Shoe Wiz

Worst place to repair shoes ever. I tried to get leather scuffs off a pair of $ 600 Hugo Boss shoes. They actually completely destroyed the leather. I had to take them to another place to get them repaired AGAIN. My credit card company thankfully let me get a chargeback from them… According to the agent they’ve been getting a lot of chargebacks lately so I didn’t even have to go through the full dispute process.

Throwing away my shoes would have saved me $ 42 and would been less frustrating. I should have read reviews before letting this place destroy my Kate spade heels.
I went in to get my heels repaired because the nail was showing. He recommended also adding a pad to the toe to prevent the leather from wearing out. The shoes were only worn about 5 times, so even though the price was high, I figured it was worth $ 42 if he was able to prevent wear and tear.
Picking them up was an awful experience. I handed the lady my ticket and she was instantly rude. they were filthy! She just blew some air on them and handed them to me. The leather on the heel was cut up, the plastic cap they put in the heel was chunky and there was a gap between the cap and the original leather. I pointed out the damage and she said, «what do you want me to do, that’s how they are!» She even tried to tell me that I brought them in with the tool marks.
Horrible serivice– over priced and the WORST quality of work I have ever seen. My shoes are in worse condition then when I brought them in. Basically, I paid to have someone hack up my nicest shoes.

Ran into this place, coming off of Bart on my way to work. And spoke with a young man that goes by Carlos, and i explain to him my heels had peel from walking into one them sewer holes. And the worst part was that my mother trying to help, she said she could fix it with Nail polish! Yea i know!!! Red Flags! Smh so i let her… And she ruin it… Not only they didnt do anything but made it worst and IT WAS A DIFFERENT COLOR!!! So i explain this to him, he kinda laugh at me… And told me to bring it in… So I did but this time it was days later and came across this lady. And i gave her the short version cause i had them in my hands so she saw and she said she can fix it… I told her i couldnt pick them up until Wednesday (Today) and they Fine… She charged me $ 20. Tbh i dont know how the prices are for shoe repairs so i cant really comment on that, anyway. I picked up my heels today and they look just like how i first bought them!! IM A HAPPY CAMPER!!! The ONLY thing i wouldve liked if they were open a little earlier so i wouldnt be cutting so close to get to work… Because i still have to rush off of Bart to go catch the Bus on Geary! So if they open earlier would be nice instead of waiting till 10:00. Thats it. But i have no complaints customer service was great!

I am heartbroken over the damage to my practically new $ 500 leather over-​the-​knee boots caused by «Shoe Wiz». My shoes were so new the price was still on tags on the sole. I purchased the boots from a boutique in the country of Cyprus and due to the fact that I spend most of the year living in Hawaii, then found them a little tight around the calf, I wore them perhaps twice. I kept meaning to have them stretched and finally got around to taking them in. I demonstrated that the shoe shaft fit everywhere except for one inch right below the knee where the zipper would not close. My leg width was measured and we even discussed how it would not be a good thing if they were over stretched as that would be hard if not impossible to undo. I picked up the boots about a month later as I had no time to return to the city. I didn’t look at them in the shop as again, I had no time, and decided I would come back if they were still too tight. Instead, at home, I immediately noticed one boot was much looser than the other and slouched down at least an inch more than the other, gathering around the ankle. Then in the daylight I could see the back panel was full of cracks in the «leather». Why had they stretched the whole back panel so much when only a one inch area was too tight by a mediocre degree? I emailed photos of the damaged leather a famous NYC cobbler to ask if they could help fix my shoes. They told me that it would not be worth taking the leather in because the leather in the back panel was too damaged. Basically, the shoes are ruined. I can’t even replace them as they are made by an Italian company that doesn’t even have a website and this style is no longer carried by their few US distributors. I tried to order other pairs of boots by the same designer from an East Coast distributor thinking maybe I could have the heels shortened. But I doubt it’s possible as the new styles are too high. How I regretted having trusted my perfect over the knee boots to Shoe Wiz. I went in to see She Wiz hoping they would help me. I wanted them to take responsibility for what they had done. Instead the gruff owner/​manager accused me of lying and said that I may have brought in the boots to them like that. He refused to compensate me for the loss so I could have them fixed and pointed out some wrinkles in the toe box as evidence that they have been worn and who knows where the damage came from (wrinkles in the toe box happen even when trying on new pairs of this designer in the store.) He then asked me why the back was damaged and not the front if it was from stretching… I guessed it was because it was a different type of leather. This turned into a yelling match with me leaving feeling robbed. I took the boots to Anthony’s she repair to ask got advice and they said that the problem was that the back panel wasn’t leather at all but «pleather» so no wonder it cracked. You can’t stretch plastic! It’s shocking he said that the other cobbler didn’t know that and know not to stretch it. Additionally when I visited to complain they probably did know that when they asked me why one side was damaged and one not… They fooled with the fact that it was obvious that I didn’t know the material. This experience made me never want to return to this heartless and ignorant business!

Beware, they treat all leather the same, which it shouldn’t, and ultimately damaged the shoe because of their lack of knowledge.

Brought a new pair of ash grey pumps for Shoe Wiz to polish the front tips. They charged me $ 20 to touch up. Pretty expensive for the minor scuffs but I thought ok, let’s just get it done.
They ended up painting the front part of the shoe. When I wore them the next day, only the painted part picked up dirt, and had crack marks! Looks worse than before the repair. Went back and the lady insisted I pay another $ 20 to have them repair it again (even though it was their paint job that caused the additional damage). She wanted me to pay for her to re-​do it again, which I did not want to do. On top of that, she was very rude and confrontational when I tried to explain the situation.
I normally pay for everything via credit card but paid cash this time. I would have disputed the charge otherwise! Complaining on BBB, but they are not accredited so probably won’t make a difference.

I was devastated when my favorite pair of Louboutin’s started to look a little worn. I took them in to have new heel covers put on the tips, and the gentlemen working suggested I have the worn part of the sole replaced with red rubber. I was a little hesitant, but I have heard you should do this and that also it keeps the bottoms red instead of getting that strange wear down after even one wear on the ball of the foot. 24 hours later they were ready for pick up — and look great! You can barely tell where the leather sole meets the rubber sole at the ball of the foot, and he cleaned them up quite nicely. $ 12 for heel tips, and $ 34 for the soles. Probably a tad overpriced, but hey it’s in the Fidi and convenient.

They lost a pair of my favorite shoes that I had paid to get resoled. This was in November — I called them 5 times and paid them a visit to request a refund of the service fee and see how they planned to reimburse me for the lost shoes, which were expensive. I was given the run-​around each time. After failing to hear back from them for 10 days after my fifth call, I’d had it. I called my credit card and disputed the resoling charge and I also reported the business to the Better Business Bureau.

I had seen this shop in the SF Centre in passing, and my first impression was good and friendly. The lady at the counter was personable as I asked her about the boots I was wearing at the time, and I decided right then to bring another pair of problem boots to her shop. I had tried to repair my rain boots with «shoe goo», and had ended up making the heels wildly uneven, so I asked her to have the heels evened up.
When I came back the next day, I got my shoes back, and the heels looked great! However, when I tried them on in the shop, the left boot still leaned inward, slightly turning my foot inward. I told the clerk that the left heel felt crooked. She insisted that the heels were even, so I tried them on again and stood on the tiles in the entrance of the shop. Still crooked. I presented the boots to her, and she proceeded to lecture me on the work of the heel, measuring the height of both boot heels and insisting that nothing was wrong with the work.
When I showed her that the outside edge of the heel looked as if it were a little higher than the inside edge, she then said «Maybe something’s wrong with the inner sole.»
«There’s nothing wrong with the inner sole. The sole is fine; I still feel that I’m leaning on the left heel.»
«Maybe something’s wrong with your foot, then.»
Wrong answer!
To humor her, I showed her my current shoe, to show her the wear pattern of my heel. I’m pretty sure she didn’t care, as she was more concerned with defending her repair people’s work than helping to solve a problem. I was very frustrated when I left.
I really wanted to like this location. Another customer that the clerk serviced expressed deep satisfaction with the work on the men’s shoes she had brought in for repair. Also, the aesthetic work on my boots are good; it’s obvious the men in the back take great pride in their work.
I just wish I had had a more positive experience. I recommend Shoe Wiz for the craftsmanship (thus, the 3 stars), but if something goes wrong, don’t expect to get any positive customer service or resolution.
(Honorable mention: I had accidentally left behind my iPad bag when I left in frustration. Luckily it was still there at the shop when I immediately ran back in a panic. Many thanks for the help. These ARE good people. I just didn’t have a good customer experience.)

Sad news. The lovely and capable couple who used to work there are no longer there. Their replacement is not wonderfui.
I brought in a pair of shoes that another shoe repair place had «coated» for me (without my permission) to make them more stain resistant. I don’t like the new color or the way they feel now — greyish and stiff as opposed to pale caramel and buttery soft. I wanted to know my options. Without saying anything, the new guy at Shoe Wiz wet a rag with some liquid from a bottle and started scrubbing one of the shoes. They turned an entirely new color. I was speechless. When I finally could speak again, I asked what he was doing. He told me that he was using some sort of dye remover, and that he planned to take all the coating off and then REDYE them. I don’t think so.
Another clue — the shelves behind the counter, which used to be filled with shoes that were being worked on, are now virtually empty.
Watch this spot — I have a lead on some other shoe repair people who sound promising and will report back as soon as I have news.

Cannot recommend enough! I have some great riding boots that got a bit worn this past winter, and was concerned about the faded color/​worn surface. I’ve never had a pair of shoes that I’ve been this concerned about, so I took it over to Shoe Wiz not really knowing what to ask for except a good clean and polish.
The woman at the counter started working on my boots as soon as I brought them in, and finished the job in under 5 minutes. They look completely new! And it only cost $ 8? (Not sure what constitutes a good deal, but it seemed like a total steal. They really know what they’re doing, and the service is fantastic and affordable – I can truly appreciate that here in the FiDi, land of the forever-​overpriced everything.

I will forever be grateful to Shoe Wiz for making me 2 matching leather buckles for my messenger-​bag style purse. Who knew it would be so hard to find someone who will work leather for you in this city? I was an idiot 2 years ago and lost one of the leather buckles on this bag that my mom passed down to me from my grandmother. I was heartbroken that I ruined it, and finally made a mission of hunting down a place that would create a matching pair for me. I asked (and got rejected from) 3 different shoe repair shops and 1 luggage store in the FiDi until I got pointed to this little shop in the Embarcadero center that might be able to help me out.
After listening to my story, the man and woman behind the counter were sympathetic and promised they’d do the best they could since they were limited in their machinery. At $ 75, they made me two matching buckles to return my little bag to working order. I expected to pay around the amount for the workmanship involved, and for two weeks waited with fingers crossed. I picked it up this afternoon, and was really impressed — you can barely tell they aren’t the original ones, they even found matching hardware. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Shoe Wiz!!! I can’t wait to use my purse again!

Highly recommended. Shoe Wiz restored two pairs of weary, Muni-​weathered dress shoes. The staff works quickly and charges surprisingly reasonable prices ($ 5 for shoe shining and cleaning, and masking small nicks).

I have been to several cobblers, but this was by far the best. I love it when I take in that beloved pair of shoes that is all run down, and they are returned good as new. It’s like having your brand new pair of shoes back again, but worn in, which is better than new.
THANK YOU!

FIxed my belt, fixed my shoes, saved me a TON of money. I wouldn’t go anywhere else (and it’s right below my office). Lucky me.

I came in and wasn’t sure what I wanted/​needed and left with satisfaction. That’s all it’s about isnt it?
A pair of loafers I liked was starting to wear in the heel, such that the air-​cushion inside popped. The shoe leather was in great condition, but the little hole in the air-​cushion was making squeaky noises, felt a little off, and just made life more difficult. My first instinct was to buy some shoe-​glue and cover it up with a few layers, hoping that It will last for another month or two while I waste my time finding replacements for the pair.
I told the guys at Shoe Wiz about my problem, and he says «let me replace the heel for you». .I looked at him bewildered as it’s not a regular replaceable heel, its a molded one with air pockets! He insisted that he can carefully cut it off and put a new one on in 20 min. The alternative was to put a flimsy little rubber band-​aid on it. I decided to give it a shot and let him work on the shoes I was wearing while i sit around in the store.
In 10 min, I had my shoes back with new and unworn heels, and you could not tell that they are replacements unless you closely inspect the shoe in your hands. Impressed that it could be done at all and so quickly, I was satisfied. No more need to find new favourite loafers.
The guys there are really nice, I watched a girl come in asking for a belt adjustment, and the owner did it for her in a minute. When she offered to pay, he refused the money and said «We do more than fix belts here, come in next time with your shoes!..» I thought it was a fresh take. Very ‘mom-​and-​pop’.
I do agree that the spray-​on black polish they applied is a little cheap-​feeling, and If these were $ 300+ shoes, I would be a lot more OCD about how careful the job is. Hence 4 stars. Thankfully my shoe collection fits into the «under $ 300» category, so I will be back.

Sole was coming off my shoe & Shoe Wiz came to the rescue!
Crisis set in as I realized I had to catch a plane in 2 hrs but I also needed my shoes fixed before I left — what’s a girl to do?!
Originally quoted 1 hr but after quickly seeing my disheartened face, he said… wait, can you wait? Can you give me 10 min?
Smile back in place!
Fixed in less than 10 min & I was outta there w/​perfect shoes once again…$ 10.
Can’t beat that!

I took a pair of boots in to get the soles replaced. 44 bucks was pretty pricey, even for downtown — the last pair I had replaced cost me 18.
That said, I wouldn’t have been too upset by the price if the rest of the service had been great. The guy told me he would polish and clean them for free, which is fine and dandy, but he only polished the toes which reverted back to their previous state about 4 wears later. Every other time I have gotten my soles replaced they have asked me what kind of sole I want and what kind of wear I expect. They didn’t and my $ 44 soles are already wearing down on the heel whereas heels I had replaced four years ago are wearing just fine.

After getting clowned on yesterday for my shoes being dirty I decided to take action. I walked down to the Embarcadero center and in 5 minutes they polished my shoes for $ 5. Great service and great deal. Will definitely be going back. You can even shop while you wait.

Shoes. Shoes. Oh My God, Shoes. Let’s Get Them!!!
5+ days a week I live in high heels — thanks to my office job. Actually, because I am short I would probably end up wearing shoes even if I didn’t have to dress up every day for work.
Anywhoo, there is nothing worse than wearing out the tip of your high heel and hearing the click click of the metal on the ground. Oh wait, yes there is — almost eating it when you slip on slick surfaces because the metal tip is slippery on slick ground.
I work nearby Shoe Wiz so it is extremely convenient. The employees are always extremely friendly and also offer great ‘shoe repair advice’ (aka shoe CPR). Not only is it inexpensive ($ 11 a tip), but also speedy (next day availability). I will continue to bring all my shoes here for some TLC!