Why didn't I check the reviews before stopping by this store? I needed a simple fix. A pull tab on a zipper. Not a new zipper, just a new slider and tab. When I dropped it off, I was told $35. I said, for a zipper pull? The front desk guy told me that that is the minimum they charge for any job. I go to get it today and it is now $48. I said that I was told $35. He said that that is their "minimum" so I must pay $48 and his word is final. He was smiling so hard that he was almost laughing at me. Like he found joy in both of us knowing that I was getting ripped off. I have lived in Santa Barbara for 40 years and have never been treated like that. Borderline creepy is what someone else said, but that pretty much sums it up. read more

WARNING - TERRIBLE WORKMANSHIP AND EVEN WORSE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. I had my mom bring a pair of pink suede, basically brand new, Manolo Blanik's into Pop's because in the past they've done such great work on her shoes. I wanted to see if they could dye them a chocolate brown or navy blue. They originally told me they weren't sure how dying them would turn out, so they recommended that they do a test on a similar fabric to see if I liked the color, and once I saw the test I could decide whether or not to proceed with the work. These are obviously expensive shoes, and I wasn't willing to risk ruining them, so I appreciated that suggestion. Months went by and I heard nothing, so I followed up to see the status. I got a voicemail saying they were ready to come pick up, which was extremely surprising because we hadn't agreed on which direction to proceed. The voicemail said "according to her (Lisa, the person who did the work), they don't look great. She says they look horrible. So yah if you wanna come in and check them out you can decide". When they were picked up, I could not believe, in fact, how horrible they looked. Splotchy, dye all over the soles, they even had a sparkly sheen which was not present with the original shoe. Since they agreed they looked "horrible" they proceeded to spend another 2-3 months trying various tactics to make them better. When I was finally told to come and pick up the final product, imagine my surprise to be send a picture of black(ish?) LEATHER heels. They'd essentially taken off all the suede in the process, and expected me to accept this as a solution. I've been working for months on being reimbursed for the value of the shoes, which I feel is the only fair solution and they are unsalvageable and unrecognizable from the originals. Walt originally agreed to work with me and come to a fair solution if I didn't like the end result, and then stopped responding. Jason and Lisa have been nothing but rude, unprofessional, and hostile throughout the whole thing. I've never written a negative business review, but felt the need to warn others to take the other one star reviews seriously and don't trust your nice possessions with this business. read more

Pops Shoe Repair - how my suede Manolos were returned to me - Shoe Repair Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Walked in, there was only one other person in the store talking to the man behind the counter. No greeting, no "can I help you". I went up to the counter and listened that they were not talking about shoes or anything related to the store. I stood there and realized I was being completely ignored. There are other shoe repair shops in town that have much better customer service. Absolutely do not recommend . read more

I wish I had read all the negative reviews before I took my shoes to POPS. Poor customer service, unsatisfactory results, and my credit card was charged more than the amount quoted. read more

Jason lost my favorite pair of shoes, then claimed no responsibility. He's dishonest and extremely rude.

Do not recommend AT ALL. My husband recently bought a "designer" bag from this place. Mind you, DESIGNER so it was very pricey.. my husband gifted it to me the evening from when he purchased it. As soon as I go to hang it onto my shoulder the chain breaks!! & my husband says it was not the first time, it had come off when he was putting it into a gift bag. We let it be, because it seemed a simple fix of just screwing it tight again. But when it happened again and again & then a 5th time we gave in & knew it was not ok, especially for the amount spent on it. We go back to pops ask for a possible refund, Jason stated "grace is a different breed, but I'll ask" I'm assuming grace is the owner? Not sure.. but his whole demeanor switched too, went from friendly to "ugh, here we go" attitude. Asked us to leave the purse so he can show it to Grace and he'd call us within a couple days. It's been 2weeks now. & we have yet to hear from him. No purse or no refund. We feel completely SCAMMED!!! read more

RIPPED OFF! --Jason did not give an estimate for a minor repair or seek approval beforehand. He texted me to pick them up (again without price). When I went to pick them up, I first learned of the outrageous price of $40. I asked the woman there and texted Jason to call me. He never did and I did not get my shoes back. BEWARE! read more

Recently, my wife called Pops on a Tuesday and asked Jason if it would be possible to put new heels on a pair of boots she needed for a trip we were taking, but with the caveat that she would need them no later than end of day Thursday because we were flying very early Friday morning. She told him if it wasn't possible, that she would be taking the boots anyway, but would prefer it if the heels could be redone. Jason said it would be a rush order, extra charge, and he was pretty sure they could do It, but that, worst case, if he couldn't get them done, he would have them for her on Thursday. I took the boots to the store for her on Tuesday and again told Jason that we needed them back by Thursday, repaired or not. I paid up front, including the extra $15 rush fee, and Jason assured me that the boots would be ready by Thursday, even if he couldn't fix them. On Thursday, I contacted Jason to ask when that day the boots would be ready. Jason told me that due to a "clerical error" the boots were still at the repair shop in Camarillo and wouldn't arrive in Santa Barbara until Friday morning. I reminded him that we were leaving at dawn Friday and needed the boots, per agreement, that day,Thursday, and asked what he could do to get them delivered from Camarillo to Santa Barbara. He repeatedly said there was nothing he could do, and our only option was to drive to Camarillo to pick them up. When I said that was completely unacceptable and suggested that someone from his store drive to Camarillo, he said that wasn't possible. At that point, he gave me the phone number for the Camarillo store and told me to call them to see what they could do. I asked him to call the store himself, but he said he had three or four customers at that moment and couldn't deal with it. You can imagine how frustrated I was. I called the Camarillo store and spoke to a very nice lady named Lisa. When she heard about the situation, she explained that it was not a clerical error--Jason had simply forgotten to pick up the boots that morning. She also told me that she lived in Carpinteria and often came to the Santa Barbara store, and would leave work early to bring the boots to Santa Barbara before the store closed so I could pick them up. When I finally picked up the boots and discussed the bad experience with Jason, including why he had asked me to call the store and resolve his mistake, he said that he wanted the Camarillo store to see how frustrated I was because they had caused the problem. He clearly didn't understand that it was his responsibility to fix the mistake, regardless of who caused it. Only after a lengthy discussion did he admit that he hadn't handled the situation properly. Even then, however, there was no sincerity in his apology; he was just trying to save face since there was another customer overhearing our conversation. Again, Lisa was nice and went out of her way to help us, and they did a good job with the repair. However, due to the terrible customer service, I won't be returning to the store and do not recommend it to others. read more

Pops Shoe Repair is great. I have had several pairs of shoes repaired there. The repair quality was great, the price was reasonable, and Jason provided great customer service. read more