Disclaimer: I didn't request shoes to be repaired but was referred here by a laundromat after they said they could not repair my zipper on my leather motorcycle pants and recommended I look for a shoe repair shop due to leather expertise.
Look, I wanted to give this store 5 stars due to the technique and skill that Victor possesses. I do not doubt his skill AT ALL and am NOT at all trouncing him craftsmanship-wise. It's just, as a business, I felt the customer service end was very lacking, hence the 3 stars. He did a wonderful job repairing the pants and it is in much better condition than before, having him even explain how the prior shop used glue which is terrible for leather. I appreciate his explanations. He will give you a ticket with a number on it, with a agreed on price written on it that you need to pay him in CASH when you pick up (more on this later).
It's the customer service and experience that needs work. He originally said when I first consulted with him and dropped off the pants on April 14, that it would take time and would be done in about 3 weeks or so. I was fine with it as I was going on vacation for awhile. When I returned, I dropped by May 19 to pick it up. He just shoos me away and says that it is not ready, give him 10 days. At that time, I noticed someone else picking up her shoes from him in front of me. Her ticket number was about 200+ after mine, meaning he potentially doesn't do the orders in consecutive order. I return on June 3, 15 days afterwards, and he still says it is not ready. I did see he just started as the zipper was finally off but nothing new was sewed on. 2 days later, he calls me saying it's finished. This means my order was delayed multiple times with other orders prioritized, taking nearly 2 months to finish compared to the original promised time. Therefore, if you need an order soon, you probably need to reiterate it to him many times.
Now the cash part. I did not mind it was cash or check only. However, MAKE SURE YOU BRING NEW BILLS. I had an older printed $100 that I used to pay. He has this "bill reading machine" that I'm not super clear what it is that he inserts bills into that tells him if they are real or fake. My $20s read fine but then my $100 read fake. He shouts at me "Hey, this is fake!" in a pretty rude tone. I asked him to re-read it a couple times but he insisted it was fake. Therefore, I ended up having to wait till the following week with a brand new $100, which read fine. The catch was, I deposited the $100 in a bank and the teller checked, proving it was real. My issue is not that he doesn't accept the old $100, it's more of his attitude towards the situation, which given the delay from an overpromised return multiple times, already compounded my frustration.
TL;DR - Overall, Victor does excellent work just like other reviewers have said. I sincerely think his customer service demeanor can use some work, as well as having a better way in organizing his schedule or deadlines, perhaps even capping his workload, so that he does not overestimate the time he has to finish projects. Overpromising return days are also something that can be problematic. Otherwise, I do thank him for the excellent craftsmanship. Cash or check only. read more