UKC

Hello,

I bought a pair of Salewa Raven Combi GTX as lightweight alpine boots a month and a half ago. I have used them for 11 days and the sole at the toe is near to wearing through so I think they need resoled in the same fashion as my Nepals do every two years.
In addition, three holes in the cordura uppers have appeared and seem to be getting worse and the rubber rand has several holes through it. I know light boots are not supposed to last as long, but these are advertised as durable and I expected two years life.
I have approached Salewa customer care about this and they say that it is normal wear and tear. Is it right that boots last 11 days before resoling? If not, is there anything I can do about it (I will be showing Salewa other damage on the sole that suggests that it is a rubber problem?)

In reply to jonnie3430:
I was seriously considering a pair of these. You've just made my mind up not to bother!

In reply to crustypunkuk:

Lovely to climb in and a great fit, you notice the weight in every step too! I'm convinced that they would have noticed this in the product testing if it were common, I'd just like to convince them that these boots are at fault and refund or replace, if not, they are not worth anyway near the E240 I paid for them.

In reply to jonnie3430: cool. Thanks for the info. Let me know how you get on with Salewa, as the mark of a great/terrible company lies in their customer service.
Also, Trekinn.com has them for £160.

In reply to jonnie3430:
Can't comment on Salewa, but I've long suspected that build quality in boots has declined significantly over the years, usually justified in the marketing speil as the use of exotic super-light materials.

In reply to jonnie3430: Can you take them back to the shop where you bought them? 11 days' use and worn out is not 'usual wear and tear'. The shop should be able to exchange them for a new pair.
I had a similar problem years ago with a pair of Salomon Pro Ice boots from Ellis Brigham. The rubber sole at the toe wore down after only a few days' use, then wore into the plastic crampon notch, meaning they'd probably have only been capable of holding crampons securely for another couple of trips out. I took them back and they sent them off. A brand new pair came back, and I am still using them - the toe areas are still fine after about 8 years! I put it down to poor rubber/construction at the toe in the first pair. Sounds like you've been unlucky with a similarly dodgy pair

In reply to Jamie Hageman: Similar experience a long time back with the first Sportiva Trango s boots. Stitching broke in various spots where the boots flexed. The shop I got them from took them back from me no problems, they were even willing to exchange them for new pair that were a half size different and that fitted better.

Did the OP go direct to the manufacturer rather than the shop?

In reply to TobyA:

Ah, but I bought them in Briancon as Ecrins had a better selection of Alpine boots. I am now back in the UK, so went to the manufacturer in Italy. They have offered to send me two pairs of soles so that I can resole them and have a spare if they wear out again. That doesn't sound so great to me and doesn't do anything about the holes in the uppers. I have been told that they may suit the description "unfit for purpose," especially as they are described as "robust," on the Salewa website. This should mean a refund from the shop, but because I am so far away, hope the manufacturers will do something else instead...

In reply to jonnie3430: The shop I bought mine in is in the Pyrenees, so I had to mail them back to them - but they paid to post me the replacement pair. BTW, the shop was Telemark Pyrenees who I happily recommend because they do great service.

In reply to TobyA:

I had been recommended them and was chatting about a pair of Garmonts, (tower,) I couldn't try them on so went for the Salewas (the garmont towers in Vallouise were last seasons model.)