This weird thing happens when you spend ridiculous amounts of money on shoes. Suddenly, smaller ridiculous amounts of money seem not so ridiculous. This is how I found myself buying a pair of Tieks again after being pretty unimpressed with the first pair about a year ago.
I’d seen coworkers with gold Tieks that looked really great with all sorts of outfits so I decided to order the Copperhead Snake pattern. But when they came in they just looked… dirty… and the smell of ink or glue was so intense it permeated an entire room.
So I exchanged them for the Romantic Blush color and that was much more along the lines of what I was looking for.
Romantic Blush is on the left, Copperhead snake on the right. Not the cutest look on-foot but I wanted to get the colors in natural lighting against my light colored Chinese camphor wood trunk.
Just like last time, I wore them around the house for at least a week and this time I even went a step further to add in soles to prevent any sign of wear.
Finally, after a week or so of careful in-house, in-sole wear, I decided they were keepers and wore them to work.
And they felt glorious.
The color, the fit, the form, they were everything the website promised. I wore them to work and the salon. Had one “outside” trip in Winter Park with them. Kept the in sole for added protection to the interior and also added moleskin to smooth out the toe bump. It was all good.
Til they broke about five days later.
I noticed myself tripping a little so I looked down and lo and behold, the tip of the toe that catches in the heel when you fold them had just…. broken off. And then the rubber sole thread came out and undone and the entire front started to rip off.
Now, I should say here that I hadn’t folded them up since I decided to keep them because I wanted them to lay mostly flat. I did plan to fold them up for travel though.
I called their famous customer support and left a voicemail. It was returned the next day. They said to take photos and email Customer Support.
So I emailed… two days later they said they were sorry and that I should send them in for repairs.
I had to travel for work and was so incredibly disappointed that a replacement pair wouldn’t be sent to allow me to travel two days later with them that Tieks Customer Service advised I just keep wearing them…. even though they were broken… and could sustain additional damage…
But whatever, I decided she couldn’t be too wrong so I took them to Knoxville for a work trip, wore them on the flight and about 40k steps around an office, hotel, and walks to dinner… and the OTHER SHOE BROKE EXACTLY LIKE THE FIRST.
At this point I concluded “Tieks are $265 handmade leather flats that break after a handful of wears because of the weak construction that is supposed to be their greatest advantage.”
So I responded to customer service to let them know I took their advice and now both shoes are busted. She said they would fix them and that was it.
I can’t begin to describe how disappointing this purchase was. I’m actually writing this in hopes that it will be as easy to find as all of those blogs that recommend Tieks. I could not discourage anyone more strongly.
I may have gotten a defective pair but I am 100% confident that my gait, where I wore them, or anything within my control did not contribute to Tieks breaking so quickly.
And the famed customer service? The girl I’ve been emailing is nice but I’ve honestly paid half this price for quality products that have been replaced when showing this kind of defect.
to;dr: Do not buy Tieks. They’re not worth t and their construction makes them prone to falling apart far, far too easily.
I have been wearing Tieks for a few years now and my experience has been quite the opposite. I have several from the classic and patent line and they have been my go to flat for over four years. Mine are holding up really well, although some of them have a scuff or two from my own lack of paying attention when stepping off a curb – still love them though and wear them just about everyday.
Hi and thanks for commenting! I’ve heard good things from coworkers as well which is why I took the plunge. I was really hoping these would help me travel with my Louboutins easier since I need to step in and out of those at events, and walking to / from in Tieks would be helpful.
That said, once I started asking around it turns out a few of my coworkers had similar issues. So many people I know have had to send a pair in for repair. One coworker even had to contact them via Facebook after a few days. I’m so glad you had a great experience and honestly, the shoe is as comfortable as advertised. I have to believe the pair I got was defective and am just disappointed in the response overall.
Have a great day!
THANK YOU for this post! The same thing happened to the pair of Tieks I purchased last month. I’ve worn them less than 10 times, so I’m extremely disappointed. Dealing with the customer service team now.
I have four pairs and loved my first two pairs. Then I bought two more pairs and they have been awful. Completely uncomfortable and smash my toes. My friend bought a pair of Lucky brand flats that are just as cute, but affordable. I feel so silly for wasting my money on them. Lesson learned.
Thank you for commenting! Maybe the newer Tieks break? Did they have anything in common like a certain pattern or leather type? I just can’t believe how hard it is to find information about broken, busted Tieks online. They have such a fan following but once you find one person who has had a bad experience, suddenly everyone comes clean.
I have to try those Lucky brand flats! I’ve heard amazing things about the value AND comfort from so many people!!
Thank you for commenting! I’m sorry your Tieks broke as well. Why is it so hard to find “real” reviews of Tieks? They must have one heck of a content marketing strategy and influencer outreach program to drown out those of us who have Tieks that break so quickly after purchase. 🙁
I’m glad you found me though and hope this helped!
I have found my cheap Walmart scrunched flats are just as good and I only paid $9.99 for them. I have drug them thru water and put them thru the grind and now going on a years wear and they are still going strong. I have never had Walmart shoes before, but now I will keep going back for these. Just as comfy as my Tieks
Thank you for your post. After much debate and several times talking myself out of the purchase, I bought my first pair of Tieks in August 2017. It’s July 2018 and the blue outsole has started to come apart from the brown sole. I took pictures and emailed customer service. I received a quick reply with advice to use adhesive to glue the outsole to the brown sole (the representative even included a link for the adhesive on Amazon) or consult a cobbler. I am disappointed, to be sure, but lesson learned. I have spent far less on flats and have had them last longer than one year. These Tieks did not even last 12 months and I paid $175 for the privilege. Maybe I’ll have better luck with Rothy’s.
Same exact thing happened to me. The tips of both toes broke within days then I had to pay shipping from London for the return. The same thing happened to the replacement immediately. Customer service acted surprised like they’d never heard of this and it felt like I was being accused of doing something wrong when it’s obviously a known design flaw. It’s a pity because I would have bought many more pairs — instead I’m stuck with $200 pair of crazy-glued shoes.
I have the same experience as Melody, I cannot believe that they would ask us to use adhesive to repair their shoe!!! If this is the case, why was it not adhered to by adhesive in the first place? I have 5 pairs and the older 4 pairs never had any issue so i believe there must be some quality issue with the leather sole used which got torn. I have recommended them to friends and colleagues and now I am telling them the quality has gone down and that they should not purchase. I am soooo unhappy with them!
This was a bucket list shoe for years. I finally broke down and bought a pair. after 4 wears the inside started peeling. Like the actually foot bed. Since I have had them over 30 days they will not send me a new pair. Complete waste of money.
I have 4 pairs of Tieks. 2 pairs are garbage and broke within 2 months of wear. Not what you would expect out of a pricey shoe like this.
Customer service is terrible. They told me to glue the insole back on! Frankly I spend good money not to have to use super glue on my shoes. I will no longer buy Tieks.
Wow! So glad I found your experience and the additional posts. Same thing has happened to my red ones. When first purchased them, the threading came out on one shoe, I called customer service and they suggested a cobbler and I said no, just paid $175 , I am not about to pay additional money. Customer service told me, the threading is only cosmetic, it really does not hold the shoe together. After much conversation, she said I could mail the shoe back and they would repair it, which I did. But now a year later, my toe sole tips are cracked off….so disappointed….I did order a second pair, before my sole tips cracked, but I am done….I need a pewter pair of flats and I will definitely be looking elsewhere.
The leather in mine separated and left a big gaping hole on the side of my shoe. I emailed and they told me to add mole Skin. It’s a huge hole. I’ve only had them a few months and only wore them a few times. I can’t believe how poorly they are made for the price. Never again
I have 3 pairs and ALL 3 pairs did this exact same thing. I called customer service and they said they had never heard of this happening and that they would replace them but only that 1 time. Got the new pair in and the same thing happened. Finally gave up on them because all of mine look like this now. 🙁
It’s kind of crazy when I was thinking about purchasing my Tieks I found nothing bad about them and so after MUCH deliberation I decided to purchase a pair in May of 2018, 9 months later and the sole was falling apart and they were showing a decent amount of wear. They had me send them back to have them fixed up, they’ve been gone 2 weeks. I’ll be interested to see what they look like when they come back but so far I have not been impressed. I will more than likely go back to my $20 Payless flats that I have to replace every 4 or so months, Tieks just don’t seem to be worth it.
My shoes did exactly the same thing! And they also stretched to the point that I am falling out of them. I hope I can get a refund!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. These comments have been incredibly informative. I bought my first pair of Tieks 4 years ago and loved them. They were amazing and lasted forever. When the time came to finally replace that pair I was incredibly disappointed. The new shoes sprung a hole and scuffed at the slightest provocation. It was night and day to the pair from 4 years ago and the pair I received recently. Customer service was friendly, but not nearly as helpful as they should be considering the price tag. I did ask if they had changed their production practice or if I had gotten a lemon of a pair, no response to that request- obviously. Sad to see they have gone south with their standards. It was such a cool shoe for a long time. 🙁
The same thing happened to mine. I’m very disappointed in the quality.
The exact same thing happened to mine, in the same place. I am working with customer service now. I am hoping they will at least send me the front sole so I can have it replaced locally.
I got my first pair this Friday and wore them for the First time this Monday… after taking them off at the end of the day, I noticed that the leather was peeling on both shoes… after contacting customer service they offered a repair… I’m not really sure how peeled leather can be repaired… they said something about conditioning the shoe and polishing it… they offered shipping for free… but I find this u acceptable for a shoe that is $200 that was only worn once! I am extremely heart broken as I really wanted to love these shoes…
This company is awful. No idea about the quality of the shoes, but the customer service team needs a major overhaul. Here is my issue:
Very disappointed with Tieks customer service team including Katie, Katie B., and Julia. They say they shipped my pair of Midnight Blue on November 29th. I have learned through Tieks and researching that what my tracking is showing is simply that a single piece of paper was scanned with multiple packages including mine. However, my package was never physically scanned. I finally convinced Katie B. to either refund me or replace the shoes on Friday, November 13th. She sent a replacement pair Friday via FedEx that I received Monday. They were too small and the texture on the right shoe was noticeably more pronounced than the left shoe. I put in a request to return. Emily L. let me know that when you received them back, you’d issue me a full refund. Katie and Katie B. are REFUSING to issue a refund stating that they cannot refund on limited edition replacement shoes which is a lie and not in their return policy. They insist on giving me a gift card which is essentially useless after my ordeal with their company. The post office called me after I put in a request to look for this package and let me know that tracking does not show them ever receiving it. Katie B. told me that Tieks has “internal” ways of seeing that my shoes really went out but that she can’t provide me with proof of that. So now, after all of this, Tieks is inconveniencing myself and their company because I will be filing a dispute which will ultimately end with me receiving my money back.
I want to thank you Ladies for sharing your experience with tieks. Since the Summer of 2019 I had been considering a pair, these reviews helped me a lot, I don’t think I will be purchasing Tieks.
My daughter gave me a pair of Tieks 2 years ago exactly like hers. We both wear them daily. Hers still look like new under the bottom, however one day this week I looked at the bottom of my shoes and the soles have cracked and crumbled . As of today , I can no longer wear mine. I am so disappointed
I want my soles repaired. Please inform me how to start this process.
Wow I just bought my first pair and now I’m wondering if I should return them- they’re so pretty! But not worth it if they fall apart obviously. Ugh. I guess I’ll look into those lucky brand ones.