Tracksmith’s ‘100 Mile Guarantee’

Tracksmith claims that its running shoes come with a “100 Mile Guarantee.”

“If you don’t love them after 100 miles or 30 days (whichever comes first), your return is on us,” the Boston-based retailer claims on its website. And according to its Meta ads (Facebook, Instagram and Threads), the return process is “easy and free.”

But after purchasing a pair of running shoes from Tracksmith and attempting to make use of the 100 Mile Guarantee, a TINA.org reader said the company gave her the run-around.

“They claim if not loved, ‘the return is on us,’ but when returning the product, they charge a fee,” the reader wrote. “Upon calling, they refuse to remove the fee.”

Indeed, according to the company’s “returns & exchanges” policy, which was not originally linked on the Tracksmith site and which TINA.org only found by searching the site for a “return policy,” there is an $8 fee for all returns. What happened to “easy and free”?

In response to a TINA.org request for comment, Tracksmith said that the $8 return shipping fee is “clearly stated for anyone that wishes to take us up on this guarantee offer.” But it was only after TINA.org reached out that the company added a link to its returns and exchanges policy on its main footwear page under the advertised guarantee, and added information about the $8 return fee to product pages.

In addition, on a completely separate page found in its help center, Tracksmith discloses that initial shipping costs, which start at $10 unless consumers spend more than $200 on the site, are not refundable.

Finally, until recently, Tracksmith’s once hard-to-find return policy also disclosed that the Eliot Runner was the only Tracksmith running shoe eligible for the 100 Mile Guarantee, even as the guarantee has been advertised in connection with its other shoes, both on its main footwear page and on individual product pages for the various shoes.

In response to TINA.org’s inquiry, Tracksmith informed us that the guarantee applies to all of its footwear and updated its returns and exchanges policy.

The bottom line

If a satisfaction guarantee is an important selling point for you, always make sure to do your research and read through all the terms before placing an order.

Find more of our coverage on money-back guarantees.