Since I last reviewed this pair, I have not worn them much – about once a month on average. Because both heels are nearly worn through, it felt long overdue due to send them in.
I bought this pair of Alden Indy 403 boots in Brown Chromexcel in 2012 from Alden of SF for $507.78 USD after tax. Right now, the cost of an Alden Restoration is $199 USD. This price includes postage both ways, a complete resole and refinishing, replacement shoe laces, a pair of shoe trees, dust bags, and box. If you were to buy a pair brand new today, it would be $655 USD before any applicable tax.
I requested a restoration kit through Alden’s website. After one week, a small envelope arrived in the mail which contents included a self-adhesive mailer bag, a payment envelope, and a prepaid Fedex return sticker. For reference, the mailer bag is hardly enough to fit the length of an Alden shoe box as shown.
UPDATE: (8/31/2023)
The boots were delivered back to me safely! The whole process took 12 weeks from dropping it off to receiving it back without any communication (no notification of Alden receiving or shipping back the restoration). What stood out the most was the brightness of the new natural welt. Over the years the welt had darkened to a brown from conditioning and wear.
