I have been buying Rockports for twenty years or more, but never again. The last pair I bought caused blisters. Never have they done this before, and that was my sign of quality. My old pair have a leather piece that covers the heel, but this has been removed in the new pair leaving the seams exposed. Those seams tear into my heels. It is a tragedy that the manufacturer chose to sacrifice the quality the shoes were known for in order to save a buck.