"UPDATE on March 15, 2017: Brian from NB contacted me and offered a new pair of shoes but no shipping outside. He also told me what he thinks the reason for shoe damage was: incorrect size. This led me to review the online order receipt vs. the actual shoes and I discovered that while I had ordered size 14 XW shoes, what was actually sent was 13 XW. Voila, that was the reason shoes were falling apart. I then contacted DSW, who offered a $10 discount coupon (!?). I contacted the DSW CEO directly and in a few days, heard from DSW (Ms. Hilary) that they were issuing a full refund - way to go DSW! And thanks Brian at New Balance for helping resolve this. Changing the review with this update and 4-star. NB will get five-star when their CEO is contactable by email.

UPDATE on Jan 19, 2017: I have now tried in vain for over one month to contact New Balance CEO and management but can not find any contact details for them anywhere. This is perhaps appropriate because they might be getting countless complaints. In any case, I find this cowardly on their part of being inaccessible and non-contactable.

Original Review:
I had a knee surgery and based on my physiotherapist recommendation, bought NB MW669GR Hiking/Trail shoes from among Reebok, Nike, and NB. This was in late July 2016. I started my international travels on August 3 and in 3 months or so, without doing much hiking and putting shoes to any extreme conditions, the insides have already frayed and fabric has fallen apart. I have contacted the NB customer service but no positive response as to replacement or refund has come thru. I will NEVER buy New Balance again because of poor quality and poorer customer service. Reebok, which I have been using for last 20 years or so, lasts much longer and is available at less than half the NB price."

"Recently bought shoes from them. Had to return due to wrong size. Re-ordered the same shoe in smaller size. Everything was super smooth. Return policy was excellent with quick refund. A pleasure doing business with them."