Merrell Siren Sport Gore-Tex

I bought these from a well known outdoor store, and luckily they were on sale for AU$137. I had done my homework looking for a nice-looking shoe, with plenty of traction, stability and plenty of room for my wider size feet. They were to be used for my daily 8 km walks, and eventually for Europe early next year.

I did all the homework, checked reviews, wore them for 30 minutes around the shop, wore them all day around the house and then decided on a 4 km walk. I had noticed at home that they were rubbing my feet under the eyelet stitching, so I took out the laces and only threaded them through the top three points, and worked at stretching the toe box as much as possible.

After 1 km into my walk the stitching could be felt on the inside of the shoes rubbing against my foot, exactly at the same spots on both feet. It was unlikely the shoe comfort would improve with wear or stretching. I walked back in bare feet.

I was so disappointed, and I was unable to return them to the shop as obviously they were not in original condition.

I normally wouldn't do it, but didn't fancy having a hardly worn pair of shoes sitting in my cupboard, so I contacted Merrell in Australia with my complaints. They were fantastic. They invited me to post them to them (and Reply Paid at that). They felt that the shoe was probably too narrow for me and maybe half a size too small. They suggested The Moab Gortex shoe and a half size up.

These arrived last week. They certainly don't have the looks of the Siren Sport, which I felt were good looking enough not to need a second pair of shoes for evening wear, but are fantastically comfortable on the few short walks I have done so far, and once they conform to my feet may not seem so chunky.

I don't know that I would buy another pair of Merrells, but I couldn't fault their customer service.