written by AvieMare on 10/09/2013
I am a US customer. I received a catalog and went online to simplybe.com to browse around. Intrigued by their selection, I was ecstatic when I found a pair of genuine leather wide-calf "riding" style boots by LegRoom in a light mushroom color. The truly high quality wide-calf boots here in the US are usually only available in black or brown; varied colors/shades are quite sparse.
As I had recently purchased an amazing pair of Kanyon work/riding boots from an Amazon UK seller, ($279 + $27 duty fees) I decided to take a chance on the boots. On sale for $102.00 and with a 30% off coupon, the total cost with shipping came to just under $82 US dollars.
Immediately after paying with my credit card, I received an email confirming my order. Two days later I received another email confirming shipment of the boots. I noted that there was no tracking number, which was odd...so I called customer service. I reached them almost immediately and was told that no tracking numbers are issued. I must say this did concern me.
The service rep was polite and helpful, and explained that the package would ship from the UK to a US center, then to the US Postal Service for regular delivery. They stated that I would incur no duty/customs fees.
The boots arrived today, September 10, only 8 days after my order. Compared to many US companies that is fairly fast. Shipping fees were VERY reasonable at only $8.95.
The boots came in their factory box, enclosed in a sealed outer plastic shipping bag. Amazingly, the box was pristine without even a dent, just like I like them. Upon opening it, I found the boots perfectly packed in the original factory wrappings. This was evidenced by pristine tissue paper. Often footwear is returned and resold without proper repackaging, which I detest even if it comes from outlet stores.
The boots themselves are a beautiful light mushroom color, evenly dyed. The one picture and web description failed to list some important details, including the following:
* Both sides of the boots have zippers; a small nylon one on the inside and a larger metal one on the outside.
* The larger outer zipper unzips about halfway down to reveal a leather expansion panel that considerably widens the boot another inch or two if needed!
* The bottom of the boot has a fairly light tread.
* The leather is on the thin side; these boots are more for fashion than warmth.
* Although described as "riding" boots, these are not rugged enough to use in equine activities. The riding boot style appears to have become a very popular trend.
* The measuring charts are in mm. Measure your foot/calf with the centimeter part of a tape measure, then use an online calculator to convert the cm to mm. Quite easy.
All in all, this shopping experience was very positive. I placed one more order and so I will see if this order was the exception, as the vast majority of reviews posted here are very negative. Should this order go smoothly, I will most likely shop again. If not, I will reconsider as there do seem to be many unresolved issues with this company.
Incidentally, if you need an item within a certain timeframe, I highly suggest allowing a minimum of THREE weeks transit time to the US. There are too many shipping variables to count on an overseas package arriving in 7-10 days.
Peace,
AvieMare