So what do you all think of this?

Barefoot TJ

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Mar 5, 2010
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This is a post on our main Facebook page:

Word Of Warning! Make sure vivo shoes are for you as after wearing them 3 times I am on crutches,in alot of pain and having an MRI tomorrow as I have a suspected torn cartilage! Vivo compare running in there shoes as like flying a rocket or driving a car all require skill and if not done properly can cause injury if you are not trained. Only after my injury was I given any links or info on how to run in Vivo Shoes which is a little to late as I will now spend thousands of rands on medical bills plus spend weeks/months not being able to walk never mind run! I am in no way blaming Vivo Shoes entirely but rather blaming there sales staff for not informing me properly before I bought there product! I had an existing knee problem and even told the staff about it saying I was not sure there shoes where for me and they offered me NO training or advice but rather said there product will help. I have contacted the store today and they have acknowledged there mistake and apologized but not offered any compensation or even a refund on the shoes as an act of good will which have been worn only 3 times WARNING! BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN BUYING THIS PRODUCT! AS THEY ONLY INFORM YOU AFTERWARDS THAT (AND I QUOTE THERE DIRECTOR IN SOUTH AFRICA) without the correct form change and conditioning you can get injured.


Please discuss...
 
Is torn cartilage common with minshoes? I guess he did say that he had existing knee problems.

When buying anything, I typically do a lot of presales research, whether it be shoes, electronics, or a car. Salespeople are usually informed about the features of their products, but not necessarily the drawbacks.

No salesperson has ever warned me when buying any sort of shoe, whether it be dress, casual, minshoes, etc.
 
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I have several pairs of Vivo shoes, which i wear for work as well as running and walking, and the box from my Trails, which I still have, certainly has a label in the lid which says: "TRANSITION SAFELY - videos and instruction manuals to transition safely and learn the skill of barefoot running at trainingclinic.vivobarefoot.com". I believe the others also had this label, though I don't have the boxes. Their store in London includes a treadmill on which you can have your form checked, and they run workshops there. I've never seen them on sale other than there or in specialist running shops where advice is presumably available. They have a video app and a colour booklet that is free to download and £2.50 to buy. Their online store includes links to their educational stuff. Short of setting an examination which needs to be passed before you are allowed to buy shoes from them, it's hard to know what else they could do. They are shoes, for goodness sakes. They are clearly labelled as 'barefoot shoes', with the direct advice that they need transition of that's not what you are used to. As I recall, my VFFs had a similar warning on the box, but with none of the educational backup that Vivo have gone out of their way to make available for free. It seems very unfair to pillory one manufacturer for a problem that could easily have happened with any minimalist shoe if someone goes out and runs as if they were in padded Nikes.

No connection, just a satisfied customer (who wouldn't dream of pillorying New Balance or the shop who sold them to me just because I can't find a way to run in their 4mm minimus without my feet hurting.)
 
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