Meindl - Shoes For Actives Reviews 

I am joining the apparently long list of complaints to warn potential buyers : Do NOT buy meindl shoes!! I spent nearly 300euros (Meindl Vakuum Lady GTX) which is really not cheap for me! At this price range one can expect to acquire a high-end shoes with a high quality /price ratio. But only after approx 5 months I noticed the shoes soles are starting to fall off!!

Given that I am a casual / infrequent hiker. As my feets are sensitive I wanted to purchase a high-quality hiking shoes that will give me confidence when I hike. Between 26th march 2024 (purchase time) and sept 6th (claim's date) I can estimate that I have done 15 hikes at maximum! ..and when I hike, it's for 3-4h max as I get tired. So it's not very intense. Despite this non-intense usage, both shoes rubbers started to peel off badly :((( It clearly appear to be a defect (I never walked in water conditions only during sunny /dry days). on my purchase it was mentionned "24month warranty". So I contacted Meindl customer service...

What a bad and ridiculous customers experience!! They even appear to be too proud to at least appologize and say "sorry"... in the 2 months period I got some emails exchange with their customer service, they neither appologize for the poor quality of their shoes, nor for the silence and length of handling period.

They told me they tried to put me in contact with their local partner (france).. but this partner never reached out to me.. ! Last message from Meindl customer service was "(our partners) then get in touch with the respective addressee (so me). In your case, this did not take place and we have replied to your email." and that's it?? it didn't take place and so nothing else happen..

Partners don't even share with Meindl what is happening and why they don't handle a case. And Meindl has no control over their patners from what I understood... what a great "partnership"..

I terms of consumers' rights I believe there is something wrong here. reading all the similar reviews from other people experiencing the same defect of sole peeling off and disintegrating from the boots

I bought a pair of relatively expensive boots for my wife via Meindl stockist in Germany. After my wife wearing them daily between December 23 and May 24 to walk about 3 to 4 miles a day walking our dog, we discovered (in August 24) the soles on both boots were coming off. There was no abuse, chemicle attack or anything like that, just what appeared to have been defective and/or inadequate adhesive during manufacture. I notified the retailer and Meindl Germany immediately upon discovery, sent photos and made a warranty claim. Two months later, and despite lots of chasing with both the the retailer and Meindl Germany "customer services" my less than 1 year old obviously defective boots are somewhere in Germany (at the Retailer or Meindl) and I have neither received a replacement set of boots, nor a repaired/resoled pair of boots, nor a refund. Meindl Germany Customer services team have yet to even acknowledge any of my emails to them, not even when copying in their CEO. Their German stockist/retailer is also practically useless and is not chasing it up or resolving the claim.

I have lost faith, consider the warranty breached and asked for a refund, but am being ignored.

Meindl market that they make quality products but that is not at all reflective of my experience (and judging by other Trustpilot reviews I am not alone).

For the last two months, I have been treated terribly in the warranty claim process, have received absolutely no contact or customer care or service from Meindl Germany, and have been left having to buy my wife another pair of winter boots (from a different manufacturer this time.... I'll never touch Meindl again!)

Come on Lukas Meindle! Your 300 year family owned and run business won't last another 5 if you sell only poor quality but overpriced rubbish and then treat your customers like dirt when warranty claims are made!

If anyone is thinking of buying Meindl boots, then based on my experience, I'd say don't!

I have been buying good boots for the family for over 35 years and this is the worst experience ever.

There is clearly a problem in Meindl's manufacture process and how they bond the uppers to the soles. Their expensive boots are the worst quality I've ever experienced.

I feel ignored, badly treated and frankly ripped off.

Disintegrating Meindl boots.
I bought a pair of Meindl Kansas GT boots 3 years ago. This summer I noticed that the soles on both boots were beginning to come off. After a day’s hike my feet are now getting wet.
The UK Bramwell office is disinterested and unapologetic.
The boots are badly constructed, the UK office accepts no complaints. I shall never buy Meindl again and recommend that nobody else does.

Bought walking shoes about 18 months ago. They are not waterproof at all . I have sprayed them with Meindl waterproofing spray to try to improve things but still water comes in. Other than that, they are light and comfortable.

Seems to be a very common theme here. The sole of both boots disintegrated after 30-40 miles use. Meindl claim it’s due to lack of use or exposure to chemicals. Mine haven’t been exposed to chemicals so it must be lack of use. Since when can a manufacturer say it’s normal for something to fall apart from NOT using it? Utter crap. Please do not buy.

I bought "waterproof" Meindl walking boots last September...they were extremely comfortable and light weight on my 6 day hike in April, with no rain, in Nepal. Last week I got caught in the rain in the Dolomites, and my feet and socks were soaked through. This has never happened with Salewa, Salomon and Hanwag. So disappointed. They are the same price as these other brands, but completely useless. Will not be buying this brand again...utter waste of money.

After only infrequent use over 7 months my walking boots started to leak. Both boots. I was told to send them back. Meindl assessed them and said there was a small hole in the goretex in the left boot which was wear and tear so not covered by the guarantee. Not sure how this explains both boots leaking, or that there was a hole after such little use, but they didn’t care. Don’t waste your money!

New boots- falling apart after 100 miles of light use over 6 months - Meindl UK won’t refund. I’ve bought many different pairs over many years but quality seems to have fallen off a cliff recently

Terrible Quality – Avoid.

These boots started falling apart a few weeks after I bought them. Extremely uncomfortable after many kilometres. Rubbish

These boots are now designed to fail within 2-3 years. The sole starts to crumble away. Meindl call it hydrolysis and blame the boot owners for not using the boots often enough or for getting them wet. Its absolute nonsense. Its planned obsolescence. Steer well clear. Look elsewhere.

Like so many others my boots failed quickly due to the soles falling apart, which in turn is due to hydrolysis. It's planned obsolescence, totally deliberate to get you to shell out again for another pair. Sometimes an "innovation" is actually a scam. I will not be buying this brand again.

I have to agree with most people here. Used Meindl boots for over ten years now. They fit my feet like gloves. On the last 2 pairs the stitching in the front came apart rather quick. Customer service is bad to not existing. Quality is going down the drain.
They just lost a longtime customer.

Bought a pair of Meindl Respond Mid II GTX boots in May after spraining my ankle whilst on holiday, as these gave me some support when out walking my dogs. Within 6 weeks the stitching on both sides of the front of the right boot is splitting, and the boots are leaking when I walk in damp grass. The soles of the boots are wearing down rapidly. I contacted the UK supplier Bramwell to request a refund as the boots are splitting. I was informed that I had to contact the shop where they were purchased. I contacted the shop and was informed that I would have to return the boots to them and they would send these to Germany for repair, as this is Meindl's policy to repair and not to replace. This will require me taking the boots back to N. Ireland to the shop, and I live in Scotland! The shop owner informed me the repair process could take up to eight weeks to get the boots back from Germany! He had no solution as to what I should wear while the boots are being repaired! Walk in my sock soles??
I wish I had bought a pair of Merrell MOAB boots which I also looked at when looking for these boots.
If you are reading this at MEINDL, info @ meindl . de - shoes for activities, I want a refund, not a repair, as these boots are not fit for purpose. I have owned many different brands of walking boots, these are the most expensive I have bought, and the worst quality I have ever experienced for walking boots!

I should have realised when I had to return my first pair of Meindl boots. They had started to fall apart at the stitching but were still in warranty so accepted by Go Outdoors to be replaced. I was daft enough to buy another pair of Meindl boots but a higher price £230, in the hope that 'you get what you pay for.' Just over a year later the internal padding started to come away from the main boots. Over 12 months so I asked for them to be replaced on Meindl 2 year guarantee. It was refused because my sweat had caused the problem, but they could be repaired for £70 and would take 8 weeks. Stay clear of Meindl products people - they are using poor quality materials.

Meindl Kansas had a lot of the boots as they fit my feet & are comfy but they don’t last the soles fall apart after 6 months , changed to grisport boots which are half the price & will probably last twice as long , farewell meindl your too expensive and boots don’t last.

£250 pair of walking boots lightly used and sole started to disintegrate and completely come away from uppers so they were completely unusable.
Was told by both Meindl in Germany and by Bramwell ( the UK distributors) that it was a process called hydrolysis and that it is a completely normal process for rubber over time and was also because I hadn’t used them enough . Shoes were over 12 month warranty so was told I’d have to get them repaired independently which would cost me £130 plus postage even though photos I provided clearly showed they were in excellent condition otherwise and had been impeccably maintained as per the manufacturers instructions. Always dryed, cleaned and waxed after every use and were used on a monthly basis.
Never happened on any of my other many brands of walking boots/ shoes over the years which had all been used similarly to the Meindl’s but had held together and lasted for many years of use.
Clearly a very common problem with Meindl judging by all the negative reviews (90% negative).
Every review is similar so one would assume it will only be a matter of time before people stop buying them and they have to change their policy re quality of products and guarantees/ warranties/ customer service.
Meindl still charge the very top prices for shoes as they always have but the difference now I was told is that they don’t offer the same long term warranties / customer support/ goodwill that they once did.
Interestingly the same person I spoke to who worked in an outdoor shop told me that they’d advised customers not to buy Meindl products as they were sick of them been returned by disappointed and frustrated customers who’d paid top dollar for supposed top quality shoes. This was in the hope that the shop would eventually stop selling them altogether to avoid these issues.
Like some German car manufacturers it’s another example of shocking and none existent customer service/after sales support on poor quality products which were once the benchmark for quality and service.
Happy to take your money but that’s unfortunately where their service ends.
Almost guaranteed to be left disappointed if you buy these shoes as the reviews clearly show .
AVOID AND STAY CLEAR !!!

Could not recommend. The soles came away from the uppers ( I think they call it delamination), after just around 200 miles use. It was a few months after their 'guarantee' cut off period but they disputed everything and tried to say it was the way I walked and the way I cared for them (I know how to care for foot-ware). After persistent badgering they reluctantly agreed for me to return the boots to Germany and they re-soled them after about 7 weeks. HOWEVER, the boots are now too narrow for my feet - the re-soling has changed the fit of the boots. I can't hike in these and I would never use this company again, despite their false claims of being so good.

Paid $1200 for two pairs of Meindl boots. 300 year history of boot making. After a short period the soles are separating from the shoes. Meindl say this is normal. Well my non Meindl hiking boots (2 pairs) have lasted 30 years. Meindl refuse even to offer a resoling service. Another great German quality myth busted.

Poor quality soles. After wearing these shoes for only 5 months- walking the dog through wet grass and on muddy ground - the soles are already worn off. I bought these thinking a higher price would mean a longer life. But no. I am very disappointed and in the future will stick to Adidas terrex shoes.
Meindl Palermo Lady GTX

Mei lndl GTX walking shoes - Not very watertight from the start. Not worn that heavily but now the shoe is coming away from the sole. Just over a year old so out of guarantee