La Sportiva Reviews

Bought La Sportiva Tarantula climbing shoes for indoor bouldering and the seams started coming apart within four weeks. I got a replacement pair under warranty but by eight weeks those were also falling apart at the seams even though there was barely any visible wear anywhere else. My son climbs several times weekly and his different-brand shoes are actually worn out but the seams are still solid. La Sportiva needs to fix this issue. The problem is you can't call them - you're forced to deal with quality issues through the store where you bought them. I've switched to a different brand that's clearly better constructed.

Really let down by their customer service approach. I've always respected the brand but they really need to step up their customer care game. I ordered shoes in my normal size but they fit terribly - turns out I need a whole size bigger. Would've been helpful to know their sizing runs small. The return process itself isn't bad, but I only discovered I'd have to cover my own shipping after I already asked for a return. I don't have a problem paying for return shipping, but I've never seen a company fail to clearly state this in their terms and conditions. They really should fix that.

Horrible customer service. They only care about their policies and rules, never about actually helping customers. I purchased running shoes and got confused about sizing. Since my foot is 27cm I asked multiple times if size 42 EU would be okay - they said yes, no problem. So I bought them. Size 42 fits like a 41, so they're way too tight and uncomfortable. No exchanges, no help. If you're thinking about ordering shoes online from them, don't. Go to a physical store first. I won't be back and I can't recommend them to anyone.

Stay away from Lasportivaaustraliaau.com completely. This is a fraudulent website that will take your money. The real La Sportiva can be found at lasportiva.com or lasportivausa.com.au. Don't get fooled by the fake site.

The product quality is excellent. Over 15 years I've purchased lots of La Sportiva footwear for different activities - everything from mountaineering boots to climbing shoes. Most of what I've owned has been fantastic. The mountaineering boots kept my feet warm and comfortable during winter trips in Scotland while still being rigid enough for technical work. I'd give the quality a perfect rating, but I'm taking off one star because their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

Terrible service - possibly my worst online shopping and return experience ever. They don't make it obvious that you'll have to pay extra duty on all UK deliveries. When you try to send items back, everything has to go to Italy on your dime and gets stuck waiting for customs. I returned two pairs of shoes on June 16 because they were so undersized I couldn't get my feet in them. As of July 10 they're still hung up in Italian customs and I don't even know when or if I'll get my £315 back, plus FedEx is still chasing me for £73 in duty charges.

Don't trust this website - it's a complete scam. I ordered hiking boots and they charged me right away, but instead of sending what I paid for, they shipped a worthless knockoff baseball cap worth barely 50 cents to cover their tracks. There's no way to reach anyone there. These people are operating as criminals out of China.

Just bought the Helios III shoes and while they're incredibly comfy, the build quality is awful. The glue started separating after just two weeks. Now at five weeks I'm genuinely concerned they'll completely fall apart. I spent years working retail in the outdoor industry and hardly ever saw products with this kind of manufacturing defect. I've sent multiple messages to customer support and haven't gotten any responses. This company won't be getting any more of my business.

Their customer service is dreadful. I spoke with a service manager who talked over me the entire call and was rude and confrontational. I was shopping for a new trail running shoe brand but La Sportiva isn't going to be it.

I've gotten two pairs of La Sportiva climbing shoes and I'm absolutely thrilled with both. The first pair was the Solution and they felt perfect on my feet. The rubber is on the softer side so they wore faster, but they still lasted over two years with regular climbing both outdoors and in the gym. That softer rubber was fantastic for volume climbing, smearing, and all kinds of foot hooks. My second pair are the Testarossa and honestly they're not quite as good as the Solution, especially indoors - the harder rubber compound is better for tiny holds but struggles on larger volumes. That said, they're really designed for outdoor climbing where they absolutely shine.