[Pipps]

Are these Cheaney shoes faulty?

I recently purchased a pair of Cheaney Old Derbys (100137).

After a 2 mile walk home in the rain they look liked this:

The following morning, I wiped down the right shoe and found the leather had warped underneath. I left the left-hand shoe untouched for reference and posted them back to Cheaney for comment.

Their response was: "These shoes are not faulty. The salt marks and blistering are caused when the shoes get extremely wet. The more care given to the uppers, the longer the shoe will last."

Would anyone else agree with Cheaney's comments here? Or am I just being too demanding of their premium footwear? Should I invoke my consumer rights and demand that they are replaced?

Thanks

 

[SG_67]

You walked for 2 miles in the rain. I’m not quite sure that the damage caused by this is in anyway their responsibility.

Why this happened only to one I don’t know.

 

[FLMike]

Why this happened only to one I don't know.

The following morning, I wiped down the right shoe and found the leather had warped underneath. I left the left-hand shoe untouched for reference and posted them back to Cheaney for comment.

 

[SG_67]

The following morning, I wiped down the right shoe and found the leather had warped underneath. I left the left-hand shoe untouched for reference and posted them back to Cheaney for comment.

Thanks for clarifying. Re-reading the post I now understand better.

Still, I don't believe this is in anyway a matter for which the shoemaker is responsible.

The shoes were abused. Whether the leather can be cleaned and reconditioned is another matter.

 

[FLMike]

Still, I don't believe this is in anyway a matter for which the shoemaker is responsible.

Agree. I'm not aware of any fine dress shoes that are made for walking two hours in the rain.

 

[Adelstensfostre]

I'll join the chorus and say that it's all your own fault. Fine dress shoes are not made to withstand long walks in the rain. When the leather gets soaked it will stretch and warp and the finish will end up as pictured.

Money and a nice pair of shoes down the drain.

 

[eagle2250]

My friend, as others have said, in this instance, the fault appears to be yours. A two mile walk in the rain, probably along a roadway, exposed your new shoes to puddles of water contaminated by detritus washed from the road and into those puddles of water. I don't know of any unprotected shoe that could stand up to such standards of use. Sorry!

 

[derum]

I concur with all the comments above, but will add that you can salvage the shoes with proper cleansing and protecting.
And then, once done, you can protect them further by not wearing them for 2 mile hikes in the rain.

 

[Flanderian]

This is normal for most hides used as uppers in dress shoes. As stated by Cheaney, it only happens of the leather becomes thoroughly soaked, I.e., "extremely wet." Slightly wet leather doesn't do this. As a lad, I had this happen not infrequently due to circumstances.

Both shoes should have been wiped down immediately with paper towels, absorbing as much water as possible, and then tree'ed for several days until completely dry. (Herring also recommends placing them on their sides.) But the best remedy is to avoid getting them completely soaked, there is better footwear for such conditions. (A rubber sole makes a world of difference in such conditions.)

My experience has been that while it's not possible to restore them to the appearance they had before the mishap, it is possible to get them back to 80% or 90%. But that's another story.

 

[Doctor Damage]

This is why in the days when I bought big heavy shoes like this I would always put several layers of shoe cream on them before wearing. They do look like they've been exposed to more than just water, like salt as Cheaney says (wrong time of the year, though) or perhaps concrete dust or something like that. Anyways, it's too bad the o.p. had this experience, but I agree with Flanderian, they can be sorted out to the point of being daily drivers again... just not for long romantic walks in the rain.

 

[Flanderian]

This is why in the days when I bought big heavy shoes like this I would always put several layers of shoe cream on them before wearing. They do look like they've been exposed to more than just water, like salt as Cheaney says (wrong time of the year, though) or perhaps concrete dust or something like that. Anyways, it's too bad the o.p. had this experience, but I agree with Flanderian, they can be sorted out to the point of being daily drivers again... just not for long romantic walks in the rain.

I've had similar damage occur even in summer, so in some instances, I suspect the white deposits may be from substances already in the hide.

And while shoe creams seem to aid in preventing some damage, it seems leather soles may contribute significantly, as I've noted rubber soled footwear seems to suffer far less damage to the uppers, and not only the soles.

 

[Adelstensfostre]

I've been caught in the rain many times and never experienced an issue like that. Mine are mostly suede though, not smooth leather. Were the roads salted?

There's a huge difference between "being caught in the rain" and walking for two hours in the rain. Most or all of my shoes have been subjected to rain one or more times without taking any kind of damage, but none have been soaked through, with the stretching and warping which will invariably result from such treatment.

 

[215339]

It doesn't rain much here so I don't know what it's like, but I find that level of damage very shocking.

Perhaps Saphir Reno'mat for a deep cleaning? Then followed with a cream conditioner.

 

[jts287]

Maybe he was scaling the white cliffs of Dover in the downpour?

 

[Langham]

Any shoes should be able to cope with two miles on a wet day. A careful person would then tree the shoes and allow them to dry slowly. While it's hard to imagine what has caused the salt marks, I expect some polish or shoe cream should restore the OP's shoes to something like their original condition - I don't think he has any reasonable grounds to expect Cheaney to replace the shoes.

 

[DWFII]

Some of that could be excess residual chromium salts being "floated" to and through the grain.

I have been told(but never tried it myself) that sometimes water damage like that can be "healed" or at least ameliorated by soaking the affected area with a 1x1 solution of white vinegar and water (preferably distilled) .

 

[Pipps]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Cheaney have offered to re-sole, re-heel and refurbish these shoes within 6-8 weeks at a cost of £110.

They have offered to do their best to improve the upper but have warned that these shoes will not look as they did when new.

Would it be wise to spend £110 on this now or better to just cut my losses?

 

[SG_67]

Your call. I have not experience with their refurbishing service but at least they have offered you a solution.

 

[The Irishman]

By 'cut your losses' do you mean chuck them in the bin, or something else?

110 seems reasonable enough to me, to be honest, I've had Tricker's quote more than that for a simple resoling (I found a local cobbler in the end). But it's going to depend on your means a bit. I couldn't have afforded that in college.

Did you dry them out and have a go at cleaning and polishing them yourself, in the end, or were they left as pictured at the beginning of this thread?

 

[MNJ83]

It depends on how particular you are. They have told you that it’s unlikely the uppers will look as before.

Because of the blistering in the leather I would not pay to have them redone, but would try to clean them and treat them at home as best as I could with whatever care products I had available there, and put the 150 dollars / 110 pounds towards a new pair.