were not close to fitting and were too tall. It ruined the leather, and then they damaged them further trying to cut them down to fit (very visible holes in the leather where they moved snaps, attempts to iron out wrinkles that shouldn’t be there, poor stitching, and still an oversized footbed) - they looked horrible. Der Dau said they would make me a new pair, then continued to send the old pair back to me, apparently hoping I would just give up and go away. I wasn’t willing to keep damaged boots, and only because there was an honest and helpful woman in the front office did I finally get the newly remade pair they promised, and it was 6 months (and much anxiety) after I placed the order before they finally showed up and fit.

[Lucassb]

js… I don’t doubt you were measured.

But I have never personally seen nor heard of truly custom made/bespoke DeNiros - meaning truly made to measure - so I am wondering if your measurements were taken in order to determine which stock components would best be used to make your boots.

That is certainly what was done for me and for the many others I know who have ordered DeNiros. Might be worth looking inside the boots to see if they are stamped, and if so, what the stamp says. If you see something like, “39 MA M” you will know that what you likely have is actually a “customized” boot.

As I said, I very much like my DeNiros. However, since my right leg is a bit different than my left due to an old injury, my boots fit one leg a tiny bit better than the other. It doesn’t bother me, because overall the boots fit quite well, and I did not expect a boot at that price point to fit as perfectly as my truly made to measure Tucci or DerDaus, which were individually cut to each leg exactly.

[js_ford]

It has these numbers written on the inside:
Left leg: 39 (49,28.5) and Right leg: 39 (49,33)

I haven’t received a call from the shop owners like they said they would and after calling the shop myself, found out they weren’t even there! As pretty as the boots are and as much as I want them to work, my patience is wearing thin. At this point I’m considering just fighting for my money back and saving up more towards other custom boots. :mad:

[Lusoluv]

A friend of mine is having issues with La Mundial, a South American custom boot shop. First they sent her the wrong color and the fit was funky. Second pair were close to the right color, but fit was funky. Third pair were the color of the 2nd pair and the calf fit, but foot was 1 size too big She is beyond frustrated since there is no local shop to go to. She got measured and placed her order at Rolex.

I was lucky that a dress pair of polo boots from Petrie fit me like they were customs, but they were off-the-rack. When I needed a second pair I told them the numbers that were stamped inside my old pair. The new pair fit just as well. Sometimes you get lucky - sometimes not! I would always pay with a CC so you have some recourse if things go wrong.

[IPEsq]

DeNiro does make full customs as an option.

OP, if the store isn’t getting back to you, email DeNiro directly. I bought some semi-customs and went up a size after I had to stretch my first pair. Only I’m like you and have a pretty straight calf, so the new pair was too big in the calf where it had shape it didn’t need. I just didn’t need to stretch other parts of the boot to fit this time. Now, this was my mistake and not theirs, even though they should have fit well enough based on the size chart, but the left boot did have a defect at a seam. So, instead of trying to get them taken in locally (I don’t have a good place to do that anyway), I emailed the shop as well as DeNiro.

I had to pay some to get them altered, but they gave me a discount based on the defect that had to also be repaired, and they arranged the shipping labels and everything. Because the shop is not close to me, this wound up being much more convenient. You shouldn’t have to pay anything since you got made to measure versus asking them to alter a stock size. At this point, it’s probably easier to go straight to DeNiro to work things out. The shop didn’t do anything wrong and did offer to help me out, but I had emailed DeNiro in the past for replacement zippers and snaps for my other boots and found them easy enough to work with, so that’s why I went that route.

Although they might need to be taken in even a little more (and I measured myself a dozen times before filling out the form for alterations), but I might not know for sure until I break them in some more. At least I’m not getting rubs anymore from them.

Anyway, hope my lesson learned in my semi-custom order helps you fix your problem!

[BigMama1]

Sorry to hear the LaMundial sagas continue. Lusoluv if you do a quick thread search you will find a LONG history of very unsatisfied customers.

[js_ford]

[QUOTE=IPEsq;8995505]
DeNiro does make full customs as an option.

OP, if the store isn’t getting back to you, email DeNiro directly. I bought some semi-customs and went up a size after I had to stretch my first pair. Only I’m like you and have a pretty straight calf, so the new pair was too big in the calf where it had shape it didn’t need. I just didn’t need to stretch other parts of the boot to fit this time. Now, this was my mistake and not theirs, even though they should have fit well enough based on the size chart, but the left boot did have a defect at a seam. So, instead of trying to get them taken in locally (I don’t have a good place to do that anyway), I emailed the shop as well as DeNiro.

I had to pay some to get them altered, but they gave me a discount based on the defect that had to also be repaired, and they arranged the shipping labels and everything. Because the shop is not close to me, this wound up being much more convenient. You shouldn’t have to pay anything since you got made to measure versus asking them to alter a stock size. At this point, it’s probably easier to go straight to DeNiro to work things out. The shop didn’t do anything wrong and did offer to help me out, but I had emailed DeNiro in the past for replacement zippers and snaps for my other boots and found them easy enough to work with, so that’s why I went that route.

Although they might need to be taken in even a little more (and I measured myself a dozen times before filling out the form for alterations), but I might not know for sure until I break them in some more. At least I’m not getting rubs anymore from them.

Anyway, hope my lesson learned in my semi-custom order helps you fix your problem![/QUOTE]

It’s like a cat and mouse game trying to talk to these people about my boots- almost like they’re avoiding my calls! I’ll definitely get on contacting the company though. If someone will answer my questions and try their hardest to satisfy a customer, it should be the company!

[Lucassb]

Good to know about the DeNiro full custom option. FWIW - I have had great customer service from their corporate office and have found them very responsive. Contact info is on their website.