hey y'all... i just hit damascus and i think i'll need to invest in a new pair of shoes. i have a pair of merrell siren sports. i bought them right before my shakedown hike and during my shakedown, i lost four toenails. i chalked it up to me not having enough time to break them in. (bought them a half size too big like i've heard to do.)
i just hit damascus and i'm still having problems with them. add another toenail to my count lost, my big toenails are bruised but i don't think they'll come off, my right arch is killing me, and i've got blisters on both feet. i can tell my feet have really slowed me down these last few weeks. two weeks ago, it was all i could do to walk.
these shoes were over a hundred bucks. i've been told that if i contact merrell, they'll probably ship a replacement pair, but i don't want another pair if they're just going to give me the same problems...
i don't know if i should just bite the bullet and buy another pair or call them and ask for a refund/replacement. i think they had a six month warranty where i bought them, but i obviously don't have the paperwork in front of me since i'm hikin.
have y'all ever had this problem with gear? how do you go about asking for a replacement? do they ship the new stuff up the trail or can you buy a new pair at an outfitter and get reimbursed?
thanks in advance.