In June 2013, I finally decided to splurge on a pair of custom measured boots. Mundial had a booth at the Sacramento Horse Expo (2nd year in a row I’d seen them there). I stopped at booth and an older gentleman took a ton of measurements and we discussed how I’d need room for socks and riding pants given I was bare-legged when he measured me. I felt great about the purchase because the gentleman took so much trouble over the measuring and the selection of leather, piping etc.
Several months later (September), my boots finally arrived. Unfortunately, far from being a perfect fit, I couldn’t even squeeze my feet into either boot and they were far too small to zip up. They were completely the wrong size. I called Mundial who said they’d adjust them. They claimed they must have ‘shrunk on the airplane’ which seemed unlikely. I duly sent the boots back and another long wait ensued. Finally I had to call to ask why it was taking so long and eventually the boots arrived and this time they fitted.
At the time a pair that fitted showed up, unfortunately, my horse had an injury so I decided not to wear the boots until he recovered. I had another long wait in store (courtesy of my horse) but finally got to wear my boots in April of this year. I put the boots on, very excited, for a riding lesson and rode for 20 minutes in them (my trainer rode for the balance of the session). I actually was loving the boots and beginning to think the wait might have been worth it, but when I walked back to the tack room, I realized the zipper on one boot had come undone and then I spotted that the popper was broken. I couldn’t believe it! First custom fitted boots didn’t fit, then supposedly quality boots broke within 20 minutes of riding.
I called Mundial and they arranged for me to send them back which I did. They sent them to Florida.
It is now August 18th and I still don’t have my boots -not for the want of trying. I have called and asked for boots and finally, called and asked for my money back but no luck. Mundial told me that they are in a law suit with the company that made the boots (first time I learned that Mundial is not Mundial). Frankly, customer service was not very sorry at all and seemed to think I should feel lucky that they were even deigning to try and help me given they didn’t have to do so!
Even more irritating is the complete and utter inefficiency of Mundial customer service. I have sent emails with my phone number; my husband’s phone number, and my address and today, the rep told me that she didn’t have my address on file or via my emails and couldn’t send me my boots. She also said she had called both myself and my husband but there is no record of incoming calls from her on our cell phones-I checked. I am not confident I will get my boots back and if not, I will need to take legal action I suppose.
I’d like anyone considering using Mundial to be aware that they are a mess right now and if you are unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle of their law suit, which I appear to be, all I can say is good luck! This is truly the worst customer service I have ever had and given I paid over $800 for a pair of boots back in June 2013 and have only been able to use them for a grand total of 20 minutes and now don’t have my boots OR my $800, I’d say ‘be warned’. I really wish I had never done business with these guys. I should have bought a pair of Ariat boots that were too tall and paid a cobbler to shorten them and put in new zippers -I’d be well ahead!
The true measure of good customer service is not that no mistakes ever happen, but that when they do, the customer is treated really well to make up for it. Not sure there is an easy save for custom measurements being so wrong but if it was my company, I would have rushed the replacement through, I would have kept my customer posted every step of the way so that they didn’t have to contact me to find out where their boots were, and I’d have given them a discount. If they then wore the boots just once and had an issue, I’d have bent over backwards to try and make good. I guess not everyone cares the same way. (:
Be warned.
If the boots fit and all else about them was good, then will they send you them back with the zipper still broke so that you can get them fixed on your own? I realize you shouldn’t have to but at this point better to have your boots even with a broke zipper then no boots and no money.
Do a search on Mundial - there are a lot of similar stories. I know a few people who have gotten boots that just didn’t fit - at all. Unfortunately, Mundial seems to have a few quality control issues.
One person I know has given up - her $700 boots sit unused in the tack room - not even close to fitting. One person went through FIVE attempts before getting something that worked. It took over a year. One person got boots that fit, but no insole inside the boots - she figured she better be happy they fit. I would have considered boots from Mundial, except I know these stories. Their prices are reasonable for a custom boot - and as you say, they are always at HorseExpo and some of our larger shows.
BTW, if you look at their measurements - they are just weird - not in inches or cms - they seem to have their own special measurement codes, so you can’t even verify if they are vaguely correct.
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If the boots fit and all else about them was good, then will they send you them back with the zipper still broke so that you can get them fixed on your own? I realize you shouldn’t have to but at this point better to have your boots even with a broke zipper then no boots and no money.[/QUOTE]
This assumes that La Mundial knows where the boots are …
Major B you have my sympathies.
If you can find a tack shop that has regular contact/commerce with a local La Mundial rep, that may be a more effective way to get boot resolution.
OP – I am so sorry that you have had such a nightmare 
I am one of the fortunate ones, mine arrived right on time and are perfect, but what I have learned since mine shipped is that the company has split into two different companies now. La Mundial and CampoLuna Boots, both based in Quito, Ecuador. What I haven’t seen explained anywhere is which company has the orders/sizing records etc., so perhaps you should also try and contact CampoLuna and see if they might have your boots that need to be repaired?
I know nothing about the split, other than to see it discussed in comments and in response to questions on social media.
Best of luck in getting some resolution
Call Lorena at 561-459-1629, she is the customer service hotline for La Mundial. I have spoken with the founder’s grandson who owns the La Mundial brand, and who is also the main designer there, and he is horrified at the state of things. He says he is absolutely committed to fixing everything that needs fixing, and gave me Lorena’s number to pass around.
Mom and I had a nightmare of a time trying to get La Mundial to fit. I cannot even remember how many times the guy measured us, boots NEVER were right. I think eventually she was able to get our money back. Granted, this was probably 6+ years ago.
Tried Lorena at Mundial but she is not very helpful
Wanted to thank the people who have been posting suggestions re my Mundial boot disaster. I have been so disappointed about the service (or lack thereof). I have been calling Lorena at Mundial and emailing her, but she is the person who said she would get me my boots back yet has failed to send me any tracking information and has not responded to my emails for over a week now.
Lorena told me she didn’t have to help me but was doing so to be nice. She was the person who said I had purchased boots from the ‘other’ company yet my invoice and credit card statement clearly show that I purchased from Mundial.
I will call again this week but given she won’t answer my emails, I am not hopeful.
I would take my boots back if I can’t get a refund (although at this stage, I’d prefer a refund I think), but I don’t seem to be able to get either which mean I paid $875 for no boots.
I am going to pursue via small claims if they don’t address my issue.
I’d happily go discuss with a local rep if I could find one but the Mundial web site doesn’t list anyone.
Major B, I just emailed a screen shot of your complaint to the head of La Mundial, and he called me within five minutes to ask that I get your phone number and email address so he can follow up with you personally. Would you PM me with that information please?
Sounds a lot like my issues with them a few years ago. Seems they are always in a law suit with someone. I threatened them with a law suit & demonstrating in front of their booth at Devon if they didn’t send the boots. I was lucky enough after almost a year to get my boots from them and they mostly fit. Took them and had them adjusted and the company was so screwed up they set me a second pair and didn’t realize the mistake.
Wow. How fortunate the OP is to have Horseflyer on this BB! That was really kind of you Horseflyer. Props to you.
And how kind of you to say that Zuri! Let’s hope she gets her fixed boots back right away, or a new pair made, then I will take props, lol.
Everything I’ve read says when La Mundial boots are fit correctly, they are a dream. As you may have heard, happy people tell 1 person, unhappy tell 10… so from the postings I’ve read across the internet - many of them glowing - I have legitimate hope that LM is more good than bad. But they have to get their customer service straightened out, and Roberto seems to know this.
Horseflyer – as I mentioned above, I ordered mine at Red Hills and the are LOVELY. If you can get them to straighten up and be safe to order from, I will order again. I love, love, love mine. 
Libby
So let’s be clear, $875 is insanely cheap for a pair of customs. Like stupid cheap. The reason your boots didn’t fit the first time is probably because they didn’t stretch them long enough. It is a common problem with custom boots an when they are going for the low price of “cheaper than a pair of Monaco’s” people were probably ordering them like hot cakes! They probably weren’t set up for the amount of orders they received and had to rush.
As for your zippers, most custom boots have itty bitty zippers, I hate them. They are going to bust. You would have been better off taking them to a trusted boot guy that could upgrade the zippers.
The customer service, I cannot speak to but seriously… They’re in the middle of a lawsuit. You definitely need to get your boots back but I wouldn’t be pushing about getting new zippers.
If they were custom Der Dau’s with a price tag around $1400. I mean custom Konig’s start at $1280, Sergio’s start at $1230, Cavallo’s start at $1174, Vogel starts $875, and Dehner comes as low as $765. I would like to note that pretty much all of those prices DON’T include zippers… That’s at least another $100.
I’m sorry that I’m not super sympathetic on your “steal of a deal” customs being problematic but maybe you should have seen it coming?
Thanks for the tip. The zippers were fine, but a popper closure broke after 20 mins of riding. I toyed with the idea of just getting them repaired myself (which I now wish I had done), but instead, I thought Mundial should really fix them so arranged to send them back. That was several months ago and I have been fighting to get either my boots back or my money back ever since.
Hmm. Me thinks you must be one of those ‘fortunate’ people with a large bank balance that views $1000 here or there as not much. You do however, seem to be running a little empty where empathy and helpfulness are concerned. You have an interesting world view: one in which it is my fault that I purchased ‘cheap’ boots and then ended up with no boots at all. I tend to think of it this way: I paid what to me is a significant sum of money for a product; I then ended up with no product at all-in many people’s eyes that would be fraud and regardless of any ‘naivety’ on my part for my ‘steal of a deal’, I’m hard pressed to see why this could be reasonable behavior on the part of a company. In fact, I’d have to say it is actually illegal behavior. If it makes you feel better about yourself -all power to you.
And by the way, the zippers didn’t break, and right now, if I could get my boots back in any shape or form versus having NO boots for my money, I would be better off than simply having neither the boots nor the money. Oh, and would I have ordered from them if I knew they were in the middle of a law suit? No. Would I have asked them to repair the popper if I had known they were in them middle of a law suit? No. Would I buy different boots if I were starting again? Yes. I already said in my posting that I would have been better off cost-wise even buying standard sized boots and getting them altered.
Try Kroop Boots, Laurel MD…made here in USA
http://www.kroopboots.com/
Randi is the daughter of the founder…personal service right at the store.
I have 2 pair Dehners (plus 1 pair I outgrew and gave a way) and 1 pair Kroops…would buy Kroop’s again in a heartbeat. Nothing against Dehner, but I like to support family US businesses and Kroop is within driving distance for personal measurement and fitting.
Dress boots start at $550
http://store.kroopboots.com/customers/build/7077
Sorry, I don’t have a trust fund, nor do I make enough to think $1000 is no big deal. I just lack empathy when it comes to poor judgement. If you were about to drop that kind of money down on custom boots, and you don’t have tons of money to spare on boots… I would have done my research. If it’s a brand you’re not super familiar with, google… A lot. Don’t just get into the “horse show frenzy” and but your cheap customs. Often times there are articles surfacing on the internet about what might it might not be going down with a company.
You should also compare them to any and all others of reputable brands. Are you buying a pair of custom boots to have a pair of custom boots or do you want a new pair of work horse boots that are specifically designed to you.
I’m sorry I’m not helpful but there is nothing you can do. You can call and e-mail repeatedly and hope that the “squeaky wheel gets the grease”. Or you can take legal action, because you are right: what they have done is illegal. But you will most likely incur more legal expenses than you paid for the boots and will most likely not be able to recoup the costs or retrieve the boots (as they most likely got seized or lost in the suit).
So you’re screwed. It was an expensive lesson to learn.
Aren’t you just a little ray of sunshine?
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Sorry, I don’t have a trust fund, nor do I make enough to think $1000 is no big deal. I just lack empathy when it comes to poor judgement. If you were about to drop that kind of money down on custom boots, and you don’t have tons of money to spare on boots… I would have done my research. If it’s a brand you’re not super familiar with, google… A lot. Don’t just get into the “horse show frenzy” and but your cheap customs. Often times there are articles surfacing on the internet about what might it might not be going down with a company.
You should also compare them to any and all others of reputable brands. Are you buying a pair of custom boots to have a pair of custom boots or do you want a new pair of work horse boots that are specifically designed to you.
I’m sorry I’m not helpful but there is nothing you can do. You can call and e-mail repeatedly and hope that the “squeaky wheel gets the grease”. Or you can take legal action, because you are right: what they have done is illegal. But you will most likely incur more legal expenses than you paid for the boots and will most likely not be able to recoup the costs or retrieve the boots (as they most likely got seized or lost in the suit).
So you’re screwed. It was an expensive lesson to learn.[/QUOTE]
REALLY? Do you know HOW many people have ordered Mundials? Do they all deserve to lose their money because they didn’t order Konigs or Der Daus? That is really not fair. Mundial has been selling boots for years - I see them at many of the bigger shows. People ordering all the time. And yes, if you really get on line and search, you’ll find problems with them. But how many people get on line and research every single thing they buy? This is not an unknown company - they SHOULD be able to deliver the product they advertise. They SHOULD be able to do an accurate measurement.
I know reputable, intelligent trainers who are dealing w/ the same issue w/ La Mundial - it should not be “an expensive lesson”, the company should deliver as promised, just like ANY other company.
OP is correct - she paid good money, went through the measurement process, put in a specific order, they owe her a pair of boots!
