Dr. Martens Reviews 

Bought Dr Marten shoes in their official London store, paid £120, wore them occasionally over a few years, maybe less than a dozen times in total. The sole split. A complete rip-off. Never had much cheaper shoes breaking so easily from normal wear of walking. Don't trust the hype, don't buy from them.

Upon reading further negative reviews a lot do mirror my own issue too. Terrible customer service.
Issue;
Faulty zip which has broken after light use. Upon looking at reviews of this particular boot (2976 hi bex zip boots) it would appear to be very much a common fault found. pictures very clearly show this and the item hasn’t fully given despite being past the warranty period. I have a lot of dr marten boots so just hadn’t really worn them given the hardness. I also add after first wear the leather across the toes did crease despite also purchasing all care add ons. That also shouldn’t happen, and I wish I’d sent back straight away. I also attended a well established cobblers with the boots for their expert opinion and they have said they’ve had over 30+ pairs of this type with the same FAULTY zip. They said it is very clear these boots are like new looking at the soles and this is obvious.

Reply from dr martens:
Very quick dismissive customer service after a long wait and signposting ME to repair my faulty zip.

I believe Dr Martens are not considering the consumer rights act 2015 which clearly states products must be of satisfactory quality AND durable and fit for purpose. These rights still apply to customers separate to that of warranty.

I have been a long-standing customer of dr martens and I’m genuinely shocked at the response I’ve received given the price of the items and the promise they give as this now feels very much like false advertising. I’ve never had any issues with my items previously until this point, and I had naively thought that a strong UK brand such as this would stand in good stead when an issue with products is brought to them. Sadly, it appears that they are not interested once an item is in your hands. I will be pushing back with the cobblers opinion and will update if I do receive anything positive.

I would also urge anyone within the huge 60% of dissatisfied customers to raise your faulty items with trading standards were DM has not been helpful. The number to use is 0808 223 1133 (free from landline and mobile). Whilst trading standards will not review on individual basis (for the most part) there is power in numbers and they do have powers to fine this company (amongst other options). I can see a trend in what customers are complaining about here which will hopefully alter Dr Martens customer service approach with future customers , provided any long-standing customers do come back!

UPS lost my package, which was very annoying, but the customer representative (Ana R) was very helpful with starting an investigation and promptly sending a replacement.

Sent my daughters dr martens boots back as zips were faulted i was promised a refund after weeks of waiting still no refund. Responded to all their emails asking for my account number so they could issue it but still not received. Rang customer service to be told its with finance department and it could take 21 days for them to action it already been weeks. Disappointing and disgusting customer service

I had a problem with my Dr. Martens order and I was assisted by Clifford who helped me a lot through the whole process of return and refund. The Customer Care experience was perfect, quick responses and real solutions. I will definetly buy again, docs will always be my to go shoes, everything about the brand is high quality.

After a year of light use, the sole of my Dr. Martens boots split horizontally. I am really disappointed, as they were advertised as super durable and long lasting shoes.

Reported it to the customer service, they rejected my ask for a repair, refund or replacement, and gave me 20% discount for a future purchase. Does this mean that these boots are only expected to last a year then? For £170? The quality is not worth it, I won’t be buying again for sure.

The quality of Dr Martens has decreased substantially! I had a pair of sandals that broke within months and hardly any use!

The dr martens customer service was smooth and they did replace them (that is why I have given a 2nd star for the customer service).

However my replacement pair has broken on day 2 of my Holliday which is ridiculous!

I will not be buying Docs again!

Not only have Dr. Martens great and long-lasting products, their customer support is really goods too. They helped mewith those computer-said-no moments one gets sometimes elsewhere.
Thanks a lot.

I visited my Cardiff branch and was served by Daniel. He was incredibly knowledgable, patient and took time to ensure I had the right size and product for my needs. He provided excellent customer service and was a thoroughly lovely guy. Thanks for making my first ever DM purchase such a lovely experience. I'll definitely be back!

I would say that their customer service is really excellent. I had a pair of shoes that were a couple of years old but had developed a split in the sole. They asked for a few photographs and decided to refund the purchase. They obviously have confidence in the build quality of their products and serve their customers well.

Little to no communication regarding issues with a delivery with Royal Mail (never ended up receiving the mules I ordered) as they were delivered incorrectly. Going to end up having to do a charge back with my bank. As a customer this is so stressful and has let me down entirely.

The return experience is terrible. Have to handle the return / exchange of an item is a painful experience. I’d never buy online again.

Bought a pair of Dr. Martens 1460 Smooth Leather boots for around €200.

After about 1.5 years of light use, the leather cracked completely at the flex point, even though the outsole still shows very minimal wear.

This clearly wasn’t heavy use — the sole condition proves it.

Contacted customer support with photos and proof of purchase. The response was a standard rejection based on warranty expiration, with no willingness to offer any goodwill support.

Disappointing experience from a brand that markets itself as durable and long-lasting.

Would not recommend the smooth leather models.

Truly terrible customer service. I ordered some boots which arrived and were too big. I followed all their return instructions and went to the post office to return the item. It got lost in transit and I messaged them when I could see the tracking had not moved. They take at least 5 days to respond and it’s impossible to call them to resolve any issues. When they did respond they wanted me to go to the post office and search around for the missing boots!! (I had already gone there to ask, without success) I pointed out the law to them (Consumer Contract Regulations) which states they must refund within 14 days of return (proof of postage was sent to them) and I am still waiting for a response and my refund. I expect they will come back to me and ask some further pointless questions just to delay matters further. I will NEVER buy from them again.
Further update- I have eventually received confirmation of my refund but only after I threatened the company with small claims court, trading standards, negative reviews, constant emailing and bank chargeback. Maybe try this if you also have issues but expect to have to send them multiple emails. My advice - don’t buy !!

Brought a handbag reduced from 90 pound to 65 pound and when it arrived it was like something off of Temu
It was so small I couldn’t even fit my mobile phone inside

I’ve been a loyal Dr. Martens customer for around 15 years and have owned several pairs of their boots in the past. Historically they lasted me well over 10 years, which is why I felt comfortable spending the money on another pair.

Unfortunately my most recent pair of 1460 boots has been very disappointing. After only two winters of relatively infrequent wear, the leather on the side of the boot has split near the sole (around 2 cm long). Because of this the boots are no longer waterproof.

The boots were purchased for £180 October 2024 and have been properly cared for using leather balm and waterproof spray. The rest of the boots are still in good condition, which makes the failure of the leather even more surprising.

I contacted customer service with photos and proof of purchase but was told they could not help because the boots are outside their 12-month warranty period. Given the price and reputation of the brand, I would expect boots like these to last significantly longer than this.

It’s very disappointing to see such a drop in both product durability and customer support. Sadly this will be the last pair of Dr. Martens I buy.

The quality of the shoes are terrible. The Customer Services take forever to respond. I would not pay for another pair of Dr Martens.

Horrific customer service.

Boots received damaged. Been round the houses for two months not being able to wear them.

I’ve followed all the instructions. Sent many emails and photos.

Waited weeks for responses.

Tried calling. Thought this worked, was offered a 20% refund as compensation. I mean they will get scraped up I was happy for a discount on a very expensive pair of boots.

And still nothing has come back to me to follow this up.

I bought a pair of Jadon boots and some leather care products from this store around three years ago. They were expensive, but I chose Dr. Martens because of their reputation for durability and because I prefer to buy products that last.

Unfortunately, despite wearing the boots only about once a week and taking good care of them, the sole detached along most of its length without warning while I was out one evening. The uppers are still in good condition, but the boots suddenly became unwearable.

I contacted Dr. Martens with photos and proof of purchase. Their response was simply that the boots were outside the 24-month warranty period, and they declined to offer any repair, replacement, or goodwill gesture.

For a premium brand known for durability, I expected better product quality and better customer service.