Good customer service is such a rarity these days, it’s worth mention when it does occur. I have very wide feet (9.5 EEEE). As a result, I tend to gravitate towards New Balance athletic shoes and Dunham casual and dress shoes (Dunham is now part of of New Balance). New Balance has not forsaken those of us with wide or narrow feet, unlike most shoe companies. They fit, are comfortable and stand up reasonably well to the abuse I give them. I’ve worn them for years with no problems.

What precipitated this wasn’t even a problem, per se. One of our cats decided that the end of the shoelaces on my pair of Dunham shoes were a new play toy and pretty much chewed off the aglets (okay, I confess, I didn’t know the tips of the shoe laces were called that until I checked Ian’s Shoelace Site). Easy come, easy go. Who knew the laces were so special? A search of all the local stores turned up zip for anything approaching the look of the OEM laces.

When all else fails, contact the manufacturer. I wasn’t expecting much, but given that the shoes were still in production, perhaps they’d sell me a pair or point me to where I could buy some online. I sent in an email to Dunham/New Balance through their web site and the next day I got an email back from New Balance Consumer Support: “New Balance is glad to send you replacement laces for your shoes. Anytime you would like free insoles or laces sent to you please contact us.” I called the toll-free number, gave them my information and the replacement laces are on the way.

Kudos to New Balance for excellent customer service!

BTW, for insoles I have become a big fan of SOLE heat moldable insoles in my Dunhams. They have made a huge difference in comfort when I do trade shows like SHOT Show and Outdoor Retailer were I have to be on my feet 12 or more hours a day for days at a stretch. Worth a try if you feet are aching at the end of the day.