Shoe repairs - worth it?

[daisyring]

I have just paid £26 to have some office wear shoes re-heel tipped, soled and polished up at a well known shoe repair chain and they now look more knackered than the day I took them there. Bearing in mind that I think I paid £70 for them when new and had 12 months or so total wear out of them, I have decided that it is not worth it. Does anyone repair/re-heel shoes these days or do I have a throw-away attitude?

[Floisme]

I get all mine re-heeled once a year. I pay about £15 a pair and I think it's worth every penny as I wear them down very quickly.

[VulcanWoman]

I started a thread about this the other day, thought I was being ripped off. I pay £8.50 for re heel, I have some really comfortable shoes that I've had re heeled about 5 times. You'll just have to work out whether it's paying you or not, better for the environment though.

[senua]

It depends. I have difficulty finding shoes so I tend to hang on to old favourites - especially the expensive ones - and get them re-heeled etc ("shoes worth wearing are worth repairing"). I usually get steel tips to make them last extra-long.

Here's a tip OP: shoes last longer if not worn everyday, you need to rotate them round. Buy more shoes!!!

[Floisme]

Sorry got it wrong - my £15 is for a resole as well as re-heel

[louloubelle2]

It is worth it, but you've been ripped off at £26. Go to an independent cobblers next time, you'll get much better service for less money.

I also think it's tragic how few people clean their shoes, I mean properly clean with polish, brush and cloth. This alone will lengthen the life of your shoes and help you spot when they need a re-heel or re-sole before it's beyond repair.

[BeauGlacons]

Good quality leather shoes yes.

[VulcanWoman]

I second the polishing too.