So disappointing-not like previous model

Beware! I have owned 3 pairs of the previous model of these shoes #7197--they are my favorite shoes of all time. I always have one pair for my outside daily walks & hikes and one pair for wearing inside. I purchased them from the LL Bean store here in Maine so I could try them on. But this time when I went to reorder online, LL Bean didn't have any so I ordered from BackCountry. What I noticed online was that you no longer sell the 7197 model, but have this 7009 model instead which looks the closest to the 7197 so I ordered them. I am so disappointed. I have worn them to walk in 3 times and I can't wear them anymore. They hurt my feet. The previous model was always comfortable from the first time I wore them. Not these. The front is so stiff with a hard plastic--they do not bend in the front so it's like walking with a board or brick on my foot. The front of the shoe is not as deep as the previous model so my toes are tight and rub--and thus blisters! The laces are round in the new ones, not flat so they come untied. But the biggest problem is the stiffness. When I walk in them, my feet hurt, my legs hurt, my hips hurt, my lower back hurts which means I am not walking the way I should be walking. The shoes have no give or bend. I'm sure all that plastic is meant to make them more weather resistant, but what good is that if they hurt your feet. Very disappointing!

Lynn P.