I would see if you can find a shoe polish to correct the discolouration. I wouldn't savour paying $20 for the shipping to return and order again either (and potentially still not having a pair of boots!). Also, if you keep them maybe you wouldn't feel like they're "precious" since the price was good and they're not pristine anyway. (That's how I feel about my footwear and then I don't wear them and enjoy them.)

They look amazing on you, Carol. I vote keep! I echo Carla in that if you don't keep these you do need a pair of white boots at some point!

You could easily cover that bit with shoe polish, but the tightness concerns me. Definitely talk to a cobbler if you have one in your area.
They do look nice!

Honestly, the discoloration wouldn't bother me. They'll get dirty with wear anyway and I bet a coat of shoe polish would make it hardly noticeable. If they are comfortable enough I say keep. They look amazing on you and since they were a reasonable price would be a good test of the style.

I think it also depends when you are going to wear these. For work you probably want a more pristine pair of boots for casual weekends I have no problem with a little RATE. Not sure where you stand on this.

It seems you four have issues at play …

1. The discolouration
2. Extra cost to exchange
3. not a perfect fit in toebox
4. white vs dark sole

You know if the fit is comfortable enough and if the white sole is a deal-breaker. The discolouration would totally bug me. And I’m not at all pristine with my stuff lol. At that great price I’d be willing to pay a little more (still a great price) to get a proper pair. As for gambling on a different pair - it could be worth it if white sole is not a deal-breaker, and you’re willing to take a chance on better fit.

ETA: the shoe is clearly damaged so I’d push a little on return and new shipping costs.

Thanks for your thoughts, Blue Jay, suntiger, Robin, Star, and Kerry!

I'm still waiting to hear back re my request to send me another pair rather than making me re-order later.

I'm leaning toward keeping them. They're NOT the ideal width, but I could make it through a dinner or show more comfortably in these than I could in a pair of heels, so there's that.... And at this price I feel less angst over paying a fortune for a shoe with limited functionality.

Will see if tomorrow brings any new info.

CarolS, when you settle on the right pair - you can have the boots stretched in the right places.

Thanks, Angie!!

I guess the proof will be in the proverbial pudding, but they've agreed to ship me another pair of the same bootie (ahem, without the flaw) once I ship this pair back.

They're not going to be a walk for days bootie, but they'll be a reasonable options when I need something a bit more refined for an occasion, and that will fill a big gap in my shoe closet.

I'm late to this thread, but am really glad that you are getting these boots - they look amazing on you. About 7 years ago I was a bit hesitant about getting white boots, since then they have become my favourite footwear. I hope you love yours just as much.

The replacement boots arrived today.

The good news: The dye job on the sole looks much better. The bad news? The weird bubble at the end of one toe. (See photo)

When I pointed it out they responded that their shoes are handmade and subject to variations. Is that just a variation?!

Worse is that the original pair also fit better so I’m kicking myself a bit for going down this path. I was already out of sorts today and this didn’t help!

Such a potentially perfect boot…,

since I am not feeling optimistic about keeping these I will have to figure out what I would choose as a replacement (no money back on sale items). 

Haven't looked yet to see what is in stock, but the finds below are the strongest contenders from my last perusal of their site. I might actually lean to one of the taller pairs.

I just really wanted THESE ones to work!  

Oh how frustrating! I will say that the defect is not really noticeable, but the fact that this pair does not fit well is really a deal breaker. All of the options *look* good, depending on what you already have and want.

Thanks, Jaime! The first boot was too snug for my foot but "not bad" -- I could have gone out to dinner in them. I'll try these again when I am in a slightly better frame of mind, but my initial impression was disappointing. I SO wanted this boot to work. Shopping in store you can always ask to see another pair from the stockroom. It's a but more drawn out and complicated with online shopping!

I’m not thinking that the bubble at the end is all that noticeable… better than being discoloured? Do they actually hurt your foot or are just not the most comfortable? If they hurt, I wouldn’t keep them

What Jenni said. I wouldn't worry about anything beyond the comfort at this point. How about walking around in the house with them for a while?

Thanks for the perspective, Jenni and Suz!

It's hard not having the other pair to compare fit. I have put these back on for a while to try to be a bit more thorough in my evaluation.

The leather is soft, so maybe they'll ease up a bit. They're probably still better than most pumps would be, so 'comfort' is a relative term.

I echo Jenni and Suz!

I would keep if they pass the comfort test.

I could not see the bubble issue. In terms of getting these to fit, if they are too narrow, the leather will ease, especially if you take it slowly and wear rather thick socks and wear them for 1 hour per day until they stretch. I did this with my rather solid white leather combat boots and they eased up and are now one of my most comfortable boots. It did take a few weeks to gently break them in.

I love how this boot looks on you - great colour and style.

How maddening! "Handmade . . . but not very well."

Oh shoot, frustrating! I am still holding out hope that they will work. It is hard to tell about the bubble. Focusing on it doesn't help but I am not sure how noticeable it would be if I didn't know about it.

Thanks, everyone!

Bijou- yes. I’ve been wearing around the house with socks! These will never be a walk all day shoe but are more comfortable than many other dressy or semi dressy shoes I have tried. I think they will fill a specific gap - and at a price that doesn’t leave me resenting their relatively limited use.

Roberta, yes, that was my thought!

Robin, I think it was so obvious to me because of the issue with the first pair. But I think you are right about it being a non issue to anyone around me. They’re not likely to be focussed on the toe of my boot.