I posted this on July 10th. On October 15th I received an email from the CEO of Etonic World Wide. He expressed his dismay over my experience with his company's shoes and asked for my phone number so he could call me to discuss it. On Monday October 17th Tom Elwell and I conversed for 45 minutes and were on a first name basis at the end of the call. Tom Elwell is a CEO who truly believes in his company. One of my complaints was there was no phone number for customer support on the web site. There is one now. Tom also told me he had contacted an employee, who was on vacation, to find out why there had never been any response to my emails. Here is a CEO who is working for his paycheck. He didn't hand off handling a concern to an underling, he communicated to me himself. Tom believes in his product and now I know he also believes in customer support. I think everyone can accept that a defective product can slip through quality control. What incenses me and perhaps many of you is not being heard. I can accept an apology, I can accept an excuse but I can't accept not being heard. Tom Elwell heard me, responded and has regained a customer due to his assurance that his company not only wants to provide good products, they want to provide good customer service as well. So Tom, you heard me and I heard you loud and clear. Etonic you have a good hand on your helm. Thank you for reaching out!
My sordid saga of Etonic golf shoe failure started with the purchase of a pair of Etonic golf shoes in Florida several years ago. I have four pair of golf shoes and play golf twice a week. Considering the 6 weeks spent in Florida each year, that means the individual pairs of shoes are worn 3 to four times a year. Where I stay has a humidistat and air conditioning that runs year around so it doesn't get overly hot in at any time.
My sordid saga of Etonic golf shoe failure started with the purchase of a pair of Etonic golf shoes in Florida several years ago. I have four pair of golf shoes and play golf twice a week. Considering the 6 weeks spent in Florida each year, that means the individual pairs of shoes are worn 3 to four times a year. Where I stay has a humidistat and air conditioning that runs year around so it doesn't get overly hot in at any time.
After one season of wear (maximum of 4 times of use) the
shoes spent the ensuing summer and fall with shoe trees in them and the shoes
in the original shoe box. Imagine my
dismay when I pulled them out and there were cracks in the leather on the
toes. The cracks in the leather were
where the toes bend. I wondered if
heat, humidity or the ghost of Christmas past had assaulted my shoes. (see photo E)
I immediately checked the pair of Foot Joys I had purchased
at the same time the year before and they had no cracks. I was mystified but since I was so happy to
be in the warm and to play golf I continued to wear the shoes.
I brought them home with me. I wore them once on my home
course and the sole on the left shoe peeled off from the heel to the
mid-sole. (photo C as an example)
My first assumption was I must walk funny, not ha ha funny
but shoe damaging funny. Regardless, I
was not happy. I took the shoe home and
used epoxy to glue the sole back on. (photo A)
The next time I wore the shoes the sole peeled off on the
right shoe. The second sole peeling was soul trying. It strained the limits of my credibility
that having massive wardrobe malfunction on two shoes was a coincidence. (photo B)
I reached out to Etonic for advice. I didn’t demand new shoes, I didn’t use any
explicative’s in my email, I merely asked what I could do with what appeared to
be defective shoes. (photo D)
My response from Etonic was zilch, zero, no response
whatsoever. I spent 35 years in
business and if I had a customer complaint, regardless of its merit, I
addressed it. Sadly Etonic doesn’t seem
to share my need to see that customers are satisfied.
There is no phone number on the Etonic contact page to try
and get a human being involved. That too
is telling in regards to Etonic’s interest in reaching out to their customers. They have a phone number on their warranty
page but make special note that the warranty is 90 days.
In summary, my post is cathartic. I feel better having expressed my concerns
regardless of Etonic’s interest in those concerns.
It is certainly a measure of my pique that I have taken the
time to photo the shoes and create this post.
Oddly enough not because of the defective Etonic golf shoes but due to
Etonic’s indifference to customer support.
Every time we as consumers ignore poor customer support, we through our
indifference, reinforce the idea that poor or lousy customer support is
acceptable. Etonic, I don’t know how to
make it any clearer, POOR CUSTOMER SUPPORT IS NOT TO BE TOLERATED!
My Money Saving Tech Tips advice is to avoid Etonic golf
shoes at all costs and perhaps all Etonic products if you hope to have any
customer support. (BTW I have waited weeks for any reply from my emails to Etonic, not a peep!)
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