American Social Norms Confuse Local Italian Shoe Repairer

This in from an irritated Overheardian:

A word of warning to anyone who is looking to get their shoes re-heeled.

I had been meaning to get a few pairs of high-heels re-heeled for quite some time. Being somewhat new to Dallas and not knowing where to take them, I took a gamble. I drove past a shoe repair place on Lemmon Ave [Nicko's Italian Custom Shoe Repair] and decided to check it out. “Shoe repair,” “fine Italian craftsmanship,” “same day service,” were some of the signs posted in the window boasting their services, so I decided to finally go in and get my shoes fixed.

I walked into the shop, which felt like stepping back in time. Everything in the shop was circa 1920, including the owner. To top it off, there were notes, signs, and random pieces of paper everywhere (including the parking lot), each with a “unique” message (as seen in the photo). Apparently, for every instance with a customer, he made a new sign stating his new policy. I should have taken my shoes and ran but, at that point, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

It took the owner a while to come to the front. He spoke with a very thick Italian accent, which made it hard to communicate. But I thought this could be good… He’s Italian, he knows shoes, he will do an awesome job. I had to pay $25 up front, which was fine. I was under the impression I was paying $5 for each pair. (Remember, I am just getting the tiny heels replaced on my high-heeled dress shoes.) I left my information on a ticket for him and he said he would call when they were ready - two to three days. I left worried I would never see those shoes again.

That was last Wednesday. By Monday, when I hadn’t heard from him, I decided to call. (He left me a barely legible phone number on “my ticket” to redeem my shoes.) If communicating in person was hard, imagine talking over the phone. I had to pronounce my name 5 different times, tell him I had dropped 4 pairs of shoes off on Wednesday and was wanting to see if they were ready. It took him 10 minutes to find them and get back on the phone. “Oh, yes, you give me long distance phone number, no?” He continued, “We try to call, but you give long distance number. They are ready. You must come before 6.” Long distance? I am from North Texas… My number is a 940 area code. What business doesn’t have the capability of dialing long distance (outside the Dallas area)? One of the signs states, “No long distance. When we say we will call you, we don’t mean we will call you in England or Germany.”

I drove immediately over to pick them up. When I got there, another woman was talking to him and from what I could discern, she was trying to locate a missing pair of shoes she had dropped off. Oh great, just what I feared: he loses shoes. She left, very unhappy, and while he was looking for my shoes I couldn’t help but laugh. This cannot be happening. This is a joke. So to prove it, I snuck a photo of all the crazy signs. I only captured a few in this photo… there are many, many more, but I was trying to be nonchalant about it. He finally returned from the back and he had ALL my shoes. I have never been so happy to see those shoes! They were all there and fixed, so I put them into a bag and turned to leave, just as he started punching on his cash register.

What?!? I owe more money? He asked for “my ticket” and couldn’t even read what he wrote on it for how much I paid last Wednesday. When I told him, he said it was just a deposit. I have to put a deposit down to leave my shoes at his shop? This is insane. So he rang up my total… $65.00!!! OMG! That is more than some of the shoes cost originally. I asked how much it was to re-heel a pair of shoes. $15 each pair, he said. We are talking the very tip of the heel, not the sole, not a polish, just the very tip! I was furious, but I had to pay if I ever wanted to see those shoes again. I can’t believe he had a credit card machine, but thank goodness he did.

I drove home, vowing never to do that again. In the future when I feel uneasy, I am going with my gut instinct… RUN!

To top things off, when I got home, I noticed there was black shoe polish all over my shoes, which I am having to get off now.