high heels | WOM-derful

It’s time for another Influenster VoxBox, and once again Influenster has gone above and beyond with their “Something Blue” Box. Included in the “Something Blue” #IDOVoxBox, was the Dr. Scholl’s Ball of Foot cushions. The cushions help prevent ball of foot pain that many times is associated with the heels us girls love to wear. I, too, am victim of this pain and suffering, so I was looking forward to experiencing some relief.

The cushions prevent toe crunch, so your tootsies will stay in place and are made with Dr. Scholl’s patent FabuStep gel. The gel allows you to feel comfort but also aids by keeping your foot in place…..think of it as a coaster for your foot. I like the design of the cushion, as it’s slim enough to be worn with comfort in pretty much any pair of short heel shoes to the highest heels. What I love too, is there is no adhesive or “stick-ums” left behind in the shoe. You can use the cushions by easily removing them and placing them in another pair, so I like that re-usability option.

How do they feel?

I started with a pair of heels I own that I must admit made me wish shoes came in 1/4 size increments. They are 6.5 but the 7 was too big and the size 6 was tight. The heel of the shoe is also wide so my foot tends to sometimes pop up when I wear them. I’m fine after I have the heels on for 30 minutes or so because my foot will settle and expand that I then no longer pop out, but as cute as these heels are, they hurt. They are open toe so my toes will show evidence to all if I am pushing them toesies forward. I put the cushions in and peeled the backs that have what I would describe as anti-skid technology. Keeps the insert in place but does not have adhesive that would leave residue behind. I notice the cushion has a texture so comfort is definitely visible and even though it’s slim, the product has a nice amount of bounce you usually find with gel made products.

In my foot goes and the verdict?

Thirty-minutes later and I never popped out once and my foot remained in place the entire time. The test comes later as I continued to wear my shoes and do my everyday activities and I can say that this is the answer I was looking for when it comes to the shoes that are super cute but not super comfy. My foot still had some soreness as these are higher than my usual heels but not that deep pain that lingers even when you are out of the heel. I can get use to this nice feeling and being in comfortable shoes really betters your mood……so here I come happy feet 🙂

Tip: The back of the inserts have a peel, which I kept. After use I add the peel back so I can store the cushion for later use. The back part has zero adhesive but because gel products can sometimes be easier when it comes to dust clinging, saving the back prevents any of that from happening

Dr. Scholl’s products come with a satisfaction guarantee so I urge you to try these cushions as your feet will thank you. You can get more information at and don’t forget to print the $2.00 off coupon:
http://www.drscholls.com/Products/ForHerBallofFootCushions

I received the above product from Influester at no charge. I am not obligated in providing positive/favorable feedback, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product, which may differ from yours.

I am very fortunate in being able to have 95% positive experiences with companies, brands and most of their products. Very rare is the time where I receive a product that exhibits manufacture defects or was delivered to me is less than prime condition (aka:New). These companies want to flaunt with pride that their product is the best and this is why they send it to me so I can then echo the same, if I AGREE.

Well, I have my first real ugly Disagree! I love Influenster (www.Influenster.com) because they introduce me to great items that I would have not tried in the past just because I was unaware of their existence or had zero connections with them in the past, so I had no idea if they were good or bad. Being stuck in that unknown middle is not a nice place so I like when companies shake me and make me sway towards a Yay or a Nay!

I give Sole Society a Nay! It’s that clear, that black and white. I ordered a pair of Black leather heels using their code for $25 off, with tax making the total $38.01. I checked every source out there from on-line to brick and mortars and no genuine leather pair of pumps (that was pretty) was available for that price point. In my research, I noticed Sole Society is featured on Nordstorm’s site so that seemed like a good sign. I associate good quality and excellent service with that company. I did some googling and I find that Sole Society is pretty much a “spin off” from Hautelook, which again is another Nordstorm connection. I place my order for the heels they have named Cameron.

Well, Cameron was ordered on Sunday (1/06 after 10:00 PM) after I think I even tired myself debating it. I get a shipment notice with a tracking number, plus a delivery date of Tuesday, January 8th. Wha…? Now, that is QUICK service. UPS driver and his wonderful brown truck pulls up and I was online so my husband gets the package. He kindly opens it up and I hear from the kitchen, “Dang, this shoe box has seen better days”. My response, “seriously, how bad….I don’t keep shoe boxes so let me know how the heels are”. I hear some paper and then silence. Now, a few seconds passing when it comes to something like this seems like minutes so I just know he took TOO LONG to say something. I start speaking and I hear, “Babe, these shoes are used….but like REALLY USED”. I stop what I am doing and we meet half way. I will make it short and clear, these should have never been accepted as a return in that kind of shape and then resold. The girl that walked in these heels should stick to sneakers because not only are they scuffed on the sides and front, but on the back of one of the heels. Each heel has a sticker with what seems to be the model number (just a theory). Cameron is model number 7B/37 and on the right shoe, the sticker has been “walked off”. You have that sticky smear where the sticker came off and everything on the floor/ground stuck to it. It gets worse, one of the heels has the foot (rubber bottom) glued on crooked. Um, I know whoever abused these shoes and then had no shame to return did not do that, that is a manufacturer defect! The shoes have glue spillage where the upper joins the sole and there is an unknown stickiness to them in spots. I just convinced myself it was soda (don’t make me think about it). Nonetheless, the deep wrinkles in the leather from walking, the asphalt pits on the bottom of the heel, and all the damage pictured…..these shoes were accepted as a return and then RESOLD as brand-new to a new customer. I was buying shoes, not renting them! Not only is this not sanitary by any means but truly disgusting when I see two other post on Sole Society’s Facebook page with other clients getting the same and even worse than I did.

I am a “fix it” kind of person and it’s not my business where the shoe fell with Sole Society when it comes to returns. If it’s the return’s department obligation to check this……well, you know when employees are slackers! Thank goodness I did not purchase one of their “Final Sale” pairs because that is how their BOGO sale worked. The site states, Free Shipping and Free Returns” with no asterisk (*) but be advised that if you return a pair and want a REFUND to your credit card, well there is a re-stocking fee of $7.95. Now, you can always waive getting back the real money you used and opt for a Sole Society credit, and only then do you not get charged a restocking fee. I was not paying a restocking fee after I received used and dirty product, nor was I playing the back-in-forth game after seeing the manufacturer defects alone poor Cameron had.

I use their contact form and press enter to submit for it just to clear my text and not send anything. Don’t you love that? I remembered to highlight and hit “copy” before hitting the doom button, thankfully. I sent a direct e-mail and the following day, I received a response. The e-mail apologized for the “mutilated” shoes, (representative’s words…not mine). Great service and quickly tells me there would be no re-stocking fee. I get a UPS label e-mailed and on Friday, January 11th, my Husband makes the trek to drop off the box (I appreciate it). I get a notice from UPS that the shoes will be delivered on Monday, January 14th and then another notice when the shoes arrived at their facility. On Wednesday, January 16th, my credit card reflects a credit in full!

If Sole Society could bottle up their Customer Service and sell it in a shape of a shoe….I would support them 150%! As we stand at the moment, whoever is accepting and selling USED shoes has got to (with a cherry on top) GO! I don’t believe there is any malice from the company to do this because it is not smart business but it’s purely disgusting to have a person or people that would allow such things to happen when you then have Customer Service shining like this. A waste indeed! I wanted to like Sole Society and Cameron, but it seems we were not meant to be.