VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[VegasHockey 1280]

19 minutes ago, ef9jeff said:

Hey for those that had a remake of their skate for whatever the reason, were you issued another order number or anything to monitor progress?  I have tried using the first one I was issued but nothing new on it.  Was just curious because I haven't heard anything from anyone and have been the one hounding with phone calls and emails and have only been told "we are remaking the skate".

You just need to email them for a status update. 

[smu 29]

Seem to be known for lack of communication as well as quality control. If you are calling and they are remaking it the process is usually quick and the do try to do the remakes ASAP! Take this from me as it is positively TRUE, I don’t know why there would be a hold up unkess the data is wrong.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

1 hour ago, smu said:

Seem to be known for lack of communication as well as quality control

Nonsense.

[jvincig01 13]

I had to have my first pair of skates remade because of the liner (LHS fault). True responded to my email in 24 hours. It took 2 weeks to have new skates made and they came back flawless via 2 day shipping. I also needed some small parts like an additional red footbed liner, and toe inserts ( i like my toes crammed in there), they responded within 24 hours and they paid to have the parts I needed shipped 2 days fedex to California. I agree with IPv, saying they are "known for poor communication" is complete "nonsense". 

Here is my worry about True.... We are ALL amateurs here. They are catering to an audience of novices. I don't care if you played juniors or been playing 100 years, we are not pro's or have ever been in the NHL. With that said, I believe we are all chasing what we *THINK* a custom pro-skate feels like but we really don't have the slightest clue as we were never pro's. I get they can make mistakes but lets be honest here and give them the credit they deserve, they make an incredible product backed by a hell of a warranty.

My worry is our nit-picky requests are mostly unwarranted and could ultimately strain their positive operation which hurts their business. Ok, boo on me, but I should let you know I am a damn star on my beer league team so I know best (kidding of course)!

[ef9jeff 0]

44 minutes ago, jvincig01 said:

Here is my worry about True.... We are ALL amateurs here. They are catering to an audience of novices. I don't care if you played juniors or been playing 100 years, we are not pro's or have ever been in the NHL. With that said, I believe we are all chasing what we *THINK* a custom pro-skate feels like but we really don't have the slightest clue as we were never pro's. I get they can make mistakes but lets be honest here and give them the credit they deserve, they make an incredible product backed by a hell of a warranty.

I want to agree with you on this one.

For my experience, I have had more communication with a kid I used to donate money to in Africa than I have had with true.  I have written them multiple times and have got single line answers from them shutting me out.  I don't want to be one of those pesky customers that call all the time and bitch all the time.  They are a professional company and should be given a chance to make a professional amends to the situation.  I guess I am on edge because of the last response I received from them indicating that my skates would be remade and that they will have to increase the holder size.. My left foot is larger than my right (by a hair) and the left foot fit fine (except the instep issue, damn it hurt) and my right foot couldn't fit the length as my big toe was jammed against the toe box (and the instep was also just as bad).  I asked why this needs to happen as I get the feeling that my skates will be another off the shelf skate that was molded to a last that is close to my foot but of a larger size and that they will add plugs to the boot.  Jebus I hope they don't do that, but lets see what comes of this, lots of horror stories on here and I hope like hell I am not one of them, if the past has proven anything to me from all my other custom made footwear, I have about a 50% chance of getting another dud..... RIP.

 

[jvincig01 13]

2 minutes ago, ef9jeff said:

I want to agree with you on this one.

For my experience, I have had more communication with a kid I used to donate money to in Africa than I have had with true.  I have written them multiple times and have got single line answers from them shutting me out.  I don't want to be one of those pesky customers that call all the time and bitch all the time.  They are a professional company and should be given a chance to make a professional amends to the situation.  I guess I am on edge because of the last response I received from them indicating that my skates would be remade and that they will have to increase the holder size.. My left foot is larger than my right (by a hair) and the left foot fit fine (except the instep issue, damn it hurt) and my right foot couldn't fit the length as my big toe was jammed against the toe box (and the instep was also just as bad).  I asked why this needs to happen as I get the feeling that my skates will be another off the shelf skate that was molded to a last that is close to my foot but of a larger size and that they will add plugs to the boot.  Jebus I hope they don't do that, but lets see what comes of this, lots of horror stories on here and I hope like hell I am not one of them, if the past has proven anything to me from all my other custom made footwear, I have about a 50% chance of getting another dud..... RIP.

 

I received a few one sentence replies but thats really all I needed or expected. Not that you are expecting a novel, but think about the amount of skates that are being made globally by these guys. I wrote what the issues were with my first skates in number format (listed like 4 things) and they fixed all of them. I kept it short and wasn't surprised they did either. Also, I never called, just emailed.

Regarding the holder size, trust their judgement, why would a professional skate maker not just throw on what you already had if it wasnt correct? Side note, most people have different sized feet? It could be that one big foot throws you into the next size? My right side is a little shorter than my left so I put one of the pads there and it was great. Just remember they are hockey skates and not ballet slippers (not trying to be a jerk). As for the instep, I have flat feet and know what you mean. I got used to it and like that they keep me from pronating. Tweak the insoles and try some different ones and you will be good.  

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Also keep in mind they aren't SUPPOSED to be communicating with the end customer. That's what retailers are for. So you should expect fairly terse answers. 

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

5 hours ago, jvincig01 said:

I had to have my first pair of skates remade because of the liner (LHS fault). True responded to my email in 24 hours. It took 2 weeks to have new skates made and they came back flawless via 2 day shipping. I also needed some small parts like an additional red footbed liner, and toe inserts ( i like my toes crammed in there), they responded within 24 hours and they paid to have the parts I needed shipped 2 days fedex to California. I agree with IPv, saying they are "known for poor communication" is complete "nonsense". 

Here is my worry about True.... We are ALL amateurs here. They are catering to an audience of novices. I don't care if you played juniors or been playing 100 years, we are not pro's or have ever been in the NHL. With that said, I believe we are all chasing what we *THINK* a custom pro-skate feels like but we really don't have the slightest clue as we were never pro's. I get they can make mistakes but lets be honest here and give them the credit they deserve, they make an incredible product backed by a hell of a warranty.

My worry is our nit-picky requests are mostly unwarranted and could ultimately strain their positive operation which hurts their business. Ok, boo on me, but I should let you know I am a damn star on my beer league team so I know best (kidding of course)!

On top of this, many people when they think of custom, they expect the product to be perfect on first delivery.  It happens all the time with all types of custom products.  Custom products, a vast majority of the time, come with imperfections that ultimately need tweaks/modifications.

57 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

Also keep in mind they aren't SUPPOSED to be communicating with the end customer. That's what retailers are for. So you should expect fairly terse answers. 

Very fine point.  Even then, True personally called me a few times to resolve my minor issues; in response to my e-mails.  True's customer service in my experience is top-notch.  Only other major hockey manufacturer that has come close to their level of service, in my experience, is CCM.  

[Sniper9 530]

7 hours ago, jvincig01 said:

I received a few one sentence replies but thats really all I needed or expected. Not that you are expecting a novel, but think about the amount of skates that are being made globally by these guys. I wrote what the issues were with my first skates in number format (listed like 4 things) and they fixed all of them. I kept it short and wasn't surprised they did either. Also, I never called, just emailed.

Regarding the holder size, trust their judgement, why would a professional skate maker not just throw on what you already had if it wasnt correct? Side note, most people have different sized feet? It could be that one big foot throws you into the next size? My right side is a little shorter than my left so I put one of the pads there and it was great. Just remember they are hockey skates and not ballet slippers (not trying to be a jerk). As for the instep, I have flat feet and know what you mean. I got used to it and like that they keep me from pronating. Tweak the insoles and try some different ones and you will be good.  

I guess you missed the part where he said his left is the bigger of the two feet and it was the right that was too small .. the left had a 263 holder... So why would they need to up the holder size to 272 when his left is the bigger foot and it was the one that was fine in length (with a 263 holder). 

His fear is what smu had received. ... A boot way too large with a bunch of toe plugs .. 

Flat feet is arch related. You're mistaken instep with arch. Two completely different things. 

Edited February 15, 2019 by Sniper9

[Vet88 674]

10 hours ago, jvincig01 said:

Regarding the holder size, trust their judgement, why would a professional skate maker not just throw on what you already had if it wasnt correct? 

Because they make mistakes, even after repeated attempts at remakes. He has every right to be concerned. What I don't get is why the customer is not more involved in the "remake" process, surely True want to get it right next time??? How hard would it be for True to tell you "we are going to do this, this and this, do you agree?" and the customer signs off on it. I'd rather have the remake take a little bit longer because of extra communication than have it done asap. But maybe that's just me showing my age and preferring to "do it once, do it right." Instead the remake disappears into a black hole and you just hope to god it comes out the other side ok. And to give True their credit, most of the time it does as long as the information they are receiving is correct AND correctly acted upon. But when it goes amiss you end up in situation like smu is in and its still not right after 3 attempts.

[adam14 182]

Once again though, your retailer should be doing all this. 

When I was in the shop I had one pair get sent back. I took down every detail of what the issues were and was lucky enough that the size of the skate allowed me to try it on to feel first hand what he was feeling to get a better idea. Obviously this wont always be the case.

From there I contacted True, explaining the issues, sent them pictures and discussed what the options were in terms of adjustments/having them remade. 

This info was directly translated to the customer and his dad (JR player from east coast, dad wasnt in town but was paying) and then discussed what we were trying, a rough timeline and an overall idea of where we were in the process. When I spoke with True I received a name to ask for that would be able to give me updates. I had updates for the customer about every 2 days until completion.

 

Anybody that is doing this on their own without a shops help, you're either doing it wrong or your shop isnt doing their part. Of course True doesn't want to deal with each customer on an individual basis. Our relationship and business was steady enough with them that they could update me with everything we had on order on a weekly basis so I could update our customers. 

 

Sorry for the vent. People on here seem extremely misconstrued on the process of getting these made and I think are not holding their LHS responsible for their poor customer service and or inexperience/laziness in the process.

[CigarScott 132]

I agree that the shop should be doing this for the customer but sometimes this is not practical. I, along with a lot of people, who live in hockey deserts have to travel far to get fitted for True (or other companies) custom skates. The closet fitter to me is about a seven hour drive and I ended up getting mine fitted at a shop that is about a 10 hour drive from me. A lot of people plan on getting fitted when on work trips or vacations to hockey areas so I, along with a lot of people can't just drive down the street to where they got fitted to show the issues to shop and have them work on their behalf. In my case, I would just email them info and pics and they just forward them up to Winnipeg since they can't add any additional info as they can't see me with the skates on in person. For myself, it's a lot easier for me just to email Rob than email the shop or True's customer service, who do give short, sometimes unhelpful responses.

Edited February 15, 2019 by CigarScott

[IPv6Freely 2093]

2 hours ago, CigarScott said:

For myself, it's a lot easier for me just to email Rob than email the shop or True's customer service, who do give short, sometimes unhelpful responses.

And that's totally fine. Rob went out of his way for me when I first got my VH back in the day, too (granted there was no LHS middle-man at that point). But expecting long detailed messages from their customer service is probably a bit of a stretch. Just use a bit of common sense, like it appears you are in your case. Some others aren't so much. 

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

2 hours ago, CigarScott said:

I agree that the shop should be doing this for the customer but sometimes this is not practical. I, along with a lot of people, who live in hockey deserts have to travel far to get fitted for True (or other companies) custom skates. The closet fitter to me is about a seven hour drive and I ended up getting mine fitted at a shop that is about a 10 hour drive from me. A lot of people plan on getting fitted when on work trips or vacations to hockey areas so I, along with a lot of people can't just drive down the street to where they got fitted to show the issues to shop and have them work on their behalf. In my case, I would just email them info and pics and they just forward them up to Winnipeg since they can't add any additional info as they can't see me with the skates on in person. For myself, it's a lot easier for me just to email Rob than email the shop or True's customer service, who do give short, sometimes unhelpful responses.

But isn't this an example of positive customer service from True?  They could just respond, "Sorry, but talk to your LHS where you were fitted.  Not our fault you live XXX hours away from them."  But they don't do that, and will still talk directly to the customer in many instances to help.

I know some other major hockey manufacturers who have told me "Sorry.  Can't help you on that.  You need to talk to where you bought it from."

Edited February 15, 2019 by shoot_the_goalie

[marka 526]

44 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

And that's totally fine. Rob went out of his way for me when I first got my VH back in the day, too (granted there was no LHS middle-man at that point). But expecting long detailed messages from their customer service is probably a bit of a stretch. Just use a bit of common sense, like it appears you are in your case. Some others aren't so much. 

Howdy,

Let's review.

* A customer gets his skates.  The skate for _his shorter foot_ isn't long enough.

* Skates are sent back to be remade.
* True contacts customer to say "Hey, we're going to have to increase the holder length".
* Customer (understandably) responds with "what?  how come?", because nothing he's asked for would seem to indicate that the holder size would need to be increased.

None of that is "expects long detailed messages".

At this point what I know about custom True skates is that of the two local guys I know that have bought them, one seems in love and the other is on his 3rd go-around of shipping them back to be fixed.  In terms of online experiences, the issues people are raising don't seem to be in the category of "fine tune the fit, like you'd expect" and are more in the category of "The skate was so jacked up that it needed to be completely remade".  If I were True, I would be concerned with my image.  There is absolutely no question that I would explore options other than True at this point, whereas a year or so ago that wasn't the case.

YMMV.

Mark

[IPv6Freely 2093]

1 minute ago, marka said:

Howdy,

Let's review.

* A customer gets his skates.  The skate for _his shorter foot_ isn't long enough.

* Skates are sent back to be remade.
* True contacts customer to say "Hey, we're going to have to increase the holder length".
* Customer (understandably) responds with "what?  how come?", because nothing he's asked for would seem to indicate that the holder size would need to be increased.

None of that is "expects long detailed messages".

At this point what I know about custom True skates is that of the two local guys I know that have bought them, one seems in love and the other is on his 3rd go-around of shipping them back to be fixed.  In terms of online experiences, the issues people are raising don't seem to be in the category of "fine tune the fit, like you'd expect" and are more in the category of "The skate was so jacked up that it needed to be completely remade".  If I were True, I would be concerned with my image.  There is absolutely no question that I would explore options other than True at this point, whereas a year or so ago that wasn't the case.

YMMV.

Mark

I think we're referring to different people. 

[Sniper9 530]

1 hour ago, marka said:

Howdy,

Let's review.

* A customer gets his skates.  The skate for _his shorter foot_ isn't long enough.

* Skates are sent back to be remade.
* True contacts customer to say "Hey, we're going to have to increase the holder length".
* Customer (understandably) responds with "what?  how come?", because nothing he's asked for would seem to indicate that the holder size would need to be increased.

None of that is "expects long detailed messages".

At this point what I know about custom True skates is that of the two local guys I know that have bought them, one seems in love and the other is on his 3rd go-around of shipping them back to be fixed.  In terms of online experiences, the issues people are raising don't seem to be in the category of "fine tune the fit, like you'd expect" and are more in the category of "The skate was so jacked up that it needed to be completely remade".  If I were True, I would be concerned with my image.  There is absolutely no question that I would explore options other than True at this point, whereas a year or so ago that wasn't the case.

YMMV.

Mark

And this is the reason I went on and tried the as1 skates and I'm getting rid of my trues. The as1s fit me better than the trues after a bit fine tuning certain areas with the heat gun. And cost me a fraction of the price. Ultimately, the trues are still a very solid skate and they will probably out last the ccms... But I'm not going to risk getting a poorly fitting pair of custom skates when I know now that retails fit me fine if not the same or better than my trues. 

[CigarScott 132]

2 hours ago, shoot_the_goalie said:

But isn't this an example of positive customer service from True?  They could just respond, "Sorry, but talk to your LHS where you were fitted.  Not our fault you live XXX hours away from them."  But they don't do that, and will still talk directly to the customer in many instances to help.

I know some other major hockey manufacturers who have told me "Sorry.  Can't help you on that.  You need to talk to where you bought it from."

I'm not complaining about True or their customer service; they go way above and beyond than any hockey equipment manufacturer that I've ever dealt with. I came to their defense regarding this. I ordered my first pair in July, got them remade in September, sent them back for adjustments in October and they're paying to ship them back next month for them to move one of my holders medially. I doubt anyone else would do that after all these months.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

1 hour ago, Sniper9 said:

And this is the reason I went on and tried the as1 skates and I'm getting rid of my trues. The as1s fit me better than the trues after a bit fine tuning certain areas with the heat gun. And cost me a fraction of the price. Ultimately, the trues are still a very solid skate and they will probably out last the ccms... But I'm not going to risk getting a poorly fitting pair of custom skates when I know now that retails fit me fine if not the same or better than my trues. 

Hey if a retail skate fits you, then have at it. 

[CigarScott 132]

1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:

Hey if a retail skate fits you, then have at it. 

With all of the high quality skates on the retail market, I'm not sure why anyone who can comfortably fit in a retail boot wouldn't just save the money, time, & trouble and go that route. If you have foot problems, ankle problems, size issues, etc. then I fully understand a regular beer leaguer (or really low beer leaguer, in my case) going custom.

[Sniper9 530]

1 hour ago, CigarScott said:

With all of the high quality skates on the retail market, I'm not sure why anyone who can comfortably fit in a retail boot wouldn't just save the money, time, & trouble and go that route. If you have foot problems, ankle problems, size issues, etc. then I fully understand a regular beer leaguer (or really low beer leaguer, in my case) going custom.

My right foot is 1/2 smaller but can be solved by using a 3mm foam insert at the toe and spot heating the heel/ lower ankle of the right skate and compressing it just slightly to get the same fit. 

I honestly went the true route just out of pure curiosity.  I was happy with it while I had it but it wasn't worth the money for me since retail skates fit me fine with the above mods, especially now with the horror stories (even if it is the minority, I rather not wait the few weeks to possibly be disappointed vs retail skates readily available on the spot). 

Looking back I should have just tried on the retail Bauer and CCM especially since it was 7 years since I ever tried any retail skate on prior to my purchase. Oh well you live and learn. 

[maximus91 7]

After reading 189 pages of this thread - it seems clear that who ever fits you makes a big difference and true needs a better tracking status website. 

It would be great to get info on your scan with stats about the skate you are getting... measurement of your foot (lengths and width) that scan picked up, expected holder size, boot weight..etc - all should be available online after the scan is received and updated based on progress of the build. One day....

Since we cannot speak to the person making the skate, it is sometimes worrisome to get scanned and pray the boot comes back awesome. I can only compare this to a suit fitting and while that is done in person I have had to make edits to my suit plenty of times after it comes back until its perfect. 

Having said that - I cannot wait for mine to come so I can joint he cult. 

[flip12 715]

Aside from fit, how do people who've tried other top end skates feel about the performance of the Trues? If I were to get new skates now, I'd probably get Trues, simply because I like lower cut skates. I've tried MLX, and like the glide and the edge control I get in them, but I haven't tried newer top model skates from Bauer or CCM to compare.

[Sniper9 530]

47 minutes ago, flip12 said:

Aside from fit, how do people who've tried other top end skates feel about the performance of the Trues? If I were to get new skates now, I'd probably get Trues, simply because I like lower cut skates. I've tried MLX, and like the glide and the edge control I get in them, but I haven't tried newer top model skates from Bauer or CCM to compare.

My true vs the as1. I felt more agile in the as1. Same profile on steel and hollow and I felt like my turns were more responsive with the as1. Strides and starting off, I felt more powerful with the trues and more biomechanically sound. 

[flip12 715]

3 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

My true vs the as1. I felt more agile in the as1. Same profile on steel and hollow and I felt like my turns were more responsive with the as1. Strides and starting off, I felt more powerful with the trues and more biomechanically sound. 

Do you lace to the top in AS1’s and Trues? How high cut are they, comparatively?

Edited February 16, 2019 by flip12