Skate Buying Adventures

[sarahspins]

Harlicks are heat moldable - is there anyone local who can do that for you?  It may help with some of the issues, provided that whomever is doing the molding knows what they're doing beyond simply heating them up and lacing them up (that alone would help, but a good heat molder has a few tricks they can do to make them even better).  I second Sk8tmum's advice to pull UP on the lace crosses (not tightening the laces, just pulling up on the lace crosses over the toe box area) to see if that will help give you a little more space in the toe box.

You mention that you tapped your heel back, but you may have to do it MUCH harder to really seat your heel - if your heel isn't back all the way your toes will end up crunched up.  Also, an obvious thing, make sure your toenails are trimmed short - especially on the big toe.

It is possible to have the big toe area punched, as well as where your bunions are.. if your local rink has a punch available (most do - hockey players use them too).  Usually you'll need to completely unlace the skates and flip the tongue out to reach that far inside though.. sometimes they're not used to punching anything but ankles but you CAN punch lower down and even into the toe box, don't let them say they "can't" - they can.  If you can also identify where/if your ankles need to be punched you can get that done at the same time too.  I have a friend who had to get her custom boots punched near the toes twice before they were comfortable, but now she says they fit like a glove and she's glad she didn't give up on them.

Skates are supposed to fit very tight... every pair of boots I've ever had has been somewhat uncomfortable in the beginning - to a degree that is normal, because they haven't yet molded to your feet, and if they are too comfortable when you first put them on they're probably going to end up too big.  However extreme pain isn't normal.  If you don't think they fit right, that may not be something that will improve with time or punching.  Personally I would contact Harlick and see what they recommend doing, before anything else.  

[hopskipjump]

Yes, sit and bang your heel down hard a couple of time (dd does this on the rubber floor of the rink, not in the house.

"The whole reason I got custom skates was so they would fit my feet and I wouldn't have to suffer while skating anymore."

New skates always make dd want to cry.  They feel too confining, like cement blocks.

Get them punched.  Do not suffer - they punch ankles and other areas on new skates.  When they do it might make the leather look weird (almost like a small bubble?)- don't worry that look goes away over a day or so. 

Your toe should just touch the inside of the skate.

[Orianna2000]

There is NOTHING wrong with your feet.  It sounds like the custom fitting isn't correct. It should have addressed a too-long big toe.  But - before we all panic:  Unlace them down to the toe. Put your feet in. Start lacing up. Pull it as TIGHT AS YOU CAN on each lace cross - or get your husband to pull them. You should feel the toe of the skate lifting up and away.

I tried that. It helped, but not nearly enough. The skates feel like they're at least a half size too short. I wouldn't mind if my toe brushed against the front, but it is violently shoved against the front of the boot. It feels like it's bruising my toe.

IF that doesn't do it, then, complain. Custom skates should fit all of the quirks and oddities of your feet.  You could try to get it punched or stretched, but, why should you? They're custom ! they should fit! (plus, it's hard to get toes punched out).

I think the bunion problems will ease with time. On my second wearing, they're already less pronounced. It's the too-short length that's got me worried.

Do not worry- when you stand, your balance is not the same as when you skate.  When you bend your knees, the heel will sink further back and the toes will retreat.

I think Harlicks  are really cut to the foot shape.  My Riedells had room in the toes (even though my measurements were correct) and that drove me crazy  when I bent my knees.  With the custom Harlicks I can feel the toe barely brushing up against the front when I skate, but it really pushes into it when I just stand with straight knees.  Make sure you BEND, BEND , BEND your knees when you skate.

I haven't worn them on the ice, but I have mimicked a skater's stance at home, and it's still bad when I bend my knees, unfortunately. The left boot isn't quite as bad, but with the right boot, I'm scrunching my toes to avoid serious pain. If it was just a matter of the toe "brushing" the front, I'd be fine, but it feels as if the boot is at least a quarter inch too short.

Harlicks are heat moldable - is there anyone local who can do that for you?  It may help with some of the issues, provided that whomever is doing the molding knows what they're doing beyond simply heating them up and lacing them up (that alone would help, but a good heat molder has a few tricks they can do to make them even better).  I second Sk8tmum's advice to pull UP on the lace crosses (not tightening the laces, just pulling up on the lace crosses over the toe box area) to see if that will help give you a little more space in the toe box.

There is nobody local who does heat-molding, as far as I know. We have one pro-shop, but the owner himself admits he's clueless about the business. They use an automatic machine to sharpen skates, and they sell a lot of hockey equipment. That's about it. As far as tightening the laces, I used a lace hook when I laced them, so they got pretty snug. In fact, my right foot went to sleep after about 10 minutes. Didn't help much. I think I did it the way you suggested, but I'm not entirely sure. I pulled up at the crosses, but it tightened them when I did that.

You mention that you tapped your heel back, but you may have to do it MUCH harder to really seat your heel - if your heel isn't back all the way your toes will end up crunched up.  Also, an obvious thing, make sure your toenails are trimmed short - especially on the big toe.

I tapped my heel hard enough to jar the guards loose. It was about as hard as I usually do it. I've got my nails trimmed as short as I dare, if I go any shorter, I end up with ingrown nails. I'll risk it and try cutting them shorter anyway, but quite honestly, I don't think that will buy me more than 1/16" and it feels like the boots are at least 1/8" to 1/4" too short. But perhaps it's an illusion, perhaps they're just a hair too short, and it just feels much worse.

I think I may have identified at least part of the problem. The toe box is too shallow. If I squeeze from the sides, making the toe area taller, the pain eases tremendously. Of course, then they're too narrow, but at least it's a clue. Is there a way to stretch them vertically, to make the toes taller? The guy who fit me said that my feet were very thick, and he measured around my ball, arch, heel, and ankle, but he didn't measure around my toes, so that could be part of what's happening here. I do feel like they're too short, as well, but that might be bearable if we can find a way to stretch the height of the toe box. Any ideas?

I just wore them for perhaps 10 minutes, and 5 minutes later, my toes are still feeling bruised. It's definitely something that needs attention. I'm loathe to ship them back to Harlick, though, because who knows how long they'll take to fix them? Or if they even can fix them? I'll do what needs to be done, of course, but I'd like to try and fix them myself, first.

Other than the toe problem (and the bunion problem, which is already starting to ease) the skates are pretty comfortable. I love the heel lock and all the padding. The ankles are fine, no problem there. They're great, except for being too short and too shallow at the big toe.

[hopskipjump]

I wonder if the toe area would fit better without the superfeet?

[Orianna2000]

I wonder if the toe area would fit better without the superfeet?

LOL! You won't believe this, but my husband suggested this very thing not five minutes ago, when I told him how the toes were too shallow. We just pried the Superfeet out and it made a discernible difference! They're still short in the toe, but it's not as excruciating. Of course, now there's no insoles in the skates. . . . and I won't have any support for my pronation. No clue what to do about that. Also, it somehow made my bunion worse, perhaps because it's hitting in a different location now. But those can be punched, so I'm not as worried.

I'm guessing that the skate shop forgot to tell Harlick about the insoles when they placed the order. You're supposed to mention any orthotics that are going to be used, so they can make allowance for them. If they forgot, that would explain why they're too tight in the toe. I almost want to ask the skate shop to pay for a new pair of skates, since this is (probably) their fault.

Right now, my toes are too bruised from the previous attempts to wear the skates, so I can't tell if removing the Superfeet is enough of a difference. I plan to try again in the morning, once my feet have had a chance to recover from being squished.

[icedancer]

Orianna don't you live near Chicago?  I don't know exactly where this place is but I always figured if I was in the area I would go to this place:

http://www.shoprainbo.com/about/locations.cfm

Just a suggestion. 

You could try putting in a foot-shaped "insole" out of a piece of thin leather or even very very thin cardboard - I think there are a lot of people on this list that can help with that IIRC from many old threads about insoles.

I have used Dr. Sholls thin insoles when I needed a little extra over the thin leather that is the insole in my skates.

[jjane45]

Everyone goes to Rainbo in Chicago area if not half of Midwest!

[Orianna2000]

No, Chicago is something like ten hours away. We live near Memphis, TN. There is nothing nearby. We didn't even have a skating rink until last autumn. It's why I had to fly to California to get fitted for the skates. I was there visiting family, but it was the only opportunity I had to get fitted.

[icedancer]

No, Chicago is something like ten hours away. We live near Memphis, TN. There is nothing nearby. We didn't even have a skating rink until last autumn. It's why I had to fly to California to get fitted for the skates. I was there visiting family, but it was the only opportunity I had to get fitted.

Oh, sorry.  I must have been confusing you with someone else.

Good luck with the skates.  I have never had to get customs but most of the time new skates present with some difficulties... I know that is probably not that helpful.

[icedancer]

You could always take the insoles out of your old skates and fit them into the new ones...

[aussieskater]

As far as bunions, bony ankles etc go, I don't know whether Harlick customs actually take account of these, or whether they just expect you to have those parts "punched out" when you get them?

Re the length issues - if the end of your toe/s is/are pushing against the inside toe of the boot, that to me would indicate a too-short boot.  However, you say that when you squeeze the boots at the sides, making the toe box taller, this markedly improves matters, so where is the boot actually hitting you?  The tip of the toe, or the top of the toenail, or the top front quarter (corner) of the toenail, or maybe all three?

There is an easy test for internal length, if your superfeet insoles fit your boots.  Do the insoles fit exactly inside the new boots (ie the insole lies flat on the sole and the edge of the insole exactly meets the edge of the upper)?  You can test this just by feeling around inside the boot with your finger.  If the insoles are an exact fit in the boots, take the insole out and simply stand on it, making sure your heel is accurately placed.  Test both feet.

Is the insole at least the same length as your foot, or is it shorter?  If shorter, then I'm going to say that either the measurements were off, or the boots were not made to the measurements.  Whichever, I'm not sure that a too-short boot is recoverable; they will probably need to be remade, but that should not be at your expense.
  
I'm sorry you're having these problems, especially since you were so looking forward to these boots.  I hope they are OK and can be made comfortable for you.

[Sk8tmum]

As far as bunions, bony ankles etc go, I don't know whether Harlick customs actually take account of these, or whether they just expect you to have those parts "punched out" when you get them?

Yes, they do; our fitter put notes and little markings on the drawings that went to Harlick re: a couple of bony protusions on the feet, the ankle bone issue, and where there is some scar tissue from badly fitting skates from years ago.  All of these were accomodated.

Honestly, we've had 5 pairs of custom skates made over the years, some Klings now Harlicks.  We've never had to have them heat molded, punched, stretched, or anything.  And this is a kid whose feet are so weird and have some many bumps and things that stock skates are not an option (those had to be punched, stretched, et etc etc and never fit).  Every time, the fitter measured every single aspect of the foot, including depth over the toe box, ankle size, everything.  Don Klingbeil made careful note of every oddity, so did the local fitters.  I'm starting to think that I've been seriously blessed with the fitters we use ... although let's face it, you can't get better than Don K. 

Much as you hate to do it, I would contact USA Skates again. They didn't do everything you want, and they took your moneyfor a rush service and didn't provide it.  Don't talk to the fitter: talk to whoever his boss is. Or, if your coach is amenable, get the coach to call. I've discovered that fitters, etc, get antsy when a coach calls as they figure that coaches are the source of business

[Orianna2000]

You could always take the insoles out of your old skates and fit them into the new ones...

Unfortunately not. My old skates are much narrower, for one. They're also at least a half size longer. I tried putting the insoles into my new skates and they bunched up and didn't fit well at all. Even if I trimmed them down, they'd still be too narrow. And then I wouldn't be able to sell my old skates (which are actually still pretty new). It was a good thought, though.

As far as bunions, bony ankles etc go, I don't know whether Harlick customs actually take account of these, or whether they just expect you to have those parts "punched out" when you get them?

No, they take bunions into account. He traced around my foot, and then placed an X on the drawing at each bunion.

Re the length issues - if the end of your toe/s is/are pushing against the inside toe of the boot, that to me would indicate a too-short boot.  However, you say that when you squeeze the boots at the sides, making the toe box taller, this markedly improves matters, so where is the boot actually hitting you?  The tip of the toe, or the top of the toenail, or the top front quarter (corner) of the toenail, or maybe all three?

It's really hard to tell, honestly. The pain radiates, so it's difficult to say where, exactly, it's coming from.

There is an easy test for internal length, if your superfeet insoles fit your boots.  Do the insoles fit exactly inside the new boots (ie the insole lies flat on the sole and the edge of the insole exactly meets the edge of the upper)?  You can test this just by feeling around inside the boot with your finger.  If the insoles are an exact fit in the boots, take the insole out and simply stand on it, making sure your heel is accurately placed.  Test both feet.

Is the insole at least the same length as your foot, or is it shorter?  If shorter, then I'm going to say that either the measurements were off, or the boots were not made to the measurements.  Whichever, I'm not sure that a too-short boot is recoverable; they will probably need to be remade, but that should not be at your expense.

 
I didn't feel the insoles before they were removed, and it was such a pain to get them out that I'm not going to try replacing them just yet, but my husband said they felt like they fit pretty well inside the boot. I stood on them and took a photo.



As you can see, they seem to be too long! But they are also too narrow. Not sure what that means, but I strongly suspect that 95% of the problem is a too-shallow toe box. Can this be stretched vertically? Can I do this myself by sticking something down into the toe? Or do I need to take them to a skate tech to be stretched? I don't think we need the length messed with, just the height of the toe.

Much as you hate to do it, I would contact USA Skates again. They didn't do everything you want, and they took your moneyfor a rush service and didn't provide it.  Don't talk to the fitter: talk to whoever his boss is. Or, if your coach is amenable, get the coach to call. I've discovered that fitters, etc, get antsy when a coach calls as they figure that coaches are the source of business

Frankly, would they care, since my coach is in Tennessee and the shop is in California? Not much business to be lost, considering. I'd much rather deal with Harlick. They're on the ball. They took care of the matter immediately, got my skates shipped in 10 minutes, when I'd been trying for weeks. And they're the ones who guarantee their work. The skate shop clearly says, "NO refunds on custom skates!" So I don't think they'd be able to help much.

Update!
I trimmed my toenails a second time, and tried the skates on without the insoles. And they fit! This is me jumping up and down with glee. There is some bruising happening to the bunion on my pinkie toe, but I'm confident it will improve as the skates break in. And it's not horrendous pain, just uncomfortable, which I can deal with. So now we just need to get them broken in and we'll be all set! I'll have to keep my nails trimmed shorter than I like, risking ingrown nails, but I'd rather do that than have skates that were THAT painful. My gosh, it was horrible. You have no idea how relieved I am that we solved the problem.

I tried putting the insoles back in after I clipped my toenails, but they're just too thick. The pain is unbearable with them in place. And interestingly, I fell to the inside edges just as much with the insoles as I did without them. I do think the skates are more comfortable with them, because they offer some arch support. But the toe pain is simply not tolerable. So out the insoles go--unless we can find a way to stretch the toes vertically. I'm really annoyed with the skate shop for not having Harlick compensate for the insoles!

Now I'll have to figure out something to use in place of the insoles, because I believe skating without them will introduce sweat and bacteria directly to the sole of the boot, which will cause it to break down faster, right? But whatever I choose will have to be THIN. Perhaps a layer of suede or fine leather, trimmed to fit. They'll undoubtedly come out every time I remove the boots, but if they'll prolong the life of the skates, I'll deal with that. Would faux poly-suede work, do you think? I have some leftover from a pair of spats I was making. It's polyester, so not real absorbent, but then, how absorbent is real suede? (I've no idea.) I can find real suede, but it will be expensive.

[Skittl1321]

Once you get them broken in, I bet you can get your toe nails back to their normal length...  The leather will mold better to your feet.

Glad they don't hurt so bad- and hope they work for you.

Not sure what to say about the insoles, as long as you don't skate barefoot (I do), you're probably okay without them.

[Sk8tmum]

Call Harlick and ask them to send you a pair of insoles. They do sell them; and, with all of the problems you've had, explaining to them that "somehow" the skates that were supposed to fit the insoles that your fitter had fitted them for don't fit ... they might be sympathetic.

[irenar5]

I would let Harlick deal with the USA skates.  Call Harlick and explain the situation.  Tell them that it appears the skates were not produced with the allowance for  the  custom Superfeet insoles (even though you were fitted with them before the skates were made).  Ask them what to do, how can they help you solve this issue.

I think Harlick will help you, since they are already aware of the situation with the USA skates not being responsive.

I had my Harlicks made with their original insoles (just a thin leather piece).  It was very uncomfortable, so Harlick made me poron insoles, which were more comfortable.  In the end I went with custom Superfeet, which fit into the boot snugly, but not uncomfortably.  My Superfeet were done after the boots were made.   Perhaps, you can thin out the Superfeet insole gradually from the the ball toward the toe?  Maybe a shoe store would do it for you?

[icedancer]

Maybe a shoe store would do it for you?

Or a good cobbler - you must have one around there somewhere!!

[sarahspins]

FWIW, I'm not always convinced that width can 100% be judged by the insole... my feet go WAY over the sides of the insoles on my jacksons but my feet feel just fine in my boots.

Anyways, you mention your Harlicks don't have insoles - do you see stitching along the edges of the inside bottom or a smooth leather lining?  If you see smooth leather then that is Harlick's standard "sock liner" insole, and you can skate with nothing more than that if you want... not all stock insoles are thick like Jackson's are.  You really don't need to add anything unless you can clearly see stitching.

SP Teri's come with a "sock liner" of sorts that is simply a thin piece of vinyl and what I will assume to be spray adhesive.. it stays in place well enough, but it can be peeled out if needed.  If you make your own I would get that type of material - you can get it at any fabric store in the upholstery section.

You mention that you tend to get ingrown toenails.. as long as you don't trim the "sides" of your nail super short you should be fine keeping them trimmed short, and with skates the part that needs to be shortest is in the middle.  I tend to notice my nails getting long when I wear holes in my tights over my big toe nail.. if I wait until it hurts they've gotten WAY too long

[aussieskater]

FWIW, I'm not always convinced that width can 100% be judged by the insole... my feet go WAY over the sides of the insoles on my jacksons but my feet feel just fine in my boots.

I agree with you sarahspins - my feet do the same!  But I do think standing on them is a good and easy test for internal length.  Looking at Orianna's foot, I don't think her boot is too short; the toe box is just not quite the right shape on the big toe side.   When Orianna contacts Harlick, she should send them a copy of that photo - it clearly shows the problem area.

My foot is pretty much the same shape as Orianna's, except for a much longer 2nd toe, and I know I had to punch out the corner of the big toe to accommodate my big toe and toenail.  It was difficult to get the punch down that far, and had to be done more than once to make the punch-out "stick", but it was absolutely worth the effort.  I also punched out the ball at the bunion spot - I swear the boots went from an E to an F at that single point!  I don't have Harlicks, though.

You mention that you tend to get ingrown toenails.. as long as you don't trim the "sides" of your nail super short you should be fine keeping them trimmed short, and with skates the part that needs to be shortest is in the middle.

Looking at Orianna's photo, I suspect the boots are actually pressing on the corner of her big toenail.  I'd be getting more room made in the boot at that spot, though, rather than cutting into the corrner of the toenail - as you say, that's a recipe for ingrown toenails!

[Orianna2000]

Call Harlick and ask them to send you a pair of insoles. They do sell them; and, with all of the problems you've had, explaining to them that "somehow" the skates that were supposed to fit the insoles that your fitter had fitted them for don't fit ... they might be sympathetic.

That's what I was thinking I would do. I'll shoot them an email tomorrow and see what they say.

My Superfeet were done after the boots were made.   Perhaps, you can thin out the Superfeet insole gradually from the the ball toward the toe?  Maybe a shoe store would do it for you?

We were wondering if that could be done. You think maybe a shoe repair store could do it? I'll see what Harlick says, perhaps they'll know of some options, too.

Anyways, you mention your Harlicks don't have insoles - do you see stitching along the edges of the inside bottom or a smooth leather lining?  If you see smooth leather then that is Harlick's standard "sock liner" insole, and you can skate with nothing more than that if you want... not all stock insoles are thick like Jackson's are.  You really don't need to add anything unless you can clearly see stitching.

No, it's definitely not a liner. There is stitching and it looks like wood.

We went to the rink tonight for about an hour. Gosh, after not skating for three months I am sadly out of shape! I was aching and sore after just a few minutes of stroking and swizzles. I can definitely feel the toe when I skate. It's not exactly painful, but it's not really comfortable, either. I'm hoping it will mold to my foot given time, but we'll see. My arches started to ache a little, after a few circuits of the rink. I can't tell if it's because of the lack of arch support, or perhaps my foot is too wide and overlapping the arch support like on my Classiques, or perhaps it's just a normal adjustment to the new skates. I really can't tell at this point. It was definitely worse on the right foot. Everything is worse on the right foot!

One thing that bothered me was that I could not scrape my blades sideways at all. I couldn't do a snowplow, I couldn't do half-swizzle pumps. Anything that required diagonal motion simply didn't work. It was quite unnerving. I think the blades were either too sharp, or have a too deep ROH. Hopefully it will improve with time.

I'll definitely contact Harlick tomorrow and see what they have to say. I don't want to start breaking in the boots without the insoles if there's something that can be done so I can wear them, after all. But I really don't want to have to ship the skates back to them, either. Especially when all they have is my word to go on that it's too shallow/short/whatever in the toe box.

[supra]

My Edeas came with like, "real" insoles, like the kind you'd get in a shoe. My Jacksons came with like, insoles as thick as like a few sheets of construction paper. To a point, I think you'd not want too thick of an insole, as if it's too thick, it'd inhibit feedback with your foot and the ice. And yes, as you're talking about, insoles you can pretty much use to move up half a size or so in footwear, as you're creating less space by filling some of the volume with insole.

[Orianna2000]

Heard back from Harlick this afternoon. She said no note was given that said Superfeet would be used with the skates. Had they known, they would have sanded the toe area down to make room for the insoles. She also said that a pair of leather sockliners were included with the skates, and since I didn't receive them, I should ask USASkates if they still have them. If they've thrown them out, I can buy a new pair for $10 from Harlick.

They can "relast" (stretch) the toe box as needed, if I send the skates back to them. Presumably, they could also sand the sole down, to make room for the Superfeet insoles, since they typically do that if they know you're going to use the insoles. She didn't say how long it would take for them to make the adjustments. Anybody have experience with that?

I have to decide now whether I want to just skate in them without the insoles, or whether I want to ship them back to Harlick, at my own expense, and have them make adjustments. If I send them back, I need to decide what, exactly, to ask them to do. Sand the toes down? Stretch the boot vertically? Horizontally? It does still hit my toes when I skate, even without the insoles, but I don't know how much of that is "normal" and will go away as the boots break in. I probably should skate in them once more before deciding.

I also noticed that my feet fell asleep rather quickly when I went skating the other night. Did I lace them too tight, perhaps? How tight is too tight? I used my skating hook to get a nice, firm lacing, but perhaps I laced them too snug.

[hopskipjump]

I would call USA skates as much as you don't want to...  Let them know you spoke with Harlick and they did not get the correct order (you called and verified) and how will they fix this situation.  No returns on custom skates means no returns on the skates you ordered.  You ordered skates with them to use superfeet.  It needs to be fixed.

[Orianna2000]

Update
I got a phone call from Harlick today. We discussed the issues I'm having and they're going to fix them. They're going to add wedges to the inside of the heels to correct my pronation. In addition to the wedges, they're going to stretch the toe box vertically to add room for the Superfeet, and they're going to stretch them a half size longer, so that my toes won't bump the ends. They're going to stretch a small section on the side, as well, so that it won't bruise my pinkie toe.

I'm going to start working on a letter to send USASkates to complain. There's nothing they can do to correct the problem--right now the ball is in Harlick's court--but if Harlick charges me for the wedges, I'm going to ask to be reimbursed for that, because USASkates sold me the Superfeet saying they were all the correction I needed. Come to find out, Superfeet inserts do NOT correct pronation, all they do is add arch support (according to the Harlick rep). I would also like to be reimbursed for the expedited production fee. On the phone, they told me this was half of the normal production time, whatever that normally would be, so if they took 10 weeks, I'd get them in 5, if they took 18 weeks, I'd get them in 9. But my receipt specifically said 5-6 weeks. Period. It didn't say "half of regular production time," it just said 5-6 weeks and it took them much longer than that. Plus the whole business with them taking a MONTH to ship me the skates after they'd received them from Harlick was utterly ridiculous.

I can't call and complain, because I'm no good at discussing things on the phone or in person. I can't think up logical arguments on the spot. I also get highly emotional, which isn't good. And I forget vital details. But if I can write a letter, I can lay out all my points in a calm, reasonable manner. Hopefully it will do the trick.

[sarahspins]

Plus the whole business with them taking a MONTH to ship me the skates after they'd received them from Harlick was utterly ridiculous.

No kidding, they'd be refunding the expedite fee for that alone if I were in your position.. because it's absolutely inexcusable.  Harlick's production time is out of their control, but how long they did nothing with your skates once they had them is something different and there is no reason they needed to keep them so long.  They outright lied to you more than once that they had shipped them or that they would be shipped, and yet they weren't until you contacted Harlick, at which point it seems they shipped them overnight (am I correct there?)... clearly they realized they messed up by then.

Anyways, I am glad to hear that Harlick has some possibilities for you, and hopefully they will get your boots back to you exactly how you need them