I've been doing a lot of trail runs this year, and bought a pair of Hoka Stinson Trail shoes specifically to use as a "trail race shoe". I bought them in early November, and have wore them a total of 7-times.......two training runs to make sure they fit okay, then a total of five races. For the 7-outings, the shoes had just over 220 miles on them.....about 85% on trails, the remainder on concrete. Overall, the uppers and the soles looked like they were in great shape. I really like these shoes and have been very pleased with them this winter.
After a race at the beginning of the April, I saw that the front of the mid-sole on one shoe was split. The section where the sole upturns in front of the shoe toe-box was loose, due to a split through the foam in the mid-sole, down about an inch or so. The split was real jagged and irregular, and went all the way across the front of the shoe.
I was a little ticked off, as the shoes were $170
(without tax
) and I really expected them to last as race shoes for a couple years. I know shoes don't last forever, but I kind of thought a "trail" shoe should be a little more rugged than a standard shoe. After listening to me complain for a week, my wife suggested I take them into Luke Locker
(where I bought them
) and see what they'd say.
I did that on Monday. Luke's has a 30-day return policy, which I was obviously way past, but they exchanged them for a new pair anyway. In addition, the MSRP of the shoes has dropped $10 from when I bought them, so they also gave me a $10 store credit.
This really went above and beyond what I was expecting. I know I'm always quick to complain about poor service and retail experiences, so I though a mention when a store goes above and beyond was appropriate!
THANKS LUKE'S LOCKER!