Just over two years ago we invested in a pair of gardener Wellington boots, and we are extremely disappointed by these poor quality Hunter wellies.
When they first arrived, I was very pleased them. They felt rugged, and they were very comfortable. They had a reinforced sole that you could use to dig holes with because the spade wouldn’t damage them.
But sadly, they’ve lasted a little bit over two years. You can watch the video below where I talk about the boot, and the sustainability of purchasing so-called premium products.
As a customer that takes sustainability very seriously, I will no longer be buying any products from Hunter. They have a poor quality product and their customer support has been nothing short of appalling.
Poor quality Hunter wellies: customer support transcript
As part of my complaint, I sent Hunter a long, courteous email saying that we were loyal customers. Between my wife and I, we have several expensive pairs of wellies. I received the following response – I’ve removed the Brand Ambassador’s name:
Thank you for contacting us.
We are sorry to hear about your issues experienced and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Our warranty period covers 24 month from date of purchase.
Unfortunately, as your boots are out of our warranty period, we are unable to offer a replacement.
For the inconvenience we would like to offer you a 25% discount for your next order of full price product of our website. This discount is applied to your email address and will be deducted automatically at checkout.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind Regards,
(Name removed)
Brand Ambassador
That, to my mind, is not an apology. They’re sorry I paid them for a premium boot, that it’s now faulty and an inconvenience. As a follow up email, I asked Hunter why their product was poorly made, and that I had lost faith in their brand. The same Brand Ambassador replied:
We are sorry that you are feeling this way.
Unfortunately, if the boots are out of our warranty period we are unable to offer a replacement.
Our offer for the 25% discount still stands and can be used at any time.
We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.
Kind Regards,
(Name removed)
Brand Ambassador
I am perplexed by the lack of customer service from a brand that has worked so hard to create this image, and that they are so flippant and happy to lose a customer.
Consequently, they are dead to me as a brand and I will never support them by buying another one of their products. Spending hard-earned money on products that are produced by companies that don’t care about you as a customer is not something that sits well with me. And it’s not just me, they’ve alienated and lost as a customer.
Please leave a comment below if you’ve had a bad experience with Hunter (or a good one) and also feel free to recommend other brands that you’d recommend.