Hi guys.
I have been using vivobarefoot shoes for a while and was generally satisfied with them.
My last pair broke after several years of usage, so I decided to buy a new pair. Bad choice.
After about half a year of usage, I could already see the soles getting extremely thin. At this moment I don’t dare using them anymore for fear that I will get a hole in the sole.
I contacted onsport (vivo reseller here in australia) and they say the manufacturer only have 6 months warranty.
What should I do? 6 months is not a reasonable lifespan for shoes, is it?
Also, are there any barefoot shoes which are still of good quality/durable? And reasonably priced?
Warranty is for time, because they don’t know how much you’re going to walk, or on what surface. For a thin sole shoe, I’d expect about 300 kilometers, regardless of how long you’ve had them. I’ve never gotten more than a year out of any pair of shoes, but I walk a lot.
It seems everything is made with poorer quality, and sold at a higher price now, though. There doesn’t need to be a back room agreement to do this, if they all just start doing it because it’s working for the other guy. But I also believe there is in fact a back room agreement across most industries to lower quality and charge more.
Is six months unreasonable? It is what they offer, you can complain, but the only thing they hear is dollars.
Thanks for your reply.
I wouldn’t say I do a lot of hiking, and definitely not on tough terrain. I also don’t use shoes indoors at home. But I do walk a lot with a single pair, typically using only a single pair as my only shoes until they wear out.
I think I could get around 4-5 years out of my regular shoes in the past. With 1-2 years from barefoot shoes.
So I sent a message to the seller saying that I would not buy those shoes (For 300 AUD) if they stated they would only last for 6 months. And under Australian Consumer Law they have to offer a repair, replacement or refund if a product wears out faster than the acceptable duration for this type of product.
They immediately gave me a full refund, didn’t even have to send back the shoes.
For a thin sole shoe, I’d expect about 300 kilometers, regardless of how long you’ve had them. I’ve never gotten more than a year out of any pair of shoes, but I walk a lot.
I would not, especially for that price. Even if it was some kind of cheap knockoff, 300 kilometers would be disappointing. That is just creating shoes for the sake of filling landfills.
I have had cheap Xero shoes that lasted me two full years of everyday use, averaging about 8 kilometers of walking a day. I currently own two pairs of Vivos. The oldest pair is 18 months old and is still fine. The sole has some wear and tear, but not very much.
I think that OP was either very unlucky or Vivo are enshittifying. OP, what model were they?
They offer a service to get the soles replaced. I would look into that.
Unfortunately they don’t offer this service in Australia.
Only thing I can do is sent them back for recycling and get a 15% discount on a new pair. Which is somewhat ridiculous.
I contacted the reseller again, mentioning the Australian consumer law and got a full refund. Didn’t even have to send the shoes back.
