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Are your shoes AFO/DAFO/KAFO Friendly?

We have received an encouraging response from our customers who use AFOs (or splints) regarding Billy footwear. It’s worth mentioning that Billy shoes were not originally intended specifically for those with AFOs. Those with larger braces may not be able to fit in our standard Billy shoes due to a lack of volume within the shoes to accommodate for a bigger brace. The D|R collection was introduced and has been designed with orthotics in mind and they do compensate for this.

Our MDR (Medium/Standard, Deeper & more Resilient), WDR (Wider, Deeper & more Resilient) and XDR (X-tra wide, Deeper & more Resilient)collections would be considered more AFO friendly as they are wider, deeper and more resilient

Are the insoles removable?

Billy footwear comes with interchangeable insoles to help accommodate the wearer's foot. The standard/standard wide range comes with 1 interchangeable insole and the D|R range comes with 2 interchangeable insoles.

We highly recommend you not completely remove the insoles but interchange them with ones of your choice as this will shorten the shoe's lifespan, especially with the added pressure of an AFO on the base and inner stitching. This can also void the item's warranty.

What’s the best way to measure feet for a Billy shoe?

We offer a shoe-fitting service in our Birmingham, UK showroom. We would recommend booking an appointment with us to best see what sizes are best for you especially when an AFO is involved. We are available at certain times throughout the weekday.

If you are not able to attend a shoe-fitting in person we have a size guide which also shows instructions on how to correctly measure your feet to help you decide which size would be perfect for you.
If you find the size guide overwhelming then feel free to give our customer service team a call and they would be happy to help you.

My child tends to drag their feet whilst walking, will this damage the shoe?

If you’ve bought a pair of Billy shoes before and noticed damages to the zipper from continuous dragging and scraping, or you're enquiring before purchasing. We advise you to look at our ‘Short Wrap’ Billy shoes. These eliminate any chance of damage to the zipper from such habits as the zip is positioned a lot higher than other Billy shoes.

What happens if the zip comes away from the shoe?

This often happens because the wearer has put pressure on the zipper area either from crawling or dragging/banging the foot against a hard surface and this could slowly bend the zipper teeth. This causes the stitching to come undone, separating the zipper from the fabric of the shoe, and leaving the shoe unusable. This is not considered a manufacturing fault however; it would be considered that this shoe is not ideal for the wearer. Please contact us so that we may offer you other alternatives.

Are Billy shoes covered by a warranty?

SpecialKids.Company warrants all Billy footwear to be free of defects in material or workmanship for a period of ninety (90) days from the original date of purchase when purchased from SpecialKids.Company. The footwear warranty covers defects of workmanship and materials but does not cover damage caused by accident, improper care, negligence, normal wear and tear, or the natural breakdown of colours and material through time, exposure or extensive use.

If a Billy Footwear product is found to be defective after inspection by a warranty technician, SpecialKids.Company will replace the product with an existing comparable model or offer a full/partial refund at the technician’s discretion. SpecialKids.Company is not liable for any damages, losses and/or costs incurred resulting from the loss or usage of Billy products. Replaced Billy products are then covered by the remainder of the original warranty.

Do you have extra-wide shoes?

Yes. Our DR Collection was introduced to allow a more inclusive selection of sizes. The ‘deeper and more resilient’ collection ranges from Medium, Wide and Extra-Wide. With two removable insoles* you have the choice of three different width sizes giving you a wider variety of sizes to ensure you find the perfect pair. *We highly recommend that wearers avoid removing ALL insoles due to this shortening the life of the shoe, especially with added pressure from an AFO on the sole. Removing all the insoles will also void the warranty of the shoe.

Could I order single pairs of shoes as one of my feet is bigger than the other?

We do offer customers the opportunity to purchase a mismatched pair of Billy shoes (Friendly Shoes do not offer mismatched) for those who wish to order single pairs of shoes in different sizes.

We offer 20% off the one pair of Billy, the discount being applied to the cheaper pair.

We recommend as a first time Billy customer to order the two different sized pairs to begin with and once you are confident with the fit and comfort, send the unrequired sizes back to us following our returns procedure. Once we have recieved the unrequired mismatched sizes we will process the discount as a refund for you.

If you have expereince with Billy and are happy with the sizing you can give us a call to process your order over the phone with the discount. Please bear in mind the delivery cost of the unrequired sizes are the responsability of the customer, please refer to our Returns/Exchanges T&C's for more information.

I wear a women’s size 6, can I wear a kid's shoe?

Yes, you can. Our UK size 4 Big Kid correlates to a woman’s UK size 6. This can be used as a guide throughout. A Size 5 Big Kid size would correlate to a Women’s Size 7 and a Size 4 Big Kid would correlate to a Women’s Size 8. See our Billy Footwear corrolation chart.

I’ve bought a new pair with the correct sizing, but the zipper seems a little stiff.

Sometimes with a zipper on the first usage they can be stiff but if you lubricate the zippers teeth using some household items such as a graphite pencil, bar of soap, and/or petrolum jelly this will help.

We also recommend customers loosen the laces of Billy shoes completely before trying them on for the very first time. This will expand the internal space of the shoe to accommodate the customer's feet. Once you’re happy with the fitting you’re able to use the zipper with ease. The laces should then be reapplied.

What if I was based in the US and wanted to order?

Although we offer shipping worldwide, if you’re looking to order from the United States, we recommend placing an order from Billy Footwear directly

Can I wash the shoes in the washing machine?

If you are looking to wash your Billy shoes, we advise you to spot-wash them by hand. Please do not put any Billy footwear in a washing machine as this could damage the shoe and also void your shoe warranty