Altra Running Reviews 354

Avoid this company, it is the worse experience you will face if you need to contact the customer service. They will reply with formatted messages and not help you solving any of your queries.

They won’t give me a refund. It’s been a month

Had a terrible experience with Altra. Ordered shoes on 26th May (£145). It’s 23rd July and I’m now waiting for a refund as they didn’t cover the shipping costs with UPS (I paid for them as part of postage costs). Shoes are now being returned to Altra and I’ve been out of pocket for 2 months and counting. They won’t provide me with compensation and won’t allow me to speak or contact a manager. Absolutely appalling customer service and very rude staff on the help line.

A month ago I bought a pair of Altra Timp 5 Trail running shoes. The build quality of the external rubber around the toe cap is very poor. The glued rubber band around toecap is giving way already. Hugely disappointed, as all other aspects of the shoes are excellent.

I ordered the shoes on the 21st. They didn’t ship them out till the 23rd original arrival date was Friday and it got changed to the following Tuesday. They blamed it on UPS. UPS said no wasn’t shipped out for two days. I expect better than this from Altra for $160 shoes that are going for 116 on Amazon.

Listen to a podcast with Golden Harper, founder of Altra Running, really liked what he said particularly about being focussed on customer service unlike many corporate running shoe companies. So placed an order on line. They didn't arrive as expected so contacted Customer Services. They said they had no record of receiving my order and surmised I must have ordered it from from a scam website. Cancelled credit card payment and bought some shoes locally. Next day the shoes arrived! Contacted Customer Services they said I misspelt my email address therefore they couldn't trace my order. I said I'm returning them they said OK but you'll have to £13 sterling postage. Intransigent position taken by company. Like dealing with an automaton. In the end kept the shoes. One of the worst Customer Services experience in years. So much for Golden Harper's ideals .... ah wait! They were acquired by VF Corporation in June 2018!
Shoes ok by the way.

Ita a great shoe compared to others but compared to its prior model the Altra 4 it is a poor shoe. It is not as durable, made from lesser quality and sturdy materials and the box at the front for anyone with a wide foot is not that wide at all. When I first put it on I could not believe it was the same model. they did not have th eAltra 4 so I settled for this but I keep wearing the old one even though it is run down but it is still a much better and more comfortable wear. Anyone have a spear Altra 4?, I'll swap with the new 5 :)

Wont refund me for return!!

I returned my shoes on February 15th, they got to Italy on the 20th and it wasn't until march that they collected from customs.

On the 27th of march i got a return email, telling me after a quality check my refund would be applied within 14 days. Its now been 24 days and they aren't acknowledging they've received my item over email.

Been using Altra for years however this will probably be my last pair!

Very good customer service.

They replied quickly & clearly to my email asking if Altrauae.com was associated with them. It isn't it's a scam website so I quickly opened a charge back with my bank

Sent new size 7 which did not fit. They are about 1/2-1 size too small. I already had a pair of size 7 hence the new order.
Alta demanded a photo which I sent. They would not send a returns label but suggested I return at my own expense.
I wrote back to complain but since then have been ignored.

Ordered a pair form their website directly (Altra Europe). Ended up having to swap because to size was too big. This most have been the worst customer service experience in years. You're dealing with a office in Italy and it feels like you're thrown back to the years where webshops were just starting. No response to email. When you call (Italian number) you get agents who speak poorly English. And then are rude and accuse you for not being clear, because they don't understand English. I just ended up sending my shoes back to a postal address which I found on their website. It's been 3 weeks now. Didn't hear anything back yet.

I've been wearing Altra for several years and the quality is progressively getting worse as the price increases. My last pair split open at the toe crease and along where the shoe meets the sole. This happened on both shoes and it happened after less than 300 km of running. I sent a pictures to the company and for a while it sounded like they were going to replace or refund. Then I get a an email to say that after "careful" consideration the split was not a product defect! I will never buy another pair.

Great shoes, bad customer service. They reply seldomly and with relatively useless answers.

I bought the Rivera 4's after having Altra recommended to me because I have wide feet and need a wide toe box. This shoe didn't have the right width for me and did not fit.

Because it didn't fit I had to send it back but now have to pay 10,- back.

I need other shoes but because of this I won't shop for another pair because I'd have to send them back and lose money on it again.

Dent on toe area impacting on pressure on toes. I bought these for my upcoming marathon as they obviously spent a fortune on marketing and I got sucked in. The shoe someone has a dented in between the big and second toe on let foot. I reached out to them and initial response from them was that I did not buy the shoes off them and to contact the store I bought them. So attempting to pass the blame. I reissued my order number to them and after answering several of their questions via 1 email, they have yet to respond to me. 2 weeks. I keep reaching out but no response.

Went for Altra due to their wide fit and my preference for barefoot shoes.

Bought the Torin 6 and after 42km here are my thoughts.

Split toe box, soul coming off, heels worn through…after 42km.

I have contacted customer services via their website and instagram but to say it’s poor is being nice. No reply via website and instagram a constant “we’ll flag this with customer services” of course you will!

Take your money elsewhere. Naff trainers, worse customer service.

Wow, what a super sucker this company is. I'm running on Altra for several years now. But always bought them in a local shop. Last november i bought 2 pair of the same shoes in the European Altra webshop. They were too narrow for me (yes i have really wide feet). I returned both pair. Altra Running received them and confirmed this on 16th December 2023. I am still waiting for my money. I tried to contact them by phone. Terrible English. Lines disconnected ect. Once a employee of Altra Told me yes the money is returned. I asked which bank account? Because it wasn't on mine. She assured me that i will get my money. But still not. I have send them several emails. Send DM on Instagram to Altra European HQ. The told me they contacted Italy. But still no Money. So my advice. Stay away from buying stuff in Altra European website. It's a terrible company.

The shoes are amazing, when they fit properly. And the customer service is horrendous. Ordered a pair of shoes a year ago which were delightful to wear. After everyday use, the sole is starting to tear, so I ordered a new pair. The order was the same size as the previous, and they did not fit. I tried to return these for an exchange and the instructions were difficult to find on the website. I emailed them with help and after speaking to a generated response for 5 months, I eventually got instructions on how to return them and I got charged £16 to return the shoes. Altra are refusing to refund this £16.
I will not recommend Altra to anyone anymore. This is a shame because the shoes can be great.

After reading reviews it seems as though people are having the same issues as me.

I have returned some shoes and have been trying to contact Altra since 10th January, no response to emails, they do not answer calls - all I want is my refund.

Do not purchase from this company - I would find a supplier that stocks these trainers if you want this brand.

Unfortunately the Altras that I bought didn't fit me.
Before buying I looked at Altra's return policy which states that you can arrange to return through Altra, and you will be sent a UPS returns label and charged £13.
I arranged a return, which Altra authorised, but they didn't send me a UPS label and aren't replying to my emails asking for help.
To return the shoes through a UK courier will cost me £18, + £30 import duty.
Returned goods don't actually attract duty, but the only way to avoid paying it is if the original seller, I.E. Altra, arrange the return.
So I'm either stuck with shoes that don't fit me, or forced to pay £48 to get them back to Altra who, according to MANY other reviews on Trustpilot, have a VERY high chance of not actually processing my refund.

They're good quality shoes, but their customer service is absolutely atrocious - buy them through a local reseller, DO NOT BUY THROUGH THE ALTRA WEBSITE.