Hey gents, today we’re going to be looking at Meermin again. In the previous video, I had an issue with customer service and their quality control so they left something to be desired. But you guys love this brand and I wanted to get some more of their products so I grabbed some chukkas. 

I’ll tell you what they got right and where they went wrong. It’s also worth looking at my past experiences with the Meermin brand since I’ve reviewed them before. 

My Past Experience With Meermin Shoes

I’ve unboxed two pairs of Meermins before. The first pair was a pair of black Oxfords and the second pair was a pair of double monk shoes in cognac museum calf. Surprisingly enough, these two pairs of shoes are related and I would not have gotten the second pair had it not been for the first pair.

I ordered my first pair of Meermin shoes in July of 2017 and they sat in a box for a while before being opened. When I finally got the chance to wear them, I noticed there was a staple around the ball of the foot.

Luckily, no blood was shed but it certainly was painful. I emailed them about the issue but I got no response, so I sent another email. This time, they responded and said that they could not tell from the picture I sent them and their policy was that I could ship the shoes to them.

If they found an issue with the shoes, then they would reimburse the shipping and send a new pair of shoes. The shipping costed $60 since the shoes were sent to Spain. The shoes were opened and returned with a rubber band around it.

However, the staple was still in the left shoe so this was the same pair of Meermin shoes that I had sent over in the first place. At this point, I’m very frustrated so I talked to their manager. He told me this was very unusual and against their policy so he told me that Meermin could ship him a new pair of shoes once they received the old pair.

This time, I could ship the black Oxfords to their New York store which had just opened. This made it more convenient for those looking to ship their shoes since they would only have to ship them to the New York store instead of shipping them to Spain.

I already had a trip planned to New York, so I went to take a look at their store. I ended up exchanging the black Oxfords for a pair of dark-brown double monk shoes. Both of these were featured in separate Meermin shoe review videos. 

As for the shoes, both of them were great in terms of quality. I was getting a great pair of shoes--minus the staple--for an affordable price point. The only thing that kept me from recommending this brand was the lack of quality control.

Now, with a new pair of Meermin chukkas, it’s time to delve into the world of Meermin once more. 

Meermin Shoe Review: Chukkas

First off, I’d like to say that their prices are a little suspect. In the U.S., prices are $210 for their shoes. But when you check the prices in the EU, they’re 160 GBP, which converted turns into $195 USD. 

For anyone located outside of NYC, the shipping cost is $15 and any type of return is paid for by the customer, not by Meermin. It’s possible that they could reimburse return costs if there is something wrong with the shoes as they did in my instance with the black Oxfords. 

When it comes to the shoes, Meermin make them through European-sourced leathers that are then hand-welted in China by using the Goodyear welt which is traditionally associated with high-end shoe products. To top it all off, they are finally hand-finished in Spain.

So, while they may be based in Spain, a large chunk of the manufacturing process occurs in China to keep the costs down. This allows them to sell their shoes at a more affordable price point.

The chukkas themselves fit incredibly well, just like the double monk shoes I bought a while back. The pair of chukkas I bought had a Hiro last sizing and they were well built so I’m very happy about that. 

Overall, this is a great shoe, just like the other two pairs I got from Meermin. However, they still have some brand qualities which could make you hesitant to buy their shoes. 

Self-paid refunds is a big issue that customers have, but another one is their value-added tax (VAT for short) which they add onto their shoes. If you order outside of the EU, then you don’t have to worry about the VAT.

Yet, Meermin has had a tendency of adding the VAT tax through their higher retail prices on shoes sold outside of the EU. And instead of giving this money to the European Union, it goes into the pocket of Meermin.

The part that bothers me the most is that Meermin advertises that the US prices are VAT free compared to EU prices. Technically, this is true, but when you look at the prices of the EU compared to the US, you’ll notice that Americans are paying around 21% more than they should.

Final Thoughts

You guys love the Meermin brand and have wanted me to do a Meermin shoe review which I’ve done. In fact, I’ve done two already, one on the black Oxfords and one on the brown double monks.

If I based my review purely on the quality of the shoe, I would give it a big thumbs up. But for a shoe to be worth your time and money, the brand needs to be just as good as the shoe.

For Meermin, I’ve had shaky experiences with their customer service and their quality control. Luckily, my issues with them were resolved, but it was a big headache and it took a lot of time. On top of this, they’ve also been in the hot seat for putting the VAT on US-based consumers.

Meermin definitely makes a great shoe, but they could improve their honesty and customer service. Other than that, they’ve impressed me with their craftsmanship, design, and finish. This is a brand that can make high quality products. But when it comes to pleasing the customer, Meermin still has some things they can work on.