Meindl - Shoes For Actives Reviews 644

Like so many others here I am disgusted by the service I received from Meindl. This presents itself, and is presented by the shoe sellers in the UK, as a German traditional family company that cares deeply about the durability of its products and its reputation. When something goes wrong, however, they quickly protest that the materials they use are not durable, and that Meindl has no responsibility for this. It's not just what they are doing, but how they are doing it that really incenses me. They even try to palm what I would call their "dirty work" off onto unrelated companies (in the UK an outfit called "Bramwell International"). That said, after substantial efforts I did manage to get in touch with the actual company, and it is my opinion that this fish is rotting from the head. Will never buy their products again. By way of comparison I have been using Zamberlan boots since 1990 and so far have had excellent experiences (although never had to deal with the company, as their boots have performed superbly, so no need to get in touch).

Grado GTX: Soles wore through after 7 months irregular use, imho you'd be lucky to get 500 miles out of these boots, which would work out at around 37p a mile, cheaper to fly in an aeroplane.
Sent an email to the company asking if the boots were designed to last 7 months, got no reply, retailer says it's normal wear and tear. Maybe normal for carpet slippers?

The leather uppers on my boots are good quality however, the sole of the boot after less than a year started to split and crack. Will not recommend this make as all the soles are made by the same company.

Depends which Meindl boots you’re getting.
In my first foray into what is generally accepted as a long-lasting pair of quality boots, the side stitching on my 4687-31 urban hiking boots (black) lasted just over a year before they split on all four sides.
That was a few weeks after one of the eyelets broke off - ok, Meindl have a one-year warranty - but those defects happened about two weeks after that warranty expired.
It really makes you reflect that maybe Meindl have this design and manufacturing model which ensures that these materials fail miserably in the company’s designated time-frame.
At £159 a pair, I would never buy Meindl again - lots of other brands far superior and cheaper.
Just too bad Trustpilot won’t let me name them!

Brought a pair of Meindl airstreams they started falling apart in 5 hours work. When I emailed and tried to resolve the problem they constantly fobbed me off to other companies and now don't have the decency to return my email. I've lodged a complaint with ACCC. DO NOT BUY FROM THESE RIP OFF SCUM! They're absolute trash and don't deserve to even sell boot laces

Miendl ladies Kansas.
6 months in sole fell apart.
They will only resole, so off to Germany they went.
Apparently this is sustainable.
I did get responses from email and phone calls.
But they would not budge on this policy of returning to the factory a clearly faulty pair of boots.
One of the staff even told me ,
' well they look like they have been used'.
Surprise, yes they had.
10 weeks later they came back !
Let's see how they cope this time.

We have always bought Meindl they have to be fair never worn very well. My last pair the sole has come away, and the upper sole has deteriorated both a manufacturing fault in my opinion.

Meindl never even answered my email.

I bought mine with a 2 year guarantee, but they have now changed to 1 year and won’t honour my complaint.

I was shocked when I saw all the bad reviews and would not have bought them if I had seen the reviews before.

Absolutely rubbish will never buy anymore. Such poor workmanship.

How they can mislead people by charging such high prices, mine were nearly £300, you think the price reflects the quality but not with Meindl they are the worst hiking boot company I would never buy Meindl boots again

Within 6 months the shoes had stitches coming lose, and a hole in the top material. Meindl claims the condition of the shoes suggest very intensive use, while I only used these shoes moderately. If I compare these with other shoes I have had, they performed worse then shoes less then half the price.

The memory foam wore through in two places on the right foot and one on the left foot after 6 weeks and 7 walks it’s a real shame as I’ve always bought Meindl in the past:

I’ve had my Meindle journey lady mid gtx boots for 3 months. I wore them for the first time out in the rain last weekend and they are definitely not waterproof. So much so I had to wring my socks out! Very disappointed with them as they cost £172 from Cotswold Outdoors. When I took them back they said no boots are waterproof and it was due to the grass being wet! Not happy!! I do not recommend you wasting your hard earned money on these boots. Comfortable ✔️ lightweight ✔️ waterproof on first time in the rain NO

I buy two pairs of Meindle GTX Gortex shoes every year for years.
But not anymore.
They deteriorate to quickly in my experience.
The last pair lasted 3-4 months then the stitching fails on the toe caps. This is not good enough for a pair of shoes which are not cheap so my review is not a positive one. I tried to return them to Taunton leisure but they came up with excuses. I will no longer go to Taunton leisure or buy Meindle shoes.

I like to thank Jan Speight, Heather Palmer and Hilda* for their wonderful service. I had two pairs of Meindl boots, worn the first ones out as a field entomological surveyor, then bought the other.

I sent the first pair for resoling and the courier back from meindl to Bramwell 'mislaid' them. Bramwell took the lead and sorted me out amicably.

My second pair developed an issue and once again Bramwell whilst upholding the protocols of addressing a warranty issue on well worn boots, sorted me out amicably.

Now, my original pair have been located by the couriers after more than 8 weeks and Bramwell have been in touch and we've agreed a solution that benefits us both.

So now I have 3 pairs of meindls, they will be worn in strict rotation to ensure the heels midsole is kept flexible and lasts.

They are all maintained as per the manual, regularly cleaned and coated with Meindl Sportswax using only my finger. When wet, dried only using a 6" desk fan at about 400mm which blowing ambient temperature air does no damage to the leather and will dry fully wet boots overnight, if tipped toes up to 45° the air gets in as well around the boots.

I can't recommend Bramwell strongly enough, their problem solving service and particularly in resolving the very rare odd circumstances dealt us both is rare these days.

Thank you, * sorry Hilda none of our correspondence contained your surname.

Marc Taylor

In 2019 I walked from Land's End to John O'Groats. 1200 miles in 80 days. I combined a pair of Meindl boots, and walking shoes, depending on the terrain. Absolutely excellent, no quality issues at all, extremely comfortable, waterproof etc...just at you'd expect from a quaility "hand made" product. Since 2021 I have been through 3 pairs of Meindl walking shoes (my original boots are still great). On each recent pair the soles have come away from the shoe. This is despite only walking a few miles a week now, and on grass. Also the eyelits on a pair have become enlarged and on another the stitching is coming apart. I was going to complain to Meindl, but having read all these other reviews it sounds like a waste of time. Not sure what has happened to this company over the last couple of years but it is very sad, as they were so brilliant beforehand. So, if I were you I'd purchase another brand, my Merrill's remain comfortable and sturdy. Hope this helps someone not to waste £160.00.

Men’s GTX shoes - I wore my first pair out but was still surprised that the sole treads separated from the sole. They were comfortable though so I bought another pair, only for these to separate in under a year & with minimal wear.
Bramwell, who I guess are the agent in the UK put it down to wear n tear. They’re prerogative but I’m not buying another pair & they’ve now lost a customer for life.
Like others, I wish I’d read the reviews before forking out £130 on a pair of outdoor shoes that come apart before showing any other signs of wear.

I’ve always taken care of my Meidl boots. They are a few yrs old but well taken care of, when I notice that one of the boots has problems. The rubber is crumbling and separating from the boot. The other one is fine, so it must be something in production? Anyway I send mail and photos to Meindl.de.
They refer me to the Danish supplier. All I receive in terms of service is “ we can fix it if you click here and pay 1300 DK kr (approx the cost of a brand new boot) AND send it).
I would have been happy with an apology or a discount on a new pair. Now I feel really annoyed, frustrated and ripped off. Never Meindl again.

Oh why didn’t I review the boots before buying. Bought the women’s wide comfort boots and my feet hurt today after 9 mile walk.. I had to swap first pair as it rained and like other reviewers I could wring my socks. After much discussion with supplier finally agreed to give me new pair but walking down hill causes bruised toes. £200 down not happy

I bought a pair of Meindl Bhutan ladies walking boots in 2019, within 6 months they began leaking and the sole had started to deteriorate. I took them back to the shop I bought them from and they were exchanged for another pair. This pair lasted approx 9 months before leaking and the sole began to collapse disintegrate at the sides where it joined the upper. these were also exchanged under guarantee. The third pair were worn during the summer when it was dry. Within three months of using them in the winter they began to leak, I persevered with them as I thought it was down to the wax I was using (grangers) but the leaking became worse and both shoes began to leak. I contacted the retailer who told me they no longer accepted responsibility and I would need to go back to the manufacturer which I did, Meindl told me they had just exceeded the years warranty (due to all the faffing about) and they would do nothing. whilst waiting weeks for a response the soles on these shoes, completely broke up with large cracks across the heel and holes appearing at the side, they could no longer be worn. I sent them back to Meindl anyway.
I was told they were two different shoes from different batches, 2018 and 2019 and that I had several pairs of shoes stored at home and was attempting to fob off old shoes. This was not the case, I had actually been supplied the mis matched pair by Meindl. I was told I had not looked after them, although they were cleaned after every use and waxed weekly.
That the soles had disintegrated because they were left unused for a long period, they were used daily.
Meidl have never had this problem with other boots although reading these reviews and blogs from walking groups would tell a different story.
After quoting the consumer rights act they agreed to replace the sole, but would not replace the boots.

These are without a doubt the worst boots I have ever bought. the customer service is appalling they have a million excuses as to why the boots fall apart after less than a year. The materials used are not fit for purpose and the build quality is shocking. I will never buy anything from Meindl ever again.

3rd pair of Womens Tramin Lady GTX Boots. My feet are a bit wider than the normal fit. These are the first of walking boots not to cause any pain. Really quick to break in, fantastic quality and very waterproof. I walk a lot and the soles last just over 12 months before the tread wears too thin. I'd 100% recommend for anyone with wide feet. I've had a lot of boots and always had problems before I found these.

I bought a pair of Meindl 5205 - Antelao GTX in May 2021 for £232. I walk on average 10000 steps per day, about 5 miles. By December 2023 the upper had detached from the sole and they were unwearable. I returned them to Meindl as my supplier had closed due to Covid. They say they are not covered for warranty as direct heat had been applied. This is simply untrue. There is something radically wrong with the structure of these boots and the materials used. Never again.

Have had several pairs of Meindl boots supplied by my employer. Most of the boots have had the soles fall off (Desert Fox). Recently bought my daughter a pair of Meindl boots for hiking. First hike the Rand split and returned to Meindl who simply glued it down. Lesson learnt and no more Meindl boots for us