I can definitely feel your pain, after going through a couple of seasons w/ ridiculously tight boots that, despite all the work I had done on them in addition to skiing on them, never packed out enough to become reasonable.
This 2nd shop doesn't really sound like a winner either. I went with heat-moldable liners, and when I had that done it was like having a NASCAR pit crew working on your feet. Having that cap on your toe when they mold 'em makes a huge difference. A few tweaks here and there and the addition of Booster Straps, and now I'm totally comfy and warm all day.
