I have some bad news.
When I made my most recent HC order due to sizing problems with my original shoe, I was sent a grey-ribbed pair that had a toe-cap problem with the right shoe. The toe-cap was wrinkled or folded into the shoe, so if you put your foot in it felt like someone was pressing their finger into your toe from the outside. Much like when you press your thumb into a plastic bottle and the indentation stays. Obviously I could not wear these so I asked them for a replacement. That is when I learned about the smooth-side shoes.
I got into a fairly heated discussion with an employee there who basically said something to the effect that I was not telling the truth about my order history. And I will leave it at that.
I got someone else on the phone, who said they would have someone personally pick the shoes and send them to me.
So 1st pair of smooth-sides I got had a malfunctioning green light. Third back from the front of the shoe.
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The 2nd pair came with a giant obvious lump, these were "personally" chosen by "Jonathan". So he saw that lump and sent them out anyways. It looks even worse in person.
So I got back on the phone with them and asked them to replace these.
3rd pair. This is two of the smooth-sides left-side shoes together. The newest pair is the one with the sole that is already separating at the forward inside wing. it also peels back about half-inch and the paint has separated. Also, all of these smooth-sides have yellowed soles. This pair was "personally" selected by "Michael". And in a conversation that I had with another person about this pair, I learned that Michael mixed and matched two pairs of shoes to make this pair. So he not only saw these defects, he put together two different shoes with them and sent them out. The right side shoe has multiple loose stitches and the thread is unraveling from the lace area. The loops are loose and move around when touched.
The 3rd pair.....
And for some strange reason the "lump shoe" and the "peeled-sole shoe", someone ripped into the paper while handling them. Which is a minor issue, but indicates unprofessional handling.
There is simply no excuse for sending me three pairs in a row with obvious physical defects. This is not chance, they were all hand-selected.
So I don't know what's going on at HC. But for now if your shoes have a defect, and you ask for replacements, they hand-pick more defective shoes. So I cannot recommend these shopping at HC anymore. I've been one of this retailers biggest supporters here, but they want to keep hand-selecting shoes with obvious defects and send them to me. So, until they get their act together and stop doing this, I withdraw all support.