Hike Footwear

Hike Footwear claims that its shoes “stop falls.” And it backs up this bold claim with a 30-day money-back guarantee. So if you do end up eating the pavement in front of everyone at the company picnic while wearing the shoes, you can at least get your money back (if not your dignity).

The company also advertises its money-back guarantee in a prominent banner at the top of its website.

But after receiving a consumer tip, TINA.org found that there is a hidden cost to taking advantage of this money-back guarantee.

In order to be eligible for a refund, Hike Footwear requires that customers ship the item back to the company and it only covers the cost of return shipping when customers receive the wrong item. In other instances, such as when customers have sizing issues – a top complaint on the company’s BBB page (more on this below) – they are responsible for return shipping.

The return policy doesn’t disclose where returns must be sent or how much shipping will be. But Hike Footwear states in a website FAQ that manufacturing takes place “primarily in Asia.” And one Facebook user reported that the company wanted to charge him more than $75, which exceeded the cost of the shoes, for return shipping to China.

But first consumers need to be able to contact the company to initiate the return and according to a number of recent consumer complaints posted on Hike Footwear’s BBB page, many of which report sizing issues, the company can be hard to reach.

Similar complaints regarding the difficult returns process can be found on the company’s Trustpilot page. Hike Footwear has a 3.6-star rating with Trustpilot and a 1.94-star rating with the BBB, which also gives the company an F rating due, in part, to its failure to respond to dozens of complaints filed against it.

Unsurprisingly, these are not the ratings the company has chosen to advertise on its website; rather, it touts a 4.6-star rating on Facebook and a 4.8-star rating on Google:

Yet when we went looking for these purported ratings, we didn’t find any evidence that they actually exist. For example, there are zero ratings on the company’s Facebook page.

Another red flag? In Facebook ads, Hike Footwear claims that its shoes “eliminate” foot pain and on its website, the company claims to help with conditions like diabetes and arthritis. But Hike Footwear does not provide any substantiation for these health claims and when TINA.org asked the company for its support, its answer was silence.

The bottom line

Consumers should be wary of ads that promote guarantees, and look into the terms and conditions of these offers before making purchases. Reading consumer reviews on a variety of third-party platforms can also be helpful.

Find more of our coverage on footwear.