Skate Buying Adventures

[aussieskater]

Good to know Harlick is doing what they can to make amends.  Are you going to be sending your boots directly to Harlick?

[Orianna2000]

Yes, the boots go directly to Harlick. I won't have any more contact with USASkates unless/until I write/call them to complain about their service.

[Orianna2000]

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.

They shipped the boots within 15 minutes of the email I sent Harlick. I don't remember for sure, but I believe you're right, that they were sent next-day-delivery. They had promised my name engraved on the soles, as well, which didn't happen. I think it's because "Harlick" is already written on the sole, but they could have sent a note saying, "Sorry, we couldn't add your name."

[Sk8tmum]

They shipped the boots within 15 minutes of the email I sent Harlick. I don't remember for sure, but I believe you're right, that they were sent next-day-delivery. They had promised my name engraved on the soles, as well, which didn't happen. I think it's because "Harlick" is already written on the sole, but they could have sent a note saying, "Sorry, we couldn't add your name."

My kid's skates have Harlick on them too, and Harlick offered to put a name on them. You can have both. Did you pay for the engraving?

[Orianna2000]

No, I didn't pay for the name engraving. They'd offered it for free, perhaps an attempt at placating me, since I had just hinted at wanting my expedited production fee refunded and he'd swiftly explained why it was "okay" that the skates had taken several weeks longer than I'd been promised.

I'm really glad I've documented the whole process here. I've got approximate dates of phone conversations, along with what promises were made, and the details of everything that happened, because I posted it here. Without all that, I wouldn't be able to write my complaint letter to USASkates.

[sarahspins]

I'm really glad I've documented the whole process here. I've got approximate dates of phone conversations, along with what promises were made, and the details of everything that happened, because I posted it here. Without all that, I wouldn't be able to write my complaint letter to USASkates.

I am glad too, because it definitely helps to document everything - and not only that, but it's public, and I would hope that USASkates would want to make this right.

[Query]

Has anyone else ordered things from USA Skates? What were your experiences?

[Orianna2000]

Just a quick update.

The skates are with Harlick now. They're going to add wedges to the heels to correct pronation, they're going to stretch the toes, and everything else I need to make them fit properly. I think part of the problem is how tall my big toes are, so I sent along photos of my toes with a ruler behind them, so they could see how tall they are. Maybe the boots just need to be stretched vertically, rather than lengthwise. At any rate, hopefully we'll get them back in a couple of weeks and everything will be peachy. (Here's hoping!)

[Orianna2000]

Update!

I got the skates back yesterday from Harlick. It's hard to say for sure without actually getting on the ice with them, but they seem to be a lot better. I can put them on without crying or wincing in pain, at least. My toes still touch the ends of the boots, but not painfully, and it may be resolved on-ice. In any case, it doesn't seem to hurt, so I'm not going to complain much.

A new problem cropped up, because my foot is now higher in the skate (because of the Superfeet insoles) there's a place that rubs against my bunion. I'm going to try those bunion stick-on pads and see if that will cushion it while the skates break in. Hopefully the problem will go away as the leather stretches with use. If not, I'll have to drive five hours and get them stretched.

I'm cautiously optimistic that the fixes Harlick did will work. Hopefully I can try them out at the rink soon.

[sampaguita]

Good luck on your new skates! I hope they work well for you, after all the trouble you've been through to get them...

[Orianna2000]

Just wanted to add . . . USASkates promised to sharpen my skates for me before shipping them off, because we have no one locally who can do that. Well, I was having trouble skating on them, I couldn't do a snowplow to save my life, and they just felt "off." So we drove three hours to the nearest rink with a decent sharpener, he took one look and said, "These have never been sharpened. They're straight from the factory."

Oh, I'm so furious right now. If they didn't want to take the 20 minutes to sharpen them, they ought to have just said so.

On the bright side, I'm looking forward to skating on them tomorrow, now that they're actually sharpened! 

[Query]

he took one look and said, "These have never been sharpened. They're straight from the factory."

How would a bad sharpening at the factory be perceptibly different from a bad sharpening at the shop?

[Orianna2000]

How would a bad sharpening at the factory be perceptibly different from a bad sharpening at the shop?

It's my understanding that a so-called "factory sharpening" isn't a sharpening at all. The guy who did my skates said something about the curve of the blade being entirely different from how it is once you've sharpened them. The edges were dull, as well. You're not meant to skate on blades that only have a factory sharpening.

[hopskipjump]

Did you have sharpening on your receipt?

[Orianna2000]

Did you have sharpening on your receipt?

No, it was something I'd requested over the phone, after everything had already been paid for. I called and asked if they could sharpen them before they shipped them, since we haven't a local sharpener. They agreed, so I was expecting a bill. The skates arrived, no bill, so I assumed they'd done it gratis, as a token attempt to make up for taking so long to ship the skates to me. I don't know whether they just forgot, or overlooked it, or whether they were in too much of a hurry after Harlick yelled at them to get my skates shipped, or what.

I'm not angry anymore. I'm so tired of the whole mess, I just don't care anymore. 

[sampaguita]

Have you tried your sharpened skates? How were they?

[Orianna2000]

I did get to try the sharpened skates. They work great--I can stop, yay! The only problem now is the bunion pain, which I just bought a gel pad for. Hopefully that will do the trick and everything will be okay. I am noticing that my feet just ache in general while I'm skating, but I'm guessing that's either because I haven't skated regularly since last April, so the muscles need to be strengthened, or if it's because the boots still need to be broken in. Either way, I'm hopeful it will pass soon. I just want to skate! I don't want all this drama.

[Query]

I don't think you can tell a bad sharpening job done at the shop from a bad one done at the factory.

But I assume Harlick would have done a careful job if they did sharpen the blades, so your pro is probably right.

BTW, my Ultima blades came with excellent factory edges were excellent, and the rocker profiles were very consistent. (I hated the rocker profile - but that is personal taste.)

[Orianna2000]

Just to clarify, it wasn't Harlick who promised to sharpen them, it was USASkates. I'm sure if Harlick had said they'd sharpen them, they would have come back sharpened.

My sharpener said the blades were good quality. Not quite the level of the skates themselves (obviously, since the custom Harlicks were close to $1,000 and I only paid $100 for the blades) but still good. My Mirage blades had one that was slightly defective, so he may have just been comparing the new blades to those when he said they were good quality.