New Balance shoes, not for my kids!

Is New Balance now the low end bargain basement quality shoe?  In my opinion I will have to say yes, at least when it comes to children's shoes.  At minimum New Balance as a company is about impossible to contact to voice a concern or to inquire about a possible recall of defective shoe models.  I bought the shoes at Shoe Carnival and I'm past their return policy and New Balance says I need to go to the store I purchased their defective product from.  I really dislike the not my fault syndrome that has crept in like a virus to far too many companies in this day and age.

Why this post?  Last August I bought two pairs of New Balance tennis shoes at Shoe Carnival for my son, one pair in his size and one slightly bigger.  I did the same thing the year earlier to take advantage of going back to school sales and needless to say both pairs easily lasted the entire school year.  I have been a customer and fan of New Balance shoes for many years due to their selection of wide widths, performance, and value.  My son's first pair of New Balances lasted about 30 days before the front stitching blew out.  Not the end of the world and given a growth spurt he could move to the next pair.  New Balance Model 685 were called into service and now unlike their predecessor this model made it a bit longer and did not show the immediate signs of wear.  However, this model has a Velcro closer and the Velcro tab literally just popped/broke off.  The shoes show very little signs of wear, and to me this sure seems like a manufactures defect or design flaw.  Now what are the odds to have issues back to back with the same shoe manufacturer?  I can only speculate that New Balance has made some internal changes for the worse and I now must move New Balance to my fourth or fifth choice, if not lower, when it comes to my kids shoes.  Thank God for choice and competition.

Via Con Dios New Balance!

New Balance shoes, not for my kids!