"I bought hiking shoes for my mother, but the pair that arrived had defective stitching. I sent a picture to Vivobarefoot’s customer service, who told me I could either keep the shoes for a 30% discount or send them back for a refund. Instead, I requested a replacement.

I filled an online return form, which twice required my contacting customer service again: the form wanted me to pick a city, but the only city it listed was Paris; then it asked for a return number I didn’t have. It took several days, but after that someone came to fetch the shoes; I didn’t have to pay or go to the post office.

As soon as the carrier had received the shoes, Vivobarefoot sent my mother a new pair, and this one has flawless stitching. It’s a very nice model, whose only flaw is that the tongues are a little hard at the top, which can hurt my mother on one foot if she doesn’t tie the shoe a little loose on that side; but she says that, even then, these hiking shoes are more comfortable than the pair their replaced. [Edit:] The day after I wrote this review, my mother went for a hike. It rained a lot, but her feet stayed dry, even though she came back with mud splashed over the hems of her jeans. Also, she never slipped, even when walking downhill on wet fallen leaves. She’s very happy with the shoes.

Along the years, I bought four pairs of Vivobarefoot shoes for myself. I wore holes into the soles of the Aqua and Dharma; the Ultra is still going strong; and I’ve just recently bought the Flex, which are … socially flexible: they can be worn at the gym, but also at work (if you hide the small white logos on the heal counter) or at a party."