Review on Redmond Waterproof Hiking Shoe for Unisex-Children by Columbia by Luke Hodes

The shoes themselves seem good. However, after only 3 months of ownership (ie only occasional use) on any shoe, the laces on any shoe will wear out at the ends and the lace sleeve will separate from the inner cord. When removed, they cannot fit through the holes because the outer shell of the laces is left exposed and pushes back, only pulling the inner cord. Yes, it only costs about $8 to replace the laces, but considering this is a KIDS shoe (which needs to be durable) that cost JUST $60, the quality is very disappointing. Replacing the laces adds 13% to the price of the shoe, so please consider whether the total price corresponds to the amount you really want to spend on children's hiking shoes. Columbia customer service was also unhelpful. In order to have a guarantee, they have to send them a pair of shoes at your expense, although in this case I claim only a defect in the laces. They didn't seem to care at all about endorsing their product let alone trying to find a fair solution or demonstrating any value to meet customer needs. When I simply asked if I could just send the laces back instead, I got a rude reply: just buy new laces "and you're done"! Ok I did that and now it's done but I'm very very disappointed in this company.