Cobbler’s Bench Shoe Repair

I’ve gone to this shop several times. They do fine work, but I don’t trust them and I’ve decided I won’t go back. As a number of other reviewers have noted, they don’t have posted prices, so you just have to accept whatever number they spit out when you walk in the door. They also want to be paid in full before they even take your shoes, so you just have hope they do a good job. On top of all that, they initially refused to accept a valid Groupon that I had purchased for this specific location; they wouldn’t accept the Groupon on my smartphone, and instead made me come back with a printed version – and they wouldn’t start any work on my shoes until I did so.
All in all, I don’t think these guys do business in a trustworthy way, and I won’t be coming back.

I’ve been here twice for shoe repairs. Don’t get me wrong, they do great work, however, they are so overpriced it’s ridiculous. Unfortunately there aren’t that many other cobblers around which is probably why they can charge so much.
The first time I brought a pair of heels in to get the caps replaced and the front bottom reattached. Cost me $ 25, way more than any other cobbler who has replaced heel caps.
Second time I took a riding boot in, just one, to get a broken zipper replaced. It cost me $ 58 to get ONE zipper replaced. Absurd. The repair cost was almost not worth it in comparison to the cost of the boots.
They don’t list their prices anywhere so I’m sure they just make them up depending on the day. Again, they do good work but I need to find a more affordable cobbler.

NOPE NOPE NOPE. Can I give 0 stars?
I knew from the beginning that this place was overpriced, but it’s within walking distance from my office, so I was willing to pay a little extra for the convenience (plus, I’m sure renting a store front in Union Station isn’t cheap). I brought in a pair of heels to be re-​capped a few months ago, and they also re-​soled the shoes.- I’m pretty sure it was about $ 25. They got it done quickly and also cleaned up the boots. Not bad, right?
So I brought in a pair of boots because one boot had a zipper stuck and needed to be replaced. After telling them that yes, I understood the zipper might not exactly match the boot (brown is hard, I get it, plus the zipper is on the inside of the boot, so who will really see it?), they proceeded to quote me $ 50. Um, excuse me? For one zipper? I don’t think so. That was practically the price of the boots to begin with, and I told them as such. They knocked it down to $ 37. I agreed, and the work turned out fine.
So recently I was at a friend’s house, and her puppy chewed on a leather strap on my purse. I brought that in to be fixed, and agreed again that yes, I know the stitching and such won’t match perfectly, but they would do both sides of the purse to make sure they at least matched one another. It was scheduled for Tuesday but I couldn’t make it until Friday, so I went in and after looking at the work they had done, immediately asked for them to re-​do it. First of all, they didn’t even touch the other side as we had agreed– the man I was speaking with mysteriously had no recollection of promising to do both sides, nor did he write it down on the ticket. Possible miscommunication due to language barrier, but if he had at least shown me the ticket before I left when I dropped it off, I would have corrected it. Second, the side that they did do looked horrible. Bad stitching that didn’t even resemble the other side. The guy said he would re-​do that side, but since I previously only paid for one side, I had to cough up another $ 10 for him to do the other side as well. Since my only other options were to A) leave it as it was and deal with a semi-​ruined purse, or B) take it somewhere else only to have to pay all over again, I chose C) cough up the money and pray it looks better next time.
I am beyond annoyed with this business and will not be returning after this. A little surcharge for location, sure, but crappy work and a bad customer service attitude on top of it is not what I signed up for. I bought this purse in Europe and it is easily the most expensive purse I own– I realize that sounds incredibly bratty, but it’s the only purse I’ve ever splurged on and it was my keepsake from a study abroad experience, so I would really like to keep it nice. I was already pretty devastated that a puppy chewed on it, but then to have it look almost worse after getting it «repaired»? Nope, I’m done with this cobbler’s bench. I will be looking elsewhere in the city for any more repairs.

These guy’s quality of work is excellent. Had my boots dropped off to get the toe box widened and the heels cut in half. Boots feel excellent now that my heels are closer to the ground.
Only reason why I didn’t give them a 5 star rating is because they said that my boots would be ready on Monday but when I called just to make sure they said it wasn’t ready yet and to come back on Tuesday.
But when I called Tuesday morning they said out still wasn’t ready. I said ill be arriving after work around 6. They had them ready for me when I arrived.
if they had delivered and were proactive in the followup then I would have given them 5 stars. Other than that they were excellent in terms of the quality of the work and makeing my boots look great and feel great.

Be warned — this place is horrible. They deeply scratched a pair of my shoes when replacing the soles. It was the first thing I noticed when I picked up the shoes even though they tried to hide it with a sloppy shine job. When I raised the issue with the clerk he denied that they did anything and called me a liar. Never again!!! Disreputable and dishonest business!!!

Wouldn’t it be great to have a shoe repair outfit in Union Station? Too bad this one is the one. You will pay double what is normal. You will struggle with the Spanglish. You will have to return to pick up the men’s $ 300 cordovan shoes that they dyed bright red, and which never recover. The repair work to soles will come undone after less than a year. But it’s like a dysfunctional relationship: you keep going back because it’s convenient.

I’ve had my shoes resoled here multiple times. I don’t have any complaints about the quality of the work — it’s all pretty decent. But each time I’ve gone back, I have had to haggle with the employee for a reasonable price. At first they tried to charge me $ 100 for soles. When I balked at this price, he came down to $ 70. Nearly every time I’ve gone back, they try to overcharge based on what they think I might be willing to pay. Absolutely ridiculous.

Recently, I took my shoes to Cobblers Bench to get the sole and hells replaced. They were expensive to say the least. I received the shoes as promised. Withing two month my shoes were pulling away from the sole, from the heal to the front the leather was coming away from the sole. I took the shoes back to Cobblers bench, and explained the issue. Because the work was done two month ago, i did not have my receipt. There was no way way for them to pull up my name on when work was done. They look and agreed it was there work, but they said this was a new problem and not related to the previous sole, heel replacement.
I will NEVER you this store again.

I have entrusted many of my best shoes and heels to this store and I have always been pleased. Reviews suggest high prices, but it’s DC– prices are high everywhere. I recently required some heel and sole repair on a pair of my Frye boots. After a patient consultation, we agreed upon the best solution and I was able to pick my boots up 48 hours later. For quick jobs I can usually do same day service. Per customer service, I’ve always approached them with respect and appreciation for their craft, and they have returned that same respect to me.

I went in to get a pair of cowboy boots cleaned. They had caked-​on mud from the ankles down — nothing needed from the ankle up. I was quoted $ 67 to clean one pair of boots! I laughed because I thought it was a joke. I chewed them down to $ 47, which I still can’t believe I paid. Of course they tried to sell me other things (in barely recognizable English). I didn’t receive a call when they were done. I had to call and was told that they could not tell me anything because they were too busy. Once I got the boots back, they were clean. They were also a much darker brown that the other parts of the boot they didn’t touch and very stiff. Overall, I do not recommend. Go out of your way and find someone who won’t rip you off.
Pros: convenience of location.
Cons: terrible communication, way overpriced — especially if you’re a single female

I’ve used this place several times over the past couple of years, but no more. My advice is to totally go elsewhere, or if you insist coming here, keep a firm hand on your wallet and your eyes and ears wide open.
I stopped by here for a simple shoe repair that would probably involve 3 minutes, and the two characters there tried a classic up-​sell which was in no way helpful but pretty obvious to my eyes and ears, totally misleading with the simple aim to turn a simple order of less than $ 20 into a complicated repair of over $ 85. I walked out.
If these jokers thought they found an easy mark, they were wrong, and my first instinct was to post here. Go elsewhere, seriously. No question in mind they were not trying to be helpful; if I remotely thought that possible and I misconstrued their sales pitch, I’d give them the benefit of the doubt and not post here.
I’m posting here. Avoid. Totally convenient location, but they’ve totally lost my trust.

I dropped off a pair of brown leather men’s shoes to have the heel re-​soled. The guy working said they only had black, plastic soles on hand and if I wanted brown leather (who gets black soles on brown dress shoes?) I’d have to wait a week. Inconvenient but I agreed and asked them to shine the shoes as well, for all this they charged me $ 65.
One week later I return, hand the guy my ticket and he gives me my shoes. They have cheap brown plastic heels and they haven’t been shined. They actually looked worse than when I’d dropped them off. When I pointed out that they had used plastic, not leather and that they hadn’t even bothered to shine the shoes the guy told me that is not what I’d asked for. When I asked to see my claim ticket to show him what I had asked for he refused to give me the ticket. He said if I wanted to complain I would have to come back at 5pm and talk to Derrick, the manager. I said I would but I needed the ticket or a copy of it to show Derrick to explain the situation, again the guy refused. I don’t have the time to make multiple trips to Union Station during the work day to argue with the cobbler. I decided it was easier to throw away the shoes and never go back.
This place is a straight up scam. There are dozens of cobblers in the city that do quality work and more importantly have some business integrity. I am filing a complaint with the BBB as well. Stay away from this place!

Oscar is absolutely wonderful, and I have always gotten good quality work and crazy-​fast turnaround times at Cobbler’s Bench. I waited way too long to get the VERY worn-​down heels on my flat boots repaired, and was afraid they were beyond fixing. But Oscar the miracle worker managed to fix the heels and shined up the black leather like new! A steal at $ 25 considering that the boots cost $ 200 not 3 months ago.
I have also had my high-​heel caps replaced here on a couple of occasions. This place It is by no means the cheapest place I’ve found, but the quality of work, rapid turnaround, and convenient location make it totally worth it.
People seem to have had issues with bags in the past, and I can’t speak to that, but my handful of experiences here have all been excellent!

I sincerely wish I had looked at these poor ratings before bringing my $ 200 shoes here for a run-​of-​the-​mill repair (new insoles and repair a worn heel)
First, I was offered a better price elsewhere, the owner decided to match the price only as I was walking out of the store with my shoes.
Second, when I picked up my shoes, there was black paint (used to shine up the trim) all over the leather of my shoe near the base of the soles, a very poor job, I cant believe they gave them to me in this manner. I insisted that this was cleaned up.
Third, as I returned the black paint had been removed and my shoes several of shades darker (the markings hiding underneath the polish perhaps?) I give my shoes a closer examination and there was a new stain on the top of my shoe (several of tones darker then the rest of the shoe)! The shop keeper insisted that this stain would not come out. I had informed him that this stain was completely new to this shoe and after a-​lot of back-​and-​forth he agreed to attempt to fix their mistakes.
Fourth, 5 days have passed and I pick up my shoes — can they get possibly any darker? Yes. The stain even more so covered in a fake looking leather gloss. I expressed my concerns with the shop-​keeper who insisted to call me a liar, that I brought them in this condition (Seems as though this is common practice — see Nate O’s post). The man only offered to refund my money and letting me walk out of his shop with ruined leather shoes. I continued to insist that I be compensated something for having ruined my shoes — he then began citing his experiences in court and will only give me 10% of the value of my shoe (as they do in his numerous experiences in court) — of which, judging by this experience, is of no surprise to me.
On my last ditch efforts to recoup something for the loss of my $ 200 shoes I attempted to appeal to him as one man to another, that I have absolutely no intent to take him to court, but I felt sincerely wronged by his business — and it would not take much (but more then 10%) to right this wrong. He settled on a price that seemed fair to HIM.
Please, save your shoes and walk them to any other cobbler in town. You will thank me later.

BE CAREFUL! Perhaps this place can punch a hole in your bag, but that’s about it.
They ruin your leather:
I left a bag with them to attach a handle that had snapped of the metal hardware that connects it to the bag, and they returned it with the leather peeling and flaking away!
They have terrible customer service:
I spoke to Oscar several times about this problem, and he always promised to call me back but to no avail. After several weeks I finally spoke with someone else who told me that I had ruined my bag before giving it to them. So I’ve given up. They were also pretty rude in our conversation, explaining to me how I did the damage myself.
They might lose your things:
As he was looking for my bag, Oscar mentioned that they often have problems tracking items that they receive at Union Station but send elsewhere to be worked.

I had sworn off this place because of high prices and poor service before, but there was a living social deal so against my better judgement I decided to go back. Huge mistake.
I dropped off two pairs of shoes — one for a half-​sole replacement, one just for a polish. I presented my coupon on my phone and was told they need the printed out coupon, but I could just bring it when I dropped off the shoes and they would give me the cash back.
When I went to pick up the shoes, I was told (by the same person that had told me I could get my money refunded) that he couldn’t give me a refund and I’d need to talk to his boss about it. Of course, his boss wasn’t there, but he’d be there that evening.
When I went back that evening, I talked to the boss (Derrick) and he told me that he wouldn’t refund the money, that the coupon had to be presented at payment. Derrick then went on to complain about how it was a corporate decision to do the living social deal, and he wasn’t happy with it. I suspect I’m not the only person they’ve the only mislead about redeeming the coupon.
When I finally did get home and looked at my shoes, I realized that the half-​sole replacement they gave me was plastic when they had charged me for leather, and the shoes I dropped off for polishing were poorly done. At that point, I was done going there.
In addition to my problems, while I was there another woman spent a good twenty minutes trying to get them to reverse an incorrect charge. Apparently she had gotten over charged by $ 70, and had to make three trips back (and bring a bank statement!) to get the charge reversed.
It’s a super convenient location for people taking the metro, but they do terrible work and will do their best to scam you out of money.

I strongly do not recommend this business. They used to be good, but underwent a change in management a year or so ago, and have gone downhill sharply.
At the end of April I brought in a pair of heels to be re-​tipped, and a bag that needed two repairs. When I came back to pick them up (after the date they were supposed to be done), only one of the two repairs on the bag had been done, and done sloppily at that. The heels had been re-​tipped, but in doing the repair they had poked a hole in the shoe’s lining. They promised to do the bag repair they had forgotten, fix my shoes, and clean up the sloppily done repair.
When I returned a week or so later, the second bag repair was still not done, and the first repair was also untouched. The shoes had been somewhat fixed, so I just took them, being tired of waiting. They promised (again) that the bag would be fixed by the following week. When I returned, the second bag repair had finally been done, but the first repair was still a mess. I was so exasperated I just took it. They said that if I wanted to talk to a manager, I would need to return that afternoon.
Three trips to pick up my shoes and bag, and $ 53 later, and they are still in nearly as bad shape as when I brought them in. I am never returning here.

I gave them my shoes to dye for my wedding — they had them for three weeks. They announced what color they needed and handed me back my swatch, then ordered the wrong color dye and blamed me for not leaving said swatch. They even held onto them for four days before calling me and telling me how much it would be. It was ridiculous.
Seriously they had to dunk some shoes in some dye and let them dry. This is like the easiest part of shoe repair available, and it was far more complicated then getting my wedding dress altered. God forbid if I actually need to have my shoes fixed. I’d be walking barefoot down the aisle.

This place is very convenient to my work, but $ 11 for two itty-​bitty pieces of plastic for the end of my stilettos is outrageous. The three other shoe repair locations I’ve used in DC charge between $ 7 and $ 9.
Also, the hours are listed as 7:00am — 5:00pm — in huge bold lettering on their front window. Yet I went no less than 3 days in a row at 8:00am to pick up my shoes and no one was there. When I pointed out how inconvenient it was for me to go out of my way only to find out they’re all locked up when they’ve supposed to have been open for an hour, the clerk’s response was to tell me he’d be charging me $ 0.81 extra because I was paying with a debit card.
Awesome.
Only to be used in DIRE emergencies.

I finally got my bag back today after an official 23 days in hostage. Not b/​c they had the courtesy to call and give a heads up that it was ready, but b/​c I was at Union Station and thought I would try one more time to see if it was ready yet.
Rudy was there and gave the bag back to me. No apology or sorry for the inconvenience. In fact it was not even repaired correctly and the straps don’t match anymore! Only b/​c I demanded a refund, I got $ 12.50 back (I paid $ 25). I should have asked for a full refund but didn’t have the energy.
I left telling Rudy to convey the message to Alicia (the owner) that she had lost a customer and that everyone I had told would also not being doing business with them. I understand the location is very convenient and my voice may not matter much but I think over time if they continue running their store this way they will continue to lose people. I appreciate the platform Unilocal provides to express both positive and negative business practices. I feel better just writing about this.