Altra Running Reviews 

Shoes took a while to be delivered. They did not fit. Attempt to return has been a nightmare and is still unresolved after over a month. Worst experience I have ever had.
DO NOT BUY!

Ordered a pair of shoes that arrived clearly used. I tried to exchange them and was told the replacement would ship as soon as my return was scanned, but it never did. After multiple calls and getting the runaround about their system not working, I finally requested a refund and ultimately had to dispute the charge to get my money back. Terrible experience—I would not buy from this company again.

I have been a genuine fan of this brand for years and own several pairs. That is exactly why this experience has been so disappointing. I ordered, needed to return due to wrong deliveries, and sent both parcels back promptly.

Altra's own customer care team confirmed in writing, twice, that both returns had arrived at their warehouse, with exact delivery dates given for each. Despite that written confirmation, no refund followed. Instead I was told there was a dispute with their courier, then weeks later told the real issue was that the parcels had never been scanned into their own internal processing system, an admission that this was Altra's operational failure all along, not a return that ever went missing.

Over a month has passed since confirmed receipt. Every response has been a template apology followed by another investigation with no timeline and no resolution. I have had to open a chargeback with my bank to get my own money back, because Altra's customer service has shown no ability or willingness to resolve a case they themselves confirmed was straightforward.

I loved these shoes. I will not be ordering from this brand again, and I would think carefully before trusting them with a return.

That is every fact in your case file, nothing added and nothing softened, which is exactly why it will land. A review built entirely on what actually happened cannot be dismissed as an overreaction, and it gives anyone reading it, including Altra if they see it, no factual ground to push back on. I have left out the name of the individual support agent, he is working from a script that clearly comes from above him, and the review lands harder aimed at the company's handling than at one person doing their job badly.

I finde them comfortable for all day walking best bit plenty of space for your toes some brands are OK if you have 4 these are wonderful

Terrible customer service. I refunded an order (2 pairs) and only 1 pair was reimbursed. The other pair is still pending, yet according to Altra they reimbursed me for both pairs. I inquired with my credit card company and they confirmed only 1 reimbursement was made. Despite contacting Altra again with this information and showing them a screenshot of my Altra order page on my profile showing that the one pair is still pending, Altra is adamant they paid reimbursed me fully. Disputed the original charge with my credit card company, and will never go back to Altra even though I love my runners.

Extremely poor quality. I have been wearing them for only a month and I've had to use shoe goo on 2 separate occasions and on both shoes. The fabric inside by the heel is already worn into holes. $160.00 is steep for a month of wear.

I contacted Altra within approximately 30 seconds of placing my order because I realized the shipping address was incorrect. Customer service told me they would try to stop the shipment and, if it had already shipped, contact the carrier to prevent it from being delivered.

Neither of those things happened. The shoes were delivered to the wrong address, where I have no way of retrieving them.

I understand that I initially entered the wrong address, but I reported the error almost immediately and followed every instruction Altra gave me. I was led to believe they would attempt to intervene, yet the package was still delivered and I have been offered no refund, replacement, or meaningful solution.

I did not wait hours or days to report the problem. I contacted them within moments, before the order could reasonably have been processed and delivered. Altra apparently had no effective procedure to correct the address, stop the order, or ensure that the carrier intercepted the package.

The result is that Altra has my money, I do not have the shoes, and customer service has essentially told me there is nothing they will do. Their lack of accountability and concern has been incredibly disappointing. I expected much better from a company of this size.

I loved my hiking shoes at first. They started to tear at the fabric at the top within two months. When I contacted customer support they would not help me because I did not have the original receipt even though the production date on the shoe was listed as made only 6-7 months prior. I had bought them at MEC in Vancouver. I knew the date and had proof of the charge on my credit card but customer service still would not do anything. Like I said I really liked the shoes at first but it is pretty sad when a shoe starts breaking down after two months of light use and the company won’t stand behind their product. For this reason I won’t buy from this company again:(

Very disappointed with the after sale service

Poor condescending AI chat page. Finally got to an actual agent in the chat box. Agent was helpful, but cut off the conversation prematurely before I could confirm return info. Fed-Ex shipping left the delivery out in a rain storm ruining the return box. Shoes seem ok, but didn't fit properly. Return process was frustrating and onerous. Will avoid online interactions, hoping stores may be a better experience.

I've been using barefoot shoes for about five years and always had the problem that most brands offered a wide toebox but no additional cushioning. Running with a forefoot stride is and was no problem - walking (hitting with the heel first) got unpleasant on hard surfaces such as concrete, cobblestone or tile.
I purchased the Escalante 4 specifically for a vacation that would involve A LOT of walking (25000 steps a day) on cobblestone sidewalks. This purchase came based on a chat with Altra's Customer Service and their recommendation was perfect. This is the most comfortable shoe thus far for this kind of travel. Also, other than Xero and others, their fit recommendation was spot on. I can't say much about the quality yet, but thus far, I do not see any issues that surfaced with other brands in the same time frame under similar use.

Altra’s Warranty Process Is a Joke – Avoid if You Expect Basic Customer Care.
I’m extremely disappointed with how Altra handled my warranty claim for the Olympus 6 Hike Low Gore‑Tex. The shoes developed serious structural damage after normal use, and I provided clear photographic evidence showing the heel breaking down and exposing the internal padding.Altra’s response? A generic, copy‑and‑paste refusal that didn’t acknowledge a single detail of my claim. No reference to the photos, no explanation, no attempt to understand the issue – just a blanket “not covered by our policy” message that could have been sent to anyone.Worse still, when I followed up to challenge their decision and ask them to actually review the evidence, they simply ignored me. No reply, no escalation, no customer care. Just silence.
For a company that markets itself as premium and “built for the long haul,” their warranty process is the exact opposite: dismissive, unhelpful, and designed to shut customers down rather than support them.If you’re considering buying Altra products, be aware: Their “guarantee” appears meaningless. Their customer service is robotic at best, negligent at worst.If your shoes fail prematurely, you may be left with nothing but a scripted rejection.I expected better from a brand at this price point. Sadly, Altra has shown they’re not interested in standing behind their products or their customers.

I had to take six months off from working due to foot issues. I had worn Altra sneakers before with the original foot shape, which has the widest toe box. Even though having that xtra room for my toes to spread alleviated some of my foot discomfort it still didn’t resolve the foot issues I was having….until Altra created the Forward Via model. I couldn’t get used to wearing zero drop, it created additional strain so my feet just got worse. But then…the new Forward Via model combined the original foot shaped design with a 4 mm drop. With almost all shoes out there you have to fit your foot to the shoe, instead of your shoe fitting to your foot. That’s backwards. The combination of the ‘original’ foot shape design which is the widest toe box Altra makes, along with a 4 mm drop solved the problem. Because my feet are high volume, and I have high arches, I still had to take the insole out to give myself more room plus I always order the men’s size because they’re wider. I also use the laces to give myself additional adjustments to how wide I want my sneakers to be/feel. But then, I literally went from being in a lot of foot pain, to instantly having almost none at all! Now I’m just waiting for Altra to come out with a trail version of that shoe with both the original foot shape and 4 mm drop so me and my feet can both be in trail heaven.

Should have checked reviews first. My first order with them was dispatched on the 27th of May and have still not arrived. I spoke to a customer service rep via live chat who said they would raise a query with the delivery company and get back to me but they have not. I’ve now completed a web form query. Terrible first experience - would not repeat. Have now had three contacts trying to get them to initiate a refund which, inexplicably, they have failed to do.

Update - finally spoke to a rep called Simona who processed my refund within 5 minutes. Thanks Simona! Just goes to show that it was not complicated - it’s a shame the rest of their customer services team is so poor in comparison.

Great marketing. Great features such as zero drop, wide toe box and goretex. However, when your trainer starts leaking within 8 months of moderate use and no hiking, and you contact customer service you will be told it is not covered in the warranty. The loudly proclamed 2 year warranty. The marketing about GTX are pointless if your shoe breaks down with normal usage. I've had Adidas and Merrell GTX shoes that last 4 years minimum

Quality is poor i only wear the trainers inside at home and after 18monthe they are completely falling apart i contacted the company Who suggest replacing them every year. Another company that doesn't care about sustainability or the customer

I love Altra shoes and have been trying to buy my sixth pair but the service is genuinely the worst I have had from an online company. It is now 8 weeks since I placed my order and I have no shoes and no refund. Altra confirmed this was a mistake on their end, where the wrong delivery details were attached to the package, and have promised me every week for the last month that my refund is being arranged as a priority. Despite this, still no shoes and no refund. I now have no option but to raise a chargeback with my card provider. Lifelong customer lost - I will be spending my money with Topo Athletic. I'd advise you save yourself the hastle and do the same.

Bought a pair of Lone peak all weather 2 high top running shoes. After 4 months the material started cracking at a flex point on top of the shoe. I contacted Altra and they require a copy of the receipt. I bought these from a small town outfitter where I no longer live. I went back, got a copy of the receipt which was a screen shot of their computer screen because they couldn't send it to their printer. They told me that want good enough even though it clearly showed the model, store name, price and the date of purchase. After some back and forth they told me that they would not warranty my shoes and that the problem was wear and tear.

I'm a 69 year old veteran with disabilities. My past has caught up and I'm no longer a runner but walk my dog for exercise. These shoes failed within 4 months of ownership, I filled the warranty 6 months in to a1 year warranty period and they denied it.

I have never had this kind of failure in any show that I have ever owned even going back to my competitive days over 30 years ago. I don't wear these every day or everyone I walk, I rarely walk over 3 miles 3 to 4 times a week wearing different shoes and these failed within 4 months? Not warrantable? They don't stand behind their product, don't have loyalty to customers that are loyal to them. I'll never buy another pair of already again. Other companies make similar designs like the Topo shoes In just bought instead. Very comfortable, similar price range and seem to be excellent quality. It's a shame where do many are putting profit over quality and customer service. Their loss

The Olympus 5 was an incredible shoe. I owned multiple pairs from the robustness and good looking Olympus 5. I recently bought one of their new shoes and the quality didn't feel the same.. bring back the Olympus 5!!!!!