dear Asics

I took the advice of a family member and emailed Asics tonight. Here’s my letter. I’m not holding out for a response, though.

Dear Asics,

I’m a fairly experienced runner, with some running challenges. I have some weird feet (I have a bone that sticks out of the back of my heel) and over the years I have had difficulties finding shoes that would really work for me. That was, until 3 years ago when I bought my first pair of Asics.

I loved those shoes. I still have the shoes, but after training for and running one full marathon, the shoes had to be retired. I bought a second pair for my second marathon and alternated the two pairs of Asics in a couple of half marathon races.

On February 9 of this year, I realized I had to buy a new pair of Asics, if I was going to make it through my third marathon. I needed time to break the shoes in and I had until April 25 to do this. So I bought the Asics Gel Phoenix. They’re beautiful. I even blogged (with a photo) about the shoes and their wonderful features.

And then last week, while I was running three miles, I noticed a problem with my shoe. The left insole kept sliding up into my heel. I took the shoe off, pushed the insole back into place and walked for a mile. Same problem. The insole wouldn’t stay in place.

I took the shoes back to the store, with the original box and receipt, in hopes I could exchange them for the same shoes. I love the shoes. And what happened? The manager put Brooks insoles in my shoes. He wouldn’t allow an exchange or a refund.

Asics, I’m disappointed. Not only that the insole isn’t staying in place, but also because the Brooks insoles were almost comfortable. Too bad the insoles had so much padding that they pushed my heels up and caused major sharp pains in my heels.

Yesterday I decided to trim the left Asics insole, thinking maybe it was slightly too big. That didn’t help. I wore my pretty shoes today and the insole, once again, slid. I had only walked down my hallway when it happened. So frustrating.

When I came home today, I decided to try out the left Brooks insole and the right Asics insole. It’s not ideal. I’m a little crooked, I think, because of the lack of padding in the Asics insole (which I prefer because of the bone that sticks out of my heel – I can send you pictures if you want.) I walked a couple of miles throughout my neighborhood and it’s do-able, but definitely not perfect. I’m hoping that the current insole setup will get me through my 16-mile run tomorrow. It’s a very important training day for me.

Asics, we’ve been together for three years. I’m upset with the store manager (he may have even been the owner) for not letting me exchange anything and trying to give me another brand that he claimed was “much better.” He obviously didn’t understand my heel problems. But I’m also upset with you for letting me down on this one. How come your insoles slide? Should I expect this in all of my shoes or should I move on?

I’m not really expecting a response. You’re a big company and have a lot to deal with. I will post this on my blog because my blog readers have been following my running frustrations. I want them to know that I at least took some initiative. It would be nice if you could help a runner girl out though. New insoles, some advice to fix the old insoles. Anything. If you can help me, I’ll continue to support you.

Thanks for reading,

Jaime

**note: I also gave them contact info and my blog address. stay tuned….